This month I thought it would be nice just to mention a few items in brief: Gala Memories It's more than two weeks later, and I'm still walking around with a big, silly grin on my face. What a wonderful evening! It was nice to see old friends from far and near... and to hear Bela's entertaining and inspiring speech... and to enjoy George's terrific slide show... and to kick off the Skyline Service Award with Jim Kellett as the very deserving recipient... and... and... and...

I know I issued many thank-you's that night-both in public and in private. I missed one very important one, though, and I'd like now to extend our deepest appreciation to all of our Charter Members. Without you, we wouldn't be us.

G-103 Status

"Our" G-103 has arrived at Gehrlein's and is scheduled for the pre-purchase inspection in early December. If all goes well and we execute the transaction, there is still a fair amount of work that we'll have done while it's at the shop. This means that the ship would probably arrive at FRR sometime soon after the new year. Keep your fingers and toes crossed. Christmas Party Rob Mordhorst has graciously offered his home in Centreville for this year's Christmas Party. Details and directions appear later in this issue. Can't wait to chat and chew with everyone.

End of Season

The end of the soaring season is almost upon us. I really like to fly on our last day-to keep my currency as high as possible for the new season, to put away the ships and ensure that everything is in its place, but really because I just need that final "fix" and am not looking forward to several weeks away from my addiction.

See you at the field.
-- Joe Parrish

The Club's traditional holiday season potluck party will be held on Saturday, December 15, 2001 at Rob Mordhorst's home in Fairfax, VA. Festivities start at 7 PM.

Address for the Xmas party is: [omitted]

As usual, it's potluck-that means bring whatever dish you'd like to share, be it hot, cold, wet, sticky, sweet, fatty, whatever. Bring your own serving container(s) and, if necessary, tools for serving. The Club will spring for plates, napkins, soft drinks, plastic tools, etc. Oh, yeah-that means if you want something other than soft drinks to drink, bring that, too! (This process ALWAYS produces the most amazing gourmet festival you can imagine!) Guests you might want to bring are always welcome, too.

Happy Holidays!!
-- Rob Mordhorst

There are some left! There is a box on the floor in the hangar at FRR with SSA 2002 calendars. They are available to members for $10 (buy from SSA and it's $10 + $5 S&H!).

For personal use or Christmas stocking-stuffers, these are neat.

The last opportunity for calendar purchase through the CLub will be at the Club's Christmas Party on December 15 at Rob Mordhorst's place-if there are any left after 12/15, they will be returned to SSA!
-- Jim Kellett

Skyline's Tenth Anniversary Dinner: What a great affair. Everything was up to and exceeding the high standards one would expect from SSC. Many thanks to the organizers and all attendees for making us Californians feel welcome. The hospitality shown to Sharon and me was terrific. Definitely worth the effort it took for us to get there.

Looking forward already to number twenty! -Byron Lowry

The gala was a class act. Thank you everyone. -Dick Otis.

To Miriam and her band of merry-makers-On behalf of the entire Club, thank you all so much for your efforts toward the 10th Anniversary Gala. Everything went beautifully, and there were so many smiling faces I thought I was at a toothpaste convention. The decorations, the food and drink, the entertainment, the displays-all were terrific. Thanks also to those who helped with set-up, videography, and all the myriad tasks required to make the event the smashing success that it was.

Events like that do not go smoothly just by accident. It's because of all of you, and we are grateful.

Looking forward to our 20th anniversary celebration... Sincerely, Joe.

Be Prepared...

From the Operations Report, November 8-Ten flights in moderate to strong crosswinds, severe low level turbulence. An-ahem-interesting day, frustrating to some degree but for some a genuine "learning experience".

Phil Jordan proved that old goats can still put 1-26's down in weird conditions, and Geoff Hazelrigg took the honors with a 46 minute sortie in their LS-1.

Dave Dawood experienced a most unusual equipment failure -- a genuine honest-to-God "PT3" failure in the Sprite-at about 100' AGL. It was observed by several people on the ground, as well as myself from the air. Dave did an outstanding job of putting the glider exactly where it was supposed to go, straight ahead and on the ground, getting it stopped before the turnaround on the west end of the runway. The release on the glider had actuated, releasing the rope. It was very thoroughly examined and no obvious malfunction could be observed. The conditions at the point of release were extremely turbulent (just north of the pond on the south side of the runway). Both towpilot and glider pilot observed significant slack forming and unforming in the rope, even though the relative positions of the glider and towplane were normal and stable. We're speculating here that the intrinsic oscillation in the towrope was exacerbated by the turbulence to the extent that a "whip" may have formed in the slack which travelled down the rope toward the glider with sufficient velocity to cause enough back pressure on the glider's release mechanism to trigger its release. A subsequent flight was uneventful. IT PAYS TO FLY PREPARED, doesn't it?? It's only a matter of time.
-- Jim Kellett

After my solo on November 15, I just wanted to take a second and thank a couple of people for helping me make this milestone. Jim Kellett put up with some guy in his fifties learning to fly for the first time, and although I don't think he knew what he was getting into at the outset, he refused to give up on me no matter how many dumb mistakes I made, over and over again!

And Bill Bentley did most of the towing, since most of my training has been on Thursdays. While I think things improved in the latter phases of my flying, certainly in the beginning he was repeatedly jerked all over the sky by yours truly, which punishment he accepted without ever once losing his cool.

Tow pilots and instructors are a special breed indeed, and I think we must have some of the best in the country in SSC.

Thanks also to the rest of the membership for support and tips along the way. It's great to belong to a club like Skyline, with all the camaraderie and fellowship. You're a great bunch of folks!
-- Carlos Roberts

On a recent weekend I had a truly unique experience, taking a passenger up for a ride in the K-21. From the moment we rose above the ground, she was struck by the beauty and magnificence of the world, she was deeply touched by the god-like perspective, she was moved by the whispering silence of riding on the wind, and profoundly inspired by the experience of soaring flight.

Fellow members, from the minute we launched, she was in tears, crying as the exquisite beauty and magnificence unfolded before us entered her soul. I will never forget that flight. She was so present and free in expressing & sharing her wonder, the way she was touched, moved and inspired. I am touched, moved and inspired by what happened to her during the the flight, and that she allowed me to contribute something so intense to her; every time I recall those moments. I still live that flight. A extraordinary, unique and unforgettable experience for me. She gave me a powerful sense of validation and a profound, satisfying experience of contribution.

This was made possible through the support Skyline Soaring Club members. Thanks
-- Greg Ellis

I just wanted to inform everyone of a relatively new weather service available on the internet. It's called My-Cast.com, and it has some pretty neat features:

1. They have their own weather model. It is run 8 times/day, as opposed to the Weather Service's 4 times/day.

2. Their model's grid uses 4-mile sections in metro areas, and 11-mile sections in other areas. The NWS uses 20-mile sections.

3. You can input in a number of locations for your personal weather page, and it will remember them and give you forecasts for each one. (For example, I currently have my home in N. Va and FRR as my two established locations.)

4. You can get a 9-day forecast, a 2-day forecast, or a 9-hour forecast for all your locations. The 9-hour forecast uses the smallest cell size, and should be the most accurate. The neat thing about the 9-hour forecast is that it gives you a wind forecast, with both direction and speed, for each of the 9 hours. So, if you're wondering about ridge conditions, or cross-winds, just look at it in the morning before you come out to the field, and you should know what they expect the situation to be, hour-by-hour.

5. The usual moving maps are available: IR satellite, visible satellite, and radar. These are customized by being centered on your location(s).

6. Weather alerts are available, and you can also set up a forecast to be emailed to you each day. I've been using this for about three months, and really like it. I can't really say that it's more or less accurate than other forecasts, as I haven't done any strict comparisons. But it is nicely packaged and provides much more detail than others I've looked at, so from that perspective alone it's a winner.

I don't own any stock in these guys, just wanted to share what seems to me to be a good thing . It's free, so you might want to take a look. To check them out, go to: http://www.my-cast.com/
-- Carlos Roberts

Found in the tail of the Sprite: one tire pressure gauge. If you claim it, I'll get you a new one. This one is now my "lucky" tire pressure gauge.

While showing Raul how I preflight the Sprite I casually mentioned that I thought most people didn't open the inspection hatches in the tail; "but this is how you do it." Yep, that is how you do it. Found the gauge right down where all the control linkages come together in a bundle.
-- Richard Freytag

More than likely, someone did some maintenance on the main gear and left the tire gauge in the cockpit area and forgot to retrieve the tool after completion of the work. It probably then slid back into the tail area during taxi or on subsequent flights. We dodged a major bullet this time. Someone could have gotten killed if that gauge had lodged in the controls. Great job Richard. I fly the Sprite regularly but do not always open the tail area inspection ports on every pre-flight. I will in the future.

Regarding tools and aircraft maintenance: in the military, maintenance workers have a system for ensuring tool accountability during work. Individual tool boxes have styrofoam cutouts for placing tools in and unique tools must be "checked out" from a central tool room. If there is an unfilled styrofoam cutout or a tool not "checked in" at the end of a job, it is assumed the tool is lost somewhere in the aircraft and it is grounded by a Quality Assurance Inspector until the tool is found. That's probably not a practical thing to do in our club operation since many of us do minor maintenance with our own tools, meters and gauges to make things better. But we can and must do better if we are going to be "helpful" by doing authorized maintenance on our own or club aircraft.

Take only the tools and gauges you need for a job to the aircraft. Count them before you start work. Make sure you have the same number when you finish. Let's be as safe as we can. Use a buddy system when working on aircraft. QA each others work. Professional pilots and professional maintenance workers know tool accountability is a big deal when working on aircraft. Club operations and members have to exhibit that same level of professionalism when it comes to aircraft maintenance. The consequences are much more serious than routine maintenance around the house or on the family car.
-- Stan Pawlowski

• Ops Report, November 15, 2001-Thirteen flights today--with the longest (40 minutes) going to Carlos Roberts on his first solo! ALONE AT LAST! (Congratulations!)
  -- Jim Kellett

• Joshua Tighe (pronounced like "Tie" (Those darned Irish don't know how to spell)) Barber was born on 15 November at 2am, delivered by "C-section".

  J.T. (as his older brother Jake will insist on calling him) was 5 pounds 8 ounces-not a bad weight considering he was 7 weeks premature.

  Despite the prematurity, the wonders of steroids in-uterine made for only a short time under incubation after birth. Now he's being watched carefully by the skilled staff of Reston Hospital, and the prognosis is excellent.

  Editorial Note: I don't know why in the past 30 years there was a cultural shift that expected the husband to be present at the time of birth. Disagree with me if you want, but I personally think that the "Dad in the waiting room" or the "Dad in the bar across the street" is a much more practical thing for the father to do when the pushing and the screaming starts.

  When Cecilia was born, I came very close to passing out. So this time, I bowed out, and allowed Stacy to have a close friend do the coaching instead.

  If you're a dad-to-be, and that's where you want to be, while she's screaming and blaming you for 'doing this to her': more power to you!

  Me? No way. (WHEW!)
  -- Piet Barber

• Valerie, Zack, Michelle, Bart and I are now 25 minutes closer to the airport. We bought 6.5 acres in a country setting. The new address and phone number is;

  omitted We're 4 minutes off of the route 66 and route 15 interchange. (location directions omitted.) Come on by and visit. Please beware; Bart may sniff and lick you.
  -- Shane Neitzey

• Hello Skyliners-Congratulations on your 10th anniversary! It is good to hear that the club is alive and thriving. I have moved recently which brings two things to mind:

  1) Please change my address to: omitted

  2) When moving I realized that I had over 10 years worth of Soaring magazine. I was wondering if the club would like to have these issues for a 'library' or such. In there you will find such things as the issue with Jim Kellett on the cover, other issues with articles by SSC members such as Joe Parrish and David Brunner, the sailplane review issue. As a kicker, there are a couple of VHS videos from the Popular Rotocraft Association (Piet would like to see these).

  If the club would like to add these jewels to their collection, please let me know. I can link up with some Richmond members to get it to you. Have a great holiday season.
  -- Ralph Vawter

• Soaring Flight Simulator-Has any one looked at this? Apparently an add in to MS Flight Simulator 98 & 2000, with multi player on line soaring. Could be good for those "down" days of winter... http://flightsimmers.net/airfield/soar/
  -- Greg Ellis

• Newer members may not be familiar with the "Badge Board" hanging in the CLub's hangar near the battery charging table... it lists each active member of the Club, and shows his/her various badges and licenses.

  And older members may have earned some badges or ratings which aren't reflected on this board!

  So when you get a chance, check out YOUR name on the board for accuracy-if you find a red dot missing, you'll find a sheet of them on the little shelf on which the board hangs. Feel free to update it!
  -- Jim Kellett

• The December issue of AOPA Pilot has a very interesting article on Wave Soaring. Several alert members have noted. "In the Lee of Giants" by Nathan A. Ferguson. Check it out on page 78. Land's End logo items-Here's the deal, in brief. Land's End will apply the SSC logo to any item in their Corporate Sales catalog. In groups of 6 or more of the same item the application fee is $5.50 per individual item. Less than 6 the application fee is $11.00. Obviously there is an advantage in ordering in quantity. I am working on what I hope will be a comprehensive and simplified plan to facilitate the process. I will have information sheets and catalogs for everyone at the Annual Meeting, date to be announced.

  There are some pit falls I hope to side step by simplifying the number of choices, particularly color choices. For instance, it's obvious that our blue logo won't work on a garment that is a simular blue and yellow type is fine on black but won't read on yellow. The potential for disappointment can be minimized by establishing some guidelines. This I'll present to you all at the Meeting.

  This stuff isn't for everyone. Some of us could care less about being mobile billboards for the club. However there is a value for the soaring in general and Skyline in particular, and who knows, perhaps even some income potential. Clothes don't make the man, but who'd recognize McCulley without his hat? It is a natural time to reflect on this past season and on the wonderful new season that is coming, with a new aircraft and a lot of interesting new members.

  It's been a tumultuous year but soaring has been a place of calm for all of us to seek some internal healing and mutual support. We have a great club and a great sport... and underneath our routine, I suspect there is still some of the awe expressed by Greg Ellis' passenger.

  Our best to all of you and your families, for a safe, peaceful holiday season
  -- Phil Jordan