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Phil
Gaisford: Standard Class
 Phil
learned to glide in the United Kingdom while at high school
using things like abandoned WWII runways, home-made launch
vehicles, piano wire, and Skylarks. When one asks Phil about
flying he says "I soon got interested in competition flying,
making the UK team in 1992, and was Swiss national champion
in 1993. My wide-ranging contest experience includes the UK,
France, Switzerland, Germany, Hungary, Argentina, Finland,
and since relocating to the US in 1994, most sections of
this country. He owns a Discus 2, which he flies with
Greater Boston Soaring Club, and where he also gives flight
instruction.
In June of 2013 he took part in the WGC practice event at
Räyskälä in Finland, flying a rented Discus B. This gave him
an opportunity to sample the local conditions, both in the
air and on the ground, and to establish relationships with
the local gliding community. Räyskälä is a large site that
is home to many clubs and more than seventy gliders, so we
can look forward to an excellent infrastructure at the WGC.
Long flights will be possible during the Nordic midsummer
period, over a landscape that is heavily forested in parts,
but generally offers good land-out options. Also notable:
this area of Finland has more lakes than you can shake a
stick at.
And, according to Phil, having recently experienced the
rigors of container shipping gliders to Argentina for the
previous WGC, for this event he is more attracted to the
option of renting a glider locally.
Robert
Fletcher: Standard Class
 Bob
started flying in Doncaster United Kingdom before he started
university. When at university he joined Phil Gaisford on
the Nottingham University committee and was instrumental in
starting the annual "inter university task week" flying the
first two in a K-13 with other students in the front seat.
Since university, Bob has focused more on racing than
instructing while flying many standard class national
competitions in the US, Canada, and the UK. He won the
standard class national Kubly Trophy in 2006 at Uvalde TX.
Bob enjoys flying in the western US mountains, especially
the area between Salt Lake City, UT and Bozeman MT. Bob says
"I practice at Greater Boston Soaring club which offers a
tremendous diversity of conditions and there are many
skilled racers to fly with.
Bob looks forward to team flying with Phil Gaisford in
Finland - and the competition area appears to be very
similar to southern New England with its 90% forestation. He
would add that at this moment he is planning to take his
glider to Finland.
Sean
Franke: Club Class
 Sean
is a third generation glider pilot who soloed at age 14. He
has accumulated over 3,000 hours in the air and has flown
National soaring competitions since 1990. When you ask Sean,
he will tell you that he holds eight State and two National
soaring records.
He was proud to be part of the US Junior soaring team in
1991, 1993, and 1995. Sean competed in Sweden, France, and
Poland. In 2010 and 2012 he competed in the Club Class World
Gliding Championships in Slovakia and Argentina. When not
competing, he can be found flying for fun at Warner Springs,
CA and mentoring local pilots.
Garret Willat: Club Class
 Garret
comes from a glider family. His parents have owned Sky
Sailing Inc. since 1979. Growing up on an airport made it
seem natural to solo on his 14th birthday in 18 different
sailplanes. Two years later he soloed all of the towplanes
and earned a private license. He then started instructing
the day after his 18th birthday. Since then, Garret has
represented the US Junior team in 2003 and 2005. He
graduated from Embry-Riddle with a bachelor's degree in
Professional Aeronautics.
Garret attended George Lee's camp at Plain Soaring, later
using that knowledge in open class to win the 2009 US Open
Class Nationals, and winning the Larissa Strouekoff Trophy
in 2005 and 2006 for the fastest flight during a contest.
Garret represented the US Open Class team in 2008 and 2010.
His last move in classes was when he left 60:1 super ships
to fly in Club Class. Garret was the first US Club Class
National Champion in 2013.
He is a full-time glider flight instructor at Sky Sailing,
contributing writer at AllThingsAero.com and assisting in
technical service at the newly owned Wings and Wheels.
Heinz
Weissenbuehler:
20M Multiplace Class
Heinz started flying gliders at the age of 14 as a Junior on
Harris Hill, Elmira, NY. Since then, he has accumulated more
than 4000 hours in gliders and has flown many contests,
including 21 Nationals. In 2008 he represented the US in the
Open Class during the 30th FAI World Championship in Luesse,
Germany.
Heinz works as a 767 pilot for American Airlines, and lives,
flies and instructs on Harris Hill where he has been a
member of the Harris Hill Soaring Corporation (HHSC) for 38
years. In an earlier life, he flew the most amazing Open
Class glider ever (U-2), and is currently entrusted with
caring for and flying Dick Butler's Eta Biter. In Finland,
Heinz will be flying in the 20 meter class competition with
his wife Karin Schlösser, also a glider and power pilot.
Both come from backgrounds where aviation is a family
affair. Karin started flying in the Netherlands as a
teenager, then put her flying on hold while she lived and
practiced law in New York City for 18 years. Heinz and Karin
met on Harris Hill, where they now both live and fly.
Fernando
Silva: Team Captain
 Fernando
Silva is a management consultant focusing on business
strategy for consumer product companies. He speaks four
languages and has worked with clients in the Americas and
Japan. He transitioned to gliders in 1978 and started racing
in 1996. He has won multiple Regionals including repeat wins
at Perry and Cordele flying his ASW-27. He has placed in the
top 10 in four different US Nationals. He has served as
Competition Director for the Georgia-Tennessee-Alabama club
race series and as weatherman at Regional and National
contests.
Mika
Ganszauge:
Team Advisor
 Mika
Ganszauge is a Finnish glider pilot from Tampere, Finland.
He took his first glider ride at Dunstable in the United
Kingdom in 1991, but started soaring in Finland in the late
1990's and has flown in national and international
competitions since 2003. He is a glider flight instructor in
Finland and has always been keen on introducing new faces to
the sport. He has also been mentoring less experienced local
pilots on cross-country flights and taken some of them to
their first contests on a double-seater to give them a taste
of sailplane racing.
Between 2004 and 2008 Mika worked and lived in Atlanta, GA
and was an active member of Mid-Georgia Soaring Association.
During his stay in the US, he took part in the SSA
sanctioned regional contests and the local GTA races both as
a pilot and crew.
Mika has long been an avid aviation photographer focusing on
gliders trying to combine the passion of flying to capture
the perfect shot with the sport he enjoys. You may have seen
his photos on the cover of Soaring, as well as on the pages
of British, German, and Finnish aviation and soaring
magazines over the years.
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