Convector
Newsletter of the Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association

Yes, this year's Region 4 North Soaring Contest is very much alive and on track to start on the Memorial Day weekend despite the TFR, competing events north of us, and my job distractions. Right now I've got 23 pilots registered, which is five fewer than I had last year at this time (last year, we had a total of 39 contestants who flew), I know of at least six M-ASA folks who traditionally fly the contest and haven't yet registered (I won't mention any names to save on embarrassment), and I usually get a rush of folks in late April and May as the contest approaches. Right now we have enough pilots in each of our three classes (Standard, 15 Meter, and Sports) to meet the minimum required by the rules. My best guess is that we will have a minimum of 30 contestants and maybe more like 35 or more for our contest, which is a decent and manageable turnout. Who knows, a bunch of folks could wake up soon and realize that with the comparatively small numbers of competitors traditionally in our Standard and Sports classes, the odds are much better for winning in the R4N than most other contests!

The most exciting news this month is that we finally found our Competition Director for this year, our very own Chris O'Callaghan. This is great news for our contestants as Chris is a highly experienced competition pilot, is extremely knowledgeable in all aspects of sailplane racing, has prior CD experience, and is held in high esteem by the sailplane racing community. Thanks Chris! I also want to thank Daniel Pixton for again offering to be our Operations Director; however, his time available will be limited to the first few days of the contest because he has to travel out of town on business on Wednesday, May 29, so we will need experienced volunteer(s) to pick up this very important function for the remainder of the contest. John Duryea appears to be pretty well recovered from his recent major surgery, and he has turned his attention to tow ropes and other contest details. Thanks John! In addition to the volunteers mentioned in my previous (and only) contest article (see the March Convector), I am most appreciative of the support recently offered by Claude Blanchi, who is willing to work the contest for the entire week. Thanks Claude! However, I'm still short of help in many areas. We need volunteers for the following: sniffers, ops directors and line helpers, cookout support, banquet coordinator, registration and retrieve desk, contest reporter, and flight activity recorders. Please give me a call or send me an e-mail if you would like to help make the contest a success; any time that you can spare is most appreciated not only by our contestants and their crews, but by the rest of our Contest Support Team (especially me!).

Finally, I want everyone to know that you are invited to all of the contest cookouts and the banquet. You don't need to be a sailplane racer or a Fairfield regular to have an enjoyable time at these events. Cookouts will be held Saturday, Sunday, and Tuesday nights (May 25, 26, and 28), and the traditional banquet will be held Thursday night (May 30) at (where else?) the Hickory Bridge Farm. We have a limited number of tickets for each cookout and the banquet, so if you would like to attend, contact the contest office at Fairfield anytime after 10:00 am on May 25 to reserve your ticket(s). I am looking forward to seeing you at the 2002 Region 4 North!

Despite much gloomy weather so far this season, I did indeed do a 300 kilometer flight a couple of weeks ago. It was a spectacular day with some of the strongest thermal activity I have ever encountered. Recorded average climbs over time were between 700 and 800 feet per min. The day began at 10:30 with cloud base at 5200 ft. but rising to 7300 ft in the afternoon. The date was Saturday the 6th. of April.

Turnpoints were a different set than is typically used from Frederick. The usual set goes from FDK to Carlisle to Winchester and returns to FDK. After trying this triangle a number of times unsuccessfully, I decided to try another of my choosing for a number of reasons. I mapped out a Gold distance/Diamond goal triangular course that begins at FDK, with turn 1 at the Northeast end of Lake Marburg, the dam wall to be exact, then down the ridges to turn 2 at Front Royal FRR, and returning to Frederick. I made this decision based upon the risks involved with traversing the entire area north of Gettysburg with all the unlandable fields, the generally unfavorable conditions found frequently near Carlisle. But the single greatest factor weighing in was the desire to avoid anything to do with the expanded prohibited area at Camp David! This new P-40 area in effect I feel lengthens and complicates any flight that goes in its vicinity and I do not go looking for trouble. Even though two of these turnpoints I had never laid eyes on, I felt that it would be an easier flight for all the aforementioned reasons. Flight time was 5.5 hours.

The real challenge of the flight turned out to be the cold. I had not put on enough cold weather clothing for the upper air temps and as a result my feet were frozen for the latter 2/3 of the flight. Each time I connected and began climbing, part or rather parts were screaming for me to not do it! I had one low point/potential landout during some overdevelopment. I was within 5 miles of Westminster but I was sufficiently low although upwind to eliminate the airfield as a landing option.

In doing the Great circle method of distance calculations I discovered an error in my paperwork. I had transposed the coordinates for the dam and FDK. I emailed the Badge Lady and she thinks there is a way to still claim the flight, but we shall see how it all turns out in the end. Even if it turns out that I need to repeat the flight with the paperwork done better, I have still as Charlie Thurber said, "Broken the Code."

Well, you would never guess it looking at my logbook. The 2002 season has begun! So far we have seen above normal temperatures and great days during the week. I however have set aside each of the weekend days when it has rained to be at the airport. Despite my misfortune, this year promises to be a great year for M-ASA. Pawnee 58L has been put into service as our newest towplane. This week, Pawnee 99Z will undergo modification ad return to Fairfield with a new four-bladed propeller and hopefully considerably quieter. Our 260 HP Pawnee (09P) has the wings back on it. Tom Judkins and John Vaughan are hard at work reassembling her after the extensive inspection and repair project. Rounding out the advances we have made to our fleet, Paul Rehm has scheduled an annual inspection for the Ka-7 for April 27th. Now if only Mother Nature would work with us!

M-ASA will be hosting a series of special events in the next couple of months. First will be our support of the Liberty Township's Kids Safety day. On May 4th the local police will rope off an area at Fairfield to host the event. The intention is to support this event and still operate a flying operation. David MacVeigh has put in a lot of effort to make this happen. Help him out and work with him if you are at the airport on the 4th. Preston Burch reports everything is coming together for this year's Region IV contest. As with the safety day, flexibility will help get us through this. Although rumors are abundant, the existence of the TFR surrounding Camp David will require some adjustments and heads up flying. Lets make sure we take care of our visiting pilots. Hope Howard and Gary Baker are also hard at work on this year's 10 day weekend. This July I hope to see a larger turn out. If you think you will be taking some time off and flying let either of them know. If it looks like enough folks want to fly, we will begin making arrangements to move towplanes and gliders around.

It seems every month I am making a plea for members to pitch in and help. There is a lot involved in order to maintain two facilities and provide a safe operation. If you are scheduled for OD duty, plan on making a day of it. Rain or shine! If there is no flight operation we always have things that need done. Along this line, the condition of our clubhouses is disgusting. The Board of Directors is now in the process of collect data on the availability and costs of hiring a cleaning service. If you know of any potential sources for either Fairfield or Frederick please let me know. Also keep in mind you don't have to wait until your asked or schedules to lend a hand and help make the club a success.

Send articles, news, soaring achievements, ratings or badge legs earned, other significant flights, classifieds, other info the membership will find interesting.

Deadline: 20th of each month

Submissions to:

Ed Fry

convector@m-asa.org

Feedback and suggestions welcome.

New member:

• Gary S. Goldberg

Notes/Photos Due:

The following people are completing their provisional years with M-ASA and should send in a photo & note requesting permanent membership.

Overdue:

• Andrew McCarter - only need photo

Due in May:

• Bobby Telatovich - note only
• Sarah Macpherson - note & photo

Due in June:

• Mehrdad Bayat
• Frank Benson - note only
• Scott Petrasek

Requests may be sent by e-mail to Hyhope@aol.com. Photos should be sent by U.S. mail or handed at the field.

The following invitation has been sent to Skyline Soaring, Delmarva Soaring, and Atlantic Soaring.

Dear (Soaring Club) Members,

How does ten uninterrupted days of flying sound to you? If it sounds great, then come join us at Mid-Atlantic Soaring Assn. for our "Ten-Day Weekend."

This all happens at our Frederick, MD, site, Fri., June 28 through Sunday July 7, 2002. Trailer in your personal or club sailplanes, tie down at the field, and fly every day or as many days as you can come. Help us celebrate our Fiftieth Anniversary with flying, feasting, fellowship and fun.

Several mornings we'll have free classes for various experience levels, and several times we'll offer food and special events. We've invited SSA's badge lady, Arleen Coleson, to come and speak to us but so far we're not sure she can accept.

Costs:Limited Membership $20; Tows - club rates (p.e. $19.50 for 3000 feet, $16.90 for 2500 feet, $14.60 for 2000 feet, increments between).

Tentative events scheduled are:

• Kickoff pancake breakfast, Sat. 6/29, (juice, coffee, pancakes) - $5 if the badge lady can join us.
• Lunch-supper at flight line, Sun., 6/30- $5 (franks, burgers, salads, cookies)
• July 4th feast & see local fireworks, (deep-fried turkey, BBQ ribs, etc.) Cost TBA.
• Sit-down awards-presentation dinner, Sat. July 6 (rotisserie chicken, corn, baked potato, salad, apple pie). The awards will be for achievements during the Ten-Day Weekend. Cost TBA.

Likely days for a.m. classes are Sun., 6/30, 7/4, 7/5, 7/6, and maybe 7/7.

Please pass this invitation to all your club members by newsletter, meeting announcements, or word-of-mouth.

For those members who keep their trailers in the 2 north-most trailer hangers, there is some good news. We will be upgrading the lock systems on the doors for both of these hangers. Time has taken its toll and most of the locks no longer work well. Some of the locks have completely failed.

My target is to have all of the locks totally replaced with new units by mid May. There are presently 2 locks, a deadbolt lock and a "grip" lock, on each of the 4 (total) doors. I will meet with the locksmith onsite in early May to discuss an appropriate and secure solution. Realistically, this may only require only 1 lock per door. One lock or 2, either way, all of the locks will be keyed similarly. I will have an adequate number of keys cut when the new locks are fitted.

The new keys will be located in the FFLD clubhouse in a clearly marked container. If you occupy one of these hangers, look for the new locks in mid-May, help yourself to a new key (1 please per hangar slot) and check your name off the sign up sheet that will be located with the key container. This only affects the 2 older trailer hangers. The main hanger, clubroom, and "new" trailer hanger are not affected.

There was only one task (that I know of) due to the extremely slow start of soaring season this year. Only two pilots, Jonathan Gere (34) and Val Brain (13), flew over the required minimum of 3 hours in the PST. Everyone else except Peter Zawadzki (ZP) and Mike Higgins (X6)landed back at Fairfield under time.

A GENTLE REMINDER: When towing the 2-33, please be sure to initiate your take-off roll in such a manner as to avoid "slamming" the tail of the 2-33. If you are not certain as to the towing needs of the glider behind you, simply ask the pilot and agree on a plan of action.

TOW PLANE CFI NEEDED: We need at least one more CFI-A to assist with tow pilot check-outs. If you are interested, please contact Lance Nuckolls. Thank you.

On Sat. May 4, Fairfield will be the site of Youth Safety Day sponsored by Liberty Township. Dave MacVeigh (717-292-0708 (H) and 717-771-9086 is MASA's contact person with Liberty Township Police Chief Jim Holler, who is organizing it. As this is being written it is unknown how many ambulances, fire trucks, etc. will be at the field, but operations will continue as normal. The program is scheduled 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Barricades and/or ropes will be in place to keep people away from the flight line; perhaps the OD can get some folks to keep a watchful eye on things. I have told them about the MASA policy on rides. The Maryland State Police helicopter team has also been invited. We have no idea at the time of writing how many might attend - I believe that there will be a barbecue set up by a fire company.

This is a good opportunity for us to create goodwill with our neighbors. Let's encourage the "air currents" questions and put the kids in the cockpits for pictures. All suggestions are welcomed, particularly before May 4.

	Frederick			Fairfield
Day	Operations Director	Tow Pilot	Assistant OD	Operations Director	Tow Pilot	Assistant OD
04	Bill Donahoe	Hans Jorgensen	Bobby Telatovich	John Thornhill	Mike Smith	Jeffrey Fink
05	Roger Andes	Scott Petrasek		Chris Scarlett	Keith Newins	Harry Bates
11	Garv Garvin	Bob Ball		Jonathan Gere	Chuck Forrester	Dan Brown
12	Dan Meyer	Craig Moen		George Burns	Jim Chick	Roger Thompson
18	John Allingham	Dee Torgerson		Darrel Shiles	David Schober	Andrew Dressler
19	Dick Mott	Gene Wilburn		Bob Schott	Bill Savory	Robert Critchlow
25	Mario Piccagli	Hans Jorgensen	Karanja Patterson	Peter Blacklin
26	Dave Weber	Jan Steenblik	Richard Wallis	Guy Pfeffermann
27	Mike Vance	Scott Petrasek	Dick Bernstein	Jay Dickhoff

	Frederick			Fairfield
Day	Operations Director	Tow Pilot	Assistant OD	Operations Director	Tow Pilot	Assistant OD
01				Richard Latoff	Phil Burgess
02	Peter Kern	Bob Andrew		Mark Segall	David Pixton
08	Jim Homer	Sam Harry		Christophe Blanchi	John Hearn
09	Baude Litt	Lance Nuckolls		Claude Blanchi	Jim Trygg
15	George Simms	Bob Ball		Luis Fernandez	Elmer Mooring
16	Maurice Deland	Robert Robins		Howard Grundland	Pete Welles
22	Jason Garver	Poul Hansen	Bobby Telatovich	Gyorgy Fekete	Don Robb
23	Steve Kinsley	Tom Judkins	Janet Frank	Pete Zawadzki	Rich Horigan
29	Michael Hearn Wilmar Sick	Bob Jackson Craig Moen		Chris O'Callaghan	Max Ullmann
30	Andy McCarter William J Judge	Dee Torgerson Ray Scarpulla	Peter English	Gigi Gere	Mike Smith

	Frederick			Fairfield
Day	Operations Director	Tow Pilot	Assistant OD	Operations Director	Tow Pilot	Assistant OD
04	Dennis Petersen Phil Scheel	Jane Robens	Andrew Dessler	John Mitchell Chris Scarlett	Keith Newins
06	Bill Kerns Bill Donahoe	David Schober Dick Bernstein	Gary Goldberg	George Constantin	Chuck Forrester
07	John Thornhill Roger Andes	Gene Wilburn Hans Jorgensen	Robert Dutilly	Jim Lewis	Phil Burgess
13	Mitch Lambros	Scott Petrasek		David A Churchill	John Hearn
14	Bob Luskin	Jan Steenblik		Howard Banks	Buddy Denham
20	Edward Breau	Bob Andrew		David MacVeigh	Jim Chick
21	Rob Myhre	Lance Nuckolls		Laura Hession	George Green
27	Jim Karcher	Bob Ball		Leslie Bell	Bill Savory
28	Bob Whitehead	Robert Robins		Rick Fuller	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. M-ASA's training process requires all new members to serve as Apprentice OD (AOD) at both M-ASA operating locations. This is to familiarize new members with the operating practices at each field. Any member who joined the previous year and who was not scheduled for AOD duty at each field, will be scheduled for AOD duty at each field in the current year. Note that AOD scheduling is done independently of duty preference information submitted on the member's duty preference form. After the AOD cycles have been completed every effort will be made to accommodate the new member's stated duty preference whenever possible. M-ASA

Scheduler: Ray Watson 410-484-0333.