About
   Club History
   Authors
   Training
 Newsletter
   Current
   Previous
   Back Issues
 Snapshots
 Events
 Roster
 Links
 Weather
 Directions
 Join Us!

Members only:
 Membership
 Webmail
 Admin
 DO Rep's
.
In This issue...

An extraordinary gift-Gogos Scholars

Carl Rohmann

Lorne Welch

The duPont Regatta

Meet the Member-Ed Lehr

SAFETY CORNER

1-26 for Sale

Skyline Students

The Firmament WILL rise up and smite thee...

Log this...

The Badge Board

Starting Soaring -
Day 1
Flies, Flys, Pilots and Palm Pilots


Back Issues:
2000DecemberNovemberOctoberSeptemberAugustJulyJuneMayAprilMarchFebruaryJanuary1999199819971996

Skylines
August, 1998

An extraordinary gift-Gogos Scholars
The Collegiate Soaring Association, Inc. (CSA) is pleased to announce the availability, for a limited time, of a set of youth grants for soaring study.  These will be administered under contract by a full service FBO, will enable in stages the full range of flight training in sailplanes from first flight to advanced FAI badges, and will cover all non site costs including flight charges, books, room and board, and local transportation.

This program exists because of the outstanding generosity of one extraordinary man, Bela Gogos, who learned to soar at age 15 and has seen the wisdom of mixing youth and soaring over fifty years.  A retired Colonel of the Hungarian Air Force, Mr. Gogos is a WWII pilot who started life over in North America after ten years of Soviet imprisonment.  Here in the USA, he avidly returned to soaring as a hobby but was surprised at its more leisurely status in our country.  Back in wartime and then socialist Hungary, flight training was always began with gliders and was far more comprehensive than the USA standard. With the scope and size of this grant program, CSA hopes to add Hungarian style strength to USA youth soaring.  The cadre of beneficiaries of the program, the "Gogos Scholars", should become important resources in the future of soaring.

Mr. Gogos is a resident of Haymarket, VA, and currently is an active member of the Skyline Soaring Club (see http://www.ssl.umd.edu/Skyline/) which operates out of Valor Field, an airport in New Market, VA.  He has over 2,000 hours in his ASW-20C sailplane alone, all his FAI Diamonds and one Lennie, many long cross country flights, and much club mentoring to his credit.

CSA has already awarded four grants as a test of the process, and will award seven grants of $2,000 each in 1999, 2000, and 2001, at which point the funds will be exhausted.  Grants will be targeted towards training in the following categories  Primarily A (first flight to solo), but also C (solo to FAA private license), (Silver (SC to FAI badges), and Diamond (advanced badges, wave, racing).  Of the seven yearly grants, two will be earmarked for college students active in CSA and two more may be offered through youth partners of the SSA such as Civil Air Patrol and Exploring.  The rest will be open to the widest possible youth audience within these eligibility criteria:

  • US Citizen or permanent resident;
  • Student (full time at an academic institution within one year of grant);
  • Age limits 14-25 inclusive.

Application is to be in the form of a nomination from an FAI soaring badge holder within a sponsoring Soaring Club or Operator, by April 30 of each year, on a form downloadable from the CSA web (http://www.win.net/~greeley/coll/gogos.htm).

Principal judging criteria will be a strongly documented desire to soar, plans to help promote the amateur sport of soaring among young people in school, and financial need.  In the case of the beginner "A" category, additional consideration will apply to candidates with career interests in aviation or aeronautical science, and with above average scholastic or extra curricular achievement.  Previous grant winners may reapply for a future grant in any succeeding category.

CSA has selected Soar Minden in Nevada to administer these grants.  Soar Minden is an SSA business member that operates year round, every day of the week, and offers access to world famous ridge, thermal, and wave conditions.  They operate a large modern fleet of sailplanes and are very experienced with supporting cross country flights for FAI badges.  They have a tradition of incorporating young European pilots into their staff and already count one SSA Kolstad award winner, Paul Sabino, as a local product.

This program has a limited life of three years, which can be considered a trial period.  CSA hopes the example will inspire other donors and fostering organizations to continue similar efforts indefinitely.  CSA will be more than pleased to advise on and coordinate such plans.

[Official Announcement]
[Official Application Form (in .PDF format)]
[Download Acrobat Reader to read .PDF files (Free!)]

Carl Rohmann
Carl Rohmann, Shenandoah Valley Soaring's most venerated and colorful member died July 17. He was 84.

Carl's deep love of soaring spanned more than five decades. As he often told the story, it started in World War II when, as a Navy pilot flying submarine patrols, he learned that he could get assisted lift by circling beneath cumulus clouds that occasionally dotted the skies over the Atlantic. This would confound the deck crews, because Carl's plane would take considerably less-than-expected quantities of fuel to refill when he returned from such sunny day missions.

He was a charter member of the Ridge and Valley Soaring Club, from which SVS evolved, and he began his decades of soaring instruction with that club during the sixties. (Many Skyline members were instructed by, and flew with, Carl when he instructed at Warrenton Soaring Center. He certainly had a magic touch with soaring machines and soaring students.)

Carl was featured in an article in Soaring, December 1995, titled "Soaring the Shenandoah Valley with Carl 'Red' Rohmann" by SVS member Frank Carver. He was a multi-dimensional individual-the tennis coach at the University of Virginia as well as a successful businessman, figure skater, skier and owner of a sporting goods store. But soaring was his passion.

Carl's last flights, as a long illness began grounding him, were in September '96 with Jay Darmstadter and with Fred Winter during The duPont Regatta.
-excerpts from Shenandoah Valley Soaring

Lorne Welch
I'm not heavily into reading obituaries--but one in the Washington Post caught my eye because it had the word "pilot" in it. Patrick Palles Lorne Elphinstone Welch passed away on May 15 at his home in Farnham, SW of London. He was 81, and is survived by his wife Ann and a daughter. I was suddenly overtaken by a rush of memories of things written, since Lorne and his wife Ann wrote so much that shaped my view of soaring and of the world in general. We've lost one more of the dying breed of independent and responsible people.

You've probably heard of Lorne Welch without realizing it. A pilot (and glider pilot) before the war, he was shot down over Europe in a bomber where he remained a POW until 1945. His story of a planned escape from the German prison at Colditz by building a glider under the noses of the guards was the basis of the 1963 movie, "The Great Escape". He also was the first person to fly twice across the English Channel in a glider, and flew in four world gliding championships.

Lorne's wife Ann was an extraordinary pilot in her own right, having ferried Spitfires and other warplanes during the war. She and Lorne (with Frank Irving) wrote "The Complete Soaring Pilot's Handbook" in 1978, a veritable bible of soaring techniques. This same trio wrote "New Soaring Pilot", and Lorne and Ann collaborated to write "The Story of Gliding". Ann was, in 1973, the first woman to receive the coveted Lillienthal Medal, awarded by the World Gliding Committee for a long record of soaring and literary accomplishments.

Lorne Welch lived a long life full of dangerous adventures, safely endured. His survival-and his enjoyment of life-was due, I believe, in substantial part because of his comprehensive technical skills and his attitude about responsibility. Characteristics shared by his wife, who wrote her own fascinating book "Accidents Happen" in 1978. This book describes dozens of anecdotes of accidents in aviation, sailing, diving, and mountain climbing and weaves in lessons on preparedness, skill, and attitude to help make these dangerous activities safer. (If you can find a copy, it's a great addition to any pilot's library and a helluva lot more interesting than Knauff's "Judgement Training Manual" which covers the same material.) In so doing, she notes ". . . [our] regulated and protected world has resulted in a fairly massive loss of those qualities of self-reliance, even of individual responsibility" The Welches obviously believed in a life full of carefully considered risk-taking, coupled with a healthy distrust of over regulation and over protection. An attitude painfully absent from today's litigious American culture.
-Jim Kellett

The duPont Regatta

The duPont Vintage Regatta will be held September 18, 19 and 20th at Eagles Nest Airport, Waynesboro, VA. The Shenandoah Valley Soaring Club has taken ownership of the event this year and is handling all of the affairs. That means that all we have to do is show up and have a good time. Well, that's not exactly the truth. Skyline Soaring will be participating in the event to the extent that the Pawnee will be in Waynesboro that weekend to help with the towing. The club gliders will also be taken to Eagles Nest, to give club members a chance to participate in the activities and fly at a new airport. For those not familiar with the event, it is an annual celebration of a flight taken by Richard duPont in 1933, from the Waynesboro area to Frederick, Maryland setting a distance record for gliders at that time. A historic plaque is on the Afton Mountain overlook of Rt 64 noting this flight. The event has been held many times at different locations sponsored by different organizations.

For several years it was held at Waynesboro, and for the past couple of years it has been held at the New Market Airport with organization by Skyline Soaring and the Vintage Soaring Association. This year, it is back at Waynesboro. The activities are centered around soaring and will include several excellent examples of vintage gliders. Note that when gliders age, they become vintage, not old. For historical reasons, seeing these early gliders is a good reason to attend. The plans are for a dinner/dance Friday night in one of the hangars at the airport. Eagles Nest has a really nice hangar to hold this type of event and sounds like fun. As an added kicker, SVS is hoping to have Tom Knauff speak to the attendees on soaring and related topics. Tom is a well known soaring pilot, instructor, racer and hearing him speak sounds like a great opportunity. Saturday night, after the flying, a dinner is scheduled at the South River Restaurant in Waynesboro. The organizers are hoping to have Karl Striedeck speak at that dinner. The SSA Regional competition will be held the same weekend at New Castle and they are hopeful that they can obtain his services for the evening. Of course the focus of the event is flying. We hope to have participation from MASA. They bring a towplane and have a Schleicher K-7 that is in great shape. Jan Scott usually shows up with his plane which has been pictured in the SSA calendar. Picture yourself flying in Miss Daisy amongst this august crowd. The dates are September 18-20, the location is Eagles Nest Airport, Waynesboro, VA, make plans to attend.
-Ralph Vawter

Meet the Member-Ed Lehr
I was born in Texas in 1956. After a stint in the U. S. Navy where I had the privilege of serving under Captain John S. McCain, I returned to Texas and worked for various companies as a computer professional, designing and administering systems and databases for Continental Airlines, Pool Energy (Oil and Gas), and Houston Data Management (records storage). In the fall of 1995, I moved my wife and (then 15 year old) daughter to Richmond, VA to work for Signet Bank. I left Signet when the buy out by First Union was announced and went to work for Oracle Corporation as a consultant, working primarily for the Department of Defense and some State agencies. We love Virginia, especially the cool weather. My other passion is fine cigars. When I'm not working or flying, I can be found at my cigar club, Stogies, in Richmond where a chair has been named in my honor and my cokes are free (that's because I pay their electric bill each month). My first flight was over ten years ago in Texas. I had been toying with the idea of learning to fly (power), when I saw some TV commercial with a modern glass sailplane in it. That sight sparked an interest in motorless flight and I heard from someone that you could get intro flights from a club (Houston Soaring) just west of Houston. I went to the field, waited for hours to get a flight in a Blanik. I had been flying computer simulators and reading a lot so my first shallow turns were notthat bad and I talked the pilot into doing some stalls for me. I loved it of course. Though the club members explained to me that I could learn to fly for free, I was put off by the idea of taking years to get my license. I also got the mistaken impression that this is a rich man's sport. Anyway I didn't pursue it further until recently, when I went to a commercial site (Keystone Gliderport) to get my primary training. I am happy to have found Skyline. The site is great and the members are personable. (In fact, I have yet to meet an unfriendly glider pilot anywhere.)


"...if you are looking for perfect safety, you will do well to sit on a fence and watch the birds..."
-Wilbur Wright
SAFETY CORNER

Did you know that the FAA actually requires that "pilot decision making and judgement" be taught?? (See CFR 61.105(b)(12)). Naturally, the FAA doesn't define "pilot decision making" or "judgement"--but then again, given the FAA's track record in being clear in its other documents, maybe we're better off if they don't define it!!

Seriously, though, your skill in making judgement calls can mean the difference between life or death-or between being bored or scared-or even in being an accomplished soaring pilot or not! So whatever we do to improve our judgement and decision making will definitely be good for us, and for sure won't hurt us!

Pilot decision making and judgement is what we use to balance any risks we take against any rewards we might gain for taking that risk. And let's be perfectly clear right now that, having chosen to be a pilot, you have already chosen to accept risks-so don't start talking about being risk-free unless you have abandoned flying. Having said that, let's consider how to know which risks to avoid because they have little or no reward. This is the real core of the pilot judgement issue, because what's a risk for pilot A may not be for pilot B; and pilot C may be seeking rewards that are uninteresting to pilot D. That's why it's only your judgement that bears on your flying. Let's illustrate.

Pilot A has about 200 hours in gliders, and holds a private license, but no FAI badges. He's 19 years old and drives drag racers on weekends he's not flying. Pilot B is 50 years old. He's an ex-military helicopter pilot (Viet Nam vet) who got a glider rating (and his Bronze badge) in less than a year, and has also accumulated about 200 hours in gliders. The risk that pilot B takes, by flying ridge and thermal over 30 miles from the gliderport, is not nearly so great a risk as taken by pilot A on that same task! Pilot A knows that rules are for sissies, that he's invulnerable, and since the conditions are good he's going to go for it. Pilot B knows that he can get hurt if he's not prudent, that the knowledge he has about flying is valuable and useful to him, and that as long as he carefully manages his final glide calculations, he can safely enjoy a good day. Both pilots seek the same reward, but the risk to pilot A is much more than the risk to pilot B.

Pilot C (let's just say Tom Knauff) seeks the rewards that accrue to a holder of world soaring records. That's fine for him. He takes great risks to achieve those rewards-flies in marginal weather, over dangerous terrain, and over long periods of time under unbelievably stressful physical conditions. He has practiced for years by flying tasks in small increments of increasing risk to develop skills that are rare among soaring pilots. Now let's take Pilot D-who shall remain unnamed-who holds a Diamond badge (so obviously has good soaring skills) but has no interest whatsoever in flying for records of any kind. The judgement that pilot D demonstrates on a typical cross-country flight for an FAI badge is very, very different from that which would be demonstrated by Tom Knauff. Note that this is not saying that Tom Knauff exercises poor judgement by flying under conditions that pilot D considers, correctly so, to be dangerous! What it does illustrate are two sets of rewards (cross country flying vs. world record flying) that are connected by a continuum along which the individual pilot's judgement (not an external framework of rules) defines what degree of risk is acceptable for the rewards being sought. These pilots seek different rewards, some of which are inherently more risky than others.

Good judgement is hard to teach, but it can be learned.
- Jim Kellett

1-26 for Sale
Tom Bird is going inactive and is offering his 1-26 and trailers to club members before they go on the open market:

"I wanted to let you know about my decision before I advertised my equipment for sale. As you know, I have the 1-26 and trailer as well as another open trailer built by Bob McNeil in Texas. It was designed specifically for 1-26's. I wanted to offer the equipment to the club first. I would give the club a great deal, my way of saying thanks for everything. If necessary, I could hold paper for awhile."

We'll hope to have Tom back as soon as possible. In the meantime, this is an excellent opportunity for a Skyline member(s) to get into private ownership at a good price.
-Joe Parrish

Skyline Students
A new Web-based glider ground school: http://www.sharpnet.com/glider/ This ground school is geared toward the Private Pilot-Glider knowledge exam, and provides a number of innovations (at least in the glider community) in instruction toward the exam. The course cost is $79 (books extra-available on the site; $10 rebate if you mail back a copy of your passing exam sheet) and is 90 days or less in length. I've had a chance to evaluate the site, and I must say that I'm impressed. The basis of the course is a series of HTML pages that present the course content. There is some use of audio, animated GIF's, etc. for visual aids, but they are not obtrusive. (Actually a bit on the simplistic side.) It uses form-based stage exams which are graded and returned to the student. There are regularly scheduled chat sessions with the instructor, in addition to e-mail feedback. They will mail you a signed approval to take the knowledge exam upon successful completion of the phase tests and final exam. Please check this out if you need to take your knowledge exam.
Your (potentially) out of business ground school instructor,
-Joe Parrish

The Firmament WILL rise up and smite thee... On June 21, 1998, at 1130 hours Pacific daylight time, a Glaser-Dirks DG-800B, N98NL, crashed short of the runway at the Jean, Nevada, airport. The glider sustained substantial damage. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, suffered serious injuries. The personal flight was originating at the time and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. Witness reported that the aircraft was very low on the final approach and was oscillating. The aircraft impacted the terrain short of the runway in a level attitude. The cockpit was crushed and the pilot was removed by paramedics. The pilot reported that he lost elevator control. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector from the Las Vegas, Nevada, Flight Standards District Office examined the aircraft. He reported that the bolt connecting the pushrod to the elevator was found in the fuselage, but the attaching nut was not found. The aircraft had a total time of approximately 4 hours.

Check this out if you want to see how a truly honorable corporation handles itself:

http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/Unfall-DN-e.html

I checked out the URL [listed above], as Joe Parrish recommended. The pilot who was seriously injured, David Noyes, was at Julian when I took Tom Knauff's course. It was a shock to recognize his photo. He told me that his son used to fly gliders, but was injured in a stall/spin crash, making this recent accident especially tragic. David is one of many pilots who have given me insights into soaring, and I hope his doctors are right and that he makes a full recovery.
-Jonathan Kans

Log this...

  • July 25th, Kevin Fleet successfully completed the Silver badge altitude climb (climb of 1000 meters, about 3300 feet.) The badge award is still subject to a reading of the baro by the folks with the magnifying glasses at SSA headquarters in Hobbs but it looks like he got it with a margin of about 300 ft.
    -Mike Cordova
  • On July 13th, Bob Michael achieved the altitude and duration parts of the Silver "C" badge. With tow pilot Jim McCulley as Official Observer, and radio support from "Skyline Ground", Bob kept the Sprite up for $97.20 worth. Then spent the next hour helping shut down the operation and doing paperwork. Yes, those nifty badges have to be earned! Congratulations, Bob !!!
  • Well founded gripe-During preflight, I found a loose wire on the AS-K radio. It turns out that the wire came off the connector "it's been like that for 2 weeks" some time ago. NOBODY told me. No phone call, no e-mail, no sluggish ( it's hot ) native runner. Now I know how Bill Vickland feels when he finds old problems with the Pawnee. Bill and I would both MUCH rather hear about a problem multiple times than not hear about it at all. If you see something that you can't fix yourself, tell the person responsible for the plane. Notes in the DO log aren't enough ! End of gripe.
    -Fred Winter


  • Welcome new members:

    Gregory S.(Greg) Ellis 5111 Kings Grove Ct. Burke, VA 22015 H (703) 978-4217 W (202) 647-9821 gsellis@erols.com

    David Brunner Moody Hall 102 James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA 22807 Work: (540) 568 2508 Home: (540) 568 7964 brunnedj@jmu.edu

  • G. Norman Crump's correct mailing address is 9843 Pleasant View Drive, New Market, VA 22844-9618. The e-mail address is acrump@shentel.net.

  • Jonathan Kans has a new address and work phone: 7835 Archbold Terrace, Cabin John, MD 20818-1105, work (301) 435-5977-home phone is the same (301) 229-5720.

  • Hey, guys--one of you pick up my extension cord??-It's an orange one, wound on an orange reel like the one we use for towropes. It normally hangs on a nail on the west wall of my hangar, right next to RM's trailer. When I went to use it it was missing!! (Looked in all the obvious places where someone who might have borrowed it would have left it, but no joy.)
    -Jim Kellett
  • Editorial observation-I hope we don't get sued by the member or visitor who breaks his leg trying to stomp the living daylights out of that damn rubber snake!
  • Hoop dreams down under:- Pilots flying aircraft into the Northern Australian region of Torres Strait may soon be doing so at their own risk. Insurers are reportedly threatening to withdraw coverage on aircraft because windsocks at the remote strips may wrongly indicate a no wind condition. Turns out the islanders are throwing coconuts into the windsocks for basketball practice.
    -from www.avweb.com

The Badge Board
The Club's new, improved Badge Board is now on display in the Training Room at the New Market Airport! Check it out on your next visit to the Club!

The Board is a large (ca. 4' square) magnetic board (donated by Shane Neitzey) which displays the SSA and FAI Badge status and the FAA License status of each actively flying Skyline Soaring Club member. In addition, there are posters provided by the SSA which describe the requirements for the various accomplishments. Milestones listed include the A, B, C, and Bronze badges; Silver C Altitude, Distance, and Duration; Gold C Distance and Altitude; Diamond C Goal, Distance, and Altitude; Lennie I, II, and III; and FAA ratings for Private and Commercial Glider, Flight Instructor, and Towpilot. (Did you know that Skyline boasts three Diamond pilots (Bill Vickland, Bela Gogos, and Shane Neitzey), and that one of them - Shane's - was earned entirely with flights out of New Market Airport??

The SSA and FAI Badges mark a progression of soaring skills that is rather more meaningful than the various licenses awarded by the FAA. They provide a clear series of steps of increasing challenges which accurately measure the soaring performance of a pilot. The early badges-A, B, C, and Bronze-comprise a perfect checklist for the pilot who aspires to do cross country soaring, since they take you through a series of skills essential for the first safe and successful flights "out of the nest".

The A, B, C, and Bronze badges are administered by SSA Instructors, and can be issued "on the spot". The SSA in Hobbs administers the others, which have more complex requirements for documentation. All soaring pilots should get a copy of Jackie Payne's excellent "Badge and Record Book", available through the SSA for about $20, which describes in detail the requirements for all the badges, how to document them, and hints on successful flying to get them. (Suggestion: On your next Biennial Flight Review, talk to your instructor about reviewing one or more of the requirements for one of the badges!)

The Badge Board is maintained by the Club's Loyal Scribe and Chief Weekday Weenie (Jim Kellett). Please tell him [<Jim@Kellett.com> or (540) 678-4798] when there's a change or addition to your soaring badge!

Starting Soaring-Day 1 Flies, Flys, Pilots and Palm Pilots
Well, it's late in the evening as I finally put pen to paper, quite an irony for a technology coordinator-but that is another story! Today was a day of firsts, but before I begin the story proper a few words to fill you in on my background-I'm a Brit (well, that's not quite true and is another different story altogether) at least I sound like one and can be easily taken for one. I am living here in Harrisonburg and working at JMU-living and working in the US is something I have wanted to do for some time now, as is a long held desire to fly. This goes way back to my University days some 25 years ago when I wanted to get a flying scholarship for which I passed the exams, the aptitude tests and then failed on eyesight. In the mean time I had a couple of one-week gliding courses in the UK, but a winch launch to 1100 feet gives little time to develop any real skill; so, having arrived in the US I decided to try once again.

First of all, how did I choose Skyline Soaring? Well, as a technologist that was easy, a quick search on AltaVista with +Virginia +Soaring +Club gave me what I wanted in just a few minutes, how did I choose? Pot luck really (along with seeing a very cool web site [Another victory for your fearless webmaster. :) -web ed]), a quick look at the map and I can see the club is about 20 minutes away in the car and decide to give it a try at the weekend.

So, Saturday arrives, the weather is overcast but seems OK, a quick look on my map and its North on 81, West on 211 and follow the signs to the airfield, well at least that part was easy-even if I do have to remember to drive on the right (wrong for me) side of the road. Arriving at what appeared to be a deserted airfield, I asked the guy with the mower where I could find the gliding club-he gestured to a small pavilion (by pavilion I mean four vertical poles with a canopy) over the other side of the field. Having done this before I remembered an important fact... planes land at airfields (no... really) so check before you walk out across the landing strip. Fortunately, I did, and just as well as the tug (the plane that tows the glider up to release height) was coming into land and I would have been regarded as a total jerk had I just wandered across the strip at that time-quite rightly so!

When I get there, I'm met by Dave and Joe-the greeting was warm and genuine, they asked about where I was from, what glider experience I had in the past, told me about the club, the planes, introduced me to the other members and made me feel very welcome and very much at home. Gliding conditions were good and Joe and Jim set off for a flight along the ridge of the Shenandoah mountains which took them about an hour, so I had time to complete the paperwork for temporary membership, be issued a log book, and prepare myself for my first flight! Joe talked me through the pre-flight checks, helped me adjust the harness and rudder controls and then-it was time for the take off. Nervous? Surprisingly not at all, some may just say that I'm just too dumb to have nerves, but I had complete faith in Joe and the glider.

Well, lets just say that the tow was not typical! The air was very choppy, it seemed we were being buffeted left right and center, in fact we even released the tow early because of it. But, once the tow line was released, the feeling of freedom and exhilarationwas tremendous, just a gentle hiss of air passing the canopy and the patchwork of the fields below, mountains east and west and a breathtaking view of the valley-just amazing. Some people say its better than sex, but I make no comment! Now it was a case of learning to think in 3-dimensional space and control a craft that probably has at least 4 degrees of freedom of movement. Unlike the average automobile that has 4 wheels on the ground (usually) and goes in the direction in which you point the wheel (more or less) a glider does no such thing (for me at least).

My recall of basic technique and mastery of the plane and elements were dubious at best! Sadly, the flight seemed to be over far too soon (ok, so it is like sex!) and there was not much to say in the de-brief except that it was not a typical flight. So, waiting for the weather to look less ominous, we chat about the club and the members-coming as they do from all walks of life.

Time for my next flight, that is after I help retrieve the single seater that has just returned and after Joe gives me some basic instruction in the aerodynamics of a wing and the relationship between ailerons and the rudder. This time the flight was much smoother, I felt more at ease with myself and more 'in tune' with the glider itself. This time we concentrated on coordinating stick and rudder pedals, making turns and controlling the attitude of the craft. This time I actually felt that there may just be some hope that I may master this, a nice approach and a good landing-I felt much happier! When we returned I was given the opportunity for a third flight, I gulped thought about the damage to my already pathetic bank balance and said yes. Again a nice smooth flight and I was feeling OK, but then about 2/3 of the way through my brain and my feet lost contact! My control became very sloppy and Joe had to do more than he or I had hoped for-so a word of warning, don't underestimate how exhausting it can be!

So, that was it, my day was over and it was time to get the craft into the hanger-this in itself is some sort of fiendish spatial awareness test with only inches of clearance from the doors! But, with plenty of help (yes-even new members are expected to stay around to help) it was quickly done. All in all, a rewarding day-what else do I recall?

Pilots-they all seemed to have "Palm Pilots" but this is not as yet a club requirement! Also, be prepared to help out, if you join you will be expected to be there not just for the ride, but to be an active member and as such I now have my log book and my first three flights logged. Be prepared and even if you just have one or two flights and then decide its not for you, I can still guarantee you a great day out-will I be back? Of course.
-Dave Brunner