It has been said that good fences make good neighbors. That statement was largely in reference to cattle and sheep farmers. But it is worth considering it with respect to powered and unpowered aircraft. Gliders are different-they are the black sheep. We are bigger (much longer wingspan), lighter, slower, we take more runway width but less runway length, and we can't taxi all that easily (at least not without a team of "huskies"). We can't roll onto the runway and accelerate for takeoff in one smooth motion, and we can't go around when someone taxis out in front of us or cuts us off in the pattern. All this means that we have to have well-built fences.

We have worked with the FBO to create workable fences. Examples: we fly a right-hand pattern, we announce ourselves on unicom, we monitor unicom prior to runway positioning and during our launch procedure, we try to be extra careful during emergency PTT practice, we position gliders on the ground out of the way of powered aircraft. Safety demands that we recognize the existence of these fences and respect them.

Recently, in case you haven't noticed, there has been a lot of dirt moving going on at FRR. Several large yellow machines made by Caterpillar have been burning lots of diesel fuel lately, and runway 27R/09L is rapidly emerging, along with a greatly expanded ramp area. Actually, I think the FBO would rather call this the taxiway, but it sure looks like a glider landing strip to me. These airport modifications will soon be complete, and they will affect us rather directly-they will move our fences. We will have to be aware that powered aircraft will expect to use the new taxiway. So we will have to keep it clear for them. Clear enough that Bonzo, the airplane-flying ape could navigate it without taking out a few gliders along the way. We will have to keep the tent and the tow car clear, and we will have to be careful about using the taxiway as a staging area. I'm sure we'll work this out in time, but we can expect a few burps in the process. As we learn to deal with the new geometry, let's all be observant and patient. Let's take extra care to keep visitors away from the taxiway.

But we don't have to look at this as all negative. Our fences are being moved, but it will benefit us too. No longer should we have to wait for aircraft to back-taxi on 27. I expect that, as we learn to use the new geometry, we will find that we can stage and get launched more quickly. For example, we will be able to move out onto the runway immediately after a landing airplane passes the threshold. We could be ready to launch about one minute after a landing airplane clears the runway. The taxiway itself will be a new fence that helps us to separate our activities from those of powered aircraft.

In the end, we are all concerned about safety. So, if you see something you don't like, speak up. Let's make this a joint learning process, and one that leads to new and better fences. Let's continue to do our best to be good neighbors with our powered friends.

Two other notes are worthy of mention. First, rumor has it that the new ASK-21 will be shipped "on schedule," and we should have it before the end of this year. This is an exciting event for the club. Second, be aware that much work will have to be done on the Pawnee this year. There is a wing-attachment AD that requires removal of the wings every 6 years. That's this year. Also, the fabric on the right wing is not in good shape, and needs to be replaced. The fabric on the left wing is acceptable for the time being, but it may be prudent to do both wings at the same time. So expect that lots will be done to the Pawnee before it goes back on the line in 2003. This may include a new paint job. I am tempted to close by saying that the upcoming 2003 flying season is looking pretty classy. Let's begin now to think about making it a year of growth for the club. Think about getting your friends hooked on soaring. It will be a pleasant experience for them to fly in our new equipment, and for us as well. Fly safe,
-- George Hazelrigg, Jr

Most of you heard about the Aeronca Chief crash a couple of weeks ago. Here's an update on the luckiest dog in the world. The pilot was found at the crash site holding a toy poodle named "Bisbee." Bisbee survived the crash without a scratch. His only "injuries" were a broken collar and newly acquired phobia of flying. His owner (the pilot) had strapped him in by the collar to the seatbelt. The pilot was in intensive care for four days - he suffered a large gash in his head, broken ribs and bruising. Tim and I kept the dog while he was in the hospital. Bisbee was a very sweet dog - if you overlooked his continual amorous advances towards our lab (picture a 4 pound poodle and an 80 pound lab). The pilot's wife picked up both husband and dog five days after the crash. The dog was delighted to see his family again. We just got a note from the wife (along with an enormous box of chocolates) that said her husband is recovering and getting back to normal.
-- Lisa Sergent

"Kolie, do you have your gear down?", asks George Hazelrigg after I announce my intention to land. "Thanks George", I reply. "<8A>wanna hear my gear alarm?". With the mike still keyed, I pull the spoilers. A gut-wrenching whiewoooop, whiewoooop rings through my ears (and over the radio). I think George got the message-I quite like the gear-up warning that came with my LS3-A. The landing concludes my first flight in the newly-acquired LS3-A-a flight that lasted over three hours and a flight that was more fun than I could ever have imagined. It was my first flight in a flapped, retractable gear glider with performance better than one in forty. This event took place on Monday, October 14, 2002.

The glider was much easier to fly than I thought it would be. On take-off I had the flaps at the negative setting and shifted to +5deg after gaining some aileron control. "That will pop you off the ground", I can still hear Dave Weaver say. Well, "pop off" my ass-it's more like catapult straight up! I really had to get the nose down to avoid pulling Steve's tail up in the air. The rest of the tow went without a hitch. I had to double-check my release altitude of 1131 meters because the altimeter winds up from the 6 o'clock position. Other than that, the metric instruments (meters, meters per second, and kilometers per hour) didn't bother me at all, since I fly symbols (and colors on the ASI) and trends (on the VSI).

I started flying gliders in the early eighties and have always used the acronym "UFSTBL" for my checklist after release. How sweet it was to be finally using "U" (undercarriage) and "F" (flaps)! And does it get quiet when you put that gear away! The roll response is very good and it took very little time to get used to the trim control for the elevator. I like the quick acceleration when you push the stick forward. Flying with flaps was the big mystery for me, so I experimented with that quite extensively, realizing that it will take a while before I get the hang of it. I must say, it seemed pretty straight forward. Thermalling at minimum sink speed with 5deg or 10deg flaps was very stable, and slowing towards a stall with a shallow bank gave ample warning that something was about to happen. I did not get to high speed flight (above 190kph) because I was very content with what I already had. The flat angles of higher performance gliders become very obvious if you're used to the trusty old Sprite's performance. For instance; returning to the field from Signal Knob or the first lookout point on Skyline Drive leaves you with plenty of altitude over the airfield.

I've been warned that the landing configuration (20deg flaps, gear down) reduces the performance noticeably. That made things very easy for me. I flew the landing pattern just like I do in the Sprite and it worked out perfectly. There are plenty of cues on when to flare, and roll control was good until the glider came to a stop. The only thing I forgot to do was to move the pedals up before landing so that I could get my heelsfirmly on the brakes. Braking power was good despite that.

Another first was flying with an L-NAV. It's a very nifty little elektronische apparaten, I must say. I even had my Etrex hooked up to it, and it all worked fine. I still have to figure it out, though. The mechanical Bohli vario is very sensitive and the TE compensation appears to work very well over a wide speed range. I'm sure this vario is going to live up to its reputation. (I had to put this statement in to impress y'all and to see if you're still reading). One thing that did impress me about the netto indication on the L-NAV is that it confirmed the 2m/s (400ft/min) lift that was predicted (apart from the confirmed 4.5k TOL that I predicted). Oh, and did I mention that it was a beautiful day?

I did not look for a flapped 15m ship specifically. I really wanted an LS-4, but nothing was available at a reasonable price at the time. When I found out about the LS3-A, I was quickly convinced after talking to Richard Freytag & Fred Mueller. The purchase and importation of this glider is another long story Suffice it to say that I'm indebted to generous and trustworthy souls in Europe. This glider has seen some of the most beautiful sights in Europe. I'm hoping to show it some spectacular scenery here in the Shenandoah Valley and beyond

My sincerest thanks to: Patric Nolle, who went to Switzerland to test fly the glider for me and who drove it from Glaser-Dirks to Bremerhaven; the sellers Manuel Steiner & Marcel Scherer, who were extremely patient with all my questions and who drove the glider from Zurich to Glaser-Dirks; Glaser-Dirks for free storage and being the clearing house on the sale; Abu Nasser from Wallenius Wilhelmsenin in Bremerhaven for making the shipping arrangements a no-brainer; Jinna & Sherri from EH Harms in Baltimore for making the forwarding arrangements a no-brainer; Richard Freytag, Fred Mueller, and other club members for all the advice; Yossi, for helping to remove the old numbers; Shane Neitzy, for making the new numbers; Eric Litt, for doing the annual inspection; Dave Weaver, for checking me out in the cockpit; George Hazelrigg for DO-ing; Steve Wallace for towing and taking landing pictures; Fred Winter & George Hazelrigg for helping with the assembly; my wife, Megan, for all the encouragement and support to make this a reality, and for taking beautiful pictures of this wonderful experience. Genome sequence of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum

MALCOLM J. GARDNER et al.

Nature 419, 498-511 (2002); doi:10.1038/nature01097 The parasite Plasmodium falciparum is responsible for hundreds of millions of cases of malaria, and kills more than one million African children annually. Here we report an analysis of the genome sequence of P. falciparumclone 3D7. The 23-megabase nuclear genome consists of 14 chromosomes, encodes about 5,300 genes, and is the most (A + T)-rich genome sequenced to date. Genes involved in antigenic variation are concentrated in the subtelomeric regions of the chromosomes. Compared to the genomes of free-living eukaryotic microbes, the genome of this intracellular parasite encodes fewer enzymes and transporters, but a large proportion of genes are devoted to immune evasion and host-parasite interactions. Many nuclear-encoded proteins are targeted to the apicoplast, an organelle involved in fatty-acid and isoprenoid metabolism. The genome sequence provides the foundation for future studies of this organism, and is being exploited in the search for new drugs and vaccines to fight malaria. -from Nature: Plasmodium genomics special issue, 3rd October 2002 http://www.nature.com/nature/malaria/

The Editor is going to guess most, if not all, of you missed this article so I have included this little brief excerpt so the Membership can see a bit of what your new Secretary is doing outside of Dean's Steak House Board Meetings. Impressive, eh? At his age my Mother was still cutting my meat for me.
-- Malcolm Gardner

This year, the annual year-end party will be at Hacienda Hazelrigg in Vienna, onFriday, December 6, beginning at 6:30 PM and continuing until we decide it's too late to go on. We'll provide hot dinner, so if you want to bring something, make it a small dish or desert to add some variety. Beer and wine are also welcome. It might not hurt to bring a folding chair if you have one. We have chairs (i.e., places to sit) for about 30 people, but expect about 75. Of course, there's always the floor. As you may already know, the Hazelrigg house features music in all its various forms. So, if you have a musical instrument, bring it (pianos provided by the management-we have a substantial collection of keyboards). We will feature the SSC Band (can someone come up with a better name than that?). After dinner and music, we will have a showing of "Dr. Strangelove." If you haven't seen this movie in the past 30 years, or maybe never saw it, it is classic Peter Sellers, with several well-known but rather young looking actors, and lots of flying. For those of you who will be coming from afar, it may be possible for you to stay with us overnight, and go directly to FRR on Saturday morning. I'll need a head count for overnighters. I think we can arrange for a few, particularly if some of the DC-area members can help out.

Now the important stuff. Where is this-here party?

[Instructions to the party omitted]

See you all there.
-- George Hazelrigg, Jr

Well, it's official now. As of today (October 28), general aviation pilots will be required to carry a government-issued photo ID when flying. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey announced the rule last Thursday at the AOPA Expo in Palm Springs, Calif. The agency based its rule changes on a petition submitted by AOPA last February. Suitable forms of identification under the new rules are a valid driver's license, federal or state ID card, a U.S. armed forces' ID, credentials that authorize access to airport secure areas, or other identification that the FAA accepts. The new regulations also require pilots to present that ID when requested by the FAA, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), National Transportation Safety Board or any law-enforcement officer.-AVweb http://avweb.com/n/?44a> for a link to the exact wording of the new rule.
-- Editor

As many members know, Skyline Soaring Club played a significant role in getting the VIrginia Civil Air Patrol Wing's glider operations up and running. In 1999, CAP cadets flying at Front Royal in Club gliders helped the state justify the procurement of its own Blanik L-23 glider, and a Maule towplane-both are now based at OKV (Winchester Regional Airport) with the CAP squadron there. In addition, the CAP equipped one of it's corporate C-172s with a conventional glider towing package. At this writing, a second glider, to be based in southwest Virginia, is in the pipeline for the Virginia CAP. Currently, two Skyline Soaring Club members (Greg Ellis and Jim Kellett) are actively involved in the excellent CAP Cadet program, providing orientation rides and flight instruction for CAP cadets from all over VIrginia.

Virginia's Civil Air Patrol glider operation celebrated its first Cadet solo flight on October 1, 2002, in the CAP's Blanik L-23 at Winchester Regional Airport. Timothy Paul Genda, age 14, was towed aloft for his first solo by Lt. Col. Duke Stanton, the Squadron Commander, and observed by a large cadre of Senior Members and Cadets, plus his parents and four of his eight siblings. His flight was flawless, and upon landing, Skyliner CFI Jim Kellett (who'd provided the final pre-solo training for Tim) awarded him his SSA "A" badge.

On October 19, the CAP performed its first glider launch with the Tost reel and a set of mirrors newly installed in its Maule towplane. The first tow, a test flight, was made by Lt. Col. Stanton, and Skyliner Jim Kellett flew as checkpilot to Steve Lander, a former USAFA glider pilot and the glider O-ride (orientation ride) pilot for the day. The test was followed by a successful series of O-rides for Cadets

Virginia's Civil Air Patrol offers an excellent venue for glider pilots who'd like to work with some outstanding and motivated young men and women further their love of aviation. For more information about this program, see the CAP Region III website at http://www.vawg.cap.gov/glider_program/

I learned about Flying from that

It had been some time since I'd signed up for tow pilot duty. But lacking a suitable two place club trainer for me to instruct in [385# Useful load- 215# Pilot (or #225 dressed to kill) = 160-170# FAA Standard pilot weight student]-towing seemed be be in order again. However I digress.

The Pawnee was in fine form, running well, and towing the Grob at 6-10kt climb in the cool fall weather. However, despite the outstanding thermals which abounded, the students were in the "1000' if you please" (1500 if traffic prevails) mode to practice landings. Dropping a glider at 1000' adjacent the 45 degree pattern entry point, I observed it immediately enter a thermal. Thinking quickly, I concluded I had sufficient time to dash back for a tight, high pattern and landing suitable for the mid-field turn off, there to observe the student landing. However haste makes waste, and after landing, the DO informed me the tow rope was in trail. While not a safety issue with my high approach, mild embarrassment ensued. I resolved to do better.

There is not much to do on the Pawnee landing checklist-OK there is not anything to do on the landing checklist that is required, but I have always used GUMP-even on my C152-as a last check. On the Pawnee that means GAS (enough for the next tow?) Undercarriage (that would be the tow rope's location if not retracted), Mixture (I check to make sure I haven't leaned it so much that if I added power the engine might not respond) and Power (it helps a GREAT deal to run a couple hundred RPMs over idle to make your landing look nice).

Not long afterwards however, as I tried to demonstrate my nominal flying skills by gracefully planting the Pawnee on the numbers at Vmin, thus to ensure a very short roll out for the three other planes in the pattern. Approaching the runway I heard "Abort, abort". The power was full before the second word was out (my hand being on the throttle). Followed by, you guessed it, "your rope is out". This time, the rope was very close to the ground. Severe embarrassment and beer for the DO/ADO who, having been suckered once, were watching me like a hawk (one with his tail between his legs).

Lessons learned-Like all things that don't go well in flying, there was a series of events. I hadn't towed in a while, my normal release procedure (where in I ALWAYS reel in the rope immediately after glider release) was broken, and in my haste I missed my GUMP check, twice.

However the point of this confession is this: when someone tells you to do something immediately, or in a frantic voice like "abort", DO IT, ask questions later. I wasn't sure the "abort" call was for me, or even for someone anywhere near FRR. If it was for me, I didn't have a clue what the problem was. Better safe than sorry however.

When I was learning to fly in 1966, a T-34 practicing aerobatics over Andrews AFB rammed (from beneath at the top of a loop) a Beech Bonanza on an IFR flight plan. An alert controller seeing the imminent crash yelled at the Bonanza "Nxxx IMMEDIATE right turn, now". The pilot reached for the mike and acknowledged, rather than executing the turn. Scratch two perfectly good airplanes. The T-34 pilots had chutes, but not the Bonanza pilot. I decided then, not to ever make the same mistake. Food for your thought.
-- Richard the Towpilot (Otis).

Learn to hold your chosen pattern airspeed primarily by reference to pitch attitude, secondarily by reference to wind noise and the airspeed indicator. Keeps your head outside the cockpit where it belongs, looking for traffic and with an eye on the yaw string. Other points to remember; A. Decide pattern airspeed and ground track before entering the IP. B. Complete the Before Landing Checklist before entering IP. C. Use pitch attitude as a primary method to hold desired airspeed. D. Use wind noise and the airspeed indicator as secondary references to backup your pitch attitude. E. Constantly look for traffic and cross reference other indicators; altitude, ground track, ground speed, etc. F. While on Base Leg, look hard for aircraft on final approach. This is a place where an aircraft on a collision course would not appear to move within your field of view while you are concentrating on lining up for the turn to Final. (Collision course while not appearing to move is true in most cases.)
-- Shane Neitzey, CFI-G

I thought that the other students in the club might be interested in hearing about the pros and cons of spending a week at a commercial soaring operation/school, and the benefits of a week of intensive soaring instructions. You will have a whole new appreciation for our club once you have a chance to fly with a commercial operation. The condition and maintenance of our club equipment is something that I took for granted. The ASK-21 I trained in looked like someone chewed it up and spit it out. The canopy was patched with safety wire in a way that resembled a brutal human scar, what blue plastic handle on the spoilers? What are those wires hanging from the bottom of the panel? Their tow pilots have all of 25 hours of tail dragger experience before being hired, and their ships don't have radios, so much for announcing your intentions!

As I mentioned to my wife, I really enjoyed the week I spent at Turf, but I was really glad to be coming home to the Skyline Club. I have been flying with SSC for two years. I had sixty (60) flights and 18.6 hours of air time prior to my trip. I had passed my FAA Glider written, and the club's pre-solo written. What was missing was my ability to develop self confidence. Prior to my trip, if an SSC instructor had cleared me to solo, I would have really nervous about attempting a solo flight. By the time I did fly solo at Turf it really was anti-climactic.

Why did I go all the way to Arizona? As many of you know, my wife recently gave birth to a baby girl. After a long, humid, and pregnant spring and summer, Tracy was ready for a vacation, and I was ready for some flying. The weather in Arizona is really nice this time of year. A dry 90's in the day, mid 60's at night. Not premium soaring weather, but great for training. Tracy was able to sit by the pool, or enjoy the many spa treatments that the Scottsdale area has to offer, I still don't know why women spend lots of money to have mud rubbed into their face. I was able to go flying all day without coming home to an unhappy wife and screaming baby. I chose Turf over Estrella based on location. Turf is in northwest, Estrella in the southwest. Turf was easier to get to each day. I had also called in advance to make sure that I could train in a glass ship and not a 2-33. Please note that I am not a, "Glasshole". I simply wanted to train, and solo, in the type of aircraft that our club operated.

Like most folks I have a demanding job, and a busy family life with the newborn. I thought the best way for me to learn was to clear my plate for a week and just focus on Soaring. I have always had a touch of the, "Forest Gump" syndrome. I tend to do my best when I can focus on ONE thing, but most of us don't have that luxury. I told my wife that she was welcome to come along, but she had to treat it like a business trip. I would make sure that she had plenty to do, and I would focus on the business of learning to Soar. (I also told her this trip was necessary from a safety perspective, which wasn't really a lie). The club is the best, and cheapest, way to build a strong knowledge base and really learn your way around the sport. However, based on my individual learning characteristics, the club wasn't going to provide the best training environment for a dominant left-brainer like myself. Based on my availability of one day per weekend, I felt like I had just reached a wall. I knew that the club would continue to become a great resource to me if I could just get over that wall. I really enjoyed Turf. I got along great with my instructor. Jim Gager had been an instructor at Bermuda High and went to Turf so he could teach as his full time job. Jim recognized my enthusiasm and really went out of his way for me. Turf was also the only place that guaranteed me I could train in a glass ship. Over the phone, Bermuda High and Ridge told me, "all pre-solo students train in 2-33's". I liked the idea of learning to land on a 300 foot wide runway vs FRR's 70'. I liked Jim's style because he never commented on a flight until we were on the ground. He always let me do all the flying, and critiqued afterwards.

I ended up doing most of my training in an ASK-21. Jim Gager (A former Marine Corps communicator, who was the primary instructor at Bermuda High up until a year ago) and I were too heavy for the Grob 103. (I also found out that Turf's Grob 103 has had it's tail snapped off twice from PIO's on landing) I started my training on Sunday afternoon. I spent an hour or so in the classroom. Jim and I went over my logbook, written test results, aerial photos of the field, (they have three parallel runways, 300 feet wide and 4000 feet long, and a short crosswind runway) and identified their patterns, procedures, PTT landing fields. Turf has a shelf of class "B" airspace that you need to be aware of, 7K-10K, and it abuts their training area. Turf also sits at 1600 MSL. Parachutes are mandatory for all training in glass ships at Turf. You don't need to have your own, they will provide you with one free of charge. We also took a golf cart ride around the facility to visually identify all of the things we had discussed in the classroom. From there I got a chance to show Jim how good the SSC instructors are. We did a tow to 3K and I got to strut my basic air skills. Jim pointed out all of the ground references that we had talked about in the classroom (pattern entry point, base entry point, acrobatics box, are clearly marked on the ground with car tires painted white, and arranged in easily recognizable symbols). I nailed a perfect landing on that flight. After flying at FRR, the runways at Turf look like they are about the size of Rhode Island! After the flight, Jim agreed that he had a good assessment of my knowledge and skills, and that we could formulate a set of goals and a training plan for the week. Lessons at Turf are given in two-hour blocks. Generally, they won't schedule more than two lessons per day, one in the morning, one in the afternoon.

Commercial operations are much more expensive than the club. I noticed that some customers were not happy with the way they were being billed for every little thing. I guess they don't know how expensive it is to maintain a fleet of planes. There were some little BS things, like having to buy some books I really didn't need, and having to pay 25 bucks for an ASK-21 manual, but I know that Roy isn't getting rich running the place. During the week he has half-a-dozen full time employees that aren't that busy. The 85 dollar scenic rides for the tourists don't make him any money, so I didn't get too worried about that stuff. If you buy time in bulk, you get good discounts. If you buy 500 up front you get a 50 dollar credit. Buy 1K up front and get $150 credit. I bought two 1K blocks and got $300 in credit. That more than covered the little BS expenses. Rental for the ASK and Grob were 50 an hour, tows 1000' = $25, 2K=$35, 3K=$45, instruction $40 hour-$30 hour on the ground. Really makes you appreciate SSC rates. I highly recommend intensive instruction for any SSC member, and I would highly recommend Turf. I had lift 200-600 FPM steady to 8400 MSL, and the local guys thought that was lousy soaring day! What's not to like?

What did I get for my 2K? A great week of vacation and, 30 flights in 5 training days, 6 solo flights (one to 8400 MSL, 1:06 in duration-I had to come down early cause they close at 5 PM), an "A" & "B" Badge, A Pre-Solo written endorsement in my log book, a Solo endorsement in my logbook, an Aero Tow endorsement in my logbook, and a Spin/Recovery Training endorsement in my logbook, two aircraft endorsements on the, "To solo the following aircraft" section of my Student Pilot's License (ASK-21 and SGS 2-32).

Phoenix has a full gambit of places to stay from 40 to 400 dollars a night. I flew on Southwest out of BWI, non-stop to Phoenix with tickets booked from their website, $ 99 each way, per person, but had to fly on a Saturday.

Overall it was a great experience! I highly recommend something similar to any student pilot in the club.
-- Chris Williams

• 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

• orth Repeating-I was thinking about the accident problem. It seems to come down to making low impact returns to the earth. One thing that may be happening is that pilots have priority problems that cause them not to think about the landing until it is imminent. What would happen if, just before take-off they saw a sign that said "land safely" and heard the line crew say "land safely"? Would it get them think ahead to that inevitable event earlier in the flight?

  No flight is successful until it has ended with a safe landing, regardless of exactly where it is or how it comes about. The increased accident rate seems to relate, timewise, to SSC members' increased emphasis on cross-country soaring.-
  -- Spencer Annear

• The above excerpt is from the NTSB's website report on the accident that claimed the lives of two extremely experienced pilots and great persons. If you haven't visited it yet, do yourself a favor.

  http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001212X19310&key=1

  http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2002/AAB0206.htm

  
  -- Steve Wallace

• From our Skylines Curmudgeon Told You So File: Two Indian Ilyushin 38 naval reconnaissance planes collided October 2nd while taking part in a flyby celebrating their squadron's safety record-all 12 crewmen as well as three on the ground were killed and 15 others were injured. The flyby, held to showcase a maritime squadron, was also a celebration of 30,000 hours of accident-free flying...

  
  -- AVweb

• 82 percent of midair collisions occur at overtaking convergence angles. How is your hindsight?

  Let's ALL be careful out there!
  -- Editor

• Anniversary DVDs & CDs Available!

  Tony Bigbee reports that he's near completion of the production of the Skyline Soaring Club's Tenth Anniversary Celebration video!! Yes, complete with Bela Gogos' inspiring speech (and the slides he presented) plus other snips of this memorable gala will be available for distribution by the date of the Club's Christmas party (December 6 at the Hazelrigg residence). As you may know, Bela's negotiating with publishers for the publication of his full biography, so this speech has attained the status of "collectible" before it's even produced!

  I am accepting orders now-$5.00 for the DVD disc, or $1.00 for a CD (smaller format, fewer features), and will burn copies based on advance orders, so ACT NOW and let me know how many of which kind you want.
  -- Jim Kellett, Chief Flight Instructor, Skyline Soaring Club

• Our next issue will contain a small feature on the upcoming 100th anniversary of the first powered flight. Although the anniversary isn't until December 17, 2003 (duh!) Skylines plans to jump on the bandwagon and start the 3,719th "Countdown to Kitty Hawk". We do this knowing that many historians say technically the event occurred in Kill Devil Hills, NC. (While both have a certain unmistakable flavor, PR has long favored Kitty Hawk-it's so, so "flight-like").

  So in the spirit of historically accuracy, please join Skylines in a guessing game.

• We've all seen the photograph(s) a zillion times and we've all read the many books and articles. Most of us have visited the site, some of us, your editor included, have done so many times.

  We know December 17, 1903 was cold (37 degrees) we know it was windy (27mph) we can see the ice on the sand in the photos. But, your editor has never found in all the Wrights' writing, a reference to the cloud cover...SO...

  If you think you know what the cloud cover was at 10:35 on December 17, 1903, drop your answer in my email pja@his.com and we'll announce the winner(s) in the December "Countdown to Kill Devil" issue.