Tom Preisser
@ecoflight.bsky.social
I'd rather be flying or fixing my motorglider. Espresso-fueled genuis. Happily married & handsome as all get out for a GenX original punk. Generous to a fault. Old Africa hand. Fluent in Chinese but prefer Japan. & animals. https://www.youtube.com/@tkxmix
Stupendous strong fall thermals 🌤️🌨️
When it's snowing in the cockpit (through the air vent) ❄️❄️❄️
it's time to go down
When it's snowing in the cockpit (through the air vent) ❄️❄️❄️
it's time to go down
October 27, 2025 at 6:08 PM
Stupendous strong fall thermals 🌤️🌨️
When it's snowing in the cockpit (through the air vent) ❄️❄️❄️
it's time to go down
When it's snowing in the cockpit (through the air vent) ❄️❄️❄️
it's time to go down
Eking it out in weak lift, overdeveloped late afternoon in autumn
October 25, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Eking it out in weak lift, overdeveloped late afternoon in autumn
Thermaling with our neighborhood pair of experts (bald eagles) today
🦅🦅🛬
🦅🦅🛬
October 21, 2025 at 6:50 PM
Thermaling with our neighborhood pair of experts (bald eagles) today
🦅🦅🛬
🦅🦅🛬
We were in the same thermal all day, lovely late afternoon, downwind of the airport, forecast cumulus were a no show but we didn't need them after all
October 11, 2025 at 8:04 PM
We were in the same thermal all day, lovely late afternoon, downwind of the airport, forecast cumulus were a no show but we didn't need them after all
We however managed to stay up on this crystal clear CAVU bluetiful day
October 10, 2025 at 8:18 PM
We however managed to stay up on this crystal clear CAVU bluetiful day
Redtail hawk over gross & aborted takeoff for lunch
October 10, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Redtail hawk over gross & aborted takeoff for lunch
First real fall post-frontal day, moderate turbulence & wind shear forecast & it was a wild ride! Jolts of powerful lift but very challenging to center, here's our best one (5x replay speed). 🌪️
October 9, 2025 at 8:05 PM
First real fall post-frontal day, moderate turbulence & wind shear forecast & it was a wild ride! Jolts of powerful lift but very challenging to center, here's our best one (5x replay speed). 🌪️
And the blueberry barren burnoff bacon saver was the thermal to get us home
September 23, 2025 at 7:02 PM
And the blueberry barren burnoff bacon saver was the thermal to get us home
Two cool things on our pre-rainy autumnal low-key thermal day
1) Soaring with bald eagles
1) Soaring with bald eagles
September 23, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Two cool things on our pre-rainy autumnal low-key thermal day
1) Soaring with bald eagles
1) Soaring with bald eagles
Both days thermaling over the little city north of the airfield where the sea breeze effect was less pronounced. Annual blueberry barren burn off fire shows wind direction (southeast off the ocean).
September 21, 2025 at 7:53 PM
Both days thermaling over the little city north of the airfield where the sea breeze effect was less pronounced. Annual blueberry barren burn off fire shows wind direction (southeast off the ocean).
Spectacular September soaring sky, generous lift under lowish 3,000 ft cloud bases near the airport
September 13, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Spectacular September soaring sky, generous lift under lowish 3,000 ft cloud bases near the airport
It's the lift that keeps on giving
Or, maybe we're just getting better 🙄
We got high & stayed high today, no motor restart
🌥️👍
Or, maybe we're just getting better 🙄
We got high & stayed high today, no motor restart
🌥️👍
September 2, 2025 at 7:34 PM
It's the lift that keeps on giving
Or, maybe we're just getting better 🙄
We got high & stayed high today, no motor restart
🌥️👍
Or, maybe we're just getting better 🙄
We got high & stayed high today, no motor restart
🌥️👍
✅ Post-frontal
✅ No smoke
✅ 76F surface, 42F 6,000 feet
✅ No seabreeze
=
Beautiful strong coastal thermaling 🌥️
✅ No smoke
✅ 76F surface, 42F 6,000 feet
✅ No seabreeze
=
Beautiful strong coastal thermaling 🌥️
August 26, 2025 at 8:17 PM
✅ Post-frontal
✅ No smoke
✅ 76F surface, 42F 6,000 feet
✅ No seabreeze
=
Beautiful strong coastal thermaling 🌥️
✅ No smoke
✅ 76F surface, 42F 6,000 feet
✅ No seabreeze
=
Beautiful strong coastal thermaling 🌥️
Soaring is so easy 😀
(In the right conditions 😁)
Over her dad's house at 6,000 ft
(In the right conditions 😁)
Over her dad's house at 6,000 ft
August 22, 2025 at 8:30 PM
Soaring is so easy 😀
(In the right conditions 😁)
Over her dad's house at 6,000 ft
(In the right conditions 😁)
Over her dad's house at 6,000 ft
We weren't the only soaring bird working under the big thermal cloud today (he joined us & then outclimbed us 🦅)
August 14, 2025 at 9:06 PM
We weren't the only soaring bird working under the big thermal cloud today (he joined us & then outclimbed us 🦅)
Still hot & smoky but our late afternoon timing & location were right, under the one big (& growing!) cumulus cloud inland of the seabreeze inversion - 6500 feet easy final glide home
August 13, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Still hot & smoky but our late afternoon timing & location were right, under the one big (& growing!) cumulus cloud inland of the seabreeze inversion - 6500 feet easy final glide home
Who knew that the 95F🌡️smoky 💨🔥 day would produce magnificent soaring, with unforecasted heaps of cumulus cloud around the airport on the sea breeze boundary
August 11, 2025 at 9:38 PM
Who knew that the 95F🌡️smoky 💨🔥 day would produce magnificent soaring, with unforecasted heaps of cumulus cloud around the airport on the sea breeze boundary
Rare sighting on the field today, another Diamond aircraft
August 3, 2025 at 9:08 PM
Rare sighting on the field today, another Diamond aircraft
01/8/2025 Happy birthday our wings are 43 years young today 🎂
August 1, 2025 at 8:01 PM
01/8/2025 Happy birthday our wings are 43 years young today 🎂
Thick wildfire smoke, it was like hell
July 26, 2025 at 8:56 PM
Thick wildfire smoke, it was like hell
She calls it the BlowMe 😏
July 21, 2025 at 8:41 PM
She calls it the BlowMe 😏
Sailplane pilots can you guess what this summer soaring innovation is
July 19, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Sailplane pilots can you guess what this summer soaring innovation is
My co-pilot went through all the stages of thermal grief in the sea breeze chop but Mount Hope came through for us and we were on top of the world at 2700 feet msl🤗🤨
July 13, 2025 at 8:13 PM
My co-pilot went through all the stages of thermal grief in the sea breeze chop but Mount Hope came through for us and we were on top of the world at 2700 feet msl🤗🤨