1. Except for a bent prop on a towplane, we were accident-free. Although, distracted by COVID, we stumbled a bit out of the gate when we started flying.
2. We had no COVID transmission in the Club
3. Helped by great weather we had a highly successful season in terms of training and sporting achievements.

1. Jeff Keay
2. Evan Juergensen
3. Peter Kermack
4. Tamas (Tommy) Csete
5. Will Nyland
6. Alun Philips
7. Julia Clitheroe

1. Emerson Naruse
2. Igor Sek
3. Marc Whelan
4. Will Goodwin
5. Ian O’Reilly
6. Peter Kermack
7. Tamas (Tommy) Csete
8. Will Nyland
9. Julia Clitheroe

1. Tamas (Tommy) Csete
2. Ian O’Reilly

1. Charles Binks-Collier
2. Adam Zieba

A Student Perspective for the 2020 Season:

By Emerson Naruse

Despite the global pandemic, I think that 2020 was an outstanding flying season.  Even in the extraordinary situation that this pandemic put the world in, the SOSA Board of Directors persevered and very quickly and effectively adapted to the new normal.  Their leadership provided safe protocols for members to enjoy the flying season. 

The decision by the Board to ensure that new and returning students were looked after, really allowed training to be focused and progress to be quick. The use of training “bubbles/groups” made training more efficient and effective as instructors did not need to spend time getting to know new students.  Some were even fortunate enough to experience cross country training.  This focus resulted in many significant student achievements in a few short months.  The CFI even spent hours…and hours…providing personalized ground school training for student pilots studying for the TC exam.  Many of these achievements would not have been possible without the dedicated instructors and countless members who helped a lot behind the scenes.  For this, we are all grateful. 

Even though the pandemic tightened restrictions for social gatherings, a few dedicated members made the student BBQ possible.  This may be one of the few social events that many will attend this year.   

Thanks to the members for keeping to protocols so that we can all keep flying.  Gratitude to the SOSA Board of Directors for the enormous amount of time and dedication spent on making this season happen.  ….And thanks to the skies for fantastic weather!

Flying Beyond Unseen Limits 

By Michael Viechweg

Herrie ten Cate, a tall, Dutch-Canadian man asked me to write an article on my gliding experience in context of the Black Lives Matter movement.  I have to admit that I had to think about it at first because for me this is a complex issue and being one of the few glider pilots of colour in Canada (that I know of) and of aviation in Canada in general, this seems to be my time to tell part of my story.  I am also motivated by other influential black people who are making more of an effort to speak out and make a difference. Formula One's Lewis Hamilton, whose family is from my native island of Grenada (and who may actually be a distant cousin of mine) is trying to make a difference in a sport I have loved for decades. This is my opportunity to tell my story. Not as arbiter of right or wrong. Just my story.

As I mentioned above, I was born in the West Indies on the small island of Grenada and came to Canada when I was 3.  My father, a schoolteacher, arrived here first but his first job was as a porter on the CN trains where he carried people’s bags and shined their shoes. My mother arrived with me later and she was a pre-school teacher before eventually becoming a nurse.  This makes them risk takers but this is not an uncommon story for many people in Canada. During my formative years my parents encouraged me to learn very Canadian life skills like skating, skiing and swimming in cold water and not put limits on myself.  I did things because I wanted to do them.  I actually got the flying bug from an older cousin when I was living in Miami and he would drive the two of us out to the airport and watch the airliners take off and land.  I decided that one day I would fly. 

The opportunity came in high school, when as an Air Cadet, I was sent with a few others to learn to glide at York Soaring.  I stopped flying for a few years as I went to university but after a few years, I decided to go back to soaring because I loved it and most importantly, I could afford it.  Eventually I made my way to where I am now at SOSA Gliding club.

The details I gave above never made any mention about colour.  This is natural for me. I did mention Herrie’s cultural background and mine because this is how I view the world around me.  When I meet my friends at SOSA I see them in context of their own proud cultural background. French Canadians, Hungarians, Dutch, Germans, British, Kiwi, Poles, Russians, South Americans, South Africans, and those from South East Asia. To me, it’s an honour to associate with these people.  I have a German last name, my mother has a French last name, so I have some European in me and my lost, early, ancestors are from Africa. So, I count myself lucky to be in this group at SOSA.

As far as I know, I am SOSA’s longest standing black flying member and most of the past 20 years I have been the only one. There are other people of colour at the club but no one like me.

Most Canadian pilots know that aviation in our country is its own tribe and I’ve always had the feeling that there have been no more than three degrees of separation among us all.  Is there a diversity problem in aviation? Of course there is! The continuing underrepresentation of people of colour and women says to me that we still have a very long way to go.

In racism I view that there are three main types: blatant, institutional, and systemic. I can only speak for myself in that I haven’t knowingly experienced blatant racism directed at me as a glider pilot although I have heard people say seemingly unintentionally stupid things and I have seen stupid things said towards women. I have not experienced any institutional racism within the two large clubs I have been a member of. But I have experienced systemic racism. This is the most insidious of all because it is the hardest to get rid of and, like a gas in the air, it gets everywhere.  

Like most racism it is learned but this one is propagated in an environment of comfort and convenience experienced by the aggressor.  It’s also insidious because when people like me push back, it can often be met with defensive anger, claims of innocence, and an accusation towards people like me of being “radical”.

The details aren’t important but I actually have experienced systemic racism at SOSA. I have to admit that it bothers me to this day because it spoke to the core of who I am and what I am as a black man and the history of what I represent for my race. It wasn’t someone calling me the “N” word. It was subtle and the person most likely didn’t know they were being unconsciously racist. That said, I’m certain they would never have said the same things to a white club member. Is SOSA a racist organization? Certainly not. But racism and unconscious bias exists in society and at gliding clubs. I’ve seen it first-hand and I’ve been hurt by it.

How can we improve the diversity problem in gliding in Canada and around the world? We all must play our part and here are my thoughts:

1.     Listen. Actually listen to people of colour.

2.     DO NOT SAY, “I don’t see colour.” We NEED you to see our colour but treat us equally.

3.     Some people have visions of outreach programs to local youth. I am very much for this and SOSA is not far from a large First Nations reserve and I would love to see youth from there.

4.     I would suggest that soaring associations perform a census of their membership and determine their backgrounds of how and why people join the soaring community.  Soaring is not cheap and I only got back into it when I had the income to afford to fly. 

5.     To help rid ourselves of systemic racism here’s the tricky part, and this requires self-reflection from every pilot: when you go to the work that pays for your flying look around you and be honest on how diverse that world is.  If you can afford to fly yet the environment in which you work in is not diverse, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that this will be reflected in the place where you have fun.

6.     People often don’t take up activities they cannot see themselves reflected in. I live in a white world but I was taught to be fearless. Take a look at your web pages (and other club pages) and ask yourself how diverse it is. How many women and people of colour are represented on club web sites who are not passengers? That number is shamefully very thin.

I have wonderful pilot friends across this great country of ours and I am sure with a bit of effort we can all do our part, increase membership diversity and truly have an open and welcoming environment. Clubs and soaring associations themselves cannot do it alone. Each member of the soaring community must look within themselves and this starts at home.