The January 2000 issue of Skylines opens with the club's annual meeting set for January 29 at Front Royal Airport, where members will elect a new Board of Directors and wrestle with a succession of open positions, including the scheduler role vacated by Tony Bigbee. The issue's most vivid story recounts how Greg Ellis and George Hazelrigg, left as the last two pilots with a flyable glider on a rare wave day in December, co-piloted the club's venerable old ship "Miss Daisy" through a two-hour wave ride at four knots forward speed, serving as radio relay for a stranded K-21 and watching the recovery crew pull in below. Also on the docket: a parachute safety seminar and repack clinic with USPA Director of Safety and Training Glenn Bangs, a report on Bob Michael's well-attended wave-weather seminar (spiced by George Hazelrigg's surprise Antarctic slide show and a visit from SSA Region IV Director Bob Ball), and a call for volunteers to help foreign guests at the second International Vintage Sailplane Meet at Harris Hill in July. On the business side, Jan Scott's purchase of a Scheibe SF-25 Rotax Falke motorglider raises the prospect of the club's Scout towplane becoming available, while Shane Neitzey solicits partners to form an LLC around a $36,500 Grob Twin Acro. The issue closes with a round of personal congratulations—two new babies, a new PPL glider pilot, a solo, badge awards, a Christmas Eve wedding in South Carolina, and an engagement—along with the arrival of a fifth 1-26 for the club and a wry Y2K sign-off from the editor.
New president Joe Parrish takes the gavel from Joe Rees and looks back on a remarkable 1999 season at the club's new Front Royal home: a 40 percent jump in aircraft movements, more than $60,000 in revenue, a fully repaid charter-member loan, and over 6,000 accident-free flights. The season's crowning achievement was Dave Brunner's FAI Diamond altitude flight in a 081 at Petersburg, climbing from pattern altitude all the way toward the Flight Levels. Ten pilots earned their first solo and SSA 'A' badge, two took FAI Silver, and one claimed FAI Gold. Looking ahead, Greg Ellis proposes the 'Sharing the Dream' project to sponsor two local teenagers each year through to solo, the club ferries its K-21 and Sprite to the Petersburg Wave Camp (March 3–12) under new Chief Wave Weenie Shane Neitzey, and the SSA Convention convenes in Albuquerque the following week. A detailed ten-year Strategic Plan covering fleet expansion and airfield ownership is put to the membership, tow-pilot and instructor staffing is flagged as a growing concern, and the club welcomes a 1955 1-26 (reg. 038) into its fleet. Longtime member Bob Michael bids farewell as he relocates to Chicago, and the season officially opens at FRR on March 18.
President Joe Parrish lays out an ambitious Strategic Plan for the roughly 60-member club, proposing the purchase of an additional towplane and a two-seat glider, the construction of a hangar, and the formation of an Aircraft Acquisition Committee (Jim Garrison, Shane Neitzey, Bill Vickland) to guide those decisions. The 2000 season runs March 18 through December 10, with a new monthly staffing system introduced by Rosterführer Bob Collier to manage the club's thin bench of seven tow pilots and four instructors. Chief Instructor Jim Kellett issues pointed reminders about a confusing new sectional-chart annotation that may draw power traffic into the glider pattern, and delivers a stern but fair account of two skilled members who, in the K-21, succumbed to the 'siren song' of a ridge run and landed out in violation of the Operations Manual—prompting the Board to issue Letters of Reprimand and a club-wide safety-culture discussion. The issue also reports on Rosalind McCulley's recovery from a shattered leg, Bob Michael's upcoming SSA award for his work on the ABC badge program, the club's newly posted online history, detailed tow-rope procedure changes from Bill Bently, and a sobering roundup of three midair collisions in powered aircraft as a reminder to keep one eye outside and one ear on the frequency.
Skyline Soaring Club's April 2000 issue captures a club at a crossroads of rapid expansion. President Joe Parrish lays out the next phase of the Strategic Plan: after Charter Loan payoffs (projected for late April or early May), the club will move to acquire a towplane and possibly a two-seat fiberglass training glider, each in the neighborhood of $40,000. Members are asked to commit to an aircraft acquisition fund at a comfortable level—$1,000 to $2,000 is suggested—with money-market rates on idle funds and a five-year, 5% repayment schedule. The excitement is palpable: the club's wave contingent at Petersburg, Virginia, logged eight days of wave flying with more than 40 pilots and 20 ships, producing diamond-altitude flights and one pilot topping out near 20,000 feet. On the safety front, Chief Tow Pilot Bill Bentley issues a pointed warning about gliders ballooning above the towplane, and Shane Neitzey recounts two rope breaks in a single week (one caused by an untied Tost adapter knot, the other by a release malfunction), bringing his personal rate to one break per 733 tows. The Board overhauled the temporary membership program to a $40/30-day fee, revised field-check currency rules to separate type currency from field familiarity, and solicited CPL-rated pilots to cover temporary-member flights. Other items include Fred Mueller's 98% score on his Fundamentals of Instruction exam, Kevin Fleet's advertisement for half-ownership of the club's Sprite at $6,500, a water-in-the-spoiler-boxsafety alert on the K-21, the mandatory Spring Safety Meeting on April 22, and news from the record-attended SSA LIFT 2000 convention in Albuquerque, where SSA President Frank Reid announced new SSA Instructor ranks and a 50-to-100% dues rebate for certified instructors.
The May 2000 issue of Skylines opens with a sobering account of a near mid-air collision between a Lufthansa 747 and a Pik-20 glider over Frederick, Maryland, prompting a detailed discussion of transponder technology, Class Bravo airspace exemptions, and the Soaring Society of America's push for voluntary Mode C installation in gliders. The issue also features a gripping first-person narrative from instructor Shane Neitzey describing a terrifying “sink hole” encounter on final approach to Runway 27, a lighthearted (if lengthy) account of a black snake that burrowed into a glider's fuselage and stymied the crew for an hour and a half, and a rich biography of member David Weaver—from his first glider flight at thirteen in the Florida Everglades to flying the U-2 at Beale AFB. Rounding out the issue are reports from the club's Spring Safety Meeting, a new self-reporting policy for rule infractions, a PP-G ground school announcement, congratulations to Fred Muller (300 km) and Greg Ellis (50 km), and the welcome of two new members, Frank Banas and Lewis Martin.
This issue of Skylines captures the full emotional range of a soaring club's life in the summer of 2000. Dave Brunner delivers a vivid, almost spiritual account of his first flight in Bela's ASW-20 “Hotel 3,” from the nervous cockpit briefing to the “valley of doom” on final approach, and dedicates the piece to Bela as “an inspiration to us all.” Bob Collier's “BOOMERANG” cross-country attempt ends in a freshly plowed field near Mt. Jackson, where a kind stranger drives him to a 7-Eleven, an ambulance rolls up with sirens blaring, and a passing couple insists on giving him a ride all the way back to Front Royal. New member Tom Garner—a former Marine jet pilot who flew FJ-4Bs and A-4s before a thirty-year career at American Airlines—shares his path from carrier decks to watching gliders drift over Warrenton, and earns his “A” badge in near-record time. The issue also recounts a near-miss spoiler linkage failure caught during a routine positive control check on the club's 1-26, announces a PP-G ground school in Tyson's Corner, welcomes the triumphant return of Tim James and Lisa Sergent with their Blue Angels-painted 1-26, Blanik L-33, and Cessna 172, and introduces the club's new 1984 BMW 318i “Club Car,” complete with a sunroof that must absolutely not be opened.
In a July 2000 issue brimming with club life, Bob Collier recounts his 31-mile cross-country flight from FRR to the Mayor of Winchester's annual fly-in picnic, a hot, sticky day that tested his patience as he hunted for lift among scattered cumulus before finally settling onto the mayor's handsomely mowed turf strip. The issue also marks a somber milestone: the passing of Ernie Schweizer, designer of the Schweizer line of sailplanes and motorgliders, and the fatal crash of 90-year-old Stewart Aleshire in a 1-26 near Tehachapi, California. On the brighter side, the Civil Air Patrol's L-23 Super Blanik received its airworthiness certificate and completed its first U.S. flight at FRR, opening the door to cadet orientation flights. President Joe Parrish urges members to keep club grievances in perspective—"little problems" versus the "big problems" other clubs face—while new member Chris Williams, a former Wall Street municipal-bond broker, delivers a pointed financial argument for purchasing a second towplane. Judah Milgram contributes a candid "Tow Fu" safety column from the towpilot's seat, and the club celebrates improved turn-around procedures, a new video library addition, and the warm hospitality that visiting pilots keep praising.
The August 2000 issue of Skylines reports the exciting maturation of the club's Civil Air Patrol partnership, culminating in the delivery of a brand-new Blanik L-23 to Front Royal and orientation flights for international air cadets from Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada. The newsletter also covers results from the 1-26 Championships in Texas, where Pat Tuckey won with task speeds of 45 to 50 mph; a detailed discussion of instructor scheduling priorities as 28 members pursue ratings with only five volunteer instructors; the solo flight of new member Tim England, a commercial jet pilot with 5,300 hours; Erich Carter's "B" badge earned below 4,000 feet; a humorous account of a passenger falling asleep mid-flight; and a 169-mile hang-glider record flight that beat interstate traffic. The issue closes with notes on a FLYING magazine feature praising soaring, a planned Cass Aviation fly-in, and a fondly remembered July 4th cookout at the field.
September 2000's issue of Skylines is dominated by two gripping cross-country narratives from the Shenandoah Valley. Dave Weaver recounts a 300-kilometer round trip in an LS-4 that ends at an uncharted grass strip where a local couple offers him Virginia Riesling while his son, receiving dual instruction in the tow van, navigates by GPS coordinates to find him. Bill Vickland tells of a 141-mile attempt at the Boomerang Trophy that ends in a freshly cut hay field near Churchville, with the aftertaste of a forgotten cap left in a farmer's grandmother's car. Beyond the flight line, the board reports it has passed on a Scout towplane purchase citing financial risk, yet 39 members have pledged $45,200 toward a future second towplane. New tow fees take effect September 1, the club mourns the passing of Ernest Schweizer (designer of the 1-26) at age 88, and a string of personnel changes sees Bob Collier assume the Treasurer role and Fred Mueller take over as Rostermeister. President Joe Parrish closes with a rousing defense of the club's 65-member camaraderie and a pointed safety reminder, while John Lewis shares a steady stream of glowing testimonials from visitor pilots who keep asking, 'How soon can I schedule another?'
The October issue of Skylines opens with President Joe Parrish defending the club's controversial rule requiring every visiting pilot—even World Champions—to complete a field orientation before towing, a policy that reignited heated debate when four experienced cross-country pilots arrived heading to a contest. The month's most colorful tale comes from Chief Towpilot Bill Bentley, who recounts his Caesar Creek competition landing on a residential road, where a giant yellow fire hydrant—rendered invisible by his orange-tinted sunglasses—ripped a two-inch strip of metal from the glider's right wing. Elsewhere, Parrish announces his selection as NASA Program Executive for a Mars precision-landing mission; the club welcomes new member Warren Smith, a Fletcher School PhD who built an airstrip near Everest and later authored a book on Tibetan nationalism; the board approves new tow and glider rental fees; and the club announces its first-ever Fall Wave Camp at Petersburg, complete with a pig roast. The issue also features the board's decision to replace the officers' humorous titles with more formal ones, a lighthearted roundup of actual newspaper headlines, and congratulations to Parrish on his wedding to Stephanie Wilsen.
President Joe Parrish opens the November issue with a candid call to action: with 29 students competing for just five instructors, the club must either graduate more pilots or recruit new instructors, and members are urged to step up. The board is deep in a spirited (and politically quipped) debate over whether the next major purchase should be a two-seat tow plane or a two-seat trainer glider, with over $40,000 already pledged and a strategic plan calling for both. In the meantime, Glen Baumgartner has leased his Ka-7 to the club at $24 per hour, a welcome addition with stall characteristics more typical of a true glider than the K-21. The issue also celebrates a string of new certifications—Bob Downin's Commercial Glider Pilot rating, George Hazelrigg III's B badge, and Dick Otis's Commercial Multi-engine tow rating—along with the return of Lisa Sergent and Tim James with two additional sailplanes and the joining of 4,000-hour veteran Stan Pawlowski, bringing the active roster to 70. Between the flying news, members are invited to a November 10 dinner party at the Hazelrigg home in Vienna (complete with a modulo-3 puzzle to decide who brings dessert), a B&B offer in Winchester from Jim and Pat Kellett, Bob Collier's vivid 1976 1-26 Nationals mud-wrestling tale, and a MPTV 'River of Air' segment airing in early November, the newsletter captures a small club in full, joyful motion.
December 2000 brings a newsletter brimming with altitude and drama. Dave Brunner and Shane Neitzey each log extraordinary wave flights off the Front Royal ridge—Brunner to just over 13,000 feet in the club's 081 (a four-hour, twelve-minute ride with 55-knot winds and a Lear Jet roaring past 500 feet below), and Neitzey to 14,000 feet in the LAK-12 in what he calls the warmest wave day of his life, spotting a 757 three thousand feet above him. Beyond the cockpit, the Board announces a sweeping fleet overhaul: the beloved Schweizer 2-33 'Miss Daisy' will be sold to fund a modern two-seat trainer, and a member syndicate is being explored to acquire a C-182 towplane. The issue also carries a sobering report of an F-16/Cessna mid-air collision in Florida, a thorough ground-safety briefing on runway incursions and glider assembly procedures, the call for Board Director nominations ahead of the January 2001 Annual Meeting, and the annual Christmas party hosted by Tracy and Bob Collier in Winchester. A brief farewell is offered to Gary Shepherd, who returns to England, and a grateful note from Rusty Lowry recounts how the club's trailer helped him haul his own newly purchased 2-33 home from Vermont.
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