Glider Frequencies

There are two glider frequencies, 123.3 and 123.5. See 4-1-11 of the AIM.

Saturday 6/18

18 flights.

• Todd Rutledge made two shakedown flights in his newly-acquired LS4a. He bought it in Ionia, Michigan. A fellow up there who owns another one told him "you're buying a Ferrari - a 1989 Ferrari, but still a Ferrari."
  
• The only student who showed up, Mark O'Leary, was also on crew. As a result (of showing up) he got several flights.
  
• Just as thermals started kicking off, the sky became completely overcast. Staying aloft was work.
  
• By 3PM most of the private ships had landed and most folks had given up for the day when the skies cleared and conditions improved greatly. I saw a large dust devil in a field southwest of the runway around 4PM.
  
• Gerry Simpson in an L-23 was the last one up.
  

Mario Writes Home

Mario Lazaga, crewing for ZA, reports from the Sports Class Nationals:

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.

June Comes Through

Good soaring weather in the weekend forecast! The Standard Class Nationals are going on right now at Caesar Creek in Ohio, so the timing for a good weather pattern couldn't be better.
According to the contest results at the SSA website, Doug Jacobs flew 233 miles at 76 miles an hour yesterday. Yes, in a standard class glider.

Cross-country Training Manual

SLSA in St. Louis has Kai Gertsen's excellent cross-country manual on line. Their web page is here. The actual manual is in two parts, A and B.

Saturday 6/4

Jeff Melin reports:

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.

Absolute Latest News On Our Application For 501(c)(3) Status

The application has been mailed to the IRS.

Club Contest So Far

Scorekeeper Don Taylor reports:

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

All distances and speeds given above are handicapped values.
The average handicapped speed for all competitors on May 29 was 43.55 miles an hour - a speed that would have won 5 of the 7 contest days in 2003 (I don't have the data from 2004 handy).

Getting Bronzed In Minnesota

From the SSA website*, we learned that Ron Clarke took third place in the Region 7 Sports Class Contest at Albert Lea, Minnesota. Congratulations ZA!
*See the SSA website for details - 'member home,' 'contest reports,' 'contest results,' then select the Region 7 contest

The Sound of Records Breaking

On May 29, Terry Wools (ASW-24) made a low save from 1700 feet and later reached 9846 feet. This would be a new Indiana state record in altitude gain and possibly in absolute altitude in the Standard and 15M classes. Unfortunately, the powers that be have decided to no longer accept state altitude record claims in any class but open. That seems unfair; Terry's performance should be a new state record but he can't claim it under the changed rules. The previous Indiana 15 meter and standard class records are 9800 feet in absolute altitude and 6700 feet gained.

Also on May 29, Chris Carpenter (LS-6c) and Gerry Whitson (ASW-15) each flew a 112.7 mile free triangle, and Gerry made a 116.7 mile 'distance using up to three pre-declared turnpoints.'

At least 5 (6 counting Terry Wools) CISS members have claimed state soaring records on at least five different days in two different states since the beginning of April, so it is shaping up into a historic year.

Render Unto Caesar Creek

Caesar Creek Soaring Club is hosting the Standard Class Nationals June 14-23 and they'll need a set of scales to weigh each sailplane. Linda Murray heard a rumor that CISS had a suitable set of scales, so she called me; I was able to confirm the rumor, and our scales will be visiting CCSC for a couple of weeks.