Back Story
Back Story
Image by Chris Strong
“It’s the purest form of flight. The glider is so maneuverable, it’s like dancing in the sky. I bounce from cloud to cloud, speeding up to 100 miles per hour in sinking air, pulling up, slowing, and turning the good air, absorbing as much energy as I can. I can’t worry about any problems on the ground, like that equation I can’t solve. I’m constantly thinking, asking myself, ‘Where’s the next thermal?’ ‘What’s the best course?’ and, of course, ‘Where can I land if the lift quits?’”
John Cochrane was photographed by Chris Strong in August at the Chicago Glider Club near Joliet, Illinois. Cochrane was 14 when he began flying sailplanes—engineless aircraft that are launched by a small airplane and navigate by using rising air. In May, Cochrane placed third among more than 50 pilots who navigated several hundred miles each day in a national contest. Cochrane is Myron S. Scholes Professor of Finance.—M.M.B.
