The events of the past few weeks have been a dramatic reminder of the fragility of the wonderful freedoms that we enjoy. We're fortunate that none of our members were directly involved in any of the terrorist attacks, but I suspect that many of our members have friends, family and co-workers that were involved. Our sorrow goes out to all of the victims. Some of our members have already been called up for military reserve duty, and our thoughts and prayers are with them.

As we look ahead to the fall season, I would like to suggest a few topics for further consideration.

The first is to remember that our club is comprised of a very diverse group of people-in many ways it's a microcosm of America. Our members span across age groups, socio-economic groups, political and religious affiliations, and just about any other metric that could be applied. While it is a fair bet that we are all patriots, it is also important to recognize that our members hail from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. Please consider this and remember that we are all bound together by our love of soaring.

The next has to do with the potential restrictions which may be imposed upon the general aviation community. I think we need to walk a careful line between supporting national security concerns and preserving the freedoms that we deserve as law-abiding general aviation pilots. The various GA organizations such as SSA, AOPA, and EAA appear to be doing a good job of advocating for our community, but the constraints appear to driven by the national security agencies-the FAA is simply an implementing agency. The long-term changes to airspace and flight regulations are still unknown, but it is safe to say that our freedoms will not be expanding. Please be prepared for modifications to operating regulations, equipment requirements, and other changes to increase the security of the nation's airspace.

Finally, while many of the restrictions placed on VFR flight operations have been lifted, the effects on GA businesses such as flight schools, FBOs, and aviation supply houses still linger. None of these businesses are high-margin, so any disruption in demand results in a dramatic impact. Now is a good time to take a lesson, buy some fuel, or purchase that GPS system that you've been lusting after.

On a more positive note, we're entering one of the best times of the year to be a soaring pilot. Soon the ridge will be working, the air will be crisp and clear, the fall colors will be brilliant, and we will be looking down upon the leaf-peepers on Skyline Drive. Some things never change.

See you at the field.
-- Joe Parrish

Last winter I skied 21 times, together with a LS-1 driver and most of the time we skied at Breckenridge, about 100 miles to the North from Canon City, CO. Often we raced each other down the slopes trying to improve our style and speed. Frequently I would look up at the 12 -14000 ft. peaks around us and then would dream of flying around those beautiful peaks in my LS 8 , which was already sitting in my garage at home. It was just waiting for the time that I would take her out and let it show me around those mountains from an altitude, which would provide the secure feeling that if I needed to I could escape to a runway within gliding distance.

So last Saturday (June 30) appeared to be a good one for flying, so off I went to Fremont County airport with the trailer in tow, knowing that a tow-pilot would be available around 11 o'clock. Nick Perucca, an ASW-24 owner, also planned to fly that day and he was getting his ship ready as I arrived. He would be the first one off after we decided that we would fly a triangle together, from Fremont A/P to Buena Vista ( 60 ms.) to Leadville (40 ms.) to Gunnison ( 50 ms. ) and back to Fremont via Salida which would be 110 ms. for a total distance of approximately 260 ms. At 11:43 my wheel left the runway and off I went with the LS8 in the 18 meter ( 59 ft ) configuration, the way I have now been making all my flights, so I can take advantage of the 48 to 1 glide, a good thing to have around these Colorado mountains. After release at 3000 msl. and already having passed through some 10 kt. thermals I knew that it would be a good strong day if the clouds would not overdevelop. But already I could see some of that looking towards Pike's Peak, however in the direction where we wanted to go it looked fairly promising.

Nick has released over the Bald Spot, five miles northwest of the field and where the house thermal usually hangs out while I had towed to a good size cloud. In ten minutes I am at 17000 ft. using thermals 7-12 kts. strong but I wait for Nick, even gaining more altitude. Soon however he is joining me and off we go towards the West at 100 kts. and more. We are passing over unlandable terrain, but since we are high it is nothing to worry about. During our 50 mile plus glide I porpoise and keep my altitude pretty well, but close to Buena Vista we have both burned off 3000 ft. and arrive over the foothills on the East-side of the local airport so we stop and get back to 15-16000 ft. before heading North to Leadville, about 32 miles. This town has the airport with the highest elevation in the U.S. at 9927 ft. and pilots landing there receive a certificate to verify the fact that they have done something special. Recently the FBO from this field gave a lecture on mountain flying at the Memorial Day fly-in at Salida. She is a lady in her fifties and has operated out of there for over twenty years. Giving instruction from this field with a Cessna 172 she does not take anyone who weighs over 175 lbs. And only has fuel on board for half an hour. This guarantees that she gets off the ground every time, which has not been true of some unlucky pilots, who were not familiar with all the characteristics of their airplane or did not have enough knowledge of the effects of high altitude.

Nick has gotten ahead of me over the ridges East of the valley and he reports turning over the airport and heading out on course to Gunnison. I have flown over the valley and am down to 12500 near Twin Lakes , which means I must get to some clouds, moving in from the Northwest. So I have to go to work if I don't want to land at that high airport and pick up that certificate. Soon I am back up to 17000 ft. again and ready to start chasing Nick this time. Then he calls me that he is aborting the plan to go to Gunnison and I do not understand the reason for his decision, but I do see some dark clouds on course and rain is coming from them. I call him and advise him that if he is going for home I will go in the other direction towards Breckenridge as the conditions look good out that way and as I am at 17000 and cloudbase is about 18000 ft. There should be no problem going 30 miles and have a look at those great ski-slopes , where they allowed me to ski for free last year thanks to my age,although they raised the price to $99-this year, but skiing 21 times still makes it less than $5.00 a day. I wish I could fly that cheap!

Heading for Breck is easy as on the way I pass over the town of Leadville first, then go for the abandoned molybdenum mine, a vast scar, left by the open pit mining that had been going in the past and soon I have that behind me. But now I am also in territory where several high mountains are located with peaks in the 13800 to 14266 range so first I must make sure that I have enough thermals in the area, which will keep me between 17 and 18 K and that's what my altimeter says so I go for it and in a short while I pass over the last ridges with those high peaks. And there they are: Peak 10, Peak 9 and all the slopes where I had a ball last winter, knocked down by a snowboarder the first day of the season and giving me a sore tailbone for several weeks. While I am circling over the town and the area all around I am also taking a close look at Keystone resort and Dillon reservoir and the towns of these names.

What a great time I am having over this area and can look down on Peak 9 and Peak 8 restaurants, this I will remember for a long time. To know that one can roam allover in a sailplane like this is such a great privilege and I must say that I miss having someone in the backseat,who would be able to share the experience, like I often did in my Twin Lark and later the Twin Astir.

Now after spending 20 minutes or so over this scenery it is time to head for home if that is still possible, since towards home there are some signs of over-development. It does not bother me though since I can fly back to Buena Vista from the altitude I have, land there if necessary or at Salida, the field from where I flew last Wednesday, June 27. Anyway I am heading back, soon passing on the East side of Leadville, maintaining 16 to 17000 ft. Towards 4 o'clock I am near Buena Vista and decide to wait around a bit to see if there will an improvement in the weather as there is a big black cloud just south of the course I'd have to follow to get home. When I look towards home I can only see halfway,which bothers me. Then I hear a Cessna talking to Fremont City A/P and I ask him for a weather update, but evidently he can not hear me. Well I have 15500ft. and 62 miles to go. Let's see that is 9000 ft. above my pattern altitude and if I can go 8 miles per 1000ft. conservatively ( 40-1) I will arrive just at the pattern altitude and land safely. I also come over totally unlandable terrain, but I can escape to the South if need be.

It is time to go so I do not mess around any longer and start my final glide from 60 miles out. After all I did not buy an 18 meter ship for nothing. My first 1000 ft. disappear real slowly and I do my 8 miles or even a little better. My airspeed is about 65 kts. and the unfriendly mountains below me are not looking any better as they are slowly getting closer. I am amazed at the flat glide I am getting out of this machine and my confidence is enhanced by not having much excessive sink with part of the time the variometer staying near zero. After half an hour I am at 10000 ft. and about 16 miles from home. I will be coming up on the Royal Gorge soon, which is 12 miles from the field and in the distance I can see it. The dark cloud mass is still to the south of me and I am partly under it, but the last thermal I will see to day had been Buena Vista, so now it is the performance of this ship and the smoothness of the air, which is bringing me back. With 9000 ft. in hand I pass the Royal Gorge Bridge to the North and soon am over Canon City with 8 miles to go. I am of course very happy when I can call the airport and ask them for a traffic advisory. No reply. Well just fly over the airport and look at the windsock for direction. Arriving with 8000ft. I have plenty of time to plan my approach and then join the traffic pattern at 6500ft. to make a Landing on runway 29. Wow, what a nice trip this was, exciting, very satisfying to return where you started.

This was my twelfth flight in the LS8-18,which now has 33:11 hrs., the above trip being five hrs. and eleven minutes.
-- Fred Daams

Editors Note the author is an ex-SSC/WSC member. See his article in the June 2001 Soaring on a visit to the Rolladen-Schneider factory in Egelsbach, Germany. If you have a really old stash of Soaring, check the cover of the March 1968 issue for a photo of Fred's self-built "Falcon"-expertly pieced together from a set of LK wings, a jet-fighter drop tank, an F-84 canopy and vertical tail and elevators from a Cessna 140. (Reggie -- watch Glenn at all times!) The May 1964 issue of Soaring also has a picture of Fred (a tad younger) and his... er... sailplane.

Excerpts from the SSC Board of Directors Meeting
September, 2001

Approved for Full Membership:

Frank Banas, Gerhard Braun, David Dawood, Lewis Martin, Robert Mordhorst, Stan Pawlowski, Chuck Ridings, Carlos Roberts, Warren Smith, Bruce Spinney, David Weaver, and Chris Williams. Passed unanimously.

Operations Report-

David Weaver is working on revisions to the Club's Operations Manual (e.g., to remove references to the 2-33).

Emergency Response Plan- The location and viability of the Club's ERP was still in question. After discussion, the Board's consensus was the 2001 Annual Membership Meeting be used to train all members on the ERP, and that the 2001 Safety Meeting be used to coordinate a joint training exercise with the FBO Reggie Cassagnol. Dave Brunner will work with Reggie Cassagnol to develop appropriate training program.

Tenth Anniversary Gala Report- Bob Collier reported that we'd received 61 paid RSVPs and an additional 9 "promises" (to date).

Aircraft Acquisition Status Report- Joe Parrish reported that HHSC had decided to not sell one of its older K-21s. Several G-103's are on the market. It was suggested that we consider importing a used K-21 from Germany-member Gehrhard Braun will be back in Germany late in the year and could inquire.

Following discussion, the consensus of the Board was that we should set a goal of purchasing a new glider before January, 2002. Joe Parish will ask Gerhard to look at German K-21s, and will post a note to rec.aviation.soaring regarding our seeking to purchase an appropriate glider.

Merchandising Proposal- Phil Jordan reviewed his research of the last several months with vendors of various Club-logo clothing articles and brought samples of hats and jackets of several types of manufacture. He also briefed the Board regarding several cost options. A catalog of Land's End clothing was distributed, and an extensive discussion followed.

It was moved and seconded to accept the Club logo design displayed by Phil Jordan and approve the expenditure for embroidery setup charges with the Land's End Company. (Note: This step allows any member to purchase any of a number of garments with the Club logo on it, and allows for the Club to purchase at a substantial discount larger quantities for resale if, in the future, it decides to do so.)

The Board also expressed encouragement for the goal of having some clothing materials available for sale at the November 10, 2001 gala if possible.

Privacy Policy- Joe Parrish summarized some of the issues facing the Club with regard to the distribution or release of various kinds of information to individuals and/or organizations outside the Club's membership.

The Board requested the Club Secretary to draft a privacy policy for subsequent Board review and approval which embodies the goals of eliminating the release of private data to external sources without the member's and the Board's knowledge and consent, and for the management controls to be exercised if and when any such release is justified and approved.

M-ASA Affiliation- Joe Parrish reported on his contacts with the new M-ASA President, Glenn Collins, regarding procedures to permit M-ASA members to fly with Skyline and/or at Front Royal. This renewed interest appears to have been stimulated by a new President and several Board members at M-ASA who are more receptive to the idea than past officers have been, as well as the national security crisis which has curtailed glider operations at W73 and the sharply increased risk of NMACs at their Frederick Muni site of operations.

Joe Parrish will draft an agreement for Affiliation for review and approval by the Board.

Christmas Party- The date for the 2001 Christmas Party was set for December 15, 2001. Joe Parrish will solicit volunteers from the membership for a home to host the party.

Next Meeting- The next meeting of the Board of Directors will be at 5:00 PM on Saturday, December 8, 2001 at the Collier residence in Winchester, VA. A special effort will be made to review in detail the Club's financial situation at that time.
-- Jim Kellett

Here at last is the day of my Private Pilot Checkride. Having the affliction of aviation for quite a long time I wondered if this day would ever come. This affliction only fueled at times in the last forty years with an occasional airplane ride or a frequent airliner trip. Yes, there are some of us who still find airplane rides nice, including big jets. Despite all the airport delays, stormy weather, bad food, obnoxious passengers, etc. there is always the occasional sunrise/sunset or view out the window that reminds us of the narcotic effects of flight on the aviation afflicted. Having finally the opportunity to treat this affliction through soaring flight has only added to the enjoyment of flying. And here is the check ride.

Here is the checkride after all these years, after a great season of learning to fly last year with Skyline. Learning in an atmosphere fueled by true enthusiasts donating their time and energy to towing, teaching, coaching and the general camaraderie of soaring fanatics. An intoxicating atmosphere that helped get through the tough days when one wondered if waiting all these years had dulled the flying senses beyond hope, an atmosphere that made the accomplishments feel even more rewarding as recognition came from those experienced members that have been there. Keeping it safe, keeping it fun.

I won't go into the gory details of how I've fared since leaving the East Coast. Of how it's taken eight months to do what I hoped to accomplish in two. Of how the quest for the license almost became drudgery. Of how, while studying for the written test, it became apparent that I've developed all sorts of attention deficit disorders and learning disabilities. Mortgage payments, tuition payments and Jack Daniels will do that to one's brain. This is supposed to be fun.

So if anyone gets anything out of this it should be my fellow rookie student pilots. Yes, you know who you are. Back under the tent at FRR we sweated the dreaded PT-3's, the crosswinds, the sink, the Valley of Doom, the sideslips and keeping the damn string straight. For those of you who provided all the encouragement, thank you. For those who still have to do the checkride, stick with it, don't give up.

We started the day with the flight portion, as the gliders were booked pretty solid for the day, and the weather was predicted to mimic the previous dreadful day, thunderstorms. I actually felt it was good to do the flight stuff early. First, I was fresh. The air was calm and smooth, we're not looking for thermals here. And to me it just made sense to start early with the preflight and flying without having to wait for the glider and tow plane, as the scheduling would have required later in the day. And we avoided the weather as a factor in completing the task. Yes, it built up to lightning and thunderstorms before the day was done.

The checkride only included one "zinger". That was the rope break at 200 feet on the first flight. Interestingly, the examiner was carrying-on a conversation, asking about the heat effects on towplane performance during the take-off and initial climb whereupon the rope break took place. Yes, very soon after my callout of "200 feet". The second tow was to 3,000 feet to do maneuvers ending with a spot landing. Lastly a pattern tow, approach to landing without spoilers. I sideslipped ok on downwind, made a straight (coordinated?) turn to base, got sort of crossed up so flew the base straight. Sensing the whole flight test going down the dumper, I threw in a slideslip on the final approach, nice and smooth, whereupon she said it was ok to use the spoilers to finish the landing. "You pass the flight portion".

The orals went well except for a minor detail in my cross-country plan and the pesky memorization of all those damn airspace numbers.

The whole deal took about six hours. I was hot, hungry, tired and thirsty, relieved and happy. The champagne back at home was cold.

Now the real learning begins.
-- Byron Lowry

The DG Flugzeugbau website just posted an article on "Safety Doesn't Sell". Rather than explain it, just to go

http://www.dg-flugzeugbau.de/safety-does-not-sell-e.html

It reminded me of the never ending debate about operator skills vs. technology. For decades, auto accidents were always "driver error", and this was used as an excuse by the auto manufacturers to avoid spending development money on trivial things, allowing for the development of fins, fender portholes, and seats of genuine Cordovan leather.

Then along came some real crises and with it some real competition. While Detroit claimed it was impossible to make fuel efficient engines, other nations' companies did make them. And, while they were at it, came up with economical frills like damaging limiting bumpers, air bags, three point seat harnesses, and ABS. All those things that couldn't be done were done, and suddenly the pendulum swings-now no driver can make an error, and if he's hurt it has to be someone else's fault. But it's also true that you can survive crashes today that would have been instantly fatal just 30 years ago.

Isn't there a lesson here for aviation? Almost ALL aviation accidents are "pilot error". So we train and train and train for every imaginable (and some unimaginable) emergency. But stall and spin proof trainers CAN be built. Ballistic chutes CAN be installed in them. Ejection seats CAN be installed in gliders. We CAN buy and wear parachutes. Cockpits CAN be reinforced. Transponders CAN be installed and used (and the FAA CAN incorporate the signals in advisories to controlled traffic). Why not? It "costs too much" or "we're too busy".

And DG is now apparently suffering sales for the perverse reason that customers would rather buy cheaper, less safe machines! And we still blame all the accidents and injuries on "pilot error". Pity. THere has to be some middle ground here. You don't have to advocate reducing pilot skills to support enhanced safety through technology! And without the technology in use, it's hard to convince the aviation bureaucrats to recognize and support our presence in the air!

As an aside, I've been watching the ads for "TPAS" (Traffic Proximity Alert System) units for a while. They cost about $400, and offer to alert you to the proximity of any transponder-equipped aircraft-just the distance, not the location. And the transponder in the other aircraft has to be interrogated by some OTHER radar (ATC or TCAS), since the TPAS is a passive system. Sounds nice, but I wondered just how effective it'd be in our relatively crowded airspace. Well, a friend of mine bought one here in Winchester, and tried it out in a flight (power) to North Carolina last weekend. Drove him nuts--constant alerts, even when set down to limit alerts to 2 miles! And without direction, all it did was irritate, not warn. Not a unit I'd recommend, in spite of its attractive price.

Even so, maybe it'd have been nice to have had one this afternoon. Another NMAC-my third this summer. This time with a westbound Mooney at 3800' MSL just south of Harper's Ferry. Didn't have to maneuver to avoid him this time, but he was close enough to hear his engines. I don't think he had any idea I was there, either.

This is getting old. We need to invest in whatever technology can save lives and use it. And quit blaming the pilot that gets hurt. And stop accepting "too busy" or "too expensive" as excuses from either manufacturing companies (to produce and sell safety technology) or government agencies (to provide services they're responsible for to ALL users).
-- Jim Kellett

The following was gleaned from my saved email of the last month: Thursday, September 6, 2001-

IT'S OFFICIAL: U.S. GENERAL AVIATION IS REVITALIZED

"Over the past decade, the booming growth in scheduled commercial airline traffic has tended to obscure developments in another part of the aviation industry-general aviation." So begins an 83-page report to Congress by the General Accounting Office (GAO) The report examines GA since enactment of the General Aviation Revitalization Act of 1994 (GARA)- which was designed to limit aviation product liability-and takes a close look at airport funding levels and safety. The news is good and bad.

NIMBYS COULD DO MORE DAMAGE THAN MOST FOREIGN AIR FORCES It has already been four years since initial flight training in single- engine airplanes was conducted at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., and it will be the summer of 2002 before a new program could be up and running. However, the area's local congresscritter, Joel Hefley (R), is already urging that the service adopt a "go slow" approach. Hefley has suggested that existing flight activities-like gliders and parachute jumping-at the academy and nearby Fort Collins be shifted to other locations to reduce the overall noise exposure on local residents. Go ahead, read it again.
-- Avflash

Takeoff                         Landing
C -     Controls           F -     Flaps
B -     Ballast            U -     Undercarriage
S -     Straps             S -     Speed
I -     Instruments        T -     Trim
F -     Flaps              A -     Airbrakes
T -     Trim               L -     Lookout
C -     Canopy             L -     Land
B -     Brakes
W -     Wind                   
E -     Emergency Plan
T -     Takeoff Time

This is the checklist used/taught by Dave Weaver, Operations Director.

Log This...

• Deja vous all over again-PIPER GOES ON WALKABOUT: A hand-propped Piper Saratoga at Adelaide's Parafield Airport, Australia, started taxiing without the pilot and made a beeline for some kindred aircraft parked nearby on the ramp. The aircraft ploughed through four Piper Warriors before a twin-engine Piper Seminole finally stopped the offending relative by mere bulk. No humans were injured (physically) in the accident, but damage is estimated at $1.5 million.

  Ed.(Some of us have observed visitors to FRR practicing this quaint maneuver. Can you say "Sandwich Loaf?)
  -- Avflash

• Congratulations to Jonathan Kans who received his Private Pilot's license the first of September.

• The Soaring Safety Foundation's new web-based Wingrunner Course -

  http://207.149.139.31/ssf/school/wingrunner/toc was developed by none other than our own Joe Parrish (with Dean Carswell of the Texas Soaring Association) with graphic assistance from John Sharp. Well done!

• The following thought for the day comes from Jeff Banks, a Northwest Airlines pilot and Director of Gliding Operations for the Alaska Wing of the Civil Air Patrol-he attributes the quote to the winner of a soaring contest, but I think it's a great little tip to help us all fly not only safer but more efficiently:

• "Flying sailplanes is a continuous act of correcting mistakes. He who makes the fewest is considered a better pilot."
  -- Jim Kellett

• FYI-SSC Pawnee was designed as a spray plane but N90866 was never used for spraying. It was bought new by a Florida soaring outfit that WSC bought it from and, so far as I know, never had spray equipment mounted. It has no spray equipment now so doesn't qualify as a spray plane under FAA prohibitions.
  -- Spencer Annear

• I think we're all more moved to write a commentary on something we really like. But this time I'm moved to write a sharply critical one!

  I saw "Going the Distance" by Radio Carbon films advertised on a soaring webzine and bought it. I was very disappointed. The tape is overly long, poorly edited (even I can get bored by shot after shot after shot after shot of takeoffs at a contest!). There were several gratuitous special effects which not only did not enhance the film, but detracted from it (one, a stop-motion flicker, was particularly annoying). The narration is uninspired. It's not clear who the intended audience is-non-soaring pilots wouldn't understand what was going on, and the cinematic quality of the production is so inferior to competitors (e.g, anything by Wind Borne) that it's boring to glider pilots.

  Don't waste your money on this one.
  -- Jim Kellett

• Note: Members wishing to have a change made in their participation on various Club e-mail lists can contact either of the Club's Webmeisters, Piet Barber or Richard Freytag, at webmaster@skylinesoaring.org

• Golden Opportunity- Currently inactive Skyliners Lee and Linn Buell (residence split between Reston, VA and Daytona, FL) still have a couple of gliders in residence at the Flying Cow Farm, a private strip owned and operated by Jan and Mai Scott, near Lovettsville, VA (see http://www.flycow.com/main.html ).

  One of those gliders is a beautifully restored early model 1-26, and it has an optional "sport" (open) canopy available. They have expresse d a willingness to make it available to qualified pilots (no non-glider rated pilots) for $20 a flight (plus, of course, the cost of a tow provided by Jan Scott with his towplane at his going rates). Cross country flights are not allowed.

  If you're interested, touch base with Jan Scott ((540) 822-5504) to see about getting the necessary recommendations and checkouts to comply with the rules at Flying Cow Farm before driving out.

• Our distinguished speaker in 1940 and now. Don't miss this golden opportunity to hear an amazing story of steadfast strength and spirit in the face of some of the hardest curves fate can throw a human. Skyline's Tenth Anniversary Event will feature our most accomplish soaring pilot, Bela Gogos who will share with us the details of his amazing life in the air and on many different grounds.

• "It isn't for the moment you are stuck that you need courage, but for the long uphill climb back to sanity and faith and security."
  -- Anne Morrow Lindbergh

• Skyline Soaring Club 10TH ANNIVERSARY EXTRAVAGANZA. Saturday Evening, November 10th.

  United We Stand