Convector
Newsletter of the Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association

Yes, there will be an Octoberfest this year. I've got some commitments written down on the back of a business card. Seems like over planning leads to rain, so let us expect the flying to turn out well!

Saturday, October 12th

• T-Shirt Swap - Bring your old shirts and M-ASA inventory for show and swap. With 50 years of history, what we can dig up?
• Vintage Flying - Need a volunteer to coordinate with Jan Scott and the vintage flyers
• Pot Luck Dinner - Gigi Gere has graciously offered to coordinated your delicious contributions (e-mail gigi-gere@yahoo.com)
• Music - Working on it

Sunday, October 13th

• Bratwurst Breakfast - Danny Brotto's tradition. With two new refrigerators, we can stock days if not months of leftovers!
• Activities - Plan A: fly. Plan B: This is a self-organizing event, so "bring your own activities".
• Chicken Coop Dinner
• Bonfire!

Yesterday, on August 10, 2002, we had an actual, not simulated, towrope break at low altitude (about 200 feet above ground) at Fairfield. Fortunately, it happened to a very experienced glider pilot, who was able to make it safely back to the field. But how could it happen in the first place?

As everybody knows, towropes can break and are even supposed to break in certain circumstances, e.g. when the towed glider gets totally out of position and becomes a safety hazard for the towplane. How much load a towrope should be able to carry and at which force it should break, is regulated in Part 91.309, Towing Gliders, of the Federal Aviation Regulations. This states in part: "(a) No person may operate a civil aircraft towing a glider unless- (...) The towline used has a breaking strength not less than 80% of the maximum certificated operating weight of the glider and not more than twice this operating weight." The towline may be stronger, if certain "safety links" are used both at the towplane end and the glider end of the towrope; but we don't use those at M-ASA. Strangely, in my view, the rule forbids only the tow pilot to tow with a non-compliant rope, while the glider pilot would apparently not be in violation. The "maximum certificated operating weight" referred to in the rule is obviously a fixed value for every glider and does not change with changing loads for individual flights, not even when ballast (water) is added or removed (except where this is specifically stated, e.g. for the ASW20c, see list below). In other words, the tow pilot, sued by the glider pilot's widow and orphans, will probably not be heard with the defense that the glider was not carrying water and was therefore lighter than "maximum gross" so that the rope was within the prescribed breaking strength bracket. A list of maximum certificated weights for a number of glider models that we may see at M-ASA has been excerpted from an SSA publication of July 1997 and is given at the end of this report for easy reference.

But setting such legalese aside, John Duryea (who has done a marvelous job looking after our tow ropes at Fairfield now for quite a while) and myself got interested in finding out the actual breaking strength of the yellow quarter-inch polypropylene towropes that we have been using at M-ASA since times immemorial. The manufacturer advertises (not guarantees) 1000 pounds; can we trust him? We wanted to know. So, on two beautiful weekends, I brought my Dillon dynamometer (Photo 1, Photo 2), certified and calibrated to 5000 lbs, as well as block and tackle with 6:1 purchase to enable us to generate the required forces. John selected and prepared for testing to destruction some of our yellow towropes. We also managed to inspire Martin Voelk, Jim Chick, and Frank Larson to share our curiosity and to help with the testing. Martin graciously allowed us to use some of his big trees as anchor points for our stretch tests. [To pacify environmentalists: all trees survived and no cruelty was involved, at least not to the trees.] The results were as follows:

For the first test, John had selected a new, unused rope, which however had been in storage indoors for about a year. Rings were spliced to both ends in the usual "Chinese Finger Trick" way, with an additional interlace as also usual. Furthermore, John had deliberately cut and respliced the rope in the middle, also in the usual way. We had a hard time getting the rope to break, but when it broke, the dynamometer registered exactly 1050 lbs. Interestingly, all splices held perfectly (which made John happy), and the rope broke at a point outside any of the splices. For the second test, John selected a rope that had been in use for about one year and can be said to represent the typical towrope that we use all the time. This rope broke at 700 lbs, again outside the splices. The third test was performed with a rope that was "very old", dirty, and had already been retired from active service, but was in other respects (chafing, fraying) quite intact. This rope parted at 625 lbs. Finally, as we all have heard about the hazards of a knot in the towrope, we wanted to see if this hazard could be veri- and quantified. It could. Taking a fresh portion of the same rope that we had used for the first test (1050 lbs), we tied a simple overhand knot in it, such as happen rather often with towropes after the release of the glider. While we had expected some weakening of the rope by the knot, we were surprised by the measured amount of it: The rope broke at only 350 lbs right inside the knot. That is a reduction of the breaking strength by the knot to only about one-third of that of the straight rope!! We also meant to test if, after untying a knot, the rope would regain its original strength. We even had a suitable (retired) rope with a knot, but we could not manage to untie the knot. We can probably expect that some weakness would have remained at the point where the knot was, but we have no proof.

As reported above, all tests were done with our usual yellow polypropylene rope. Occasionally we see at the field now also some orange colored towropes. This rope material is also polypropylene, but is supposed to have a slightly higher breaking strength than our yellow ropes. We have not tested any orange ropes.

So, we satisfied our curiosity - and had quite some fun doing it. Our own conclusions in a nutshell are: Apparently the tow ropes that we use at M-ASA are OK in most cases, as long as the rope is not too old. John has already started to record on each new rope the date on which it has been put into service. This will allow him to retire it before it becomes too weak under FAA regulations.

Those of our M-ASA friends to whom we told our findings via gazebo gossip, asked us to write them up for Convector. Here they are, for what they are worth. To draw conclusions and consequences for your own situation, and do the respective mathematics, we leave entirely to you yourself. If you don't have the certificated maximum weight of your glider ready at hand, here is a list, as promised above:

Yet another month is behind us this soaring season. The Grob 103 Twin II is back from Ohio and the newly acquired Grob Twin Astir is flying. We now have a fleet of 10 gliders and four tow planes. All that is missing is good enough weather to get them all flying. I think most have done better than I; somehow my schedule has only brought me to the airport on rainy days. This makes it tough convincing me there is a drought.

Some say we have taken a different approach to the checkout for the Twin Astir. As usual, there is the written test and the requirement to have a M-ASA instructor sign you off. Mostly we have made this easier with a booklet which draws from the glider's flight manual and provides all the pertinent details needed to complete the written and successfully complete the checkout. In most cases, folks with previous experience in fiberglass gliders will be done after two flights. The second most likely a pattern tow unless weather interferes with getting the meat of the checkout completed on the first flight. The actual flying of the ship is very straight forward. Really the hardest part is planning and executing the landing. The beast weighs more than the 103 but does not have a hydraulic brake. You want to get the feel for this and plan accordingly or it might be hard to stop. Then again, if you don't put the landing gear down, the landing roll (slide) is relatively short. Most important is the specific ground handling and preflight inspection considerations that have to be taken into account. These are covered in the booklet and the instructors will be stressing them during your checkout. The actual flight tasks are listed on a Grob Twin Astir Checkout form. A series of tasks are listed ranging from ground instruction through all normal phases of flight. Some are highlighted as being required. The criteria used for satisfactory performance is the commercial pilot test standard the FAA uses. I know many of you are scratching your heads saying "but I only have a private ticket". Don't worry; the standard is not difficult if you haven't seen it lately. I bet most all of our pilots can half it. Generally it is airspeed ±5 knots and heading ±10 degrees. The reasoning behind the commercial versus private is the sheer value of the glider and the demand for a little extra attention to detail. I will try and remember to post a copy of the sheet next time I am at the airport. Anyone who has flown a flight review with me this year will recognize it.

Like past years there will be flying during the week of Labor Day. On Tuesday September 3rd we will attempt to pull all of the club equipment together for a picture. I am looking for volunteers to help fly gliders and tow planes down from Fairfield and return them after the pictures are taken. We will also need two tow pilots to fly from Frederick to Fairfield to help bring the gliders down. I am planning to take the picture at Frederick since that requires less glider movement and we can use the balcony to shoot from. I want to do this early then a flight operation can begin while we return the equipment to Fairfield. Let me know if you are interested in helping. It is a great opportunity for some of our newer members to get experience landing at a field other than where you took off from. Remember that is one of the requirements you need to fly club equipment cross country.

This is Ed Fry's last issue of the CONVECTOR. Please join me in expressing a sincere thanks to ED for his many years contributing to M-ASA. It is unfortunate he is moving out of the local area. We will miss him. Thanks Ed!

How the lineup has changed! Jonathan Gere (34) still holds first place with 7869 points this month, but is followed by a different group of people. Val Brain (13) muscles his way into second place with 7645 points gained by the number of tasks he's flown. Michael Higgins scores high on two tasks he flies and lands in third place with 6372 points.

Also competing this month are Bill Savory (9), Howard Banks (1XX) and John Hearn (T1). George Green (5) joins us for a race this month as does Cathy Williams (CL) to whom I owe a deep apology for crediting her score to Rick Fuller who also flies her ship. My sincerest apologies. Cathy - let Rick fly your ship. Rick - get in Cathy's ship and start flying!

Congratulations to all who took time to compete in the tasks as August is a busy competition month. Hope to see you on the field!

No new task spreadsheet available this month, see last month's Convector for standings as of that time. - [webmaster]

It was a very difficult decision, but I am relocating to Miami in September with a new job. I will miss the many friends from M-ASA that I have made over the past 20+ years, and greatly treasure all the well-wishes that members have sent and said to me. One of my major regrets is that I have to give up Convector. I feel like I am letting the club down, because I said I would do it for two years but only lasted eight issues.

I hope the readers don't mind if I take some space to thank a few who made it possible for me to have a soaring career. Don Robb taught me how to fly and introduced me to M-ASA, for which I am very grateful. Most recently, Glenn Collins was my mentor in working toward a CFI ticket, and a finer president M-ASA could not have. Between Don and Glenn, there were many, many other good friends who helped and encouraged me - too many to list. But standing out among them is my partner in HR of 20 years, Mark Segall.

I expect that business will being me to Washington often, and I will see you all again on visits and let you know how the soaring is in south Florida.

New members:

• Andrew D. Haddow
• Teresa (Teri) Day

Notes/Photos Due:

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

By Sept 15:

• Dick Bernstein
• Karanja Patterson
• Richard Wallis

By Oct 13:

• Roger Thompson (note/e-mail only)

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

Dave MacVeigh, part owner of 2GB at Fairfield, has injured his back and has also, temporarily anyway, lost the space in the main hangar the ship had been in since June. He will pay anyone $10 to help (i.e., do the heavy lifting)with assembly/disassembly.) Please call him if you can help. 717-292-0708.

[Editor's note: Any of us could find ourselves in need at any time. when a member needs help with assembly, let's pitch in-that's what our club is about!]

No, I don't mean a ham sandwich in a plastic baggie. What I mean is equipment that will keep you alive in a life threatening situation. Wearing a parachute if you fly cross country is a good first step. Carrying a cell phone is cheap insurance. Is this enough? What would you do in the following scenarios?

• You land at a small private airport and find that there is no one there. You have to spend the night out in the cold, and also realize that you didn't bring your prescription medication.
• Good news: you manage to put it down into a field undamaged. Bad news: you have no idea in which direction to walk to get back to civilization. Your cell phone reports no signal.
• You know the farmer's house is just a couple of miles up the hill, but you badly twisted your ankle as you got out of the glider.
• Lacking any better alternatives, you dunk one in the middle of a lake. Somehow, you manage to swim to shore. Two days later, you are seriously dehydrated because you are afraid of drinking the muddy water.
• A large bird smashes your windshield. The eyeglasses you were wearing are now gone.
• After a midair collision, you bail out with your parachute. You break both legs on landing and then discover that you left the cell phone in the glider. Hours later, you see the rescue plane but have no means to signal it.

What constitutes a good landout kit? Check out the Equipped to Survive web site (www.equipped.org). This is a non-profit web site that I found to be extremely comprehensive. Putting a good landout kit together can be a lot of fun - don't let the lack of one take the fun out of flying.

	Frederick			Fairfield
Day	Operations Director	Tow Pilot	Assistant OD	Operations Director	Tow Pilot	Assistant OD
01	Ralph Wentzel	Craig Moen	Karanja Patterson	Kai Rasmussen	John Hearn
02	John Allingham Dick Mott	Dee Torgerson David Schober	ansoor Ahmed	Peter Blacklin	Buddy Denham
07	Dave Weber	Hans Jorgensen		Richard Latoff	Jim Chick
08	Mike Vance	Jan Steenblik		Bob Kryzstan	George Green
14	Dimitrios Stamatelos	Scott Petrasek	Mark Carlisle	Guy Pfeffermann	Bill Savory
15	Marly van de Ven	Bob Andrew		Frank Benson	Mike Grinder
21	Tom Jones	Jane Robens	Steve Shelton	Jay Dickhoff	David Pixton	Brain Arnett
22	Peter Kern	Lance Nuckolls	Zackary Thornhill	Mark Segall	Pete Welles
28	Jim Homer	Sam Harry		Christophe Blanchi	Don Robb
29	George Simms	Bob Ball		Kai Rasmussen	Rich Horigan	Janet Frank

	Frederick			Fairfield
Day	Operations Director	Tow Pilot	Assistant OD	Operations Director	Tow Pilot	Assistant OD
05	Steve Silverman	Robert Robins	Andrew Meston	Claude Blanchi	Max Ullmann
06	Baude Litt	Jane Robens		Mehrdad Bayat	Mike Smith
12	Steve Kinsley	Poul Hansen		Luis Fernandez Howard Grundland	Keith Newins Jim Trygg
13	Maurice Deland	Tom Judkins		Gyorgy Fekete Pete Zawadzki	Chuck Forrester Phil Burgess
14	Bruce Andrews	Ray Scarpulla		Wilmar Sick	John Hearn
19	Gary Miller	Craig Moen		Michael Hearn	Bob Jackson	Karanja Patterson
20	William J Judge	Dee Torgerson		Chris O'Callaghan	Buddy Denham	Mansoor Ahmed
26	Andy McCarter	David Schober		Gigi Gere	Jim Chick
27	Dennis Petersen	Hans Jorgensen		John Mitchell	George Green

	Frederick			Fairfield
Day	Operations Director	Tow Pilot	Assistant OD	Operations Director	Tow Pilot	Assistant OD
02	Mario Piccagli	Ray Scarpulla	Gerald McFadden	Phil Scheel	Bill Savory	Andrew Haddow
03	Joe Birkenstock	Jan Steenblik		Arlie Long Jr	Mike Grinder	Mark Carlisle
09	Richard Wallis	Scott Petrasek		Roger Thompson	David Pixton
10	George Constantin	Bob Andrew		Robert Critchlow	Pete Welles
11	Harry Bates	Lance Nuckolls		Chris Scarlett	Don Robb
16	Bill Kerns	Sam Harry		Leslie Bell	Rich Horigan
17	Peter English	Jane Robens		Andrew Dessler	Mike Smith
23	John Thornhill	Bob Ball	Zachary Thornhill	Robert Dutilly	Max Ullmann	Andrew Meston
24	Roger Andes	Robert Robins		Gary Goldberg	Jim Trygg

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.