The glider lurched forward as the slack in the rope to the tow plane quickly disappeared into a taught connection and started to pull the glider down the grass field.  Cadet Sergeant Ben Marshal, sitting in the rear seat, could clearly see the grass, so close, starting to whip by as they increased speed.  The glider jostled up and down making a load tin-ish noise inside the cockpit.  The pilot pulled back slightly on the stick and the glider lifted just a few inches off the grass, silencing the pouncing vibrations.  The tow plane, still on the ground, increased speed while the glider flew behind almost touching the ground.  The

tow plane pulled up, lifting itself and the glider into the sky.  C/Sgt Marshal could hear the sound of the wind passing the gliders cockpit as it became the dominant noise.  It was a buffeting load rusing sound that gave the glider a feeling of speed.  Higher and higher the plane carried it's tow, with it's own precious cargo, the Dallas Squadron Cadet and the Soaring Clubs pilot, Larry Mitchell.  The pilot reached forward and quickly pulled the yellow handle to his left and, suddenly, the noise stopped, the tow plane pulled away and the glider was free.  Banking hard to the right to assure a clean seperation from the tow plane, it was free to take it's passengers through the heavens without internal power, just the hand of aerodynamics.

The Cadets and Staff of the Dallas Composite Squadron, Civil Air Patrol, were off on their second annual official glider orientation flights.  Over a year ago the Dallas Squadron glided into history to become the first squadron of Cadets in Texas to take advantage of the new MOU between the Civil Air Patrol and the Texas Soaring Association.  Today, they returned to their record making past to soar those western skies again.