Jan Driessen hits 25,000

dale...@charter.net

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Apr 9, 2016, 2:52:04 PM4/9/16

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I learned yesterday that Jan Driessen flew his 25,000th glider flight at Seminole Lake glider port in Florida. Jan (pronounced Yon) and also known as CP or Chili Pepper, pioneered soaring in the late 70's in the Montague, Shasta Valley area. He presently has a permanent residence near Weed California but is usually in Florida for the winter and Trukee in the summer. Jan logs all of his time in aircraft to the minute and has amassed 11,000 glider hours, most of which has been instruction. No spring chicken, he immigrated as a boy from the Netherlands near the end of WW 2 and flew the Glostor Meteor for the Canadian Airforce. Somehow he got to the U.S. And became a banker. Jan financed many gliders over the years. He has soloed and recommended literally hundreds of glider pilots.
We tend to recognize record and competition achievements in this sport when, in fact, the greatest contributors are the often the teachers.
Bravo! Chili Pepper

Dale Bush

disc...@gmail.com

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Apr 9, 2016, 3:08:52 PM4/9/16

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Way to go Jan
Glenn

gkemp

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Apr 9, 2016, 5:20:51 PM4/9/16

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Flew often with Jan and Dale at Montague, fine pilots and fine people.

Congrats, Jan

gary kemp

Key Dismukes

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Apr 9, 2016, 11:28:15 PM4/9/16

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On Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 11:52:04 AM UTC-7, dale...@charter.net wrote:

Key Dismukes

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Apr 9, 2016, 11:29:26 PM4/9/16

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Jan is an original; a great guy and a great instructor!

Key

cliff...@gmail.com

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Apr 9, 2016, 11:58:11 PM4/9/16

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Here, here, Great guy and good friend!

CH

BobW

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Apr 10, 2016, 10:11:40 AM4/10/16

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On 4/9/2016 12:52 PM, dale...@charter.net wrote:
> I learned yesterday that Jan Driessen flew his 25,000th glider flight at

> Seminole Lake glider port in Florida...
<Snip>

> He has soloed and recommended literally hundreds of glider pilots. We tend
> to recognize record and competition achievements in this sport when, in
> fact, the greatest contributors are the often the teachers. Bravo!

Indeed the "quietly spectacular" typically fails to be recognized as much as
the "obviously spectacular."

Studly!!!

Bob W.

Casey

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Apr 10, 2016, 10:45:16 AM4/10/16

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Must be close to 16,000 hrs too.

Jan is a great instructor, fine fellow and I enjoy his stories.

He was almost shot by a spitfire when he was a boy. He was walking past a German convoy that had stopped. A German soldier was shot in the leg and taken into his house.

johnsin...@yahoo.com

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Apr 10, 2016, 11:10:59 AM4/10/16

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Way to go..........Chili Pepper!
JJ

Loye Hilton

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Apr 10, 2016, 3:30:16 PM4/10/16

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At 14:11 10 April 2016, BobW wrote:
>On 4/9/2016 12:52 PM, dale...@charter.net wrote:
>> I learned yesterday that Jan Driessen flew his 25,000th glider flight
at
>> Seminole Lake glider port in Florida...
>

>> He has soloed and recommended literally hundreds of glider pilots. We
>tend
>> to recognize record and competition achievements in this sport when, in
>> fact, the greatest contributors are the often the teachers. Bravo!
>
>Indeed the "quietly spectacular" typically fails to be recognized as much
>as
>the "obviously spectacular."
>
>Studly!!!
>
>Bob W.

>awesome Jan...I remember #10,000 in Durango, Colo...your the Man. Loye
Hilton

Tom Roth

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Apr 11, 2016, 2:37:41 PM4/11/16

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And thanks to Jan's excellent care of "chili pepper" (asw20) it took to the skies again over the weekend. I didn't give renaming it a second thought ...
I can't swear to it but I think chili pepper feels the same way about Jan as he does about it! :-) It was great meeting Jan and I hope to see him down at Montague later this year!
Tom R.

Bob T

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Apr 14, 2016, 5:09:31 PM4/14/16

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On Saturday, April 9, 2016 at 11:52:04 AM UTC-7, dale...@charter.net wrote:

Keep up the great flyin Jan! We miss you in Durango almost as much as we miss the now closed Val Air gliderport (now a prairie dog preserve). Sure would like to have you both back in the San Juans.