Doris Grove is an American world record breaking

glider Glider may refer to: Aircraft and transport Aircraft * Glider (aircraft), heavier-than-air aircraft primarily intended for unpowered flight ** Glider (sailplane), a rigid-winged glider aircraft with an undercarriage, used in the sport of gliding ...

pilot,

flight instructor A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to operate aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate ...

, and a member of the U.S.

Soaring Hall of Fame The Soaring Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have made the highest achievements in, or contributions to, the sport of soaring in the United States of America. It has been located at the National Soaring Museum in Elmira, New York, since 19 ...

. She was an early pioneer of ridge soaring in the

Ridge-and-valley Appalachians The Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians, also called the Ridge and Valley Province or the Valley and Ridge Appalachians, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian division and are also a belt within the Appalachian Mountains extendin ...

in the 1970s, ultimately setting three world records flying gliders there, and becoming the first woman to earn the FAI 1000 km Diploma. She was also a stunt co-pilot in the 1999 film '' The Thomas Crown Affair''. Grove currently lives near

State College State College is a city in central Pennsylvania, United States. State College may also refer to: Related to State College, Pennsylvania * State College Area School District, a school district serving State College * State College Area High School ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...

with her husband

Thomas Knauff Thomas L. Knauff (born 1938) is an American writer, glider pilot, flight instructor, former Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Designated Pilot Examiner, and a member of the U.S. Soaring Hall of Fame. He was an early pioneer of ridge soaring ...

, another hall of fame glider pilot. They owned and operated the

Ridge Soaring Gliderport Ridge Soaring Gliderport was a public-use glider airport located two nautical miles (4 km) southwest of the central business district of Unionville, in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was privately owned by Knauff & Grove, ...

Julian, Pennsylvania Julian is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Centre County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 152 at the 2010 census. Most l ...

, which they founded in 1975. Sadly, the glider port closed in 2022.

World glider records

*Single-place glider, Feminine **Out-and-return distance: 731.27 km, 7 April 1979,

Schleicher ASW 19 The ASW 19 is a single-seat glider built by Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co, first flying in 1975. It was originally designed as a Standard Class glider, but now mainly competes in the Club Class. The ASW 19 is known for its pleasant handling an ...

**Out-and-return distance: 1000.86 km, 11 Mar 1980,

**Out-and-return distance: 1127.68 km, 28 September 1981, Piper Memorial Airport,

Lock Haven, Pennsylvania Lock Haven is the county seat of Clinton County, in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. Located near the confluence of the West Branch Susquehanna River and Bald Eagle Creek, it is the principal city of the Lock Haven Micropolitan Statistical Area ...

Schempp-Hirth Nimbus 2 The Schempp-Hirth Nimbus-2 is an Open Class glider built by Schempp-Hirth during the 1970s. The Nimbus-2 first flew in April 1971 and a total of over 240 examples of all subtypes have been built until the beginning of the 1980s. It replaced the ...

::''Source:

Fédération Aéronautique Internationale The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It mainta ...

.''

Other flying accomplishments

*1000 K Diploma, first woman, U.S. #12 (Int #24) 1980 *SSA Exceptional Achievement Award 1981 *Eaton Trophy (with T. Knauff) 2000 *Certificate of Appreciation (with T. Knauff) 2005 :''Source:

.''

Books authored

*''Federal Aviation Regulations for Glider Pilots'', 1996 *''Accident Prevention Manual for Glider Flight Instructors'', with Thomas Knauff, 2nd edition, 1993, (No ISBN) *''Accident Prevention Manual for Glider Pilots'', with Thomas Knauff, 1992. *''Judgment Training Manual for Glider Pilots'', with Doris Grove, 1985. OCLC 61776977 *''Glider Basics from Solo to License'' with Thomas Knauff, et al., 1st ed, 1984.

References

American aviators Aviation pioneers Gliding in the United States Glider flight record holders People from State College, Pennsylvania Glider pilots Living people American aviation record holders Year of birth missing (living people) American flight instructors American women flight instructors American women aviation record holders 21st-century American women {{aviation-bio-stub