Towlines
The Newsletter of the
www.abqsoaring.org
From the President By Bob Hudson
Spring is in the air
and so are a lot of
I ventured over to
Robert Mudds’s hangar and took a look at the Libelle. I must
admit that I was really surprised at how great the Libelle
is looking. Robert has done a good job on getting it back up to speed. Mike Carris has spent a lot of personal time getting the
airplane to really shine. John Boyce donated time to see that the wings were
polished and the flight control rods were sealed. It looks like a new plane. Mark Mocho has the oxygen system updated and we will soon have
the glider back on the line. I want to
thank Robert, Mark, John and especially Mike for taking this old tired glider
and giving us back a plane that will provide us with many more years of
pleasure and service.
While hanging around
Robert’s hangar I noticed some metal wings resting against the wall of his
paint booth. I asked him what they belonged to and I was entertained with a
great story about the plane they belonged to: an Antonov
AN-15. Robert took me to his back room
where the fuselage to the AN-15 rests.
Having never seen one, and how could I as this is the only one in this
hemisphere, I was fascinated by the plane. Maybe I can talk Robert into putting
together the story about how this plane ended up in his collection. We’ll see.
A couple of weeks ago,
I was sitting in the Ops area enjoying the first really nice day of the
spring. Sitting with me was Al. As we were soaking up the sun, Dick Porter,
he has the hangar across from Mark, rode up on his “decked”out
Honda Gold Wing. Well, that motorcycle got Al to reminiscing
about his youth. He began to tell me
about the four motorcycles he had owned, two Indians and two Harleys. Al never ceases to amaze me; I wouldn’t be
surprised if he wasn’t one of the original Hells Angels.
We are going to have
visitors to our club on the 20th of May. Your Air Force Academy is
sending a group of Cadets to learn how to fly cross country from the number one
Club in the
In support of the
Cadets education, Chip Garner will present a “lecture” on how to fly a contest. His talk is designed for those of us who have
never competed, however you experienced folks might enjoy and learn something
from Chip. His talk will be at 9:30 am, Saturday the 20th of May at
the Soaring Museum Hangar at the Airport.
Until we are together,
fly safe!
Alternate Signaling Devices
By
Bob Hudson
During the Safety Down
Day, Larry Richardson gave us some info on individual survival equipment. On of
the items he showed was the simple roadside flare. Having the flare does allow you the opportunity
to not only signal after dark, but also gives you a great heat source to start
a fire, whether for a signal or for heat.
Well, let me suggest another night time signal devise.
Two years ago I was
Elk hunting east of Socorro. I was able
to get an Elk around two in the afternoon.
The location of the Elk was a long ways from any road and the ground was
covered with mud and snow. The person I
was with had to go back about three miles back to get his truck. He then had to
go back to town and get some ATVs and a trailer and then try to get back to me
so we could get the Elk out. Well, by
the time he could get all his stuff together it was after dark.
After a while, I
noticed that about four miles down this wide canyon, two ATVs were trying to locate
me and my Elk. I could tell by the way
they were zig-zaging that they were not sure of my
location. I had my digital camera with
me which had a flash attachment. By
“flashing” my camera, the guys on the ATVs were able to pin point my location. I learned that you use what have and a
digital camera, which most of us fly with, is a useful signaling device after
dark.
Do’s and Don’ts of Glider
Cruising
By Brian Resor
My first contest was
the “Learn How to Race Race” which was the Mifflin,
PA regional contest in spring of 2002.
Each morning they had an experienced pilot give a lesson on racing. George Moffat, sometimes referred to as the
Dean of American Soaring, gave a nice talk one morning and left us all with a
handout. Every spring I review the
handout because it summarizes an expert’s opinion of ten things to remember to
do and not to do when you are racing in a glider. I thought it’d be good to share those tips
with everyone in preparation for the upcoming season. <My
comments are in italics.>
1.
Reduce thermal
entry use. All thermals come with an
entry fee (paid for in time lost).
Maximize the use of the operating band.
<In other words, if strong
thermals exist between 12,000 and 18,000 feet MSL, don’t necessarily try to
stay above 17,000 feet!>
2.
Reduce thermal
entry use by using reduced sink, streets, etc.
3.
Reduce thermal
entry fee by using pre-centered thermals <watch
for soaring birds?> and gaggles.
Remember not to get hooked by weak thermals, though.
4.
Keep in mind the
flat speed curve – very little velocity made good (VMG) penalty for flying
slower or faster than ideal. Slower than
ideal gives greater L/D or searching range.
On dry thermal days, 15% slower can give a 6% increase in VMG. Faster is useful for reaching a gaggle before
it leaves. <or if the clouds are
indicating reliable lift ahead>
5.
Be alert for streeting in dry conditions if wind exceeds 12 kts. <I’ve seen
this one multiple times. Try it. If you find a good thermal on a blue day exit
and head either directly into or away from the wind and you may find an
invisible line of lift as you fly straight>
6.
Be cautious of
relying on first or last clouds before or after a blue hole or when utilizing
streets. <Personally, I can’t understate the importance of this one. Every year I remind myself of this rule. I know better but I still screw it up! It’s really stupid to “bump” through 8kt lift
and then have to stop a few miles later to climb in 2kt lift before having to
make some sort of strategic glide over rough country or through dead air.>
7.
Course deviations
of up to 15% pay. In terms of points for
the day, if 0 degrees = 1000 points, then 5 deg = 990, 10 = 980, 15 = 965, 20 =
940, 25 = 895.
8.
Be smart about turnpoints and wind.
Be high on downwind ones, low for upwind ones.
9.
Be sure the set McCready for rate of climb achieved in the last thermal
before final glide so that the computer will give proper altitude to attain
10. The effectiveness of ballast is a function of the
percent of time spent climbing and the narrowness of the thermals. If percent climb is low due to ridges or streeting, use ballast earlier.
Those are ten
important points that one very skilled and experienced pilot chose to share
with newcomers to racing. Of all the
topics he could have covered, I think it’s interesting that these are the
things that he chose to focus on.
Obviously they are all important to him.
I think we can learn a lot from really thinking hard about them ourselves.
Trim By Billy Hill
In a previous article,
I expounded on the issue of TASK
SATURATION and how it could lead to a stall/spin accident. In this article I would like to visit the
issue of trim usage.
Pilots who fly
aircraft with three axis trims in them know that the trim tabs on the aircraft
are a very important part of assisting the pilot in flying. As we all know aircraft, unlike helicopters,
are inherently stable flying machines.
Of course this includes gliders and sailplanes. The trim system in an aircraft is there to
enhance the stability of that aircraft.
We quite often hear
stories about sailplanes that can be trimmed to fly “hands-off” in a
thermal. These sailplanes have been
noted for their ability to “groove” in a thermal. This of course is a great trait to have in
one’s flying machine. Unfortunately
there is a tendency to forget about trim usage except when attempting to get
our winged charge to maintain a proper attitude for thermaling.
Although trim settings
are a part of both the takeoff and landing checklists, pilots tend to give them
short shrift. For example, trim usage
during tow can lighten the workload and make maintaining station behind the tug
easier. The only negative thing that
comes to mind regarding trim usage is that some pilots will attempt to treat
the trim like a secondary pitch control devise.
Proper trim usage dictates that the aircraft/glider/sailplane is pitched
to the desired attitude with the stick and then the trim is carefully adjusted
to relieve the pressure on the stick so that the aircraft/glider/sailplane will
maintain the desired airspeed/attitude without any input from the pilot.
In his book FOREVER FLYING, Bob Hoover, (the best
stick and rudder pilot to ever take to the skies), says: “ I had learned from experience in
other aircraft that if those trim settings were properly set, there was less
potential for what was known as a pilot-induced oscillation”. There you have it from one of the most
experienced test pilots ever. The whole
point of this exercise is to reduce pilot workload during times of task
saturation.
I was recently
informed that there are pilots who have been taught to trim the glider full
nose down in the pattern. Technique of
this sort will only increase pilot workload because additional attention must
be paid to maintaining the desired pattern speed because of the increased stick
pressures. Whereas, if the
aircraft/glider/sailplane is trimmed for the desired airspeed and attitude,
(this will be a function of flap configuration in ships so equipped), then the work
load is reduced. Some aircraft/glider/sailplanes
have a marked pitch change when flaps are applied, this will require more
frequent use of the trim. The argument
could then be made is it not easier to just trim to nose full down and just
leave it there? Sure, you could do
that. But why not get proficient at trim
usage so that it, like keeping the string centered, becomes second nature and
then you will be flying with neutral stick pressures most if not all the time?
By Brian Resor
As of the middle of
last summer I took over as New Mexico State Record Keeper from Art Hale. As I look over the current records I notice
that there are still several very attainable records that are free for the
taking. These are good records to
challenge as you get familiarized with the process:
Distance up to 3 turnpoints. This is a
declared task and it is currently unclaimed in all glider classes. If you fly any badge this summer (which
implies that it was declared) then you should be claiming this record. Almost all the documentation will already
have been completed from doing the badge, anyway.
Free triangle distance: This will
help us to start challenging ourselves by covering more area using FAI
triangles. This is free distance so no declaration of waypoints are needed. Currently it’s unclaimed in Sports Class and
only a little over 300km in 15-meter and Open.
An example of a good 300km FAI triangle is Moriarty, Lamy,
Encino,
Free 3-turnpoint distance: Our own Bill
Hill currently has this one at about 615 km.
Not to pick on Billy but come-on folks, all the top pilots at Moriarty
fly farther than this a handful of times every summer! This is pitiful. Chip has flown 1000km how many times now?...and we don’t have a record for it. Remember, this is 3 turn (4 legs), not the
OLC style of scoring using 6 legs.
Out and Return Speed: This is a declared course and
takes some planning, but there are some opportunities here. Standard class 300km O&R Speed stands at
43 mph! (I’m going to regret pointing
that out…I kind of wanted to take that one myself before it got
difficult). Also Standard class 500km
O&R speed is unclaimed. Declare your
flight to San Luis (or
300km Triangle Speed: Again, a good course for this
is listed above. Think about how the
course is laid out. There’s a leg down
the Manzano shear line and there’s a leg down the
Clines Corners high ground. It’s a
racetrack! Let’s see what you can
do. Sports Class is still unclaimed.
500km Triangle Speed: Standard and Sports are
unclaimed. A good 500km FAI task is
Moriarty,
As you prepare for the
upcoming season, be sure to check the SSA website for rules and procedures for
flying records. I have to admit that
documenting the records is sometimes confusing and tricky. I might make it sound simple in my
descriptions here, but really there is a lot to think about at the start, the
finish, and everything in between. Don’t
think that I’m going to bend the rules for our guys just because this little
article of encouragement shows up in the ASC Towlines and I also am a
member. Be sure to let me know if you
have any questions about what to do before the flight so that we can have lots
of successful claims this year.
Junior Pilots: ASC Youth members, did you know
that there are state record categories to be claimed only by you? A Junior pilot for FAI purposes is a pilot
whose 25th birthday occurs in the calendar year (1 January to 31 December)
which includes the date of the flight claimed with Junior status. Put another way, you can’t claim flights as a
Junior during the calendar year in which you are turning 26.