Lee Bottom Weekend

CISS members have been invited to come down and fly out of Lee Bottom Airport (64I), just south of Madison, Indiana, for the weekend of May 7 and 8, 2005.
This is not an official 'away weekend.' The Grob and both Blaniks, and all student training, will be at Alexandria as usual that weekend, but the PW-5 and one of the Pawnees will be at Lee Bottom, weather permitting.
Contact Darren Bedwell for more information (CISS members can find my contact info on the crew schedule, or on the main CISS web page).
Earlier web log post about Lee Bottom.
Check this post about new MOAs in Southern Indiana.
Airnav info on Lee Bottom.

Higher Tows, Higher Bills

The price of avgas has gone up substantially. Last night the CISS board of directors voted to add a surcharge to tows to offset higher fuel prices. Effective Sunday, May 1, 2005, tows above 3000 feet will pay an additional $3.00, tows from 2001 to 3000 feet will pay an additional $2.00, tows from 1001 to 2000 feet will pay an additional $1.00, and tows to 1000' or lower (including simulated rope breaks) will remain the same.

Pecking Extinction In The Face

I've never had a woodpecker mark a thermal for me, but this is still great news.

(click on the picture for more)

Heads up from Sparky, the radio guy

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.

Call 1-800-VFR-NOT-RECOMMENDED

We will not be flying tomorrow, 4/23/05, because conditions will be unsafe (and miserable). The weather forecast is for strong winds, rain turning to snow, and temperatures dropping to the freezing point. The crew is staying home.

Sunday 4/17

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.
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

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.

The Weather Gets Nice And What Do We Do?

We run indoors to our computers to see how good the weather really is, of course! Chris Carpenter sent this link to the Air Sports Net weather forecast for Muncie. Don Taylor sends these links: GOES Satellite data and SKEWT plots, and Air Sports Net Satellite Image Center. "Users: scroll down under "regions" for a particular state. These are visible satellite images, so they will appear dark at night.....duh!"

They're also now over to the right under Weather Links.

Attention Tow Pilots

ZA asks that you please remember your shutdown checklists. Twice this season (already!) we have found a Pawnee with a dead battery from the master switch having been left on overnight (or longer). Crew chiefs, please remind the tow pilots about this. Everyone: The Pawnees have electrical systems, engines, and propellors. Ground handling is considerably safer with the master switch OFF.

Of Course I Was Elsewhere

Good conditions on Sunday 4/10: Ron Clarke is claiming two state records for a 151.6 mile flight from Alexandria to Shelbyville, Richmond and back, in no wind and lift 4 knots to 7000 feet msl. Mario Lazaga got silver altitude and several members (Scott, Pete, Mario) claim altitudes above 7000 feet.

Report: April 9 flying

How things went on Saturday, per Jeff Melin:

on balance a good day - 34 flights

3 new member student pilots, Andru Ross, Dan Gillies, and Mike Schmitt

Longest flight - Ron Clarke 3:55

Shortest Flight - 3 min. Low Alt. abbreviated pattern with landing on original rwy heading.

Two BFRs

Nose wheel of Grob flat after landing, repaired by Chris Carpenter.

First Day Back

Ron Clarke reports about 20 flights on Sunday, April 3. Also, unfortunately, a preflight inspection revealed a crack in the tail of Blanik 809S which means it is grounded (again).
Update and bump: Craig Bixby hopes to have 809S fixed and ready to fly again by noon Saturday 4/9. Update to the update: Thanks to Craig for getting 809S repaired and back in the air by late morning!

Meet Tilly

You'll need a high speed internet connection and Flash Viewer to check out the eagle cam, but it's well worth it. Sit right on Tilly's back while she soars the Argyll Hills of Scotland.

Meteograms

These meteograms for Indianapolis are so neat, I'm going to make a permanent link to them in the sidebar. See more weather data at the same site.

We Won't Be Flying On Saturday 4/2

I heard from Larry Pennington, who heard from Peter Detore, that there won't be any flying on 4/2. The weather forecast is

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.