Soaring News - July 2018

Photo Credit; Jean-Marie Deschamps

July was a very good revenue month with 48 glider tows during the Juniors Contest and 111 flights this month. In addition to the contest putting our club on the SSA map, it provided some good local advertisement which should increase our guest rides. Thanks to ASC members that helped during the launch and recovery. The last contest at Adrian was in the mid-seventies.

Ops was canceled only one day this month and the good soaring days are finally starting to increase. The last 2 Wednesday’s have been great with cumulus to 6000 ft. and 3 hour plus flights in the ASW15. Shipp did a 26 mile triangle flight in the K7 in about an hour.

Dino DiNatale is our Wednesday instructor when not golfing, he endorsed 2 flight reviews. We may have to rename Wednesday Ops to "Entertainment Day" thanks to Vaughn Bateman providing Country Western Music under the tent with a bonus Perry Como song.

But the big event of the month is solo flights of father and son Nate and Cameron Kemppainen who soloed the same day, same hour, both were flying for 4 minutes at the same time in separate gliders while also being instructed and towed by father and son Matt and Brandon Schultz. Congratulations Nate and Cameron! Hmmmm, Matt has a daughter, could we see a father, son and, daughter event in the future?

Until we get the club water well repaired, members are asked to not move the 5 gallon bucket from the side of the hangar in front of the ASC hangar, the bucket catches water from the roof when it rains and used to clean gliders at the end of the Ops day. Steve Rusinowski invention!

This month I have witnessed 2 glider ground loops on the roll out during landing. One was a contest glider and the other was our club ASK21. These ground loops are preventable by maintaining concentration on the landing, but mostly being aware of the wind direction and maintaining wings level until the glider is stopped or near so. Unless you have been trained to turn off the runway between the cones or not compensating for wind, it is easy to drop a wing, ground loop or hit a runway cone during this maneuver. Excessive side loads during landing often break off the tail skid which grounds the glider. You should practice every landing by maintaining wings level until the glider is stopped. An aim point helps with the landing.

Reminder; Airport rule number 400-20 prohibits glider thermaling within 1 mile of the airport below 1500 feet agl (2300 feet msl). This is an airport safety rule to prevent in flight collisions with other power airplanes entering or leaving the traffic pattern. With exception of pattern flights, my advise is stay on tow until at least 2000 ft. AGL and keep track of thermals on tow that you may return to after glider release. Also use caution for jet traffic that are required by FAR to maintain 1500 feet in the traffic pattern before decent to land. All glider radios are working great, listen for other traffic and report your position and altitude when near the airport. Use the AWOS to set radio volume before takeoff.

When turning from base to final, keep the nose down and speed up. Outside rudder is OK but inside rudder is a control position for spin training.

Tom Shipp