I'd like to go up for this, probably the night before. Could be a nice way to beat the winter blahs, without having to go to the Dallas SSA convention.Registration is limted to the first 200 participants so register early.
BULLETINIf you need me, I'll be hiding under the bed.
TROPICAL STORM ZETA SPECIAL ADVISORY NUMBER 1
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
1 PM AST FRI DEC 30 2005
...LATE SEASON TROPICAL STORM...THE 27TH OF THE YEAR...FORMS IN THE EASTERN ATLANTIC...
AT 1 PM AST...1700Z...THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM ZETA WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 25.0 NORTH... LONGITUDE 36.9 WEST OR ABOUT 1070 MILES...1720 KM... SOUTHWEST OF THE AZORES. ZETA IS MOVING TOWARD THE NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH ...13 KM/HR. A TURN TO THE WEST-NORTHWEST IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS ARE NEAR 50 MPH... 85 KM/HR...WITH HIGHER GUSTS. ALTHOUGH SOME STRENGTHENING IS POSSIBLE LATER TODAY...A WEAKENING TREND IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN TOMORROW.
TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 85 MILES ...140 KM FROM THE CENTER.
ESTIMATED MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE IS 1003 MB...29.62 INCHES.
REPEATING THE 1 PM AST POSITION...25.0 N... 36.9 W. MOVEMENT TOWARD...NORTHWEST NEAR 8 MPH. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS... 50 MPH. MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1003 MB.
THE NEXT ADVISORY WILL BE ISSUED BY THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER AT 5 PM AST.
FORECASTER FRANKLIN
The club fleet is now all "in annual " with the Grob and Blanik 303BA ready to fly. The PW will be back from Ohio within the next few weeks (thanks George) and the Blanik 809S still needs to have the nose cone re-fitted after the new pitot line was installed and tested today (airspeeds should be 100% accurate now). The two Pawnees are both flyable , but we would prefer to use 87Z until the wet winter conditions are over as 898 has been really well cleaned up and we would like to keep it off the wet conditions if possible.
IF THE CONDITIONS ON NEW YEARS DAY ARE FLYABLE PLEASE BE CERTAIN TO DO A VERY THOROUGH INSPECTION OF THE EQUIPMENT (AND A POSITIVE CONTROL CHECK ON ALL GLIDERS TO BE FLOWN) AS THE EQUIPMENT HAS NOT BE FLOWN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW.
Thanks to all who helped the Maintenance Crew this winter.
Happy landings 2006!
TO ALL MY CISS FRIENDS:
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
May your thermals be strong and high!
Best wishes,
Rick Millane
NZ Nationals 2004.
My daughter and I.
Southern Alps from 8000 ft.
It is interesting to note that in this part of the country the high bases, strong winds, and good visibility occur in May and early June. Unfortunately a great many pilots are not mentally ready and physically equipped at this early stage of the soaring season to take advantage of the best weather. This results in fewer really good flights being made and a reduced number of record attempts.CFIG Joseph N. Bearden Jr. wrote those words in a record application for a flight made on 4 May 1968. It was a Senior Class absolute altitude record flight to 10341'.
I am in Orlando for business and I found time to take my commercial glider checkride with Knut over at Seminole-Lake. So, I am now an officially rated glider pilot.
If you could do something about the weather in Indiana so we could go flying...that would be great.
Once again the year has flown by as fast as Ron Clarke in a contest finish!To reserve a spot in advance, please email Ken Harry at:
To celebrate the years accomplishments and brag on all our exceptional flights, our Annual banquet will be at the Marten House at 1801 West 86th Street (across from St. Vincent Hospital).
Please plan on mingling, eating some great food, and listening to our guest speaker's exploits. Who knows - you even receive an award.
More details coming shortly, but mark your calendars now.
or call him at home.
If you'd like to see your flight traces overlaid on a very detailed photographic map of the Earth (and who wouldn't?), now you can. GPS Visualizer can now create Google Earth .kml files from .igc files. You will need to download and install Google Earth (free, but you'll need broadband to use it effectively) and then visit GPS Visualizer and use the free converter. Experiment with it. I just discovered this today and have barely scratched the surface of what can be done with it.
Ron Clarke reports:The maintenance projects on club equipment have gone very well this year thanks to a small but dedicated group of members who have shown up each weekend since the flying season ended.
This past Saturday the Pawnee 898 received the full attention of the group who showed up and it looks REALLY GOOD after a complete wash and wax job (in the heated hangar). When 87Z becomes due we'll do the same with it.
A big thank you to John Morrical, Nyal Williams, George Saunders, Mike Warren together with Chris and Ron from the maintenance crew.
Duane Knotts joined us all for lunch afterwards.
Come on out and join your colleagues at least one Saturday in the winter and by next flying season you will be proud to have helped get the equipment into top condition for the season.
Tomorrow morning, Saturday December 3, the maintenance crew needs your help again. It will be cold, so meet at the hangar at Alexandria around 10 am. The main tasks will be lubricating the Grob, and cleanup.
This Corporation exists for the purpose of (a) promoting the science of motorless flight; (b) finance educational programs to inform the general public of the science of motorless flight; (c) sponsoring and promoting education in flying safety and equipment care; and (d) providing facilities and equipment to test motorless aircraft for the public safety.And most of the serious, down-and-dirty maintenance and repair work gets done in the cold of winter - just as most of the serious flying gets done in the sunny days of spring and summer.
[From the restated articles of incorporation]
Dan DeWitt took his written exam for the Bronze badge after the work-party lunch on Saturday afternoon and passed it handily. His is the last badge to be awarded in the club this season.There were a lot of badges and checkrides in CISS this year. If anyone has a complete list, email it to me please.
After graduating high school, he attended Indiana Central College in Indianapolis, getting his degree in education and embarking on a 44-year career that was interrupted by World War II. The military used his teaching ability and love of flying to instruct other pilots, including a stint at Bunker Hill Naval Air Station (now Grissom Air Base). Later, he helped scientists study hurricanes by flying into the eye and monitoring conditions [All these years I've been listening to Bob's stories and I didn't know about the hurricanes! -ed]. . . Since the mid-1980s, Gillan helped the Central Indiana Soaring Society by giving more than 3,400 free glider lessons at Terry (now Indianapolis Executive) and Alexandria airports. He said many students who have come through his classes have gone on to careers as pilots.Bob signed me off for my glider checkride - and if you've been around CISS more than a year or two, his signature is probably in your log book too.
The man who once rode a 160-million horsepower rocket now flies a glider, a plane with no engine.There's more at the SSA website.
“Gliders, sail planes, they're wonderful flying machines. It's the closet you can come to being a bird,” says Armstrong.
What does Armstrong get out of gliding? “Oh, it is self satisfaction. A sense of accomplishment. At trying to do a little better than you think you possibly can,” he says.
We will begin our Winter Maintenance projects tomorrow - and every Saturday from now on at the hangar at Alexandria. All are welcome. We'll start by listing all the maintenance needs and probably do some no brainer stuff like cleaning up the equipment. If the weather is good (and we have a tow pilot) we'll fly too.
We have at least 3 pilots who would like to fly tomorrow, and Lynn Joyce has agreed to tow. I suggest we plan for the first t/o at 1pm. Lynn can only tow 'til 3pm, so if you're interested be sure to get your glider ready and get your tow in by 2:50pm !!!
CU at the field- I'll be there by 11:00am
Kris Maynard, former CISS member and instructor, will speak at the Indianapolis Aero Club monthly meeting on Tuesday, November 8 at the Marten House, 1801 W. 86th St.
Kris recently set an aviation speed record for a cross-country flight in his Aviat Husky from Jacksonville, Florida to San Diego.
Cocktails at 6:00
Dinner at 6:30
Advance tickets, members $18, non-members $20
At the door, members $20, non-members $22
Sixteen and under, $10
To make reservations call Gene Symmonds for information at 387-0523
HURRICANE WILMA DISCUSSION NUMBER 14I don't know exactly what that means, but it doesn't sound good. This morning's discussion doesn't sound any better:
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
11 PM EDT TUE OCT 18 2005
WILMA HAS DEVELOPED THE DREADED PINHOLE EYE...
WILMA IS A CATASTROPHIC CATEGORY FIVE HURRICANE THAT IS MOVING OVER VERY WARM WATERS...TYPICAL OF THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA...AND WITHIN AN ENVIRONMENT OF LIGHT SHEAR. HOWEVER...DESPITE THE FAVORABLE LARGE SCALE ENVIRONMENT...WILMA IS NEAR ITS MAXIMUM POTENTIAL INTENSITY AND FURTHER STRENGTHENING IS NOT ANTICIPATED. MOST LIKELY...THE SMALL EYE WILL COLLAPSE FOLLOWED BY SLIGHT WEAKENING OR SOME FLUCTUATIONS IN INTENSITY. EYEWALL REPLACEMENT CYCLES WILL LIKELY CONTROL THE INTENSITY FOR THE NEXT 2 TO 3 DAYS WHILE THE HURRICANE IS OVER THE NORTHWESTERN CARIBBEAN SEA. THEREAFTER...ONCE WILMA REACHES THE SOUTHEASTERN GULF OF MEXICO AND ENCOUNTERS THE WESTERLIES AND HIGH SHEAR...WEAKENING SHOULD BEGIN.Oh, well, what a relief...
Duane tells me he caught the BIGGEST rat he's ever seen in our hangar. No doubt this was the critter that did the wiring on our golf cart in. He plans to keep the area poisoned so we might remind the members not to bring their favorite dogs² to the field.Mario L. also suggests we not leave food³ in the hangar.
THANK YOU!
Thanks to everyone who made the Last Resort weekend a great success. To the tow pilots who worked overtime to get the gliders back and forth – Gerry W., Rich S. and Eric D. Eric deserves special praise for being the only tow pilot on Sunday. He really worked hard.
Thanks to the glider pilots who took some very LONG tows – Ron C., Dan D., Nyal W., John M., Dale I., Ken H., Todd R. and Cheryl B.
Thanks to Dale who flew the tow plane back on Sunday. I was VERY happy not to have the tow plane left on the ground for Monday’s storms.
Thanks Ron, Dan, Mario, Pete, and Mike N., who hung around on Friday waiting for the ceiling to lift above 1000 feet so we could ferry the sailplanes over early. It never happened.
Thanks to the crews on Saturday and Sunday who put out a special effort – Dick H. did a great job tearing down and moving things back to Alex!
Thanks to Nyal who helped arrange the weekend. He made sure we did it right. As a novice at this I really appreciated it.
Finally, a special thanks goes to Pete D. who really made this happen. He set up the operations and spent all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday working. He was the crew chief on Saturday and the crew chef on Sunday. Thanks for the great breakfast, Pete.
We have a great club! I had a lot of fun working with you all.
George S.
A sincere THANK YOU to the organizers of the CISS "Away weekend" .By the way, ZA has notified me of a state record claim from Sunday.
George and Pete you guys deserve special mention as we know you bore the brunt of most of the organizing and arrangements to ferry equipment back and forth etc. As well the Crews, operating at an unfamiliar airstrip and the Tow pilots all did an outstanding job.
The field was a very good venue, especially the camping facilities.
Ron (ZA)
(Larry's email address is: lpenni [at] netzero [dot] com)
There is a 'Fly In, Aviation event' at Freeman Field, Seymour, IN the weekend of Oct 8/9. George Robins is connected with this event and has asked if we would do a static display of a sailplane. If you could get this to the private owners or anyone else that may want to do this, they can call George Robins at [area code eight one two, phone number five two two dash three five six five]. If anyone wants to do this please send me an email. Thanks.
Larry
If so here's a thought or two:Nyal responds:
Some of you may remember the talk Frank Reid gave to our members about cross country flying a couple of years ago . In the talk he suggested that if there were airfields each 3 miles everyone would fly cross country without the slightest concern all the time!
But of course airfields are often not just three miles apart. If however they are 6-10 miles apart that makes the task of flying a 50 km course very doable on a day when thermal tops are 4-5000 agl.
This is the time of the year [in Indiana - ed.] when those conditions abound !
One of the choice courses from our launch site is Alex to Terry airport ( about 56 km ), especially if there is a NE wind component . This course is also one where there are a number of good airfields en route ( about each 6-10 miles ).
Stimulated by the video tape Pete presented at the club meeting this month I have a couple of suggestions :
1) Take out a chart and draw the course line from Alex to Terry.
2) On a non-flying day,or on your trip home if you live in Indy or Carmel go visit EACH of the airfields on or close to that route . ( I had a debate recently with a member who differed with me on the direction of the runway of one of those airfields - he said EW, I said NS )
Seeing is believing , and once you have visited each airfield your confidence level about overflying it with the knowledge of where it is and how landable it is ( or isn't) will increase markedly. Think also about whether you could tow out of that field if you needed to. FYI there are about 8-9 airfields on that route I would go look at - at least one good one not on the charts (Stottlemeyer - just west of Frankton)
3) Make sure you are familiar with the Barograph and its operation.
4) Calculate the max tow altitude you can take, using the 1 % rule. [see below - ed.]
Now on the next day when the lift goes to 5000msl you are almost guaranteed a succesful Silver Badge flight .
Happpy landings ,
ZA.
To this I would add another thought:Mario, our newest silver badgee, responds:
After you have done this exercise, pick out another course generally northeast and with the same characteristics and do the same exercise with it. This will increase your chances of making a downwind dash on any day the thermals top 5000ft.
I haven't looked at the chart to see if there is a really good course line with lots of airports for a silver flight in that direction. There might not be one as good as going to Terry, and it is off-course for your drive to and from Knotts Field.
Nyal
I'd like to add something for those, like me, planning to do XC, even if only for the Silver Badge.
If you are flying the PW5, you should know how to assemble and disassemble the plane, and how to put it in the trailer and properly secure it for transportation.
Use every opportunity to learn how to do it and get good at it. In a weak day (of which we have many) propose to your instructor to disassemble the plane. Then re-assemble it again. It doesn't take a single tool to do it, and the wings are not very heavy.
Be there when the plane is being assembled and disassembled.
Read the manual.
Have you ever carefully looked at the trailer? Do it.
Do you know what this dolly and that ramp are for? Ask.
Can you identify, of all the junk sitting in the trailer, what pieces are not part of the PW5 trailer gear? Find out.
Bad news: nothing about the trailer is in the PW5 flight manual.
I think a big reason so few pilots fly cross country is not the problem of landing out, but having to disassemble, transport, and re-assemble the plane.
One thing I learned crewing at the National Championships in Utah is that, with practice, you can assemble and disassemble the plane in 15 minutes, tape and all.
Ground retrieval of a plane does not have to be a big production.
Mario
ZA reports on 8/22:
Today was Mario's day - he flew the coop and landed at Terry. Conditions were good but not great and he obviously was well prepared (no wet jeans at the end of the flight).
This completes his silver badge - now for a 330 ! - CONGRATULATIONS MARIO.
The Monday Crew
Saturday morning we will be changing the oil in 898. I have noticed that all the aircraft are in a dire need of a good cleaning. Especially the noses and leading edges have acquired a large collection of bugs. So, Everyone that is able is invited to come out Saturday morning 0830 - 0900 to give the aircraft much needed baths. Also, anyone having the appropriate bug scrunchy sponges that you use on your cars are asked to bring them along. If enough people show and we get started early enough we can be done before the heat reaches its peak.The weather forecast for Saturday doesn't look promising, with patchy fog in the morning and thunderstorms in the afternoon, but if we can't fly due to fog we can still wash the gliders.
Joe Hudson, former CISS member, father of Mitch and ex-husband of Marty passed away on Monday, August 8. Joe was a crew chief for us for several years. Memorial Services will be held at St. Luke's Methodist Church on 86th Street near Meridian and Spring Mill at 11:00 on Friday, August 12.Our condolences go out to Mitch, Marty, and the family.
Because of communication difficulties between SSA and CISS regarding Chapter renewal, members of CISS may experience a delay in receiving 2005-2006 membership cards and magazines. Members of CISS who have not received these items by the end of August are asked to report this information to Jim White, CISS Treasurer.
This is a note to let you know I will be claiming a couple of State records from a flight I made [Thursday]. Quite difficult conditions (I flew the first two thirds between 3000 and 4000 msl). Lift for the whole flight only averaged 240 ft/min !
The records claimed :
Open and Sports class - Free Triangle Distance ( 223 and 193 miles).
Ron Clarke (ZA)
... we will be getting some TV coverage. A small group of us briefed "Indiana Joannie" and her cameraman on the club and then I took her up for a short flight in the Grob today. They seemed very enthusiastic and spent extra time filming in the hangar and interviewing DT, Mario and even ZA!Update: They didn't air it when it was originally scheduled due to something happening in London. The new air date is August 18, between 8:30 and 9 am, on FOX 59.
Mike Nichols was our tow pilot.
On July 9 I was flying over Marion, IN when "The Wind Quit."
After landing at Marion Municipal, a very friendly man named Ray Johnson arrived at mid-field in a pickup to assist in any way possible. After a few words, we both recalled that we had talked by phone last year about CISS having an exhibit (Glider) in the annual "Fly In - Cruise In" Pancake Breakfast there on the Saturday Morning of Labor Day Weekend.
Last year no one responded, this year I find myself in the position of "owing him one" as he graciously flew me back to I99 in his award winning Aeronca "Chief" to get my trailer and vehicle.
When I arrived back at Marion, he and several other hangar bums were there to assist and watch. They have a high level of interest.
I will be taking 8C up for the event and ask that all other members interested in seeing the assembled aircraft and cars, make it to the breakfast which starts at 7:00 AM. Proceeds benefit the Marion HS Band.
I AM CANCELLING OPERATIONS AT I99 TODAY DUE TO 600' CEILINGS THRU 1300 E.S.T. FOLLOWED BY BROKEN @2,500' MSL FOR THE REMAINDER WITH 70% - 80% CHANCE OF RAIN IN THE AFTERNOON. PER T.H. FLIGHT SERVICE. HAVE A NICE DAY:-)
| Rope break | $14 |
| 1000 foot | $17 |
| 2000 foot | $24 |
| 3000 foot | $31 |
| 4000 foot (only with a good reason please) | $46 |
Friday 10/6: Drive 850 miles from Indianapolis to North Platt Nebraska.
Saturday 11/6: Drive 850 miles to Parowan Utah.
Sunday 12/6: First practice day. Weather great but a little windy. Lots of soaring fun.
Monday 13/6: Second practice day. Weather also good but a little windy.
Tuesday 14/6: First day of competition. Weather initially bad. Many re-lites. Better in the afternoon.
Wednesday 15/6: Second day of competition. Weak conditions. Several land-outs. T-storms late afternoon.
Thursday 16/6: Third day of practice. Very weak. Reduced 2-hour task. 666 points max.
Friday 17/6: Ugly and windy. No-fly day.
Ron (Clarke) is slowly climbing through the list.
Mario, learning a lot and getting a GREAT tan.
Food great, people nice, view fantastic, etc.
More later.
Weather did not quite go by the forecast - when does it? After a few flights under improving conditions and elevating ceiling, the process went into a reversal for a short time, dashing some hopes and causing us to think a shut down was just around the corner.
Craig Bixby got a hot seat in the PW5, seems as if the battery connector was crushed between the seat back and the battery box causing a small pyrotechnic display.
Alas! another reversal and by the time we were putting the last equipment away at 5:30 there was not a cloud to be seen.
18 flights
1 Commercial Pilot and 1 Tow Pilot each regained currency.
1 Introductory Flight for a potential new student member.
| May 7 | Dist sm | Speed mph | Score |
| Clarke (R) | 70.5 | 39.92 | 1022 |
| Ortman (K) | 109.77 | 32.77 | 886 |
| Bedwell (K) | 64.9 | 39.92 | 828 |
| May 29 | |||
| Carpenter (R) | 104.8 | 49.43 | 1055 |
| Bedwell | 92.7 | 48.79 | 1040 |
| Whitson (K) | 116.57 | 44.32 | 974 |
| Wools (R) | 124.9 | 37.63 | 813 |
| Nichols (K) | 93.91 | 37.56 | 808 |
This month of May came in like a lion, turned into a lamb, then lion, lamb, and went out like a lion. Meh-rcy!
Dave Newill, Pete Detore and I went the only gliding pilots at the field Monday, May 30th.
Mike Nichols was exceedingly nice, drove to the airport, towed 2 planes and drove back home.
Dave took off at about 1:30 and Pete and I took off at about 1:45.
Two hours and 30 minutes later, Dave landed, and about 10 minutes after Dave, we landed.
The day was "as good as it gets" with beautiful CU's everywhere, nice, strong thermals under each one of them, and a cloudbase of exactly 8000ft MSL (exxssakktleee!).
A few minutes before landing, with Dave already on the ground, we observed a visiting (mysterious?) sailplane circling over our airport at about 5000 ft but we couldn't read its tail markings and he didn't answer our radio calls. He was probably tunned to a different frequency.
"1. CUs were slow to form and mainly to the north.Terry Wools reports:
2. Winds were light.
3. Higher cloud deck was moving in from the north.
4. Rte. planned Alex, Boone Co, Kokomo, Alex. Thinking was we could turn back to Alex after Boone Co. if deck from North moved in. In fact this is what two of us did because by the time we headed from Boone Co. to Kokomo the high deck had moved down.
5. Gerry went into blue sky early with the rest of us following. Things went slowly for me without the CU markers. I guess I just haven't learned to BELIEVE.
6.I think if I had went the opposite direction, maybe even adding Marion, I could have went farther and faster."
"Quick highlights,, I was counting parked planes at TYQ before I pulled out a save. Then I topped out a good thermal to 10000msl on my ALT. That was one big cloud! Don't think I actually made 10k but it was pretty surreal. I learned some things from this flight."
Bob Gillan is laid up for a while with a bad back and has asked me to fill in on his instructor's duties. He is under a doctor's care in Indianapolis. I think he would appreciate a phone call from members.
Sorry folks, but my long string of active flying days on my crew day has come to an end. There is just way too much ugliness marching its way toward Alexandria this morning. Don't come out to the field. Don't burn that expensive gas! Maybe if we all stay home today the price will come down. Hopefully, tomorrow will be flyable!
Today was maybe the best I've ever known in Indiana. So I'll be claiming one of the ones I've been waiting for a long time - the OPEN 300km o/r speed record (74.6 mph). FYI Mario [Lazaga] did his 5 hours and many of us topped 9000msl. Lift was an easy 5 knot average with the best in the 10 range.The previous Indiana open class 300km out and return speed record was 67 mph. Actually, the fastest speed of any existing Indiana record before this was 68.65 mph for a 100km triangle, also held by Ron.
Ron.
Don't be fooled by COLD weather. Yesterday several members met out at Alex to do some maintenance and attend the safety meeting and Duane's award ceremony in the evening. During the afternoon the weather looked somewhat promising despite a strong wind (down the runway).
Despite COLD temperatures (a high of 54 degrees) lift was good and two flights were made in the Grob. Don and Mike Nichols climbed to 6400msl under quite heavily clouded skies. The thing to remember is that cold does not mean no lift - obviously good instability allowed some good soaring. I would estimate a well insulated pilot could have easily stayed up 3-4 hours.
ZA
Don Taylor says:
After getting information that the radio in Blanik 809S was weak, I checked it out yesterday, and indeed we have a problem. The radio transmits a satisfactory carrier, but the audio is very weak. These Terra radios are old and not repairable due to the unavailability of parts. I am looking into replacement options, but it could take several weeks before we have something new installed. In the meantime, I'd recommend that instructors and/or students and private pilots take along a handheld radio to use.
On another note, when I went out to the hangar yesterday to work on the radio, I was surprised to find the ground station battery to be charging on the glider radio battery charging shelf. This probably occurred at the end of soaring on Sunday April 10. Unlike the glider batteries, which are 14 volt sealed lead acid batteries, the ground station battery is a 12 volt wet cell. The charging voltage and cycle is completely incompatible with the glider battery charger. THE GROUND STATION BATTERY MUST BE CHARGED ON AUTO/MOTORCYCLE BATTERY CHARGER ON TOP OF THE WORKBENCH. I checked the systems and I don't think any damage was done, but we could have ruined either the battery or the charger. CREW CHIEFS, PLEASE CHECK HOW THE BATTERIES ARE REPLACED ON THE CHARGERS AT THE END OF THE DAY.
One possible explanation for the snafu could have been that the groundstation battery charger was almost hidden under a private pilot battery charger and battery that was sitting on top of it. And there was all kinds of junk sitting in front of the charger, making it almost obscured. I set the private battery charger to the side.
Haveaniceday.
From Ken Harry:
We had 21 flights Sunday. Jeff Melin got over 8000 ft! I think it was 8300 something - I'm sure he'll tell you the exact figure.Several other pilots got to 8000 feet, including Ron Clarke, Kurt Ristow, and Gerry Simpson. A weak cold front went through around 1PM and shut down the convection for half an hour or so; the guys up high were not troubled but those of us who launched under it had to deal with strong sink as it passed.
Eric flew great landings - leaving lots of rope clearance above the road and still touching down before the knoll in the runway. I love watching the Pawnee slip in :-)
Mario had a very good observation on putting the planes away - they nestle very nicely if all the right wings are low. With the noses all pointed toward the center of the hanger, there is lots of room for the towplanes with room to spare.
Ken
Saturday: A 40 percent chance of showers before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high around 50. Breezy, with a north northwest wind between 23 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 38 mph. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.If only it were an April Fool's joke.
It seems our favorite parachute rigging lady, Cathie Schlatter, will soon be moving to tropical Ottawa, IL to be closer to a "great drop zone" AND her future husband. She says she has retired from the rigging business and gives me these guys as her replacements: Terry Plank and George Capitanio.
Terry's email and phone # leads me to believe he works and lives in Kokomo. George's phone and email seems to be north of Frankfort somewhere. I'll contact both to see who wants to deal with us and take it from there. See y'all at the airport.
There's light at the end of the tunnel and it's not an oncoming train :-) DTMike Nichols and Don Taylor have done springtime maintenance on the
removable runway lights (thanks guys!), and found several of the
electrical connections damaged. Remember: when taking out the runway
lights, it is important to make sure the connector goes underneath the
disc. That way it's protected from damage by tow ropes and aircraft.
GLIDER FLEET READY FOR THE SEASONNow we'll be ready when the sun finally comes out, if it ever does. What a winter!
Many thanks to the members who came on out this cold saturday to finish off some projects and then assemble the club gliders . All are now fully assembled but PLEASE ENSURE THAT A VERY THROUGH PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTION IS DONE ON EACH GLIDER BEFORE IT'S FIRST FLIGHT THIS SEASON. Remember it's the pilot's responsibilty to ensure that all systems are working and that all the paperwork is correct and on board.
Thanks also to Jeff Melin and John Dittrich who braved the cold outside while they checked out all the towropes (for towplanes and golf carts).
The Maintenance Crew
I've just got back from Alex where I finished off the Grob wing wax job. Actually Kurt deserves a mention as he put many hours into the job.If you can help please contact Darren or Ron Clarke to volunteer your
A few good members are needed to help with some early Spring projects. In order to make a troublefree start to the flying season it would be great if a member or two would volunteer to:
1) Check out the 2 golfcarts - change oil/ filters if necessary, check batteries, lubricate and clean, check tire pressures etc. Fill the tanks with gas!
2) Check out the wiring on all the removable runway lights (retape/insulate if necessary) These definitely need attention as we take them out and reinstall many times in a season and Duane depends on us to maintain them as we agreed to do - Otherwise he would of course just leave them permanently in place. And that we don't want!
3) Before rigging the Grob next weekend we need one more small polishing job to be done. The tailplane - and then we're ready to rig.
Come on out if you can help.
All of us are in terror as people began to run toward the last sighting. Suddenly on 123.3 Don’s voice comes over loud and clear “I am down and OK not even a scratch!” We all finally take a breath of relief and began to try and find him.
Don has crashed into the swamp behind some of the airport houses at the north end of the runway. The wings are shredded but the fuselage is undamaged, coming to rest in a cypress with an unbroken canopy some 5 feet above the swamp. Don was able to get out of the glider after once again radioing the gate telling everyone he was OK. By this time someone has called 911 and we can hear the sirens coming toward us.
Several pilots and crews slog through the swamp to get to Don, but he had already walked out.
This Medal was established by the FAI in 1933 in memory of the Comte de la Vaulx, founder-member and past President of the FAI who lost his life in an aircraft accident while on a mission for the promotion of Aviation. De la Vaulx Medals are awarded to the holders of recognised absolute world records set during the previous year.
With the prospect of some reasonable weather this Saturday (Feb 26) feel free to come on out and lend a hand at Alex.
Projects to be completed include:All help will be gratefully accepted.
- Hard Waxing the GROB wings -- Kurt will take the lead and probably needs only another member or two to move that project forward.
- Moving the PAWNEE into the maintenance shop - "Many hands make light work."
- Completing the AD on the BLANIK elevators - Chris Carpenter will be in charge here.
- Rigging the PW 5 and maybe the BLANIK 303 BA (Will depend on how much space we still need to finish maintenance work).
LUNCH AT THE CORNER CAFE AROUND NOON ,
The maintenance crew.
Thanks to all who came out on Saturday to work on the Grob wings. We had a good turn-out, had fun and got lots of work done before dropping in to the Hi-Way Cafe for a nice artery hardening lunch.
We completed the sanding the wings with 1500 grit paper and polished the wings with rubbing compound.
Next step is to "swabble" the wings with a hard wax. Stay tuned for details.
Also, Thanks to Jeff and Todd for comming out last weekend when we were a little less productive.
See you next time, The Maintenance Crew
I have just received a letter from Dennis Wright[,] congratulating CISS for granting more A, B, C, Bronze badges than any club in our region. They intend to recognize this fact and give us an award at the general membership meeting at the convention this year[...]I might add: thanks to Chief Instructor Nyal Williams. - DB
All thanks to our instructors, our membership chair, and our students, as well as to all club members for supporting our activities and our instructional program.
Nyal
President Darren Bedwell
Vice-President Tom Ruble
Secretary Ken Harry
Treasurer Jim White
Dir. of Operations Pete Detore
Dir. of Maintenance Craig Bixby
Chief Instructor Nyal Williams
Chief Tow Pilot* Tom Eaton
At large board member Cheryl Beckage
At large board member* Dave Newill
At large board member* Mario Lazaga
At large board member* Chris Carpenter
Being the recipient of the ballots, soon to be turned over to the Honorable K. Harry, let it be known that there was not a significant write-in campaign to unseat any of the listed nominees. Thus a series of recounts, or a determination as to who has a hanging chad will not be necessary. . . Thus let the fun begin.
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