No Flying New Year's Day

Surface winds west at 24 mph
Winds aloft west at 40 mph
Wind chill 9 degrees
Ceiling 1000-2000 feet
2-5 inches of snow overnight
40% chance of more snow

We could put skis on the glider, tie a rope at the end of the runway, and fly like a kite.
Or we could release at 1000 feet halfway down the runway and land straight ahead and back where we started.

Or maybe we should not fly.

See you at the banquet - Jan 12th. (Reservation deadline Jan 2nd 6 pm. See Wingtips for details.)

George

A free bird is free no more, or The aerobatics man does the cross/country thing, or Soaring to new heights in the middle of the Mexican desert.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mario Lazaga
Date: Dec 31, 2007 1:20 AM

Soaring report from Monclova, Mexico.
This past Saturday, December 29th, our beloved CFIG Dale Igram took
his final exam IN SPANISH and accumulated enough points to receive his
new license as a CMM (Certified Married Man.) He also received a crew
member for life.
Mario and crew were serendipituously in the neighbourhood (about 200
miles away) and drove to meet him and helped him prepare for his big
test.
Needless to say, the celebration after his accomplishment was full of
music and dancing, mariachis, singing cousins, brothers, singing
uncles, sisters, granmothers, and LOTS of other relatives. I also
brought some of my relatives, but hey! This is Mexico!
True to his talent, Dale went through some new acrobatic manouvers
which are typical of mexican weddings.
I left my camera USB cable in Indy so you will have to wait until
after New Year to see the pictures.
Congratulations Dale
-------------------------------------------------
Note to Darren.
Happy New Year!
Feel free to edit any of this.
CU

[Edit it? It's perfect the way it is - ed.]

New Year's Day Flying

No way! See the update.

Larry Miller has volunteered to tow for us on New Year's Day. If the weather cooperates, we will show up about 11 AM and start flying about noon. Watch this blog for updates.

George

Last Flights Of 2007. . .

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars
Saturday Soaring was as good as it gets in December ! Bob Currie
showed up and started the tow plane first crank ! Cloud bases were
low so we went to Rachels for lunch . After lunch bases were still low
but Tod Herrli flew and made the best landing I've seen for a while -
way to go Tod . The Saunders family had made four flights by the time
I left so maybe made more ? Dan De Witt will be up to speed in the
contest next year as he raced back from Alexandria town after each
release ( before he got too low ) .
Thanks to Larry Miller for braving the cold in the heatless tow plane
and shame on the folks that didn't show up ! We know John Weber was
skiing somewhere out west and Mario was down in the sunshine of Mexico
. Hopefully New Years Day will be flyable - keep a look out for news.

ZA.

Saturday Flying!

Larry Miller has offered to tow on Saturday, Dec 29th. Come about noon to get the equipment out. We'll start flying about 1 pm.
George

No Maintenance this Saturday

Ron tells me there will be no maintenance work at Alex this Saturday, Dec 15. Snuggle next to the fire and watch the snow fall!

George

Fwd: Message to the members

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

Maintenance update .

Today we completed the Winter Maintenance projects on the club gliders
- And with no less than 3 of our excellent Tow Pilots lending a hand
! Thank you to ALL who worked in the mild weather and the cold - we
know you all are now much more familiar with the procedures to get the
fleet back up to pristine condition for the coming soaring year .
George Saunders retrieved the Grob rudder from the workshop in Ohio
today also, so thanks to George too.

BUT as they say "it's not over ' til it's over " . So if you would
like to show some appreciation to our loyal Tow Pilots - keep a look
out for an e-mail inviting you to a Tow Plane polishing party - there
will be 2 . The Tow pilots make notes on who of the glider pilots help
keep their flying machines in good repair and find them the best
thermals ! These events take place in the warmth of the heated
workshop once the Tow Plane annuals have been done and we spend a
morning cleaning and polishing these to perfection . Expect one
invite in December and another in March .

The Maintenance Crew.

Fwd: Saturday Maintenance

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: George Saunders

With just a couple of weeks to go before year end we hope to complete
the Maintenance work on the club gliders this weekend. Thanks in
advance for those who will help this coming Saturday and especially to
ALL who have helped this past 2 months . Your commitment to helping
keep the club fleet in excellent condition is greatly appreciated . We
know you will all enjoy soaring all the more this next summer in the
newly cleaned up sailplanes !
We'll be starting at 9:00 am Saturday .

The Maintenance Crew.

Fwd: Maintenance Report

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: George Saunders
Thank you to everyone who helped with maintenance today! Four people went to Waynesville to pick up the Grob after it's annual. Seven of us cleaned and lubricated one Blanik, Bravo Alpha. A great time was had by all!! Join us next Saturday from nine to noon as we work on 809S. There is nothing more beautiful than an freshly waxed sailplane!
George Saunders

Fwd:Blanik Party this Saturday!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
On 11/28/07, ZASoars wrote:
> Maintenance update .
>
> We have made good progress so far this winter and have only the two Blaniks left to work on in order to complete the Winter maintenance work on our fleet .
> We invite all club members , especially those who have joined in the past year to come on out the next 3 Saturdays to help. You will learn a lot, get to know the other club members better and contribute to helping keep the cost of maintaining our fine fleet down.
> We arrive at 9:00 am and are usually done by 1pm when we all go for lunch at Rachels .
> Thank you to those dedicated members who have already helped so much the past month or so . We look forward to a good crowd at Alex beginning this Saturday for the final stretch !
>
> Tha Maintenance Crew.

Post-Thanksgiving Maintenance

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars
Happy Thanksgiving to All .

This Saturday the Maintenance plan is a light one ! We would like some help
in loading the Grob onto the trailer for transportation down to Eastern
Sailplanes for some work. Come on out at around 10:00am if you can.

The Maintenance Crew.

Fwd: A good time was had by all !

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

This Saturday was one of our most productive getting Maintenance work
done on the club fleet so we can hit the runway running in the spring
. The PW , The Astir CS 77 and now the Grob have all had a lot of
work done on them. Several are on trailers to give us extra space to
tackle the Blaniks in the hangar in the coming weeks.
We really do want to thank the "regulars " who have shown up each week
to help. Ask Mark Oberley how to de-rig the Grob family of gliders (
and even a LAK 12 ) and he'll be able to tell you how !
Thanks also to some tow pilot regulars - they turn out to be a pretty
good bunch of guys when you get them thinking gliders instead of tow
planes !
With luck we'll get the Grob taken to a glider shop for a thorough
inspection and some needed work in a week or two and 87Z goes into the
shop for it's "annual" in early December .
Come on out if you can the next few weeks - after the end of Dec it
gets a little too cold for much good work so we have maybe 5 more work
weeks ahead .
Again thank you for helping us keep our fleet in A 1 condition,

Tha Maintenance Crew.

Winter Storage

Yesterday was the last day to fly most of the club ships until March.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

Thank you to all who came on out to help with Maintenance yesterday .
Much progress was made and many members also got to get some excellent
late season flying in.

After lots of good work on the PW 5 and some on the Grob followed by
lunch at Rachels about 10 flights were made. Best lift 3 knots + to
nearly 4000msl . Unfortuanately Sunday and the next week looks less
promising.

Please note if the weather is cooperative on upcoming weekends we'll
continue to do maintenance on Saturday mornings and fly if we can in
the afternoons . THE ONLY CLUB AIRCRAFT THAT CAN BE FLOWN IN FUTURE
ARE THE BLANIK 303BA AND THE PAWNEE 898 . THE REST ARE OFF FLIGHT
INSURANCE 'TIL NEXT MARCH .

Thanks again ,

The maintenance crew .

Fwd: Don't Miss this Opportunity.

Charlie Epperson will tow for us on Saturday afternoon.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

This weekend will be the last weekend of the soaring year with most of
the club equipment still insured for flying. The weather looks quite
good - at least on Saturday so come on out and join the maintenance
crowd working on the club gliders to prepare them for their annuals .
The work will begin at 9 am and by mid day we will take whatever is
flyable out for an afternoon's flying.
After this weekend only the Blanik 303BA and the Tow plane 898 will be
insured for flying risks.
Hope to see you all.

The Maintenance Crew.

Fwd: Keep up the good work.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars
Last Saturday we had a really good turn out of club members at Alex to
help with the winter maintenance of club aircraft.
The CS 77 was the glider we worked on most and will probably be
de-rigged and stored on it's trailer in a week or two.
After mid day we quit work, enjoyed lunch at Rachels and several
members flew in very good conditions in the afternoon.

Next Saturday we plan to work mostly on the PW so come on out and join
us if you are able to. We plan also to de-rig it and store it on the
trailer as soon as work for it's annual is completed .

Come on out and help - you will enjoy it !

The Maintenence Crew.

Another Photo From Today

 
VT over the autumn countryside.

CISS chosen to host the 2008 Women Soaring Pilot Association (WSPA) International Seminar

The WSPA board of directors announced that they have chosen our club

to host next summer's seminar. One of the board members said that of
the three bids to host the event, we were the most qualified and had
the strongest proposal.

The WSPA was founded June 11, 1986 in Tucson, AZ. The current
membership exceeds 170 pilots including international pilots. The
highlight of each year is the Annual Women's Soaring Seminar where
members from all over the country meet to encourage and support each
other and to soar. We expect there to be anywhere from 10 to 40
attendees, including some international pilots.

Marty and Cheryl will be planning this event. The seminar is a 4-day
event that takes place in late June to early July. As we know more
details, we will be contacting many of you for help.

Congratulations to Marty, Cheryl, and CISS.

November Flying

Several pilots flew today, finding good lift to well over 5000' msl. From about 2:30 to 4:30 pm the conditions were extraordinary for November.

Fwd: Saturday Flying: November 3, 2007

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: VTSoars
Conditions look promising for yet another good soaring day in central
Indiana tomorrow, 11.03.07. Ed Escallon has volunteered to tow after
12:30 PM. Remember, the club will be performing maintenance on club
ships in the morning. CU at the field!

Fwd: It's not over until it's over !

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoarsTomorrow looks quite SOARABLE and Larry Miller has once
again offered to tow beginning 1pm . If you've checked the wx out a
mild cold front moves across the area this evening and the air should
be unstable tomorrow with winds out of the nw ( like last Sunday ) .
This should mean pretty reasonable conditions especially considering
it will be November !

Come on out if you can - there won't be many more days to choose from
this year .

ZA.

ZA: Strong Late Season Conditions

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars
Maybe you believe in Global warming or maybe not ? Consider this -
Something like heat must have been working on Sunday ( we did have a
mild cold front pass through the area on Saturday ) . I've lived and
soared in Indiana since 1980 - a mere 27 years and have never
recorded a day as late in the year as last Sunday that was so good.
Lift was 6 knots climb at times and thermal tops were 6000msl.
Between the bunch of us x/c fliers we ranged as far as 100 miles from
Alex before returning .
Just before sunset I was still at 6000msl and after landing witnessed
the arrival back at the field of the Saunders who had together
enjoyed the fantastic conditions and the spectacular sight of the
Indiana Fall colors in the setting sun. It must have been a "family "
soaring day as I know Brad and Lisa also soared the area in the Grob
earlier - Way to go family soarers !
And it might not be over ! I predict that if we get another cold
front through this week we may have similar conditions maybe Thursday
or Friday .

Keep a "headsup " for any e-mailings . I'll try to make it happen.

Ron (ZA).

Fwd: They did it again

Contest results from October 28 here.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don
The cross-country crowd this year just won't quit: five more pilots flew on Sunday in what turned out to be a nice, if not chilly, post-frontal soaring day. The max altitude of 6800 ft was reached by Terry Wools and nobody ever got low enough on course to be too cause any gnashing of teeth. Ron flew the longest distance, 146 miles, at a winning handicapped speed of 48 mph. Terry was second, converting his height into 100 miles at a very respectable 41 mph. Simpson, Rutledge and Lazaga all flew well enough to replace some earlier low scores with better ones that helped improved their standings. I'll wait to summarize the writeup for the year, because the wx looks good through Halloween. Witch means there is still a ghost of a chance the scores could still change. Stick a fork in me for now.

Fwd: Last gasp?

Contest results from October 13 here.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don

October 13 allowed one more contest day, although participation was at
the bare minimum: three pilots. As usual Ron won the day, but Todd
Rutledge had a nice flight too, and was able to improve his standing
in the scoresheet by supplanting one of his low scores with a higher
one. Terry "fell" upon bad luck on his final leg home and had to
settle for a landout 24 miles from home. At least we have unlimited
landing fields now that the crops have been harvested. Average lift
was in the 200 fpm range and all three pilots climbed to over 5500
feet during the day. But it wasn't all smooth soaring. Todd bottomed
out about 600 feet above the ground just northwest of Richmond before
making a great save. Ron got down to 1300 feet south of Muncie.
Given that some regular contestants decided not to tempt fate and flew
locally, it is a credit to the three that did go out and make the best
of it. As I write this on a gloomy late October Saturday, I have to
wonder if the scoresheet might be final. But tomorrow has potential
and a few weekdays before the end of the month look possible based on
the long range forecast, so maybe the fat lady has not sung.

Fwd: Call Off Soaring 10-27

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Peter A Detore
Dear Friends
Even though we actually VFR conditions, I can tell you that the weather
is "bloody miserable".
Cold wet and windy, and the barometer is falling.
There will be no soaring today. Tomorrow should be sunny and a better day
for us.
Pete:-(

No Sunday Flying 10/21

From the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 82. Breezy, with a south wind between 16 and 23 mph, with gusts as high as 34 mph.

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: t.wools

Hi Darren, I'm making it official. We will not fly today due to the
high winds out of the south. Could you please put this information on
our blog. I've already contacted my crew about the weather and no
flying. Thanks, Terry

Fwd: It was a very narrow window of opportunity !

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

You made a good decision if you did not come out to fly this
afternoon , or maybe you studied the weather forecast more carefully
than I did.

Firstly thank you very much Larry for towing, without your help we
would not have been able to learn the lesson !

We launched at around 1pm - Pete in the 102 and Todd Herrli and I in
the 103. Cu's were forming in the South and so that's where we asked
Larry to tow us. By release at 2000 agl we still had not reached the
Cu's so we kept on pressing South . By the time we contacted lift we
were about 4 miles from the field but upwind . Lift was marginal to
about 2000 agl (maybe 2400) and the cu's looked raggged .

We drifted back over the field and scratched back to release altitude
but then made the mistake of heading SW to a wisp - which didn't work
. Ask Todd , I'm sure he'll tell you we were OK , but I only kept
trying for lift as I knew there were many good places to land in
harvested fields below. We eventually gave up after 40 minutes below
2000agl.

The lesson - The weather that was moving in was a WARM FRONT and the
lift was broken and unreliable to only a low cloudbase . It clouded
out completely 30 minutes after we landed. Remember it's COLD FRONTS
that bring the good stuff !

Now I see that the weather this weekend is post cold front so it
definitely should be better - come on out and see .

ZA.

Fwd: A window of opportunity tomorrow [Wednesday 10/17]!

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

With the soaring days becoming less and less frequent I happened to
notice that tomorrow ( Wed ) looks like a good soaring day this week .
Please advise if any of you are interested as Larry has kindly
offfered to tow if we decide to !

ZA.

At Ken Harry's Request

Contact Ken directly if you are interested.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ken Harry

I've made the decision to sell my Grob 102 Standard. I haven't flown
in much the last 2 years and really can't justify keeping it right
now. I'd like to give someone in the club a chance at it before I put
it out on W&W.

Ken

Club Contest Scores

Latest scores here.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don

For those who flew Sunday, it will be a day we'll still be talking
about over beers this winter. Cloud bases to 6,700 feet, thermals of
500 fpm and some long distances flown. Many times I'd be startled by
flying into corn leaves at 5000 feet. Swept up off the harvested
fields, they were marking thermals for us instead of hawks! I bet not
anyone in the whole world knows there could be corn leaves at 5000
feet except glider pilots. Cool. Ron had a great flight of 231 miles
at 56 mph to win the day (It was the 5th longest flight in the world
based on OLC reports for Sunday!) Your scorer also had a good
high-speed flight, although not as long, at 50 mph, thanks to staying
high and one nice long glide on course. Simpson had a good flight
that would have been a great flight if he hadn't encountered a gravity
storm over Converse. Once away though, he managed a remarkable 32
mile straight glide before crossing the finish line. Terry Wools had
a tough time for the first half of his task, but came on stronger with
two long glides in the second half.

The overall standings changed slightly. With Taylor finally getting
his fourth flight on the board, he moved up to 4th place overall and
put Team 8UP into 3rd place. There are three weekends left in the
contest, so who knows where this will end up. See you at the field.

October Skies

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

This October may go down in the history books as the best soaring
weather ever in an Indiana October , and it's not over yet .

The past several days have been outstanding with many, many cross
country miles flown. You only need to check the OLC or the club
contest to verify . Cloudbases on Sunday were 6700msl and lift
averaged around 4 knots. New member Josh Daisey was seen up north
around Converse in his RS 15. Terry Wools, Jerry Simpson and Don
Taylor all flew between 100 and 200 miles .Mario went for broke , but
kept flying into a shower which had him land at the Tregessar airstrip
near Tipton. He was able to promote soaring to the locals who showed
up to help until Chris Murawski rescued him by tow plane..

Nyal and Larry took students on 1 hour flights and Nyal instructed for
nearly 5 hours yesterday.

ZA flew good long tasks which took nearly 5 hours each twice in the
past 3 days and yesterday he landed , de rigged and was leaving the
field at around 6:30 when Josh decided to come on down from 6000 at
that time. My guess is you could have flown to 7pm if you played it
right.

Even if the weather cools off , the ground is so dry all we need is a
cool night followed by a sunny day and someone could easily go get
"The Trophy" back from Caesar Creek as they took it home last
Saturday.

ZA

Fwd: October Advice

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

If you are wanting to go "cross country " this may be the time of the
year you have been waiting for .
Early October can be an excellent time to break out of the regular
"around the field " flight in the glider for several reasons .
Firstly soaring conditions are frequently very good after the passage
of a cold front this time of year . Lift is often 4 knots + and
cloudbases will go to 6000msl .
Secondly the crops are being harvested rapidly and already there are
many good bean fields that offer solace if you need an "off field"
landing site- almost better than the airfield.
The scenery is spectacular with Fall colors in abundance. Watch out
for corn stalks as the thermals sweep them up from newly harvested
fields ! - and if you are a bird lover you'll love flying with the
migrating hawks and maybe even an eagle.
Don't miss the excellent soaring conditions the next few weeks - it
does start to go downhill after that.

ZA.

Fwd: Contest update

Latest contest scoresheet here.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don Taylor
Last week saw two more contest days, on Wednesday and Saturday. Our
away weekend at Marion airport provided a base for some nice contest
flights for six of our pilots. The day started early and it paid off
to leave early and take advantage of the good stuff: witness Ron's
distance and speed. If you left later you could get stuck: witness
flights by Mario and Simpson who had to settle for landing at Indpls
Executive and aerotowing back home just in time for the cookout.
There are still about six more contest weeks left before the end of
October, and although we'll be having shorter days, we can get some
very nice conditions with more frequent cold fronts and dry air. See
you at the field.

Friday Flying 9/21

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: George Saunders
Larry Miller will start towing about 2 pm. It looks like a good day
Come join the fun!

Fwd: CISS: We are going up.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Lazaga, Mario

That's right! Not only are we climbing on thermals, our membership is
going up, the duration and length of our flights is increasing, but
our club is also going up in the ranks of North American clubs in the
On Line Contest (OLC).

Although this OLC is new for us in the club, and although we started a
little late in the year, this past Sunday we submitted our flight #40
and reached place number 77 in the ranks, passing Kendallville by one
flight.

Submitted to the OLC:

R. Clarke
14 flights

G.Simpson
13 flights

T. Rutledge
6 flights

M. Lazaga
4 flights

D. Bedwell
2 flights

T. Wools
1 flight

We have flown an accumulated 6892 Km ( 4300 miles) for an average of
100mi per flight ( Thanks Ron ! )

If you have a logger in your plane join the effort and start
submitting your flights, we may be able to put our club in the top 50
this year, and even higher next year.
Mario

Fwd: Ya gotta "give it a go "

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars
Well done to those who made the "Outlanding Log " this weekend . You
are all better off for having given it your best shot !
Mario and Jerry landed at "Terry" after flying Wabash / Boone Co.on
Saturday and Dan made it to Converse on Sunday .
Way to go ! You now have some extra memories to help think thru next
seasons flight strategies during the upcoming Fall and Winter season !

ZA.

Fwd: When the going gets tough - The tough get going

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

If any of you were around Marion this afternoon I know you will agree
it was a tough soaring day. I towed to 2000 agl and the best I
managed was 3300msl !

So next time you see Todd Rutledge tell him "Well done " . As Todd
tells it - Brad said to him prior to take off . " I'm thinking of
Converse / Tipton / Alex and back . So what did Todd do ? -
Exactly that !!!

Brad said he never got more than 4 miles away from the field .

WELL DONE TODD , this might be the best contest flight this year that
doesn't get scored .

ZA.

Marion Airport – Away Weekend September 15 and 16

From: George Saunders
This weekend (September 15^th & 16 ^th) we will move the entire operation to Marion Airport. Teams #7 & #8 will report to Marion in the AM. Volunteers are needed to ferry equipment and ships on Friday and Sunday afternoons. Private glider trailers are welcome on the ramp. There will be a Saturday evening cookout. Camping is OK on the grass. Join us for a Sunday morning pancake and sausage breakfast. A great time is sure to be had by all.
If you want to fly a glider or tow a golf cart Friday afternoon or Sunday afternoon contact Pete Detore at 765-759-7972 or email him at padetorejr [at] juno [dot] com. Meet at Alexandria airport at noon on Friday to help out.
Marion Airport is located on Rt. 9 just south of Marion, IN.

Fwd: Grob 102 sale

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Last night the CISS Board voted to sell both single seat gliders and
buy a new one that will better meet the Club's needs. The Board voted
to sell the Grob 102 first, and then sell the PW-5 after we have
bought its replacement.

The Board wants to offer the 102 to Club members first. If you are
interested in buying the 102, contact Don Taylor.

If you are interested in forming a partnership to buy the 102, let me know.

George Saunders

Wednesday Flying Is On (9/12)

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars
Lynn Joyce has agreed to tow for us Wed . Come on out ( maybe some of
you tow pilots that would like to fly a glider too ! ) . We plan to
start flying sometime after noon.

Ron(ZA).

Fwd: Maybe Thursday instead ?

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars
Folks,
So far only George and I have expressed an interest in flying Wed .
Would more be interested if we try Thursday ? - it also looks good .
Let me know and I'll work with Lynn to ensure we make it worth his
while to come on out to tow.

Ron(ZA).

Fwd: Thank You Message

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mchuds

I'd like to thank George and Dave Newill for the reports on both the
board meeting and the membership meeting. It is wonderful to be kept
up to date on what is happening in the club if you are unable to
attend meetings.
Thanks again,
Marty Hudson

Fwd: No flying Sunday

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mario
Dear fellow members,
We have to bow to Mother Nature.
The weather is not fit for flying tomorrow, and we must wait for a better day.
It is now official that flying on Sunday is cancelled.
Use the time to read a good flying book, and save your money for an
extra tow next weekend.
Mario.

Saturday 9/8 Flying: Delayed Start WASHOUT

Saturday, September 8 is a washout, with low ceilings and imminent thunderstorms. No flying today.

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Due to predicted low ceilings early Saturday morning, we will start
operations an hour late - The Crew should arrive at 10:00 and we will
start operations about 11:00. We hope we can get in some
instructional fights after the clouds lift and before the rain comes.

Kurt Ristow - Crew Chief
George Saunders - Assistant Crew Chief

Fwd: Paula Johnson Solos!

Brad Hays sends these pictures and comments:




---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: VTSoars
Subject: Paula Johnson Solo Pics
The attached pics are of Paula Johnson's solo on September 3rd, 2007. Her father was there to witness and film her solo flight. She did an outstanding job.
VT

Fwd: Good Weekend

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Nyal Williams

The three days of Labor Day weekend netted the club 91 launches!
Adding the flights from Friday, the day before we achieved almost 100
launches for this long weekend (I don't have the exact count of the
number of instructional flights for Monday). The overwhelming
majority of these flights were instructional flights and several of
our students made excellent progress. Paula Johnson soloed on Monday.
Paula is an almost brand-new member; she joined the club in July and
was able to accrue 27 instructional flights across two months.
Congratulations, Paula! Now, as you promised you'd do, you must bring
your viola and play for all the instructors and crew that helped you
achieve this goal.

Fwd: Monday, Labor Day Flying

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Nyal Williams

We are set up to fly on Monday. Instructors and Tow pilots will be on
hand to make a full day of it.

Nyal

Wing Tips Lives!

Our editor has returned from the southern hemisphere, and this month's club newsletter is on line. You may need to log in to the site to read it.

Altimeter adjustments

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Peter A Detore

Dear friends

1. Last weekend, we discovered that Charlie Sierra's Altimeter
Adjusting knob was broken off. That Altimeter was replaced with an
identical one. So, our Grob 102 (Astir) is good to go.

2. Please make note of this change... Our PW5 Altimeter is now
replaced with original one. The original PZL Altimeter is read in feet
X 100. Thanks for your attention to this detail.
Pete Detore
Happy Flying

Latest Contest Scores

Latest scores here.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don Taylor
Good Contest news -- for some!

Sunday Aug 26 produced another contest day for five of our pilots.
The wx was okay but not great, so the pilots kept their tasks short
and alternate landing fields in sight. If you found the right
combination of thermals, you could make some good speeds, but in the
cases of Gerald Simpson and Mario Lazazga, the speeds were too good.
Their out/return flights to Marion were accomplished in less than an
hour, under the 60 minimum time on task specified in the rules. So
their speeds were adjusted, pushing them down a notch or two in the
daily standings. Gerald had the best average climb rate for the day,
283 fpm. Not satisfied with his first flight, did it again with
improved results, and we scored the best of the two O/R flights.

On the other hand, if you were like Don and Terry Wools, you never
found great thermals and tiptoed around the landscape at underwhelming
speeds. True to form, Ron won the day, using his long 18 m wings to
best advantage, although he too kept his course in close to
Alexandria. With two months of contest days left for this season, the
overall standings reveal that a few points here or there on days yet
to come can still bounce some pilots around. See you at the field.

Fwd: Friday flying

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

Folks,

Larry Miller has kindly offered to tow Friday . Come on out if you can
I believe conditions will be good.

Ron (ZA).

Fwd: WFYI

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Newill
CISS to be featured on WFYI Thursday 7:00 to 7:30 ( (I think)

We will be one of the featured items on the WFYI Channel 20 (TV)
auction Thursday evening. Let your friends know!

Dave Newill

Important Saturday Meeting at Alexandria

The meeting will be at the airport.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Newill

On Saturday the 25th at 10:00 AM Dave Newill will moderate a short
discussion about the sale of a club single place glider. Input from
the survey will be available and all members are invited to have a
moment to speak their piece on the issue.
Please keep your remarks to the subject of the discussion - and as
always - professional. The board is looking for your input before
taking a final decision and action.
Dave will also then host a discussion on the ideal fleet for long
range planning purposes. That discussion will not necessarily impact
the decision regarding the sale of a single place ship. It is merely
to gain input or let you have a chance to voice the "well my ideal
fleet would be....." thoughts.
See you at 10:00

Dave Newill

Fwd: Flying Wednesday

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: George Saunders

Larry Miller will be towing for us on Wednesday, AUG 22, starting at
10AM. If you want to fly, let me know if you can come and what time
to expect you.

George Saunders

Fwd: It's getting tougher

Latest CISS contest scores here.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don Taylor
Date: Aug 15, 2007 8:07 PM
Subject: It's getting tougher

By the looks of the recent flights, the dog days of August soaring have replaced the condor days of July. Gone are the 100+ mile flights and 8000 ft thermal tops. The latest race day was last Saturday and, depending on where you went and which cloud you used, the results could be vastly different. How about 53 mph or 18 mph for a spread. And that doesn't include a wannabe contest flight that ended in a landout at Converse. But another day was notched, and people are still moving up the scoresheet, like Dr. Simpson and our amigo, Mario. Not to mention the new leader, ZA. Keep the faith, September and the promise of better condx are not far off. DT

Fwd: Friday Flying

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: George Saunders

Larry Miller will tow for us tomorrow, Friday Aug 3rd. We plan to
arrive at Alex at noon. Let me know if you can join us.

George Saunders

Fwd: Greetings from NC

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: chris carpenter
Hello to my CISS friends,

Looks like I'm missing a great summer in Central Indy!

I finally got to fly for the first time last Saturday.
WX was good here too with cloud base at about 6200 msl (field elevation about 300 ft) and a few very strong thermals. I was in one thermal for 1-1/2 turns and gained a little over 800 ft. Sunday was reported to be even better with cloud base at 7800.

The airport we fly out of (Anson County) is the size of Terry with the traffic of Alexandria. 5000 ft of new asphalt and 1000 ft overruns on each end. Other
than the glider ops (which was me, an HpH 304 and the local Blanik L-13) I saw one power plane land on Saturday. Would make a great winch location.

Attached are some Pix from the flight. Note the abundance of trees and lack of Indiana size farm fields.

Hope everyone is doing well. CU later. Chris

Fwd: CISS XC 4U

Latest results here.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don Taylor

The contest results from two more days of cross country racing has
produced some significant shifts in the standings. No new leaders
yet, but Ristow and Simpson have moved up rapidly, taking advantage
of some good weather and skillful piloting. And Dan DeWitt drove the
club Grob 103 around a 57 mile course at 45 mph to win the day on
July 13. George Saunders, fresh from a six month sabbatical, jumped
in the PW5 and flew a 46 mile triangle to make his first contest
flight. He brings the total number of participants to 14, and I
expect at least one more entry will be submitted in the coming days.
For now, this is all the news that's fit to print. BCNU

Fwd: More of a good thing

Latest contest scores here.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don Taylor
Friday the 13th was not unlucky for six pilots who took advantage of
another day of good July weather. In addition to the four pilots who
put up fresh scores in the contest, Joe Gieske also flew his PIK20B
cross country. His next step will be to install the electronics to
log his flights. And Pete Detore flew the G102 up to Marion and back
with ease.

Flying together, Dan and Ron each flew the club Grob 103 on separate
tasks of 57 and 47 miles respectively and at very good speeds too.
Simpson put himself into the contest, turning in the longest flight of
the day, 113 miles. Once again we reached altitudes near 7000 feet,
and Taylor used 10 thermals averagaing 330 fpm in his 95 mile flight:
exceptional conditions for Indiana, thanks to the extended period of
dry weather this summer. How much longer will we enjoy these terrific
soaring conditions? How long is a piece of string? It depends.
See you at the field.

Fwd: Next meeting 7/19

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: David Newill

To all members - our next meeting is Thursday the 19th - Dave Newill
and other who attended the Region 6 and National Sports Class
championships at CCGC will be presenting a computer show from that
contest.
Also there are several important announcements regarding changes in
club policy that you need to hear!!!
Be at the MCL at Castleton at 7:00

Dave Newill

Fwd: Friday Flying [July 13]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

Folks ,

It looks like Friday will be by far the better day this mid week to
soar. I would suggest we plan for the first take off at 1:00pm.
Bob Currie has volunteered to tow and by last count there were about 4
or maybe 5 pilots interested in flying.

CU at the field,

ZA.

The Soaring Weather Is Hot

Alexandria has turned into Minden East this summer! We have seen some spectacular soaring conditions, with thermals reaching 8000 feet and lift hitting 600 -700 feet per minute at times. Our expanding list of XC guys has been taking advantage of it, turning in some really nice flights in the first week of July.

On Friday, July 6 Brad and Kurt flew up, and most importantly, back from Sturgis, MI. (Ask Kurt how many neighboring states he has flown to in the Discus.)

Brad is holding on to a slim lead for first place after four flights, but ZA is coming up the scorecard. With many more weeks and flights to go, there will be many changes in the standings. The contest scores your best 4 flights during the year, so those with four flights under their belt, it will be up to them to exceed their lowest scoring flight.

DT


Contest results HERE.

Contest rules (latest revision) HERE and in sidebar.

North Of The Border

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

They earned their "WOLVERINE BADGES".

With the great spell of very good weather Brad and Kurt made excellent
flights last Friday - up to Michigan and back before dusk ( just ) .
A "Buckeye" badge was also made a few weeks ago .

Anyone up for an "Illini" or "South of the Ohio" badge before the end
of Summer ?

ZA.

New Members Meeting 7/14

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Peter A Detore

> To all members
>
> We have set a meeting of new members for the purpose of issuing club
> documents and review of safety material. The meeting is set for
> Saturday July 14th @ 10:00.
>
> There will be a hot dog and beanie cookout directly afterward. All
> members are welcome to partake at the cookout. This will be a great
> opportunity to meet the new members of our club.
>
> It would be fantastic if licensed club pilots would make a big effort
> to make our new members feel welcome in our friendly skys by
> endeavoring to get all new members up in a glider for the fun of it.
>
> I would like to be the first to volunteer a free glider flight to any
> one of our new members at the meeting.
>
> Sincerely
>
> Pete Detore
>
> CISS Operations Director

Fwd: Friday flying

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

Fellow Pilots,

We have at least 4 members who have expressed an interest in flying
Friday so we'll take up Bob Currie's offer to tow us.
I suggest we plan to be ready for the first launch at 12:30 .

Cu there ,

Ron (ZA).

More Hawk Pictures

I hope nobody minds if I post a few bird pictures once in a while. This hawk was snacking on some leftovers at a picnic table in Eagle Creek Park today.
 
Identify the species if you can.
 
 
 

Singing In The Rain

Congratulate Jack Hensel, our newest private pilot! He passed his
checkride last Saturday in weather too gloomy for most sane pilots -
at least, ones who didn't have checkrides scheduled. Today he's giving
Rosie a ride, even as I blog this. Nice work, Jack!

Fwd: Club Contest finishes [NEW RULE]

A minor change to the club contest rules:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don Taylor

As a matter of safety, we have been asked to finish above 1000 feet
instead of the 500 ft as specified in the current contest rules. We
will impose a 10% penalty to keep everyone focused. As much fun as it
is to scream over the field at warp speed, we DO have other gliders in
the area/pattern and a concerned airport owner who brought this
subject up to us. It would be a good idea to call in a couple miles
out that you are finishing and what your direction/altitude is so
others can scramble out of the way :-) Maybe we'll have a chance to
practice this new procedure this coming weekend if the wx turns out as
forecast. BCNU DT

Dear New Member to CISS

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Peter DeTore
Please let me welcome you to our little soaring club.

Who: There are twelve of you who have joined our club this
season. I have attached a fresh copy of our crew duty schedule. Please
check your crew dates and let me know if you have any conflicts.

What: I would like to arrange a group meeting that is convenient
for all of us. At this meeting you will receive your packet of club info.
A club operations manual, Articles of incorporation and club bylaws. I
have prepared a short safety seminar which will hopefully keep you safe
while practicing the sport of soaring. We will talk about club operations
and some please dos and please don'ts. We will have a cook out type
social get together immediately after the meeting. Hot dogs and baked
beans are the likely fair.

When: Would Saturday morning at 10:00 on the 14th of July be good
for everyone? We can set that date if half or more of you respond in the
affirmative. Please expect to spend about tow hours for the sit down
meeting. If you can't make that date, please let me know what would be a
good time for you. I will meet with you individually if need be.

Where: At the Alexandria Airport in the club hangar.
See You There
Pete Detore
CISS Operations Director

Latest Club Contest Scores

Here are the latest CISS Contest Scores.

Don Taylor wrote:

Last week produced some fine soaring! Just look at this Rutledge guy! I think he's got that LS-4 figured out, don't you?

There were some nice flights on June 15, but so far only Kurt has sent me a trace -- a nice 5 hour flight. If I get 2 more, his trace entry will not have been in vain -- what say Dan, Gerry, ZA, anyone else?

Anyone have an entry for June 2 besides Newill and Lazaga? One more would make that a contest also. As I write this it is raining for the first time in a while. That's good for my water bill but not necessarily for soaring. It's looking better for the weekend, however. Keep the faith.

Greetings to the CISS from a hot and humid NC

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: chris carpenter
Greetings to the CISS from a hot and humid NC,

After a stressful but uneventful move, the Carpenters have arrived safely in NC with toys in tow.

I have updated my member profile with our new address and phone number.

No chance to fly yet, but hopefully within the next couple of weeks.

Hope you all (y'all) are doing well. Give us a call, send an email or drop by and see us if you're down south.

The Carpenters

Saturday 6/16 Report, and Another Pitch For the OLC

Yesterday the soaring conditions here were outstanding. Several pilots flew to The Airport Formerly Known As Terry and points north. TW reported reaching 8500 feet. I got a late start and settled for a simple out and return.

If you aren't participating in the Online Contest, please consider signing up. Central Indiana Soaring Society is currently 833rd in the rankings and climbing . . .

Last year I found the OLC website hard to use. This year it has been streamlined and submitting flights is much easier. When you submit an IGC file this year, their server not only scores it and generates nice graphics automatically, but generates a downloadable Google Earth file. Here's a link to Todd Rutledge's flight from yesterday. Here's Ron Clarke's flight from last week.

Friday Flying

There will be flying today, Friday June 15th, starting around 12:30 p.m.

"Abnormally Dry Conditions Continue"

The dry conditions so far this year have contributed to some excellent soaring conditions, even as the corn fields shrivel and our lawns turn brown.

Club Contest Update

Thanks to DT, here are the latest standings in the club contest. It was an excellent day; Brad Hays turned in a handicapped speed of over 60 mph, and flew over 100 miles. Kurt Ristow also flew more than 100 miles and Ron Clarke made a 200 mile out and return flight.

Saturday 6/9/07 Report

Saturday, June 9, 2007 saw strong lift around Alexandria. Ron Clarke
flew to Bluffton, Ohio and back (a round trip over slightly over 200
miles) with his 15M wingtips. He reported that there were no lift
markers up that way, and for a while he was afraid he would have to land
at Portland, Indiana on the way back.

Closer to Alexandria, there were more lift markers (mostly haze domes
with an occasional short-lived cumulus cloud). Several pilots made club
contest flights.

Ask someone who was there about the excitement at the warbird fly-in.
I'm not saying another word about it here.

-------- From Mario Lazaga --------

Congratulations to Dan Dewitt for his Silver Badge!

Last Saturday, June 6th. Dan Dewitt completed the last leg of his Silver Badge by flying from Alexandria to Terry (Indianapolis Executive) and landing there. He already had his Silver Duration and Silver Altitude, and had flown from Alexandria to Terry AND BACK! But having been a couple of hundred feet short of the turning point denied him the Silver Distance that time. This time he simply landed at Terry just to make sure.
Gerry Whitson flew to Terry and towed Dan back to Alex.

Chris Hall has now added a third pin to his soaring hat: 3 seagulls.
He went up for a "routine" solo flight, and stayed up for almost 2 hours! (1:58). He has now boldly gone where few have gone before. Congrats Chris! Live long and prosper.

Vaguely Familiar

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars
Anyone recognize the beautiful glider in the JUNE picture in the SSA
Calendar ???

ZA.

Saturday 6/2 Report

The thunderstorms in the forecast held off until flying was done for the day. It looked like it would overdevelop early, but it never became overcast, and by mid-afternoon cloud cover was no more than 50%. We had many flights over 2 hours. Several pilots made respectable cross-country flights and reported strong lift and strong sink, pegging the variometers at both ends. One pilot had to make an unscheduled stop at Marion, but got an aero retrieve. By late afternoon cloudbase was close to 8000 feet. It began to rain as we were putting the last aircraft into the hangar.

8000 feet and climbing

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars
Next time you see Mike Beckage or Dick Hutch let them know you know
they climbed up to 8500msl in the GROB last Sunday . The conditions
were fantastic just after a small cold front passed over the flying
area mid afternoon. Several pilots climbed to altitudes in excess of
8000msl and the GROB pilots were right there with them.
This is the time of the year when the best altitudes can be reached
over our area - come on out and see how high you can get this weekend.

ZA.

Contest Day 2

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don Taylor

Here's the latest and greatest.  Saturday was definitely a challenging day, by the looks of the speeds.  Todd flew very well, Ron got stuck in some unbelievable sink (L/D of 22 in a 14 mile run for a Ventus 2 !) and Chris' Ka6 proved it can't penetrate in 19 mph winds.  And so it goes.  Good job by all.

Operations report for Sunday, May 20th, 2007.

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Mario Lazaga

We had a great day, with 20 flights in all.
Conditions were poor and windy until 14:00.
In the morning, Cheryl Beckage had her BFR.
Tom Klassen flew his Lak-12 for the first time.
Cap'n Miller celebrated his birthday flying the PW5 for the first time.
He liked it enough to fly the polish "floating marvel" again.
Sean Iams also took instructional flights, and a passenger ride with
Pete Detore.
At 14:10, Don Taylor took off for the longest flight of the day,
landing 3:27 minutes later.
Jack Hensel took 303BA for a short flight, with Nyal in the back seat.
Jack was 2 minutes short of a 3 hours flight! Ron Clarke, Terry
Wools, Dick Hutch and Mike Beckage also enjoyed the great conditions
of the day, all flying 2+ hours. Gerry Simpson was the last to land,
touching down at 18:00 after a 3 hours flight.

We all had a lot of fun, seeing the planes fly and the "super chair" of the DO

Thanks to Tod, Mike, Cheryl, Sean for crewing like pros. Mike Nichols
for the tows. Dale for the instruction, Cap'n Miller for the birthday
cake, and all who showed up for the great time.

Mario

Best Way To Recycle a Slightly Used Parachute

Make a wedding dress out of it.

This wedding dress was made from a nylon parachute that saved the groom's life during World War II. Maj. Claude Hensinger, a B-29 pilot, and his crew, were returning from a bombing raid over Yowata, Japan, in August 1944 when their engine caught fire. The crew was forced to bail out. It was night and Major Hensinger landed on some rocks and suffered some minor injuries. During the night he used the parachute both as a pillow and a blanket. In the morning the crew was able to reassemble and were taken in by some friendly Chinese. He kept the parachute and used it as a way to propose to Ruth in 1947. He presented it to her and suggested she make a gown out of it for their wedding.

Found at Boing Boing.

First Contest Day

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Don Taylor
Date: May 13, 2007 11:11 PM
Subject: First Contest Day

We're off to the races and Brad is in good form, trouncing the field
(at least the 4 flights that were sent to me. Are there more to
come? ZA??) These scores are preliminary, pending any corrections
received from the pilots. Only Todd sent the info requested on the
last page of the contest rules: many thanks Todd. It really helps
me calibrate my calculations.

Two comments: I am accepting the Diamond P turnpoint west of Alex,
even though it doesn't exist in reality. It's in the SeeYou and
Leibacher databases though. I am accepting the Tipton RRX even
though it's not an airport. Some of you want to use it, even though
an airport, Tregassar, is only two miles up the track!

Let's hope for more good wx and flights next weekend. C U at the meeting. DT

Friday Flying 5/11/07

--------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

Fellow Pilots,

Lynn Joyce has kindly offered to tow on Friday . Conditions should be
good and I suggest we plan for the first tow at 12:30, so if you plan
to fly and use a club ship be sure to get out in time to get it out
the hangar and ready .
Let me know if you think you'll come out - I hope to see as many as possible.

ZA.

Open House Successful Despite Weather

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

A GREAT Job well done !

Many thanks to Dan De Witt, ably assisted by Pete Detore and Nyal
Williams . The Club Open House and picnic organized by them this past
weekend resulted in about six introductory guest rides and may well
result in two if not three new members by my calculations .Thanks also
to members who encouraged friends to come on out to experience SOARING
as your help keeps our numbers up and holds our cost increases to a
minimum.
The weather was not the greatest but a good number of flights were
made and the picnic that followed was enjoyed by many .

Thanks Dan , Pete and Nyal.

Too Much Wind: No Flying Sunday 5/6

Crew Chief Terry Wools just called to say that flying operations today are canceled due to the windy weather.

Open House May 5

Fellow Members and Families,
We are excited to announce an open house and picnic on May 5th, 2007. Please plan to attend and invite anyone interested in Soaring. Polish Sausage sandwiches, a side dish and drinks will be served. Everyone is encouraged to bring a side dish or dessert of choice. Invitations have been posted in area airports, mailers have been sent to prospective members and a notice has been posted the StarPress Muncie.

This is our first effort in 2007 to promote the sport of Soaring in Central Indiana. We are looking for new members.

Looking forward to seeing you at the airport.

Thanks,

Dan DeWitt
Nyal Williams
Pete Detore

This Weekend

For those of you who ordered a club logo shirt, they're in, and Ron Clarke will have them at the field on Saturday and Sunday. Don't forget to pick yours up.

Tuesday Flying

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars
Fellow members ,
Larry Miller has kindly agreed to make a few tows between 1:30 and 2pm
[Tuesday April 24]. So if you can make it please plan to be ready to
launch at 1:30 prompt !
I'll be at the field about 12 noon to help.

Cu there ,

ZA.

Parachute Reminder

Those of you who sent your parachutes off to be repacked with the rest, please remember to pay Ed Escallon. The packing cost $60 per 'chute and he fronted the money out of his own pocket.

(ZA says that several people have already picked up their parachutes but haven't paid Ed yet!)

Sunday Crew Report

Sunday, April 22nd, was not a very soarable day, but it WAS a good day.
Although it was uncomfortably windy, we had 12 flights.
A new student took instructional flights, some pilots took after-winter refreshing flights. Tom Eaton had a BFR, Chris Carpenter took some acrobatics instruction from Dale Igram and we had some nice visitors at the airport. There was a lot of very strong lift, but it was very turbulent, and surrounded (of course) by strong sink.

Thanks to tow pilots Tom Eaton and Lynn Joyce, crew members Tom Ruble and Jim White, and specially to Jack Hensel, who walked the length of the airport 8 times, for about 4 miles walking the wing.

At the end of the day, we again verified that placing the plane's wheels and dollies in the marked spots IS the fastest, easiest and most effective way to put the planes in the hangar.

Mario

Saturday Crew Report

Finally a weekend day with good weather!

Crew 5 had a great day on Saturday - some +32 flights at last count. Crew was on site at 0900 and first flight was off pretty soon after that. Last flight landed about 6:10. Many flyers got themselves back in currency, lots of students flew, youngest flyer (Olaf's son) at 12, oldest was Ray Bolafka's guest - forgot his name. Hope he comes back - he is a radio repairman and was ready to take on our squelching base radio! As a prior power pilot, and a sailor, he seemed very interested! Even the crew got to fly!

Here is a picture of Ms. Herrli - Tod's wife - after her first flight! Larry Miller was the IP. Tod's son, age 13, got in at least three, maybe four flights!

Dave Newill

Shirts Are In

Many club members have already picked up their new club Golf or Sweat
shirts at the field. Ron will be out there again Sunday so if you would like yours come on out and pick it up.
Thanx ,
ZA.

Friday Flying 4/20

Friday flying is on for April 20. Currie will tow. The plan is to get the club ships out around noon.

The Parachutes Are Back

The parachutes are back from being repacked. They are reportedly sitting
on the couch in the hangar, which, if the rumors of mice are true, is
not such a good place for long-term storage.

Fwd: Good Friday again this week !

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

Fellow Soaring Pilots,
It's a Good news, Bad news outlook for soaring the days leading into this weekend .Dr Jack says Friday will be the best day to soar if you can make it . If you can't then the weekend looks wet and with little promise of thermals. If anyone is interested in Flying Friday;let me know - I'd suggest a slightly earlier start - say 12:00 noon. Also any Tow pilot that could help with a few tows please say so .
ZA.

Fwd: The Cold Doesn't Matter

From: ZASoars
I've said it before and today proved it ! The high temperature today was in the 53 degree range but lift was very strong - up to a measured 800 ft / min average on our flight log . Thermal tops were above 7200msl I know as I heard Kurt Ristow call out that height . We ( Tod Herrli and I ) saw 6700 before moving on as we had a course to fly ! Some very good cumulus clouds helped mark the lift early in the day but it turned "blue " later although the lift was still just as strong.The secret to good thermal days is of course a good lapse rate ( Sun heating the ground and the temperature dropping rapidly with height) . You don't have to figure it out DR. JACK does it for you and I can honestly say he is seldom ever wrong . Today was a good example. Become a believer, check Dr. Jack and keep looking ahead for good days like today . If you are able to , plan a day's vacation to come and fly if you can when you see such conditions shaping up ahead. As usual we need to thank our Tow Pilot Larry Miller for getting us into the skies. ZA.

Easter Sunday

There won't be instructional flying today, Easter Sunday, because there's no instructor scheduled.

How about this cold spell we've been having?

No Flying Saturday

No flying today, Saturday April 7, due to the cold, wind, and mostly-cloudiness.

From the National Weather Service:
Today: Scattered flurries after 8am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 34. Breezy, with a west northwest wind between 13 and 21 mph, with gusts as high as 29 mph.

Easter Sunday: Flying Yes, Instruction No

Nyal asked me to post a notice:

There will not be a scheduled instructor at the field on Easter Sunday (this coming weekend). They've had difficulty scheduling an instructor for this date, and in past years few students have shown up for instructional flights on Easter Sunday anyway.

Regular flying and crew duties are NOT cancelled for that day. There WILL be flying on Easter, weather permitting.

Save Money, Buy (Tows) In Bulk

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

The Club has agreed to a  "Reduced Tow Costs " offer for the start of the 2007 Soaring Season. 

 

The way it works is that members who would like to take advantage of the offer should send a check to Gerry Whitson our treasurer with one of the coupons you received at the Safety meeting  ( or a note ) indicating their preference  for either:  
10 - 2000 ft tows  (  $ 240 ) ,  or   for 10 - 3000 ft tows ( $290 )  .

 

Gerry will make a note of the date on the check and bill the member for their next 10 tows at the reduced rate after that date. 

A saving of  $2  - 4 per tow is what you will benefit and the Club hopes that in this way we'll get members to come on out and start flying earlier in the year ( and more frequently ).  

 

The Membership Committee

Please Complete The SSA Survey

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: cheryl

The SSA is sending out a rather extensive survey along with a letter from the Future Restructuring Task Force to you in your mailbox.
If you haven't gotten it yet, you will get it soon.

We absolutely need to get responses to the survey from as many members as possible; prior surveys yielded only around 5% response rates. We need at least 25% to feel like we got legitimate results.

 

To help in this matter, I will personally collect the surveys and mail them to the SSA.  Please take the time to complete this survey and get it back to me.  Your input matters -- to us and to the SSA as a whole. 

 

If you have any questions, let me know.

 

Cheryl Beckage

Away Weekend

With the arrival of spring, it's time to start thinking about where CISS will hold away weekends this year. The following sites are possibilities:

• The island of Nikumaroro, known for its hospitable outlanding sites,
  
• Roswell, New Mexico, with its world-class medical facilities in the unlikely event of an accident,
  
• the Ellsworth Range, where katabatic winds make for challenging soaring.
  

If you have a preference, or another suggestion, leave it in the comments! Remember, the club doesn't work without its members!

Never give up !

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

Today , April 1 looked like a possible scrubbed flying day on account of strong winds. But as often happens the winds were respectable in the early morning . As a result the "early birds" at the field got to fly . I believe Terry Wools did his BFR and I know Todd Rutledge and John Morrical as well as Jack Hensel got to fly . Then the winds became too strong for safe takeoffs and landings.

So remember to come on out early on doubtful days as your chances are good early in the day that you'll get a flight or two in.

 

ZA.

 

ps. There were 3 new members who showed up and will probably make their first flights on the next flyable weekend. Keep up the good recruiting work, remember the goal is 1 new member per month ! That will help keep our costs down.

 

pps. One of the new members has flown MIG 21's and MIG 17's. See if you can figure who he is.

Friday flying

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

 

Folks ,

 

A couple of us plan to fly today and Larry Miller has kindly offerred to tow . We plan to get to the field around 12:45 .

If you can make it come on out it will definitely be better than Saturday !

 

Ron (ZA)

As good as it gets ( in March )

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars
Date: Mar 27, 2007 9:50 PM

Several of us  enjoyed a rare opportunity to do some  soaring in March this afternoon .

Lift was as predicted by Dr. Jack in the  3- 4 knots average range . The best Tod Herrli and I found  was a steady 8 knots in the 5 - 5800msl range !   

 

3 of us took the gliders and towplanes out from the hangar and put them back . It really does require extra care and I would reccomend that whenever possible 4 ( FOUR ) members help with each airplane /glider ( One on each wingtip and one on the tail and nose ) This will prevent the extremities getting too close to other equipment or the sides of the hangar . We have painted the spots on the floor where mainwheels and tailwheels must go ( or be very close to )  Please spread this word .

 

Cu at the field soon I hope ,

 

ZA.

Soaring Today, 3/27/07

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars
Date: Mar 27, 2007 8:51 AM
Subject: Soaring today

Bob Currie has kindly offered to tow so a couple of us will be at the field at 2pm to make a few flights 2:30 on. Come on out if you can.

 

ZA.

A Different Kind Of Combat Glider

When I heard the expression "combat glider" I used to think of something like the Waco CG-4 (collection of more links here). However, some people use the term to mean something completely different.

The Fleet Is In

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

Thanks to the members (Charlie E, Dan DW, Chris H, Pete D, Jack H, Todd R) who came out today to help Rig the club gliders, Clean the hangar and Repair the Astir trailer.

The gliders are all ready for the season but everyone needs to do a careful PRE FLIGHT on each before flying. Thanks also to Don T. for re-installing the Microaire radio in the one Blanik. It's been to Australia and back for  repair and should be working well now.

 

An important reminder to all. The hangar is very full now with 3 trailers plus the whole fleet. They fit in fine but should be taken in and put back very carefully as the potential is high for Hagar rash as all are very close to each other. CREWS Please take note of how the hangar should be packed  - There are drawings of the correct way to store each and the sequence to put each back in  and these are posted on the hangar walls in several places. Be sure to protect wings and canopies by placing weights on the low wings to avoid wings dropping onto other gliders - and place saw horses and cushions in strategic places for protection.

 

Here's to a great soaring season  ,

 

The Maintenance Crew.

Hello From Chile

Hello Central Indiana Soaring Society,

Nancy and I are having a great time in Chile. To see how great, just visit our blogs:

soaringchile.blogspot.com

george-chile-adventure.blogspot.com

See you all in August,

George Saunders

CISS Logo Shirts

If you are a CISS member and missed the safety meeting, you missed a chance to order the latest CISS official shirt! The choice is between and golf shirt or a sweatshirt embroidered with a CISS logo. For more information (sizes and colors available), email Marty at mchuds[at]aol[dot]com. She is accepting orders through Wednesday, March 20. Orders will be billed with your monthly CISS bill.

It's been a couple of years since we ordered shirts, and it may be a couple of years before we order them again. ACT NOW!

Spring Safety Meeting March 17

The pre-season CISS safety meeting will be held on Saturday, March 17 starting at 9:30 AM. We will meet in Duane’s heated hangar at Alexandria Airport. The meeting will last about two hours.
After the safety meeting, instructors will do currency flights for themselves and flight review/currency flights for other club members.
The pre-season safety meeting is MANDATORY. If you miss the safety meeting, you not be permitted to sign up for flying until you complete the read file make-up exercise.
As we did in previous years, the safety meeting will be documented as the 1 hour of ground training required for flight review completion. There would be no need to complete the Flight Review written test if you complete your flight review with a CISS CFI by the end of May 2007.
Safe Flying to all.
Mike Rielage

This sounds familiar

Ron Clarke found this article in a club newsletter from South Africa. Anyone who's been on an epic glider retrieve will hear the ring of truth in this story. I only wish it had more gory details!


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

CLUB'S SINGLE ASTIR & TRAILER

If we are to encourage more flying, more cross-country flying and more utilisation of the Club aircraft, it is imperative that not only the gliders, but the trailers too are in good order.

Martin Attwell writes:On Sunday we had to fetch the Single Astir151 out of a field just 7km away from the club but it took us 2 ½ hours to do so! The trailer is a mess, not to mention broken to such an extent that the elevator cradle no longer exists.
Martin says that if a Single lands out again it is going to take a miracle for someone to hook it up and fetch the glider.
Martin has offered and is willing to put in his time to fix the club's trailer, but only if the students/recently solo-ed pilots/ and/or the guys that fly the Single's are willing to help him.
He is free to do this on the morning of 10th March. So basically he is looking to get 8 - 10 guys to jump in and sort it out on the 10th and he expects that it should take no more than 2 - 3 hours of time.

Specialty License Plates For Indiana Pilots

News from CISS CFIG Nyal Williams and CISS friends Rich and Ginger Davidson, of Lee Bottom Airport. Rich and Ginger are working on the Aviation Association of Indiana's effort to get an aviation-themed specialty license plate. They have more information on their web page.

The process of deciding what new specialty plates to adopt is a competitive one. To put it plainly, the more interest there is in the plate, the more likely it is to be selected (among 60 or so proposals). Download a copy of the petition [pdf] pledging to buy the plate if it becomes available, sign it, and send the original (not a photocopy) to Ginger by March 15!

Don't Forget This Weekend

Don't forget the Chicagoland Glider Safety Seminar coming up this weekend.

Safety Meeting March 17

The (mandatory) CISS Annual Safety Meeting will be held March 17, 2007, in the heated hangar at Alexandria Airport. More details to follow.
Photo credit. Other photo credit.

The Club Equipment Really Looks Good .

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

Thanks to the many members who helped with winter maintenance this year we finished off cleaning and waxing the last of the club aircraft today. If you came out during the Winter to help we thank you. As a result the club equipment is in as good a shape now as it's ever been.

By the way it would be great if during the flying season everyone who ever flies any of the aircraft gives them a wipe off each day you fly. In that way maybe we can maintain the fleet better than we have in past years. Roll on Spring and the flying season.

The Maintenance Crew

Fwd: Cleaning the tow plane - can you help ?

From ZA:

Folks ,
The Tow plane 898 has been "annualled " and is ready for a wash and
polish . As it's still in the heated hangar Duane offerred to let us do
the work there tomorrow if we can round up sufficient workers !
Let me know if you could come on out tomorrow - Saturday 20th ( say
around 10am for a couple of hours ) and I'll confirm to everyone if we
can get enough help.
ZA.
UPDATE: Several people are coming. Work will start at 10 or 10:30 a.m.

As Promised

More photos, mostly from the banquet:


Yvonne Williams' interpretation of a Discus in a cornfield. One of the finest glider paintings I've seen.


Not from the banquet, but from the darkest recesses of my Treo's memory card: A hurried snapshot of a Discus in a cornfield. The least finest day of crewing I was ever not privileged to avoid being altogether too involved with. Although I think our next two crew days were rainouts, which is some anecdotal evidence of the power of karma.


Two to whom much is owed. On behalf of the governing board, CISS founding member Jim Ross presents the eponymous Jim Ross Lifetime Achievement Award to longtime CISS CFIG Bob Gillan (for the second time).


Team AW gets mugged by Don Taylor after a narrow win in the team category of the 2006 club X-C contest. Photo by Mario L.


Our keynote speaker, former CISS member Kris Maynard, spoke about his experience as an official observer for Steve Fossett's solo round-the-world airplane flight.

2007 Banquet

I'll cover the banquet more thoroughly in the next day or two, but I wanted to post this photo now. We honored longtime CISS instructor Bob Gillan (center, holding plaque) with the Jim Ross Lifetime Achievement Award.
 
Everyone in this picture has had at least one flight with Bob!