newsletter of the mid-atlantic soaring association, inc ... · expatriate, baude litt moved back to...

M-ASA Convector Newsletter Copyright 2017 May 2017 1 | P a g e

Newsletter of the Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association, Inc. http://www.midatlanticsoaring.org April, 2017

In This Issue:

1… The Greatest Retrieve Ever, Dave Weaver

6… From the Board, Mike Higgins

9… April Flights, Glenn Collins

10… TFR Operations, Glenn Collins

11… From the Membership Committee, Steve Shelton

11… New Weather Station Links, James Joao

12… K-21 Corner, Rich Carlson

14… Memorial Day and 9-Day Weekend, Cathy Williams

15… 2017 Duty Schedule Assignments, Ricardo Cibotti

16… For Sale and Wanted

Banner Photo A panorama of W73 while Nirmal and Dave were thermaling the Twin Astir at 4500’. Photo Nirmal Mathrani.

The Greatest Retrieve Ever, Or Dave Weaver How I Spent My Wife’s Spring Vacation

Newsletter of the Mid-Atlantic Soaring Association, Inc. http://www.midatlanticsoaring.org May, 2017

As most of you are aware, long time M-ASA member and Belgian

expatriate, Baude Litt moved back to Belgium a few years ago.

However, Baude continues to be an active member of the club and

occasionally comes back to the States to fly his glider. Most

recently, he had a very successful appearance in the Region 5 North

competition at Perry, SC where he scored an almost perfect win in

the FAI combined class.

While Baude was winning the contest at Perry I had a discussion

with President Mike Higgins about him sponsoring an annual award

for the most interesting / arduous glider retrieve of the year. I’m

certain that many of you can think of several probable winners of

such an award if it had existed in years past.

The Perry contest ended on a Saturday and on Sunday Baude set

out from South Carolina for Fairfield. I expected to have dinner

with him on Sunday night so I was a bit surprised to see his name

displayed when my cell phone rang. Baude said, “Dave, I have a

problem. My trailer came off the ball and the hand brake was

actuated while being dragged by the safety chains.” My immediate

thought was to get a leg up on the competition by starting the year

with a retrieve that would be difficult to match.

http://www.midatlanticsoaring.org/

http://www.midatlanticsoaring.org/


Those of you with Cobra trailer experience may know that the usual first indication of

handbrake application while driving occurs when you see one of your trailer wheels pass you on

the highway because it has departed the trailer. This happens because continuing to pull the

trailer with the handbrake applied causes the bearings to heat to the point of melting and then

the axel fails. So ... I had to ask, “Baude, are the wheels still on the trailer?” They were but they

got hot enough to damage the bearings and burn the paint off the rims. It was clear that the

trailer needed to be transported to a location for repair without being towed and the glider

should probably be removed. Quite the project, I told Baude. I told him that I would ask to

borrow Danny Brotto’s trailer (same glider type) and drive it down in the morning. However, I

didn’t have a solution for Baude’s trailer repair problem.

On Monday morning I called Baude to tell him that I had permission to use Danny’s trailer.

Baude informed me that he had struck out with local repair shops and tow services. I told him

to sit tight and I’d call him back. I didn’t tell Baude, but this was actually great news because it

would jack the retrieve difficulty factor (RDF) up to at least a 7.5.

My next call was to Mike Smith who offered up the excellent suggestion of contacting John

Machamer, who owns a huge 10,000 lb capacity flatbed trailer, capable of hauling a glider

trailer. The only issue was that we also needed John’s big truck to pull the trailer. Ok, so John

and his wife Karen decided to come along on the adventure. The more the merrier. I called

Baude to tell him that rescue was well in hand and all he had to do was sit tight. Baude said,

“Thanks Dave but you should bring a Gore-Tex jacket with you. I thought to myself, good to go.


The weather modification factor (WMF) should bring the RDF up to around 9. That’s got to be a

winner.

At about 1030 our two-vehicle convoy, with trailers in tow, set out from Fairfield. Baude was

marooned some 160 road miles to the south along I-81 near the Town of Staunton, VA. We

arrived around 1300 in the midst of pouring rain, guaranteeing a solid WMF. Our initial thought

was to leave Baude’s glider in the trailer. However, we were unable to use the electric winch

that John brought because we didn’t have the hand controller. We also felt the trailer might

undergo some unusual gyrations on the flatbed so we elected to remove the 600 lb glider from

Baude’s trailer and transfer it to Danny’s, in the pouring rain. We accomplished this in short

order and then faced our greatest challenge; getting Baudes trailer up on the flatbed.

The big problem was the angle of the ramps leading up to the flatbed. Due to the length of the

glider trailer we barely had a fraction of an inch of clearance between the pavement and the

end of the trailer. We had to use a car jack to lift the trailer up onto wooden blocks in order to

reduce the angle. We had two people on the flatbed and two of us pushing the trailer from the

rear. Finally, we were able to get the trailer onto the flatbed. A few cargo straps in strategic

locations and we were on the road back to Fairfield.


We got back to Fairfield about 1900 and the rain let up enough for us to unload Baude’s trailer

from the flatbed and then transfer his glider from Danny’s trailer back into his. After the work

was done we retired to the Owl & Eagle for dinner and drinks, on Baude of course.

Baude was headed back to Belgium the very next day so I dropped him at Dulles and headed

back to Fairfield to clean up Danny’s trailer and put his glider back into it. On the way back I


received an e-mail from Baude declaring that I took him to the wrong airport. I just want to go

on the record saying that it was not my fault. In any event, it all worked out and he got an even

better flight arriving 30 minutes earlier.

For those of you contemplating a challenge to this epic retrieve, please contact Mike Higgins for

a detailed explanation of the criteria and the mathematical algorithm used to compute the

actual difficulty of the retrieve.

DW


This coming Saturday, 20 May, we’ll be having an all-hands-on-deck hangar and tow plane cleaning

session at Fairfield, starting at 8am and wrapping up before noon. If enough members show up to help,

and the flying weather is good (and the long range forecast is promising as I write this), then perhaps we

can be wrapped up and have the shiny gliders and tow planes on the grid and ready to fly by 11am.

Please bring brooms/buckets/rags/towels to help sweep/wash/wax. The club will have some materials

available, but more will help.

One of the initiatives underway is to declutter the

main hangar and reorganize what’s in it. Danny

Brotto has stepped-up to lead this effort and has

already made great progress over the past few

weeks. A challenging part of this project is clearing

out old and abandoned gear/equipment/parts/…

junk. If any member has something in the main

hangar, you must identify and tag it, or notify

Danny or me, prior to the 20th, or it will be subject

to our disposition decision. And it looks like some

stuff will be heading to the dumpster… so please

help us figure out what is valuable, and what is not.

Please remember – the main hangar is not for

membership general storage, it is for

gliders/towplanes and club operational

equipment. Members are welcome to use the

hangar for short term storage of flying equipment

and gear… but not long term storage.

All is proceeding well with the ASK21 project (yes…

M-ASA really is purchasing two new ASK21s this

year). As project manager Rich Carlson reports in

this issue of Convector, the N-numbers are

assigned and the factory is tracking to start the

build soon, leading to an October/November

completion and shipment. We are also now

formally taking loan payments to support the

project (it’s time to show the money). If you

haven’t yet pledged a loan to help finance the

project, please do so now… more support would

ease the financial burden of the project. The loan

terms are 4% interest over 10 years – pretty darn attractive for a low risk loan.

From the Board Mike Higgins

P6’ amazing start on the hangar clean-up. Photos Cathy Williams.


Unfortunately, things are not proceeding well with the new assembled-glider hangar. The local

permitting authorities are forcing commercial building standards on our project, which is threatening to

drive the cost up significantly. Bob Jackson is leading the negotiating efforts here, and talks are still

underway. We’ll know more by next month on the impact of additional code requirements on the

building cost. Also unfortunately, no additional club members have stepped up and shown interest in

supporting the project through a long-term lease prepayment, so we’re a couple of slots short to make

the project go. Given this limited membership interest, and costs uncertain and increasing, the board

decided to put the project on hold. Bob will still work to get the building permit in hand (which we can

hold indefinitely) and the final cost proposal for putting up the building, but we’ll then put the project

on ice and revisit it at a later date. In the meantime, those members who put up a lease prepayment

will be repaid.

The club’s management team is working hard to carefully manage operational costs… trying to run the

club as efficiently as possible. Two of the successes reported at the recent board meeting include

switching to a much lower cost propane supplier and better thermostatic control of the clubroom HVAC

system. Nirmal Mathrani installed a new “smart” thermostat in the clubroom that is preprogrammed to

keep the room temp at an efficient level, and to also sense when someone enters and is using the room,

in which case the temperature automatically adjusts to a “comfortable” temperature. This thermostatic

control is completely automatic, so please don’t try to adjust or reprogram the thermostat. Thanks,

Nirmal, for making this happen. We should see significant savings during the summer AC and winter

heating seasons.

Another member, Bill Kautter, has stepped up to take on management of our avgas tank and fuel (down

by the towplane hangar). Bill will be responsible for monitoring the fuel level, negotiating fuel

purchases, arranging for delivery, maintaining the tank equipment, and keeping up the necessary

permits. Please contact Bill directly if you have any questions, issues, or concerns with the tank or fuel.

Thanks, Bill.

I suspect that most members saw Dave Weaver’s

Pilatus flight test report from last Monday.

According to him, we have one sweet bird, and it’s

ready for club member use. Please remember to

follow the glider check-out rules if you want to fly

it (ask Dave or any instructor). Also, according to

Dave, the gear audio alarm is not functional, so be

extra careful with your landing checklist! Thanks

to the many members who started and saw this

project through to completion. Mike Smith had

the vision to initiate it last year, and then Glenn,

Gary, Ed, Rich, Bob, and many others pitched in to

make it rapidly happen. Well done.

Ed puts the finishing touches on the wing ID. Photo Holland Ford.


Safety Officer: Paul Rehm

Membership Chair: Steve Shelton

Duty Scheduling: Ricardo Cibotti

Chief Instructor: Dave Weaver

Chief Tow Pilot: John Machamer

Convector Editor: Erik Nelson

Website Manager: Wayne Elseth

For Godfathers and other support staff,

please visit www.midatlanticsoaring.org.

Whom to call…

M-ASA Club Officers and Directors:

President – Mike Higgins

Vice President – Mike Smith

Secretary – Holland Ford

Treasurer – Nirmal Mathrani

Director – Mike Smith

Director –Preston Burch

Director – Mike Higgins

Director – Lance Nuckolls

Director – Dave MacVeigh

Lance and Chris install the new tailwheel tube, and Glenn...well,

Glenn appears to be napping. Photos Holland Ford.

The spring is flying by. The last few weekends have had less than great soaring weather – seems like the

best weather was falling during weekdays, of course. But this coming weekend looks promising, and

then the next week we’ll have our 3-day holiday weekend (with a Sunday night cookout) and we’re due

for some good weather then. I look forward to seeing you all in the coming weeks as we roll into

summer!

Mike Higgins

WM


In my mind, April was not shaping up as a great flying month. It seemed like we were in the

cycle of better weekdays than weekends. But when you look at the numbers we did quite well.

We actually only lost two weekend flying days. Some were pretty lean like Easter Sunday with

two flights. However, we managed two days with over 30 flights each. We also picked up two

fairly active weekday flying days.

Overall we flew 147 glider flights in April. This is again better than plan giving us decent margin

going into the meat of the season to meet or exceed our desired operational tempo.

As reflected in the goal, operations should really start to pick up in May and June. Let’s hope for

good weekend weather and continue getting out on some weekdays. Things are shaping up for

a full week of soaring in mid-June. If the weather holds there should be some great

instructional opportunities for students that week.

__________________________________________________________

April Flights Glenn Collins


TFR Operations Glenn Collins

It is again time to renew out TFR waiver. No procedural changes are anticipated. If you are

currently named on the waiver I need to know if you have had any changes to your name, social

security number, birthday, sex, city of residence or more likely your glider. If you are not sure if

you or your glider are on the waiver you can check by viewing the list in the waiver book at the

airport or on-line by logging into the Member Only section of the club’s web site. If you scroll

down to P-40 TFR Information you will find copies of the current waiver and the most recent

Approved Pilots and Aircraft List.

If you are not on the list, the same location on the web site has a Waiver request form. You

need to fill this out and get it to me prior to 5/29/2017. This is optional. If you are not on the

waiver and we have a TFR pop up associated with P-40 you as PIC or your aircraft will not be

permitted to fly from M-ASC. You will however be able to fly in a two place ship provided the

other pilot is qualified and on the approved list. If there is no TFR there is no impact. New

additions will be submitted and the approvals will correspond with the issuance of the new

waiver in mid-July.

If nothing has changed, you do not need to do anything. However some buy and sell gliders

periodically. If a glider (or pilot) is identified in the TFR and not on the list, the pilot will be

deemed in violation of the TFR and prosecuted. M-ASA’s ability to continue the waiver will also

be jeopardized.

__________________________________________________________


We have been invited to exhibit a glider at this year’s "Wings, Wheels and Pancakes Fly-in/Drive-in

Breakfast" at Gettysburg Airport, W05. The event will be held this year, Saturday June the 3rd and

Sunday June the 4th from 8 am till noon. We are looking for a volunteer(s) to drive their car to

Gettysburg’s airport to help as ground crew for a glider(s) that, weather permitting will fly in from M-

ASA. Either day would be fine or both days would be great. We will know more about the logistics of

this event as we close in on the dates.

According to our club president, Mike Higgins who attended this event last year, it really is a fun fly-in

and the breakfast was great. Whether or not you can help as ground crew any glider pilot that can

attend this event will be welcome to help answer questions about soaring.

The breakfast features pancakes, ham, sausage, home-fries, coffee, tea and juice. All this for only $7.00!

Talking up soaring and recruiting new members is of course priceless.

If interested please contact [email protected] to confirm dates.

__________________________________________________________

Say Again--New Weather Station Links James Joao

You can now access W73 weather from most internet devices using the links below: The first one provides a quick snapshot of the current conditions http://www.weatherlink.com/user/w73fairfieldpa/index.php?view=main&headers=0 The second provides a few more details, such as a "forecast" http://www.weatherlink.com/user/w73fairfieldpa/index.php?view=summary&headers=0

From the Membership Committee Steve Shelton

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.weatherlink.com/user/w73fairfieldpa/index.php?view=main&headers=0

http://www.weatherlink.com/user/w73fairfieldpa/index.php?view=summary&headers=0


Registration Numbers and Instruments:

This month we requested 2 ‘N’ numbers N899MA and N899SA for our gliders. This would give us

distinct call signs that are easy to distinguish over the radio (9 Sierra Alpha and 9 Mike Alpha). The club

has also decided to put contest ID’s on 4 of the club gliders (M1 and M2 will be the K 21s, M3 is the G-

102, and M4 is the Pilatus). We will inform Schleicher of the ‘N’ numbers once the FAA has approved

this request.

The club is also in the process of deciding what instruments to install. At the present time we are

leaning toward the following:

Becker AR 6201 radio w back seat repeater

Tirg TT22, transponder (ADS-B complaint)

Winter mechanical vario

LX Nav S7 electric vario w back seat repeater)

Standard ASI w ASK 21 markings

Altimeter (front and rear required)

Compass (front panel mounted)

‘G’ meter (required for aerobatics)

If you have comments or experience with any of these instruments please contact Rich Carlson with

your input. At the present time the club is still considering the introduction of an aerobatic training

program. Please contact any board member if you have an option on this.

We will need to tell Schleicher what instruments we want so they can cut the proper size holes in the

panel. The plan it to have the instruments shipped here this summer and we will install them when the

gliders arrive in November. This will give us time to create the documentation and usage manuals for

needed to train the members in their operation.

We have informed Rex Mayes, the US Schleicher distributor, of the options for 2 Cobra trailers. We

have chosen to go with basic trailers with fiberglass tops. Each glider will ship in it’s own trailer making

pick-up at the port of Baltimore quick and easy. The club has received several inquires regarding the

sale of our Grobs. At the present time we are telling everyone that we will sell them late in the year.

K-21 Corner Rich Carlson


Lastly, we have had overwhelming support from over 2 dozen club members in getting loan pledges. As

can be seen in the graphic below, we have paid the deposit (11%) and have pledges for another 79% of

the total cost. Several members have also expressed a willingness to increase their loan to cover the

remaining 10%. It should also be noted that the sale of the 2 Grobs will allow the club to make a

significant repayment, helping to reduce the long term debt. There is still time for more members to

pledge and donate to this project. You can make a long term load that will be paid back with interest, or

you can make a donation and reduce your 2017 tax burden. In the next few weeks we will begin

redeeming these pledges and we will being converting the Dollars into Euros. The plan is to make this

conversion over several months when the exchange rate is favorable. Our club treasurer is looking into

our options for us and will report back to the board when a decision is made.

__________________________________________________________


Memorial Day Cathy Williams

Plan to join all your M-ASA friends for the first big cook out of the season. Family members encouraged

to attend! Grills will be hot and waiting for you by 6:30 p.m. Lemonade and iced tea will be chilled and

ready. Bring meat and adult beverage of choice for your family and a side or dessert to share.

Tablecloths, utensils, cups, ice, and condiments will be provided. No charge for the cookout, BUT

donations for a future clubroom remodeling will be requested. The club has over $2,000 dedicated to

that future project, and we would love to see that number go up! Let’s hope for delightful spring

weather and a big crowd.

Hope to see you soon at M-ASA!

M-ASA 9-DAY Weekend June 10-18 Cathy Williams

Calling all M-ASA members! Especially students.

There will be a M-ASA operation every flyable day between Saturday June 10th and Sunday June

18th with a committed tow pilot, OD and one or more instructors. Some of you recall the

popular 10-day weekends which included T-shirts, morning classes and evening cookouts in

addition to the daily flight operations. This will be a less complicated affair, but anyone is

encouraged to step up to organize classes, cookouts and/or tasks if so inclined. This is your

opportunity to focus on your flying and see what progress is possible with multiple flights over

a few days. If the weather cooperates perhaps some great cross country flights will be flown.

Please let me know if you are willing to serve as OD on one of those weekdays.

That Friday afternoon between 12:30 and 3:30 and that Saturday morning between 8:30 and

10:30 the tow plane and two seaters will be reserved for 14 Boy Scout rides. The Boy Scouts

will be camping at the field Friday thru Sunday while completing their Aviation Badges. There

will be a hamburger/hot dog

cookout Saturday night for the

scouts. All M-ASA members are

invited to visit and eat with the

Boy Scouts at the Saturday

cookout.

4G strikes a pose. Photo James Joao.


2017 Duty Schedule Assignments

Date Operations Director (OD) Tow Pilot Assistant OD (AOD)

05/06/2017 Mel Donahoo John Machamer Tomas Volk

05/07/2017 Andreas Schliessler Bob Andrew Ian Noble

05/13/2017 Kolie Lombard Bob Jackson Paul Medina

05/14/2017 Duncan Campbell Bill Kauter Edward Sauble Jr

05/20/2017 Mike Vance Peter Hackett Jeffrey Ezell

05/21/2017 Peter Blacklin Glenn Collins Michael Hess

05/27/2017 Rick Latoff Mike Higgins Tom Horne

05/28/2017 Jim Homer Jim Hogue Kristina Waymire

05/29/2017 Kent Waymire Bill Kauter Kai Rasmussen

06/03/2017 Mark Segall Bob Andrew Sarai Stephens

06/04/2017 Don Emert Jim Hogue Perry Paresh

06/10/2017 Michael Hearn Gordon Daniel Paul Medina

06/11/2017 Andrew Crabb Buddy Denham Edward Sauble Jr

06/17/2017 James Joao Wayne Elseth John Ulvelstad

06/18/2017 John Slifer Bob Andrew Ian Noble

06/24/2017 Peter Kern Peter Hackett Tomas Volk

06/25/2017 Nirmal Mathrani Bob Jackson Jeffrey Ezell

M-ASA Duty Notes: Members assigned to operations duty must be on site in enough time to start operations by 10:00 a.m. 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. Every effort will be made to accommodate the new member’s stated duty preference whenever possible. M-ASA Scheduler: Ricardo Cibotti ([email protected]; 301-451-5888.



Eiriavion Oy PiK20 S/N 20016: NDH 1253:20 hours w/PiK20B mods (i.e. neg. flaps). Includes ASI, compass, altimeter, Microair760 w/PTT, TerraTX720, Winter mechanical vario, Cambridge M-Nav glide computer, tail dolly, Schreder/Minden-style trailer. Includes EW Electronic baro w/printer, chute, spares, etc. Location FDK MD. Call: 240-215-5438.

Rolladen Schneider LS6A S/N 6091: NDH, 291:11 hours. Basic panel includes PZL compass, altimeter, Peschges VP3 flight computer and displays, Water Dittel radio and speaker w/PTT, ASI, Bohli mech vario, Cambridge GPS20 w/display, tow out gear w/tail dolly and Komet trailer. Includes chute, and some spares. FDK MD. Call: 240-215-5438. Oxygen System (less cylinder): Mountain High EDS O2D1 pulse demand unit, with regulator and 18” remote fill extension with pressure gauge. Serviced/upgraded/tested by Mountain High January 2016 (documented), not used since. Cannulas ($8 each) not included, you don't want a used one! $500 plus shipping. Jim Hogue, [email protected], 410-231-8326.

Janus (4S) – Silent Soarers Inc. has corporate shares available. Low cost access to an excellent high performance two-seat sailplane. 39:1 performance with outstanding climb characteristics. Refinished in 2010. SN10B with back seat repeater, MH EDS oxygen, MicroAir radio, trailer with new running gear. Glider is hangered at Fairfield. Contact Glenn Collins ([email protected]) or Tom Jones ([email protected]).

For Sale, and Wanted…




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