Dear friends, my apologies for the brevity of this column. As the date of nuptial bliss approaches, I am spending lots of time on key issues such as tablecloth color. By the way, which wedding anniversary is fiberglass?
-- Joe Parrish

Our Club is constantly trying to optimize fun and safety. Last year was an amazing one for the Club, with many pilot certificates and badges achieved, but with no accidents. On a less formal basis, we also had many wonderful flights-and probably a scare or two as pilots found their limits and hopefully learned in the process.

If we were to decide to ensure safety at the expense of fun, then we should simply leave the planes in the hangar and watch the birds do it. Conversely, committing aviation without due consideration for safety will ultimately result in pranged aircraft and pilots. There are few endeavors which are less forgiving. So, how does one find the correct blend of fun and safety?

A good example of this is our approach to cross-country flying. We recognize and foster cross-country flying as a key part of the Club's activities, and have established mechanisms to permit cross-country flight in Club equipment. But this type of flying must be done with the recognition that there are risks, and we choose to emphasize training in a controlled environment to prepare the student for a safe and successful career as a cross-country pilot.

While I don't feel that there is necessarily a direct tradeoff between the two parameters, it does seem that too much of one will somehow result in a deficiency of the other. So, a balance is necessary. And like a tightrope walker who is constantly making small wobbles and adjustments, we must continually refine our approach to ensure that we maintain our "balance".

If you have thoughts on how to better achieve the best balance of fun and safety, please let me know. It's never perfect.
-- Joe Parrish

(Or "Tell them What You're Going to Tell Them; Then Tell Them; Then Tell Them What You Told Them") So, here's what I'm going to tell you: Did you see Chief Member Weenie's note? (see Log This) I was a bit surprised to see that TWENTY EIGHT members were actively working on a rating! Here's another number that may surprise you: the Club currently has FIVE active flight instructors! Hmmm..... now, let's see; there are 52 weeks in the year, or 104 weekend days and 52 Thursdays, so there's about 156 maximum days available to match up those 28 members with one of the 5 instructors. No, we don't fly for at least six weeks during our winter down time, so the maximum is really only 138 possible days. And there are some days you have to mow the lawn on a weekend and sometimes we can't get a towpilot or instructor...and others it (gasp!) rains. I don't know what the real maximum number of operating days in a typical year might be, but I suspect it's well below 100. And, now I'm telling you: Here's another factoid that affects how well and quickly one learns to fly. You need to fly often. The actual learning-mental and physical-is reinforced, and reinforced very much, by currency. Good flight instruction more often than not results if you fly several times on a given day, and also if the flying days are close together. This is a phenomenon that's even more important in the early stages of flight training, although currency will remain important to you in being a safe pilot for the rest of your life. (That's the real reason the Club started weekday operations several years ago: so that new student pilot members could get in several days of intense flight instruction (3-10 flights in a single day) to get them off to a good start. Over time, weekday operations have become more and more popular with all members.) Obviously we have a conflict here that involves the need to fly often accompanied by one of our few instructors on those few days that are available to us to fly! And the ringer in all this is that as a general rule, it's impossible for a CFI(G) to instruct more than about three pre-solo members on any one day! Your Club Flight Instructors-all volunteers, by the way-are a scarce and valuable resource that should be managed wisely. It is actually a waste of their valuable time and energy to drag out an instructional program while other members are held back in frustration. If you've met the aeronautical requirements for your rating, you are abusing your fellow members by wasting your instructor's time by taking him along as ballast while you soar! Of course that does NOT mean that ANY pilot-even other flight instructors-should avoid calling on a Club instructor to work on a problem or an issue that needs attention. Maintaining every pilot's skills is absolutely essential to our overall safety! But a flight instructor's time is valuable and must not be trivialized.

So finally, here's what I told you: YOU NEED TO SCHEDULE YOUR INSTRUCTION TIME WITH AN INSTRUCTOR IN ADVANCE! And stick to it. And be prepared for the instructor to say "no, I'm already booked up with all the instruction I can handle on that given day, let's schedule some other time". Yes, you may in the short term find that there are some days you don't get to fly when your schedule permits-but you'll find that when you DO get to fly, you'll get more effective instruction that moves you along quicker toward YOUR personal goals, including being a safer pilot. If you don't schedule, and you drive out to fly, and the flight instructor says "not today", don't be disappointed. Instead, use the time to wash a wing. Or watch a safety video in the hangar. Or help out in some other way (there's LOTS of work to making this Club "happen"). Then talk to your instructor about scheduling some time(s) for YOU.

There are also general priorities that your instructor and/or Duty Officer will apply to the use of equipment as well as the services of the flight instructor. They are, for the instructor:

FIRST priority, scheduled pre "A" badge full members getting flight instruction

SECOND priority, scheduled post "A" badge full members getting continuing solo checkrides and/or

dual in preparation for a checkride

THIRD priority, various checkrides (e.g., BFRs, etc.) for full members

FOURTH priority, scheduled Temporary member flight instruction

FIFTH priority, unscheduled Full member flight instruction

SIXTH priority, unscheduled Temporary member flight instruction For the equipment, the priorities are:

FIRST priority, for the use of the instructor in meeting priorities one through three above

SECOND priority, for Full member post "A" badge aeronautical experience or recreational flying The flight instructor on duty on any given day may alter these priorities given the particular circumstances. For example, Full members flying Club equipment for FAI badge legs and who have reserved the equipment may pre-empt the above priorities.

We've made it easy for you. There's a roster that accompanies each of Phil Jordan's newsletters. Rosterfuhrer Bob Collier provides accurate and timely notices of Instructor schedules to all of you by e-mail. That same schedule is updated on the Club's website within hours of any change. You ALWAYS know who's scheduled up to a month in advance to instruct on any given day. The website provides an automatic e-mail list to every instructor in the club (see the "Membership" page). Chief Member Weenie John Lewis has just sent each of you via e-mail a complete roster of members which includes the home phone numbers of all the instructors. There's simply NO good reason for anyone to NOT be able to plan in advance a training session with a Club instructor. Sometimes that planning can be done weeks in advance, sometimes the night before. But the tools are there. Let's do it right.
-- Jim Kellett

Had a Reno layover July 3rd.

Halfway from O'Hare to Reno I pull up the Atis (ACAR's, it's wonderful, prints it out and all...) and note the reports of standing lenticulars to the east and northeast of Reno. Upon arrival, I'm treated to a view of stacked lennies into a setting sun, really pretty stuff. As we descend we start picking up turbulence. Our Jeppesen flight manual company supplement warns of the strong turbulence from the "strong mountain wave activity." It's that turbulence that every soaring pilot knows and loves yet fears a little bit also, the air is almost electric from the instability. Yours truly rolls that MD-80 on into a nice crosswind on speed and on the spot with a nice little thump and its up to the gate and off to the casino. Yes, we layover in a casino and I promptly flush 25 bucks down the drain before I snap to my senses and go to my room.

Anyway, 14 hours later we're back at the airport and I see a newspaper that says a "dust devil" had swept through a carnival the day before ripping up canopies and awnings and lifting some of the concrete weights that hold them down into the air. One lady injured and taken to the hospital. This is the second occurrence in 3 days.

Climbing out of Reno, I hear departure calling out traffic to another airliner. Two gliders at 14,000 over Minden.

I try to explain the significance of all this to the guy next to me. I can tell he just doesn't get it.

I thought you all might.
-- Fred Mueller

The 1-26 Championships at the Texas Soaring Association were held from July 19 through the 26th. Of the eight days, seven were contest days which requires that at least one-third of the fleet must make 30 miles or more. There were 23 1-26s entered. In a parallel contest, seven or eight motor gliders conducted their own race.

The contest was won by Pat Tuckey (459) a TSA member who has gained a reputation for speed in the 1-26. His tasks included speeds of from 45 to 50 mph. Pat has also flown the PW-5 in the World Class meet in Poland. Second was Bob von Hellens from Phoenix and third was Ron Schwartz, my friend from New Jersey. Both of the latter have won previous 1-26 Championships. I finished fourth overall.

The tasks ranged from 55 miles to 104 miles with thermal strengths averaging around 350 fpm. Only the last day was a typical Texas day with more frequent thermals of 600 to 700 fpm.

Bill Bentley and Dave Brunner were enthusiastic participants gaining in skills every day. Both have gained a great respect for skills required for cross-country flying and both seem to be captured by this aspect of soaring.

The US Air Force Academy was represented by three beautiful E models including six team pilots, two of whom were women. They all graduate this year and hope to get access to a 1-26 to participate as individuals next year.

Next year the contest will likely be conducted at Peak Soaring at Pueblo Colorado. The conditions there may include thermals with strengths of 1000 to 1200 fpm with tops at 18,000 feet. Oxygen is a must. This location is not nailed down yet, but it looks good at this time. This contest will also likely eliminate the turn point photo requirement and permit inexpensive GPS units as data loggers instead.

Tom Pressley from Albuquerque Soaring made a presentation demonstrating how $150 to $200 Garmin GPS units can be used for scoring. Other makes may also be used but must be verified first.

So, all of you potential cross country pilots, get some XC time and land-outs instead of your regular sled rides, and be prepared to travel to Colorado next June. I will leave it to Dave and Bill to find out if it is worthwhile.
-- Bill Vickland

Many thanks to everyone who sent cards and e-mail to me during my recent surgery and hospitalization. Your thoughts and concerns, and words of encouragement meant a lot to me, and Kit, as well. My treatments are going well and I feel great. See you at the field.
-- Marty Carson

It was a superb soaring day, no doubt about it, you could have soared a plank and yet I was stuck on the ground watching Greg fly our 1-26. sigh. There were instructional flights in the ASK and so that was tied up too, oh well. I kick my heels, throw some food to the airport dog, the usual stuff when you're stuck on the ground. Into this scene of gloom steps George Hazelrigg with guest Fawn, and he asks me if I'd be willing to take her up in the ASK at his expense. I ask you, is the Pope Catholic? We eagerly wait for the "K" which lands about 30 minutes later.

After some insistence Fawn agrees to plaster on sun-block and to take a bottle of water, she draws the line at wearing a hat though! I introduce her to the ASK, and run through the usual intro stuff and away we go. Off tow at the ridge and straight into a thermal, there was lift just about everywhere. We fly out to the Strasburg Quarries, wave to George in the 2-33, join a gaggle west of FRR then out across the Valley over to the Skyline Drive, follow the drive for a few miles and then back toward FRR. All the time giving the usual explanations of what we were doing, where the lift was and so on and so forth. Our hour almost up, I ask Fawn if she wants to stay up. she does, so I radio down and no-one else wants the 'K' so I head off toward the ridge.

It's at this time that I meet up with Greg in our 1-26 and we try to out climb each other in the booming conditions, working lift up to around 6k, for a few minutes I would out-climb Greg, then he would get back up above me and I guess I was concentrating on flying rather than talking. We had been doing this for about 20 minutes when I asked Fawn where she would like to go next. Fawn. Fawn? Fawn?? I looked behind me and all I could see was an unconscious head leaning to one side.. OMG! I thought she must have had a heart attack, a stroke. whatever it was, I just knew I was going to have a hell of a lot of paperwork to fill in!

FAWN! I yelled.. "Uh, what... oh, I must have fallen asleep, it was just so calm and peaceful" came the somewhat sleepy and sheepish reply from behind me.

We then flew the next hour up and down the ridge, across the valley following the river and just enjoying the most perfect of days, we landed some 2 + hours later to put the 'K' away and enjoy a meal at the Mill.

A memorable flight for me, and one that I'm sure Fawn will remember (at least those bits she was awake for)
-- Dave Brunner

The Civil Air Patrol-Several years of hard work has finally begun to pay off.

At the convention in Arlington, Texas, the Soaring Society of America signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Civil Air Patrol. The MOU was designed to make it a little easier for the CAP to work with SSA Clubs and businesses, and thereby promote the involvement of CAP Cadets in gliding activities. This led, over time, to an increasing level of Cadet involvement with gliding-several State CAP Wings have organized very impressive Cadet encampments, and hundreds of young people have been initiated into the beauty of soaring-an experience which we all hope can and will bloom as they grow older.

On Sunday, June 23, 1996, the Skyline Soaring Club, while still at it's New Market, VA location, carried out its first joint venture with the Civil Air Patrol. Thanks to the initiative of Club President Spencer Annear and B. T. Marking of the Minuteman Composite Squadron, ten CAP Cadets got their first gliding experience! In one instance, it was a family affair, with mother, father, son, and daughter all experiencing gliding with Skyline club members. Unfortunately, the sparkplug of this initiative, B.T. Marking, soon moved away and without him, the relationship with the CAP atrophied.

In 1999, one Virginia CAP Senior Member with the Leesburg Squadron, Fred Hayman, took on the task of vigorously promoting the benefits of this MOU. Fred had been a very active towpilot with the Warrenton Soaring Center, and is now an active (part time) towpilot for M-ASA. He chose Skyline Soaring Club as the group to work with because of our track record in training and safety. He coerced one Skyline instructor (Jim Kellett) into actually joining the CAP, and Fred became an Honorary Member of Skyline Soaring Club. On June 12, 1999, seven Cadets and one senior made orientation flights at the Club's current location in Front Royal.

Partly as a result of the success of this venture, the Virginia Wing agreed to procure a brand new Blanik L-23 for the State's Cadets. Because of Fred Hayman's initiative, it was agreed to co-locate the plane at Front Royal, and to purchase tows from the Skyline Soaring Club. On April 29, 2000, the ship was delivered to Front Royal, and on May 13, 2000 a team of volunteers assembled and tied down the sparkling new ship-it had a total of 14 minutes of airframe time on it (manufacturer's test flights)! A couple of weeks later, after a visit by our friends at the Dulles FSDO, the plane's Airworthiness Certificate was awarded and it's first flight in the United States was made!

Meanwhile, on May 7, 2000, CAP Col. Carl Lyon flew SSC's Jim Kellett on a CAP mission to the Bermuda High Soaring Center in South Carolina. There, Jim was checked out as a CAP flight instructor/check pilot by the South Carolina CAP Wing's glider check pilot, Senior Member Frank Reid (who also owns and operates BHSC and just happens to be the President of the Soaring Society of America). That put in place the last key element for a full-blown glider program in the Virginia Civil Air Patrol.

While all this was going on, nearby Maryland also joined the program and another new Blanik L-23 was delivered to the Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association. M-ASA's Chief Towpilot Elmer Mooring (who'd helped us put the VIrginia Blanik together when arrived) is leading the CAP glider effort in Maryland.

The first CAP Cadet event in the new glider occurred in July 22-23, when Air Cadets from Japan, the United Kingdom, and Canada who were participating in the International Air Cadet Exchange program chose the Virginia glider program to provide orientation flights. Orientation flights were also provided for one CAP and one USAF Public Affairs Officer. This was a splendid start for our fledgling program! Several of the foreign Air Cadets were already licensed glider pilots, and one (a Canadian) was working toward her CFI. None had flown the Blanik, and none had flown over terrain such as we enjoy in the Shenandoah Valley-each Cadet had a flight tailored to his/her background and experience, and all thoroughly enjoyed the experience. (Many thanks to Skyliners John Lewis, Dick Feierabend, Jonathan Kans, and Janice Farr; and to CAP volunteer Ed Phillips, for their untiring support on the ground during this two day event.)

This could be the start of something big. Here's a way to share our love of the sport with young people in an already carefully structured program. There is plenty of opportunity for Virginia's glider pilots and glider flight instructors to join the Civil Air Patrol and expand the State's capability for providing gliding and soaring experiences for our young people. For more information, contact Fred Hayman at >fhayman@aol.com< Jim Kellett at >Jim@Kellett.com<, or Joe Vazquez at >vazquez@richmond.infi.net.<
-- CAP 2nd Lt. Jim Kellett

No one ever briefed me on how to pull a glider with a car, but if they had, I would have learned the obvious the easy way: when you're pulling a glider along, especially one with a CG hook, especially if it's a taildragger with non-swiveling tail wheel, especially over asphalt, the glider will pretty much want to roll straight, the wing-walker can only introduce large-radius turns. That means if you're driving the car and turn too fast, you'll be rolling on a different heading as the glider and the glider will catch up with you. Because it's a CG hook you won't be able to turn the glider by dragging the nose. If you get confused and hit the brakes, disaster. In fact if you do anything but turn back on course, disaster.

If you're walking the wing, and this happens, try to raise or lower the wingtip as appropriate to cause the disaster-bound wing to pass over the car, if possible. You'll likely break the rope but a square knot will fix that.

Unrelated discovery: when walking the K-21's wing over the asphalt, you can bank the glider by holding the wingtip near the ground, causing it to roll somewhat on the edges of its wheels. This will actually produce a turn (albeit large radius) without the tailwheel skidding and skipping up and down over the asphalt. With a little planning (and judicious holding back of wingtip) you can make the turn around the end of the hanger to/from the taxiway smoothly, without putting cycles on the tail boom or having to stop and realign the thing. But go slow. (probably most of you discovered this already.)
-- Judah Milgram

On Saturday, July 8th, I hooked up the Sprite trailer and proceeded to lose the spring-loaded pin that locks the trailer onto the towhook ball. Has anybody seen it? If not, does anybody know where I can buy another one?

I felt good about my 28 mile flight that day to Whitepost and back-until I read the following report:

"Lest everyone think that you need to go out west to score the big one, it may interest you to know that on July 9, Ric Niehaus ventured up to the Sac and proceeded to get blown over the back fairly low over the ridge. When he finally picked a good place to land he was 169 miles away, south of Ridgely! A spectacular flight with fairly low average altitudes and lift rates over dubious terrain at times, I eagerly await Ric overcoming his natural modesty to let us all know the juicy details-way to go Ric!!"

This flight was made on July 7 in a hang-glider. The "Sac" (Sacramento) is about 30 miles north of Harrisburg, PA. Ridgely is on the Eastern Shore about 20 miles from the Bay Bridge. Not bad, huh?
-- Kolie Lombard

• Active members now number 65 individuals. There are ... 9 Founding members in the club,
  29 Regular members,
  20 Provisional members (this number is approximate),
  1 Honorary member, and
  6 Family members.

  With regard to duty positions, we have ... 11 courageous tow pilots,
  5 brave instructors,
  19 members qualified as duty officers,
  25 assistant duty officers, and
  2 members who serve other duties vital to the club's continued functioning. The club has a total of 28 student pilots.

  I'm once again pleased to introduce our newest member to the club.

  Tim and his lovely wife Amy were having dinner at Cracker Barrel a month or so ago when they spotted Kellett, wearing his Skyline Soaring shirt. A conversation ensued and Tim and Amy came out to set up temp memberships several weeks ago. He later enjoyed himself enough to sign up (and write a check). That recruit credit gets split between Kellett and the shirts!

  Tim England is a commercial pilot type with about 5300 hours in jets. He has no previous time in gliders, though Kellett said that he's taking to it well. He and Amy live in Winchester. His vitals are...

  Tim England england@visuallink.com
  -- John Lewis

• Congratulations to Erich Carter who earned his "B" badge on July 27, in a flight that also met the duration requirement for the "C" badge! Well done! And it was all done below 4000 MSL (the clouds were-of course-at 4500 MSL), so it was not one of those easy days. Congratulations to Tim England who soloed Sunday, 30 July under Dave Weaver's watchful eye. Tim apparently found lift and began asking after the B badge requirements only missing them by about 5 minutes.

  I'm pleased to tell you that Lee Ehrhart and I just got married. Lee is currently an inactive member of the club, but has done some student flying. No, I didn't "hook" Lee with a glider flight.
  -- Tony Bigbee

• Piet Barber ponied up and bought Ralph Popp's part of the 1-36. Now he and Stacy have 3 "Sprites".

• Spencer Annear has a new e-mail address : sannear@bellatlantic.net

• Dave Brunner new address and phone number: omitted

• FLYING magazine (August, 2000, page 101) has a very positive six page article, with pictures, on the value of soaring to make any pilot a better pilot, while also emphasizing the sheer pleasure of it. Also includes a few good points on procedures and training basics. Should bring some converts to soaring!
  -- Jim McCulley

• Cass Aviation is planning a fly-in on Saturday, August 27 (rain date next day). That means there will be increased traffic on the ground and in the air, so staff should be prepared.

  It should be a great recruitment opportunity-so the Directors may well want to think about some kind of display or presentation or whatever. Anything should be worked out with Reggie in advance to be consistent with his program.
  -- Jim Kellett

• It was the 4th of July. We celebrated our countries independence and freedom in our own special way: soaring.

  After flying, we had a great cookout complete with patriotic decorations. Lots of folks brought things for us to eat and drink, monsieur le chef Brunner handled the grill, and we enjoyed each others company in a social setting. Although he was not there, Reggie kindly provided access to chairs and tables, and to the FBO building with the proviso that we leave it clean, return everything, and lock up. Thanks to everyone for helping to clean up and put things away. A fine 4th!
  -- Greg Ellis

• The Naval Air Station, Patuxent River, MD weather office has a new, un-password protected web page with nice aviation weather and graphics. http://weather.nawcad.navy.mil/ Even nicer Sat & Radar http://weather.gov/iwin/graphics.html
  -- Dick Otis

• Soaring is His Second Ranguage-The August issue of the AOPA Pilot (page 224) has a nice feature on Peter Bacqué. Peter, a CFI (multiple suffixes) is a current member of the Tidewater Soaring Society. A former Warrenton Soaring Center member, Peter is is a reporter for the Richmond Times-Dispatch. He has multiple ratings and teaches ground and advanced instrument, as well as CFI plane & glider. In this writer's opinion the crowning achievement to Peter's 5,500 hrs and 75 different types flown, is his "Japanese Mouse-Mama" story. If laughter is the best medicine, this story is its Viagra.

• Check out the last page of your AOPA Pilot and read about this Renaissance pilot. Are We Communicating?-A man spoke frantically into the phone, "My wife is pregnant and her contractions are only two minutes apart!" "Is this her first child?" the doctor asked "No, you idiot," the man shouted, "this is her husband!"
  -- Michel Margosis