On July 16, 2005 my wife Melissa and I were blessed with what has to be the ultimate 7 day aviation experience I have had or ever will experience.  How was I so lucky to get invited?  Let me begin by explaining how one can be invited to the Hilton Ranch, otherwise known as the Flying M Ranch.  You could be an astronaut, actor, well known test pilot, or have the last name Hilton.  I didn’t fall into any of these categories, so in September of 2004 I flew a declared FAI triangle (handicapped) for a distance of a little over 750 kilometers in my Kestrel 17 from Minden, NV.  This happened to be the longest FAI triangle flight in the western region (west of the Rocky Mountains and South America) for that year.  Normally, the contest falls over a two year period, however this year it only covered one year.  I have to give huge credit to my friend Kempton Izuno (past Hilton Cup winner) who called me one week prior to my flight and gave me the heads up that the Hilton Cup covered only a one year window.  Knowing that the thermal season was quickly coming to an end, I made my flight on the last day of the season that would allow such a triangle.  There are two winners from the USA and 7 others (and 2 world champions) from different countries that had to fly the longest triangle in their respective regions.

 

The Hilton Ranch is located 75 miles southeast of Reno (50 miles southeast of Minden), NV.  It has a huge paved runway that can handle large corporate jets (you won’t find it on a sectional) and sits in a valley at 5000 ft MSL between two large mountain ranges in the high desert of Nevada.  This makes it optimum for superb soaring conditions in the summer months.  Its ideally situated location is what actually convinced three time world soaring champion Helmut Reichmann to approach Barron Hilton about 25 years ago and convince him to host the Hilton Cup every two years.  You’re quickly getting the idea that Mr. Hilton likes aviation.  That my friends is an understatement.  Many of his best friends are famous aviation icons, and you can normally see Mr. Hilton at popular flying events such as Oshkosh or the Reno races.  I think what really makes him happy is seeing us enjoying ourselves in the skies above his ranch.  He truly loves all aspects of flying. The Hilton Cup is now jointly sponsored by the Hilton Corporation and EADS (European Aeronautic Defense and Space Company).

Upon ones arrival, each couple is assigned their own spacious motor home, fully equipped with Hilton towels, toiletry, air conditioning, and maid service.   The VIP’s are given their own bungalow of which there were about eight.  Having dropped off my Kestrel the day before, Melissa and I made the 1.5 hour drive from Minden with an empty glider trailer loaded with mountain bikes, kayak and fishing poles.  My goal was not to fly gliders every day, but instead enjoy the myriad of things the ranch had to offer besides gliders.  The first few days the German guests thought I was crazy for not taking advantage of the great soaring.  They finally understood when I pointed to the northwest and told them that I lived over the ridge of mountains only a 30 minute glider ride away and could fly in these conditions from my home regularly.   We were then introduced to Mr. Hilton’s ranch house, where guests are catered to by the two dozen or so employees of the Hilton Hotel in Reno.  The ranch house is the centerpiece of action throughout the 7 days we were there.  This is where the morning breakfast buffet takes place, followed by weather briefing by meteorologist Dan Gudgel, and “pick which glider you want to fly today” discussion.  What about lunch?  Well, if you decide you want to keep your feet on the ground for the day you can be served a lunch at the ranch house.  If you decide to go soaring for the day, sandwiches and drinks will be brought out to the flight line in a cooler.  I was totally unprepared how things operate on the flight line at the Flying M Ranch.  The cardinal rule is that you as the pilot do absolutely NOTHING.  From the staff of line boys (of whose average age was 64), you will receive top notch service, from putting water into the wings, cleaning the gliders everyday, to getting you onto the line and running your wing.  It was extremely difficult for me to get used to the “do nothing” attitude, but once I did, it sure was nice.  It got pretty hot several of the days, with temperatures reaching a little over 100 degrees.  Not to worry though.  With the 3 tow planes readily available your wait time was insignificant.

 

Of the 7 days, I flew my Kestrel cross-country 3 of the days, with distances ranging from 500 to 700 kilometers.  Overdevelopment was a concern on several days; however the strong lift and high cloud bases allowed everyone to get out and get in some good miles.  All pilots were absolutely blown away by the extremely strong conditions and high cloud bases.  The Germans were astounded by the ability to fly 100 miles without having to turn.  They were also very timid at first because of the large expanses of unlandable terrain.  It can be very humbling flying in the Great Basin for the first time.  Although one can be rewarded with strong lift and great altitudes, the tradeoff is large areas of unlandable terrain between thermals.  When you here me describe cross-country flying, you may be wondering about the consequences of a land out.  Once again, no worries.  You will be expeditiously retrieved by either tow plane or helicopter, whichever is easiest.  Mr. Hilton doesn’t want you to miss out on the wonderful dinner that’s served to the guests each night.  As a matter of fact, one night we were treated to about 40 pounds of fresh halibut and salmon that Mr. Hilton and Chuck Yeager had caught in Alaska 2 days earlier. You’ll be back in time for dinner each night, guaranteed!   I put that to the test, landing at Hawthorne airport one late afternoon, about 25 miles from the Flying M Ranch.  While I was still in the air, the tow plane was on its way.  Furthermore, two days later, our new friend New Zealander Nick Reekie landed in Hadley, 100 miles east of the Flying M Ranch.  Normally, this would have been an all night retrieve with a car.  Since it was too late to tow him back, Barron’s Hughes 500 helicopter was launched to pick him up along with Germany’s Sven Killenger who landed at Gabbs.  They were both back for dinner, just as guaranteed.  Following dinner each night, the guests slide into the next room for drinks and stories.  Nick’s story of a gun slinging Sheriff that showed up at the airport after he landed only to take him back to the “jailhouse” to wait for his retrieve had us in tears.  He explained how a rough looking sheriff of the town (population 89) showed him his arsenal of weapons he had stockpiled at the station, which included numerous guns, rifles, and even a grenade launcher.  A what???  I’m not sure how much trouble a quiet town with a population of 89 in the middle of Nevada can get into, but this guy was either seriously paranoid or he’d been reading too many Soldier of Fortune magazines.  He even went to the extent of taking Nick out to his patrol car to show him how fast he could draw his shotgun from the rifle rack mounted to the rear window.  He was hell bent on showing a New Zealander how things were handled “out west.”  Nick started feeling a little uneasy when Sheriff Billy Bob’s family showed up at the station.   One of Billy Bob’s boys asked what crime Nick had committed.  Following the question, he asked “Daddy, can you handcuff and lock that guy with the funny accent in the jail cell?”  I guess that was pushing it a little bit too far.  After the jailhouse entertainment, Nick went from convict to instant movie star status as Hilton’s pilot Rick Raines landed the helicopter in front of the police station to pick him up.  After a quick picture alongside Billy Bob packing heat in both hands, Nick was whisked away in time for dinner at the Ranch.  Stories such as these, along with others about flying into space or breaking the sound barrier for the first time were what made each night a very special conclusion to another fine day.  To be in the same room, hanging out at the bar with names such as Chuck Yeager, actor Cliff Robertson, German astronaut Ulf Merbold, and Bill Anders was truly an honor.

 

So what happened on the days that I didn’t fly sailplanes cross country?  Probably the most fun would have been learning to fly the Hughes 500 helicopter.  I had never had chance to handle one, but after 32 minutes was able to fly it, shoot an approach to a field, and put it into a hover 5 feet off the ground, and then depart again.  Let me tell you, helicopters are an absolute hoot to fly, and challenging too.  Rick happened to be an instructor also, so I managed to log all of my time.  I couldn’t imagine what that would have cost.  We covered a good portion of Barron’s property, finding wild horses and surveying the East Walker River for my kayaking adventure the following day.  I spent a lot of time enjoying the beauty of the area with Melissa.  We would ride bikes, fish for bass or catfish in one of Hilton’s 4 stocked ponds, lounge by the pool, go for local glider rides in the Duo Discus or DG-500, or see the petroglyphs that were only _ mile from the ranch.  I also got a ride in the aerobatic Extra 300 with one of Mr. Hilton’s pilots.  I think we did just about every aerobatic maneuver one could imagine, from inverted spins to outside loops.  Besides the helicopter and Extra 300, Mr. Hilton’s stockpile of flying toys included a gorgeous Beech Staggerwing, Stearman, several gliders, Cessna 180, and a few others.  Oh, I forgot to mention the hot air balloon Melissa and I enjoyed in the early morning above the desert floor before breakfast.

This seven day experience concluded with an awards ceremony for the Cup winners.  This consisted of an air show by the German RC model aerobatic champion followed by a speech by actor Cliff Robertson and finally the handout of the medals.  After the multiple handshakes with aviations best, we were give beautiful leather flight jackets followed by group pictures.  It was an honor to be asked to have my Kestrel assembled on the lawn for the awards ceremony.  Following the ceremonies, it was time to take the dusty 20 mile road back to the highway that led us back to our home in Minden.  If you could see my face that day, you’d swear you just saw a kid get pulled by his ear out of Disneyland at closing time.  It was sad to leave, although we lived a mere 50 miles away.  There was something about this place in the middle of nowhere that made it hard to leave.  Was it the flying?  Partly, but I believe it was the friendships made and the coming together of folks that really love to fly and the wonderful stories shared by all.

 

The Hilton Cup is the most rewarding aviation experience a pilot could ever imagine. It’s unfortunate that this competition has not received the notoriety and competitiveness that one would expect in the USA.  Anyone can enter.  All one needs is a sailplane and the eagerness to fly the longest FAI triangle (handicapped) for their respective region.  The Hilton Cup is a HUGE deal in Europe.  Let’s make it a huge deal in the USA.  It was a dream-come-true for me as I was inspired at the age of 15 by the movie The Quiet Challenge.  If I could compete for the Cup again I would, but it’s limited to a one time invitation in order to share this dream-come-true with more pilots throughout the world.  Get out there this soaring season and give it a go.  Make your dream come true.

I would like to thank those that made this 23 year fantasy come true, from Barron Hilton and EADS to the employees and line boys at the Flying M Ranch.  I would also like to thank my lovely wife Melissa for sharing this experience with me.  The friendships, ranging from Germany to New Zealand that we made are priceless and will last a lifetime.  How much did all this cost?  How about 7 days of your life that you will never forget.