Bob Dyer
Bob Dyer, Club Secretary
I first started flying lessons and soloed a Cessna 172 while in high school. Then meager finances, college, and first few jobs led to just an occasional lesson until I started working for the CNW railroad in 1979. While working all over Northern Nebraska and South Dakota I finished up my private SEL in October 1979. One advantage to moving around a lot was getting to meet lots of different people and flying quite a few different airplanes for my few hours, including a few hours of aerobatic instruction. My introduction to gliders started in April 1984 on vacation in Fort Collins, Colorado at what was then Waverly West Soaring Ranch, where I soloed a Schweizer 2-33. My second solo glider flight was especially memorable, stumbling into 1000 ft/min lift as a front moved through, and then my shortest every landing in winds gusting over 40 MPH. I don’t think I rolled 5 feet.
Like many people, I then had a 12 year absence from aviation while I got married, had 2 kids, and went through half a dozen relocations. I have lived in La Vista, NE since 1991 with my wife Vicki, 14 year old daughter Katy, and 10 year old son Alex. This last 10 years is the longest I have lived in one house. My current occupation is Corridor Manager with the Union Pacific Railroad. I work 12 hour shifts with a 3 days on, 3 days off schedule, so I don’t get to get out to the glider field on weekends as often as I would like, but am often available to fly and/or assist others flying during the week.
I discovered the Omaha Soaring Club in 1997, and have since added a glider rating and then commercial glider to my license. Thanks to Jaime, Bert, and everyone else. I own a J5 cub with Bob Moser and Tim Gleason, which has allowed me to gain enough more tailwheel experience to become the club’s newest (and therefore least experienced) tow pilot in September 2001. Thanks again, Jaime. I also belong to AOPA and EAA, and enjoy giving "Young Eagle" flights to kids. Flying with all you guys is definitely one of the best things that has happened to me.
Some of my other activities include music, woodworking, and racquetball. I used to be active in radio control models, including powered aerobatics and slope soaring gliders. I also used to do some hang gliding, scuba diving, sailing and snow skiing. I sold my last motorcycle years ago. I still have my sailboard, some golf clubs, a unicycle, various sets of juggling balls, and an amateur radio station, but they don’t seem to get out of the closet very often anymore. Flying is the one thing I hope to never give up again. What a special time we live in to be able to experience the joy of flight.