Towlines
The Newsletter of the Albuquerque Soaring Club August 2006
From the President By Bob Hudson
Where did the summer go? It seems just like yesterday that we began the 2006 OLC and here we are almost done…one month to go. If you live under a rock, then you wouldn’t know that thirty of our club members and friends have taken the OLC challenge and laughed in its face. With one month to go we have already out-flown our performance of last year. We are so far out in front in the US that it appears that no one can catch us. Additionally we are way out front in the world version of the OLC League, though because of its unusual rules we are stuck in second place in the US version of the League. Even with the bad weather we have had in the last month we are still flying some great “missions”. I raise my glass to you all.
While we are talking about great flights, I want to congratulate Kathy Taylor and Mitch Hudson. Both have flown 500k diamond distance flights this summer. It is great to see the name Albuquerque Soaring Club next to their entries.
We have been talking about trying to get our membership up and in this light I am happy to announce we just brought on board two new members, Phil Newman and Brian Davison. Both of these individuals are chomping at the bit to get their licenses and I know they are going to be fine additions to our group. All members try and get around and meet these two.
The weekend of the 12th and 13th of August, we were experiencing one of our rare, except for this month, weather days. Rather than waste the day, Mike Stogner, Mark Mocho, Geof Aiken, Connie Buenafe, Brian Morrison and myself took the time to catch up on some much needed club work. We emptied, cleaned and defrosted our two refrigerators, tidied up the club house, emptied all the trash and most importantly washed the tow plane. (The tow plane was so dirty it is good for about 10 more knots now.) Additionally, the week before JD Huss climbed to the roof of the club house and sealed up all the leaks. Thanks for all the help to make the club and her assets last a little longer.
If you wander out to the club you will notice that the runway and taxiway repairs are undderway. Please be patient during this approximately two week process as this will give us a better and safer surface to operate from.
A special event, the Ralph S. Barnaby Lecture of the National Soaring Museum will be held here in Albuquerque on the 30th of September. The lecturer will be David Ellis and the topic will be “Cambridge Aero Instruments from 1972-2002-The People behind the Products.” This lecture will be held at the Doubletree Hotel. Ticket price is $40, which includes the lecture and a banquet dinner. For reservations call (607) 734-3128 or e-mail nsm@soaringmuseum.org.
Lastly, I am sure you are aware that our own Chip Garner won the Standard Class Nationals in Uvalde, Texas. Couple that with Billy Hill winning at the Region Nine contest and I would say we put a pretty mark on the board. Congratulations to all our club members who have taken the ASC banner forth to challenge the foe. Good on ya.
Now go and fly safe. Bob
Internet Billing and Towlines
By Mark Mocho (Club Secretary)
As many of you know, the Towlines newsletter has been available through the ASC website (www.abqsoaring.org) for some time now. You also will have noticed that it is posted far earlier than you get it in the mail. Now we are wondering if it would be a good idea to eliminate some of our printing and mailing costs by asking our members to forgo getting a copy of the newsletter if they have already seen it online.
This is in no way mandatory. All club members will continue to get Towlines in the mail unless they specifically authorize us to drop them from the subscription list. If you are willing to take this step, please contact the Secretary (me) by email: mark@mmfabrication.com. Please keep in mind that there are serious issues if you take this step. Suddenly, it is YOUR responsibility to stay up to date with regular visits to the ASC website. This means that your Operations Duty schedule will no longer be mailed to you. You will have to keep reminding yourself to check the duty roster and make a note of your scheduled Ops dates.
Another idea being floated is email billing. Our new bookkeeper, Erika Zahnle, has the capability to send email invoices. Would you be interested in getting your monthly invoice via email? If so, please contact the Secretary.
Naturally, we will need to keep up to date records of email addresses. From what I understand, the list is somewhat out of date. Therefore, if you want to participate, we will require verification of your address. Email the Secretary at the above address to let us know.
Obviously, this program is entirely voluntary. Unless there is a significant number of participants, it probably won’t be worth the hassle. Please let us know if you are interested. Until we get an idea of whether this is a desirable proposal, things will remain as they are.
New ASC Glider Checkout Cards
By Mark Mocho
Are you checked out in club ships? Does the Operations Crew know? Well, the ASC is going to try a program to answer these questions. It’s an ongoing safety issue, in that we have no way of knowing whether a member who goes up in a club aircraft is checked out in it or not. Just because you can fly it doesn’t mean you know about all the systems and procedures. We have been a little lax on making sure everybody is up to speed with the operation of our valuable assets.
Our proposed solution is to issue cards to our pilot members that have the information about their qualifications so that if the Operations Crew has a question, they can ask to see the card to make sure the pilot is signed off for that particular aircraft and in some cases, whether they have the option of front seat, back seat, or both.
Some time before the end of the year, all members will have to dust off all those back volumes of logbooks and meet with a club Instructor. All you have to do is show him relevant logbook entries from when you qualified in each of the club aircraft you fly.
The Instructor will check the entries and contact the ASC Secretary to forward the information. The Secretary will enter the information in a database and fill out a card. It will then be delivered to you. Think of it as a “driver’s license” for the club. It is also good for free drinks at a number of fine establishments to be determined later. Well, maybe not, but I think a beer or two at the clubhouse isn’t out of the question.
The biggest question we have is whether our pilots are familiar with some of our new equipment. We have been changing Oxygen systems in several of our aircraft, and even the instruments have been changed in some cases. Do you know how to use the new stuff? Do you know how each aircraft is assembled, disassembled and trailered in case of a landout? Do you still know the weight & balance calculations? All of this should be familiar to any user of the aircraft, and the club needs to know that you know.
We hope all members will get on board with this project. Our Instructors should be ready to do some logbook checks, some quizzing if necessary and be able to ensure that our aircraft are being used by properly qualified pilots.
After the end of the Online Contest in mid-October, the club will be having a General Meeting, thinly disguised as a party. Most Instructors will be there, so it would be a great time to show up with your logbooks and get the information checked. Have the appropriate sections checked and marked so the Instructor won’t have to leaf through pages of “There I was…” entries to find the signoffs. The Secretary will also be there to record the information and issue your card. Once you have a card, you can present it if the Operations Crew requests it.
And they will ask for it. After January 1, 2007, all pilots will be expected to show the card if the Ops Crew has a question. This should not be a big deal, as the Secretary will also be posting a list of pilots and qualifications on the website, in the clubhouse and regularly updating the copy that the Ops Crew will have.
If you are on Ops, and you see Wally Wingover waddling out with a club aircraft, a quick check of the list will show whether he has permission and the qualifications to use it. If the list doesn’t authorize it, or is out of date, ask to see the card. If Wally doesn’t have the card, or the proper signoff isn’t there, the aircraft goes back in the hangar or to the next pilot waiting.
This is going to take some getting used to, so please be patient and help us out as much as you can. I’m sure that there might be some pilots who will feel insulted by being asked for their cards, but they have to remember that we have a constant turnover in Ops personnel. Just because you have been flying in ASC ships since the dawn of time doesn’t mean that your exalted status displays itself like a halo to others.
When asked for the card by Ops personnel, be courteous- and be proud of the fact that we recognize your skills in a tangible manner. Plus, it’s good for free drinks somewhere.
Clearing Your Turn
(Not to be confused with making a clearing turn)
By Billy Hill
When our new friend from Germany, Holgar Whitzel was visiting Moriarty, he and I got into a discussion regarding the teaching of flying, but more specifically soaring.
Because of the high degree of mid-air collision potential in Europe, (I guess that’s got something to do with the high number of sailplanes) the CFI’s there are adamant about ensuring the students clear the direction of the turn before being allowed to initiate said maneuver.
Remember that almost without exception, the Europeans are flying low or mid wing tandem fiberglass gliders, white in color unlike we US pilots who teach and learn exclusively in the SGS 2-33 – at least judging by all the shots of the trusty Sail-Pig we see on the covers of SOARING and in the SSA calendars that’s what we learn in. Consider as well that the visibility is nothing like that which we have here in New Mexico. With a combination of white gliders and milky skies, it’s easy to see why the mid-air potential there is so high ‑ this is how Helmut Richman died by the way.
Holgar, who is himself an instructor, went on to say that when he is giving dual he will not allow the student to turn the glider unless the student has looked in the direction of turn prior to executing it. He said that if the turn has not been cleared, he will lock the stick and not permit the turn in order that the student is reminded of his pre-turn obligations.
Although I was impressed with this technique, I didn’t give it much thought until I was looking at a video of the Grand Pix held in New Zealand last year. As I viewed it, I noticed that these world caliber glider pilots would turn their heads and upper body as far as the cockpit restraints would allow in order to clear themselves prior, that’s prior, to making a turn. Wow, thought I! That’s what Holgar was talking about.
This technique allows the pilot to be sure that the airspace immediately to his left or right is clear of traffic. The only exception to this is that portion of the horizon blocked by the left or right wing tip of the glider.
This is somewhat of a departure from the method I’ve used over the years which is to say a cursory inspection of that airspace on either side of my intended direction of turn.
In the relatively traffic free skies of New Mexico, it’s easy to become lax regarding clearing before turning. On the other hand, we as glider pilots tend to cluster together when plying our favorite sport thereby increasing the probability for a mid-air collision.
Changing or implementing new flying habits doesn’t come easily for me, but I’m going to try and emulate the example shown in the New Zealand film. If it enhances safety of flight, (how could it not?), then the effort will be well worth it.
See you, (neck popping as I twist left and right), at the airport!
Aircraft for Sale
DG100G
Delta One is for sale. Excellent condition, with trailer, $18K. Bob Hudson. 505.507-6332.
LS-3
N573 JulietLima is for sale. 1979 Rolladen-Schneider LS-3. Repaired and
refurbished by Applebay. Extras: Zuni hook, pneumatic tail wheel, flair from
vertical to horizontal tail. New instrument panel: SN-10B flight computer,
Borgelt Vario, Microair radio. Komet Trailer. $31k invested, asking $28k.
photo can be seen at: www.abqsoaring.org/images/2006/The_Jewel.jpg
Contact John or Luan Walker. 505-681 7759.
Discus 2a
Chip Garner is looking
for a partner for half of CG, his well-prepared Discus.
Contact Chip at 505-660 8509.
ASW-20B
1XX will be available mid-Sept. Complete package, everything works reliably, results to be seen on OLC. 1985, about 1500 hours; fresh annual. Has brand new water bags, L-NAV, GPS-NAV (Mk 10, the one with its own battery), GPS read out, Dittel radio, boom mike and PTT, O2, PDA set up, two 7ah batteries. Recently new tail skid/wheel. Cobra trailer, wing wheel, tail dolly, tow bar. Contact Banks: 505-821 2651.
2006 Moriarty Operations Schedule
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