Nuno Fontes: Practical Test Passed at HSC!

[Quest@HSC]

Hi Everybody,

HSC would like to congratulate Nuno Fontes on the successful
completion of his Practical Test for an added Glider Rating onto his
current Private Pilot Certificate with an Airplane Single Engine Land
rating. Great job Nuno!
Nuno got in touch with me in the late Fall of 2011 to inquire about
doing a somewhat accelerated glider add-on rating. He was already
rated in airplanes, and had been flying his friends around the S.F.
Bay Area doing Bay tours and other local VFR flights in a Cessna 172.
This was good because the recent flight experience would make the
transition to gliders quicker and easier for him. In addition to his
recent airplane experience, Nuno also has about 1,500 hours of hang-
glider flight time, with many long cross-country and competition
flights done in his native Portugal, as well as Spain and the Alps. He
organized many of the competition flights as well as analyzed
soundings and weather, and has many interesting stories to tell about
thermaling and flying wave in various areas on the Iberian Peninsula.
Nuno was a quick study so it took only a few extended training
sessions with me for him to solo, which he did on December 18th.
Following that he flew a few solo flights but then was gone to
Portugal for a few weeks during the Holidays. Upon returning to the
U.S.A. it took very little time for him to complete his solos and
finish his training with me to be ready for the Practical Test. After
a couple delays Nuno met the oral and flight requirements for the
Rating with Designated Pilot Examiner Dave Morss on a very quiet
Friday morning, February 24th. Nuno's skills and mastery were so
apparent to Dave that this was one of the very few flight portions of
the Practical Test that was accomplished in only one flight! Nuno is
not the first glider pilot flying out of Hollister who has
transitioned from hang-gliders to sailplanes. In fact, this seems to
be a natural progression once a hang-glider pilot achieves all of his
goals and simply wants to go faster and farther than is possible in
the weight-shift devices. Also, in many ways, sailplanes just seem to
be a bit safer, especially during take-offs and landings (ask Nuno
about this!). Nuno has many stories to share about his hang-gliding
experience, and maybe someday he'll be around to share them as a
Member of BASA while expanding his soaring horizons from Hollister.
His profession is as a PhD doing work and research for a large
pharmaceutical firm with campuses in the Bay Area, as well as Europe.
This demanding work, as well as family obligations, may make it
difficult for him to fly gliders and soar as much as he'd like out of
Hollister. But we're hoping that he can find time to join BASA and
"join the gang" at Hollister for soaring and camaraderie during the
coming soaring season of 2012. Once again, congratulations Nuno on a
job well done, and we hope to see you back out at Hollister flying
fiberglass gliders in the future!

Happy Soaring,
Quest