Air Currents January 2000

• Region 9 West Contest
• Cross Country Seminars
• Adopt a Strip
• Safety Corner
• Board Meeting Minutes
• Hilty Humor

ARIZONA SOARING ASSOCIATION

The Arizona Soaring Association is a chapter of the Soaring Society of America. It is a non-profit corporation in the State of Arizona for the purpose of fostering the sport and science of soaring and educating the public on motorless flight in Arizona. 

ASA Statistical Data for January 2000 Web site: http://www.glider.com/asa
Current Membership Count 92, Reciprocal Newsletters 10, Air Currents Circulation for January, 2000

AIR CURRENTS is published monthly but the Arizona Soaring Association to disseminate news, opinion, education and items of interest to members. The subscription rate for non-members is $20/yr. Complimentary copies are mailed to: editors of sister publications on an exchange basis, regular members, advertisers, and non-members who have contributed materials for publication. Articles on any subject pertaining to soaring are welcome. Electronic submissions by Email, modem or IBM compatible floppy disk are preferred. Typed or clearly hand written submissions are also acceptable. Please submit to: Air Currents, c/o Carol Patterson 8903 W. Salter; Peoria, AZ 85283 561-5454. Carol@mail.itnsa.net
ADVERTISING POLICY: Non-commercial advertising from ASA members will be printed without charge. Other advertising will be printed, on a space available basis, at the following rates: full page, $10; half page, $5; less than half page, $3.

MEETINGS
Tuesday, February 22, 7pm General Membership Meeting Barros Pizza - Coral Gables & 7th Street, Phoenix
Tuesday, February 1, 7pm Board Meeting Barros Pizza - Coral Gables & 7th Street, Phoenix

REGION 9 WEST CONTEST

The Region 9 West contest has been approved by the SSA as a sanctioned regional contest. This contest will be held at Turf Soaring School in Peoria, Arizona, USA from the period of May 29th through June 3rd, 2000. Practice day will May 28th. We will have all classes (Standard, 15 meter, Open, Sports, World, and 18 meter) based upon receiving a minimum of 5 entrants for each class. There is an overall limit of 40 entrants so please send in your registration early to secure your position. Positions will be filled in the order they are received with a $100 deposit securing your position in the requested class. Also any entry received after March 30, 2000 will be subject to $50 late entry surcharge. So please act now! To reserve your spot now, fill out the online registration form at:
http://www.ssa.org/contests/pr1.asp or make a copy of the form and mail a check for $100 made out to Arizona Soaring Association to:
 

Tony Smolder
17223 N. 31st Drive
Phoenix, AZ 85053

Cross Country Seminar and Mentoring Flights

This is to announce that the ASA will be conducting a series of XC seminars and mentoring flights at Turf Soaring School for all skill levels of cross country pilots on the following dates:

March 25, 26 - Basic XC skills presentations & mentoring flights to emphasize making it around the course
April 8, 9 - Intermediate XC presentations & mentoring flights (flying with water ballast)
May 6, 7 - Advanced XC presentations & mentoring flights (improving course time and long flights)

These will be full days, starting at 9:00 am with presentations and flights in the afternoon, followed by debriefing.

The following pilots have volunteered their time to serve as mentors for the seminars and mentoring flights:

1X - Bob von Hellens, Discus B
PT - John Goodman, LS-3a
2E - John Leibacher, LS-6
6K - Hans Heydrich, Ventus B
CH - Cliif Hilty, Ventus B
71 - Alan Reeter, LS-8
KC - Casey Lenox, LS-8
TS1 - Tony Smolder, Ventus B

The first day (March 25th) each student will be paired up one-on-one with a mentor pilot and will remain with that mentor for all three seminar sessions. Each day a short presentation will be presented, followed by the mentor/student briefing and XC flights. We will wrap up the evening with a debriefing around the tie downs.

Since the desire is to keep a one-on-one relationship between the mentor and student we unfortunately have to limit this session of seminars to a total of 8 students. Also based on the mentor sailplane types we also need to have
similar performance type planes for the students (ASW-19b, SZD-55, Pegasus, 304CZ, DG-303, Grob 102, SZD-59, ASW20)

There is no cost (except for your tows or group retrieves) for this seminar, but your mentor pilot might appreciate a cold beer or Saturday night dinner.

What you will need to provide are:
Sailplane
Adequate retrieve vehicle
Desire to learn and commit to XC flights

I will be accepting applications on a first come basis.

Please include the following in your reply E-mail:
Name, Aircraft Type
Total hours in Gliders
Total cross country flights/miles
Longest XC flight
Competition experience
What you would like to get out of the seminar
Soaring goals for 2000

Tony Smolder
e-mail: TS1_ventus@msn.com

ASA Race Series Calendar

Other Arizona Contests

May 28 - June 3 Region 9 West - Turf
September 2, 3, 4 SW Championships - Estrella
September 9, 10 SW Championships - Turf
 

For more information on the Arizona Soaring Association Contest Series contact Tony Smolder @ 602-942-6519, E-mail: TS1_ventus@msn.com

Safety Corner

I have inserted 2 accident reports from the NTSB at www.nstb.gov. Suggestions are always welcome!

Report 1
NTSB Identification: NYC00LA035
Accident occurred NOV-20-99 at WAYNESVILLE, OH
Aircraft: Schweizer SGS-2-33A, registration: N17883
Injuries: 2 Uninjured.
On November 20, 1999, about 1630 Eastern Standard Time, a Schweizer SGS-2-33A, N17883, was substantially damaged while landing at the Red Stuart Airport, Waynesville, Ohio. The certificated fight instructor and student pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
Full narrative below
NYC00LA035
On November 20, 1999, about 1630 Eastern Standard Time, a Schweizer SGS-2-33A, N17883, was substantially damaged while landing at the Red Stuart Airport, Waynesville, Ohio. The certificated fight instructor and student pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the flight instructor, the student pilot was performing a landing to Runway 8, a 2,442 foot long grass runway. As the glider neared the ground, it began to float past the intended touchdown point. The flight instructor suggested to the student pilot corrective actions, but did not receive any response. The flight instructor took control of the glider and immediately set the glider onto the runway. Full spoilers and wheel brake were applied, and the nose of the glider was pushed forward. As the spoilers were applied, the lever handle came off in the flight instructor's hand. The flight instructor dropped the lever back down, reapplying the spoilers and wheel brake again. The wheel brake then became locked and the glider began to slide on the wet grass. At the end of the runway, the flight instructor attempted to "ground loop" the glider to avoid impacting a parked glider, and stuck a railroad tie with the right wing.
The flight instructor additionally stated that he did not react in time to regain control of the glider after the student landed long.
The winds reported by a facility 17 miles to the southeast were from 200 degrees at 5 knots.

Report 2
NTSB Identification: FTW99LA243. The docket is stored in the (offline) NTSB Imaging System.
Accident occurred AUG-30-99 at JONESBORO, AR
Aircraft: Let BLANIK L-13, registration: N3255Y
Injuries: 2 Serious.
On August 30, 1999, approximately 1800 central daylight time, a Let Blanik L-13 glider, N3255Y, was substantially damaged when it impacted a power line support pole and terrain while on final approach to the Classic Airstrip near Jonesboro, Arkansas. The commercial pilot and his passenger were seriously injured. The glider was registered to the Classic Soaring Club of Jonesboro, Arkansas, and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight originated at 1745.
Full narrative below
FTW99LA243
On August 30, 1999, approximately 1800 central daylight time, a Let Blanik L-13 glider, N3255Y, was substantially damaged when it impacted a power line support pole and terrain while on final approach to the Classic Airstrip near Jonesboro, Arkansas. The commercial pilot and his passenger were seriously injured. The glider was registered to the Classic Soaring Club of Jonesboro, Arkansas, and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The local flight originated at 1745.
During a telephone interview conducted by the NTSB investigator-in-charge, the pilot stated that he was "initially too high on final approach." He deployed the spoilers and flaps to lose some of the altitude. On short final, the glider encountered an "unexpected high rate of sink." The pilot added that he immediately retracted the spoilers and flaps and thought he "was going to clear the power lines," which ran across final approach. However, the glider impacted the power line support pole and fell to the ground. The glider came to rest upright facing the opposite direction from its final approach.
According to the FAA inspector, who visited the accident site, the glider's right wing was broken about 5 feet inboard from the tip, and the fuselage area aft of the cockpit was buckled.

Arizona Soaring Association Board Meeting Minutes

December 7, 1999
The meeting was held at Barros Pizza, Coral Gables & 7th St. Phoenix, Arizona.

The meeting was called to order at 7:00 PM, A quorum was present.
Attending: Bob Blakemore
Cliff Hilty
Kirk Stant
Carol Patterson
Rick Rubscha
Mike McNulty
Peter Van Camp
Special Guest:
Jeff Reynolds, Jim Tagliani, Bob Thompson

Vice-President Peter Van Camp asked that the minutes of the November board meeting be submitted and approved. There being no amendments the minutes were approved as read.

Vice-President Van Camp then reviewed with the board "directors responsibility" under Arizona State Law. In this discussion he covered with the board members important points relating to the exercise of prudence with regard to the application of club policies, aircraft operating guidelines, and general liability. Mr. Van Camp urged the board to error on the side of "abundance of caution" while carrying out their administrative duties.

Following this discussion Mr. Van Camp then entered into the record his concern regarding the operation of club aircraft, specifically the two-place Lark. Mr. Van Camp related to the board his observations regarding the operation of the Lark. In this discussion he noted that he had observed a member in good standing operate the aircraft in such a way as to violate club aircraft operating policies and procedures. Mr. Van Camp then recommended to the board that they consider taking disciplinary action against the pilot in command.

After considering the issue a motion was made and seconded that the pilot in command have his flying privileges suspended for a period of thirty days effectively immediately. Secretary Blakemore will inform the pilot of the board's actions and make the appropriate entries into the corporate records of ASA.

Mr. Van Camp then proposed certain amendments to the aircraft operating procedures and guidelines. Cliff Hilty reviewed with the board certain provisions of those procedures that have previously been approved and incorporated into the pilot training modules and testing programs. After some discussion a motion was made to incorporate the Van Camp amendments into the aircraft operating limitations. This motion failed and further discussion was deferred until the January meeting or until such time as appropriate. A motion was then made by Mr. Stant to return the Lark to operational status. The motion passed with Mr. Van Camp as the lone dissenting vote. Following this discussion Mr. Van Camp resigned from the board remaining as the clubs legal advisor.

The Secretary, then acting as Chair, called for the Treasurers report. Mr. Hilty reported that the Annual Awards banquet had come in on budget and presented to the board an accounting for this event. Cliff then reported to the board that the trailer had been sold and the money donated to the Al Haynes Memorial Funds. Cliff noted that total receipts for the month ended December 7, 1999 were $4,043 against expenses of $4,022 leaving a checking account balance of $4,033 and a money market fund balance of $10,869.

Secretary Blakemore then proposed to the board that Jim Tagliani and Bob Thompson be appointed to serve out the remaining one-year terms for Peter Van Camp and Jason Stephens. The board approved these nominations.

Other business was deferred until January and the meeting adjourned at 9:45PM
Secretary Bob Blakemore

Adopt a Strip

"Adopt a Strip" By Cliff Hilty

Fellow ASA pilots, for the past couple of years there has been a growing group of us pilots involved in the cleaning of forgotten and little used landing strips. Here in Arizona we are very fortunate to have an abundance of private and public strips in some of the most remote areas of our cross country routes. We started several years ago "cleaning" these strips and
making them more friendly to landing a sailplane at. This started out as a couple of us going out with implements of destruction (saws, rakes, axes and such), and clearing away brush and vegetation that encroached on the once wide runways. Some of the first ones were "Turf North," "Luke 4"and "Clementine Mine." Unfortunately with only hand tools and a few
people it took quite a bit of time to clear even small areas of encroachment and therefore several days to get a cleared strip large enough to support a safe landing in a sailplane.
Two years ago I purchased an International 460 farm tractor. Later in the year I purchased a wide front end and Gannon for it and just this past spring I purchased a front end loader for it. And most recently with help from PT, I purchased a trailer large enough to handle moving the tractor and attachments to the strips we intend to clear.

This fall so far we have cleared two strips, one I call Bell Road, that is located about 11 miles SW of Luke 4 and 25 miles NE of I-10 Intersection, and Turf North again. While doing these we came to an amazing discovery! We discovered that using the tractor is extremely effective and time saving. That we could clear a strip completely in an afternoon, depending of course on how bad it is and how far away it is. And also that it is expensive to move and operate the tractor.

All of this is leading me to the purpose of this article. And that is, as much as I want to continue to clear strips to make it safer and easier to go cross country, it is becoming a burden to me financially. I would like to propose an alternative that I call "Adopt a strip!" This would entail an individual or group of people getting together and financing a strip of their choice to be
cleared. After talking with PT (Who supplies the 1 ton dually required to pull the trailer) I have come up with the following costs. First, the tractor uses about 5 gallons an hour, and average strip clearing is 4 -6 hours. Second the dually gets only about 6 miles to the gallon when hauling the tractor. This comes out to about $60.00-80.00 for a strip in the north valley
area and $80.00-100.00 in the south valley area (i.e. Estrella) for fuel costs. The other related costs, John and I are willing to absorb (maintenance, fluids, brakes, insurance ECT.). Neither John nor I want to "make money " doing this and would just like to see as many good landing areas as possible. If there is any interest in doing this I would propose the following. Find a strip that "you have always wanted to KNOW that it is safe to land and explore it. It will have to have a decent road ( if you would pull your trailer with glider in it on the road ) within a couple of miles. Go there to ensure accessibility, and check the extent of brush, garbage etc. that is there and call me to set up a day and time to work on the strip. I and
John are willing to do strips almost anywhere in the state but the further away the more it will cost and the longer it will take to get there and thus reducing clearing time. If there is enough interest in an area, i.e., Tucson or Estrella areas we can set up two or more strips for the weekend and save some travel costs. Call me and set up a day and time to meet and clean the strip. On the day of cleaning, bring some extra people and hand tools such as shovels, rakes, bow saws etc. It works well if there are at least 3-4
people to "move debris" after the tractor goes through.

We have been very successful with the ones that we have done so far and I have a commitment from Peter VanCamp to clear another area on Luke 4. We have a great time and are promoting cross country safe soaring at the same time. I hope to hear from you soon.

Cliff Hilty (CH) Ventus B
If we are all just dust in the wind, then I want to be at the top of a "Huge Dust Devil"

Hilty Humor

"Pilots Poem"

I hope there's a place, way up in the sky,
Where pilots can go, when they have to die.
A place where a guy can buy a cold beer
For a friend and a comrade, whose memory is dear;
A place where no doctor or lawyer can tread ,
Nor a management type would ere be caught dead;

Just a quaint little place, kind of dark, full of smoke,
Where they like to sing loud, and love a good joke;
The kind of a place where a lady could go
And feel safe and protected, by the men she would know.
There must be a place where old pilots go,
When their paining is finished, and their airspeed gets low,

Where the whiskey is old, and the women are young,
And songs about flying and dying are sung,
Where you'd see all the fellows who'd flown west before,
And they'd call out your name, as you came through the door.
Who would buy you a drink, if your thirst should be bad,
And relate to the others, "He was quite a good lad!"

And then through the mist, you'd spot an old guy
You had not seen in years, though he taught you to fly.
He'd nod his old head, and grin ear to ear;
And say, "Welcome, my son, I'm pleased that you're here."
"For this is the place where true flyers come,"
"When their journey is over, and the war has been won."

"They've come here at last to be safe and alone"
"From the government clerks and the management clone,"
"Politicians and lawyers, the Feds and the noise,"
"Where all hours are happy, and these good ole boys"
"Can relax with a cool one, and a well deserved rest;"
"This is heaven, my son.... You've passed your last test!"

Cliff Hilty (CH) Ventus B

If we are all just dust in the wind, then I want to be at the top of a
"Huge Dust Devil"