People
Volunteers. Pilots. Builders.
Brazos River Soaring Association runs on the donated time of pilots, instructors, mechanics, and members who believe that the next generation of aviators deserves a way in. Nobody here draws a paycheck for this. Everybody here shows up because they want to. These are the people you’ll meet on the field.
Two pilots who decided this should exist.
Brazos River Soaring Association was co-founded by Dick Keyt and Ray Lewis — two longtime pilots and aircraft builders who believed North Texas needed a place where young people could discover gliding without a five-figure barrier to entry. Everything on this site — the fleet, the field, the curriculum, the certificates — exists because they made it exist.
The next generation of pilots doesn’t need another expensive flight school. They need a hangar, a tow plane, a grass strip, and somebody who’ll teach them for free.The founding idea behind BRSA
Certified. Volunteer. On the field.
Every flight in the Soar discipline is signed off by a certified flight instructor. Every instructor on this list holds an active FAA CFI rating for gliders and volunteers their time at BRSA. Below are the instructors currently active on our flight roster.
A&P mechanics. Crew chiefs. Volunteers.
The Build discipline runs on the people who know how to weld, machine, cover, finish, and rig an aircraft. The Learn discipline runs on the crew chiefs who teach ground operations every weekend. These are the people who keep the fleet airworthy and the field running.
Pilots. Students. Future Pilots.
Beyond the instructors and the shop crew, BRSA has a working membership — students at every stage of the Learn / Build / Soar progression, certified pilots who came up through the program, and a growing list of young people who walked onto the field one weekend and decided to keep coming back.
Students in Training
Young aviators currently working through the Learn, Build, and Soar disciplines. Some are months from their first solo. Others are still earning their ground crew certificates. All of them are why the operation exists.
Active Pilots
Members who completed the program, earned their FAA Private Pilot Glider certificate, and stayed to give back. Most of the volunteer crew on any given flight day came up this way.
Supporters & Mentors
Members who don’t fly anymore, or never did — but who write checks, donate materials, drive the retrieve car, or just show up to spectate and help launch. The operation runs on this group as much as on the pilots.
What kind of place this actually is.
BRSA is a working airfield, not a flight school with a brochure. The people here are friendly, but the work is real. The instruction is free, but the standards are not negotiable. The atmosphere is informal, but the safety culture is not. If you’re looking for a place where aviation is taken seriously by people who love it — you’ll fit right in.
Everybody pitches in. The student who just earned a wing-runner cert helps run wings. The instructor who just landed pushes the glider back to the line. The pilot who isn’t flying today helps somebody else fly. Nobody stands around watching while others work.
Three ways to be part of this.
You don’t need to be a pilot to be part of BRSA. The operation needs people at every skill level — and supporters who want to see the next generation in the air without paying five figures for the privilege.
Fly
Start with a first flight. Walk onto the field and meet the crew. The Soar progression is open to anyone, no experience required.
Plan Your First VisitVolunteer
Have a skill the operation needs? Welding, machining, fabric work, tow piloting, retrieve driving — we can use you. Reach out and we’ll find a fit.
Get InvolvedSupport
Gliders, hangars, and tow planes all cost money to maintain. Tax-deductible donations keep the fleet flying and the curriculum free for students.
Become a Sponsor