Hi! My name is Clemens Ceipek. I’m a glider pilot and I invite you to join me on my quest to become better at the ultimate game of chess: soaring.
A glider (also called sailplane) is an airplane without an engine. If you’ve ever folded a piece of paper into a glider you get the idea. The sailplanes I fly are essentially the same thing, just bigger, heavier, and more sophisticated. Like anything that’s heavier than air, they must always glide down until they are back on the ground. But gliding down and landing safely is the easy part.
Soaring on the other hand, i.e., staying up and covering hundreds of miles across the country, is cerebral, complex and challenging. To rise and stay aloft, you have to follow the sun and the wind. You have to read the clouds above and the ground below. You have to know the limits of your equipment and of yourself. You constantly have to make decisions and take calculated risks. In short, you are playing a game of chess in the air. And your partner is no-one else but mother nature: fierce and infinitely more powerful than you.
I first started to fly gliders in 1983, just after my 16th birthday. For a few years I flew fairly regularly and added certificates for winch launching and self-launch (in a motor glider) to my initial aero-tow license. Then came university, family, and a global business career, and gliding was relegated to a line item on my resume under “other experiences”.
In 2017, I finally decided to end the hiatus and return to the sport that I once loved. This blog, therefore, chronicles my second journey to become a better soaring pilot. It is, first and foremost, written for myself: to document what I learn, the mistakes I make, and the sense of wonder that I experience. But I hope it can also serve to inspire other glider pilots and those who consider joining this wonderful, and incredibly challenging sport.
Btw – I love to move silently through open spaces even if the weather isn’t right for soaring. In that case I just use my own two feet to power my adventures. You can find my ultra-running and adventure blog right here. And if you are curious about my professional background, you can check out My Professional Bio.
Soaring Milestones
Badges and Distance Flights
- 1000km Diplome #132 (2022)
- First flights >1000km per OLC rules (2021)
- First declared 750km FAI triangle (2021)
- 750km Diplome (2020)
- Diamond Distance (2019)
- Diamond Goal (2018)
- Gold Badge #2763 (2018)
- Silver Badge #7095 (2018)
Colorado State Records
- Open Class Singleplace Triangle Distance: 622.24 miles (1001.4 km) – June 4, 2022 (first ever 1000 km FAI triangle in Colorado)
- Open Class Singleplace Distance Up to Three Turnpoints: 622.24 miles (1001.4 km) – June 4, 2022 (breaking my own prior record of 468.7 miles (754.3 km) from Aug 27 2021
- Open Class Singleplace Free Triangle Distance: 622.24 miles (1001.4 km) – June 4, 2022
- Open Class Singleplace 1000 km Triangle Speed: 73.09 mph (117.6 kph) – June 4, 2022
- Open Class Singleplace 750 km Triangle Speed: 84.63 mph (136.2 kph) – July 7, 2022
- Open Class Singleplace 500 km Out and Return Speed: 78.26 mph (125.94 kph) – June 27, 2022
Contests
- 2021 18m US National Championships in Nephi, UT. Placed 22nd out of 34 contestants.
- 2021 20m US Two-Seater Nationals in Montague, CA with Bill Kaewert in his ASG 32Mi, kW. Placed 4th out of 8 contestants.
- Region 7 Albert Lea, MN 2021. Placed 2nd on the first and only contest day; the rest of the contest was rained-out.
Awards
- Colorado 14er Challenge – Flown above all 55 Colorado peaks taller than 14,000 ft (2018-2022)
- Soaring Society of Boulder – Longest Flight of the Year from Boulder (2020, 2021)
- Soaring Society of Boulder – Summer Soaring Series Silver Division – 1st Place (2018)
- Soaring Society of Boulder – Most Improved Pilot (2018)
Licences
- US Commercial Pilot – Glider (2019)
- US Private Pilot – Glider (2017)
- Self-Launch – Motorglider (1987)
- Winch Launch (1984)
- EASA (European) Glider Pilot (1983; renewed 2017)
Service
- Soaring Society of Boulder
- President (since 2021)
- Vice President (2019 – 2020)
- Board Member (since 2018)