May , 2006

Volume 5, Issue 4

NEXT MEETING: 7:00 PM   May 18  at Leppert

 

 

www.centralindianasoaringsociety.org

 

 

Club Meeting – Thursday May 18

 

The upcoming May 18th club meeting promises to be a good one.  We have two 30-minute panel presentations, both of which are chock-full of good information and are well prepared.  The first panel will address "everything the tow pilots wanted to tell you, but never got the chance!" Guarantee to make all of us more knowledgeable and respectful of the guys on the other end of the rope. The second panel will discuss how to get the three legs of your FAI Silver Badge (altitude gain, duration and distance) using club gliders.  None too soon either, as the soaring season is really getting good -- witness last weekend when all three legs could have been accomplished.  

 

Be sure to come: Thursday May 18th - 7:00 PM

at the Leppert Mortuary, 900 N Range Line Rd.  Carmel, IN.


  From the President

 

THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS

There’s a phrase you’ve probably heard many times.  Now that it’s been mentioned, try considering this old adage from another viewpoint, perhaps bending and stretching it into “well done details make for greater satisfaction and enjoyment.”  Isn’t the satisfaction and enjoyment part of this new view beginning to sound like what we all are seeking when we join groups, particularly CISS?  

Like most groups seeking satisfaction and enjoyment, members of CISS face many challenges: agreeing on a mission, designing programs, determining policies and procedures, enrolling personnel, delegating responsibilities, establishing budgets, accumulating funds, and evaluating outcomes, to name but a few.  And you thought flying was the only CISS activity!

Is meeting one particular challenge more important than another?  Probably not.  Does one member’s contribution to the success of the group have an effect on another’s satisfaction and enjoyment?  For sure!  What benefits, then, does each member thereby enjoy?  Better and longer flying?  Safer and more skilled flying?  Higher levels of Club camaraderie and morale?  All of these and more?  Your call!

It’s likely that past attention to important details is a major reason why CISS has prospered for over forty years.  Without any great fanfare, every member of CISS seems to have been ready and willing to do his or her part, the ever-important “details,” and do them well. 

Now add to this well-oiled organizational machine the re-vitalized planning and marketing efforts underway currently and the potential for ever-increasing satisfaction and enjoyment grows daily.  The devil in the details?   In 2006, let’s make that “opportunity in the details.”

 

Jim White  President , CISS Board of Directors

 

CISS CALENDAR 2006

 

 

 

 

May

 

01

11

18

20-21    

 

Agenda items for the Board meeting to Jim White

Board Meeting at Jim White’s house

Membership Meeting - 7 pm at Leppert Mortuary in Carmel

Away Weekend at Lee Bottom

 

June

 

 

July

01

13

20

Agenda items for the Board meeting to Jim White

Board Meeting at Jim White’s house

Membership Meeting – Location to be announced

 

 

ASTIR IS BORN – On Saturday, April 15, the Astir was born.  Weighing in at 590 lbs, and measuring 21 feet long, this little baby made us all proud parents!  That’s right; our new Grob 102 CS77 is now tucked in  with the rest of the fleet at Alexandria.  Ron Clarke took it for a 48 minute test flight and he loves it.  A committee is working to register it with the State, register the trailer and get everything in order.  The instructors, under the direction of Nyal Williams, are developing a cockpit check for the club members.  This may take a few weeks since, the instructors have to fly it themselves to know how it behaves. (Very well I’m sure, says THIS proud papa.) In addition, since we have imported it from Canada, the FAA requires that the first five hours be a test flight period.  We only want our most experienced pilots flying it during this time.  It is only allowed to go 50 miles from home during the first 5 hours of flight. (Watch out, Ron.)  So, get ready for a great season of club flying with our Astir!

 

Lee Bottom weekend May 20-21  Last year in May, a group of us went to Lee Bottom airport (64I) on the banks of the Ohio River in southern Indiana for a weekend of great flying.  The scenery is beautiful and three of us set Kentucky state soaring records by releasing from tow on the other side of the river.
     We had so much fun that we are doing it again this year on the weekend of May 20-21, weather permitting.  I want to encourage everyone to come on down.
     Please email or call me soon if you are even thinking about going. Now that it is less than a month away, I need a head count of volunteers and participants. 
     You can camp on the field, or you can stay in a hotel in Madison. Madison is full of antique shops and other fun stuff, if you want to bring your family members who are unaccountably not addicted to soaring.

     Here's the website for the airport:
<http://leebottom.com/>

     Here's a weblog entry from last year:
<http://soarindy.blogspot.com/2005/04/lee-bottom-weekend.html>

 

By Darren Bedwell

 

New Members

Clark Allen  is 15 years old, a freshman at Greenfield Central High School and loves science and math.  In fact, he wants to become a physicist. Good thing, because gliders fly on physics.  He first heard about the club through the Web.  He was interested in flight instruction but thought powered flying was too expensive.  Then he found us and realized that our club offers a better way to learn to fly.  Did I tell you he was smart?  He has a great family. His mother Shawn is a high school English teacher at a charter school in Indianapolis.  His Dad’s name is Steve. His sister Tori is in college in Florida. We hope to see them all at the field this year. Welcome Clark!

 

 

 

 

 

Mike McCloughnan – Joined the Club on April 15th.  He is a friend of Mike Warren.  They both attend St. Mark’s Methodist in Castleton.  When Mike heard that Mike Warren was getting his instructor rating he thought this would be a perfect time to learn to fly.  Mike and his wife of 25 years, Laura, have two children, Colleen who is a junior at IU and Kevin who is in the Navy in nuclear sub training.  Mike is the national dean for ITT Tech’s and oversees 80 campuses.  He has worked for ITT Tech for 5 years. He is retired from the Coast Guard where he was a training officer and a ship’s operations officer.  Welcome Mike.

 

 

 

Scott Cunningham – Lives in Meridian Hills in Indianapolis with his wife, Denise McFadden, and his two children Schyler age 16 and Cory age 15.  A native Hoosier, Scott has moved back to the state from the Boston area.  He owns a technology company called Crossroads Business Solutions.  They provide outsourced information technology for small businesses.  He says he is the India of Indiana.  He heard about the club through Chad Harmon, one of his company’s engineers.  Chad is not yet a member, but we hope he joins soon!  Asked about his hobbies Scott said, “Any kind of sports, running, biking, and triathlons.  (He may think he’s run a triathlon after his first crew day.)

 

Ed Escallon is traveling this week.  We’ll hear from him next month.

 

John Weber is in the process of moving from Arizona.  He is the new President of Remy in Anderson.  He is an experienced glider pilot with his own sailplane.  We hope to hear more from him next month after his move.  John, we are glad to have you aboard!

 

Mike Warren’s first glider student – Nancy Saunders! You guessed it, George Saunders’ better half.  People asked George how he talked her into taking lessons.  “Simple,” he said, “We were 6000 feet over the California desert in a Grob 103. I slumped over and was quiet for a minute.”  Actually, she loves adventure. She’s a sailor, a back-packer, a world traveler and an all-around good sport.  She’s also Professor of Education at Indiana Wesleyan University.  Welcome to the air, Nancy!

 

Update your web profile – Please go to our website and update your profile. A number of phone numbers are out of date.  Please help us all stay in touch with each other.   If you don’t remember your username and password email Mario at Mario.lazaga@lifegrid.com.  If you are new to the club email Mario for a username and password and create a member profile. 

 

Report From The Board – There was no board meeting in April.  The next board meeting is May 11th.  Feel free to contact your board members about your concerns.  The Board consists of Jim White -President, Chris Carpenter -Vice President, Mike Beckage -Secretary, Gerry Whitson-Treasurer, Craig Bixby - Maintenance Chief, Peter Detore – Director of Operations, Tom Eaton – Chief Tow Pilot, Nyal Williams – Chief of Instructors, and Trustees: Darren Bedwell, Dan DeWitt, Mario Lazago and David Newill.

 

Membership meetings are the 3rd Thursday every OTHER month.  Meetings are scheduled for the third Thursday of May, July, September, and November.  May’s meeting is at Leppert Mortuary.  We are looking for another meeting place starting in July.

 

Lost and Found – There are three jackets and some odds and ends in the lost and found box on the table beside the refrigerator in the hangar.  Please check it out if you are missing something.  Let’s start using the lost and found box.  If you find something you think is lost - put it there. 

 

Visitors from Germany flew with us on April 8th

 

From left to right:
Melanie, Elena, Andrea.

Melanie and Andrea flew with Mario; Elena flew with Ron Clarke.
Melanie and Andrea got sick;

Elena had a lot of fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Club Promotion: Dan Dewitt and Jeff Melin are working hard to promote our Club. They have printed posters for nearby airports.  They have also designed a brochure (printed by Pete) and business cards for our use. When visitors come, be sure to give them a business card of a brochure.  These can be found in the equipment trailer. 

Ron Clarke spoke at the Lilly Pilot’s Club.  I understand they are arranging a fly-in to Alex to participate in our glider operations.  June 8th Ron will be speaking at the Anderson Noon Kiwanis Club. 

Let’s promote our Club.  The more members we have, the less it will cost each of us to fly – and the more resources we will have to buy our own gliderport when the opportunity comes.

 

Newsletter Available in Print  If you would prefer to receive a printed copy of  Wingtips by mail rather than by email, please contact George Saunders.

 

Send your newsletter articles to George Saunders or Mario Lazaga.  Deadline for our next newsletter is May 18th. 

 

 

 WHETHER/WEATHER TO GO TO THE FIELD by Ron Clarke

                

If you are planning a soaring flight you probably would like to be sure that the conditions will be good enough for success. Using the weather information that's readily available helps enormously and is really very simple to get. The essential information needed is:

 

1.  A reminder to yourself of which month we're in!

2.  Check to see if the day is "Pre-frontal" or "Post- frontal."

3.  Look out the window.

4.  Check on the following forecasts: Thermal Strengths / Cloud Bases / Winds.

 

1)  It's possible to write at length about the "best" month of the year to soar in Indiana, but after 25 years here I can summarize with confidence the conditions as follows:

Ø      The Best           - May, September.

Ø      Good                 -  June, July, August

Ø      Can be OK        - April , October

 

2) Post-frontal days provide the best soaring conditions in Indiana and are usually accompanied by northerly or westerly winds. Sometimes the first 12 -24 hours after the passage of a cold front will mean very windy conditions, but that might mean an opportunity to make a long downwind flight!  Pre-frontal days are usually accompanied by SW winds and can sometimes also be quite good, but often are hazy and of course might mean an approaching storm when the front arrives.

 

3) A good look at the sky conditions was all that glider pilots had 25 or 30 years ago and a good look still tells a lot. Clear early morning conditions with light winds (preferably north or west) are good. High cirrus or mid-level clouds may mean less heating and fewer thermals. A cool early morning with the prospect of high midday temperatures is good.

 

4)  THE MOST IMPORTANT FORECAST INFORMATION YOU NEED:

 

Thermal Strengths - Check the Dr. Jack forecast ( www.drjack.info/ )

           Lift of 400ft/min is good; 500ft/min + is excellent.

 

Thermal tops / Cloud bases - Check the local TV Weather Channel for the

      DEW POINT and FORECAST HIGH temperatures (in degrees F).

Cloud-bases AGL will be = ( High temp – Dewpoint temp ) x 225.

4000 AGL will allow lots of good flying, 5000+ AGL is excellent .

 

Winds - Call 1-800 -WXBRIEF and get the forecast winds at: Surface / 3000 / 6000 / 9000 for the 50 NM radius of Indianapolis. Or go online at Aviation Weather Forecast for Muncie (it’s on our website).  At the bottom of the page is a button for winds aloft forecast.   Winds below 10 knots or less are excellent. Winds of 15 knots are OK.  Remember the Don Taylor rule: EASTERLY winds in Indiana - usually poor soaring.

 

 

Pictures from the Safety Meeting are available on the Web version of our newsletter – Thanks to John Morrical

 

         

   Over 50 attend our Spring Safety Meeting!                                                                                Rich Carlson from the Soaring Safety Foundation

 

           

Mike Rielage talked safety                                                       Pete Detore Talked Operations                                                            Stand up Nyal!                     

 

 

SAFETY NOTE: Apparently some pilots don't know that the Blanik ballast seats have been re-covered and are now blue-gray.  A flight was made over gross weight because the pilot only looked for the old orange color.

 

 

Soaring Tips from the Taylor Files

 

Ø       Watch cloud shadows on the ground to estimate the direction and speed of the wind.  If you’re up near the cloud-base, this may be the best way to know where your  next cloud is.  Regarding speed, watch as the shadow moves over a field or farm.  Does it look like you’d have to drive fast to keep up with it?  Could you run as fast? 

Ø       When thermalling, line up on a road and practice making 360 degree turns in 20 seconds or less.  This should keep you in most thermals.  For example, at an airspeed of 50 kts, your diameter will be about 540 feet, a little larger than some thermals, but it should keep you in many, especially at altitude.  (Of course never fly at an airspeed that’s too low to be safe in your particular ship.  Thermal speed depends on many, many factors: 50 kts is only used here as an illustration.)

 

 

Three Guys and an LS4

 

In November, 2005, Gerry Simpson, Mario Lazaga and I decided to form a partnership for the purpose of buying a sailplane.  From the moment Gerry called to propose the idea, to which I quickly agreed, I have enjoyed every aspect of this endeavor.

Immediately the hunt began.  Actually, each of us had been looking at sailplanes for at east a couple of years so we knew where to look.  When we first laid eyes on it, there was a mixture of tremendous excitement and then concern. Excitement at the prospect of owning and flying this ship, concern that we did not know enough to be in the market for a sailplane.   Chris Carpenter agreed to go with us to Tennessee to make sure we were not overcome with buyer’s excitement.  Chris pointed out things to consider and helped us decide to make an offer.  We purchased the LS4 in November, 2005.

Gerry Simpson provided part of his 3 bay garage to work on the plane.  What a great place to spend the winter weekends (winter nights for Gerry).  Gerry’s proximity to the LS4 during the week proved to an advantage to Mario and me.   This was a perfect opportunity to assess and implement the improvements we wanted to make.  First, we moved the fuselage into the garage and later each wing.  Over the years, small incremental changes had added up to a rather messy instrument panel and a chaotic wiring and tubing system.  We decided to remove and replace the wiring and tubing.  Here is where a partnership pays off.  Mario, an electrical engineer, pulled a stool to the cockpit and with graph paper and pencil, created a meticulous “as built” wiring and tubing diagram.  We then removed all tubing, wiring, instruments and the panel.  Later, when it was time to reinstall the instrument panel, Mario’s new installation diagram made the task straight forward.

Meanwhile, Gerry, through many hours of trial and error became an expert at laying up gel coat with the precision one would expect of a dentist.  Gerry became the finish doctor, directing (some times pushing) Mario and me through a four step process of refinishing the entire ship.  Gerry kept track of the process sequence, which resulted in a finish that exceeded our expectations.  Other improvements include a new harness, G meter, and seat cushions. 

On Sunday, March 5th, we loaded the LS4 into the trailer and returned it to the hanger at Knot’s Field.  We are ready to fly!

To conclude, I have to emphasize what an enjoyable experience this has been.  And to think we haven’t even flown this plane yet!  It has everything to do with my two partners.  I want to thank Gerry and Mario for their support and hard work this winter.  The last three months have proved to me that this will be a very successful partnership.  We are looking forward to this soaring season.

by Dan Dewitt