Why Pilots Need To Use Good Scaning Techniques

We have all been taught proper scanning techniques. Usually something like "keep your eyes moving and your head on a swivel". Without some occasional reminders, it is easy to kick back, relax and watch out the front window when flying straight. Mark Rottler has found a couple of internet tools which will convince you this may not be the best idea. They have fancy names like Troxler's Fading, and Motion Induced Blindness, but are an easy fun exercise that may convince you that you cannot always believe what you think you see.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troxler%27s_fading

http://www.msf-usa.org/motion.html

Nyal Williams Recognized for Contributions to CISS

On Saturday November 19, several CISS members shown in the photo below took a break from their maintenance efforts to buy lunch for Nyal. Mike Nichols presented Nyal with a Plaque as a token of appreciation for his outstanding contributions to the club during his many years as a member.

 

Not shown is Dick Hutchinson who provided the photo. 

Ron Clarke Article in Cumulus Soaring News Letter

Paul Remde's latest news letter is filled with lots of interesting photos and information on soaring. There is also some commercial content for Cumulus Soaring but Paul has put a lot of effort into this. It is worth a look. One of the articles was written by Ron Clarke covering his flight last spring at Seminole Lake Gliderport with Karl Striedieck which you should not miss if you have not seen it. It is available at:


http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/newsletter/2011-11/

IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE A GLASS SHIP TO BE HAPPY!

Saturday July, 29th, was expected to be a cold day and I dressed warm being the tow pilot on duty. well, that was the plan. It turned out to be completely different - besides the temperature.

We started as usual not before 10 am. the wind picked up to 10 Kt from West. Initially, it was sky clear and only a few flights. Around lunch time the first CU's came alive, still with increasing winds from the West. After lunch I towed 6 ships, three of them private gliders and also Marlon, who just got his license a month ago. The the thermals all of the sudden got very strong and the ceiling increased to 6000 ft MSL.

The Grob was taken, so the last plane left was 809S - well, I got the high score - i thought I pulled it out to the east end and even got a student, Jim Robertson, who didn't fly this year and was crew. But there was not much traffic and he asked if he could get a flight. No problem. Chris Murawski, who took over tow pilot duty in the afternoon, towed us up straight into the wind.

Well, we started slow with 1-2 knots. Then, we moved West and while doing that we hit a big one and got up to 8000 ft MSL! the visibility was about 80+ NM and it was perfect.

Meanwhile Marlon got the message to land after 1:45 h flight with BOB, the 1-34. Capt. Miller waited for him to take him home in Mark and his new Pitts to the Anderson Airport.

Meanwhile I landed safely and Jim experienced his first flight to 8000 ft MSL in a glider in Alexandria. The private ships were still out enjoying the 7 Kt updraft.

For October 29th 2011, this was a total unexpected day and provided great pleasure to Marlon, myself - and hopefully Jim Robertson.

Just a quick note to everybody who thinks end of October is not worthwhile to come out and enjoy soaring.

Thanks again Larry for giving Marlon the "ride of the year". Truly 809S was my high score since I got a perfect soaring experience!

Sincerely,

Olaf Tessarzyk

2011 Final Scheduled Weekend

Many members took advantage of the nice weather Friday, Saturday and Sunday for some late season flying activities.

Todd Rutledge, Brad Hayes, Gerry Simpson, and John Earlywine posted OLC flights which put CISS in first place in Region 6 going into the winter slowdown. Many other pilots made glider flights on Friday and Saturday.

Gerry Simpson hit a milestone of 500 hours of glider time with his Friday flight. 

Rick Hansen braved direct crosswinds of 12 gusting to 19 on Sunday in the Grob. Possibly this was because he was crew chief and wanted to have a flight on the log to show for the crew's efforts.

Rick Hansen also soloed in the J-5 on Friday and is shown below with his instructor Larry Miller. 

Gel Coat 2011 Article on Soaring Cafe

Frank Paynter has put a nice writeup and some pictures of the Gel Coat "Jamboree" on the Soaring Cafe.

The link to the article is:

http://soaringcafe.com/2011/10/gelcoat-2011-at-central-indiana-soaring-society/

Ron Clarke's Gel Coat Jamboree

The CISS hangar was turned into a glider repair shop the past few days as several members honed their skills under the watchful eye of expert David Nelson. David has a reputation as one of the best in the country, and has "tuned" the gliders of pilots representing the US in the world competitions. Todd Rutledge should be able to identify the folks working on their gliders from the photos and add a few points to their handicaps for the CISS contest next year. Some minor repairs were also made to the Grob rudder. Thanks to Ron for setting up the event and to all the members who participated. There is already talk of "next year" for another few days of fun and fixing the little nicks and dings that seem to accumulate over the flying season. 

Congratulations Tom Beckenbauer

On Sunday October 23, Tom Beckenbauer soloed in Blanik 303BA. 

Tom's primary instructor was Dave Stanley and his tow pilot for the flight was Larry Miller

Crew Duty Trades and Substitutes

Several members have reported challenges in finding replacements when they are unable to attend a scheduled crew date. 
One new proposal is to recruit a pool of members willing to fill in on a standby basis in exchange for flight credits. The member unable to make a crew day would be billed for the cost of the flight credits in the event they could not find a substitute.
The CISS Board is interested in everyone's ideas and opinions on the best way to address this challenge. 
If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes to complete a short survey and share your thoughts and opinions. 
The survey is available at:
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8BHNP9C

Evaluate your Soaring Knowledge

Thanks to Mike Meister who has provided the following tip.

"In looking for online Bronze Badge material, I came across the Soaring Safety Foundation online quiz.  http://www.soaringsafety.org/dl/bbstudyguide.html

It would also be an excellent oral prep for a commercial or perhaps an advanced private pilot preparing for a checkride."

This link goes to a group of very well done 20 question tests with capability to grade your answers and also an opportunity to see the correct answer and a reference to additional study material.