From the President       Bob Hudson

Boy we have had some great flights recently. Just this past Sunday (27 Feb) we saw a group of our guys taking advantage of the thermal activity to get some great distances flown. Jim Cumiford and Billy Hill exceeded three hundred kilometers; Jim went 326 with Billy just behind him.  Three other members just missed the distance by approximately 10 Km. Howard Banks flew 323 kilometers, only he did it in Florida.  Not bad for some rusty old aviators. I am surprised we haven’t seen more folks take advantage of the great soaring weather we have been having.

You might notice some changes in our clubhouse. Thanks to my older brother, Mitch, we have a TV and DVD (Bob Carlton gave us the DVD).  JD Huss got us a couch and love seat donated to the club that replaced our rapidly depreciating sofa.  And speaking of the clubhouse we need to conduct our annual spring cleanup, which is scheduled to take place on Saturday the 26th of March.   We will start with a club membership meeting, followed by club cleanup, followed by a “task” for the adventuresome coupled with general flying for the rest, and culminate with a bar-b-que.  As the time approaches we will try and get a headcount so be prepared for a phone call.

As you know this summer we have an aggressive calendar of events.  The big event is the 1-26 National Championships scheduled for the 26th of June until the 6th of July.  We will need a lot of support so mark your calendars now and try to donate some time to make this a success.  Point of contact is Pete Vrendenburg.

Another big activity that is on the way is the Antique Glider Association meet that will take place at Moriarty Airport from the 5th of June until the 11th.  On the evening of the 10th of June our club will join with the Antique Group to co-host a dinner that will be held at the new Soaring Museum on Route 66 in Moriarty.  Please plan to attend and help show our support for the sport; George Applebay is the point of contact.

Last item, and I am already starting to sound like a broken record, is that when you encounter a maintenance problem with an aircraft, contact our Maintenance Officer, Ryan Thomas (842-8377) and write it up.  There is nothing worse then having a club member drive all the way to the airport only to find the airplane non-airworthy because someone was too busy to write it up or give someone a call so that it can be repaired.  Remember we have records of the last person to fly an aircraft.

There is lots of stuff ahead of us so watch your e-mail and newsletters and prepare to have a great…and safe…spring and summer.

SSA Convention 2005  Renny Rozzoni

As I write this article on the 2005 SSA Convention in Ontario, CA, I am sitting at the Phoenix Airport C terminal waiting for the last Southwest flight out late on a Saturday night to take me home! It had been a very quick, but a very productive visit to the SSA Convention which was being held at the Ontario Convention Center Feb 10-12, 2005.

It was hard to believe that 30 years had gone by since my first SSA Convention in San Francisco in 1975. There have been many conventions in-between (including our two in Albuquerque) and as I think back it is truly amazing to see how far this sport has progressed in the last 30 years. In 1975 the 1-35, the HP-18 and the DG 100 were the real topics of conversation in San Francisco. In the booths, the vendors were selling: Replogle barographs, "Winning on the Wind" by George Moffat, Security parachutes, Alpha, Bayside and COMCO radios and hand-held glide calculators that required no batteries!

Thirty year later and in the same state, it was great to attend another SSA convention and especially great to see some familiar faces. Bob Carlton and Mark Mocho were the first folks that I came across (with beer in hand) when I arrived at the Doubletree Hotel on Friday night. I was quickly updated on the convention activities by Bob and Mark and it was no surprise that Bob's Silent Jet was receiving a lot of attention! Many more familiar faces were seen at the convention including: Mitch Hudson, George & Kathy Taylor and George Applebay & Lynn Buckingham who were to be found at the US Southwest Soaring Museum booth. Robert Mudd was also in attendance "working" the crowd! Robert had his Apis-M and Sinus on display.

On Saturday the exhibition hall seemed very busy and all of the attendees were treated to the very latest in soaring equipment including: sailplanes, trailers, avionics and software. In Ontario, like most conventions, it was all about the latest in technology. The attendees were not to be disappointed as many of the latest sailplanes were on display including the following: Ventus 2cx, Duo-Discus T, Apis-M, ASH 26E, DG-808B, Silent 2, Sparrowhawk, LightHawk, Carat and yes, Bob Carlton's Silent twin-jet sailplane. There was always a crowd around the jet glider and Bob and Mark were always busy answering many questions. There is little doubt that it was probably the most photographed ship at the show!

In addition to the newest gliders, one could find the latest in: flight computers, GPS flight recorders, PDAs and soaring software such as: SeeYou, WinPilot, StrePla and Glide Navigator II. Some new vendors were also present that I had never come across including: "German Glider Associates. They were representing several German companies including: Swan-Trailers, the outstanding "2005 Foto-kalendar Segelfliegen," Segelfliegen magazine, a hi-tech winch manu-facturer and EQIP which markets aviation books and publications.   

I did attend several seminars that proved very interesting and educational. These included the latest from Dick Johnson and his flight testing update, a seminar on the new Light Sports Aircraft Initiative and a weather seminar on the National Digital Forecast Database (NDFD). Dick Johnson discussed three subjects including: his recent flight testing of the Sparrowhawk, total energy tube design and "deturbulators." This was a new one on me, and in case you are wondering, the goal of a "deturbulator" is to reduce skin friction, allow the wing to be more laminar, and as a result, reduce drag allowing for improved performance. I'm sure you will be hearing more on this very interesting subject. Kathy attended several interesting seminars and Mark Mocho told me that he enjoyed a seminar on the Perlan Project which has the goal of wave soaring to 62,000 feet! 

Well, they are calling my flight and it's time to board with the "A" group so let me conclude by saying that despite my quick visit, I thought it was an excellent event! For those of you who have never been to an SSA convention, I strongly recommend you try to attend the 2006 Convention which will be held February 2-4, 2006 at the Arlington Convention Center in Arlington, TX!

Be Safe Out There! 3R

 

FROM THE BACK SEAT  
                                        Jim Miller

I have made the decision to go to associate status beginning the first of April and at least until the end of the year.  Jon Daffer will be taking over for me as Chief Instructor. Please refer all calls to Jon for your instructional requests beginning April first.  Jon’s phone number is in the Club’s roster.

Please call the Chief Instructor by Wednesday 9:00 pm to request instruction with a club instructor.  This will allow the Chief CFI to make the necessary calls to line up the tow pilot and OPS folks.

The decision to go to associate status was not an easy one but one I felt I had to make at this time.  I will be spending more time flying my own glider and other projects I am involved in.

I closing let me add that safety begins with Y.O.U.   Proficiency in what ever we undertake begins with currency.  If you want to be good at what ever we do, be it your careers or our hobbies, we have to practice, practice, practice.  This is something Billy Hill has harped on as well as me. You cannot maintain safe flight habits if you only fly 10 or so hours a year.  Prorate 10 hours over 12 months and you can see that is not much flight time for remaining current and safe.  Well with that said, I hope to see you at the field.  Safe flying and stay current.

The Southwest Soaring Museum Needs a Few Good Men (and Women)

The new Museum building in on the final stretch for opening in June during the Vintage Sailplane Regatta to be held at Moriarty June 5-11.  Before that can happen, numerous jobs have to be completed.  Sheet rock is now going up, thanks to the hard work of a number of retired pilots.  Painting is another job that will require many hands.  The Museum has to be swept, all 38,000 square feet!  Very limited funds are available to complete this work, so your help would be greatly appreciated.  Call George Applebay if you would like to help at 832-0755 or just show up in your painting clothes at the new building on Rte 66, east of Lisa's Truck Stop.