Lakeland Aero Club Competes in Its First Soaring Competition

By Nick Poucher

The Lakeland Aero Club high school soaring team competed in their first official competition in August, traveling to Waller, Texas. Three members of the soaring team made the trip from Florida to demonstrate what young aviators are capable of. The team was led by 16-year-old captain and competition pilot Steven Tellman. While the first few days of competition did not provide favorable conditions, the team continued to do their best to push themselves while remaining safe. During two days of the competition, Tellman was able to complete the entire course and on the final day of competition was able to score 924/1000 points. Following five long days of competition, the Lakeland Aero Club Soaring Team finished near the middle of the field in seventh place. The team was happy with how the first competition went and are excited to continue improving in future competitions as they build more experience with the DG-400 aircraft and competition soaring.