All members are invited to the planning meeting at Valor Field, New Market, on Saturday, January 4, 1997 at 11:00 AM. This is another opportunity to make your thoughts known on Club issues. Skyline Soaring is fueld by, and runs on, the wishes and efforts of all its members. Please make your plans to attend now - - it's your club!

We need to determine a slate of candidates for Officers and Board Members.  If you would like to volunteer your services or have any suggestions, please call or email Spencer Annear at (803) 751-9130.

Fred Winter <fwt@cbsnews.com>

I was hooked by flying when I moved to Naples, Florida just after Hurricane Donna re-arranged most of Southwest Florida. We moved to a house which turned out to be on final for runway 33, the preferred runway for the Naples Airlines DC-3 flights coming in from Miami. I soon investigated the destination for those LOUD round engines. I had the great good luck to run into Jim Quigley, a mechanic at the FBO. Jim suggested I try the Civil Air Patrol squadron.

One of the bennies of living in the town with the highest per-capita income in the country was a LOT of retired executives with airplanes. The Naples squadron flew a daily "Sundown Patrol" along the Gulf coast from Naples to Marco Island, checking for boaters in distress. The cadets in the squadron flew as observers, and often got informal instruction. I advanced through the ranks in the cadet program, receiving a scholarship from the squadron to take me through solo in the Piper J-3 Cub, then was selected for a "Flying encampment" which was ground school and 40 hours of flight time at Rock Hill, South Carolina in the summer of 1967.

My first glider flight was with Pat Hange, then of Circle X gliderport near Lakeland. Pat and her partner Harriett came to Naples in 1965 to help the CAP squadron incorporate the 2-22 and 1-26 which had been donated by Hal DuPont, the "black sheep in exile (Miami) " of the Delaware DuPont family. Hal was the Wing Commander for the Florida wing of CAP at the time. I continued flying J-3s, Cessna 172s, a Piper Colt, and the 2-22 and 1-26 until I finished attending the University of Florida.

I moved to the DC area after graduation, working as a motion picture projectionist at first, then being hired as a "vacation relief" temporary technician at WRC/NBC in 1971. One of the highlights from that time was playing Frisbee on the Today Show set with Willard Scott. We only broke a few lights, really! That ended with the end of summer, and I was hired by CBS to replace one of the maintenance technicians who had been chosen to experiment with "Electronic News Gathering" (ENG). The first camera used for ENG was one of the four MiniCam units which were hand-built by CBS Labs. The video tape recorder was an Ampex VR3000 "portable" 2-inch deck. One reel of tape was good for only 20 minutes, the record head sounded like a Concorde taking off, typical lighting needs were in the range of 200 to 300 foot-candles. The combination was three large units, a LOT of batteries, and a product-to-maintenance ratio which would have stunned a helicopter pilot. Today's cam-corders have come a long way, baby!

My time at CBS has included Watergate, Nixon's resignation, Johnson's funeral, Redskins football, Bullets basketball, the infamous "Winner take all" tennis match between Jimmy Conners and Ille Nastasee in Puerto Rico, the Iran-Contra hearings, Eric Sevareid, Faith Daniels, Lesley Stahl, Walter Cronkite, Connie Chung, and much more.

With all this, I was out of the flying business for a while, but managed to find out about the Capitol Area Soaring School (CASS), the predecessor to the Warrenton Soaring Center, in 1972. Ernie Klimonda, Gordon Bagora, and that crowd kept the itch scratched for a while, and when WSC came along, Jim Kranda hired me to work the desk, I got my Commercial rating and started flying rides. There were a lot of good times at Warrenton, a few moments of sheer terror, and many friendships. I hope to continue the good times and friendships with the Skyline crowd, but will try to avoid the moments of terror!

Ten Years Ago (SOARING Magazine, November, 1986): The 1987 Soaring Calendar went on sale for $8.95, plus $2.5 S&H*

"ESPN, the international sports cable television network, will be running 'The Quiet Challenge' during the months of November, December, January, and February. The film, produced by Chris Woods and narraged by John Denver, was created to document the Barron Hilton Cup. Reviewer John Joss said in SOARING, May, 1985, 'Now we have a new standard by which soaring films will be judged, and the entire movement should benefit.'"

Twenty Years Ago (SOARING Magazine, November, 1976): The 1977 Soaring Calendar went on sale for $1.75*

"Representative Barry Goldwater, Jr. has introduced a bill in the House of Representatives which would allow Airport Development Aid Plan funds to be used for the improvement of privately-owned airports opened to public use. ... The bill provides that privately owned airports must be kept open for at least 20 years after the completion of any work done with ADAP funds. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Public Works and Transportation, but there seems to be little chance by the Committee or the House during the present session of Congress."

Thirty Years Ago (SOARING Magazine, November, 1966): The 1967 Soaring Calendar went on sale for $1.35*.

"Recent progress in the forming of large, optically flawless canopies has resulted in the decision by the Schleicher Sailplane Co. to develop a new two place sailplane. The new design [the K-13] which was started in 1963, is based on the well known K-7, which for years has been the mainstay of numberous clubs throughout the country and which also holds the two place world speed record of 52.0 mph for the 500 km triangle. ... The current price of the ASK-13, ... FOB Detroit, duty paid but excluding state sales tax, is $5,687."

*The 1997 SOARING calendar is now on sale for $9.95 (wall version) or $10.95 (desk version) plus $4.25 S&H. However, as a member of an SSA affiliated club, YOU may purchase them from Jim Kellett for $7.50 for the wall version or $8.50 for the desk version. At this price, they make great Christmas presents!

Welcome Aboard!

The Club has three new members!! Gary Rubus, a 5000 hr. USAF pilot with his own Ventus; Malcolm J. Gardner, a student pilot with training from Keystone; and David Weaver, another student pilot. Please add these entries to your Club phone book, and welcome our newest members to the Club!

Gary Rubus: 1322-2 Vandenberg Drive, Andrews AFB, MD 20762; Home: 301-967-6465 Work: 703-695-5903 e-mail: grubus@potomac.net

David Weaver, 4701 Kenmore Ave. #1213, Alexandria, Va 22304; Home: (703) 823-4746 Work: (703) 556-6901 Fax: (703) 556-6903 Pager: (703) 718-1980 e-mail: weaverd@his.com

Malcolm J. Gardner, 10619 Weymouth Street No. 203, Bethesda, MD; 20814 Home: (301) 530-0922 Work: (301) 295-1535 Fax: (301) 295-6171 e-mail: mgardner@pop.dn.net

For Sale: SH1 Austria with excellent Schreder aluminum enclosed trailer, Ball and PZL varios. Annualed in July. The most cross country performance you can get for this little money. Structually sound but will need refinishing in a couple of years. $8000 Call Jim Furlong at home 703 455-2439 or work 202 637 5388.

As we near the end of the 1996 season, there is a good opportunity to take advantage of the shorter days and marginal soaring conditions! November can provide excellent training opportunities, and is also a good time to get such things as Biennial Flight Reviews (BFRs) out of the way. And, finally, its not only good for the soul but good for your flying skills to do some "refresher" flying, either solo or with a check pilot, right up to the end of the season.

And, donât forget to mark on your calendars the Clubâs Christmas Party, December 14, 1996, at the Barber residence!

Two of Skyline's finest - - Shane Neitzey and Kevin Fleet - - were among the many volunteers searching for little two year old Karynne Sheldon. The child has been missing from a Prince William home since the 21st and has not been found as of this writing. This is tough duty, and we're sure their efforts are much appreciated by the family and the community.

Fuel for thought - - The recent illness of the Pawnee made us aware of how nice it would be to have a backup towplane. Anyone (or group) interested in purchasing a duralble taildragger with the thought of sahring its services with the Club (for a price, of course) please call Spencer Annear.

Nudge - - Members are reminded that 1997 dues are due in January. Owner members owe $175 while non-owners owe $295.

Anne Morrow Lindbergh holds C Badge Number 10. Charles Lindbergh held C badge Number 9. Just a reminder that in some small way, "We are Family."

Brownbagbrowsers - - Check out Air & Space magazine's web site at http://www.airspacemag.com. The USAF has a web site devoted to its 50th anniversary at http://www.dticc.mil/airforcelink/50th/.