John Harte is the chief instructor at Sandhill Soaring Club in Gregory, Michigan, just a few miles down the road from Hell. (Hell, Michigan, that is.) He’s the guy responsible for the hard left turn into gliders that I took in 2012, including obtaining my glider rating (Part 1 and Part 2), becoming an airshow pilot, and ultimately becoming a glider instructor. He has also flown extensively with FOD, giving him instruction in glider operations and formation flying.

John and I sat down on a recent evening in our respective sequestered locations and talked about gliders, John’s path in aviation, his trips to Bitterwasser to fly above the Kalahari Desert, and airshow operations.