50 Years of Fun in the Sky
Soaring in South Africa, England, and the USA
Paperback book
Author: Ron Clarke
Date of Publication: 2021
Pages: 110

Written by the author after flying many different gliders in seven countries over a period of fifty years .

It covers the subject of how he discovered what made for him such fun times in the sport of Soaring

From the Back Cover
Ron Clarke was born in South Africa where his passion for flying gliders began.  Over his lifetime career with Eli Lilly where he lived in England and finally landed in the US, Ron accumulated nearly 6,000 hours flying gliders in South Africa, Zimbabwe, England, France, Australia, New Zealand, and the USA.  This is his story of the great fun of it all.

Forward
In October, 2020, I decided to retire from gliding and consider myself very fortunate to have been able to soar in so many different places over several continents for 50 years.  Soaring may well be the most environmentally friendly sport in the world - powered by the sun.  My belief is that what makes a successful and fun soaring career for a pilot is pretty simple.  Lots of flying, good camaraderie, and a belief that learning can take place on every single flight.

There are many approaches that can be taken to ensure that the pilot keeps moving forward in the sport, improving their understanding of soaring and having fun at the same time.  I will cover many ways in the pages ahead, but the single most important think is to Fly, Fly, Fly as much as one can.

Hopefully, an idea or two might emerge that will help the reader enjoy soaring for many years ahead.

About the Author
Ron Clarke was born in Pretoria, South Africa.  He graduated from the Cedara College of Agriculture in 1965 and joined the agricultural division of Eli Lilly that same year.  His career was entirely with that company in Agriculture and Pharmaceuticals and after assignments in South Africa, the family moved to England and then to the United States in 1980.  As Director for the Asia/Pacific region, he travelled extensively throughout that area of the world for thirteen years before retiring in 1993.  Ron and Thea now live in Zionsville, Indiana.  They have always been lovers of the outdoors and led very active lives as do their kids and grandkids.  The entire family are proud American citizens.

Review by Paul Remde
I have considered Ron to be a friend for nearly 30 years - so this is likely to be biased.  I remember sharing a hotel room with Ron at a Region 7 soaring contest in the early 1990's.  Everyone who knows Ron - enjoys spending time with Ron.  He's always happy to see you and has some great soaring stories to share.  He's a great guy and excellent sailplane pilot.  I enjoyed reading the book - very much!!!  Ron does a good job of explaining why soaring is fun and intriguing.  He tells of many fun adventures and lessons learned.  He shares stories about soaring on many continents and with many friends.  He emphasizes the comradery and challenges.  In 50 years, he has flown cross-country soaring distance equivalent to 7 trips around the world.  He set many records and did well in many soaring contests.  The book doesn't highlight the particular records, but rather focuses on the fun and adventure.  Well done Ron!