No safety lectures or strategic planning this month. I've been thinking about why I love this sport so much. It's all about feelings.

The feeling when you hit a really nice thermal, and the glider is lifted as if by some enormous invisible hand. You know you'll get lift all the way around, and your next big decision is where to go with all that altitude...

The feeling when you've flown an almost perfectly planned pattern, and you're stabilized on final. The airspeed is nailed, the crosswind correction is in, and all you're doing is modulating the touchdown point with the divebrakes. Sometimes these few seconds are the most relaxing part of the flight...

The feeling when watching your former student take their first passenger for a ride. All of the exercises, studying, and practice lead up to this...

The feeling when you've been getting shaken (not stirred) in the rotor, and then suddenly you transition into the smooth, laminar flow of the wave. It's as calm as when you're sitting in your living room, and if not for the beeping of the audio and the altimeter winding up, you wouldn't believe you were ascending...

The feeling when you release from tow at Signal Knob and move down onto the ridge and realize that it's really working, and you're on your way to your first turnpoint...

The feeling when we're all at dinner at The Mill, and someone says something funny and everyone laughs. The other patrons look at us with part wonderment and part wishing they were in on it, too...

The feeling when a student "gets" aerotow, after many flights of struggle and frustration. It's almost as if a big light bulb goes on over their head, and suddenly it starts to seem easy...

The feeling when you put the trailer lid down after a nice flight, where you challenged yourself and experienced new things. "Good night, sweetheart..."
-- Joe Parrish

There is still some discussion about the best procedure to use when hooking up the gliders. Basically:

Pawnee taxis to 30' (or so) in front of glider

Wing runner gets the slug and brings it to the glider. (Checks the tail of the rope is visible in the slug.)

Attaches the adapter (if needed). (LS4, Schweizers, Russia..)

Pilot inspects Rope/Adapter and checks tail of the rope is visible in the slug.

Wing runner attaches rope and moves to outside of wingtip, and indicates to tow pilot takes up slack.

So far so good.... its what happens next.

Tow pilot continues to taxi until:

???? Glider moves forward, ok unless the brake is on.

???? Tow pilot feels slug go down tube?? Can we be sure?

???? Wing runner indicates "stop", what prompts this?

The problem encountered is that the glider being jerked forward can cause the tow rope to be over-run and snag the rope, this is a problem with the ASK (cuts the rope at the slug) and any of the CG gliders (I guess) and even caused an early release on the 1-26 recently. So what I want is a method that will pretty much work for all ships... The worst case is for the tow pilot to take-off with 10-20' rope still on the drum.

My preference would be for the glider to sit (without brakes on) and the towplane to taxi forward until the wing runner indicates stop (hands crossed over head), then if any slack has developed in the line, the wing runner pushes the glider back to take it up. If there is a problem with the ASK wedging the slug against the ground, why don't we use a short adapter like we do for the other ships??? My 1.999cents worth.
-- Dave Brunner

One problem I have experienced is the wing runner giving "stop" before the rope is tight (the rope may lift as the inner "slug" enters the tube and emits the "clunk"). When that happens I have to creep forward on T.O. until I see the glider move, to avoid snapping the rope.

I like to stop at a 45 to the glider and watch the wing runner hook up, and then clear of the rope. I then taxi forward until the "clunk" and the pull on the rope from the gliders brake or skid. If the wheeled gliders release the brake gently now, they might not roll forward much.

For the early part of this taxi (while still close to the glider) the wing runner is out of view in the mirrors. If the wing runner stood behind the left wing (but clear of the horizontal stabilizer) to give the "take up" signal and then slowly moved to the wingtip as the towplane taxied away, communication would be improved.

As the wing runner looks to clear the pattern and checks the speed-brakes closed, they should also check that the rope is not being wedged between the"slug" and runway. Dave's idea of an adapter for the belly hook gliders has merit, but we would have to be careful and tighten the rope slowly to avoid having the "slug" hit the belly like a hammer.
-- Bill Bentley

Meet the Member-Tom Garner

I was born in a wee small town in Ohio so I could be with my mother. That was in '36. Dad worked marine construction (dams, bridges, etc.) and we moved a lot. By the time I graduated college I had attended 17 schools.

From the time I was a boy I knew I wanted to fly. I read all the flying books, some twice ("God is my Co-pilot"). After graduating from the Illinois Institute of Technology with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering I was commissioned a 2ndLt in the USMC. While attending The Basic School at Quantico a guy came in one day and asked, "Does anyone here want to fly?" I almost threw my arm out of joint as I snapped my hand into the air. I went on to Pensacola for primary and Kingsville, TX for jets. Received my wings in the fall of '60. Lucked out with an assignment to El Toro, CA where I lucked out again by flying the last of the FJ4B (F-86 to Air Force weenies).

After the FJ's were retired I flew the A4D-2N (later known as the A4C). Did a tour in the Far East dropping bombs, shooting rockets and some other highly classified fun stuff. We were day and night carrier qualified, but that's a book in itself.

My last tour was on the ground at Quantico where I suddenly realized there might be life after the Marine Corps. I took an afternoon off and drove to Washington National Airport and accosted guys wearing airline pilot uniforms. I asked how they liked airline life and how they liked their particular airline. Their enthusiasm was overwhelming. That evening a wrote my letter of resignation.

I went to work for American Airlines and had a thirty year career before retiring in 1996. Had a little time in the BAC 1-11, about a year on the MD-80 but primarily flew the 727 domestic and international plus check-airman for 2 1/2 years.

When living outside Warrenton I would watch the gliders from the Warrenton Soaring Center drift overhead. I said, "Damn, I've got to do that!"
-- Tom Garner

A lackluster Saturday afternoon, two sink rides in the morning and the wrong end of the tow list as I kicked my heels under the tent. In the hot humid atmosphere, even the airport dog couldn't raise the energy to eat the food I flicked his way, ok so it was a candy covered peanut-way too much effort for the reward offered. The glass ships had long since gone, 081 sat forlornly on the flight line and the tow plane was there, so, why wasn't I flying? The answer was simple, I was nervously waiting for Bela to return in his beautiful ASW-20, so that I could fly it.

"Now David", said Bela, "she wants to drop a wing on take off, if it does, you must release. And when you land, if you are below 55 knots she will pancake, and above 60 you will run out of runway. Also, she will want to drop a wing as you roll out. But she is easy to fly, just like LS4." These words were going through my head as I sat waiting. As before, when I flew Jim's Cirrus and Joe's LS4, I felt both nervous and excited, each one offering a new challenge, a new experience and a chance to join the ranks of the glass flyers-albeit for just a short time.

Eventually, after what seemed an age, Bela returned after the longest flight of the day and it was my turn! My cockpit briefing had been mostly about the use of flaps, for this flight I was to leave them in the '"thermalling" position and not to worry about setting them to the high speed cruise or high rate of descent landing positions. Everything else was pretty much as you would expect, ASI (knots), Altimeter and L-Nav etc. The cockpit provided a very prone position and I was a snug fit with the parachute. One feature I really like is the instrument cluster raising with the canopy. I gave my wallet to Greg (now there's trust!) as it was preventing me from having clear access to the gear lever and trim. The spoilers looked awfully small for such a slippery ship, and as with the Cirrus, I would be launching with a CG hook.

This time just spent 'sitting in the cockpit' is invaluable, its not until you have been in a new position for 10 or 15 minutes do you begin to feel at one with everything, you mess with the rudder positions, adjust the trim, feel the lightness of the controls. I closed my eyes, touched everything and mentally noted what it was. It is interesting but as I sit writing I can close my eyes and 'know' where all the knobs and levers are, and where they should be.

Time to go, just the same feelings of nerves and excitement as before, a short prayer-please don't let me drop a wing. I could feel the sets of eyes watching me. A thumb up to Bela, a rudder wag and Hotel 3 and I were on our way. It was the sort of calm and benign day you need for first flights, I couldn't have wished for more. As if on rails, Hotel 3 and I took to the air, rising majestically, quickly, quietly and without fuss. I could feel Bela smiling as he watched us go-as a proud parent watches their child. On tow, the Pawnee looked very close, and Dick treated me gently as we climbed towards 3K, as if to remind me we hit some turbulence and I needed to react and get H3 back where it should be, but now it was time to let go. Look, release, bank right, gear up a quick 'thank you' to Dick and we were free.

As always, the sheer beauty of soaring leaves me lost for words, the late afternoon sunlight glistening on shining white wings, the gentle hiss of air though the canopy vent, the world turning beneath me, long shadows cast over a patchwork of shades of green. The ridge, pale and misty in the haze-it just doesn't get any better than that. There wasn't much lift, but that was OK, I was where I wanted to be for that moment in time and that moment will last me a lifetime.

I flew at different speeds, noting attitude, listened to the L-Nav chirp, felt the bank, slowed down to 45 knots-there is little pre-stall warning with this ship, so I mentally noted the attitude and sped up. I flew on down the ridge and worked what little was bubbling off the crest, no need to stray too far, just enjoying the moment. Meander back to the airfield, across the runway at two thousand feet and now beginning to think about the pattern and landing. Bela had told me to enter the pattern at 800' and at 1000' I ran through my checklist: Flaps-leave them in the same position, Gear-down and locked, little or no wind, check spoilers, trim for 55 knots. I could feel my pulse increasing. I feel in good position, opposite "09" at 800 feet. "Hotel 3, down wind, landing runway 27, pavement, Front Royal."

The runway looks a long way away, but I know I'm not in a 1-26 and fight the urge to turn too soon. I fly on past the "27" numbers, spoilers partly cracked, looking down and right, that looks about right, I announce and turn base. A touch more spoiler, I turn to final and seem a long ways out, the "valley of doom" before me, but I know I'm not. Speed nailed at 55 knots, my aim point 50 feet beyond the numbers, half spoilers now, the aim point is fixed on the canopy. I can feel the eyes watching me from the ground. The runway comes up to great me, flare and we are rolling down the runway, I relax just a little. Speed slowly bleeds off, no need to brake, the wings stay level and we slowly approach the turn off-a touch of brake and silence..

These words are for Bela (and Susan too)

Bela, you are an inspiration to us all, your courage, your kindness and generosity underlie the reason why the spirit of soaring is alive within our hearts.

Thank you so very much,
-- Dave Brunner

Club members often wonder why we insist on doing a positive control check each flying day with our gliders, when it's "not really necessary". It's easy to think it's not really necessary, knowing the history of how we came to make the rule. In recent years past, several very serious accidents were caused by pilots assembling their gliders incorrectly or incompletely. And remember, most glider pilots store their ships in trailers, and assemble them each time they fly them, so this is a non-trivial concern. On the other hand, since we almost NEVER disassemble our Club gliders, there's a legitimate question as to why we insist on it at the start of each flying day.

Soaring Safety Foundation recommended that everyone include a positive control check after assembly. Being the safety conscious freaks that we are, we decided that requiring that check before the first flight of the day would instill a habit that would hold over into the days when a member may own his/her own glider, when such checks would very clearly be a critically important thing to do. That's how we came to make the rule.

On Thursday, May 25, Club member Scott Stevens was performing the ritual positive control check on our beloved Miss Daisy. All went well, until he attempted to deploy the left spoiler (the right one had worked perfectly). There was no spoiler deployment at all! We soon discovered that, during the control check, a critical linkage in the spoiler controls had catastrophically failed.

Fortunately, the Club's Maintenance Officer (Bill Vickland) was on the field at the time, and we immediately turned to John Muia (the mechanic on the field) who immediately went to work on the part and had it repaired and the plane back in service before the end of the day!!
-- Jim Kellett

I will be teaching a Private Pilot-Glider ground school at the AV-ED Flight School facility in Tyson's Corner, VA. The course will be conducted in four six-hour sessions; the class dates are Saturday and Sunday June 17-18, and Saturday and Sunday June 24-25. The course is oriented toward preparing for the FAA Private Pilot-Glider Knowledge Exam, but will also address topics that will improve flight proficiency and safety for all glider pilots.

Course tuition will be $185. Books and course materials will run approximately $85 if you don't already have such items as the ASA Test Prep Manual, SSA Soaring Flight Manual, FARs, E6-B flight computer, sectional plotter, etc. I can provide these items at a small discount. Course registration should be handled directly with me; please e-mail me at joe@parrish.net or call me at (703) 834-3228 for more information or to register.
-- Joe Parrish

Here is a really useful tip from Mike Cordova for all you folks who keep your log books in hours and minutes (as oppose to you tenths guys).

Total the following times: 1hr 36mins.. 2Hrs 51 mins.. 36 mins.. 1 hr 25 mins... and 47mins. Got the answer??? (If you haven't go back and work it out before you go on)

OK, the "MC" method is as follows, you use a regular calculator and enter time as H0MM, so for 1hr 36mins you would enter "1036" then add 2 hrs 51 mins as "2051", now if the last two digits are greater than or equal to 60, then you add 940 and continue the process.

So the above becomes:

1036 +
2051 +
 940 +
  36 +
 940 +
1025 +
  47 +
 940 =
= 7hrs 15mins

Why does it work? Well imagine 35 mins + 25 mins, that equals 60, now add 940 and we get 1000 which is 1 in the hours column. Nice one Mike...
-- Dave Brunner

I think the whole flight can be summed up in a limerick which may be a toss up as to which was/is better, the flight or the limerick.

Once upon a booming day
In the merry month of May
I was taken by surprise,
When the ridge lift quickly dies.
Who wants to go to New Castle anyway.

If you attribute each of the nine letters in BOOMERANG to 1/9 of the roughly 150 mile trip, I came outcomfortably with a 'B.' Three times that distance and I would have qualified for a 'BOO.' Oh, me.

I guess I was the first to launch at about 11am of all those planning to leave the field. Off tow at 2K in reasonable lift a mile or so down wind of Signal Knob. The drift away from the ridge suggested that the ridge ought to be working. I pushed over forward and got there with a couple hundred to spare, and was gratified to find sustaining there. There was a nice forward component to the crab needed to hold position, which prompted a more aggressive nose nose down attitude to settle in at ridge top. There were several strong thermals along the way that showed 5 to 600fpm at the 55/60mph I flying. As I recall the last of these was at the hang glider site where one of these guys circling in that thermal shot up past me about a mile away. After that the ridge softened returned somewhat to make transition across the ravine (aka Collier's Gulch-a long story) on to the face of Mt Jackson. Here the lift was into a prolonged lull which forced me to leave the ridge to look for a thermal save with what little altitude I had left. I went through the max L/D search procedure finding some feeble nibbles around the town of Mt Jackson, but to no avail. A short landing pattern into a nice large freshly plowed field, and that was that.

Then the fun started. A guy in nice new van had seen me land, and came down the dirt access road to where I was, and gave me lift back up to a 7-Eleven on the main drag while occasional emergency vehicles were going by us in either direction. The guy I was with said he thought all the commotion was due to my 'crash' and suggested that I call 911 and get it turned off which I did. And in a couple minutes an ambulance pulled up behind me siren going full blast. I was in the midst then of trying to call crew Tracy and Al Dresner, who had come all the way from DC to help crew, and had to hang up because of the noise. Anyway they turned the noise off, got out, and asked if I were OK. "Yes, I think so." I needed to sign a form indicating my refusal of service, which took a while since they were working with a newly delivered set of forms with which I was as familiar they were. We finally found the dotted line where I was supposed to sign and did. Another fellow with his son were there taking all this in, and when it was over he offered to drive me back FRR, because he wanted to see the gliders anyway. So he drove me all the way home. I offered to buy ice cream cones on the way, and even glider rides when we got back, but got no's to all offers. I wasn't quite sure how to take the glider ride refusals. Maybe they were thinking, "With this guy we might end up at Mt Jackson with our car still at Front Royal." Hummm. The End.

'289'
-- Bob Collier

Bob, I found the same conditions in 3Y only 15 mins later.

I must be a better pilot than you, though, as I didn't crash and no emergency vehicles needed to be dispatched. I landed on the grass strip at Franwood Farms, and had a nice chat with Larry Long and his family and buddies-who were gathered to drink beer and watch the Winston Cup race via the satellite dish that is attached to his hangar. David "Dream" Weaver crewed for me and did the retrieve.

Will look forward to my next chance to follow you down the ridge. Let's try for at least the first "O" in BOOMERANG this time!
-- Joe Parrish

• As a Chapter of the Soaring Society of America, Skyline enjoys a unique relationship with the SSA and the Soaring Safety Foundation (SSF). One result of that relationship is providing well-thought out and professionally produced materials to the Club to promote effective instruction and to promote safety in all aspects of our sport.

  The latest products are two short videotapes (one is a bit more than 4 minutes, the other about 9), called "trigger tapes", that deal with known safety issues. The first two in this series deal with glider assembly and takeoff. The third, which will be delivered to us in a few weeks, will cover the ENTIRE Soaring Safety Seminar presentation at the SSA Convention in Albuquerque!!

  You can find "The Take Off" and "The Assembly" in the center drawer of the desk in the hangar-the same place you can find the Club's 2000 Safety Meeting tape. They provide a great way to productively kill a little time when you know there's going to be a wait for a tow, or you're early, or the weather's turned sour, or..... just take them to the FBO and ask the management to let you use the VCR/TV combination in the pilot's lounge. PLEASE DO NOT TAKE THE TAPES AWAY FROM THE FIELD!!!!

  Have fun, fly safely. It's YOUR responsibility.
  -- Jim Kellett

• Those of you who already know Tim James & Lisa Sergent will join me in being thrilled to hear of their return. Those of you who don't know them (yet) will have to take my word that they are terrific people and great Club members. Together, they own a 1-26 (painted in Blue Angels regalia-Dick Otis eat your heart out), a Blanik L-33 Solo, and a Cessna 172. Where to put all these aircraft is a big issue for them, but that is a problem many of us would love to have. Tim is a criminal investigator for the Navy, and packs a weapon, so ALWAYS be nice to him. Lisa is a computer training system developer, and it's a good idea to be nice to her, too, even though she doesn't usually pack a weapon.

  Anyway, please join me in looking forward to their triumphant return to the Club.
  -- Joe Parrish

• I got a new work phone number: 703 318 6425
  -- Piet Barber

• Once again, we have a new member to welcome. Chris Williams is a Marine Corps Captain, currently stationed at the Pentagon. He has some hang glider time but was grounded after his landing gear folded up a couple years ago (he fractured his ankle). Chris is to be found at...

  Chris Williams swilliams3@osd.pentagon.mil

• And here's a member whom you met last issue (that is if you read this rag) and whose address keeps being dropped from the newsletter. Not this time!

  David Weaver david.weaver@home.com

• Several times in the last few weeks, Reggie's early warning of imminent bad weather has helped us make good, timely decisions. That capability stems in large part from having access, in the Terminal building, to a near-real-time radar and satellite coverage. See, http://intellicast.com/LocalWeather/World/UnitedStates/Radar/

  Looks like an excellent free service, plus one worth checking with frequency at the field.

• The spares for the tent have arrived, and it is now repaired. Please, let's all try and keep it in good repair by:

  A) Opening/closing it as per the instructions (it really only needs 2 people).

  B) NOT pulling the stakes up by the legs.

• I've received an updated copy of the PowerPoint presentation that Carl Herold presented at the 2000 SSA Convention in Albuquerque regarding transponders in gliders. I've uploaded it to the Club's server, and it can be reviewed by clicking on the following URL: </docs/Transponders/TRANSPONDERS_files/frame.htm> Apologies on behalf of Bill Gates for the fact that certain normal punctuation marks get garbled when one uses his software to convert files between two of HIS programs (PowerPoint and Explorer) - you will notice that as you move through the presentation you will see really weird symbols in odd places - - but they don't really obscure the message that Carl brought to the convention, which is one I personally believe is one that deserves a lot of attention and thinking, because there are NO easy solutions to the problems he identifies.
  -- Jim Kellett

• The club now has available to it on loan a "Club Car" for use at the airport. It's a 1984 BMW 318i, (the same people who powered the Fw190) and it can be found-with the key in the ignition-in Hangar 5 at the airport. You will also find the Club's chairs, DO box, and ballast weights for the K-21 in the car.

  It's close to being a clunker, but it's paid for, insured, titled, and registered. It has value to its owner, even though it's in pretty rough condition. PLEASE DON'T ROUGH IT UP ANY MORE THAN IT IS!

  Some "rules"- NO UNLICENSED DRIVERS!! No exceptions. Third gear is pretty much shot. Avoid using it at all (shouldn't be much of a problem). Leave the gear that gets moved around the airport in the car. Saves work. In the next few weeks, I'll take the passenger seat out to make a "cargo bay" on that side. Check the oil. I'll leave oil in the hangar if it needs it. It'll need it-it smokes like crazy. When it gets below 1/4 tank of gas, take it to Citgo, fill it up, and include the bill in that day's logsheets for reimbursement. Leave the rope tied to the ring under the rear bumper. Put it in the trunk if you need to take it off-airport. It tends to idle a trifle fast for walking a glider along. Please try to minimize clutch-slipping; it's actually less bad to get the clutch out and GENTLY brake if it's rolling too fast. DO NOT open the sunroof. The seats are VERY poor-springs are shot, and there are cushions under the seat covers.
  -- Jim Kellett

• Check these locations to download a copy of the current Ops Manual: http://skylinesoaring.org/docs/opsmanual27.pdf http://skylinesoaring.org/docs/frrappendix.pdf

• Thanks to Bob Downing for providing the Club with a TV.

• Congratulations to Tom Garner, one of the Club's newest members, who earned his "A" badge in pretty near record time! Well Done!

• Thanks to Miriam & Greg Ellis for taking the initiative for the club cookouts. Now if the weather will only cooperate their efforts will bear fruit.

• I have placed a clipboard with hook/pen/pad with the DO box, the page is divided into AP / PM and it can be hung on the tent frame. When you arrive it is your responsibility to add your name, if you need a check-ride in the morning and then want to fly solo later, add to both columns. DO's when you see someone arrive, ask them if they want their name on the tow-list.
  -- Dave Brunner