Season Officially Underway

Ron Clarke reports on yesterday's flying:

Sunday was as good as it gets in March. Thermals to 5000 + agl and 5 knots lift under beautiful cumulus clouds.
It was however quite cold and if unprepared an hour or more at cloudbase meant reconsidering the original task! ZA did fly 42 miles o/r - almost without thermalling after the start as cloud streets were everywhere.
We saw a good turnout of club members and a few issues to deal with. One Tow Plane that wouldn't start and the other that had fouled plugs to begin with. One Blanik with a gimpy wheelbrake which will be worked on next weekend. The PW 5 is rigged. Several folks took care of their BFR's and several private ships were Weight & Balance checked in preparation for the season.
Don't ever think that just because it's still cold that the soaring is not good - All that is needed is a good temperature difference and a Post-frontal day. That's what we had! Keep a good look out for similar opportunities in the next week or two.

No Flying Saturday

Per crew chief Jeff Melin, there will be NO FLYING SATURDAY 3/25. Given the dismal weather, no one should be the least bit surprised. Curl up with a good book and maybe we'll see you Sunday.

Update:
Actually, the weather is beautiful here in Indianapolis as I write this on Saturday morning, but it's cold, the ground is soaked from all the rain and snow, and more rain and snow are forecast for this afternoon.

Win A Free Trip To Guantanamo Bay

AOPA (which you should all join - have I mentioned that?) sent out an email bulletin about the temporary flight restrictions over Indiana on Friday the 24th.
Alexandria airport is NOT in the no-fly area as announced - but times and locations can change, so if anyone plans to fly on Friday be sure to call for NOTAMS right before flying.

Size and location:
Centered on 394551N 0861023W:
30-nm-radius TFR up to 17,999 ft MSL with inner 10-nm-radius no-fly zone up to 17,999 ft MSL
Effective time:
30-nm-radius TFR: 1255 local until 1610 local March 24
10-nm-radius no-fly zone: 1315 local until 1550 local March 24
Requirements for flight 10-30 nm area:
Limited to arriving or departing local airfields
Must be on active VFR or IFR flight plan
Squawk discrete code obtained from ATC
Two-way communication with ATC
No loitering
Operations not authorized: FLIGHT TRAINING, PRACTICE INSTRUMENT APPROACHES, AEROBATIC FLIGHT, GLIDER OPERATIONS, PARACHUTE OPERATIONS, ULTRALIGHT, HANG GLIDING, BANNER TOWING OPERATIONS, AGRICULTURE/CROP DUSTING, BALLOON OPERATIONS, ANIMAL POPULATION CONTROL FLIGHT OPERATIONS, AND COMMERCIAL CARGO/CARRIER OPERATIONS THAT FAIL TO MEET OR EXCEED THE TRANSPORTATION SECURITY ADMINISTRATION'S DOMESTIC SECURITY INTEGRATED PROGRAM STANDARDS, AIRCRAFT OPERATOR STANDARD SECURITY PROGRAM (AOSSP), DOMESTIC SECURITY INTEGRATION PROGRAM (DSIP), TWELVE FIVE STANDARD SECURITY PROGRAM (TFSSP), OR ALL-CARGO INTERNATIONAL SECURITY PROCEDURE (ACISP)

Safety Meeting A Smashing Success, Subsequent Soaring Session Not So Much

Rich Carlson of the Soaring Safety Foundation discusses the identifying characteristics of Designatedized examinus ssp. Rielagensis. Can you answer Rich's question: Which one of these pictures is not like the others? Check the comments for the correct answer.

Today's safety meeting was well attended by our active members and by several new members and likely new members. But with the prospect of better weather just a few weeks away, and regular crew duties starting next Saturday, nobody was too eager to pull the fleet out and fly in the 40-degree weather. See you all on the 25th!

Good Weather Forecast

It looks like we'll have some 400-500 fpm thermal lift tomorrow afternoon, just in time for a little post-safety-meeting flying.
Don't forget to subscribe to Dr. Jack's web page! The link is in the sidebar.

Good Press

NORDO News (the email newsletter from Lee Bottom Airport) is out, and CISS got a mention.

[T]he Central Indiana Soaring Society (CISS) will be visiting with us on the weekend of May 20th. If any of you want to watch or join in the fun, let us know. The group hopes to bring a two seater so they can give rides to pilots who’ve never experienced soaring before. And, once again, the group is asking other soaring groups to consider joining them for a soaring weekend.

Meeting Saturday, Not Thursday

George Saunders reminds us:

There is NO CISS meeting this Thursday, March 16th. We WILL be meeting Saturday, March 18th at the Alexandria Airport from 9 to noon for our mandatory Spring Safety Meeting. See you at Alex this Saturday!

G[o] F[aster]

Oh happy day!
CISS has purchased another single-seat sailplane for members' use: an Astir CS 77. It's currently at Grob in Bluffton, Ohio getting a thorough checkup.
This sailplane has considerably higher performance than the PW-5. Now we'll be able to ease pilots into cross-country flying by having them team fly with the rest of the Knotts Field Irregulars in a way that just wasn't feasible before. This sailplane, unlike the PW-5, will be perfectly capable of keeping up with the other standard class ships.
Some pictures follow.

You Don't Need A Weatherman To Know Which Way The Wind Blows

One indication of a strong thermal is when the roof of the AFSS flies past you at cloudbase:

TORNADO PUTS AFSS OUT OF SERVICE
A tornado ripped the roof off the Terre Haute, Indiana, automated flight service station (AFSS) on February 17, taking out many of the antennas and damaging radio and other equipment. Fortunately, no one was hurt. Telephone calls have been rerouted to other flight service stations, but Terre Haute radio frequencies are out of service. Adjacent AFSSs are providing in-flight services to pilots in or flying over Indiana using their own radio frequencies. A temporary roof already has been placed over the Terre Haute facility, and work is progressing on a new permanent roof. Radio repairs and recertification are scheduled for completion by March 16. The Terre Haute AFSS is targeting March 17 for return to full operations.

a•stir: adjective

Pronunciation: (u-stûr'), —adj.
1. moving or stirring, esp. with much activity or excitement
2. up and about
3. L/D max. 38 at 56 kt
4. Min. sink 2.3 fps at 46 kt
5. Span 15.0 m./ 49.2 ft
6. Structure fiberglass
7. WATCH THIS SPACE FOR AN IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT.