Please also note that there are a total of fifteen - count'em…fifteen! - blanks that suddenly caught up with me for D.O. and A.D.O. in the next three months! I'll be on the phone in the next few days to try to fill these in, but if you are available for any of those "blanks", please holler to Jim Kellett [jkellett@skylinesoaring.org] quick!!

Special Rostering Solicitation

We have much of the planning well under way, but will still need several "volunteers" for one-of-a-kind jobs. We also need a Duty Officer and Assistant Duty Officer for Friday, September 13 - since this is not a holiday, would someone please volunteer?? In addition, there are two other positions that need filling: one is an "airboss" who will actually assume the control of the field's unicom during the Regatta's operating hours, and the other is a registration desk person to greet people, hand out brochures, sell tow tickets, and otherwise be a hail fellow well met to the visitors and public. Several folk who are familiar with the Regatta have already stepped up to help, but we need more…please give Jim Kellett a call [(540) 678-4798 or jkellett@shentel.net if you are available for any of these jobs!

Airport Status Meeting

Seems that the IRS has made some crucial rulings involving the strong possibility of her having to sell the airport (there have been rumors a-flying for weeks), and at this meeting all interested parties (and we sure are interested!!) can get the best information "from the horse's mouth". Linda has made a strong commitment to the Club that, whatever the future holds, every effort will be made to keep the property as an airport.

An Offer You Can't Ignore!

Meet the Member

My interest in flying remained dormant until I was told about flight pay while in AFROTC at Ohio State. As they say, the rest is history, although sometimes it was tough to remember how much one loved flying while going through Air Force flight training as a student officer. A lot was made of the honor system. It soon became apparent that the student officers had the honor and the aviation cadets had the system.

After completing Basic Single Engine Jet Training, I volunteered for multi-engine assignment in France thinking that I could easily transfer into a fighter job over there. Not so, and never again flew a jet-powered USAF aircraft. But being a troop carrier or a trash hauler wasn't all that bad, and I did learn how to fly. After four years in the European theater, I had 2000 total flying hours and over 500 in actual weather. Could fly a GCA in a C-123, (aka Whistling Privy), break a 200 foot ceiling all the time peeling an in-flight lunch hard-boiled egg!

After about 5 years, I found myself in a dead end radar controller assignment, so when I was tapped for a super secret assignment, I was out of there. (I was assigned to a base in Massachusetts and while I found the natives to be friendly, I never could understand their spoken language.) The assignment to Project Jungle Jim (or was it Gym) eventually turned into the first USAF Special Operations since WWII. Roly-poly Kit was soon remanufactured what with a custom tailored survival course at Reno in the winter, a move to Fort Walton Beach, and an introduction to weed whacking snake eating types of every stripe. Had a ball, was in Viet Nam flying combat missions before Walter Cronkite could even pronounce it. Traveled the third world in C-46s and C-47s often as an authentic advisor, but sometimes....

Not the usual background for the striped pants cookie pushing circuit, but with the help of my more polished (civilized) spouse, Marty, successfully made the transition from air commando to military diplomat. We were assigned to Bangkok and in the sixties, it was the crossroads of the air war in SEA. In addition to all the official duties, I flew the Ambassador all over in the spiffiest C-37 (DC-3) I'd ever seen. The Air Attaché was also accredited to Burma, so while in Rangoon, we would also get the aircraft Simonized, $4 a pop. The Naval Attaché was likewise dually accredited so when he had to go to Laos, I generally flew the other seat. The attaché had appointments the rest of the time in Vientaine, so we were free until takeoff the next day. Marty and I will never forget the lunch at Michelle's on the road to Wattay airport. Did a genuine French lunch, complete with a practice nap at the Lang Xang Hotel overlooking the wide and muddy Mekong. Life was sweet!

After all that fun it was inevitable that payback time would come, assignment to the dreaded Pentagon. The job was a stinker but being an attached pilot to the SAM squadron at Andrews AFB saved my sanity. We flew the C-131/T-29, the military version of the Convair 240/340, a really neat medium pressurized twin with a Rube Goldberg air stair. A class operation carrying Congressmen and other VIPs, usually into commercial airports. RON's were much more interesting than at Air Force bases which were usually out in the boondocks.

All this wasn't really enough excitement for me, so when Hank Otten began telling me about Gordon Bogora's Capitol Area Soaring School, I was ready. Since then, somehow 25 years have managed to slip away, spending weekends at least an hour from home, and booting tow planes and gliders around the sky.

At the risk of appearing maudlin, I would say that as much fun as the flying has been, I've enjoyed all of the people associated with the flying even more...well, almost all....

The Safety Corner

There are several items I have noticed this year in addition to the low hanging tow rope problem. On take-off the tow plane has often pulled the glider to a position where there was no way a rope break would have produced an "on field landing". Please keep in mind that the glider should be in a position to make the field at all times in the take-off pattern. Where does the tow plane go if it has a power problem?

On landing the tow plane we always have to be sensitive to the rope and the Dove's property (don't fly near it) on the 24 approach. We also have to watch low turns on the 06 approach. On every approach we cross the asphalt traffic pattern so be vigilant. If the runway is fouled or the situation looks bad always be ready to make a go-around rather than risk a potential problem. Some of these things apply to glider riders too. Everybody should be situationally aware when flying to avoid problems that might result in an accident.

Pegasus Ponders

Ten Years Ago (SOARING Magazine, August 1986): "The Women's Soaring Pilots Association held its charter meeting June 11 in Tucson, Arizona. The date was commemorated by inscribing the date and purpose of the meeting along with the signatures of the Association's officers on the wall of the restaurant dining room where the meeting was held."

Twenty Years Ago (SOARING Magazine, August 1976): "An interesting sidelight to the recent 807 mile Out and Return record attempt of Karl Striedieck and Roy McMaster has been reported by Doris Grove, an SSA'er who works for Tom Knauff at his Ridge Soaring, Inc., in Pennsylvania.... Tom declared a 459 mile O&R attempt of his own, and charged off to the south in his 1-26E... He didn't make it, but he had flown 391 miles (and a dogleg distance of 405.9 miles)."

Thirty Years Ago (SOARING Magazine, August 1966): [Comments from Dick Schreder, winner of the 1966 Nationals] "The HP-14 and I flew 64.3 hours for 2511 contest miles in nine days. It was necessary to average more than 900 points per task to stay ahead of George Moffat who flew superbly every day. Flying with this greatest assembly of top competition pilots in the 33rd U.S. Nationals has given me my greatest thrill since taking up the sport of soaring in 1956:. [Editor's note: There were 65 contestants; a 1-23 placed tenth and fifty-seventh, a 2-32 placed twenty-first, a 1-26 placed fifty-fourth, Libelles placed third, sixth, seventeenth, and nineteenth....those were the days!!]

Welcome aboard

And correct an error in last month's newsletter: new member Mr. Linenberger is Michael, not Richard! Sorry about that….