The Pittsburgh Soaring Club was in operation from 1965 until 2014 It was succeeded by the Pittsburgh Soaring Association (PSA), a 501(c) (3) charitable organization focused on education and flight technology.
The photos below were selected from our archive.
Rituals of Spring. Every year in early April Association members gather to unpack our hangar, assemble and carefully inspect our aircraft. In preparation for this day, all maintenance and FAA inspections are completed during the winter.
Our year-long focus on flight safety includes an annual Safety Meeting, morning safety briefings and a “check ride” with one of our instructor every spring before solo flight in a PSA glider.
A series of Schweizer 2-22 and 2-33 dual place gliders served our training and check-ride needs through 2014. The last in this series was N34367Z. It was sold to the University of Central Missouri when we bought our Blanik L23.
A Schweizer 1-26 (N2997H) provided transition” to single place aircraft and pure fun for pilots of all experience levels for many years. It was replaced by a Russia AC4-C “glass” glider in 2015.
A Pilatus B4 (N86AS) was in our fleet for many years. Many of us admired its striking paint scheme and remarkable flying qualities. It was sold to Club de Planeados de Santiago (Chile) in 2012 and is now flying in the Andes.
The highest performance ship in our fleet is a Grob Astir (N142SS), shown here under tow with it’s favorite pilot.
Our Tow plane for many years was a Piper Super Cub (N3934Z). It was sold to a private party on the west coast when we bought our more powerful Pawnee in 2014.
A view of the western PA countryside from our 2-33 at the start of a soaring day.
Several members have their private ships stored in trailers on the field.
An unforgettable day in every pilot’s life, the FAA Practical Test.