Dan Gudgel

Dan Gudgel has been around aviation his entire life in varying capacities in aerial application, flight instruction, air charter, and a glider tow-pilot.  He is a Certificated Glider Pilot since 1984 and holds a Glider Flight Instructor Certificate (among other instructor certificates), an FAA Designated Pilot Examiner for the Glider Category based in Central California, a current and active California Journeyman Agricultural Pilot, and has accumulated over 7000 hours flying time in various categories of aircraft.  As a professional meteorologist, Dan worked for the National Weather Service and has served as a soaring contest meteorologist since 1979 for numerous local, regional, national, and international soaring events including three World Gliding Championships.  At the pleasure of Barron Hilton and Helmut Reichmann, he was an on-site meteorologist, towpilot, and instructor/check-pilot for the Hilton Soaring Cup from 1986 through 2012.  He served as the Chief Towpilot and Supervising Meteorologist for the “Return to Kitty Hawk” adventure in 2003, was assistant to Lead Meteorologist Len Snellman for the Earthwinds-Hilton Balloon Global circumnavigation attempts in the early 1990s; and more recently has been assisting as an on-site meteorologist for the Great Reno Balloon Races and Hot-Air-For-Hope events.  Dan has published through “Soaring” Magazine a series of instructional soaring meteorology articles in the 2011 to 2015 time period.  Helping at Perlan Encampments since 2018, he is again elated to help as the on-site meteorologist in conjunction with the rest of the Perlan Meteorological Support Team.