The SSC version of "How many angels can sit on the head of a pin?" is "How many airplanes can you fit into five hangars?" Once again we were tested, and the Club responded. About one-fourth of the membership showed up to help stow our equipment. Richard Freytag came complete with computerized hangar and trailer models, and provided packing instructions. The K and Grob came apart and went into the K trailers. Stuff got stuffed, anywhere and everywhere. And in the end, the airplane count was up somewhere around 19 (depending upon what you are willing to call an airplane) airplanes in our hangars. This included Bob Downin's Cessna 152, which wound up in our hangars as well. The bottom line is that we survived Isabel sans damage. Thanks to everyone who showed up. I would like to name them all here, but I am sure I would leave someone off the list, and then I would be in more trouble. So I'll just leave it at thanks.
Then came the Saturday after. I thought I would get out early, and planned to arrive by 9. But, alas, 9 was quite late, and I arrived to find the hangars largely unpacked. It's just hard to get to the field before Fred Winter. Our able DO, Lisa, kept track of everything as we began the arduous reassembly process. Dave Weaver suggested that we reassemble the K first, as that would give us some feeling of accomplishment before we tackled the Grob. And, as it turned out, we needed it. Dave now has a number of suggestions for reassembly of both the K and the Grob. But my suggestion is, don't take them apart, which of course leads to, don't land out.
Our membership continues to grow, our club is healthy, and our finances look good. We have done an excellent job of paying off the Grob loans, with our current debt well under $10,000. But we have had some problems with the engine in the Pawnee, and they have cost us nearly $3,000. Such is the price of flying. Piet Barber recently passed his CPL-G, and both he and I are coming close to instructor status. So, I believe that the Club is well poised for growth. I would like to see us grow to 80 members over the next year. That would get us to the point where we can begin to think about a second tow plane. I for one am rather distressed when we cannot operate because of tow plane issues. As we grow, our options increase, and we can find better ways to serve our membership. This is the future to which I am looking forward. Soon, it should be ridge season. I'll emphasize the word "should," because the past three months should have been summer, and the season before that should have been spring, and, well� Remember that ridge flying is cross-country flying. Be prepared to land out when you head out on the ridge. Have a ground crew ready, and have your trailer ready to tow. And, most of all, fly safely.
-- George Hazelrigg
For the Days Dwindle Down to a Precious Few...There is an axiom that says: Life is neither fair nor unfair-life just is. Don't guess I could sell that to a single pilot in Region 4 this year. Yeh, life just is....wet...and when it isn't wet, it's 99�ith matching RH. When it wants to be pleasant...there will be gremlins in the Pawnee...and when the gremlins take a day off all the tow pilots will have to work.
Perhaps October will bring stunning leaf colors, cool temperatures and, if our luck follows...North winds at 25 knots...or South...these winds will swing around from the West...but only on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday....then the snow follows.
Perhaps you guessed it's Thursday afternoon, 9/25/03 and I have had my nose up to a monitor all day. I swore this morning that can I accept that life just is...good time to get Skylines started...cut up Isabel's limb gleaning...then, of course, I couldn't help noticing the sky...every half hour.
Nature licked the red off our candy this year...and it ain't fair!
That said what a very positive experience Isabel brought us. Every Club member that could escape their jobs, came together to stuff every plane into every nook and cranny and, after the tempest was done, unstuffed the hangars. A number of members did both and all who participated certainly deserve every one of George's good words as well as all the gratitude of the rest of us.
I'd like to personally thank everyone who helped 081 ride out the storm.
Judah who masterminded the whole plot and got to unbolt glider parts without the use of large tools and matching profanity. Tim and Lisa who lent their hangar and knowledge and muscle to the disassembly. Jim Kellett lent us his saw horses. Frank Banas, as always, lent a hand or two and Peter Sissman was a willing helpful hand.
Mark Ballinger and Greg Ellis shouldered the major reassembly after towing and DOing all day and Judah was there to start the process and give a hand. I hope I didn't overlook anyone who helped.
And, of course, every member who didn't personally poke and/or unpoke 081 in and out of Tim & Lisa's hangar worked hard on the other planes and freed the rest of us for a while to accomplish the task.
It was two days of the fine cooperation that has come to distinguish our operations.
I'm at a loss to come up with a good safety topic to kick around this month, so I thought I would give you all a reprieve from my regular haranguing. Instead, I thought I would share with you some behind the scenes things that are going on regarding our club's organization.
In the very near future, in conjunction with the Board of Directors, the position of Safety Officer will hopefully become an official title in our Operations Manual. Strangely as it may seem, the Skyline Soaring Club does not have an official Safety Officer. By convention, overall responsibility for safety leadership in the club has been handled by the Operations Officer. But the need for a dedicated Safety Officer has become more and more apparent to many of us. As the club's membership continues to expand, that need increases.
Safety is a full time job for all of us but especially for the club as an entity. With our diverse population of pilots with vast differences in experience, proficiency and skill, keeping us all flying in a safe envelope is a huge challenge. The safety message has to be constantly communicated and in a manner which reaches us all. Ideally, safety should be the overriding topic of discussion whenever pilots get together to talk about pilot stuff. Realistically, we know that to not be true, hence the critical need for someone in the club to constantly be reminding us to be careful out there.
Having a stand alone position of Safety Officer in our organization gives safety the proper attention and respect it rightfully deserves in a flying environment. It becomes a primary consideration rather than an additional responsibility of another position. And that is probably the greatest argument to implement such a change in our club. In trying to build a "Culture of Safety" and instill a safe attitude in our approach to all our endeavors, it is important that the club's organization reflect that priority. If you look at our organizational chart today, that priority is not reflected in our structure and should be. As with so many things in life, subtle perception has great influence over our actions. Safety needs to be perceived by all members of the club as the "prime" consideration in all our thoughts and actions. It should not be viewed as an "additional" consideration.
Operations are important and the reason for our existence as a soaring club. But if the operations are not safe, we defeat our purpose. Separating the Operations Officer and the Safety Officer functions will help ensure the Operations Officer, the Chief Flight Instructor, the Chief Tow Pilot and the Maintenance Officer are not tempted to inadvertently compromise safety in favor of their other important responsibilities (and I am not suggesting they would ever do that but safety has to have it's own advocacy to avoid possibly erroneous rationalizations). It is necessary to always have someone representing safety as a stand alone entity constantly monitoring what we do and how we do it. It raises the level of safety awareness for all of us and improves are chances for establishing a safety record we can all hang our hats on.
-- Stan Pawlowski, Safety Officer (default)
We have finally (after way too much work) released our flight simulation "game" entitled... 'First Flight: The Wright Experience Flight Simulator'
If anyone is interested, we now have an e-commerce site where you can see lots of great screenshots of the game and also purchase a copy (if you wish):
http://www.mywrightexperience.com
The game costs $50. Product Details
First Flight-The Wright Experience Flight Simulator provides the enthusiast and gamer with a whole new experience; the first historically and aerodynamically accurate flight simulation offered to the public. Using wind tunnel data taken with detailed full-scale reproductions of the actual aircraft, and complete time integrated six degree of freedom equations of motion, the game uses modeling technology developed for use in current military flight simulators.
What this means is that the 1902 Glider exhibits the same sensitive yet forgiving flight behavior that allowed the Wrights to train successfully with over 900 gliding flights; that the 1903 Flyer is marginally powered and quite unstable making it one of the most difficult airplanes to fly; and that by 1911 a more refined Model B is an easier to fly airplane (but keep it coordinated in turns!), allowing some period students to solo after 2 hours of flight instruction. So, try your hand at the same simulations the Wright Experience test pilots use to train for flying the real thing!
Features
The most historically and aerodynamically accurate simulations ever offered including:
The 1902 Glider The 1903 Flyer The 1911 Model B
Historically detailed flight environments including:
Kitty Hawk, NC Fort Meyer, VA College Park, MD
Compare flight records with the Wrights and examine the history leading to the first flights Review the Wright Experience's efforts to duplicate the Wright's work Read about how the simulations were made
Additional Features
In addition to the simulations, the Wright Experience simulation also provides a wealth of background historical information on the airplanes themselves, the construction process of the exact airplane replicas built for the Centennial of Flight, the wind tunnel testing and the process of developing the simulations themselves. It all adds up to a truly Wright Experience!
System Requirements
Windows 98/2000/XP, Pentium III or higher, 64mb RAM, CD-ROM, soundcard, mouse, Windows-compatible joystick, or 2 joysticks for more realism, video card capable of Direct X 8.0 3-D acceleration, 32mb RAM.
-- Frauke Elber
This year's M-ASA Oktoberfest will be held Saturday, Sunday and Monday, October 11 through 13, at the Mid-Atlantic Soaring Center in Fairfield, PA. This event is open to everyone who loves soaring; all M-ASA members, their families and friends, and all of our many soaring friends outside of M-ASA. Our main activities this year will be task day flying, vintage glider rides, low stress local flying, and lots of good eating and socializing (so what else is new, right?). In addition, this year's Oktoberfest will be a great opportunity for pilots who attended Val Brain's cross country camp in September to try out their new cross country wings. We plan to organize a system of mentoring and tasks appropriate for beginning cross country pilots.
Feel free to come for the whole three days, one day, or just stop by for dinner. However, PLEASE let me know in advance if you're planning to attend any of the meals ( pburch@hst.nasa.gov or 410-489-7063). This will be a big help with planning for this event. Cash in advance is always helpful, but you can also pay when you get there; just let me know.
Saturday evening will be a Bratwurst Potluck Dinner starting around 5:30 p.m. The cost is $5, and includes bratwurst, beer, soft drinks, table settings, and grills. Please bring other food items according to the first letter of your last name per the listing below. Feel free to change your assignment if you want. Sunny Ray's market in Fairfield is available if you wish to purchase after arrival.
A-H: salad, vegetable, or fruit for 10-15 I-N: main dish or meat to grill for 8 (this is for those who don't want bratwurst) O-R: rolls or bread for 20 S-Z: dessert for 10
Sunday we're planning to hold a family cookout near the gazebo/picnic table/flightline for lunch, from roughly 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. We'll have a couple of grills going for hamburgers, hot dogs, and whatever, plus lots of other food and drinks to go with it. The charge for this will be $5, but bringing dishes probably wouldn't be necessary unless you want to. We could use an enthusiastic organizer for the Sunday lunch (someone like Gary Baker's wife Carolyn, who did a super job last year down at Frederick at the Ten Day Weekend). Please let me know if you would like to take this on, or if you have any suggestions on someone I could coax into doing this.
Cathy Williams and I are putting together a real neat t-shirt and sweatshirt design that will commemorate this year's 100th anniversary of the Wright brother's first flight. We will be ordering a modest number so that we don't get stuck with leftovers. Both shirts will be long sleeve and will come in two choices of colors: maroon with white design/lettering, and tan with black design/lettering. If you want to ensure that you don't miss out, please send me your size, shirt type, and shirt color and we'll set yours aside in advance. Prices will be about $15 for t-shirts, and about $25 for sweatshirts.
Non M-ASA members should read this paragraph. If George W. Bush is in town and goes to Camp David during our Oktoberfest, we plan/hope to use our TFR waiver to fly (the waiver is almost in place). One condition imposed by the Secret Service is that ANY glider or tow pilot flying under the waiver must have previously submitted their name and social security number through M-ASA for review and approval by the Secret Service. Everyone that regularly flies at Fairfield and most of the active M-ASA pilots have previously done this. If you want to fly at Fairfield during Oktoberfest IF the TFR is in effect (assuming that our waiver gets granted), then you will need to have your name on the authorized pilots list. I will happily coordinate this for any pilot (M-ASA member or non-member) who has not yet gone through this procedure. Please provide me with your SSN by any means that you feel comfortable with (in order to assure protecting the number). I will ensure that your SSN is held in strictest confidence. I will compile the list and forward it to the Secret Service via Glenn Collins. It is necessary that the ODs know the names of all pilots on the approved list during Oktoberfest. The cut-off date for submitting names will be approximately three weeks prior to Oktoberfest (i.e., September 19). Please feel free to contact me directly if there is any aspect of this that you would like to discuss.
My best guess is that George W. will be out of town during the Oktoberfest doing some hot and heavy campaigning, or he'll be at his ranch in Texas, and we won't need the waiver. I'm also betting that given our soggy spring and other aspects of our meteorological history, we are overdue for some very fine Oktoberfest weather this year. See you at Oktoberfest! -Preston Burch, M-asa
Editor's Note: I didn't receive my copy of the September Convector from M-ASA until after the September issue of Skylines mailed. Don't know if there is time to register with the SS (oops) Secret Service or that will even be necessary. contact Preston at pburch@hst.nasa.gov.
-- Preston Burch
This note is for everyone but particularly for the DO's and ADO's. I think that most of our ADO's are familiar with these points but recent events indicate that a review might be in order. -Driving the retrieve vehicle (tow car) is not a casual activity. It requires that you have a significant degree of situational awareness and that you pay strict attention to what you are doing. -Do not drive the tow car onto the runway to retrieve a glider. This is counterproductive for a couple of reasons. First, it causes the runway to be occupied longer than it needs to be. Second, its not helpful to the glider crew. If the glider comes to a stop abeam the mid field taxiway, its an easy downhill push to the parallel taxiway or even all the way to the hangar if you're putting the glider away for the day. The driver of the tow car should position the vehicle on the parallel taxiway facing east (Of course this assumes we are operating on RW 27 as we usually are). Under ideal conditions, the driver should arrive in this position before the glider, other duties permitting. -While certainly not written down anywhere, common sense and a spirit of helpfulness would indicate that the driver of the tow car have the tail dolly (if applicable) waiting outside the car and the rope uncoiled. This is not always possible, but is appreciated and requires that the driver actually leave the vehicle. -When towing a glider it is important that the driver of the tow car be aware of what's going on behind it. This is where situational awareness comes in. If the people walking the wings of the glider are trotting to keep up with the tow car, then the driver is not paying attention. While most of the instructors could stand to loose a few pounds, on an average day of instruction an instructor will log about 5 or 6 miles of walking distance along the taxiway. This is not all that far if your sole activity for the day is jogging but it tends to make your instructor effectiveness wane. -The tow car should be driven on the right side of the taxiway so that we can drive the glider along the right edge. This keeps the wing walkers out of the mud and high grass where the ticks live. The drivers also need to be alert for signals, both aural and visual, from the wing walkers in the event that stopping or moving is required.
My final note concerns garbage. A subject near and dear to all of us. When we prepared to assemble the fleet we popped open the tow plane hangar and I thought that one of the Club members who assisted in packing the hangar, a few days ago, had been trapped under the tow plane and left to die. I tell you that the smell almost knocked me down. It smelled like a bag full of dead rats. Upon further investigation, it was determined that organic material had been left in the trash can near the refrigerator. Members, we can't do this. It's not only unsanitary but it also attracts rodents and other carrion eaters. Enough said.
-- David Weaver
Silver Badge Application on Website-The SSA's new Silver Badge Application Form has been in use this year and enthusiastically received. It can now be downloaded from the SSA website. The form has a wealth of information on task planning for the Silver Badge as well as a simple form to use when a flight is completed. On the Badges & Records page, click on Forms & Rules and it is at the top of the list. Or you can simply click Silver Badge Application Form to take you right to it. Let the SSA know how this form works for you.
SILVER BADGE
Altitude: A gain of 3,281 feet after release.
Duration: A 5 hour flight with no other objective.
Distance: A short straight-line flight of 31.1 miles. Goal-Ten Thousand Glider Rides for Young Eagles in 2003 The SSA, partnering with the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) has a goal of introducing 10,000 young people to aviation, by way of soaring, this year. To reach this goal, we need every club and commercial operation in the USA to give 10 "free rides" per month to young people. The Young Eagle must be between the ages of 8 and 17 and have parental permission. The pilot need not be an EAA member (just SSA) but must register the flight with EAA. For more information on how the program works, contact John Campbell (SSA) at jhpc@hotmail.com or Steve Buss (EAA) at sbuss@eaa.org . Click here for a Registration Form for SSA members. This push is part of the EAAs goal of introducing One Million young people to the world of flight before the centenary of airplane flight program on December 17th.
SSA Working to Preserve M-ASA Soaring Site-For several months SSA volunteers and staff have been working together to resolve critical airspace restrictions that threaten to shut down the Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association (M-ASA) gliderfield at Fairfield, PA. The problem arises when the restricted airspace around Camp David is expanded due to the presence of the President. When the TFR is in place the restricted airspace completely covers the M-ASA field preventing all flight operations. The M-ASA effort headed by club president Glenn Collins is being assisted by SSA volunteer leaders. Negotiations to establish an operating waiver involve representatives from M-ASA, SSA, FAA, the Secret Service and the Department of Defense. Recently SSA met with a key member of the House Aviation sub-committee to review the situation.
Complete Badge Listings Now Available On-Line- Do you enjoy historical searches or just want to know the number of that Silver Badge you earned in 1991? You can access a complete listing of FAI Badges earned by U.S. pilots by clicking on Badge Listings All Silver, Gold and Diamond Badges and 1000 Km Diplomes earned by U.S. pilots are listed. About midway down the front page, you will find links to the badge types you want to research. Converting this information to an electronic format was a huge job taken on by John Leibacher and volunteers. Check it out. Let John know that you appreciate this service.
-- Jim Kellett
Skyline's committment in support of the youth programs of the Civil Air Patrol continue, sometimes in curious and indirect ways! On Sunday, August 31, 2003, CAP Lt. COl. Joseph Vazquez successfully completed two checkrides, for the CPL(G) and CFI(G), at the hands of WV CAP officer and FAA DPE Marvin Holland (the same chap who has been examining Skyline certificate candidates recently.) Col. Vazquez' prep and recommendation for these ratings was carried out by Skyliner Jim Kellett (also a Captain in the CAP), using the Virginia Wing's Blanik L-23 Super Blanik, now flying out of Winchester Regional Airport (OKV). Another Skyliner, Greg Ellis, agrees that flying CAP Cadets Orientation Rides is a FINE experience for CFI(G)s-in-training-Greg has flown a substantial fraction of the Wing's glider O-rides this year!
Members who are interested in participating in the Virginia Wing's GLider Program should get in touch with either Greg or Jim, and/or take a peek at the program's website at http://www.vawg.cap.gov/glider_program/index.html Oh, yeah-did I mention that Virginia is getting a SGS 1-26 this year for proficiency flying by CAP members??
-- Capt. Jim Kellett, CFI(G) Glider Program Advisor, Winchester Composite Squadron
It's that time of year again!!
Yep, time to order your 2004 Soaring Society of America Calendars-for yourself, for stocking stuffers, for gifts to friends.
Each year the Club orders, in bulk, these lovely calendars at a substantial discount, and makes them available to members at a lower cost that you can get them directly from SSA. Ordered individual, each calendar is $12.95 plus shipping; ordered through the Club, they're $10 each-and you have to pick them up at the field.
To make sure they're here well before the holiday season, we will make our annual order on October 1 this year... if you want one or more, let me know well before then how many. You can pay for them when they arrive (we'll let you know!).
-- Jim Kellett
There are a few snapshots of Skyline CFI(G) and towpilot Dave Dawood "on the ground" near Bagram, Afghanistan now on our website... click on "snapshots" and then find the album "Towpilot and CFI(G) in Afghanistan" [link].
For the newer members' benefit, Dave's been off on extended TDY since the spring. He was born in Iraq, and now works for the Corps of Engineers. He's also an officer (and towpilot and CFI(G)) with the Virginia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, and a CFI with Av-Ed in Leesburg, often teaching taildragger types.
Dave's supposed to be home "Novemberish" and, in the interim, can be reached via e-mail at e-mail omitted.
-- Jim Kellett
Congratulations to Joe Lingevitch who received his PPG on Sunday, September 21st. Joe sure had a good leg up on the PTT portion of the test. Nice going Joe!
On Sunday, September 7th, Raul Fumagali successfully slipped the surly bonds on earth, by himself, in N68221 returning to FRR in fine form not only once, but THREE TIMES-thus earning the title of solo student pilot, airplane. Way to go Raul!
-- Dick Otis
And a little good news-While GA airports are too often the target of cranky neighbors and developers in search of space to develop, now and then a local community discovers that aviation can enhance its quality of life. Such a story is unfolding in Tinicum, Pa., amid the suburbs between Philadelphia and New York City, where a little grass airstrip, Van Sant field, was bought for $2.9 million by Buck County's park and recreation association to save it from development. The field now will remain open for enjoyment by antique, classic and glider aircraft, the pilots who fly them, the neighbors who are welcome to visit, and the bobolinks that nest among the trees surrounding the turf.
-- AVflash
Wright Site undamaged by Isabel- The Wright Brothers went to Kitty Hawk for the wind but they would have been blown away by conditions of September 18-19. The historic site of the first powered, sustained flight http://www.nps.gov/wrbr/ escaped undamaged when Hurricane Isabel made landfall on the Outer Banks. "There's a little bit of standing water. We fared well," National Parks Service spokeswoman Mary Doll told AVweb. "Wright Brothers (Memorial) really sustained no damage." She said a couple of nearby airport runways were covered in sand washed in by the storm surge but they were quickly cleared. There was also some building damage in nearby communities.
-- AVflash
Flying blind isn't just a cliché for Miles Hilton-Barber. Hilton-Barber, 54, became the first blind person to fly across the English Channel in a microlight aircraft recently. Hilton-Barber was among about 80 pilots to take off from Headcorn Airfield in Kent (U.K.). He flew with a "speech output technology," according to BBC news, and a sighted pilot for safety and legal reasons. Hilton-Barber plans to fly 12,600 miles to Sydney, Australia, in the same aircraft. It's his way of honoring 100 years of powered flight and raising money for Royal National Institute of the Blind.
-- -AVflash
Of course (as always), Linux and Mac users can scoff at this latest virus with impunity.
-- Piet Barber