Friday, March 8, 7:30 pm
Frederick Community College
Aircraft Maintenance Hangar
(Frederick Municipal Airport)
Attendance Mandatory for all members
An austere existence can lead to nice rewards. Some of us learn this from religious upbringings. I'm no purveyor to the ascetic mode, and all the pleasure reading I did with Butler's Lives of the Saints while an undergraduate in California asserted the fact that I was not to be found among its many pages.
The near-destitute, low-income lifestyle I led helped me to become a glider owner. Last year when I was sitting down on tax deadline day and figuring out what the year's burden would be, I ran into some interesting numbers. Every time I computed the new figure on the federal forms, the amount of my refund would increase a minimum of a hundred dollars, and often a lot more. I knew I had to be fouling something up, but where? I was being allowed to get back what little I gave. Soon, I had a refund showing about two grand. Reserving the option to save four-hundred bucks for the next year's tax filing, the rest would come to me for self-involved spending. I am the perfect person to buy gifts for - I know what I want and most every present I've bought for myself seems to be kept and enjoyed. I'm quite fortunate.
Thoughts of a check in the mail . now what can I buy next? I had already dropped the six-hundred bucks with a provisional year's membership in M-ASA. I wanted to be back in the air, and supposedly soaring was cheaper than powered flying.
Cruising the internet one day, I wanted to revisit my days of desiring cheap wings - the early `80s and ultralights. There were some ultralights around $4500. Then I saw something listed under sailplanes. It was a Scheibe L-Spatz glider for sale in Canada. The price was $3000. Holy stinky mackerel! A damn aircraft for three grand? I sent an e-mail message immediately to the seller while running a search to find what an L-Spatz looked like.
I did not remember that I had seen an L-Spatz before on the internet. It was the Vintage Sailplane Association award winner L-Spatz 55 selling for $7500 up in New York. Looking at an L-Spatz 55 or III, you see Egon Scheibe's classic Mü-13 design. Scheibe believed in traditional construction methods for gliders and resisted composites as much as possible. The L-Spatz has at least five models. These include the Spatz A - a midwing, box-canopy glider, the 55 model, and the III: the best performing of them all. An L-Spatz is a nice looking glider, very similar to M-ASA's Ka-8, but the L-Spatz is that much better. It has more rounds on it than straights, more curves than flats. The simple geometry of the nose - especially the under-nose-to-skid area and up to the fuselage - is tapered exactly right. The wings are long and skinny: a real 15-meter glider. They have a barely-perceptible inverted gull shape. A basic glider with 29:1 performance. And it's made the Egon Scheibe way: wood wings, steel tube fuselage, fabric covering. Light, cute, cheap. That's the way to go.
The seller of the Canadian L-Spatz III didn't take me too seriously. How would a glider in Western Canada be brought to Maryland? At the same time, I found another Canadian L-Spatz III with a Schreder aluminum trailer. $4000 U.S. and it could be had. Some internet searching in Europe listed an L-Spatz 55 in England for 2000 pounds.
The problem with all these foreign gliders was simple: they were foreign. Bringing one to the states involved a car trip, a truck line, or a ship. And I didn't have any hard money yet. But an idea germinating in me is more like a germ. I needed a cheap plane.
I thought of all the possibilities. Four grand for a glider in trailer. Two grand to ship it. Fifteen hundred in check form on the way. Credit cards with available balances to 20 grand. Get it! Get a glider! Someone had to get some sense into me. I was talking about it in secret to only one person in the club, Jim Furlong. Jim's owned enough vintage gliders to know that people like me who like old gliders are nuts.
An important note to make: while I was investigating cheap gliders, I had only a handful of flights in the club's workhorse N1186S, the yellow 2-33. I wasn't liking it as much as I thought and was certainly very far from first glider solo. I was going up on choppy days, and when that tow rope slither-whipped back toward the tailwheel of the towplane, it was all I could do to convince myself that we were really flying and not about to hurtle at the ground and be converted to a messy-mass that looks like something Alexander Calder would string from a roof beam in a D.C. gallery and call a "mobile."
While thinking of how easy it would be to spend the money on a cheap glider, Jim Furlong came to the rescue. In essence, he knew that I wasn't excited about soaring yet. "The only thing that gives me a little pause about your buying the L-Spatz is that you have had so little gliding time," he said. "I guess the hard question to ask is: Are you positive that you are so in love with glider flying that there is no doubt that you will continue with your lessons and get a license? Or are you more in love with the idea of owning a glider than flying it?"
Armin Gruber, a German living in the U.K. with his family and vintage gliders and the seller of the U.K. L-Spatz, was very helpful and suggested I look at the website www.segelflug.de to find gliders for sale in Germany. There were several Ka-6 and Ka-8 gliders, as well as plenty of plastic ones of the ASW, DG, and LS type. And there were three L-Spatzen. Inquiries to the sellers and I soon had them whittled down to one - an L-Spatz III that had been completely overhauled less than a decade previous. It had a closed trailer with carbon-fiber doors made by the seller, Klaus Edelmann. The Spatz was painted red. It looked fast and in excellent condition. I wanted to date it and even take it home and introduce it to my family. And it was 2000 Euro - less than 1800 bucks. The refund check came in. I kept thinking that I had some options with my money other than getting a glider. I could turn over the entire amount and make a piddling dent in my student loan debt. Smart. I could blow the whole thing on consumer entertainment things for the house - if it's flashy or loud then it belongs close-at-hand to wherever I'm sitting. Dumb. I could play powerball 1400 times and win forty dollars. I could be gutsy and give in to my boylike ways and light the whole thing on fire.
I deposited the check in the summer, and on a weeknight soon after I drove to a bank branch far from where I live. It was ten minutes to closing. An international wire transfer would certainly be impossible at this late hour. I could keep my money. The branch manager was very friendly. The idea of saving money was history. Soon, 2000 Euro were zipped out of my account and registered in a Bank somewhere in Bremen. It felt like I was a high-roller. I wasn't even charged the fifty bucks for the transfer. I had bought a glider. There was no way of knowing if I would get it. I would have to wait until fall to find out if I did, and in what shape it would be.
On a Friday that I took off work and was not getting paid for, I grabbed tow pilot and fellow vintage aircraft nut Scott Petrasek and we drove to Baltimore with a cashier's check for $1500 that represented shipping, unloading, and customs for an L-Spatz delivery. After clearing the freight charges and customs registers, all that was left was to find the trailer and take it Frederick. There among the import four-wheeled luxury items were three trailers. Two were Cobra trailers. The third had warpy polypropylene skin - and black doors. Carbon fiber to be precise. My trailer, and better yet, my glider! "Scott, it's my glider!" Unfastening the enclosures and opening the doors like Klaus had told me to, I looked inside. There was a shiny red rudder that I touched immediately and a whiff of the old days of gas-powered model airplanes. That great smell of dope: it smelled like a big model airplane -- which my glider really is. A model with a forty-nine foot wingspan, and one that I can sit in and pretend to be a pilot. It only took 32 years to be an aircraft owner . and all through cheap livin' and a willingness to save money and do some investigating. When the L-Spatz was first assembled on a Saturday at FDK, it was the best-looking glider on the field: it wasn't white with a T-tail, it was cheap, and it was mine.
You should have noticed in your MASA annual invoice that the Soaring Society of America dues ($55) are not included. This year the SSA is billing the MASA membership directly. Watch for this SSA bill to arrive in the mail soon. Send your SSA dues directly to the SSA (Hobbs, NM). MASA requires that all its members also be members of the SSA. The SSA provides valuable support to our sport through education, advocacy, promotion, and safety activities, and helps reduce the cost of insurance coverage. Supporting the SSA is crucial for MASA as a club, and for you as an individual soaring pilot.
The season is about to begin. This year we will be starting the season with four tow planes and a fleet of 9 gliders. What an incredible fleet we have. In order to make the most of the year we will be attempting to cover a lot of material and collect data at the annual meeting. Please take the time to update your roster information and complete a short survey. The ability to effectively communicate with all members allows the Board of directors to best gauge the membership's desires and meet the needs of the club.
The first half of the meeting will cover a review of the past year and a short discussion of where we hope to go. It is during this time we will conduct elections for new board members and elect a board president. Mike Higgins will also brief the financials. The second half of the meeting is centered on safety aspects. During the past year I have tried to stress safety particularly during our ground operations. This year we will concentrate on improving our OD training and preparation of new members so they can quickly become comfortable performing line duties.
My intent is to keep this month's article record short. I intend to speak to most current topics when we all get together on the 8th. Instead I want to thank all who have worked so hard to make M-ASA work over the last year. At times I feel many lose sight of some of the effort made by members to ensure the rest of us can fly. It would be unfair to attempt to mention all in this short message. But I would be in the wrong not to express a special thanks to Bill Kerns as he steps down from his board assignment. Bill has essentially been a board member the whole time he has been a full M-ASA member. Six consecutive years. Thanks Bill, now what are you going to do with your extra time - fly?
In closing I would like to challenge all to dust off their soaring libraries. Many have not flown all winter and may be a little rusty. Review the basics and don't hesitate to ask someone to go along on that first flight. Remember you must have flown a glider within 90 days to act as pilot in command of a club glider. One of the many benefits of M-ASA membership is free instruction.
On Sunday, September 9th after assessing the weather conditions while airborne and the probability of success (very high), I undertook my first XC flight from FFD, PA to FDK, MD and back, non-stop. The conditions were rowdy with cloud streets covering most of the 22 miles between the two familiar locations. The wind was southerly and against me going to FDK; however, I knew that once I had FDK made, the return trip would be lower risk with a strong tail wind. I believed if I could get to 4k or better near the north end of the Woodsboro quarry somewhere in the middle that I could make FDK with plenty altitude to help me on the return trip.
I turned back once on the way down south as my altitude was lower than I felt I needed to continue to FDK. Shortly after, I was able to gain the altitude that my confidence demanded so I turned back south for another attempt. I ended up around 5k at Woodsboro feeling a bit big for my cockpit, so I pressed on to FDK and arrived there at over 3k. I announced my impending arrival and was noticed by Paul Rehm nearby as he headed north seeking his own destination. Bill Whelan also contacted me somewhere nearby to congratulate me on the first leg of this momentous trip.
I circled above FDK till I could see 4k on my altimeter before starting back to someplace beyond the foreboding haze and cloud. As I started north again, a little voice told me that landing here wouldn't be so bad, and I considered it seriously, for a moment. Then a familiar friendly voice called to me over the radio to let me know he was marking a thermal near Woodsboro. I saw Paul Rehm circling after a bit and headed for him like a lost child to its mother, but I missed the thermal somehow. I must have passed to the east of where it had to be, upwind of Paul's position. I was at 3.3k at the time searching about in light to zero sink and a little concerned about making it back to FDK with the head wind if I didn't turn that way soon.
That was the moment of truth for me, somewhere in the middle with little altitude to spare and not totally sure I had a way out. So I turned west to the sunny side of the cloud where I found yet another strong thermal. I remembered you can often find one there. If I didn't find it I would certainly be out of expendable altitude, I would have to turn back, again. After finding that confidence-restoring thermal I followed a couple cloud streets, slowing in lift and speeding up a bit in sink until I made it back to FFD at a little over 3k, a healthy margin to my surprise. I announced my impending arrival and received a few congrats on the radio from Richard Fuller and others. Bill was announcing his landing approach at FDK about that time I think. I probably could have made it without the saving thermal, but I didn't feel that way until later.
The landing was a story all by itself, but I'll make it short, a bit disconcerting to say the least. I ended up touching down too fast and not quite in the best shape, but without incident despite being tossed every which way while turning to final. I have found that gusty quartering tail winds give me the most trouble when landing. So, I figure I need some more practice before I seriously risk landing out, God knows where.
I've finally been anointed as an "experienced" XC glider pilot. I find myself wondering what the weather conditions will be this coming weekend, and it's only Monday. It's been a big year for me according to my logbook. Again, thanks to all who helped me get to this point, you know who you are.
Fred Bane is running a wave camp at Petersburg, WV Saturday-Sunday March 9 and 10 and March 16 and 17. He asked me to get the word out to all the M-ASA folks that might be interested. Fred can be reached at home or by e-mail [see printed Convector for details - webmaster].
This year's Region 4 North Soaring Championships will be held Sunday, May 26, through Saturday, June 1, 2002. Practice Day will be Saturday, May 25, 2002. The SSA sanction approval for these dates was received last year, and planning is well under way for the contest. The dates chosen continue the M-ASA tradition of starting the contest on the Memorial Day weekend, as this has proven to be highly successful in terms of availability of contestants and contest support staff, and the weather is more likely to be reasonable in terms of soaring and comfort. Our contest has grown in attendance steadily over the past few years, and I expect the trend to continue for this year. There will be three classes of competition: Standard, 15 Meter, and Sports Class. Contest mailers have been sent to prospective contestants. If you did not receive one and wish to enter, please let me know (you can reach me through the M-ASA web site) and I will send you a registration form and contest information, or you can register via the SSA web site.
This year our turnpoints are undergoing a major revision. This was motivated to a great extent by the Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) that was put in place over Camp David that expanded the prohibited airspace from the nominal P-40 3 nautical mile radius to a radius of 8 nautical miles. We will be working with the FAA to attempt an exemption for sailplanes, or to rescind the TFR for the period of the contest (this was achieved for part of our Oktoberfest last year, and we are optimistic that we will be successful for at least the period of the contest). The revised turnpoints will provide greater flexibility in task planning with or without the TFR. We will rely on post flight verification to ensure that contest pilots do not penetrate the prohibited airspace. In the past, we have published a list of disallowed task legs for task planning. This is cumbersome and awkward, and because our contest now relies on GPS exclusively for flight documentation in all classes (i.e., no turnpoint cameras this year), we can avoid the confusion associated with the list of disallowed task legs. In addition, water ballast will not be allowed for the contest.
Our Contest Support Team is starting to come together, and many of our key players from last year will be joining us again. Sarah Macpherson has graciously agreed to be our Chief Scorekeeper again (she obviously has a strong masochistic streak). Dr. Ward Hindman will be our Contest Meteorologist. Jim Chick will be our Chief Tow Pilot, and he will be in charge of putting together our roster of tow pilots. Cathy Williams will once again be our Cookout Coordinator, but she can use some help with the planning and execution. I have been a bit slow in my search for a Competition Director, and maybe that's because I got stood up by our planned CD at the eleventh hour last year, but somehow managed to get three highly competent folks willing to serve on short notice. I am open to offers from qualified folks who would be willing to serve as our CD for this year's contest. Please contact me ASAP if you would like to perform this highly valuable service for our sailplane racing community. As always, I'm in need of help in many areas so I'm looking for volunteers to do the following: sniffers, ops directors and line people, cookout support, banquet coordinator, office manager(s), contest reporter, facility manager(s), and flight activity recorders. Putting on a successful regional contest like ours takes a Contest Support Team of approximately 40 people. If you can help for one or two days, it would be most appreciated. If you can spare more time, that would be great! If you would like to find out more about how to make this year's contest a huge success, please feel free to call me at home or work, or contact me by e-mail (see printed Convector). Prior experience is not required, and I'm an equal opportunity employer! Helping out at the Region 4 North is a great way to learn more about soaring and contest flying.
A recent incident with M-ASA's Super Cub tow plane underscores some of the problems we encounter with strong winds at the airfield. Our sailplanes and towplanes are light and take all our concentration when maneuvering near or on terra ferma. The tow pilot heard AWOS reporting winds down the runway with gusts up to 25 knots (28.5 mph). After an uneventful landing, he rolled to a stop and neutralized the elevator in preparation for a turn. The wind caught the tail and caused it to rise. Aft stick was ineffective in preventing the nose from dropping and the prop from striking the ground twice. Fortunately no one was hurt and it caused only minimal damage to the tow plane. Recorded AWOS winds (Thanks Jonathan!) indicated that steady winds were as high as 28 mph (24.5 knots) with gusts to 39 mph (34.2 knots) within an hour of the incident.
Winter and early spring is a time of rapidly changing weather conditions with winds that can change drastically between takeoff and landing. Our Operations Manual says "With steady winds or gusts reaching 35 mph, tow planes shall be returned to the hangar." "With steady or gusty winds exceeding 25 mph club gliders must be returned to the hangars."
What are your personal limits? Do you know the trend of the weather and winds when you launch? What are the crosswind limits for the sailplane you fly most often? When the windsock is straight out, what's your source of wind strength beyond 15 mph? At what steady or gusting wind conditions would you call it a day? Your answers are most likely based on your experience levels, weather trends and other personal factors.
We'll explore these limits at the M-ASA annual meeting. And we'll look at the Super Cub incident with respect to the winds and relook at M-ASA's wind speed limts.
Food for thought. Fly Safe!
The SSA National Convention is also the location for a winter SSA Directors Meeting and for a General SSA Membership Meeting. At least some of these notes were presented at the General Membership Meeting. As always the SSA website is a good place to find more detail on what the national organization is doing, and why.
Long before the 2002 meeting the broad objectives of SSA's national program were set forth in a Strategic Plan which gets reviewed and updated by Directors on a regular basis. The National office tries hard to be responsive to the priorities of members and relies on responses to the national member survey taken every few years. A few of the strong preferences from members are for more opportunity to learn cross country soaring, continuation of a strong SOARING Magazine, increase in the number of instructors available (club concern more than members), and keeping up contacts with FAA and other federal agencies to maintain all present soaring privileges and access to airspace. The badge and record program, plus the sanctioning of regional and national contests, also seems to interest a goodly number of members. Support for US teams in international competition is important but more narrowly supported such that SSA concentrates on special methods of funding, e.g. the Robertson Trust and appeals for voluntary contributions to the US teams with each contest entry fee.
Again long before winter 2002 it was clear the total activity the SSA sees as needed to support its membership (even taking into account that a great deal of work is by volunteers at no cost to SSA) wasn't matched by SSA income. More than anything else the SSA suffers from being small - another 10,000 members would fix the problem. Income from things like merchandise sales, advertising in the magazine, a co-operative bank credit card program, and various fees are all to the good and reduce the pressure on getting more income from pure dues. On the expense side the better web server and new computer system are considered absolutely essential and improve efficiency (survival with a smaller staff) but take dollars. In time both items will pay for themselves. The Directors collectively have voted in a way that will keep SSA financially viable, allow for long-term growth, and avoid a shrinkage of services that members say they want. This vote was for a new membership category structure which will add $20 to the annual charge for a "maximum" package including the print magazine. This is the level the Directors hope will be chosen by a vast majority of SSA members, and we note it is the first increase in seven years. Inflation over that period accounts for a good bit of this raise, but not quite all. The Directors note that the average cost of one tow is on a par with the dues increase, and are fervent that this small extra amount is very much worthwhile to individual members. There are newly created and lower cost levels of membership, with fewer services, which will be detailed in the magazine (and are probably on the website right now). For space reasons I won't repeat them here.
My closing point is to report on the First Annual Eagle Fund Drive which sought to raise $75000 in voluntary contributions from SSA members, to go toward the advocacy program, the international US soaring team, safety, youth, development, or unassigned (as directed by each contributor). When this was voted on last year it was my considered view that a high percentage of SSA members would contribute a small amount each, say 5000 members at an average of $15 each to reach $75000. That's not what happened. By December 2001 only about 600 persons had responded to this fund drive, and the goal was not met. Then an anonymous donor stepped up with $50,000 from this one individual. A final total of $114,363 was received, all being available as direct operating funds and making up 13% of the current budget. There is more to say about fund raising not only for SSA but also for the National Soaring Museum, but this will be deferred to a later issue. I am open to questions, quibbles, and comments by phone or email (see printed roster or Convector). Regards to all Region 4 SSA members.
Maurice Deland and Bob Whitehead made badge flights November 5, 2001 from Ridge Soaring Gliderport, Julian Pennsylvania. Bob's satisfied both the Diamond Goal and Gold Distance requirements, and he received a Gold Badge from the SSA December 7, 2001. Maurice's counted as a 500 K Diamond Badge leg. Here is Maurice's account of the day.
A Two-Person Diamond Day
I went to Keystone Gliderport in late September to see the great fall colors and, hopefully, do some ridge flying. Due to 9/11, the Canadians could not bring their gliders across the border, so there were far fewer visitors. Bob Whitehead brought up his ship and Darrel Shiles had arrived earlier. I commuted back and forth to Washington several times waiting for the right conditions. We had several thermal days and on Nov. 3, one light ridge day that favored the south end to Altoona. Unfortunately, one pilot went north past Pine creek where the ridge bends east. He got low, tried to thermal in front of the ridge, but could not complete the turn and plowed through many trees before crashing to the ground, where he stepped out through the missing canopy. The ASW 19 must be a sturdy tree ship! Some hunters drove him to the hospital for his sore back and a head cut. He was back for dinner that night A very lucky guy! The glider remains were picked up the next day and taken away in a pick up truck, an easy retrieval using a chain saw.
For those task oriented, category 1, pilots the tasks would have been just another day in the air, but it was exciting for us. Finally, on Nov 5, the wind was 10-15 kts. from the correct direction. Bob set out on a 300km to Kettle dam, to the north end of the ridge and back to Keystone and I started a 500km. The task was a start at Kettle dam to Nesbit, to Ward Farm, to Pine creek and the finish at Kettle. This added 30 nm before the start and 30nm to get home. I let my altitude above the ridge determine my speed. My comfort level at a low clearance to the trees decreases in a direct ratio to the height. Another limiting factor to speed is the intensity and frequency of head crashes against the canopy. It only takes a few bangs to jam a cervical disc and to make you as stiff as Al Gore. When low, the many towers and power lines require special attention. As the day progressed, at Altoona the ridge and thermals became weaker and the second turn point, Ward farm, and the finish at Kettle, required slow flight and height conservation. Low and slow is not the way to go with the town filling the valley.
Using" SeeYou" soaring software (it was interesting to review the flight):
Average speed: 69kts.
Circling:11 % (left 26 %, Right 69 %) I think I had trouble going south.
Straight Flight :89% time 5 hrs 10 min. Longest track was 70nm at 73kts.
Time thermaling :37 min. Thermals used 24 (too many); 11 were less than 120 sec.
Altitude range :1970-3280ft, one climb to 4500 ft.
Times at speeds:129 min. at 66 kts,112 min. at 77 kts,17 min above 82 kts.
Distance flown 334 nm. Task time 5:49, Time in the air 6:21.
Bob stayed high, had a wonderful flight, completed his task and was settled on the porch when I landed.
In retrospect, I would leave earlier to avoid the low sun in the afternoon. Flying south was difficult due to canopy glare. Adding water would increase the performance, since climbs were only 11%. Management of time became important as the day was short. I should have selected a task to the north, since the wind direction was better. We both had exciting flights and I encourage those who want to explore ridge running to fly there.
We are at capacity for trailer hangar space at Fairfield. The following members, in priority order, are on the wait list for hangar space.
I was asked to inventory all hangar, trailer, tiedown, and waiting list spots at Frederick. The following lists are the most up-to-date information I have. If anyone spots any errors in the list (and I'm sure there are some) please let me know (I don't have the trailer slot assignments for anyone past the utility shed). Please also make sure the status of lease versus rental on hangar slots is listed correctly.
Trailer slots:
Hangar slots:
Tiedowns:
Current waiting list:
Please check your roster info, especially email address, and send any needed changes to Manfred Beutgen. Quite a few emails are undeliverable because of bad addresses. Email is a very useful way to broadcast important club announcements, but you won't get timely notices if your address is not current.
Another "season" will be upon us soon. I want to take this opportunity to emphasize that in order to achieve a safe operation, it is everyone's duty to take the responsibility of safety for both themselves and each other. No one person can assure the safety of an entire operation. Glider pilots- please communicate any special needs to the tow pilot such as tow speed, release altitude, release area, etc. just prior to launch (tow pilots have amazingly short attention spans during an operation). Tow pilots - if you're not sure about the needs of the glider and/or pilot you're about to tow, please ask (glider pilots think you have ESP). Also, be willing to take a break even if there is no one there to relieve you.... fatigue kills! Wing runners and spotters - confirm that both aircraft are ready for launch and use proper SSA signals. Everyone - look for traffic before launching and be the one willing to "pull the plug" if things don't feel right. If everyone takes a proactive role, I'm willing to bet that we'll not have any "close call on tow" stories to tell for 2002.
Volunteers needed! I'm looking for at least one CFI-A for W73 and one for FDK to assist in tow pilot check-outs. If you'd like to volunteer, please call or e-mail Lance Nuckolls. Thanks.
Most of the current M-ASA tow pilots as well as many prospective tow pilots and interested observers attended this mandatory safety meeting. The "back-to-basics" theme was highlighted with considerable contributions from the attendees, including some "friendly but heated" discussion. Some of the discussion ultimately identified a need to review certain aspects of the M-ASA operations manual for possible future changes.
For those of you who could not attend the Safety Seminar - before you may operate as a M-ASA tow pilot for the 2002 season, you must complete the safety seminar quiz with a 100% passing grade. Viewing the seminar video tape will help assure a 100% passing grade. Once you've completed the quiz, you must mail it to the address shown on the quiz
Copies of the seminar video tape, including the quiz, will be available at both club locations by late February or early March. If you prefer to complete the quiz electronically, or have any questions, please contact Lance by email [see printed Roster - webmaster].
On February 18th, Hans Jorgensen became M-ASA's newest tow pilot. After several simulated and (2) actual tows, Hans performed his first "solo" in the Super Cub with the Pilatus (and its brave pilot) in tow.
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SOARING ASSOCIATION Board of Directors:
Officers:
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For Sale: Schweizer 1-26. Excellent condition, hangared in main FFD hangar. Low hours. Red leading edge, previously owned by M-ASA club members. For more information, contact Leslie Elsner Bell at: (717) 845-4170 after 7PM or e-mail: lesliebell1555@suscom. For Sale: LAK-12, S/N 6228, 1:47 L/D, 128 HRS T.T. Epoxy Finish, Mylar Seals, Full Ridge Sewing Covers, ILEC SB-8/SB-9 Varios, Radio, New Custom-Built, Enclosed Aluminum Trailer, Rigging Aid. Excellent Condition. Located At FDK. $ 23,000 OBO. Urs Thierstein, 703-641-7981. E-MAIL: RA1TU@AOL.COM |
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| Frederick | Fairfield | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day | Operations Director |
Tow Pilot | Assistant OD |
Operations Director |
Tow Pilot | Assistant OD |
| 06 | Jim Karcher | Ray Scarpulla | Harry Bates | Jim Lewis | Pete Welles | |
| 07 | Steve Silverman | Jan Steenblik | David Churchill | Bob Krzystan | Don Robb | Jon de le Harpe |
| 13 | Tonas Kalil | Craig Moen | George Constantin | Mike Vore | Max Ullmann | Dick Berstein |
| 14 | Bob Whitehead | Dee Torgerson | Robert Critchlow | Sarah Macpherson | Rich Horigan | Bob Luskin |
| 20 | Jack Goering | Poul Hansen | Sandy Petrasek | Elliott Blitz | Jim Chick | Karanja Patterson |
| 21 | Urs Thierstein | Tom Judkins | Roger Thompson | Jack Beavers | Buddy Denham | Robert Wallis |
| 27 | Holland Ford | Bob Jackson | Mehrdad Bayat | Rhett Linke | George Green | David Schober |
| 28 | Dimitrios Stamatelos | Ray Scarpulla | Frank Benson | Mike Grinder | ||
M-ASA Duty Notes: Members assigned to operations duty must be on site in enough time to start operations by 10:00AM and stay at the field until operations are concluded. Each person listed on the duty roster is responsible for that day's assignment. In the case of "no-shows," the person acting as OD should indicate this fact on the flight sheet. "No-shows" will be fined $100.00. AODs are assigned as part of M-ASA training. After the AOD cycles have been completed every effort will be made to accommodate the new member's stated duty preference. M-ASA Scheduler: Ray Watson 410-484-0333.