The first thing that strikes me about this past year is that we have had yet another year without a reportable accident or incident. Our record is clean over the Club's entire lifespan of nine years. This is a remarkable achievement. We should be proud of our record, and continue our approach of putting safety as a top priority for every operating day. (A quick reminder that having fun is our first priority; if safety were first we could simply keep the planes in the hangar and ensure a perfect record.)

While we were able to extend our clean record, we did experience a few "situations" to remind us that we are not invincible. This year one member experienced a mechanical problem on takeoff that ultimately resulted in a runway departure of the glider and a collapsed landing gear. Another member suffered minor damage to his glider during an outlanding while at a contest at another site. While not formally reportable, each of these experiences can serve as a basis for introspection on our own procedures and preparation. Each pilot has been very open about the lessons learned from these experiences. Repeat to yourself: "It coulda been me." And then think about what you can do differently in your own flying to minimize the risks. We'll be discussing these important issues at our annual safety meeting at FRR on Saturday, February 17.

The law of probability says that one day our streak must end. While still respecting the law, we can commit to ourselves on the morning of every operating day that today won't be that day.

Hanging Chads

Speaking of meetings, our annual membership meeting will be held at FRR on Saturday, January 27. Arguably the most important thing that we do at this meeting is to elect our board of directors. At this year's meeting, two seats (Kevin Fleet's and Fred Mueller's) are coming open. The Club delegates almost of all of its decision-making authority to the board, so the directors have an extraordinary amount of influence over the direction of the Club.

We are accepting nominations for board membership; please strongly consider serving in this important role if you are a full member. Even if you decide not to run, please carefully consider your choice on the 27th. By the way, we will not be using punch card ballots-we use the hand-in-the-air method. Hanging limbs will not be counted.

Thinking Ahead

Now that pesky questions such as whether or not the year 2000 represents the new millennium have been rendered moot, we can turn our full attention to the future. This is a good time to think about what you like about our Club, and also about what can be improved. In the latter case, please go beyond simply identifying the problem by suggesting possible solutions.

We are still a small enough group that each member can make a significant difference. We are bound together only by our enjoyment of the sport of soaring, and we each have different backgrounds, skills, and desires. Because of this, we have a tremendous pool of talent from which to draw as we plan a course for our Club in the new and coming years. Everyone has something to contribute; please think about what you might offer to make our Club even better.

See you at the field.
-- Joe Parrish

Annual Meeting: 10:00 AM, Saturday, January 27, 2001. Terminal Building, FRR. Bring your own chair! Annual Safety Meeting: 9:00 AM, Saturday, February 17, 2001, Terminal Building, FRR. Bring your own chair! (Reminder: members MUST attend the safety meeting (or view a videotape of it) before flying in 2001!) We're also going to try to make February 17 the first day of scheduled operations in 2001. If the weather cooperates, we'll have the safety meeting and as soon as it's over, hop right into the annual field checks, etc.

Into Thin Air- Or- Shane and Dave Do The Wave

On 27 December 2000 Shane Neitzey and myself departed Manassas on an expedition to find the Great Monster Allegheny Mountain Wave at Petersburg, West Virginia. We rendezvoused at Front Royal around 0800 to pick up my glider (LS-4a - 3Y.)

Shane led us through the back roads to highway 55 West towards Wardensville, WV. This route cuts off considerable distance and avoids significant traffic. If you ever wondered how to get to the base of Signal Knob on the ground, this is how you do it. Just turn left out of the airport parking lot. You know, toward that little hill that the cars come over trying to kill you every time you leave the field. Follow this road until you get to Route 626. Then follow 626 until you get to 55 West. Route 55 West will take you all the way to Petersburg. This is a very scenic but mountainous route. Its fine if the weather is good but I wouldn't want to try it with snow and ice on the road, especially if you're pulling a glider trailer.

We arrived at Grant County Airport (W99) at 1000. W99 is a beautiful field. It has a long runway, lots of hangar space, a good instrument approach system, a brand new FBO building and absolutely no air traffic. Shane and I accounted for 100% of all aircraft movements at W99 on 27 December.

Petersburg is a beautiful location. Located at the foot of the Alleghenies, the rivers and mountain vistas are truly a sight to behold, especially from the air. If it weren't for the pickup trucks and "Welcome Hunters" signs at the convenience stores we could have been in the Swiss Alps.

The weather on 27 December doesn't look to promising to me but Shane says, "This is great". As we begin to assemble the gliders the ceiling is about 4500' broken to overcast and the wind is light and variable on the surface. I am not impressed but Shane points out the longitudinal break in the overcast defining the boundary between the primary and secondary waves so we continue to prepare to launch.

Shane invited me to take the first tow and helped launch me. I released at 4,000' MSL in pretty good wave but I couldn't climb any higher than about 5,000' due to the ceiling. I wasn't really interested in flying high anyway. I had just finished Tom Knauff's book on Soaring Bald Eagle ridge and I was very interested in exploring the ridges south of Cumberland down to Seneca Rock. I headed south of W99 for about 10 miles and found varying conditions. At times I could fly along at 110 knots and still show 8 knots up on the variometer. I was in the secondary wave on the east side of the main ridge (New Creek Mountain). I really wanted to try out the ridge but I wasn't in a very good position to do so. I flew back toward the airport and attempted to penetrate upwind to the primary wave but lost too much altitude. We just didn't have enough to work with because the ceiling was so low. Meanwhile Shane was using the get high and stay high philosophy as I flew out the bottom of the wave. After descending out the bottom of the wave I was forced to thrash around in rotor for 30 minutes to climb back into the real lift.

After we landed, Fred Bane was kind enough to shuffle around some aircraft in their main hangar so that Shane and I could keep our gliders assembled overnight.

The 28th of December dawned cold, windy and overcast. I didn't hold much hope for flying at all but as I drove out to the airport I could see the overcast starting to breakup. As I arrived at W99, the sky started to clear from the northwest but snow showers still filled Hopewell Gap, the large cleft in the ridge just west of the field.

Shane and I discussed the strategy for the day and decided that a tow to the main ridge (New Creek Mountain) was in order because the wave did not appear to be working. Shane again gave me the honors and I launched around 1000. I released at 4,000' MSL, approximately 800' above the ridge in very turbulent ridge lift. I radioed back to Shane that the ridge was working and told him that I would stay north of Hopewell Gap until he released. As I awaited Shane's arrival I worked a short portion of the New Creek Mountain ridge about four miles long. At times the lift was very strong and sometimes it was nonexistent.

After he released, Shane called to tell me that he had towed somewhat higher and found himself in the primary wave climbing through 6,000' at 9 knots. I replied that I was really happy for him but I was pretty busy right now as I was stuck down low on the ridge. The ridge was not behaving as we had anticipated and I came to the conclusion that it was being washed out by the primary wave. As I was having this academic discussion with myself and 3Y, I found that I was slipping below the ridge level on the windward side. I decided to concentrate on a small section of the ridge just north of the Gap that was intermittently providing strong lift. I thrashed around at ridge level for an eternity until I gained enough altitude to make a complete circle in what was clearly the rotor from the primary wave. I worked the rotor like a small powerful thermal to claw my way up to 5,700' MSL. Upon reaching this level I entered the glass smoothness of the primary wave. It wasn't particularly strong but it carried me to nearly 8000'.

It became clear that I could stay here for the rest of the day but I really wanted to explore the ridge further to the south, down to Seneca Rock, for a future diamond turn point. I told Shane that I was heading south. I crossed Hopewell Gap and started to cruise the 14-mile stretch down to Seneca Rock. Less than half way there the sink started increasing and I decided to turn around and head back north of the Gap into the wave lift. The headwind component at my altitude was 33 knots on the GPS and the sink was getting worse. By the time I arrived on the ridge north of the Gap, I was back down to ridge level again. So much for exploration. Meanwhile, Shane was still at 8,000'.

I worked the rotor for awhile but eventually decided that I'd had enough thrills for one day and headed back to the field for an uneventful landing

Petersburg has some great potential for cross-country flights not just those altitude diamonds. It's also a very dramatic place to fly. If you're interested in an expedition to the Mountains contact Fred Bane at Romney Flying Service, Inc. (304) 257-4435.
-- Dave Weaver

Good times were had by all. All two of us that is. Dave Weaver and myself.

We arrived at Grant County Airport December 27th to see lennies. By the time we assembled and launched the openings through the clouds were too small. Let's say, 95% cloud coverage. Snow was falling from the foehn wall, as usual. What was not usual was the stationary snow/virga coming off the lee side of the primary lennie. Cloud base was about 4500 msl and winds aloft about 20 kts. Initially I was towed to the ridge to find snow, turbulence and no lift. I then fell back to work the secondary wave for two hours. It was booming, 100 kts IAS with flaps-3 and zero sink. I found the secondary wave was working as low as 1800 AGL over the airport.

6 am Thursday; winds 13 kts gust 24 right down the runway. By the time we launched the surface wind had calmed. The winds aloft were another story. Dave towed to the ridge and announced it was working. I tried to get to the ridge but found, guess what, WAVE. Another unusual day for wave. The winds up to 5000 msl were about 30/48, the winds at 8000 were 02/35. No standing wave clouds, just some sporadic wisps at 6000. The wave was as sporadic as the clouds, disorganized and in very small areas. Dave later announced the ridge was not so hot. I returned to the airport after 3 hours with cold feet and a frozen relief system. You don't want to know. Well, maybe you do. Later.

The photo shows Dave at a thousand feet below me with the Dolly Sods Wilderness Area in the background, I was over the Valley-of-Doom at 7500.

Fun Fun Fun,
-- Shane Neitzey

The neat thing about landing out is that you always learn something new. My landout of November 12 was no exception. The ridge was easy flying down the first third, with a brisk northwest wind. However, once on Mt. Jackson, the wind turned distinctly northerly and I ended up flying uncomfortably close to the ridge. Once there at the bottom of Mt. Jackson, I knew I'd not be able to head back up the ridge with that headwind and didn't wish to trythe bottom section of the ridge either. I headed out into the Valley looking for thermals to get me to New Market. There were none, but I did spot the small private airstrip at Franwood and easily landed there without difficulty.

As soon as I landed, I was met by one, then several airport dogs. They were very friendly and seemed to enjoy watching me drag Tweety up towards the road where Fred Mueller was coming to retrieve me. Hoping to save some time when Fred got there, I started to remove the safety pins, bolts, etc. from Tweety. To keep them in one place, I dropped each in my hat, which I'd put on the ground next to the cockpit. Having removed most, I was standing inside the cockpit trying to get the last one, a drag spar pin which was way in the back. Once I was contorted into position to get this pin, I looked over my shoulder to see one of the airport dogs carrying away my hat in it's mouth. All my pins and bolts inside and the dog was already in the grass, ready for a nice hat and bolts snack.

Thankfully, my yelling got the dog to drop my hat, not run further away with it. It took a few minutes to find the bolts in the grass, but I couldn't stop laughing at what could have happened if that dog had run.

Lessons learned are two. First, beware a northerly wind shift when you're flying the ridge. Second, don't put your bolts in a tasty looking hat.
-- John Lewis

It seems surprising that as little as 50 years ago, we knew almost nothing about the nature of mountain waves and the awesome power that they have. This book is primarily about the Sierra Wave Project of the early 50's but it also charts the course of our first tentative steps into the monster and beyond, and I for one, couldn't put it down!

It is well written and contains plenty of pictures, the classic being that of a P-38 soaring at 30,000 feet with the props feathered-not bad for a 7-ton glider! There are some wonderful observations and one of my favorites is the description of wave flying as being "Smoother than smooth air" and that being in the wave , despite the smoothness you can feel the energy (my paraphrase as I can't locate the quote).

There are descriptions of flights up to 40,000 feet with a vertical velocity of 50mph-up, of flying through destructive rotor in ships that we now class as vintage (Pratt-Read's best L/D 24:1). Cloud flying with 1" of frost on the inside of the canopy, and of temperature so cold that it could freeze your eyes in an instant.

To anyone who has flown in wave, you will marvel at how these guys stayed alive, if you have yet to make contact, then this book may just give you an inkling as to what you are in for. Either way, if you have a few dollars left after Christmas, this is one book I would recommend.

Get in line... Dave Weaver is next in line
-- Dave Brunner

Carlos Roberts donated this copy of Robert F. Whelan's "Exploring the Monster" to the Club, our first volume in what is hoped to be a cooperative lending library housed in our hangar.

This book is about soaring in mountain waves, and includes an extensive history of the "Sierra Wave Project", a DoD funded project in the early fifties to do research on standing waves and jet streams around Bishop, CA. Many of this country's pioneer soaring pilots, several men and one woman, performed many research flights in the late forties and early fifties, quite literally discovering the structure of waves as we know them today.

The book starts with the first known wave flight, in Germany in 1937, and goes on to provide much interesting stuff about the "big names" in American soaring. But probably best of all, the book has dozens of incredible first person stories about the early days of learning what these things were-soaring flights in which a P-38 Lightning soared, engines feathered, from 13,000' to 30,000'; documented rates of climb of over 50 mph (yes, that's miles per hour!); flying in outside air temperatures of -100F; and more. It is an absolutely delightful read. You'll not only learn a lot of stuff about waves, but come away with a sense of awe at the courage and resourcefulness of these pioneers.

There is a little tag sheet on the inside cover and if you want to get on the list, add your name. Please just pass it on to the next person on the list. The last guy should leave it in the hangar with the other materials (magazines, videotapes) already there.
-- Jim Kellett

I have made a number of contacts concerning a possible backup towplane, but given the change in plan, the club will not be pursuing these. There are two 1958 vintage Cessna 182s coming up for sale in the spring, one with a run out engine for $30,000 and the other with a new engine for $40,000. Both are rigged for towing and neither has IFR instruments.

If anyone or any group of Skyline members are interested in forming a syndicate within the Club, I will be happy to continue my contacts with the owners. It is possible that the 182 could be insured within the club so that it would be available for rental by members or for use as a backup towplane.

As another option, such a group can locate an old and inexpensive 172 and convert it to 180 HP. This would require some work by the syndicate, but it is possible that the group could have a 180 HP 172 with new Lycoming engine for $30,000 to $40,000.

The cost would depend on the number of members. It would not make you rich, but having it available to the Club would help write off some of the costs.

I am not interested in buying in at this time, but I might exchange A&P labor for flying time. I will coordinate to get all interested parties together. Five seems to be a magic number with the insurance companies to obtain cheap insurance, but if it leased to the Club you would pay the higher rate.

Let me know if you are interested.
-- Bill Vickland

One major contributor to the success of our Club is our approach to open communication. We have many conduits for communicating amongst the members, ranging from informal chats under the ops tent and at the Mill, etc., to the Club newsletter so expertly edited by Phil Jordan, to our various mailing lists. Any member who has an opinion on anything has many different avenues to express that opinion.

This is not a new issue, but it seems that events in the past, oh, month or so have inspired a dramatic increase in non-soaring-related messages posted to the skyline-members mailing list. Some of you are active in posting these messages, some read and respond, and others simply read or ignore the messages completely.

There are many different opinions on how to handle this issue. Some feel that any message that is not directly abusive should be permissible; others favor an approach that restricts the message traffic to soaring-related messages only.

I am writing this particular message for a reason. I have received input from members that some of the non-soaring-related messages are offensive to them. I doubt that the posters of these messages felt that they were offensive, but this is a very personal thing and it is a mistake to assume that others will react to things in the same way that you do.

So, what should we do? I am reluctant the establish a firm rule on this, as we have already have enough rules and regulations to govern the operations of the Club. On the other hand, I would ask that posters please consider the tone and content associated with their messages.

The only common thread that we share is a love for the sport of soaring. Perhaps a good heuristic before posting is to ask yourself if you would be upset if someone posted a message that was equally powerful, but from the opposite perspective. If we are unable to come to consensus on this issue, it is possible that we will need to implement a firm rule that all messages posted to the Club's mailing lists be soaring-related. Let's try to avoid that outcome.
-- Joe Parrish

The Club's website is becoming more and more crucial to the Club's operations, so it helps when we find ways to make it easier. Here's a few tips for ways to better exploit the site!

1. We're trying to keep the "Events" page up to date. For example, it now lists several key Club meetings in January and February, and looks forward through the entire 2001 season. You might want to separately bookmark this page in your browser just so you can check it from time to time-it's at http://skylinesoaring.org/EVENTS/

2. You may also want to do the same thing with the Club's duty roster, which can be found at

http://skylinesoaring.org/ROSTER/

3. For you Palm owners, Piet Barber's made it possible to automatically download the Club's roster and latest newsletter directly to your PDA every time you hotsync! This is a really cool application. If you haven't already, become an AvantGo subscriber. Once that's done, go to the channel management page. From AvantGo Channel Management page, hit "create channel", type in the titles and URLs I listed below, and set the pages to "download images". Install the software that AvantGo has for your pilot (If you haven't done it already) hotsync up, and you should be all set. Duty roster and web roster on your handheld. (So you know who your ADO is when he stiffs you!)

Skyline Duty Roster:
http://skylinesoaring.org/skyline/WAP/roster.html

Skyline Newsletter:
http://skylinesoaring.org/skyline/WAP/news.html
-- Jim Kellett

Our aging Pawnee is having lots of work done. Corrosion on three of the aileron hinges will require replacement, and several of the fabric reinforcing panels for inspection ports need to be replaced. The wing panels, top and bottom, in the exhaust stream appear to be corroding. Actually, I found that it was only the paint on the wing fairing that was corroding. The underwing panel that looks so bad is really caked with soot. These cannot be repainted right away, so John will complete the annual without our doing anything with them. I will tackle stripping and painting them when the weather is warmer (55 degrees or more). The alternator is shot and will be replaced. The prognosis is for a return to service either late next week or into the following week depending upon repair of the ailerons and the arrival of a new alternator.

John has found a good deal on tires (20% less than Spruce and 8 ply) with an FBO that is going out of business. I have ordered six additional sets of tires which should give us a complete year's supply.
-- Bill Vickland

The new year is rapidly approaching and with it another season of fun in the air. By Jan 1st you should have your 2001 club dues($240) plus your SSA dues($55) in to me, so that they become available heavy bill payments due then. I expect to be mailing out invoices soon, but you will have saved the club some change, if I receive your payment before I get to your invoice.

Those of you new members who paid SSA dues sometime during this year, and did NOT receive any of SSA's benefits should identify the check(no. and date) you used to pay SSA dues. I now have from SSA of whom they think our members are. So, if you can show you paid last year, and you're not on SSA's list. This situation indicates that we must have neglected to forward your payment to SSA. This being the case, you will NOT need to pay for your SSA membership in 2001; the club will pay it for you. But if your name IS on SSA's list and you didn't receive benies, SSA has offered to pay your 2001 membership. So, if you paid this year and didn't get benefits, either the club or SSA will underwrite your dues for 2001. Fair enough? Attention New (those who joined us in 2000) SSC Members: The following is a list of SSC members whose names do not show up on SSA's membership roster at all or as being associated with SSC.

# Tom Davis,
# Tim Lewis,
# Judah Milgram,
# Lisa Sergent/Tim James,
# Chris Williams
Tim Ethridge,
Janice Farr,
Nate Ferguson,
Bill Gaylord/Mary Macke,
Stan Pawlowski,
Chuck Ridings
Carlos Roberts,
Warren Smith,
Dave Weaver

If you're on this list, and there is a '#' in front of your name, I am aware that you paid for your SSA membership in 2000, and did not receive any SSA benefits (among these a subscription to "Soaring" magazine), and there's no action required on your part. If you're on the list with no '#' before your name, and you did pay SSA dues ($55) through SSC in 2000 without receiving benefits, please let me know the check number and date with which you paid RIGHT NOW!!!

Lots of folks have misplaced the treasurer's address. It is:

Skyline Soaring Club
358 Windsor Lane
Winchester, VA 22602

-- Bob Collier

There is a new video that is aimed at trying to get young people into soaring. It is called, "Soaring, Your 'Sport' for the New Millennium."

It is a FAI video, filmed in New Zealand, produced by John Roake (NZ Gliding Kiwi editor), and directed by Gavin Wills. Not only that, but it is financed by Schleicher, Schneider, Schempp-Hirth, and Stemme.

Much of it is familiar to those of us who have seen the NZ videos, but it is all well done. It begins with Lucy Wills' lessons, goes on to the Worlds, and has some great video of flying in the Southern Alps. I have just watched it and it is very well done. Currently it is done in English, but they are working on German, French, Spanish, and Swedish.

Anyway, the video is cheap! Only US$2.90. Yes, that's right, less than three bucks each! Of course, there is one catch-there have to be 100 copies ordered to get that price. They suggest giving one of these videos to each new ride or inquiry, thereby promoting the sport. I might suggest sending them to local schools or use with the SSA/EAA Young Eagles Program. How can we pass on a deal like that? Where else can you get 100 twenty minute videos for less than 300 bucks? They hope to place 100,000 videos world wide.-Raul Blacksten

Just to let you know, that the SSA has purchased this video in bulk and it will be available at or below the $2.90 price in quantities less than 100 from the SSA in the very near future.
-- Jim Short, 1st Vice-Chair, SSA

Many members who braved the rain and fog for this year's Christmas soiree at Bob and Tracy Collier's house (Thanks, Bob!) took advantage of the serious discounts on books and calendars there! (In fact, no less than 33% of the initial inventory of books was purchased, and we weren't even able to stock the Soaring Flight Manual yet!!)

Calendars (which, unlike texts, have a finite shelf-life!) didn't sell so well, though-and we still have 21 of these left!

All the inventory will be put back in the hangar at FRR, on the table behind the Pawnee where the shirt boxes are all stored. There's a price list in the box. Feel free to drop by any time and pick up whatever you would like-just MAIL the check to Bob Collier, 358 Windsor Lane, Winchester, VA 22602, and PLEASE check off on the price list how many copies of what you actually purchased (our crude form of inventory control!) Later in 2001, we hope to actually put in a display bookshelf and keep it stocked all the time.

Calendars, however, are a bit of another story. The discount you get as a Club member is really the elimination of the high shipping cost that SSA charges-so if WE have to ship them to members, it's no longer a win win situation. Therefore, there will be NO SHIPPING of calendars... If you want one, you must pick it up from the hangar. The Club also gets a serious refund deal-so ANY CALENDARS NOT SOLD BY JANUARY 10, 2001 WILL BE RETURNED TO SSA!

Despite the politics, despite the election, despite the lost bet(s), despite the cold, despite mindless chatter on the e-mail, despite the jokes, despite the waits for instruction, despite the messy hangar and the empty gas tank on the car, despite the missing logsheets... like our nation's system of government, our Club is an organization that's still, with all its faults, the very best one around! So a little deviation from my regular sigfile here to our many dear friends in Skyline.

Warmest wishes for a new year of nothing but green air.

-- -From Pat and Jim Kellett (and Cirrus N8169)

• New email address: I am now a bigfoot. fredmueller@bigfoot.com .
  -- Fred Mueller

• I am moving-Although we bought this nice 3-level single-family house (also in South Riding), in its current state, the house is nothing more than a [small] muddy plot of land. In addition to that, our premature sale of our current townhouse leaves us in a 2 bedroom apartment until around May. My address, for at least the next 6 months, is that crowded two bedroom apartment at:[withheld]

  My moving to the apartment forces me to lose my cable modem, so away goes my pietb@loudoun.com address. Please send any email to pietbarber@yahoo.com , until I can find another e-home (which will be very soon, I hate webmail)
  -- Piet Barber

• December 7th-A great day to end the Weekday 2000 season! Eleven flights with four members!

  And one first solo (congratulations to Stan Pawlowski on his first solo glider flight and his "A" badge!) Stan's first solo was 38 minutes (in thermals, not wave) and he brought it down deliberately so others could fly. Plus, he bought the beer. Nice guy.

• Check out my new website! http://www.pipe-stands.com
  -- Ed Lehr

• Thank you to all who have provided feedback on my reports during the year. Hope to do a better job next year. I think, however, that we can do better with the reporting and have proposed the following to the Chief Principle DO Weenie at the Holiday Party:

  Can we include a "Soaring Conditions" section in the regular DO reports? Even basic information i.e. Top of Lift (TOL), thermal strength, ridge, wave, cloud cover, significant flights etc. would help a lot. It would be up to the DO to collect this information from the pilots and then to include it in a report. I can post an easy-to-use template for the DO's to use.
  -- Kolie Lombard

• New Plastic Boy-Toy-I bought Lynn Buell's LS-4. It is still at Jan Scott's, and will for sure get no attention until after the inauguration and SSA convention.

  And members will be happy to know that the AS-K is at Gehrlein, for a full refinish. Baby will look beautiful ! next year
  -- Fred Winter

• Congratulations to Jack Downin who recently soloed the Downing's Cessna 152.

• I put a copy of "Weather to Fly" on the pile of videos in our collection on the hangar. It's about soaring weather, produced mainly from a hang-glider pilots' point of view.

  As it was a promo copy from Paul Hamilton of Adventure Productions, I'll put a plug in for him:

  http://www.adventurep.com/
  -- Judah Milgram

• Rob Mordhorst has a new home phone number: (703) 631-2052

• Check your email listing for Dick Otis: otisra@home.com

• The preliminaries have been worked out and the site for the 1-26 2001 Championships will be Ionia, Mich.

  Practice days will be 18 & 19 Jun 01, with contest days 20 thru 27 Jun 01. As the final details are worked out, the information will be passed on.

  Start planning, and hope to see you all there.
  -- Del Blomquist 144 DEQUIST144@aol.com

• The current version of the Club's By-Laws and Operations Manual can be found on the Club's website-there are links to them on both the "About" page and the "Join" page.

  ALL members should read and understand them, and we strongly advise printing out a hard copy and hanging on to it. When there's any revision made it will be quickly incorporated into the web-based documents and members can simply print out the revision.

  Club By-laws: [ PDF ]

  Operations Manual: [ PDF ]

• The Gauntlet is Thrown-There is a rubber chicken residing in our hangar. Written on it's back is "I am a very restless chicken and need to get flying. I am going to display my ugly butt here on your wall until you fly me to that OTHER glider club." On his front is "The Skyline M-ASA Challenge Chicken".

  It allegedly flew into Front Royal Airport out of Jim Furlong's glider November 5th as he orbited our field at about 4000'.

  If anyone wants to escort him home it is suggested that we get some kind of serious streamer to attach to it to make it less easy to lose when on its "final approach"!

  This very same provocatively propelled pullet (unretouched photo at left) is the feature article on the cover of the January issue of M-ASA's Convector. They are offering "Skyline pilots a relaunch, but not a tow-back. We are waiting to see if Skyline Soaring can also offer a relaunch without a pilot having to become a temporary member." (Oh, Jeez, not another exchange of electronic pro/con!)

  Outside the slanting shadows of the winter of our discontent silently cloak the vast valleys of hibernating convection which a yet unknown thermal warrior, with heuristic cunning and silent stealth, will cleverly use to deliver this feculent fowl of mid-atlantic origin to its rightful roost.