been used for aerobatics and was capable of doing loops.  I didn't plan on doing anything fancy since I had never even flown a high performance glider.  I have also been threatened and told to wait a few years before attempting any kind of aerobatics.

ROUGH START.     We picked up the Seedwings Sensor and drove an hour to Cervens.  Franck's girlfriend, Marielle, launched first. I watched her fly as Franck told me about the one area to avoid a possible Venturi effect and other places where thermals were typical.  Since I am just starting to learn to thermal I didn't have a lot of hope of soaring but the prospect of 2800' between launch and landing without having to scrape my way to the LZ was by itself enticing.  I hooked into the Sensor and was on launch when I noticed that Marielle's glider was nose down in the LZ and wasn't moving.  She had not flown with a radio so there was no way to tell if she was okay.

A few minutes later we saw Marielle's glider get moved to a high wind tear down position and again there was no movement.  I felt the first puff of a thermal.  It was barely 2 mph but it was enough.  I launched with strong strides and was quickly airborne.  My eyes were constantly on the LZ and Marielle's glider.  I played with one thermal but didn't want to follow it back to the ridge.  Something was very wrong in the LZ so I cut the flight short and went to land.  As I neared the LZ I saw a Jeep pull away from the landing field.

I pulled in and circled the landing area.  I kept getting hit by rising thermals that would have been nice to try to work but I was focused on landing.  I dropped out of one thermal and was glad for the extra speed I had pulled on over the LZ.  I landed at the edge of the LZ and moved the Sensor over to Marielle's downed glider. There was only one building near the LZ so I left the glider and went there.  I knocked on the door and wondered how I was going to get through this conversation.  The girl who answered spoke almost no English and I spoke almost no French.  A young man who had been to the States several years ago helped out and I learned that Ma

"Don't Panic!!  The LZ has to be here someplace!!  Breath.  Don't PANIC!!"

I have to admit, flying in the Northern French Alps was adventurous.  While I did more sightseeing than flying, I had a great time in the 3 weeks I was able to spend with Franck Pagliero and his girlfriend Marielle.

GETTING THERE.     The quest began when I called the airline and confirmed my glider's size and weight.  "No problem" was what I was told.  I arrived an extra hour early "just in case" and had my dark suspicions confirmed when I learned that my glider's size was a problem, by 12 inches.  So, no glider.  Hopefully I could come up with one to fly after I arrived in France.

THE GLIDER.     Franck knew a pilot that had recently gone "fixed wing" and had a glider for sale.  The glider had