or so someone once said. And rumors travel faster than the speed of light. That's a well established scientific fact. So why can't information move equally fast, and why doesn't everyone in the club know about everything that's going on? Boy, do we have plans. Where can I start?

First, for those of you who have been lost since May in a country without electricity, we do have a new ASK-21 on order. It will look almost exactly like 341KS, and it will have the N-number 341KS. The only differences will be that the blue stripe on the tail will be missing and the surface will be painted to protect the gel coat. We need to be deeply grateful to Fred Winter and Bob Neff for replacing the original 341KS. This new bird will be a great addition to our fleet. The new ship will come with a new trailer, and we will outfit the trailer to be convertible so that it can accept both the K-21 and the Grob. If you don't think this is worthwhile, go take a look at the Grob trailer. It's in the back 40. It's the thing that looks like an old school bus without windows, and requires a 7,000 pound tow vehicle. Our 4-Runner had all it could do to tow the Grob trailer sans Grob. Now, the arrival of the new K-21 is promised for late November to December. But that's only a promise. We could have a pool on when it will actually arrive, but my guess is that we will start flying it in February. There will be a lot to do after it arrives and before it can be flown.

Second, we are beginning to plan for our annual meeting, which occurs in January. This year, two current Board members' terms end. Malcolm Gardner has volunteered to take over as Club Secretary, relieving Jim Kellett of that duty, and his appointment has been approved by the Board. But he will not seek re-election to the Board. My term also ends, but I am willing to run for re-election. The January Board election is the one opportunity that the membership has to exert its control over the operation of the Club. I suggest that you start thinking about whom you would like to see on the Board. If the management of the Club seems a mystery to you, I would say two things: one, I think it has been pretty good in the past (who am I to say, though) and, two, if you don't understand it, ask. The membership elects a six-member Board of Directors. Members of the Board serve three-year terms, with two members coming up for election each year. A Board member is limited to two consecutive terms. The Board runs the Club, making all day-to-day decisions that relate to the fiscal operation of the Club. The Board is aided by the Instructor Caucus, the Chief Tow Pilot, the Chief Maintenance Officer, the Operations Officer, the Chief Duty Officer, Membership Officer, the Treasurer, the Secretary, and many other members who have responsibility for various operational aspects of the Club, such as the Rostermeister, the Weatherman, and our Skylines editor. And no doubt I have missed someone here. Important operational decisions are made by the various Chiefs, and the Board does not override them. On-field operations are led by the Duty Officer, and on-field operational decisions are made by the Duty Officer, the Tow Pilot and the Instructor. Complicated, isn't it? But it has worked pretty well. My questions for you are, where do you fit into this maze, and where do you want to fit into it?

Third, fall is here-in case you have been living south of the equator and haven't noticed. We've had a pretty good thermal summer, with lots of long flights. At least both Geoff and I got our silver durations this summer. How about the rest of you exercising bragging rights on your accomplishments of the summer? Fall always brings some great soaring too. Some of that great soaring is on the ridge, and occasionally even wave. So come out and get with the program. But come out prepared, get some ridge instruction and off-field landing instruction first, and then go enjoy the gift of ridge lift. We truly share a unique area for soaring, one that gives us the opportunity to soar in awide variety of lift (and sink) conditions.

Finally, the end of the year is approaching, and arrangements are in the works for our year-end celebration. This year, the Board suggested that we have our year-end party at my house in Vienna. My objection that Vienna is too far from FRR was promptly overridden as it was pointed out that most of the members live in the DC area anyway. Well, there are a few people for whom this will be a lengthy trip, and we want to make sure that they can come to the party too. So perhaps a few of us can provide overnight-age for people who come too far to go home after the party. The date of the party will be December 7-I just know that will be a good ridge day. I will provide a hot meal (expect turkey and ham), we can always listen to the SSC Band and choral group, and to end the evening I will do a showing of Dr. Strangelove. For those of you who are too young ever to have seen this movie, or those of you who haven't seen it in the past 35 years, it is still quite humorous.

Let me close by saying that I came out to the field one Sunday-a more or less overcast day with threatening rain-and found lots of activity. Glen put the Ka-7 back together and back on the line. Chris did a tune-up on our tow car. Fred Winter took an enthusiastic new temp member for a sled ride-he found us on the web (thanks Piet and Richard). Steve Wegner was trying to get our glider simulator working. Jim McCulley was tending to the Pawnee. And Richard Freytag hosted a cookout. Several other members came out too. Quite a time for a non-flying day.

So now you know more than I do. Get involved, stay involved, and fly safe.
-- George Hazelrigg, Jr

Greetings, Skyliners! I hope you're all doing well, and that the 2002 season has been a good one. I can't believe that this year has gone by so quickly, but I guess there have been a few distractions.

Stephanie and I are getting established in our new home in Cambridge. It took us four months to find a place that was nice, had a good location, and was affordable. (Two out of three is easy, but connecting all three took a while.) We closed in June and have been doing renovations (install new hardwood floors, raise ceilings, remove walls, etc.) ever since. It's now down to the more cosmetic stuff (hang doors, replace windows, install trim, paint, etc.), and we are ready to receive visitors if you're willing to vacation in a construction zone. Home address omitted

Another great thing for me is that home is a 10-minute walk from work. After 10 years of 1+xx hour driving commutes, I'm loving my short strolls into work. "Hitting traffic" means that someone was in line ahead of me at the coffee shop.

Soaring in New England is slightly subdued in comparison to Virginia. The season runs from about April to November, and any lift above 5000 MSL is a big deal. The "local" soaring operation is a Sterling Airport (3B3), roughly 40 miles west of Boston. It's relatively flat terrain in this area, so most of the soaring is in thermals. There are mountains about 25 miles to the west and north, so the X-C guys do contact ridge and wave, but it's not an instructional opportunity unless we relocate to another airport such as Springfield or Franconia. Sugarbush, VT is the major ridge/wave location around here; it's a 3-4 hour drive from Boston. Bela can give you more information about this great site; I've not yet visited it. With all of the other things swirling around in my life, I've been relatively inactive in soaring this season. I've joined the club that operates at Sterling (Greater Boston Soaring Club, which recently merged with the MIT Soaring Association), and have done a bit of instructing in their 2-33's and Blanik L-23's. There is a serious commitment to instruction and X-C flying at GBSC, but I don't see quite as much member flying in club equipment and the social emphasis is not as strong as at Skyline.

I'm still formulating impressions about the GBSC operation as compared to the Skyline operation. There are a few things that stick out immediately, though. In the field ops area, they make very good use of golf carts as ground tow vehicles. Electric is preferred over gas, and they do seem to last a full day on an overnight charge. Billing is done electronically, with members maintaining positive balances on their accounts and periodically replenishing-sort of like the SmartTag for the Dulles Toll Road. They are trying to avoid cash and checks being exchanged at the field. Most impressive is the Juniors program that was an integral part of the MITSA operation. Teenagers work the line and receive one free tow for every four hours of service. They fly on Wednesday evenings during the summer, giving them an opportunity for intensive instruction. I know that Skyline is formulating a similar program, and I hope for similar success.

The weekends at GBSC are fairly busy. On a good soaring day it's not unusual to have 50+ tows, shared amongst three towplanes. (Pawnee, L-19 BirdDog, and C-182. All have their virtues and vices. I'm convinced that the perfect towplane is a two-seat Pawnee with tricycle gear conversion.) It's also not unusual to have 10+ ships aloft near the field at any time, so a good scan is essential. There are some serious X-C pilots based at the field, including a few National-level competitors such as Doug Jacobs and Phil Gaisford. There are also some impressive ships and cockpits, with a number owned by heavyweight software and electronics/avionics engineers such as Dave Nadler, the guy who programmed the ILEC SN-10 soaring computer. I've seen a few panels that bear a closer resemblance to the Space Shuttle than to a 2-33.

I've been lurking on the Skyline members mailing list, so I'm somewhat aware of what is happening at FRR. I do hope to stop by on my next weekend trip to DC; perhaps late this season or early next season. Until then, fly safely, have fun, and stretch your wings. I miss you.
-- Joe Parrish

In the recent issue of "Aviation Safety," there was an interesting article about DIYers (do it yourself maintainers). While most of the article applied to power pilots, there was some good grist for glider pilots as well. Some of the more salient points are paraphrased here for your reading enjoyment.

The FAR's are very specific about what maintenance an aircraft owner can do and not do (FAR part 43). Basically, a certificated pilot can only perform certain authorized preventive maintenance procedures on an aircraft he owns. All other repairs, alterations or rebuilds must be done by a certified mechanic or authorized inspector. There are both legal issues and engineering issues which prohibit a pilot from doing anything more complex to his aircraft.

High pressure washing is not recommended for aircraft as it tends to blast away required coatings of protective greases and lubricants. The results can be corrosion or binding parts leading to premature failure.

Replacing carpeting and upholstery is prohibited by a DIYer. The reason is these materials must meet strict fire retardant requirements which are not generally found in your local carpet store. Even gliders have been known to catch on fire. Also certain cleaning solvents can strip aviation carpet of its flame resistant coatings so use approved products for cleaning.

Repainting control surfaces is very technical business reserved for certified mechanics. There are documented accidents resulting from repainted control surfaces which were not properly rebalanced after painting. The results were premature control surface flutter which caused structural failure and control surface separation from the aircraft. That tends to ruin your whole day.

This next point was not covered in the article but is very important. FAR part 91.407 restricts operation of any aircraft which has undergone any maintenance, alteration or rebuilding unless it has been approved for return to service by an authorized person and, in some cases, completes a recorded test flight. Those of you who followed the recent emails about removingthe wheel fairings on the Grob will understand the final decision which was made by the club. Minor alterations such as these require weight and balance recalculations and a test flight to ensure flight characteristics have not appreciably changed.

As the article summarized, "....(pilots) attempting do maintenance beyond that which is listed in the FARs is unauthorized unless you hold a mechanics or inspectors certificate. Maintenance and repair are just like flying-they are best done by the book."
-- Stan Pawlowski

They say if you hang around a barber shop long enough you'll eventually get a haircut. If you hang around an airfield long enough you'll eventually witness an accident, a miracle or both.

Those members flying on Sunday September 29th, and those summarily called to move their planes, got to witness both.

In the early PM a transient Aeronca (not FRR's) nosed in a short distance from the end of 09. The impact wasn't visible to those on the ground but Mark Ballinger in 081 witnessed it from the air. Seems Tim and Lisa and George and Shane arrived on the scene to find the pilot sitting on the ground with a gash on the head and a poodle in his lap.

The pilot was whisked off by the medics and Tim and Lisa graciously agreed to keep the dog until the owner can reclaim it. Having met this little guy (the dog) I can tell you it's one fine specimen of human loving animal and a credit to it's species-and like its owner, very fortunate.

Reminds me of the dog in the ad: "Missing dog, one-eyed, small gray, mixed mongrel, three legs, no teeth, missing part of tail, neutered, one large patch of mange on the back. Answers to the name of Lucky."

Of course your editor was just a wandering reporter taking his notes from SSC participants in the afternoon drama. By the time you read this you will have probably seen a hundred emails on the subject-and eventually the FAA/NTSB will fill in the facts through their normal channels.

Diesel powered Cessna crosses the nation

Recognizing that the long-term availability of avgas looks bleak, an international consortium flew a Cessna 182 recently from Daytona Beach, Florida to Carlsbad, California in 16 hours running on Jet-A fuel. The 230-hp SMA SR305-230 turbodiesel engine was tested at 100 percent power the whole trip and showed a 40-percent increase in range over regular avgas engines, according to Riley Aero International, the company that is pursuing a supplemental type certificate (STC) for the 182. The company also said the fixed-gear airplane flew at 153 knots at 12,000 feet, compared to 139 kt for a stock 182 and ran much quieter. FAA certification for the installation is expected early next year. Hartzell, meanwhile, is working to certify propellers for the engine. Other manufacturers, including Maule, Socata, and Cirrus, are evaluating the engine conversion. Riley estimates the cost of the upgrade at $110,000, including prop and a full authority digital engine control (FADEC) system. The target TBO is 3,000 hours. AOPA staff serve on several committees studying alternative fuels. New engines such as the Cessna's represent another approach to the problem.-
-- AOPAePilot

Fred Winter, Jim McCulley, Steve Wegner and I recently spent a few hours on the tow car. Best we can tell she was down to running on six cylinders. We changes the plugs, cap, rotor, air and PVC filters, and set the timing. She's back to running on all cylinders. We still have the exhaust leak that the car has had since we put her in SSC service. Lets be kind to the old girl so we can get a few more seasons out of her. Most importantly, the rotating orange beacon is working again ! Thanks to all who pitched in and helped out.
-- Chris Williams

• Many thanks to Jim Kellett for holding down the very demanding position of Secretary of Skyline Soaring for all these years and for the many contributions he has made, and continues to make. Big shoes for Malcolm to follow in but we all know he's up to it. The Secretary always gets to put in the last word- "I must say I've thoroughly enjoyed doing this for the last six years, and have managed to accomplish about 90% of the goals I set for myself when I started (e.g., the comprehensive web-based minutes, summary of actions, Manual chapters, and History)".

  Photo of ex-Secretary enjoying new leisure time by Dick Otis. Just so you don't get the idea that the Curmudgeon's Commentary is limited to soaring or the decline of American values, here's some observations about the use of our beautiful language by some of the smartest people I know:

  1. The word "data" is plural. The word "datum" is singular. "One datum is" or These data are".

  2. "Brakes" stop things. If the brakes break, then the brakes won't stop things.

  3. "Fewer" refers to numbers, "less" refers to quantity. There are fewer bottles of milk on the shelf, or each bottle has less milk in it.

  4. There, there, don't fret. (They're worried about their car over there.)...Think about it. Can you figure out the rule(s)? (See also No. 5.)

  5. There is a wonderful punctuation mark called an apostrophe. An amazing little gadget. It can indicate contractions-that is, when you leave out some letters; for example, "it's" is a contraction for "it is". Or "they're" is a contraction for "they are". (Actually, the grammatically incorrect "ain't" is a modified old English contraction for "am not".) OR it can indicate possession, as "the car's tires", which indicates that the tires belong to the car!

  Of course, English, being such a beautiful language capable of wonderful accuracy and nuance, also has possessive constructions with no apostrophe-such as "mine" or "yours"...and "its". (Isn't THAT confusing?!?) But the wonderful apostrophe can even tell you the number* of the word in a possessive construction!

  For example, something that belong to the car is "the car's" something, but something that belongs to a whole fleet of cars is "the cars'" something! Wow! Now the sentence "Each car's title was different, although the cars' paperwork was complete" carries some richly nuanced meaning!

  But the cardinal sin seen more and more is using the apostrophe to indicate simple plurality! Even on building signs, as in "Exit's this way->"

  6. You pedal your bike, but if you sell it, you have to peddle it.

  7. Who knows the difference between breech and breach? (Then consider breeches... Or leech and leach?

  8. And then there's syntax! Wonderful syntax! That's the "word order" that gives even richer nuance to language! For example, "I flew my glider at Front Royal when it was new"... do you mean the glider was new, or when Front Royal was new? How about "When it was new, I flew my glider at Front Royal" or "I flew my new glider at Front Royal." But my all-time favorite is "Time flies like an arrow." Does that mean that time moves fast, not unlike the flight or an arrow? Or does it mean that there is a kind of fly-time flies, in this case-that like to eat arrows? (Discuss among yourselves... sometimes it doesn't help to know too much!)

  And, no, I'm NOT an English major, just the product of the typical grammar school as taught in the forties and fifties... *Number, in the grammatical use, refers to the singularity or plurality of a noun...in this example, one car or several cars.. and the possessive is car's (singular) or cars' (plural)-
  -- im Kellett, Resident Curmudgeon

• Your editor, product of the identical era grammar schools,will automatically forgive anyone sending articles to Skylines that violate any of the above rules. There, there, don't fret-its not the policy of Skylines to point fingers
  -- Editor

• PC-Flight Log for Glider Pilots v4.3 is now available with great features and improvements. More details and download facilities for your free, full working evaluation version at http://www.IdealMicrosystems.com

• For those of you who do not believe in magic, I suggest you look at this web page. http://www.frictionstirwelding.com/ This is how the Eclipse is being put together.
  -- George Hazelrigg

• I am pleased to announce that the "FRR UNICOM", the newsletter of the airport, has been posted to the website-http://skylinesoaring.org/FRR-NEWS/

  It's also available on the left-hand side of the main menu labeledas "FRR UNICOM"
  -- Piet Barber

• Self-certification for REC Pilots?-On September 26, EAA filed a petition requesting that the self-certified medical venture reach beyond its current bounds of hot-air balloon and glider pilots and into the field of Recreational Pilot certificate holders. Learning from past attempts, EAA is proposing in its petition to establish a five-year test to assist the FAA in building needed data. The organization feels the data "captured from this study, when combined with the lessons learned from the sport pilot medical rule, would be sufficient to expand the use of the driver's license medical authority to recreational pilots." Keep your fingers crossed... for the next five years....

• Wingwalking with a wooden leg-Many of us will be satisfied to walk at all when we're 88. Les Seales went wingwalking, on a wooden leg, and set a world record for his effort at that age. Seales spent a total of about 45 minutes atop a Stearman, becoming the oldest to accomplish such a stunt. (An 87-year-old South African woman held the title before him.) Seales previously went wingwalking during WWII, making his way forward along the fuselage / wing joint of his damaged Defiant aircraft to free his trapped pilot.
  -- AvFlash