8/20/2009
Search under way for motorized glider in central Idaho
BOISE - Civil Air Patrol planes initiated a search this morning for a motorized glider reported missing Wednesday south of Mackay in the Antelope Valley area of central Idaho.
Four CAP planes began searching an area of about 250 square miles at 8:15 a.m., according to the Idaho Transportation Department's Division of Aeronautics, which is coordinating the effort.
The missing plane is a 1998 Stemme S10-VT, a glider manufactured in Germany. It has a retractable propeller that folds into the nose of the plane once the aircraft reaches gliding altitude. It can operate to an altitude of 30,000 feet and has a 75-foot wingspan.
The owner/pilot, a 78-year-old man from Oakland, Calif., reportedly has extensive experience operating gliders and is a glider record-holder.
Aeronautics officials were informed of the missing aircraft at about 10 p.m. Wednesday. The plane had been missing since Wednesday afternoon.