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 Departments
2 Flight Lines
by Eric Bick
and MOTORGLIDING MAGAZINE
The Journal of The Soaring Society of America, Inc. 3 Chairman’s Thoughts
3XEOLVKHG&RQWLQXRXVO\6LQFH by Ken Sorenson

4 Soaring Mail
Letters from the Soaring Community
AUGUST 2016
6/,5-%s.5-"%2 8 Soaring News
Information, Announcements,
and Events
14
12 2016 Safety Program
by Tom Johnson

40 Winching World
by Bruno Vassel

43 Volunteering In The SSA

by Chris Fleming

44 On-Line Contest
by Bill Hill

45 Teaching Soaring
by Tom Knauff

46 Blast From The Past

by Doug Lamont

48 Eagle Fund
32
48 Soaring Humor
22
49 Soaring Stories
by Dale Masters

50 Badges & Records

by Rollin Hasness

Features 52 Soaring Memories

by Bertha Ryan

14 Pioneer III
by Mike Hostage
53 Soaring Calendar
Contests and Special Events

19 Flying Wing Stability

by Jim Marske
54 Soaring Milestones
Gliding Achievements and Final Glide

57 6RDULQJ&ODVVL¿HGV
22 Historic Gliders
by Bill Daniels
Sailplane and Equipment Listings

60 Index of Advertisers
26 Why Accounting Is Exciting and
Vital for Your Gliding Club – Part 2 Front Cover:-LP0DUVNHGHVLJQHG3LRQHHU,,,LQÀLJKWVXPPHU7KHSLORWDQGRZQHU
by James Cooper LV0LNH+RVWDJH$IHDWXUHDUWLFOHWKLVPRQWKGHVFULEHVEXLOGLQJWKLVJOLGHU7KHSKRWRLVVLPL-
ODULQOD\RXWWRDSKRWRXVHGRQWKHFRYHURIWKH'HFHPEHULVVXH7KDWSKRWRZDVDVKRW
32 US Hall of Fame Biographies
by Bertha Ryan
RI-LP0DUVNH¶V0RQDUFKXOWUDOLJKWVDLOSODQH3KRWRE\%UDQGRQ7RZQOH\

Centerfold:/DN$7DW8QLWHG6WDWHV$LU)RUFH$FDGHP\&23KRWRE\&OD\7KRPDV
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 1

and MOTORGLIDING MAGAZINE
Soaring Magazine is the official journal of the Soaring Society
of America. The Soaring Society of America (SSA) is a nonprofit
organization. The purpose of the Society is to foster and promote all
phases of soaring. The SSA is a division of the National Aeronautic
Association (NAA), the U.S. National Aero Club, which represents
the U.S. in the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI), the
world sport aviation body comprised of all national aero clubs. NAA
has delegated to the SSA the supervision of FAI related soaring
activities, as follows: Record attempts, competitions, FAI Badges,
and selection of the United States Team for the World Gliding
Championships.
PUBLICATIONS STAFF
Publisher, Denise Layton
Editor, Eric Bick
Advertising/Member Services, Melinda Hughes
Art Director, Kevin D. O’Brien
Copy Editor, Brienna Bick
Contributors: Ken Sorenson, Chris Fleming, Dale Masters,
Bertha Ryan, Tom Johnson, Rollin Hasness, Tom Knauff,
Bill Hill, Doug Lamont, Bruno Vassel, James Cooper, Bill Daniels,
Mike Hostage, Jim Marske, Jay McDaniel.
Offices: SSA Business Office and Soaring Magazine Business and
Editorial: P.O. Box 2100, Hobbs, NM 88241-2100. (575) 392-1177.
SSA Fax: (575) 392-8154. Soaring Advertising E-mail:
advertising@ssa.org, Soaring Editorial E-Mail: editor@ssa.org,
SSA Info: feedback@ssa.org. SSA internet address: www.ssa.org
CONTRIBUTION OF MATERIAL; COPYRIGHT;
LEGAL DISCLAIMER
Material published in Soaring Magazine is contributed by individuals
for the enjoyment of soaring enthusiasts. Material expected to be
returned must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed return
envelope. Manuscripts accepted for publication are subject to edition
necessary to adapt the material to the space requirements and the
standards of the magazine. Soaring Magazine is not responsible for
lost or damaged photographs, artwork or manuscripts. Cover and
full contents of Soaring Magazine are fully protected by copyright,
©2015 The Soaring Society of America, Inc. (SSA). Nothing may
be reprinted in whole or in part without written permission of the
publisher. It is condition of submission to and acceptance by Soaring
Magazine that all material submitted for consideration and/or
publication (including photographs and text), whether submitted as
a result of a request by the SSA or not, is submitted on the basis that
the SSA has the right, without payment or compensation, to repro-
duce and sell or distribute freely, and to authorize third parties who
are engaged in the dissemination of information relating to the sport
of soaring to reproduce and sell or distribute freely, such material. By
submitting such material to the SSA for consideration and/or publi-
cation the submitter represents that he holds the right to grant release
of copyright in respect of such material. If the submitted material
is clearly identified (in the case of material in electronic, Identified
in the filename) with the name of its creator suitable attribution
of its source will be given. The SSA and Soaring Magazine assume
no responsibility for the opinions expressed or statements made in
articles published, which remain the responsibility of the contribut-
ing author and should be independently evaluated by the reader as the
accuracy and correctness.
MEMBERSHIP AND SUBSCRIPTIONS
Membership in the SSA is open to any person. Membership
categories are: FULL MEMBER $69 per year, FAMILY MEMBERS
$39 per year, YOUTH MEMBER $39 per year. Soaring subscription
price: U.S. (only libraries and institutions) $46 per year, Foreign (Pay
in U.S. funds only) $52 per year (This price includes postage).
POSTAL INFORMATION
Soaring Magazine (USPS #499-920) is published monthly by The
Soaring Society of America, Inc., 5425 W. Jack Gomez Blvd, Hobbs,
NM 88240. Periodicals Postage Paid at Hobbs, NM 88240-9998 and
at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes
to Soaring, c/o SSA, P.O. Box 2100, Hobbs, NM 88241-2100.
Paid circulation of the July issue was 10,800.
Copyright ©2016 The Soaring Society of America, Inc.
Printing by Ovid Bell Press – Fulton, MO
MADE IN THE U.S.A.
2 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
FLIGHT LINES
BY ERIC BICK
EDITOR
A h, August. Much has been happening, more to come. Glider pilots
are starting to think of winter projects, having a full summer to
think about what they’d like to change about their glider or trailer. And,
there is still plenty of the soaring season left. If all is good, my wife and
I are in our new house in Albuquerque, and the soaring in Moriarty is
fantastic – but that is prognostication since I am writing this in June.
I have found my forecasts to be of about the same accuracy as most
weather forecasts, so ... more to come. I’m about to derig my glider and
head off to Parowan where the wind has been blowing. The XCSkies
forecast is offering a change coming, so maybe I’ll get there in time for
an improvement in conditions.
We continue the “Blast from the Past” Department by reprinting a
letter to the editor in 1972. This caught my eye since there are several
references in this issue to George Uveges, who many will recognize as
one of the premier soaring photographers whose photos have graced
Soaring many times on the cover and elsewhere.
We have a new Department called “Volunteering in the SSA” writ-
ten by Chris Fleming. This picks up on the theme from the July issue
“Chairman’s Thoughts” column guest-written by EAA President, Jack
Pelton. SSA operates and survives on the backs of its volunteers, so I
encourage you to participate in the discussion Chris starts this month.
In the departments, Bruno Vassel has contributed an article to
“Winching World” describing how the Utah Soaring Club overcame
the issue of winch cable looping and dive-in. As you will see in future
articles, more clubs and FBO’s are acquiring winches.
The “Soaring Mail” section is longer than usual. There are a couple
of items I thought would be of interest to the membership. They aren’t
articles, but they are more than just letters. One deals with issues the
soaring community in Montana had to deal with when the FAA took
away their last DPE. The other is a continuing discussion of stalls and
what certain often quoted wording means.
You’ll see the start of a new set of feature articles on Soaring Hall
of Fame inductees by Bertha Ryan. We start with 1954 inductees. As
these articles are printed, the softcopy versions will be on the National
Soaring Museum website.
Bill Daniels continues with his feature retrospective on historical
gliders of note. There is much to the history of gliding that has led and
contributed to our soaring today. These workhorses described in this
month’s issue help us to understand where the sport came from.
Our cover features Pioneer III, which is featured in an article by
Mike Hostage. For those of us who wonder how a plane without a
horizontal stabilizer flies, here is the article that tells you. No magic
involved, just straightforward aerodynamic engineering.
Finally, Tom Knauff ’s Soaring Basics quizzes have generated a lot
of discussion. This is good. Too often, some of the basics we learned
(or didn’t) as students fades with time. Reviewing the basics and flying
with an instructor are good ways to keep our working knowledge fresh.
My thanks to Tom for contributing this series of teaching articles, and
also to those who have taken the time to engage in discussion, either
in agreement or disagreement, with Tom’s articles.
 THE SOARING SOCIETY OF AMERICA, INC.
The Soaring Society of America (SSA) is a nonprofit organization.

CHAIRMAN’S THOUGHTS The purpose of the Society is to foster and promote all phases
of soaring. The SSA is a division of the National Aeronautic
Association (NAA), the U.S. National Aero Club, which repre-
BY KEN SORENSON sents the U.S. in the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI),
the world sport aviation body comprised of all national aero clubs.
CHAIRMAN, SSA NAA has delegated to the SSA the supervision of FAI related
soaring activities, as follows: Record attempts, competitions, FAI
badges, and selection of the United States Team for the World
Gliding Championships. Soaring Magazine is the official journal
SSA Membership Has Doubled! of the SSA.

The year is 2036. Membership is above 20,000 from its low point of SSA OFFICERS
9,600 in 2017. What an amazing journey! Chairman, Ken Sorenson
1st Vice-Chair, Phil Umphres
A key step in the turnaround was the amazing donation of time and Vice-Chair, Geoff Weck
expertise from volunteer Melanie Nichols who launched the SSA Club Vice-Chair, Richard Maleady
Secretary, Frank Whiteley
Website Initiative in 2016. Clubs were offered professionally developed Treasurer, Phil Umphres
website templates at no cost. Many clubs which had “weak” or out-
dated websites, or no website at all, took advantage of this. The Website SOCIETY STAFF
Chief Operating Officer, Denise Layton
Initiative helped increase our average club size from 40 to 60! Member Services, Kayla Owens
And then there was the SSA CFI-G Initiative that began in 2017. Accounting Manager, Kathey Pope
Convention Coordinator, Gaynell Williams
A substantial donation in 2017 allowed the SSA to offer “scholarships” Editor, Soaring Magazine, Eric Bick
to new CFI-Gs who recommended at least 3 new glider pilots for an Advertising/Member Services, Melinda Hughes
Merchandise Manager, Lindsay Almendarez
FAA checkride during the next 3 years. This donation also allowed us to
develop a standardized CFI-G training program, complete with SSA SOCIETY SERVICES
funded CFI-G training camps. All those new CFI-Gs ramped up club Merchandise: merchandise@ssa.org
Membership: membership@ssa.org
energy and enthusiasm. And with plenty of training capacity, clubs Advertising: advertising@ssa.org
started aggressively marketing soaring in their local areas using new- Clubs and Chapters: chapter@ssa.org
Sailplane Racing: contests@ssa.org
fangled social media like Facebook, Twitter, and Snapchat. Donations, Promotion: development@ssa.org
We also learned how important cross-country soaring was to keep- Press Relations: media@ssa.org
Web site: webmaster@ssa.org
ing pilots interested and challenged. A cross-country training program Or contact the Society by phone: 575-392-1177
developed by SSA volunteers in 2017 was widely adopted by clubs
and commercial operators. Cross-country training also became a key DIVISIONS
1-26 Association
element of the CFI-G training program so that our new instructors www.126association.org
instilled the goal of cross-country flying into their students. Member Vintage Sailplane Association
www.vintagesailplane.org
retention improved dramatically. Experimental Soaring Association
Speaking of students, how about the huge growth in youth participa- www.esoaring.com
Women Soaring Pilots Association
tion! Partnering with EAA on Young Eagles really paid off. And the www.womensoaring.org
many available youth scholarship programs were aggressively promoted Auxiliary-powered Sailplane Association
http://sites.google.com/site/motorgliders/the-asa
– with SSA and local club support, it became possible by 2018 for Freedom’s Wings, International
student pilots under the age of 25 to receive scholarships for at least www.freedomswings.org
World Class Soaring Association
half their glider training. A large cadre of youngsters took up soaring, www.WorldClassSoaring.org
started competing in contests, and even became instructors. This whole
effort snowballed when the younger instructors attracted more young AFFILIATES
National Soaring Museum
students. And US Juniors have now won the last three Junior World www.soaringmuseum.org
Gliding Championships! Collegiate Soaring Association
www.coloradosoaring.org/ssa/coll/home.htm
You probably noticed how this turnaround wouldn’t have been pos- U.S. Southwest Soaring Museum
sible without a lot of new funding. As early as 2016 the SSA leader- www.swsoaringmuseum.org
League of Silent Flight, Inc.
ship realized that growing membership and growing funds for the SSA www.silentflight.org
were a “chicken and egg” drill. They couldn’t really do much to grow the
membership without substantially increased spending. But without an REGIONAL DIRECTOR CONTACTS
SSAregion1-3@ssa.org
increased membership base they wouldn’t have the needed funds. How (ME, NH, VT, CT, MA, RI, Northern NY, Western PA)
to break the downward spiral? Fortunately our membership included a SSAregion2-4@ssa.org
(NJ, Southern NY, Eastern PA, DE, DC, MD, VA, WV)
large number of successful businesspersons, doctors, lawyers, engineers, SSAregion5@ssa.org (AL, FL, GA, MS, NC, SC, TN, PR, VI)
bankers, professional pilots, etc. These (aging) folks realized that if they SSAregion6@ssa.org (IN, KY, MI, OH)
SSAregion7@ssa.org (IL, IA, MN, Eastern MO, ND, SD, WI)
didn’t do something soon, the sport they loved would die with them. SSAregion8@ssa.org (AK, ID, MT, OR, WA)
Their generous donations, together with including the SSA in their SSAregion9@ssa.org (AZ, CO, NM, UT, WY)
SSAregion10@ssa.org (AR, KS, LA, Western MO, NE, OK, TX)
wills, funded the turnaround! SSAregion11@ssa.org (Northern CA, GU, HI, NV)
Thanks to all you donors and volunteers for making this possible! SSAregion12@ssa.org (Southern CA)

WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 3

SOARING MAIL
LETTERS FROM THE
SOARING SOCIETY
Correction to ADS-B Presentation
at SSA Convention
I need to make a correction to my
description of the Traffic Information
Service – Broadcast (TIS-B) that
I gave in my ADS-B presentation
and to the handout that was pub-
lished in the May issue of the Soaring
magazine.
TIS-B provides ADS-B IN clients
information about aircraft equipped
with an ATCRBS or Mode S device
ONLY. It WILL NOT provide in-
formation on aircraft that are tracked
with primary radar. Put another
way, the ADS-B ground system will
not provide information to ADS-B
IN clients on an aircraft unless it is
Can someone identify the pilot, plane, and competition associated with
this photo?
I am one of the archivists at the American Airlines CR Smith Museum.
I came across this photo and would like to know if you could identify the
sailplane, pilot, and which contest he was going to. It might be John Cotter.
4 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
equipped with an ATCRBS or Mode
S device. Also if anyone has questions
about TIS-B, or ADS-B, please give
me a call at 202-267-8879 or email to
John.d.fisher@faa.gov.
That said, my thanks to the SSA
team that made the 2016 Convention
happen! Not surprisingly, I had a great
time and really learned a lot!
— John FISHER
FAA AIR-132
Teaching Soaring quizzes
Thank you for the series of articles
from Tom Knauff. I have to frankly
admit that I have been jolted by some
of my own answers to the questions he
has posed, and it has given me pause to
— Sheila Doyle
CR Smith Museum
Fort Worth, Texas
think again about some of the things
I thought I knew so well. I see others
have been jolted in a similar way, and
hope that even disagreement with his
thinking will provoke a lively debate.
From my own life experience in soar-
ing, opening up and keeping this kind
of discussion bubbling just has to be
the right thing to do.
— Frank Pascale
Glen Cove, NY
Montana check rides
The “Milestones” section contains the
check ride for Jim Jonas. There is more
to the story than a milestone. The back-
ground and rest of the story is printed
here. — Editor
In August of 2015 the local FAA
FSDO in Helena, Montana decided
that there was not enough activity in
Montana to justify keeping a glider
Designated Pilot Examiner in the
District and “terminated” the only
DPE within a three state area. The
FAA policy requires 5 check rides per
year to be completed in the District
to justify their so called “Expense” of
maintaining an examiner. Montana,
a state with a total population of ap-
proximately 1,000,000 people, has
always struggled to maintain the req-
uisite activity but has been hit par-
ticularly hard the last few years due to
various factors including forest fires
causing smoky un-flyable  conditions,
the grounding of the L13 Blanik (the
only two active training operations
used L13s) , and poor economic con-
ditions. The local glider community
decided the firing of the DPE was
unacceptable and made it a point to
generate enough activity to get the
DPE reinstated. Without a DPE it
was well understood that glider  ac-
tivity would end forever. Jim Jonas’
check ride, described below, was the
fifth check ride to be accomplished in
Montana since August 2015.
The day dawned clear and cold,
13° F, following several days of heavy
snowfall  and very cold temperatures.
The glider runway was covered with
several inches of snow on top of a layer
of ice. Airport management and snow
removal crews  were very coopera-
tive and took time out of a very busy
schedule to plow most of the run-
way. Snow removal crews insisted they
sand the runway even though we told
them it was not necessary as the glider
and tow plane really were not affected
by icy runway conditions. The situa-
tion was further complicated by the
fact that the only accessible runway
intersected the primary active jet run-
way and crews were not able to plow
the full length due to constant airline/
corporate jet arrivals and departures.
The control tower manager  had to
make special arrangements to accom-
modate the glider operation.
This check ride was significant in
that the FAA requires 5 certification
check rides in Category and Class
every 12 months to “justify” the ex-
pense of maintaining a glider exam-
iner in its District. Mr. Jonas’ check
ride was the 5th glider check ride
to be accomplished in the Helena
FAA district within the  preceding 4
months. The check ride was conduct-
ed by FAA Inspector Chris Lange
who flew into Bozeman from Denver
due to the fact that Helena FSDO
does not  support a glider qualified
Principal Operations Inspector.  The
Jonas check ride had a dual purpose
in that it was conducted in accor-
dance with FAA procedures to rein-
state a Designated Pilot Examiner for
the Helena FAA district. Mecklen-
burg completed a DPE Check ride
the same day and was reinstated.
The Big Sky Soaring community
would like to thank all who par-
ticipated for their efforts. Thanks to
Bozeman Yellowstone International
Airport for working with the glider
community for allowing and even
promoting glider activity at a very
busy international tower controlled
airport. Thanks to the BZN tower for
working with us to develop opera-
tional procedures for year round glider
activity. And a special thanks to Chris
Lang, an FAA POI from Denver, for
his assistance in helping us maintain
and even grow soaring activity in
Montana. Thanks to Jim Jonas, an en-
vironmental engineer from Anaconda,
MT,  who plans to continue with his
training to become a much needed
Glider CFI in Montana.
— Greg Mecklenburg
Bozeman, MT
What a guy
While reading the June issue of
Soaring, it was with great pleasure to
see pictures of our beloved general
manager at Truckee Tahoe Soaring
Association, formerly Soar Truckee,
in the “Milestones” section of the
magazine. Jan Driessen is the GM at
Truckee during the summer months
and goes to Florida to work at Semi-
nole Lakes Gliders in the winter.
Jan’s picture was in “Milestones” 12
times. TWELVE TIMES. This must
be a record of some kind. To top it off,
Jan is 80 years young! What a guy.
— Doug Lent
CFI-G & SSA member
Walkalong Gliding with
Phil Rossoni
Really like the latest issue – good
feel and MUCH easier to read!
I am in the museum game – a small
aerospace museum in Indianapolis  –
so I get things from the Museum
internet world. I’m passing this one
along (see below – Rossoni) for SSA
membership consideration.
Note this one is for younger kids –
I sometimes do it with a Styrofoam
glider made from an egg box top.
Not necessarily for SSA publica-
tion, but maybe we can come up with
a single page print out – one side
w/instructions and the other with the
“fold here” lines – post on the website
under STEM or Educators or some-
thing like that. Or maybe it also goes
to the clubs page as a resource they can
print out – have at the field to enter-
FREE
FRE CATALOG!
tain the “too small to fly” crowd.
Real objectives are: 
1) get younger ones to think just
a bit about airplanes, airflow, and
gliding; ☛
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 5
 2) get older ones (teacher age and
older) to explore our website and get
new members. (100 viewers – 5 visi-
tors – 1 new SSA member?).
—David Newill
Phil Rossoni is a commercial glider pilot who has
always been interested in finding ways to share
the experience of piloting an aircraft with a wide
audience.
What’s the next best thing to soar-
ing through the skies like birds? It’s
called  Walkalong Gliding (http://
makezine.com/2015/04/16/floating-
tumblewing-walkalong-glider-defies-
gravity/) where a simple paper airplane
seems to hover in perpetual motion on
the edge of a piece of cardboard.
Walkalong Gliding works on the
same principles of soaring flight used
by all manner of flying creatures to
effortlessly take to the skies. The best
design for the indoor museum setting
is the  Tumblewing  designed by  John
Collins, aka “The Paper Airplane Guy.”
6 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
Everybody gets to build and fly their
own glider made from a 1 inch x 4
inch strip of light newsprint. What’s
the goal? Keep it flying for at least 30
seconds, longer than the current world
record for a tossed paper airplane! It’s
called the “30 second airborne club.”
Like the first pioneers of flight had
to learn, staying in the air for ex-
tended periods requires control of the
paper airplane. What’s the takeaway?
Yes, try this at home, come back and
show everyone you’ve learned the
right stuff !
To find out more about making
lightweight gliding aircraft for your-
self or with your museum visitors,
check out Phil’s book, Build and Pi-
lot Your Own Walkalong Gliders  and
his list of Tumblewing Links. https://
sites.google.com/site/controllables-
lopesoaring/Home/tumblewingpa-
perairplane/notabletumblewinglinks
Continuing discussion of stall
In response to Tom Knauff ’s re-
sponse to “Six Signs of Impending
Stall” written by Jack Wilson in the
June magazine:
Jack Wilson correctly quotes the
SSA Soaring Flight Manual, it
“clearly states that an unintentional
stall can happen during any phase of
flight, at any airspeed or pitch attitude.”
Tom Knauff attempts to disprove it by
Wes Chumley
803.726.8884 / info@stemme.com
stemme.com
stating that during “straight and level
flight” you cannot stall a glider with-
out violating the given parameter of
“straight and level.”
Using the straight and level sce-
nario set up by Tom, let’s also assume
strong vertically unstable air. Further,
let’s put the airspeed at 45 kts and the
stall speed of this glider at 42 kts. Now
let’s assume you fly into a strong verti-
cal gust. When the glider flies into a
strong upward gust, the angle of attack
on the wing increases. The glider will
stall in straight and level flight and the
pilot did not change anything. Given
a strong enough wind shear, the glider
will stall, even at an airspeed well in
excess of 50 kts as in Tom’s scenario.
The same dynamics apply to Tom’s
second scenario, i.e. a 30 degree angle
of bank.
Tom starts with a set of assumptions
some of which are not clearly stated,
such as, calm or stable air. Further
Tom artificially restricts what the pilot
can do to make it stall. The question is
not about what the pilot can or cannot
do to make a glider stall, rather what
can happen to a glider that results in
an unintentional stall. If the glider
wing exceeds the critical angle of at-
tack, it will stall.
I am a CFI-G and not a particularly
bad one. I know that there are many
very good CFI-G’s in our glider com-
munity who are much better instruc-
tors than I. I am also a CFI-A and I
fly competition aerobatics. I know a
lot of aerobatic pilots who are much,
much better than I. Yet, I know from
experience that I can stall an airplane
or a glider at airspeeds in excess of 100
kts pointed straight at the ground, or,
as the SSA Soaring Flight Manual
states, “during any phase of flight, at
any airspeed or pitch attitude.” If I
can do it intentionally, it can be done
unintentionally.
Murphy and his infamous Law are
actively at work in the soaring world
– all kinds of things can happen – the
culmination of which is that a glider
can be stalled during any phase of
flight, at any airspeed or pitch atti-
tude. The glider does not care about
theoretical restrictions placed upon it
by glider pilots arguing theory. If the
wing exceeds the critical angle of at-
tack, it will stall.
We all need to better understand
why a glider stalls (angle of attack, not
airspeed). We all should discuss and be
able to identify situations where unin-
tentional stalls are more likely, know
what to do to prevent them, and be
able to recognize, and safely recover
from them.
— Rus Howard
Response from Tom Knauff
Sometimes the English language
fails us. What is stated and what is
intended can result in very different
interpretations.
My response to the letter to the
editor in the June 2016 Soaring maga-
zine, page 5, also states . . .”With the
possible exception of extraordinary
turbulence.”
First, normally certificated aircraft
are built to different standards than
those certificated for aerobatics. The
article is discussing standard type cer-
tificated aircraft.
There is a difference between stat-
ing, “An aircraft can be stalled at any
speed and any attitude” and a similar
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
statement, “An aircraft can be in a
stalled condition at any airspeed and
any attitude.”
Once the wing is stalled, the aircraft
can arguably be in any attitude and
airspeed – within limits.
However, how does one stall the
wing at any airspeed and any attitude
without violating the premise? The
instant the angle of attack of the wing
is changed – with the use of the angle
of attack control, the elevator – the
attitude changes and the premise is
violated.
By moving the angle of attack con-
trol (the control stick) the pilot has
changed the angle of attack, which
causes a change in attitude, and
airspeed.
So, there you are flying at a reason-
able, steady airspeed as the result of a
steady pitch attitude. Wings are level,
nose below the horizon.
How can you intentionally stall the
glider?
7

SOARING NEWS
INFORMATION,
ANNOUNCEMENTS, and EVENTS
Owen Telford awarded the Michael
Wallace scholarship grant for 2016
We are very proud to announce that
Mr. Owen Telford, of Mona, Utah,
has received a $1,000.00 scholarship
grant to help further his flight train-
ing in gliders.
Owen is 18 years old. He attends
JUAB High School in Nephi, Utah
where he is a senior. Owen began fly-
ing at the Utah Soaring Association
after a chance meeting with Bruno
Vassel, a member of the club, at a job
fair presentation. Bruno displayed his
glider, and was hoping to recruit a re-
sponsible young person to work for
the club, operating their winch. Owen
was chosen over 30 applicants for the
job. He immediately went out to the
glider port at Nephi, and got his first
glider ride.
Since then, Owen has qualified
to drive the club’s winch, and he has
worked on the launch crews at two
glider competitions and plans to be
working on the launch crew at the Na-
tionals in Nephi this June. In return for
all of his work for the club he receives
glider flight training. Owen is a dedi-
cated, hardworking young man who
says that learning to soar has been an
amazing experience. He hopes that one
day he will become a commercial pilot.
The Michael Wallace Memorial
Scholarship Fund was established in
2001 to provide grants to young stu-
dents, age 14-22 years, who have a
8 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
strong desire to learn to fly gliders.
Since 2001, twenty-one scholarship
grants have been awarded to young
men and women across the U.S. to
help them achieve their goal to soar.
For more information, contact:
Art Wallace
951-922-6004
artwallace.inc@icloud.com
Kolstad Scholarship Announcement
As the soaring season is upon us,
please give consideration to the youth
in soaring for a chance to earn $5,000
award to the college of their choice.
The deadline for the application
is  September 30, 2016. The applicant
must be a US citizen, and be under the
age of 25 as of September 30. Here is a
suggestion for the applicants in plan-
ning their summer:
JUNE
R5 )&&.5 ('-5 (5 ,---5 ) 5
three references who have known the
applicant for a reasonably long time.
R5 .",5&..,-5) 5,)''(.#)(5
from soaring acquaintances (three is
good).
JULY/AUGUST
Statement by applicant to include:
R5 (0)&0'(.5 #(5 -),#(!5 &/65
school, community
R5 ,-(.5 *&(-5 ),5 /,.",5 /-
tion and eventual vocation
R5 ),#(!5"#0'(.-
R5 #&*&(-5ł)1(651,-51)(65
5
badges, FAI awards, FAA licenses
SEPTEMBER
R5 0#15 (5 -/'#.5 3)/,5 **&#-
cation by  September 30, 2016 to the
),#(!5)#.35) 5
',#65885)25
2100, Hobbs, NM 88241-2100.
̓))5&/%<
&*"5)&-. (&&5 BgmC5 #,ŀ&5 (5 .",5
OSTIV Congress Aligned with
WGC17
(Unfortunately, the call for papers
announcement was received as the July
issue was going to publication. Hence,
the deadline for abstracts (1 July 2016)
has passed. Further information can be
found at http://ostiv.org/newsdisplay/
xxxiii-congress-2017.html. — Editor)
Technical papers are strongly
encouraged to be submitted for the
2017 OSTIV conference whether you
are a professional researcher in a re-
lated field or someone with a strong
technical understanding of our sport.
Scheduled for the week of 8-13 Jan-
uary at Benalla, Australia, in conjunc-
tion with the first week of the 2017
flapped world championships, the
event will be free for registrants. This
conference series is the only interna-
tional one dedicated to the advance-
ment of the art and science of soar-
ing flight and has been running since
1948. Depending on submitted papers
there will be three technical panels as
part of the conference. The Sailplane
0&)*'(.5 (&5 '#!".5 2'#(5
papers on the questions such as the
future of open class or Front Electric
Sustainer (FES) engines. The Me-
.),)&)!#&5 (&5 '#!".5 -5 **,-5
presented regarding advances in the
science of predicting soaring weather,
whilst the Operations and Training
(&5 1#&&5 &#%&35 )(-#,5 -/!!-.#)(-5
to continue to drive down the soaring
accident and fatality rates.
The small town of Benalla in pic-
turesque rural NE Victoria is an ideal
destination for international tourists
wishing to see the best of Australia
without travelling all the way to the
outback. The surrounding region is an
airsport playground, combining both
flat, farming country with the forested
hills of the Australian Alps. A day tour
of the region will be held for those in-
terested on the Wednesday of the con-
ference week. The conference will be
"&5 #(5 ."5 (&&5 , ),'#(!5
,.-5
(.,5 '.#(!5 ,))'-5 $(.5 .)5
will be the opportunity to see some of
the competition finishers. If you are
interested in finding out more, follow
the OSTIV link on the championship
website: hfgm8),!8/
New Logbook Available Now
Ļ5 (15 
5 I5 5 &#,5 5#&).5
Logbook from SSA merchandise
at  www.ssa.org has been updated
with pre-printed endorsements in the
back pages that have been clarified
and updated by  the Soaring Safety
Foundation (SSF).  For example the
mandatory aerotow  launch endorse-
ment before solo is now a stand-alone
block of text instead of buried in the
student solo endorsement.  Specific
, ,(-̓ .)5 
]-5 #(5 *,.5 lg5 .".5
list the required ground and flight
training have also been updated mak-
#(!5#.5-#,5 ),55 75.)5'%5."5
proper  logbook endorsements which
makes the FAA Examiner happy.
)&5 )5 ) 5 )(/.5
The “remarks”  section of the log-
C5#(#.#.#0655*,)$.5) 5)0,5
book entries has a generous amount
) 5 -*5 ),5  7̓ .)5 &#-.5 ."5 .-%-5
accomplished. There is also a column
for logging the  time of the required
^!,)/(5 .,#(#(!8_̓ 5 .5 3)/,5 (15
logbook(s) today at www.ssa.org.
ANNOUNCEMENT — Change to
the SSA Group Insurance Plan
Like many other insurance carri-
,-65
5 "-5 !)(5 **,&--<5 Ļ35
are supplying insurance policies elec-
.,)(#&&385 )-.&&)5 (-/,(5 1#&&5 5
emailing policies, policy changes, and,
1",5 **,)*,#.65 #(0)#-5 35 5
attachment. Simply save emails and
attachments in your computer. No
need to store paper.
Be sure to read the short email and
open the attachments as there may be
action items to respond to.
Once the email with the PDF
policy attachment has been received
we ask that you reply acknowledging
receipt.
This enhancement to the SSA group
insurance program will speed up ser-
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
vice and allow you easier access to your
insurance records.
.5)-.&&)
)-.&&)5 (-/,(5
--)#.-65 (8
SSA Insurance Administrator since
1984
800-528-6483
insure@aviationi.com
www.gliderinsurance.com
Safety Guidance for Manned Air-
craft Pilots Operating in the Pres-
ence of Drones
Flight Safety in the Drone Age
(FSDA) was released today by the ini-
.#.#0]-5 ,'((.5 #.),#&5 ),85
FSDA offers voluntary guidance to
advance the safety of flight when
operating near unmanned aircraft,
or drones. The product of extensive
peer review within the manned and
unmanned aviation communities, it
builds upon the foundation of the

0#.),-5
B

15 years’ duration. The guidance ad-
9
dresses critical issues resulting from
the presence of drones.
]-5 -(-#&5 **,)"5 .)5
As drones become more common,
and as recreational, commercial, and
public drone applications proliferate,
manned aircraft operators face new
challenges. There are now more reg-
istered drone operators than manned
aircraft pilots, and the likelihood of
midair collisions is increasing. Safety
standards, rules, and guidelines for
drone operators are available and con-
5 (#.#.#085 .-5*,#),5
tinue to be refined, but guidance for
pilots flying aircraft in the vicinity of
drones is sorely lacking. Training and
safety regimes for manned aircraft are
well-defined, data-driven, and rigor-
ously implemented and validated –
but they include nothing material with
regard to drones.
The FSDA guidance is general in
3"165 "#,5 ) 5 ."5 5 service along with supporting mate-
nature. It assumes that pilot aware-
ness and response are necessary where
drone safety technologies and rules
may not yet have been developed fully
),5 #'*&'(.5 Ŀ.#0&385 #&).-5 ,5
10 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
encouraged to review and selectively
integrate these recommendations into
their operations.
The guidance is organized in five
sections (presented by phase of flight,
not necessarily in order of impor-
.(C95 BgC5 (,&5 /.#)(5 (5
,*,.#)(65 BhC5 ,ł#!".5 *,.#)(-65
BiC5 (7ł#!".5 *,.#)(-65 BjC5 )-.7
flight Operations, and (5) Aviation
)''/(#.385 )'*&'(.#(!5 ."5
FSDA is a safety awareness poster and
an annotated technical paper provid-
ing analysis, perspective, and support.
FSDA is a living document and will be
periodically updated to reflect changes
in standards, practice, and the aviation
environment. The initiative’s drone-
related materials are at secureav.com/
drones.
#%5
Helicopter Safety Team (USHST)
,#(#(!5 ),%#(!5 ,)/*65 -..65
“Helicopters operating in the low-
level environment are particularly at
risk from these ‘flying cameras’ intent
on getting the best picture. I fully sup-
*),.5

educating our rotary pilots.” Andrew
#'3,65 ,-#(.65 #,,/-5 1(,-5
(5#&).-5
--)#.#)(65,',%65^ (5
the increasingly crowded airspace we
fly in every day, Flight Safety in the
Drone Age is a clear and concise guide
to safe practices for all of us who share
the skies.”
FSDA is the latest work product
,)'5."5

publications include a family of avia-
tors’ codes of conduct addressing:
aviation maintenance technicians,
aviators, flight instructors, glider
aviators, helicopter pilots, light sport
aviators, seaplane pilots, and student
pilots. Developed as a volunteer ef-
fort, each is available as a free public
rials at www.secureav.com. For more
information about Flight Safety in the
Drone Age, contact H-/,08
com.
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 2016 SAFETY PROGRAM
BY TOM JOHNSON
Safety Management
S afety. What is it? What does it
mean when someone tells you to
“fly safely?”
Webster defines it as the condition
of being protected from or unlikely to
cause danger, risk, or injury.
Aviation safety is a term encompass-
ing the theory, investigation, and cat-
egorization  of  flight failures, and the
prevention of such failures through
regulation, education, and training.
Last year, the Federal Aviation Ad-
ministration (FAA), initiated their
Safety Management System (https://
www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/sms/).
SMS is a structured process that ob-
ligates organizations to manage safety
with the same level of priority that
other core business processes are man-
aged. The idea is to help organizations
develop the highly intangible but very
real and influential safety culture.
Where does this leave us in the soar-
ing community?
We have all had this conversation:
12 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
“Honey, I am off to the gliderport.”
“All right, Dear. Manage your flight
to encompass applicable regulations,
education, and training.”
So what does safety really mean
for us?
A bit of research leads you to realize
aviation safety is about the identifica-
tion, avoidance, and management of
,#-%85#-%5(().55&#'#(.5(.#,-
&365(),5-")/&5#.585,.5) 5."5**&5
of our sport is conquering risk – run-
ning 1,000 km on the ridge, climbing
to 28,000 ft in the wave, or learning to
fly in conditions that are challenging.
So how do we identify risk?
Our experience is a huge player in
this endeavor. The more we fly, the
more experiences we have. Every time
you land, you should review your flight
to identify both good and bad events.
Talk about the flight with other pilots.
Listen to their tales and compare notes.
When you have something of note
happen, take a minute and document
it on the Soaring Safety Foundation
1-#.5 /-#(!5 ."5 (#(.5 *),.-
ing Database at: http://soaringsafety.
org/forms/incident.html. The form is
quick and easy to use.
You may not think it means any-
thing, but it really helps the Trustees
identify problem areas.
Once you have identified a risk, you
have to assess the risk and determine
whether the reward is worth it. Iden-
tified hazards are assessed in terms of
criticality of their harmful effect and
ranked in order of their risk-bearing
potential. They are assessed often by
experienced personnel, or by utilizing
more formal techniques and through
analytical expertise. The severity of
consequences and the likelihood of
occurrence of hazards are determined.
If the risk is considered acceptable,
operation continues without any in-
tervention. If it is not acceptable, the
risk mitigation process is engaged.
Does your 300 km really need to end
with a high speed, low altitude finish?
Is it really worth it to thermal at 400
on many factors. Experience, weather,
time of day, pilot competency, etc.
And most importantly, are you ready
to rationally and dispassionately de-
fend your decision to your peers and
answer leaves you with doubt, there is
no doubt. Don’t do it.
If you have assessed the risk, and
you find it unacceptable, you need to
implement risk mitigation.
.5
>5)153)/5----5,#-%5*(-5
people in authority positions? If the The best risk mitigation is avoid-
ance. Take the risk out of play. He
who fights and runs away, lives to fight
another day.
Training and education will be used
to learn how to deal with new situa-
tions. Flying in high winds or strong
lift is doable with the right training.
#(5 5 !))5  75 (5 /-5 ."5 ,-
source. Do not be afraid to push your
skill level in a controlled environment.
Training is the key. Sun Tzu said that
the more you train in peace, the less you
bleed in war. So too with flying. The
more you train and seek aviation knowl-
edge, the better you will be equipped to
fly protected from or unlikely to cause
danger, risk, or injury.
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 13
 Pioneer III
By Mike Hostage
(All photos by author.)
Building the Pioneer III fications to a trailer I purchased from Above: The completed Pioneer III.
I completed a Pioneer III as de- Gary Davis of GCX Composites
signed by Jim Marske. Final in- (www.GliderTrailers.net). sources. The construction began in a
spection occurred on May 16, Matt Kollman molded the wing two car garage in military base hous-
2015 and I made the first flight on spar/D tube assemblies as well as ing, on Langley AFB, on April 7,
June 18, 2015. The total construc- the several fuselage pieces. He also 2012, when I began stowing the parts
tion time, from receipt of parts welded up and painted the majority in my workshop. In order to have work
from Matt Kollman (www.kollman of the metal parts. I built the glider space, I had to suspend both wings, the
wings.com) to inspection was 1,001.3 from these various parts along with a fin, the rudder, and the canopy bubble
hours. About 75 of those hours were multitude of shipments from aircraft (a bubble in a 4x8 sheet of acrylic)
spent making the fittings and modi- supply houses and other raw material from the ceiling. Fortunately, the
garage had a vaulted ceiling.
I constructed the wings first, which
involved making 40 sets of the aft
half of each rib from fiberglass sheet
and spruce cap strips, then jigging the
D-tube in a fixture, and assembling the
spars and ribs into the structure aft of
the spar and D-tube. After installing
the spoiler boxes, aileron control rods,
aileron and elevator spars, trailing
edge skins, etc., I set the wings aside
and tackled the fuselage. Assembly of
the wings reminded me of a model
aircraft project, on a huge scale.
The fuselage effort started with fab-
ricating/fitting/installing/fussing the
retractable main gear and doors, along
with a retractable nose skid. Since Jim’s
prototype has fixed gear, mine is the
first attempt at making a retractable
installation. From the start of the main
I drove all the parts home to Langley AFB, VA, where I had to fit them into a two car garage. The 23 ft
spar blanks were a snug fit in the 24 ft wide garage. To keep them out of the way, they were suspended gear work to satisfactory completion
from the ceiling in slings. of the extension/retraction of both the
14 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
gear, the doors, and the skid, the fuse-
lage completion took almost 4 months.
Once I’d iteratively figured out how
to make them all work (I had to de-
sign and fabricate the nose skid shock
absorption/retraction mechanism, the
actuating linkage from the main gear,
as well as the surprisingly difficult
main gear doors) I concluded that if
presented with my final design at the
start, installation of the gear/skid/doors
would have taken perhaps two weeks.
After finishing the gear, I installed the
control mechanisms, and then con-
fronted the need for a trim system.

“ By shifting 1.3 gallons

(about 11 lbs) forward and
aft, I calculated I could
Above: The major layups were done by Matt Kollman at his shop in Columbus, OH. When I went to his
shop to pick them up, we test-fit the wing spars to the fuselage blank. Below: After test-fitting the spar
blanks to the fuselage bottom, we set the turtle deck/fin into place for this photo.

move the CG through its

full range of travel.
“
Back in the ‘90s I had built Jim’s
earlier flying wing, the Pioneer IID,
and installed in it an internal sliding
weight to provide trim inputs. One of
the interesting traits of a flying wing
is that one can trim from full forward
to full aft CG by shifting a nominal
amount of weight forward and aft (in
the Pioneer IID’s case, 9.5 lbs of lead
in a 3 inch tube, molded to the shape
of the fuselage bottom and extend-
ing from the rudder spar forward to
just under the pilot’s knees, operated
by a hand-crank and pulley system).
The Pioneer III does not have enough
clearance under the pilot’s seat to run
the pulley system far enough forward
to be fully effective, so I came up with
a new plan. With the internal parts of the fuse- cut and mated to its frame, so I had no
I molded a 1.5 gallon tank into the lage complete, I mated the fin to the problems with that one. Sadly, with the
nose of the glider and a 1.5 gallon lower fuselage half, then began work- Pioneer III, I had successfully cut and
tank into the tail, just behind the rud- ing on the canopy. This is my third fit my first canopy bubble to its frame,
der spar. By shifting 1.3 gallons (about amateur-built glider and the canopies but wasn’t happy with the result, so I
11 lbs) forward and aft, I calculated I have proven to be both challenging procured a second acrylic bubble and
could move the CG through its full and nerve-wracking! I wrecked one completed a successful mating to the
range of travel. I installed a small 12 Pioneer IID canopy, learning how to canopy frame.
volt pump to move a water/antifreeze cut the blown bubble out of the acrylic During the course of the P-III con-
mix. It takes about 25 seconds to move sheet. On my second glider, a kit-built struction, I was in my last two years of
the whole load. Silent II Targa, the canopy was already active duty with the USAF. My final
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 15
three years of service were as com-
mander of Air Combat Command,
which required a significant amount
of travel, cutting into my build time.
The 1,001.3 hours were accumulated
at 0.5 to 3 hour intervals, working
nights and weekends, when my Air
Force travel schedule had me at home.
Upon giving up command and retir-
ing on November 4, 2014, my rate of
progress grew steadier and I began to
see light at the end of the tunnel. One
challenge during this period was hav-
ing to move our home and my work-
shop. The move delayed the project
about 4 months. Our new home had
only a small, two-car garage so I was
forced to keep the wings in the trailer,
stored 45 minutes away at Tidewater
Soaring Society’s field at Garner, VA.
The GCX Composite’s trailer re-
quired some modifications to fit the To move from base housing after my retirement, I had to get the trailer outfitted to carry all the parts.
5 ft root chord of the wings. I had to
cut two holes in the forward end of the left to vacate the military housing and I had already covered the wings with a
top shell. I then had to fabricate the move the project in a trailer that wasn’t unique covering system called Oratex
dollies, tracks, hold-down fittings, and yet ready to safely hold the glider. UL600, sold in the U.S. by Lars Gleits-
numerous other parts to actually hold Once moved out of base housing, mann (www.BetterAircraftFabric.
the glider safely inside. into temporary quarters in Carroll- com). This covering system was easy to
This part of the project was panic- ton, VA, I finished up construction use, though somewhat difficult to get
driven, when I realized I had one month and began final finish of the fuselage. a final finish acceptable for sailplanes.
My learning curve with the Oratex was
not as steep as I would have liked.

“ Fortunately, a very
good friend allowed me
to do the final paint in his
automobile dealership’s
first-class paint booth, so
the fuselage paint job came
out well.
“
The fuselage was fiberglass and the
finishing effort on it was straightfor-
ward, but complicated by my work
space. Fortunately, a very good friend
allowed me to do the final paint in
his automobile dealership’s first-class
A friend who owned a Toyota dealership allowed me to paint the fuselage in his booth over a weekend. paint booth, so the fuselage paint job
Good equipment enables good results! came out well.
16 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
 With a completed glider, I worked
my way through the FAA inspec-
tion with a very professional DAR.
The hardest part was getting all the
paperwork straight, then prepar-
ing for final inspection. My DAR
did the final inspection on May 27,
leaving me with a list of 8 minor items
he wanted taken care of before he
would issue a certificate.
With the 8 items completed and my
new certificate in hand, I made first
flight on June 18, 2015.

“ For those unfamiliar

with flying wings, there is
often a concern about
Above: Left to right, top row has the Master Power switch, Airspeed indicator, LX-Nav S7 Variometer,
bracket for a self-contained PDA running Top Hat soaring program; second row has the compass, GT-50
clock, Altimeter, Dittel radio, silver switch allows selecting battery 1 or battery 2 (two 10 amp-hr 12 volt
pitch sensitivity.
“
In preparation for this day, Jim Mar-
units), circuit breakers for radio and S-7; and at the bottom is the air vent.

Below left: My wife sewed up some thin cushions for the seat, based upon my intent to wear a thin-pack
parachute when flying. Boom mic is visible as well as gear retraction handle in the bottom left corner of
the picture. Knobs on canopy latches look red, to the pilot, when open and black when closed.
ske had graciously allowed me to fly
his prototype P-III for two hours on Below right: Visible in this photo are the spoiler handle on the left and just above it an electrical rocker
a pleasant June afternoon the previous switch which controls the pump that moves water forward and aft for the trim system. On the right side
summer. That experience, along with is the gear handle. Forward is down, aft is retracted. On the center column is the yellow release knob, a
black ring to the right is the rudder pedal adjust control, and the fuse above it is for the trim pump motor.
my nearly 250 hours on the Pioneer
IID, left me feeling confident from the
start of the test phase. On the 18th, I
made three short flights, due to the ab-
sence of any lift. However, all systems
performed as desired and I was ready
for some soaring conditions. I was also
facing another deadline as a moving
company was coming to my home on
July 1 to pack us up for the move to
our retirement location in Boerne, TX.
The FAA certificate came with a re-
quired 10 hour Phase I for which I had
to fly within 15 nm of the TSS field at
Garner. Fortunately, the weather co- Flying the Pioneer III
operated and I completed the 10 hours Flying the P-III feels remarkably
by June 22. There are three IGC traces similar to a sailplane with a long tail. important preflight check. When
for the longer Phase I flights, posted The glider has ailerons, elevators, and properly ballasted, the P-III will sit
on OLC for June 19, 20, and 22, 2015, spoilers just like any other glider and on its main gear and nose skid. Dur-
on the Region 4 Daily OLC page. all function as one would expect. On ing preflight, the trim should be run
The glider is now at Boerne Stage the ground without someone in the full aft, putting all the water in the aft
Field (5C1), just outside of San Anto- seat, the glider sits on its main wheel tank. Then, with the pilot in the seat,
nio, TX. The members of my new club, and an aft wheel located just under the a ground crew member pushes down
the San Antonio Soaring Society Inc., rudder. With the pilot in the cockpit, it on the tail, until the tail wheel is 6” off
eagerly awaited the start of the spring rests on the main gear and a nose skid. the ground. If the glider balances there
soaring season and the first Texas As with any aircraft, ensuring the or pitches gently back onto its nose,
flights of the Pioneer III. CG is in the operating range is an the CG is at or forward of the aft CG
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 17
limit. If not, back on the rudder spar
there are a series of bolts where I can
add or remove lead disks of 1 lb each,
to adjust the CG placement. The ship
will accommodate pilots as light as 110
lbs and as heavy as 275 lbs, but ballast
would need to be adjusted to suit each.
Aerotow is straightforward, with
excellent control at a 65-70 kt tow
speed. The large rudder makes for easy
corrections and the low gross weight
(700 lbs maximum gross weight)
makes for a quick climb. The ailerons
are light and responsive with only a
mild amount of adverse yaw, easily
handled by the rudder.
For those unfamiliar with flying
wings, there is often a concern about
pitch sensitivity. Despite the elevator
locations at the root end of the wings,
pitch control pressures are firm and
predictable. Both on tow and during
soaring flight, I would describe the
pitch control authority as responsive,
but definitely not sensitive.
So far, I have found my glider most
comfortable to thermal at 40-45 kts,
with stall coming somewhere below 36
kts. The glider does not have a conven-
tional break with the stall, but instead
picks up a controlled, mushing descent
whether turning or straight ahead. The
ailerons remain effective when in this
The glider assembled in front of the
Tidewater Soaring Association’s
hangar at Garner, VA.
18 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
stalled/mushing condition and the
glider resumes flying with the release
of back-pressure. The glide feels flat up
through 70 kts, with a noticeable nose-
down attitude as the speed increases
from 70 kts through to redline at 128
kts. On the June 22 IGC trace, I had
the chance to fly alongside a friend’s
ASW 27 (approximately 22:23:00 on
the trace) and was happy to see I could
match him up through 70 kts.
“ I know the ability to
shift CG to accommodate
speed changes will be
helpful, I’m just not sure
whether my single pump
will shift the CG fast
enough to satisfy me.
“
The spoilers are very effective, with
a slight pitch-up upon opening above
70 kts. The large rudder allows for ag-
gressive slips, making glide path con-
trol very easy to manage.
Landing the short fuselage of a fly-
ing wing requires some attention to
airspeed control. Holding the ship off
right down to stall is not advisable, as
a tail-first touchdown almost guaran-
tees a wild ride to one side! Touching
down at 40-45 kts is ideal and allows
one to roll out for a bit. Once the glider
is pitched forward onto the nose skid,
it stops fairly quickly. There is also a
very effective wheel brake with which
to enhance this rapid stop.
The plan for this soaring season is to
further explore the performance enve-
lope of the Pioneer III. The unseason-
able rains here in South Texas have
delayed the start of the hot summer
flying season, but it can’t last forever!
My plan is to start some local cross-
country flying with the Pioneer, in our
local soaring area. Here, northwest of
San Antonio, the Hill Country pro-
vides excellent thermal conditions but
limited land-out options. Thus, I will
begin by tip-toeing between known
local airfields until I am comfortable
that I am getting the most from the
glider. I also look forward to loading
up the trim tank to assess the effec-
tiveness of that system. I know the
ability to shift CG to accommodate
speed changes will be helpful, I’m just
not sure whether my single pump will
shift the CG fast enough to satisfy me.
There is always the option of doubling
up the pumps!
With luck, I’ll be posting more OLC
points before the summer is out.
Come on down to San Antonio
and 5C1, and fly with us!
About the author: Mike Hos-
tage retired from USAF in Janu-
ary 2015 after 37 years of service.
He flew numerous aircraft, includ-
ing F-16s, F-15s, and F-22s. In
1973 he began flying hang gliders
and sailplanes in 1979. He built
his first homebuilt glider, a Mar-
ske Pioneer IID, in 1994. Then he
built a second glider, a Silent II
Targa, in 1996. The subject of this
article, a Pioneer III, was built
in 2015. He has since converted
the Silent II to an electric self-
launched called the Electro. Both
the Electro and N295MH are
now located in Boerne, TX.

Flying Wing Stability
by Jim Marske (Photos by author.)
Above: Fully assembled Pioneer III prototype
I
f you have built and flown model
gliders, you know that the hori-
zontal flying surface is set at
about 5 degrees negative angle to
provide a download on the tail. This
download counters the CG, or balance
of the glider, which is located a short
distance ahead of the wing’s center-
of-lift. These same aerodynamic prin-
ciples apply to a flying wing.
But you say: “The flying wing has no
stabilizer?” Oh, but it does! It is hidden
within the wing itself. On the Pioneer
III the horizontal stab is effectively
the rear portion of the airfoil, usu-
ally the last 15% of the chord, which
is reflexed or bent upwards a small
amount. The elevator is the moveable
control on the inboard trailing edge of
the wing.
Fixed reflex does some good things
for us. The most obvious is that it al-
lows us to do away with any horizon-
tal tail surface and the long fuselage
boom needed to carry it. This saves
about 20% in structural weight over a
conventional configuration. Addition-
ally, the main wing spar need not be as
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
strong, saving further weight. Further-
more, the flying wing benefits by elim-
inating the wetted area drag of the tail
structure.
Accidental stalls and spins are al-
most nonexistent. At an increasingly
high angle-of-attack the airstream
will eventually break down, separating
at the elevator’s hinge line, thus re-
ducing the down load on the elevator
and restoring normal flight. You can
fly all day with the stick full back.
“
The day I test flew
it Mike Hostage
showed up and
before the day was up
he had to have one.
“
A stall-like break can be seen only
if the nose is brought up sharply to a
19
 Above: Prototype partially assembled. Below: Prototype P-3 airbrake.

30 degree angle. At minimum fly-

ing speed, around 36 kts, the nose
will quickly fall through without a
wingtip having any time to drop.
The glider will immediately begin
flying again if the stick is released,
or enter a controllable mushing
descent if the stick is held to the
aft stop.
The P-3 is the prototype. The
intention was to make only one
P-3. I designed it to my particular
desires. The day I test flew it Mike
Hostage showed up and before
the day was up he had to have
one. In the meantime I developed
a laminar airfoil for a racing wing.
Lo and behold, we now are build-
ing three laminar flying wings in
Matt Kollman’s shop. The proto-
type Pioneer 4 has recently flown
and looks most promising.
20 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
Patriot III
prototype 3-view.

WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 21
Historic
Gliders
By Bill Daniels
The LK-10A/TG4A/
Yankee Doodle Two
T
his installment continues the
story of 450 war surplus train-
ing gliders released to the ci-
vilian market starting in late 1944.
This was double the number trainers
active today. These gliders were con-
sidered state-of-the-art at the time
yet they sold for around $500 each.
22 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
This windfall jumpstarted the modern
soaring movement in America.
Perhaps the most important of the
4 designs was the Laister-Kauffmann
LK-10A (aka TG-4A, Yankee Doodle
Two). It was produced in larger num-
bers and was the most popular when
it reached civilian hands. The TG-4A
Above: Laister-Kauffman TG-4A at USAF
Museum.
had its roots in a single place glider
called the Yankee Doodle, designed
by Jack Laister at the request of the
Lawrence Institute of Technology.
It was built by the students at Law-
rence Tech under Laister’s direction
and first flown in 1938 at Highland
Park, MI. Like many contemporaries,
the Yankee Doodle sported a gull
wing and, amazingly for the time,
had automatic control hook ups. For
more on Jack Laister and his gliders,
read “Jack Laister Revisited” in the

July 1966 issue of Soaring Magazine
which can be found in the magazine’s
online archives.
The Yankee Doodle was considered by

s


many to be at least the equal of any
contemporary design. In 1939 and
1940 the glider built an enviable con-
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test record which included competing
in the International Aerobatic Com-
petition held in France in 1939, where
it was flown by Dick Randolph.
By 1941, successful Luftwaffe glider
assaults on the Belgian fort Eben-
Emael and the island of Crete had
sparked USAAF interest in using
Cockpit flight manual.
gliders as a tactical weapon. Jack
Laister wrote Col. Fred Dent, who was
charged with developing the Army’s
glider program, offering his services in
building gliders. Col. Dent replied, im-
mediately requesting 3-view drawings
and specifications for a 2-place train-
ing glider based on the Yankee Doodle.
Upon submission of the drawings, a
contract for a static test airframe and
three experimental flight test gliders
was issued in October, 1941. The static
test article was delivered on December
30, 1941 and passed static tests with
only minor changes. In February, 1942,
just ninety days after Jack Laister sat
down at his drawing board, the first
XTG-4 was delivered to the USAAF
for flight testing. These flight tests
were so successful the Army placed a
production order for 75 gliders which
was quickly expanded to 150 TG-
4A’s. The excellent performance of the
company – plus help from Sen. Harry
Truman – led to other military work
such as the behemoth 31,000 lb CG-
10, but that’s another story.
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
While there were similarities, the
USAAF TG-4A differed in many
ways from the Yankee Doodle. Both
gliders consisted of classic wood wings
and tail group with a welded steel
tube fuselage frame. All surfaces were
covered with fabric. The TG-4A had
a larger 50 ft span straight dihedral
“ These flight tests
were so successful
the Army placed a
production order for
75 gliders which was
quickly expanded to
150 TG-4A’s.
wing and a second cockpit aft of the
wing spar carry-through structure. The
horizontal tail assembly was a simpler
“
single unit bolted to the top longerons.
A “greenhouse” canopy extended from
behind the rear cockpit to a blunt 45
degree windshield in front. The auto-
hookup controls were deleted to speed
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production. Service experience dic-
tated a heavier wheel axle and tail skid
to withstand “Army-style” landings.
Production changes also included a
molded nose cone and “turtle deck”
simplifying production by replacing
fabric covering in those areas.
airplanes with engines removed made
better training gliders. By 1943 the
TG-4A fleet had been decommis-
sioned and placed in storage alongside
the other training sailplanes.
Just as the Reconstruction Finance
Corporation began offering TG-4A’s
for sale in October 1944, the CAA is-
sued a Standard Type Certificate to the

“
TG-4A which would then be known
As I was getting as the civilian LK-10A. Civilian glider LK-10A with a “Double Bubble Flattop.”
to know LK-10A’s, pilots took notice and snapped them
up. Laister had hoped improved ver- The LK-10A’s small size made it fun
I learned they had a sions of the LK-10A would remain in to fly solo – if a bit of a handful with a
reputation for vicious production after the war but a market passenger aboard. While the other war
saturated with cheap surplus gliders surplus gliders were basic trainers, the
spin behavior.

“
Once the TG-4A entered active
training duty, the USAAF realized
its sailplane-like qualities were inap-
propriate for training pilots to fly big,
heavily loaded, low L/D cargo gliders
into combat. For USAAF purposes,
made that economically impossible.
Seven decades later many would
view the LK-10A as essentially a
2-seat, 15m glider. It has an empty
weight of 475 lbs, a design speed of
140 mph, and the wing loading was
5.27 lbs/sq ft. The L/D was listed as
24:1 which seems about right. It was
considered a “hot ship.”
LK-10A, reflecting its Yankee Doodle
ancestry, was a true sailplane, making
it popular with performance oriented
pilots. Many badge and long distance
flights have been made in LK-10A’s.
As soon as civilians got their hands
on the glider, they started modifying
it hoping to achieve still better per-
formance and handling. (Ref: Dr, Gus

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24 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
Raspet’s articles in Soaring Maga-
zine Jul/Aug 1948 and Jan/Feb 1950
issues.) Almost all had the buff 45 de-
gree Army windshield replaced with
a streamlined “bunny nose” canopy
neatly faired into the fuselage like the
original Yankee Doodle.
Dr. Raspet thought the small fixed
fin and horizontal stabilizer provided
less than adequate pitch and yaw sta-
bility. As a fix, he eliminated the aero-
dynamic counterbalances by shifting
their area to the fixed surfaces for a less
sensitive elevator and greater direc-
tional stability. Some owners increased
the height of the fin and rudder by
about 25%, seeking still more control
authority to deal with adverse yaw.
Eugene Miller was the first to re-
move the structure above the top
longeron and give each cockpit its
own tiny bubble canopy, resulting in
about 25% less frontal area. The rear
bubble could be replaced with a flush
hatch when flown solo. The result was
dubbed a “Double Bubble Flattop.”
An unexpected benefit was cleaner
airflow reaching the vertical tail which
increased rudder authority still more.
Some considered the LK-10A to
be at best a “1 and ½ seater” so they
eliminated the rear seat entirely and
the glider reverted to its heritage as
a single seat glider. It would seem to
have been feasible to convert the rear
cockpit into an engine bay to make the
LK-10A into a single-seat self-launch
motorglider, but no evidence can be
found that it was tried. Maybe that
idea was ahead of its time.
My first encounter with an LK-10A
was with the extensively modified
N22U “Double Bubble Flattop” oper-
ated by Cy Perkins at Skylark Field,
Lake Elsinore, CA. I think this glider
sported every modification ever done
to an LK-10A while retaining two
seats. As soon as I saw it, I scheduled a
ride then began my primary flight in-
struction in the glider. I soloed it with
6 hours in my logbook.
While building time in N22U, I
noticed that the Orange County Soar-
ing Association also operated a “bunny
nose” but otherwise stock LK-10A
from Skylark Field. Since club rates
were lower, I joined and checked out
in the OCSA glider. This offered the
chance to compare a highly modified
glider with a stock one. Compared to
N22U, I found the stock LK-10A to
have an overly sensitive elevator, weak
rudder, less stability, and lower perfor-
mance. Clearly, the modifications on
N22U were worthwhile. I would guess
they increased the performance by at
least 25%.
“ Laister had hoped
improved versions of
the LK-10A would
remain in production
after the war but a
market saturated with
cheap surplus gliders
made that economically
impossible.
“
As I was getting to know LK-10A’s,
I learned they had a reputation for
vicious spin behavior. While the glider
would indeed spin with enthusiasm
I didn’t feel it was as skittish as its
reputation suggested. My instructor
thought the problem lay with a combi-
nation of poor pilot technique abetted
by wide-chord ailerons which produce
epic adverse yaw. As the glider stalled
it would try to fall off on a wing. If a
pilot tried to pick up that wing with
aileron, strong adverse yaw would
swing the nose sharply toward the low
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
FlatTop-LK, single bubble.
wing even as the lowered aileron on
that wing increased the angle of attack
of the outboard section until it stalled,
precipitating a spin. It took very little
“top” aileron to induce a crisp spin
departure – a behavior which under-
standably spooked some pilots. Add-
ing to the problem was a rear cockpit
well behind the center of lift which, if
overloaded, would place the CG aft of
the rear limit. With even a slightly aft
CG, successful spin recovery was un-
likely. Sloppy, inattentive pilots could
quickly find themselves in deep trou-
ble. More than a few LK-10A’s and
their pilots were lost this way.
Not to overstate the case, the LK-
10A’s stall/spin behavior was not much
worse than the SGS 2-32 or IS28b2
Twin Lark but, being smaller and
lighter, the spin departure was quicker.
Realizing this, my instructor empha-
sized the critical importance of weight
and balance calculations and insisted
I learn to hold the glider in a stalled
condition while vigorously “walking
the rudder pedals” to prevent it from
falling off on a wing. My primary
training in an LK-10A left me with a
profound respect for inadvertent spins,
which may have saved my life on sev-
eral occasions.
However, as long as the CG was
within the allowed range and the
pilot maintained safe airspeed, it was
a sweet handling glider. The LK-10A
was a very popular sailplane in the
1950s and is still so with vintage glid-
er enthusiasts. Several still fly regu-
larly and more are being restored. The
LK-10A is indeed a historically sig-
nificant glider.
25
 Why Accounting Is Exciting and
Vital for Your Gliding Club – Part 2
T his is Part 2 of 5 parts on how to
set up an accounting system for your
club. It is quite inclusive and based on
using QuickBooks. For clubs that already
have an accounting system, this will
provide some ideas that might not have
been thought of. For clubs thinking about
how to set up such a system, this will give
an excellent starting point. Since it is
quite detailed, and run in parts, for those
that can’t wait for the full details, they
can be found at:
http://www.jamescooper.com.au/
Gliding/gliding.htm
Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Fundamental Transactions
Part 3: Reports
Part 4: Depreciation
Part 5: Member accounts
— Editor
Processing Fundamental Transac-
tions in Your Accounting Package
Invoices
The fundamental transactions that
we run at the gliding club are invoices
for flights. These would consist of two
lines: one being the fee for the launch;
and the other for the glider.
It is vital that we track both of these,
so that we can ultimately find the
profitability of the tug and glider. The
example shows an invoice to James
Cooper for a 3,000 ft launch by the
tug CSN for $58, in addition to a
12 minute flight in the Club Glider
GRB at 75 cents per minute with a
total of 12 minutes – $9.00, totalling
$67.00. There is a detailed description
of the flight that has been brought in
by SmartLogs and there is also a note
that the invoice has been paid.
26 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
By James Cooper
The transaction will post $58 to the
Tug Income account and $9 to the
Glider Income Account. And $67 to
the Accounts Receivable account that
has been settled.
“ It is vital that we
track both of these, so
that we can ultimately
find the profitability of
the tug and glider.
“
Payment of Bills
One thing that I find many of my
clients do when paying suppliers is
enter two transactions, the first be-
ing Enter Bills, the second Pay Bills.
The bulk of the time it is only neces-
sary to enter “Write Check” or “Spend
Money” depending upon the termi-
nology of your accounting system. The
example shows us taking out of the
NAB General Account, paying Air
Services $1,398.01 for Fuel, 623 liters,
at a unit cost of 2.244 dollars per liter.
The accounts that will be driven
will be the Bank account, NAB Gen-
eral Account, and the expense account
Tug:Variable:Fuel.
Entering Days Logs
When I first took the job in the
club as Log Keeper I would be given
a handwritten sheet with the flights.
Generally the form would be nicely
laid out, but far too often the sheet
would have data errors and writing
that was undecipherable. Daily logs
would generally take an hour to enter
into the accounting system. And there
was little certainty of its accuracy. In
addition, an unskilled log keeper may
not know how to enter transactions
like introductory flight, club glider test
flights, retrieves, and mutual flights.
This I will detail later in the article.
This was the reason that I devel-
oped SmartLogs. Over the years it has
been fine tuned to be operated by an
unskilled operator. SmartLogs goes
through a data check procedure for
each logged flight, making sure that
all the information is entered correctly.
SmartLogs is automatically updated
with new members and items. It is
emailed to the treasurer and imported
into QuickBooks / Reckon within a
couple of minutes. SmartLogs consis-
tently processes the transactions cor-
rectly into the accounting system.
You can look at SmartLogs opera-
tion on my website, www.jamescooper.
com.au. Click on Gliding, then Log
Keeping.

Tracking Various Non-Standard
Transactions
There are a number of transactions
that we come across in a gliding club
that we should understand. Let’s look
at a number of them.
Vouchers
It should first be understood that
the sale of a voucher is NOT income.
It is merely when a customer trans-
fers money to your bank account for
later payment of a flight. The flight
is the income and the voucher ulti-
mately pays for the flight. It is impor-
tant to track individual vouchers to
see that they only pay for one flight
and once they become out of date are
written off.
So let’s look at how we set up the
Voucher account and two items, Sell
Vouchers and Redeem Vouchers, then
Reconcile the Voucher account, and
write off outdated vouchers.
R5 5 -.5 /*5 5 (%5 )/(.5 &&5
“Voucher” and two Items that link to
the Voucher Bank account. One Item
called “Sale of the Voucher” has a de-
scription of “Gliding Voucher [PUT
NUMBER HERE],” so that when
the Voucher is sold it is clear that
[PUT NUMBER HERE] is replaced
with the actual voucher number. The
other item is a Payment Item called
Voucher Payment. This is used when
the voucher is redeemed and used to
pay for the AEF’s flight.
R5 "(5 ."5 0)/",5 #-5 -)&5 15
make a cash sale to the customer
Intro Flights. I change the sale so that
it records the name of the person to
whom we sold the voucher. For later
tracking, it does no harm to enter
address, phone, and email address. The
item “Sale of Voucher” is used and the
number of the voucher is entered.
If the customer purchases two
vouchers, don’t enter the quantity of
2, instead enter two separate lines, as
each voucher has to have a separate
voucher number, and is later recon-
ciled individually.
R5 "(5 15 !.5 (5 (.,)/.),35
flight we process it in SmartLogs.
SmartLogs asks for the voucher num-
ber and this is entered, ensuring that
the flight is insured. When it posts to
Reckon Accounts there is a memo that
has both the invoice number that it
will pay and the voucher number. The
payment is automatically allocated to
the Voucher Bank.
R5 2.5 15 -")/&5 ,)(#&5 ."5
voucher bank with an opening bal-
ance of $0 and a closing balance of $0
– ticking off the redeemed flights on
the right with the vouchers sale on the
left.
R5 #(&&35.5."5(5) 5."5ŀ((#&5
year or perhaps each month or quar-
ter we need to write off any vouch-
ers that are now out of date. To do
this we again go into the reconcilia-
tion and tick off all of the old vouch-
ers, those being, say, over a year old.
We then make a general journal where
we debit the Voucher bank and credit
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
an Income account called “Profit on
Sale of Vouchers,” to the same value
of the old vouchers that have not been
redeemed.
R5 (5#--/5.".5(-5.)55)(-#-
ered is when a voucher is sold through
an agency where the amount that the
club gets is less than the standard
voucher cost. For example you may
sell a voucher normally through the
club for $160 but through an agency
for $130. When this happens you
need to see that the voucher payment
is adjusted to $130 and the sale of the
flight is also adjusted to $130.
As we have seen previously in the
article, on an invoice for a standard
flight we will charge an amount for
360.474.9394
Arlington, Washington
PacificAeroSport.com
DG-LS
PARTS AND NEW
DG AIRCRAFT SALES
Self-Launch – DG-1001M,
DG-808C/Competition
Pure Gliders – DG1001S
Sustainer – DG1001T
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27
the launch that goes to the tug income,
and may be allocated also to the very
tug that does the launch – let’s say $40
for a 2,000 ft launch. The other item
would be the income for the glider,
let’s say 30 minutes at $1 per minute,
totalling $30. So the flight would be
$70 if charged to a member. However,
for an introductory flight, we get more
than $70 – say we get $160. Where do
we put the extra $90? My recommen-
dation is that it is posted to the income
account “Profit on Flight Intro.”
So the invoice will look like this:
When we process the sale through
SmartLogs all the costs are auto-
matically allocated. To clarify why we
do this: We can see the true income
of the tug and the glider, and we can
see the income we make for the extra
effort of selling introductory flights.
Mutual Flights
To track mutual flights we of course
need to invoice each member for the
flight. We also need to be aware that
we need to track the glider and tug
time and cost. Some clubs have dif-
ferent rates for members. For exam-
ple we have a bulk rate for members
at GCWA where they pay up front a
bulk fee for gliders and get charged
$0 for glider hire, other than for the
DG1000, for which they get charged
a discounted rate. This makes calculat-
ing the cost of the flight a little dif-
ficult. So for example if one of the
members was on Bulk and the other
not the glider would be charged at
(50% of first pilot’s rate)+(50% of
second pilot’s rate).
The tug needs to be charged at the
normal rate. What we need to do is
charge one pilot the full rate for the
flight, taking into consideration the
average cost mentioned above. We
28 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
then need to put in a credit line to that
pilot for generally 50% of the flight,
but with adjustments if the two pilots
have different charge rates for the
glider. This is done against a liability
account called “Mutual,” thus reduc-
ing the Invoice.
Secondly we need to make a second
bill to the other pilot for the value of
the mutual only. This way both the tug
and glider are tracked at their correct
total minutes and dollar value. Each
pilot is tracked at their correct rate for
the flight.
“ When I first took the
job in the club as Log
Keeper I would be given
a handwritten sheet with
the flights.
“
The two transactions can be seen
below. Of course if you use SmartLogs
this does all the work for you and posts
correctly to your accounting system.
Club Glider Test Flights
Club glider test flights can be run in
a similar manner as the mutual flights.
The flight is charged to the member as
if they were flying, and at the normal
rates. There is a third line that is added
to the invoice, like the mutual, but it
would be called “Test Flight.” This
item would post to the expense ac-
count “Gliders:Fixed:Test_Flight,” so
that we can see our costs of test flights
to the club. This item would have a
negative value of the total value of
the invoice, thus reducing the invoice
to zero, so that the pilot does not get
charged. Of course we expect nothing
less than SmartLogs processing this
automatically.
“ It should first be
understood that the
sale of a voucher is
NOT income.
Member’s Credits “
It is often the case that a member
will have credit due to them by mak-
ing payments to the club in advance
of them flying. In addition they will
quite possibly purchase products for
the club and require that the value of
that purchase be credited to their ac-
count. The sequence of events is again
quite simple and logical.
When a member makes a payment
to the club, the sequence is to go and
receive payment against their out-
standing invoices. But let’s assume
that they have $200 of outstanding
invoices and they make a payment of
$300. The transaction is simple: You
receive the payment of $300 and al-
locate it against the outstanding in-
voices, leaving them with a $100 credit
that can be applied to future invoices.
Should a member make some pur-
chases for the club, for example the
member may make a purchase of some
stationery, the process is as follows:
1) It will be necessary to make an
Item for each Expense that may be
purchased by members. Each item will
point to the expense account of the
same name.
2) An Adjustment note is made
for the member for the item that was
purchased.
3) The club’s accounts reflect the
reason for the purchase. The example
shows a member’s credit.
Once the member does some more
flying the credit will be allocated
against their flights.
Refunding a member who has a large
credit with the club
There are cases where a member
may have built up a large credit with
the club, perhaps by making many
purchases of goods for the club and
having their expense credited to their
account as above. It is wise not to let
this credit get too big; otherwise, if
the member calls back their loan it
could stress the bank account. So an
occasional refund may be wise. To do
this the transaction is simple but not
always clear to the average operator of
the software.
Make a “Check” or “Spend Money”
depending upon the terms of your
accounting package to the member.
The account that you put the pay-
ment to will be Accounts Receivable
or Trade Debtors. Ensure that you
put the member’s name on the ex-
pense line so it shows in their account.
Reckon or QuickBooks enforce this,
ensuring that the Accounts Receivable
account always balances to the mem-
bers’ accounts.
Finally the refund made can be al-
located to the outstanding credits, in
receive payments.
Pre-Paid Students
Some clubs have pre-paid students.
This is where a student will pay for
their flights in advance, but at a fixed
price. For example, they may have
booking for 5 instructional flights
at $340.
The issue is that we need to allocate
the costs of the 5 flights to the tug and
glider, and make it balance with the
$340 that was paid in advance.
The first thing to do is to set up your
accounts to manage pre-paid students.
“ The trick now comes
Some people may choose to do it dif-
ferently but I like having a header
Income account called “Pre-Paid
Students Profit.”
“ It is wise not to let
this credit get too big;
otherwise, if the member
calls back their loan it
could stress the
bank account.
“
Then have two sub accounts, Income
and Expense. An accountant may not
like having an expense as a sub of
Income, but it works well.
When the student pays for a course
it will go to the Income account – $340
MM Fabrication LLC
Mark Mocho
505 249-0161
www.mmfabrication.com www.WingRigger.com
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
in our case. The trick now comes with
the invoice for the student’s flight.
The tug fee needs to be posted against
the Launch income account, $41 in
the case below. The glider needs to
be posted against the Glider Income
account, $30 in the case below.
with the invoice for the
student’s flight.
“
There is then a third line that posts
against the “Pre-Paid_Student_
Profit:Expense” account; this will
zero the invoice, because the student
has already paid for his flight. The tug
and glider will both be accounted for.
And the Pre-Paid Student Profit will
also be reduced. If we get 5 flights at
$71 each the total posted to “Pre-Paid
Student Profit:Expense” will be $355.
This will be taken off the $340 that
the student initially paid, thus show-
ing that the loss to run the course cost
the club $15.
Of course if you entered the flights
through SmartLogs and had the pref-
erence to manage Pre-Paid Students,
all the accounting will be looked after
for you.
Next month: Part 3: Reports
> Wing Wheels
> Tow Bars
> WingRiggerTM
P.O. Box 1623, Moriarty, New Mexico 87035
29
 Lak 17 AT at
United States Air Force Academy, CO.
(Photo by Clay Thomas.)
US Hall of Fame Biographies
Collected, Compiled, Adapted, or Written by Bertha Ryan
This month we start a sequence of bio-
graphical articles, thanks to the efforts of
Bertha Ryan. She has compiled, adapt-
ed, and written brief biographies of the
Soaring Hall of Fame inductees up
through 2013. Since there are many, it
will take several issues to present them
all, so we will be looking at groupings by
year. I believe this will provide memories
for some, and education for all. When
looked at chronologically, the biographies
present an overview of the evolution of
our sport; the people, the technology, and
the planes. For space considerations, the
biographies have been slightly abridged.
The full set will be on the National Soar-
ing Museum website. — Editor
“ years a third nominee was accepted to
These pioneers
played a major role
in creating and
enhancing the sport
we enjoy today.
“
T
here were one hundred and
twenty-five members of the
United States Soaring Hall of
Fame up to the year 2013. Thirty-one
(25%) are still living as of early 2016.
Many current members of the Soar-
ing Society of America (SSA) know
very little about the accomplishments
and/or contributions of the members
of the Soaring Hall of Fame. These
pioneers played a major role in creat-
ing and enhancing the sport we enjoy
today. The following short, single-
32 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
sheet biographies of these people
will acquaint you with the founders,
growers, and developers of American
soaring. Each bio can stand alone but
some familiarity with the sport of
soaring is required.
Many Hall of Fame members
achieved nationwide fame with spec-
tacular soaring accomplishments for
their era, including many “firsts.” Others
earned national fame through their
widely recognized volunteer service to
the sport such as supporting national/
world competition, significant feature
articles/columns in Soaring magazine,
and creating or managing the SSA and
other soaring related organizations.
Up to two individuals may be in-
ducted each year. More than two were
allowed the first few years as a catch
up for eligible people. For a very few
accommodate an historical candidate
that had been missed.
Members are elected as individu-
als although, in a very few cases here,
two individuals are better described
together because their contributions
and/or accomplishments were inexo-
rably intertwined. Any member of the
Soaring Society of America may nom-
inate someone to the United States
Soaring Hall of Fame. Contact the
SSA or the National Soaring Museum
for the Procedures and Guidelines.
We hope these often incomplete
descriptions of the accomplishments
of those who formed our sport will
encourage the reader to seek further
information about these pioneers of
soaring. For example, see the Refer-
ences at the end of this collection.
Most photos are the property of
the SSA. The best photographs are by
George Uveges, the premier soaring
photographer and are used with his
permission.
The Early Years – 1954
WILLIAM HAWLEY BOWLUS
(1896-1967)
Written by Gary Fogel,
author of Quest for Flight
H awley Bowlus was a true icon of
the Golden Age of soaring. His
efforts in glider design dominated
in 1911-1929 when he built a series
of fifteen gliders of his own design
and construction.
During World War I, Bowlus served
in the United States Air Service in
Europe (1917-1920). Soon after,
Bowlus was hired by the Ryan Aircraft
Company to fly the powered Cloud-
ster biplane between San Diego and
Los Angeles for the first scheduled
airline in the United States. In 1927,
he worked for Ryan as Superintendent
of Construction for Lindbergh’s Spirit
of St. Louis. After this, he built his
16th glider, a very lightweight design
capable of sustained soaring. This air-
craft, called the Paperwing, was one of,
if not the first, sailplanes of American
design and construction and was one
of the first gliders to receive a U.S.
Identification mark.
During 1929-1930, Bowlus estab-
lished numerous American soaring
endurance records at Point Loma, San
Diego, California, with the Paperwing
and other further refined sailplane
designs. These flights took the Ameri-
can duration mark from 15 minutes to
over 9 hours.
Bowlus established one of the first
glider schools in the U.S., and one of
his students, Jack Barstow, soared for
over 15 hours in a Bowlus sailplane in
1930 to establish an unofficial world
record for glider endurance. (Another
Bowlus-derived sailplane, the Night-
hawk, was used in Hawaii to establish
a world record soaring endurance of
21 hours, 34 minutes in December of
1931.) Bowlus trained both Charles
and Anne Lindbergh to fly in Bowlus
sailplanes at San Diego in 1930. Nine
of the first ten licensed glider pilots in
the U.S. were graduates of the Bowlus
Glider School.
Bowlus also established the Bowlus
Sailplane Company in 1930, selling
gliders nationwide. He proceeded to
tour the nation, soaring at locations
in Michigan and New York. His re-
cords and achievements led to sig-
nificant and positive popular press
for soaring, and Bowlus helped in the
establishment of the National Glider
Association as well as the Bowlus
Glider Club, Anne Lindbergh Glider
Clubs, and Associated Glider Clubs
of Southern California.
During the early-to-mid 1930s,
Bowlus teamed up with other soar-
ing notables such as Martin Schempp,
Richard du Pont, and others to de-
velop sailplanes, such as the Senior
Albatross I and Senior Albatross II.
These sailplanes, produced by the
Bowlus-du Pont Sailplane Company,
were also used by American pilots for
records and to win national champi-
onships. Bowlus designed the famous
Baby Albatross sailplane in the mid-
1930s, offering the glider as a popular,
less expensive kit for home construc-
tion. This design became a hallmark of
American soaring in the period.
During World War II, Bowlus
became associated with the Douglas
Aircraft Company, designing and test
flying military training and transport
gliders. These included the Bow-
lus XCG-7, XCG-8, and XCG-16.
A tragic accident with a prototype
XCG-16 led to the deaths of soaring
pilots Richard du Pont and Howard
Morrison at March Field in Southern
California.
Bowlus pursued very diverse in-
terests throughout his life, many of
which revolved around applications of
aerodynamics in new disciplines. For
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
instance, his streamlined Bowlus Road
Chief is credited as the first recreation-
al vehicle that led to the more famous
AirStream trailer. Bowlus also enjoyed
large scale model trains. His last soar-
ing flight occurred August 12, 1967
at Pearblossom, California. Shortly
thereafter he passed while working on
a motorboat. During that period of his
life he was helping Lear develop the
prototype to what would become the
famous Lear executive jet. Bowlus was
never far removed from aviation.
For his numerous accomplishments
and tremendous love of all things
soaring, Bowlus was inducted as a
member of the inaugural class of the
United States Soaring Hall of Fame in
1954. He etched an indelible mark on
the history of American soaring.
RICHARD C. du PONT
(1911-1943)
Adapted from
research by
Sharron Stemler,
S
a volunteer at the
National Soaring
N
Museum. ☛
33
T he contributions of the du Pont
family are so numerous that it
cannot be imagined how our sport
would have flourished as it did with-
out their generosity. The most promi-
nent soaring member of the fam-
ily was Dick du Pont who held U.S.
Silver Badge #2 earned in 1934 (#32
in the world). He served the Soar-
ing Society of America as Treasurer
(1936), Vice President (1934-1936),
President (1937-1939), and Direc-
tor (1933-1943) during the formative
time of the Society. During World
War II, he served his country as Spe-
cial Civilian Assistant in charge of
the Army Glider Program under the
direction of General “Hap” Arnold.
To quote Peter Riedel: “Dick du
Pont was the man who carried the
main load for the survival of Ameri-
can soaring in those depression years
before World War II. He not only
provided material help, but he gave
his time, energy, and leadership for the
then small, struggling SSA.”
Dick also unconsciously provided
a lesson for German pilot Riedel in
American democracy: “What im-
pressed me as a European meeting
Americans for the first time in their
own country was the lack of social bar-
riers and pretenses. When I met Al-
laire du Pont, she was sitting in Dick’s
pickup truck knitting. Later, when I
spent a few days in Wilmington, Dela-
ware, as Dick’s house guest, there were
a number of fellows in shirt sleeves
busying themselves at du Pont Air-
port. I couldn’t distinguish from Dick’s
manner of introduction which ones
were mechanics and which were mem-
bers of the du Pont clan. It was a lesson
in American democracy at its best.”
Dick du Pont’s interest in flying be-
gan when he was a teenager and soon
expanded to gliding. When he was a
student at the University of Virginia,
he founded the college soaring club.
Dick joined with Hawley Bowlus
in 1933 to form the Bowlus-du Pont
Sailplane Company in San Fernando,
California. Dick made a record flight
that year – Afton Mountain to Fred-
erick, Maryland – 121.6 miles.
Dick was the American Soaring
Champion for three years (1934, 1935,
1937) as evidenced by the Champion
Evans Trophy which later became the
du Pont Trophy. In the 1934 contest
he flew one of the first Bowlus high
performance sailplanes (Albatross)
and demonstrated the possibility of
making distance flights. His 158 miles
distance stood as an American record
for several years. Du Pont was cham-
pion again the following year flying
the Albatross, although he had a point
tie with Chester Decker (Champi-
on by Contest Committee decision;
however, Chet Decker won the 1936
championship by points). This time
flying the Minimoa, Dick du Pont
won the 1937 Championships.
1937 marked the first year of publi-
cation of Soaring magazine – an idea
originated by Dick du Pont who also
supplied the major financing.

KEEP IN TOUCH
The Soaring Society strives to keep accurate and up-to-date information on
all members, and we need your help. If you have moved recently, or changed
phone numbers, please relay this new information to us. As a service to our
members, you can update your information online. While you’re online, start
your free subscription to SSA e-NEWS.
If you have a specific question for the SSA staff, you may use the guide below
to help you direct your question:
ADMINISTRATION DENISE LAYTON dlayton@ssa.org
ADMINISTRATION DENISE LAYTON dlayton@ssa.org
MEMBER SERVICES KAYLA OWENS kowens@ssa.org
MEMBERSHIP
ACCOUNTING
MANAGER
SERVICES RHONDA
KATHEY COPELAND rcopeland@ssa.org
POPE kpope@ssa.org

CONVENTION
GAYNELL WILLIAMS gwilliams@ssa.org
ADVERTISING
COORDINATOR
KAYLA OWENS kowens@ssa.org
ADVERTISING &
MELINDA HUGHES mhughes@ssa.org
MEMBER SERVICES
MERCHANDISE
MERCHANDISE CHERI LONG
LINDSAY clong@ssa.org
ALMENDAREZ lalmendarez@ssa.org
The Soaring Society of America, Inc.
3KRQH‡)D[
Web: www.ssa.org
www.facebook.com/SoaringSocietyofAmerica
https://twitter.com/SoaringSociety

34 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
 Richard C. du Pont suffered fatal
injuries when he was a passenger on
the experimental SCG-16 which
crashed during a demonstration flight
in September 1943. He was posthu-
mously awarded the Distinguished
Service Medal.
In 1957, the du Pont family provid-
ed the financing to help the SSA grow
to a fully financed professional orga-
nization with Lloyd Licher as the first
Executive Secretary – later the Execu-
tive Director.
According to Peter Riedel, Dick was a tall, hand-
some blond with a strong jaw.
WARREN E. EATON
(1888-1934)
First President of the
Soaring Society of America
by Jack Wyman (restorer of the
glider in which Eaton lost his life)
W arren Eaton was born into a
prominent Norwich, New York
family, graduated from the Whar-
ton School of Finance in 1911, flew
a SPAD XIII with the 103rd Aero
Squadron, 3rd Pursuit Group in
late World War I, where he downed
one, possibly two, German planes
for which he was awarded the Dis-
tinguished Service Cross (second
only to the Medal of Honor). In the
1920s, Eaton opened a flying school
for airplanes (and later, gliders) on
Hall Flying Field in Norwich. This
airport was subsequently renamed the
Lt. Warren E. Eaton Airport.
Eaton was a major organizational
figure in the first five (1930-1934)
National Glider meets in nearby El-
mira. He won the Altitude prize in
1930 and made the first aerotow from
what we now call Harris Hill. He was
part of the first triple and quadruple
glider tows, the first to fly glider air-
mail during a contest, and the first
to radio broadcast from a glider to a
crowd below. In the early ‘30s, Eaton
was the most active promoter of glid-
Eaton receiving mail for the first glider mail delivery during a glider contest. His friend, Jack
O’Meara (U.S. HoF, 1956) at right. (Loomis photo 1933 #1 NSM)
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
ing and soaring in the U.S. In 1932,
Eaton led the formation of the Soar-
ing Society of America and was elect-
ed its first president. He served three
years during which he covered much
of the young SSA’s expenses.
In September, 1934, Dick du Pont
(U.S. HoF, 1954) and Eaton made
exploratory ridge flights in the Ap-
palachians. Eaton flew his high-per-
formance Bowlus-du Pont Senior
Albatross, which he had named Fal-
con. At Big Meadows, Virginia, Eaton
set a new American soaring altitude
record of 9,094 ft.
Also in 1934, Eaton visited glider
youth camps in Nazi Germany. Per-
haps sensing what might be coming,
he advocated before Congress for
a much-expanded SSA, to include
glider flight training in college ROTC
programs, especially at Annapolis and
West Point. Unfortunately, Eaton’s
untimely passing only weeks later left
nobody to champion this idea.
On December 1, 1934, Eaton fell
to his death from a double tow over
Miami’s Biscayne Bay. The tow was for
35
publicity photos to promote the winter
glider school Eaton was ready to open.
His custom aerobatic Franklin PS-2
landed itself with almost no damage;
recently restored, it is now on perma-
nent display at the National Soaring
Museum.
In 1935, Warren Eaton’s widow,
Genevieve, donated Eaton’s Falcon
to the Smithsonian Institution; it
was promptly hung in “The Castle”
in Washington where it remained on
display for many years. Falcon current-
ly soars high in the Udvar-Hazy Cen-
ter, the Smithsonian’s National Air
and Space Museum annex at Dulles
International.
In 1937, the SSA named the com-
plex of glider buildings on Harris Hill
the Warren E. Eaton Motorless Flight
Facilities. After Eaton’s death, Mrs.
Eaton served in his place on the SSA
Board of Directors. Hoping to inspire
new American gliders, she sponsored
the Eaton Design Contest in 1937. In
1939 the SSA established the War-
ren E. Eaton Memorial Trophy to be
awarded each year to a person who
has made an outstanding contribution
to the art, sport, or science of soaring
flight in the U.S. It is defined as the
SSA’s highest award. The Eaton Me-
morial silver trophy was presented to
the SSA by Mrs. Eaton.
U.S.
SOUTHWEST SOARING MUSEUM...
YOU HAVE TO SEE IT
TO BELIEVE IT !
If you can’t visit us
then we invite your membership
505-832-9222
U.S. Southwest Soaring Museum
918 Old Highway 66, Moriarty, NM, USA
ussouthwestsoaringmuseum@gmail.com
www.swsoaringmuseum.org
36 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
In 1954 Eaton was inducted into
the inaugural class of the United
States Soaring Hall of Fame. Warren
Eaton was the George Washington of
American soaring.
WOLFGANG KLEMPERER
(1893-1965)
Adapted from “KLEMP”
by Eleanor Klemperer Velarde
WORLD “C” BADGE
NUMBER ONE!
T hat alone is qualification for elec-
tion to the Soaring Hall of Fame.
But Dr. Klemperer was so much more.
Klemp, as he was known to his many
friends, was born in Dresden, Germa-
ny, in 1893, the son of a Prague banker
(who disciplined him teutonically)
and a mother (artistic and loving).
Throughout his life, Klemp main-
tained the qualities of self-discipline,
imagination, and generosity. His in-
terest in flight was manifested around
age 14 when he began building model
airplanes, gliders, and homebuilt hang
gliders. At age 17 he was chosen by
Count von Zepplein to study under
the Count’s special tutelage.
Since his father was an Austro-
Hungarian citizen, Klemp served in
the Austrian military winning medals
as a reconnaissance pilot and instruc-
tor at the Alpine front. When or-
dered to bomb Venice, he flew beyond
the city and released his bombs in a
swamp – a difficult decision for a man
accustomed to follow instructions.
Following his service, he returned
to Dresden to complete his studies
with honors in 1920. He then went
to Aachen as the assistant to Prof.
Theodore von Kármán.
World C Badge #1!
Since there were no post-war re-
strictions on gliding, and under the
watchful eye of the Belgian occupation
forces, Klemp designed and built sail-
planes. He won the first gliding contest
in 1920 by soaring the windward side
of the Wasserkuppe in his Black Devil.
In 1921, soaring an improved version,
the Blue Mouse, he flew the first cross-
country staying aloft for 13 minutes,
exceeding Orville Wright’s previous 9
minute 45 second flight and earning
Soaring Certificate #1.
In 1924 he emigrated to America as
research manager of Goodyear-Zep-
pelin in Akron, Ohio. He continued
his soaring activities making the first
U.S. Distance flight – 16 miles – in
Pennsylvania. He organized soaring
clubs, test flew new aircraft, and devel-
oped glider towing by car, motorboat,
airplane, and blimp. He did intend
to tow a glider behind a blimp to the
Cleveland Air Races, but the glider
kept overtaking the blimp and Klemp
was nearly fatally entangled in his tow
cable, but released and landed safely.
After much searching, he selected
Elmira as the site for the national
soaring contests and the first one was
held there in 1930. In 1936 he moved
to Southern California as head of
special research for Douglas Aircraft
Company where he eventually be-
came Chief of Missiles Research. He
retired in 1958 but remained with
Douglas (until his death in 1965) as
a Staff Assistant, Director of Product
Research, and European liaison.
Klemp was very active in Califor-
nia soaring including flying at early
sites Palos Verdes, Arvin, El Mirage,
Twentynine Palms, Torrey Pines, and
Bishop, where he was Chief Engineer
of the Sierra Mountain Wave Project
in the 1950s. He was Chairman of the
National Glider Association (precur-
sor to the SSA), SSA Co-Founder,
SSA Vice President, and OSTIV
Trustee, and received the SSA’s high-
est award, the Eaton Trophy, in 1963.
The OSTIV Klemperer Award was
established in his honor in 1958.
We close with a Douglas Aircraft
tribute and then a comment from his
daughter: “... one wonders whether we
shall ever again know so familiarly,
and with such full awareness of the
privilege, another like Dr. Klemperer.
He was part of an era in which a few
giants led the way for a profession
which now embraces so many disciples
that superlatives tend to be applied
more to teams than to individuals ….”
Eleanor Klemperer Velarde: “He
would have been embarrassed by this
praise, for he was an overly humble
man who saw his contributions as his
duty to repay the privilege of a good
life. He once told me in a rare, un-
guarded moment that he wished he
could have done more – that he had
fallen far short of his goal ….”
Klemp was a true scientist and in-
ventor to whom nothing was impos-
sible – if it was imaginable, it could be
done, there only remained the way to
do it. Those of us who had the high
honor of knowing Klemp will be for-
ever grateful for that privilege.
PAUL B. MacCREADY, JR.
(1925-2007) life it is very difficult to write a concise
description. Even listing his awards
by Bernald S. Smith only would take far more space than
available here. Describing his soaring
P aul MacCready is one of those
very special people about whose
accomplishments and contributions
alone would fill a large book. We en-

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WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 37
courage you to read more about this His early interest in flying came
remarkable man and his amazing cre- from studying bugs, butterflies, and
ativity. Words that especially express moths and grew to building model
his life’s work are – airplanes and gliders. He served in
the U.S. Navy V5 pilot flight train-
Do more with less. ing program and graduated from
Yale University in 1947 with a de-
If Paul had done only one thing – gree in physics. Later he earned his
become the first American to win a PhD from Cal Tech and extended
World Soaring Competition when not his interests to meteorology. He
even needing to fly the last day – he formed his first company, Meteorol-
would have easily found a place in the ogy Research Inc., in 1951.
Soaring Hall of Fame. Among his many fascinating proj-
This reporter first met Paul at the ects with which he was involved was Paull at one off hhis ddesks.
P k
1953 National Championships in a wing-flapping, computer-brained,
Elmira, which he won (for the third radio-controlled, and astonishingly
time). He graciously offered a ride JOHN ROBINSON
realistic replica of the prehistoric
part way home. If you don’t think the ( -2002)
pterodactyl which was photographed
conversation during that drive was flying over Death Valley for the
one of the most memorable of my life, Smithsonian’s IMAX film On the
think again! After we had both indi- Wing. Another project is well-known
vidually moved to California, I pre- to soaring pilots as an easy in-flight
pared a booklet describing the soaring indication of the optimal speed to fly
community in Southern California – – the MacCready Ring.
mainly for the purpose of my learning The FAI awarded Paul the Lilien-
about the area and the people. Paul thal Medal in 1956, the Tissandier
sent me a congratulatory card (which Diploma in 1977, the FAI Challenge
I still have) for the effort. Cup in 1956 (first American), and the
OSTIV Plaque/Klemperer Award
in 1981. The SSA awarded him the
Eaton Trophy in 1950, the Tuntland
Award in 1956, and the Exceptional
J ohnny Robinson earned WORLD
Diamond #1! What more can one
do to be in the Hall of Fame? Well, he
Achievement Award in 1977 (with
did a lot more ….
the Gossamer Condor Team), and he
He won three United States Na-
gave the Barnaby Lecture in 1979. He
tional Championships – 1940, 1941,
His love of aviation started at an early age. earned the du Pont Trophy as Nation-
and 1946. There were no national
al Champion in 1948, 1949, and 1953.
competitions during World War II or
Paul B. MacCready was born in He holds Silver #67 and Gold #8 both
he might have won them also.
1925 in New Haven, Connecticut. earned in 1947.
He set two United States National
Records for distance: 290 miles in
1940 from Elmira, New York to Min-
What you need to know to fulfill eral, Virginia and 325 miles in 1947
FAA flight training requirements from Wichita Falls, Texas to Barstow,
and be a safer glider pilot. $39.95 Texas – both during national compe-
titions. He set a world altitude gain
Quantity discounts available. record of 24,200 ft while flying from
Order at www.eglider.org Bishop, California to Edwards, Cali-
Phone (814) 355-2483 fornia on January 1, 1949. On this
same flight he reached an altitude of
Knauff & Grove Soaring Supplies 33,800 ft for a world absolute alti-
3523 S. Eagle Valley Rd. tude record for which he was awarded
Julian, Pa 16844 the prestigious FAI Lilienthal Medal
in 1949.
38 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
 In summary Johnny Robinson
earned Silver #18 in 1938, Gold #2 in
1939, Diamond #1 (Intl #1) in 1950
and was among the first six to receive
a Three Lennie Pin in the early 1950s.
In addition to the Lilienthal Medal,
he received the Bendix Glider Tro-
phy in 1940 and the Evans Trophy
(as national champion) in 1940, 1941,
and 1946.
In the early days of soaring most
flight instruction was done in single-
seat gliders. The instructor gave pre-
flight instruction about the immediate
task and then the student would try
it – sometimes communicating with
loud discussion from the ground. First
step was to fly straight ahead – next
lift off the ground and land straight
ahead. Then the student would take off
and make a 180 degree turn. Eventu-
ally a full turn was made with a land-
ing back where the takeoff had been.
The A, B, C badges were used to mark
these accomplishments. These badges
are still used in modern flight training
but have different meanings.
By the late 1930s two-place gliders
were being designed. Flight instruc- er he named Robin and made several Robinson flying the Zanonia at Torrey pines.
tors were now delighted to have these very good flights, winning in competi-
trainers rather than rely on the tedious tion and advancing in badges. goal flight to Overton, Nevada, during
single-seat method. Dave Robertson The Zanonia (originally known as the 1950 West Coast Championships
and Henry Severin of San Diego built the RS-1) had been built by Harland at El Mirage.
a two-place primary glider and taught Ross in 1937 for the movie star Har-
several people to fly, including John vey Stephens. It won second place in
Robinson. the 1937 design competition and was
Robinson designed and built a glid- considered one of the highest per-
forming American sailplanes. It was
eventually sold to Woody Brown who
sold it to John Robinson in 1939. Rob-
inson made some key modifications
and continued his winning ways with
this sailplane beating both the Orlik Come soar the beautiful
and Minimoa in national competi- Green Mountains – best
tion. He made his Diamond distance
soaring in New England.
during the 1947 Nationals at Wichita
Falls, Texas. Instruction, rides,
In 1939 he attained Diamond al- rentals and gift certificates.
titude with a flight from Bishop, Open May – October.
California, to an indicated 33,300
802-888-7845
ft near Mt. Whitney. His Diamond
info@stowesoaring.com
badge, World Diamond Number
www.stowesoaring.com
Robinson’s Robin in flight. ONE, was completed with a 221 mile
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 39

WINCHING WORLD
BY BRUNO VASSEL
Winch Winding Systems
(All photos by author.)
Rebuilt Utah Soaring Association winch.
Members in the Utah Soaring As-
sociation spent the winter months
building a new drum and disk brake
system for our newly refurbished
winch. We were excited that we
could now easily handle over 9,000
ft of synthetic rope without crushing
the new and much larger drum. Our
goal is to consistently get some of the
highest winch launches in the coun-
try with our new hardware.
Ever wonder what 9,000 ft of synthetic rope looks
like?
Our first test launches showed the
new parts worked – success! How-
ever, we quickly found we were get-
ting bad loops and snags while trying
40 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
to pull the rope back out after almost
every launch – huge bummer! This
was a major problem that had to be
fixed before we could use the winch.
Looking on the web, we found there
is a regular chatter among winch
operations regarding problems with
winding the rope on and off the drum
without creating loops and lock-
ups. This appears to be a sufficiently
significant issue that this column is
devoted to winding (AKA spooling)
systems. Yep, this is yet another “nuts-
n-bolts” column.
A glider winch is unusual when
compared to industrial and marine
winches in that it winds rope onto
a drum at both high speed and high
rope tension. In fact, it’s hard to find
an example of another winching sys-
tem that handles rope as we do. The
unusual conditions under which glid-
er winches operate can create a real
headache if not handled correctly. As
above, we found this out first hand.
Loops are a problem and a challenge to prevent.
Symptoms of improper winding are:
1) the formation of rope loops which
beat on the winch frame as the drum
spins, damaging both the rope and the
winch and, 2) a condition known as
“dive-in” leading to the rope forming a
sort of “hitch” on the drum preventing
it from being pulled off. If this hitch
forms with enough force, it can actual-
ly melt the rope together into an inert
mass. Sometimes the only remedy is to
cut the rope off the drum, remove the
melted sections, and splice it all back
together – talk about a headache.
Loops of rope are caused by rope
piling up in the middle of the drum
until individual wraps start slip-
ping down the sides of the pile into
the valleys between the pile and the
flanges of the drum where the effec-
tive diameter is smaller, creating loose
wraps. These loose wraps then merge
into one or more large loops whipping
around with the drum.
Hitches (aka “dive-in lockups”)
happen when wraps of slippery rope
wedge down between looser wraps
until they form a hitch locking the
rope to the drum.
Wedging also drives lower wraps
apart, creating axial pressure on the
drum flanges. Many old drums failed
when their flanges (sides) were pushed
out after transitioning to synthetic
rope. The original Utah Soaring
Association drum was showing signs
of impending failure for this reason.
The winch launch sequence may
also introduce complications. The
first half of the rope length is wound
on at high tension as the glider is
launched then, after the glider re-
leases, the second half is recovered at
much lower tension producing a thick
layer of low tension wraps over a layer
of tight wraps. A “dive-in” lockup
hitch described above may happen if
the brake is set too hard as the rope is
being pulled off the drum.
So, why didn’t all this happen with
the old steel cable? Steel cable is
springy, curly, often kinked, and it had
a relatively high coefficient of friction
between adjacent wraps. These char-
acteristics made it possible to just let
it find its own random winding pat-
tern on the drum if the fairlead was
located far enough from the drum.
Plastic rope is slippery and has no
tendency to coil or kink so, unlike
steel cable, it tends to pile up in the
center of the drum regardless of the
fairlead to drum distance, leading to
the problems above.
A general solution to all of these
issues is to lay the rope on the drum
in a controlled, predictable manner.
It’s worth noting that the majority of
glider winches use winding systems to
do this. Examples are Roman’s De-
sign winches, classic German Tost
winches, the British SupraCat, the
Eastern European “Herkules” H3 and
H4 winches, and the Dutch MEL and
van Gelder winches, plus many more.
There are a variety of ways to wind the rope on
the drum to prevent dive-in.
Spooling systems are variously
known as “Level Wind©” or the more
generic “even-wind” and a spooling
method of special interest to glider
winches called “cross-wind” or “x-
wind.” Level Wind© lays each turn
of the rope onto the drum in neat
parallel wraps like old-school fishing
reels whereas “even-wind” merely dis-
tributes the rope more-or-less evenly
across the drum, making no attempt at
neatness. Level Wind© advances the
rope across the drum exactly one rope
diameter for each turn of the drum
where x-wind advances each succes-
sive wrap 10 or more rope diameters
for every turn of the drum, creating
layers of alternating right and left
helices where new wraps cross the
ones below at a small angle. You can
see examples of x-wind in a roll of
string or carpenters twine.
While all three spooling methods
distribute rope evenly, x-wind’s cross-
ing wraps provide a key advantage
which prevents outer wraps from
diving into the wraps below regard-
less of how loosely the rope is wound.
This prevents wedging and tends to
bind the rope mass together like a ball
of string, tending to minimize pres-
sure on the drum flanges.
There’s one more issue to discuss
before examining mechanisms used
to produce these spooling patterns.
Whenever a rope under tension is
bent around a roller or sheave, a force
is generated acting on the bisector of
the rope angle. With winch rope ten-
sions reaching as much as 2,248 lbf
(Black weak-link), these forces can be
quite large. For example, if the rope
bends around a spooling roller at just
3.5 degrees, as is the case with the
Utah winch, the lateral force on the
rollers can be as large as 150 lbf. If the
fairlead itself moves across the drum
as is the case with some winches, a
glider drifting 15 degrees off the run-
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
way centerline can put a lateral force
of more than 600 lbf on the fairlead.
Spooling systems must take this force
into account.
Traditionally, winding systems on
industrial winches, and even some
glider winches, use a self-reversing
screw recognizable by the diamond
pattern of the threads. These use a spe-
cial reversing nut containing a small
rotating pawl which causes the nut
to scuttle back and forth as the screw
turns. The tiny pawl limits their capac-
ity to handle both high traverse speeds
and high axial forces simultaneously
so reversing screws have a reputation
for being troublesome devices.
Unlike Level-Wind©, even-wind
and x-wind systems do not need to
be geared to the drum. An example
is the even-wind system on the Caro-
lina Soaring Association winch ex-
hibited at the SSA Convention in
Greenville, SC. It uses a powerful 12V
linear actuator, which is essentially a
jack screw driven by a geared electric
motor. Limit switches and a revers-
ing relay cause the actuator to move
a pair of rollers back and forth across
the face of the drum to distribute the
rope evenly. Since it runs at a constant
speed independent of drum RPM, the
spooling pattern is random but it does
the job well.
☛
41
 Self-reversing screws and linear ac-
tuators move at around one inch per
second which is too slow for an x-wind
system. X-wind needs 15 to 20 inches
per second to produce rope crossing
angles large enough to prevent dive-in.
There are an almost unlimited number
of mechanisms which can produce
high speed reciprocating motion but
only a few seem practical for x-wind
systems. One is an axial or “barrel”
cam such as that used on the Dutch
van Gelder winches and the other is a
heart-shaped plate cam. Both can pro-
duce a high speed, high force, linear
reciprocating motion, but of the two, a
plate cam is by far the easiest to make.
A heart cam can drive an x-wind sys-
tem as fast and with as much force as
needed depending only on the power
of the electric motor which drives it.
The heart cam on the Utah Soaring
Association winch uses two cam follow-
er rollers positioned 180 degrees apart
42 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
to form a “desmodromic” system which
requires no springs. See illustration.
CAD drawing of heart cam with cam follower
rollers.
CAD drawing showing motion of heart cam.
So, can a DIY home shop make a
heart cam x-wind system? It’s not too
difficult because we did just that. The
cam itself is made from a 1/2 inch steel
plate roughly one foot square. While a
heart cam can be made with common
shop tools, we created a CAD model
of one and emailed the file to a local
CNC shop where they laser cut the
cam for $100.
So what kind of motor drives the
cam? A Google search turned up a
beefy 3 HP 12V, 40 RPM, geared
motor intended for reefing the heavy
canvas covers used on huge dump
trucks. The new price was under $200.
The complete x-wind assembly con-
sists of a rectangular aluminum rope
guide tube with a vertical hinge at the
fairlead and a pair of rollers on the end
near the drum. The cam followers are
mounted on a crossbar attached to the
top of the tube. The gear motor with
heart cam is mounted above the guide
tube on the winch frame. The rotating
cam swings the rollers back and forth
across the drum to distribute the rope.
The cam was designed with a stroke
less than the width of the drum so it
could be positioned in a convenient
location on the aluminum tube about
a third of its length back from the roll-
er end and still have the rollers swing a
full drum width.
When pulling out the rope there
are two options. The rollers at the
drum end of the guide tube can be
“parked” at mid-traverse which relies
on the rollers to feed the rope into the
guide tube. More elaborately, the heart
cam and its drive motor can be raised
just enough to clear the cam follow-
ers which lets the guide tube swing
freely to follow the rope back and
forth across the drum as it unwinds.
In preparation for the next launch the
cam is lowered again to engage the
cam followers. For simplicity’s sake we
elected to just park the guide tube in
the middle while pulling out, and it
has worked well so far.
In summary, all winding systems
minimize loop formation but an x-
wind also eliminates “dive-in” lockups
thereby allowing the rope to be pulled
out as fast as one desires, and adding
substantially to the number of launch-
es one can do in a day. An x-wind sys-
tem minimizes the lateral force on the
drum flanges by eliminating wedging,
which allows lighter flanges to be used,
reducing drum inertia.
So how long did our x-wind sys-
tem take us to make and at what cost?
About 70 man hours and just under
$1,000. Don’t let that dissuade you!
We were getting loops and dive-ins
almost every other time pulling the
rope out on our winch, and since this
new system was installed, we have not
had a single loop or dive-in lockup. It
is well worth the effort and modest
expense!

VOLUNTEERING
IN THE SSA
BY CHRIS FLEMING
The world has changed
– so must we
T he world used to be a simpler
place. If one wanted to fly, there
were two choices: complex and expen-
sive airplanes, or basic and inexpen-
sive gliders. Airplanes were far beyond
the means of most people, and glid-
ers, while not “real” airplanes, allowed
regular people to fly inexpensively and
easily. Our sport secured a niche at the
bottom of the aviation market, and our
clubs thrived.
Over the years, the price gap be-
tween airplanes and gliders has de-
creased, and competition with “new”
inexpensive sports such as paraglid-
ing, hang gliding, and ultralights has
increased. To confuse the matter,
modern sailplanes, with their satellite
navigation systems, computer-driven
instruments, and composite construc-
tion, have more in common with the
top of the aviation market than with
the bottom. Furthermore, while our
sport was once limited to short glides,
it now boasts of interstate cross-coun-
tries – a skill that takes years to master.
Soaring lost its niche at the bottom of
the market a long time ago, along with
its large market share of aviators. So
why are we still marketing soaring as
inexpensive and easy?
While this debate isn’t new, we’ve
reached a point where we can no lon-
ger ignore our changing environment.
The SSA has lost 1,000 members in
just the last 5 years, and total member-
ship has now fallen below 10,000. The
decades-long emigration from soaring
has reached a crisis .…
“When written in Chinese, the word
‘crisis’ is composed of two characters: one
represents danger and the other repre-
sents opportunity.”
— John F. Kennedy
With the threat of our sport’s con-
tinued decline, the SSA has an oppor-
tunity to reorganize and launch soar-
ing to new heights. Like a company in
bankruptcy, reorganization can save
it from failure and launch it into re-
cord profitability. But an opportunity
is nothing without the willingness to
take advantage of it. But who is the
SSA, and are they up to the task?
We are the SSA – all 9,939 of us! By
joining the SSA, you’re not just a
member of one club, but a member of
a national organization. And just as
you participate at your club, you can
also participate at the regional and na-
tional levels of the SSA. Are you up to
the task?
A national reorganization of our
sport begins with a national discus-
sion. This discussion will need mem-
bership voices from across the spec-
trum: young and old, newbies and
veterans, local and cross-country, and
recreational and competitive. We’ll
discuss what we’re getting right and
what we’re getting wrong, and what
we should do about it. Those who join
the discussion will have direct input
on our sport’s future, and an opportu-
nity to make real and lasting improve-
ments to it.
So how do you join the discussion?
Become an SSA volunteer. Volunteer-
ing at the SSA is a natural extension
to volunteering at your local club: your
network grows from local to regional
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
and national scales. You meet and
work with people that not only share
your passion in soaring, but also your
passion in improving it. And with to-
day’s technology, it doesn’t matter if
other SSA volunteers are at a club 25
miles away or 2,500 miles away, we’re
now better connected and more pro-
ductive than ever before.
If this sounds like the opportunity
you’ve been waiting for, you’re just the
person we’ve been looking for. Even if
you don’t know how you want to con-
tribute, just your desire to contribute
is good enough for us. By becoming
an SSA volunteer you’ll have access
to the SSA’s Volunteer Forum where
we are discussing our sport’s future,
and you’ll discover projects that you’ll
want to be a part of. Do you have an
idea on how to improve our sport?
Even better! We’ll help you bring
your idea to fruition.
Become an SSA volunteer, join the
discussion, and help save our sport.
volunteer@ssa.org
About the author: Chris Fleming,
Chairman, SSA Volunteer Develop-
ment Committee, has been a member of
the SSA since 1995. He is an ATP and
CFI with over 15,000 hours between
airplanes and gliders, and holds an FAI
Diamond Badge. He owns a Discus-2
and currently soars the Alps from Fay-
ence, France.
NEW
SOARING
PATCH
Item #706179 $6.00
43

ON-LINE CONTEST
BY BILL HILL
THE OLC AND SOME
OF ITS FINER POINTS
O n the thirtieth of May, Dan
Mockler (http://www.online-
contest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.
html?dsId=5090586) and I (http://
www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/glid-
ing/flightinfo.html?dsId=5090449)
both had what some might consider
outstanding flights out of Moriarty,
NM. We both went north into the
Sangre de Christo Mountains, then
southeast toward Santa Rosa, then
west toward the southern end of the
Manzano Mountains, followed by a
local shuffle in order to finish out the
day. It’s interesting to note that points
gleaned by virtue of triangles flown
notwithstanding, I ended up with a
slower speed than Dan. This is not a
criticism, but an observation. When
I looked at the number of thermals
I used – 16 – and the percentage of
time circling – 17%, as compared to
Dan’s 27 thermals and 25% circling, I
was a bit perplexed. I then looked at
average rates-of-climb and Dan was
at 2.85 meters per second to my 3.34
meters per second ... huh? Okay, then
how about height band worked? Well
Dan stayed – for the most part – above
14,000 ft, whereas I flew to lower al-
titudes before stopping to tank up.
So, was Dan taking advantage of the
higher true airspeed by staying high-
er? Nope, that’s not it either. At this
point I will defer to my good friend
Steve Hill (no relation, but would be
proud to call him brother) who, along
with being an engineer by trade, is far
smarter than I and is also well versed
in the subtle nuances of the OLC.
44 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
Steve Hill: A few of us were discuss-
ing the very impressive May 30th flights
the next day so I examined the OLC
results of the two flights and compared
them in SeeYou. According to SeeYou, Bill
launched at 2 minutes after the hour, re-
leased from tow 2 minutes later and land-
ed 17 minutes after the hour. His flight
time after release was about 5hr 13min
and he went 812.6 km (straight line
distance between thermals) for a SeeYou
speed of 155.3 kph. Bill got credit on the
OLC for 716.5 km in 5hr 12min for an
OLC speed of 137.8 kph. Dan launched
at 13 minutes after the hour, released 5
minutes later and landed 22 minutes af-
ter the hour. His flight time after release
was 5hr 4min and he went 761 SeeYou
km for a SeeYou speed of 150.2 kph. Dan
got credit on the OLC for 659 km in 4hr
37min for an OLC speed of 142. 6kph.
I don’t really understand the subtle nu-
ances of the OLC but, for some reason, the
OLC started Dan’s first leg at 36 minutes
after the hour (18 minutes after release)
and ended his last leg at 13 minutes after
the hour (9 minutes before landing) effec-
tively shortening Dan’s flight by 27 min-
utes. This accounts for the differences in
OLC speeds for the two fantastic flights!
Yet another interesting use of the
OLC is being done by Garry Boggs
at his Phoenix based glider operation
where he is logging almost every flight
he is making which has allowed him
to amass almost 20,000 OLC points.
Then there are guys like Kevin
Wyatt. He only seems to fly (perhaps
he chooses not to share the less than
stellar days) on two consecutive days
on which he was the top OLC world-
wide. First on the 29th of May (http://
www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/glid-
ing/flightinfo.html?dsId=5089305)
and then first yet again on the fol-
lowing day (http://www.onlinecon-
test.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.
html?dsId=5089316). Nice going,
Kevin!
Straight Out Cross
Country Results
Compiled by
Bob Maronde
Crystal Squadron 2016 Diamonds
George Calvo 1
Sean Eckstein 1
Arnie Frankenberger 1
Mike Koerner 1
Note: A Crystal Squadron diamond
is a straight-out flight from Crysta-
laire to any landing of at least 500 km
or 310.7 statute miles distance from
Crystalaire.
2016 Henry Combs
Trophy Standings
Central Zone
Tony Condon 1
West Zone
George Calvo 1
Sean Eckstein 1
Arnie Frankenberger 1
A reminder from Tony: We need
to make sure people are submitting
all their flights for the Barringer
Trophy. The 2015 award went to a
505 km flight. It was nice and all but
I know others flew farther, but as-
sumed it wasn’t far enough for the
Barringer.

TEACHING SOARING
BY TOM KNAUFF
STABILITY QUIZ
1. Name the three axes of the glider.
a. ___________________________
b. ___________________________
c. ___________________________
2. When the glider moves
about any axis, it rotates about the
______________________________.
3. The glider fuselage tends to fly
streamlined through the relative air-
flow because of the _______________
effect and thus is stable about the
______________________ axis.
4. Pitch stability is achieved by
a balancing act between the hori-
the center of pressure, and the down-
ward force on what surface?
8. In a steady, shallow turn, the
pilot will need to hold some aileron
pressure (into) (against) the turn be-
cause of ______________________.
zontal stabilizer, wing lift, and the
__________________________.
9. In a steady, steep turn, the pilot
will need to hold some aileron pres-
5. The glider tends to fly with its
sure (into) (against) the turn because
wings level because the wings are
of the ________________ tendency.
mounted on the fuselage at an angle
called ______________________.
10. In all turns, some ____________
pressure will be needed in the direc-
6. When a pilot “flies an aircraft,”
tion of the turn.
only three things are controlled.
They are:
11. During a steady turn, if the
a. ___________________________
bank angle and airspeed are correct,
b. ___________________________
but the yaw string is not straight, the
c. ___________________________
__________________ should be used
to make a correction.
7. The glider tends to fly at a steady
airspeed because of the balancing
act between the gravity acting at the
center of gravity, wing lift acting at See answers on page 51




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WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 45

BLAST FROM THE PAST
BY DOUG LAMONT
(EDITOR, 1972)
George Uveges, Photographer
Reprinted from the August 1972 issue
of Soaring magazine.
— Editor
L ast month, a fourteen-year-old
student member in Upper St.
Clair, Pennsylvania, wrote to Soaring:
Dear Sir:
How did George Uveges and Alex
Aldott become such great sailplane pho-
tographers? Are they on the staff of
SOARING as photographers, or is this
just a hobby? They are really very good
… I am inspired ….
Bill Henson
I t’s easy to identify with Bill’s feel-
ings. Clearly, like thousands of us,
he was responding to the special es-
sence of soaring these men have been
able to capture in their pictures.
46 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
By coincidence, the present editor
happened to be leafing through old
issues of the Journal when Bill’s let-
ter arrived. Obviously, previous edi-
tors had depended on the artistry of
these long-time contributors and
had expressed their thanks and those
of the membership via Soaring’s col-
umns. Thus, an unsettling thought:
people think the magazine is taking
George’s and Alex’s gratis contribu-
tions for granted; a new generation
of readers like Bill Henson doesn’t
know these pilot/photographers ex-
cept as a credit line. It was high time
for introductions.
The pronunciation of George’s last
name – like such words as moazagotl
and sollfahrtgeber – is a tipoff as to how
long the speaker has been in soaring.
George himself refuses to be bent out
of shape by mispronunciations, and
will answer to any reasonable audio
facsimile. (He has settled on the Angli-
cization, you-Vay-gus, as a reasonable
likeness, since the soft aspirant sibilant
and glottal umlaut sounds of the origi-
nal Hungarian – which translates as
“glazier” – is beyond phonetic render-
ing.) Suffice it to say that his Diamant
carries “PB” as its competition letters,
and that George will respond to the
call “Play Boy” when flying, though not
necessarily on the ground.
George lives within a few minutes
of the SSA office in Santa Monica,
California. We showed him Bill’s let-
ter and, tongue in cheek, rephrased
the question. “George, how’s your
favorite hobby coming along?” With-
out the flicker of an eyelash he tossed
some new photo prints on the table.
“How do you like these?” he asked.
Taken back, we realized he had missed
the intended banter. Further ques-
tions shed some light. “Soaring has
meant something special in my life,”
he explained. “My photography is my
way of saying thanks to this realm
of flight.”
There was nothing in a New Jersey
boyhood that pointed him toward
soaring. “My earliest aviation recol-
lections are of an autogyro and a bal-
loon – there were no sailplanes where
I lived; I had to satisfy my interest by
drawing aircraft on homework pa-
pers.” However, a Brownie box cam-
era presented to him on his eighth
birthday was a surer portent of things
to come. “I filled many albums with
my photos, and a feeling for photo-
graphic fundamentals was a part of
growing up.”
Following graduation, the then-
current war proscribed the young
photographer’s immediate future, and
he spent better than five years as a
U.S. Navy Aviation Radioman.
There were some compensations.
Borrowed cameras went with him on
shore leaves, adding new albums to
the earlier ones, and he learned to fly
as an enlisted pilot cadet. But peace
was in danger of breaking out and
the imminent cessation of hostilities
washed him out of the flight school
shortly after he had soloed.
Back in civilian life there was a time
of indecision before he went to work
for an airspace firm as an electronics
technician. It was during this time
that he finally discovered soaring.
“I joined the CAP and got my pri-
vate pilot’s license. Then I decided to
buy a light plane with a partner; he
happened to have been a mechanic
for Schweizers and also had flown as a
tow pilot. On the first flight he throt-
tled the ship back when we stumbled
into a thermal and proceeded to climb
faster than the old tub could normally
climb with full throttle. I was im-
pressed! Later we flew to soaring sites
in the area and I got my first close
look at sailplanes and soaring. I knew
I had to soar.”
No time was wasted once the de-
cision was made. He spent an entire
week at EI Mirage, living on the field,
while the Brieglebs put him through race for Heublein Co., the sponsors. but George arranged to have some of
intensive training. “I couldn’t turn down something them made available to Soaring and
That was ten years ago. The camera like that,” George explained. “It was they appeared in last month’s issue.
soon re-emerged and it was not long like being asked if I wanted to cover So there you are, Bill. Maybe in-
before his photographs caught the eye the Lindbergh or Armstrong flights. spiration (like beauty) is in the eye of
of Lloyd Licher and began appearing There can only be one first like that in the beholder, and if the eye happens
in Soaring. Since that time his work soaring history … it was inspiring ….” to belong to George Uveges and is
has been seen in other soaring and George’s pictures were exclusive on a camera lens, well, then you can
aviation publications throughout the to his employer, who placed them in get a picture like the one on this
world; his name is a byword in the newspapers all along the race’s course, month’s cover.
sport. But still he shied away from the
term professional.
“I’ve always had many interests. I’ve
worked at all kinds of jobs from a cab
driver to jazz musician. When I find
something that interests me I usually
involve myself with it by setting long
term goals. In soaring, for instance,
I gave myself ten years to complete
my badges, and I completed my final
Diamond in 1969.”
But was photography just an
interest?
“Maybe that’s too small a term. I
have followed it all my life and I stud-
ied three years at a famous profession-
al photography school, but still I’ve
never depended on it for my income.
It’s hard to think of something that’s
so much fun as a way to earn a living.”
But this spring George decided to
give professionalism a try and took
on the job of photographing the
Smirnoff transcontinental sailplane

August 1972 Soaring magazine cover by George

Uveges.

WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 47
 THE SOARING SOCIETY OF AMERICA, INC.

Eagle Fund
Please continue your generosity in 2016 to help the
Society grow and serve you better as the below-listed members have.

Eagle Fund Contributions entered between June 1 and June 30, 2016. © S. Hallock du Pont, Jr.

Gold Level Silver Level ($101 – $499)

($500 – $1,999) Frank Allen John E. Rollins
GTA Racing, Howard Stevens
J. Eric Treland In Memory of Phillip LaBerge.

Bronze Level ($1 – $100)

Harold Becker Gregory J. Hill William Rickson
Blue Ridge Soaring Society, Alan & Christine Hollatz, Gerry Sibley
In Memory of Jane & Bob Burbank. In Memory of Phillip LaBerge. Thomas Sippel
Peter Breidbach Yutaka Hotta Robert W. Stone
John M. Brittingham Eugene Hutchens, Eberhard Thieme
John Byrd In Memory of Phillip LaBerge. Kenneth Tunjian
Peter A. Casti Scott Jednacz Rob Ware,
John C. Chappell, Roger Jones In Memory of Phillip LaBerge.
In Memory of Phillip LaBerge. Rene Kunz Gary Weaver
Edward Crist Dennis Linnekin, Ronald Webster
Diana Dade In Memory of Phillip LaBerge. Dan Whelchel
Warren Dickinson Amanda Lukens Jeffrey Williams
Stuart Eyler David McAsey Bob Zahradnik
David Fish Daniel Nugent,
Richard Gustafson In Memory of Phillip LaBerge.
Buddy Hatcher Mark Ransom

IN G HU
M
AR
OR
SO

Although it was a hard landing, the pilot walked away.

(Photo and caption submitted by Jay McDaniel. He took photo
during the annual inspection for the Las Vegas Valley Soaring As-
sociation’s 1-26.)
48 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG

SOARING STORIES
TRUTH, FICTION, & FANTASY
BY DALE MASTERS
Compulsive Obsession
You must not know too much about
birds; a certain vagueness – even credu-
lity – helps your enjoyment.
—Walt Whitman
W e often see small birds harassing
larger ones in flight. It occurs
between any number of species, and
ravens pestering hawks is most com-
mon. As I biked along an embank-
ment one day, a red-tailed hawk
slowly passed me in the breeze rising
there, and behind it a raven repeatedly
nipped at the hawk’s tail. The hawk
would flinch at each assault, but al-
ways glide on in stately fashion. Such
episodes occur so often we usually
dismiss them and look away, but
these guys were right there beside me,
so I kept watching – and sure enough
saw something unexpected. When
that embankment ended the two birds
smoothly formed up line abreast and
glided off wingtip to wingtip, looking
more like partners in crime than born
rivals. Could any zoologist (or strained
anthropomorphism) explain such so-
cial dynamics between competing
species? In mortal conflict, a raven’s
wacky precocity would be no match
for the deadly prowess of any large
raptor. So why should such a fierce
killer tolerate the  nuisance? What
evolutionary advantage is there in not
casually dispatching the raven at will?
Maybe hawks dislike eating crow as
much as people do.
Before you answer that, here’s an-
other data point. One autumn eve-
ning I was sitting on a long ridge top
beneath a migratory flyway for rap-
tors. A clan of ravens that lived there
(properly called a conspiracy) were
soaring in the west wind, chasing each
other, babbling in their endless ar-
ray of voices and providing splendid
distraction from a hazy gray sunset.
Every few minutes a solitary hawk
would glide silently overhead on its
migration from Quebec to wintering
grounds in Dixie. Most were cruising
by well above the ridge never flapping
a wing, ignoring and ignored by those
ravens cavorting downstairs, but when
one red-tail came through below the
crest they jumped it. Harassment from
a whole group the hawk had to take
seriously. It shifted down and powered
up to climb fast and quickly get away.
But as the ravens returned to their idyll
squawking in presumed triumph, the
escapee headed quietly ... back north.
Very soon two red-tails arrived. One
orbited overhead, providing ominous
cover while the other dove down to
put that impudent conspiracy in its
place. One after another, it singled
out each raven for humiliation, lur-
ing them onto its tail and hurtling
so close to rocks that pursuers would
pull away in shrieking alarm. After
outflying every  individual  separately
without once engaging any of them
frontally, the majestic hawk circled up
to its waiting ally and glided off for
the winter.
Here too we see no lethal intent by
the raptor. From my  human perspec-
tive, it seemed content to simply pre-
serve its honor, settle the score. Who
knows what a feral bird really thinks, if
anything, but if ravens, intellects of the
class, are compelled to tease their fear-
some cousin, why should the master at
arms not demand at  least a minimal
respect? Is this saying too much? Does
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
it matter?
As always, Nature remains indiffer-
ent to our opinions. She simply is.
Here’s a theory. Like coyotes, pri-
mates, and other four-limbed folk,
ravens are curious and playful and al-
ways looking around for something in-
teresting to do. The raptor meanwhile
knows small prey scamper after a bird’s
shadow passes, and watches telescopi-
cally from overhead as its low rent in-
laws stir all corners of the pot, exposing
the best delicacies for its own palate.
Just a theory. Got a better one?
Nor is ravens’ peskiness limited to
getting the best of other creatures. In
town one day I saw several over a va-
cant lot,  circling  an empty shopping
bag lofted by a thermal. They took
turns rushing in to peck at it – pre-
sumably for the same reason I’ve done
that very thing in gliders. Then, just
because it could, one individual snared
the bag’s handle in its beak. Imme-
diately the bag inflated and billowed
behind, a drogue chute larger than the
bird itself. Sometimes size does matter.
Unwilling to capitulate, the raven held
stubbornly to its prize for a full circle,
falling far below its mates.
It soon tired of this, naturally, but
then well after dropping the bag it still
could not resist diving back for one
last retaliatory peck.
Why? Why not!
SeeYou ©
SeeYou & Mobile...It’s all you need for soaring!
Windows PC Software:
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roy.mcmaster.1@gmail.com
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49

BADGES & RECORDS
SSA & FAI AWARDS
Approved or Recorded through
-XQH‡5ROOLQ+DVQHVV
)RUEDGJHDQGUHFRUGLQIRUPDWLRQ
FRQWDFW5ROOLQ+DVQHVVDW
EDGJHDQGUHFRUGV#VVDRUJ
Questions?:
A, B, C and Bronze Badges – Melinda Hughes
(mhughes@ssa.org) 575-392-1177
All other Badges and Records – Rollin Hasness
(badgeandrecords@ssa.org)
See Documentation on www.ssa.org – Soaring
Achievement > Forms
s "ADGEAND2ECORDINFORMATIONANDAPPLICATIONS
s &!)&ORMS2ECORD&LIGHTS
$OWNLOAD YOUR OWN CURRENT COPY OF THE 3PORTING
code – at HTTPWWWFAIORGIGC
DOCUMENTS > Sporting
Code
HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION FOR BADGES:
Email applications are allowed if documents are
scanned as PDF files.
s )NCLUDETHEIGC&LIGHT2EORDERlLEWITHTHEEMAILn
do not send separately.
s 7E CANNOT ACCEPT DOCUMENTS SCANNED AS JPG n
PDF only.
s 7ECANNOTACCEPT:)0lLESn0$&ONLY
OR
Mail the application and File (on stick or Disk) to:
SSA
PO Box 2100
Hobbs, NM 88241-2100
HOW TO SUBMINT AN APPLICATION FOR
RECORDS
STATE RECORD FLIGHTS – -UST NOTIFY THE 3TATE
2ECORD+EEPERWITHINDAYSOFmIGHT
s -AIL DOCUMENTATION TO 3TATE 2ECORD +EEPER and
PENDING US NATIONAL RECORDS
Daniel Sazhin, 5/8/2016 (also North American
Continental and World)
Class D, Gliders, 13.5 Meter, General
Distance up to Three Turnpoints; Mifflin County
Airport, PA
1-26E; 1002.6 km
James M Payne; 3/13/2016
Motorglider Multiplace; General
Speed over an Out and Return Course of 300km;
Rosamond Skypark, CA
Arcus M; 189.62 MPH
Don Jones; AC-4c Russia; Sunflower, KS
1000km Diploma
123: Daniel Sazhin; Mifflin, PA
Charles Haskell; ASW 20b; Cordele, GA
750km Diploma
45: Jim David; Mifflin County Airport, PA
46; Daniel MacMonagle; Mifflin County, PA
Symons Wave Award – Lennie 1 Elston Colvert; LAK17a; Richmond, MI
1925; David Nelson; Minden
1926; David Ravetti; Minden
1927; Karol Hines; Minden SILVER DISTANCE
DIAMOND BADGE
1054; Daniel MacMonagle; Mifflin County, PA
1055; Ari Ciolek; Ridge Soaring, PA
1056; David Nelson; Minden, NV
GOLD BADGE
2725; David Cleveland; Cedar Valley, UT
GOLD DISTANCE
David Sherrill; ASW-28; Mifflin County Airport,
PA
David Cleveland; Ventus B; Cedar Valley Airport,
UT
Donald Grillo; LAK17a-18; Albert Leas, MN
Daniel MacMonagle; ASW 20C; Mifflin County,
PA
Lou Chouinard; LAK17a; Albert Lea, MN
GOLD ALTITUDE
David Cleveland; Ventus B; Cedar Valley Airport,
UT
SILVER/GOLD DURATION
Harry Fox; LS10-st; Hollister, CA
Bruce Dage; PW 6; El Tiro, AZ
William McHeffey; 1-26b; Blairstown, NJ
Daniel MacMonagle; ASW 20C; Mifflin County,
PA
Steve Beer; 1-26; Blairstown, NJ
James Locke; H301; Wetumpka, AL
Tod Herrli; ASK21; Alexandria, IN
SILVER ALTITUDE
Tod Herrli; ASK-21; Alexandria, IN
Eric Carden; LS 3; Moontown, AL
Steve Beer; 1-26; Blairstown, NJ
Daniel MacMonagle; ASW 20C; Mifflin County,
PA
Elston Colvert; LAK17a; Richmond, MI
Miichael Price; G109a; Crisp County, GA
Lee Singer; 2-32; Owl Canyon, CO
1-26 ASSOCIATION RECORDS
REGION 2
IF ALSO APPLYING FOR A "ADGE OR OTHER RECORDS MAIL 2726; Daniel MacMonagle; Mifflin County, PA Daniel Sazhin; 5/8/2016
ANOTHERCOPYTO33!OREMAILIFABADGEAPPLICATION Free Distance using three Turn Points; 625.2 sm
US NATIONAL, CONTINENTAL, INTERNATIONAL SILVER BADGE Declared Distance using three Turn Points; 623
RECORDS – Notification required to SSA, Badge
andrecords@ssa.orgWITHINDAYSOFTHEmIGHTTOIN- 7002; Harry Fox; Hollister, CA sm
CLUDETHEFOLLOWINGINFORMATION 7003; Daniel MacMonagle; Mifflin County, PA REGION 9
4YPEOF#LAIM 7004; James Locke; Wetumpka, GA Robert Hurni; 5/18/2016
Class, Subclass, Pilot category
Record Task 7005; Don Jones; Sunflower, KS Triangle Distance; 64.10 sm
%STIMATED0ERFORMANCE 7006; Lee Singer Declared Distance using up to three Turn Points;
4AKEOFF,OCATION 64.10 sm
$ATEOF&INISH54# 7007; Tod Herrli
.AMEOF0ILOTAND#O
PILOTIFAPPLICABLE 7008; Charles Haskell
Glider make and model Century X
s -AIL/RIGINAL$OCUMENTATIONAND&LIGHT2ECORD&ILE DIAMOND GOAL
to SSA Daniel Sazhin; Mifflin, PA
s $OCUMENTATIONSHOULDBEMAILEDWITHINDAYSOF Donald Grillo; LAK17a-18; Albert Leas, MN
THEmIGHT Daniel MacMonagle; ASW 20C; Mifflin County, WORLD DISTANCE AWARD
s &OR THOSE MAKING 53 .!4)/.!, #/.4).%.4!, PA; 751.5 km Michael W Solley; 5,000 km
OR).4%2.!4)/.!,RECORDAPPLICATIONSDONOTFORGET
YOUR2EQUIRED3PORTING,ICENSE David Nelson; ASH 31mi; Minden, NV; 310.7 km
s HTTPSNAAAEROMEMBERSHIPFAI
SPORTING
LICENSE FLORIDA STATE RECORDS
s !N &!) 3PORTING ,ICENSE IS REQUIRED FOR ALL RECORD DIAMOND DISTANCE May 3, 2015
ATTEMPTSANDALL&!)SANCTIONEDEVENTSANDCOMPETI- Harry Fox; LS10-st; Hollister, CA; 520.8 km
TIONS3PORTING,ICENSEAPPLICANTSMUSTBEAMEMBER Robin Clark; LS6-a; Jacksonville, Fl
OF .!! ANDOR A CURRENT MEMBER OF THE APPROPRIATE David Nelson; ASH 31mi; Estrella, AZ; 517.3 km OPEN
NAA Air Sport Organization. NAA members partici- Daniel MacMonagle; ASW 20C; Mifflin County, 200k Triangle Speed; 76.69 mph
pating in competitions and/or record setting activities
CAN RECEIVE A ONE
YEAR &!) 3PORTING ,ICENSE AT NO
PA; 751.5 km 15 Meter
COSTBUTMUSTCOMPLETEANDAPPLICATIONFORTHESPORT- Ari Ciolek; Jantar SDT 2; Ridge Soaring; PA; 549 200k Triangle Speed; 76.69 mph
ing license. km
s Due to FAI policy changes, you must apply for a
Sporting License at least 14 days prior to your record May 9, 2015
attempt or competition. Applications submitted less DIAMOND ALTITUDE Robin Clark; LS6-a; Jacksonville, Fl
than 14 days prior to the event may not be processed David Nelson; ASH-31mi; Minden-Tahoe; OPEN
in time to allow you to participate.
27,980 ft 500k Triangle Speed; 67.2 mph
50 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
15 Meter
500k Triangle Speed; 67.2 mph
A BADGES
James R. Burch, II; Madison, AL
Neil Harrison; San Jacinto, CA
Paul E. Hoffman; Cheyenne, WY
Garrett McEwen; Glens Falls, NY
Brad Pattison; Gig Harbor, WA
Ciprian S. Pop; Reno, NV
Brian Schertz; Hudson, IL
B BADGES
James H. Cooper; Everett, WA
Neil Harrison; San Jacinto, CA
Howard M. Kash, III; Churchville, MD
Garrett McEwen; Glens Falls, NY
Alex Odom; Kennesaw, GA
Brad Pattison; Gig Harbor, WA
Ciprian S. Pop; Reno, NV
Brian Schertz; Hudson, IL
C BADGES
19168. Neil Harrison; San Jacinto, CA
19170. Garrett McEwen; Glen Falls, NY
19171. Alex Odom; Kennesaw, GA
19167. Brad Pattison; Gig Harbor, WA
19169. Brian Schertz; Hudson, IL
BRONZE BADGES
2301. Mark Albert; Virginia Beach, VA
2302. Jerry W. Mobley; Valrico, FL
2300. Brian Schertz; Hudson, IL
2299. J. D. Williams; Midlothian, VA

Answers to Quiz from page 45

STABILITY 6. a. How fast the glider is flying (Airspeed).

b. Where the glider is going (Direction).
QUIZ ANSWERS c. Making the glider fly efficiently (Keep the yaw
string straight).
1. a. Roll (Longitudinal)
b. Pitch (Lateral) 7. Horizontal stabilizer
c. Yaw (Vertical)
8. Into / roll stability
2. Center of gravity
9. Against / overbanking
3. Weathervaning / vertical
10. Rudder
4. Center of gravity
11. Rudder
5. Dihedral

DECISIONS
In all of your flying lessons, perhaps none are as important as the first two. The information you have learned will affect
all of your future flying. Your complete understanding of all the information is paramount to your future satisfaction and
safety. If you have any doubts or questions, ask your instructor for further explanations or practice. You play an important
part in the learning process.

WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 51
 SOARING MEMORIES
REMEMBERING THE PAST BY BERTHA RYAN

Seventy years ago: July / August 1946

B ill Schweizer describes Production Methods in Glider Manufacture on pg 4 of this issue.

He comments that if there is a post-war demand for gliders similar to light airplanes,
then the public could receive a similar aircraft per dollar. He stresses similar tooling for in-
terchangeability among models. He stresses that post-war production must be more efficient
than pre-war production.
Steven J. Bennis announces a newly organized group – Gliding and Soaring Service, Inc. – to be based at Ellenville, NY
(90 miles northwest of New York City). Two 4,000 ft runways are planned along with the erection of a 60 x 60 hangar
for assembled gliders and an area alongside for storage of disassembled gliders. Also planned are a workshop, clubhouse,
lunchroom, and parking areas. Training will be offered from a “C” certificate to a CAA Commercial License. Also involved
are Guy Storer, Ted Pfeiffer, Alexis Dawydoff, and Virginia Bennis. Sailplanes available include a Franklin, Kirby Kite,
Laister-Kauffmann, and Pratt-Read.
The Schweizer School announces the enrollment of 25 students ranging in age from 16 to 73.

Fifty years ago: August 1966

s
son’s
E
d Minghelli flew 403 miles to claim a new national multi-place distance record by flying
his Prue Two from El Mirage to near Carlin, NV. If approved, this flight breaks Dick John-
flight in 1946 flying a Schweizer TG-2 for 309.678 miles. The world record is 515.626
m
miles held by a Russian.
Diamond badges completed include Al Leffler, Bob Klemmedson, Joe Conn, and John
B
Brittingham. Silver badges completed include Paul Kolstad, Ken Kolstad, and Ralph Kolstad.
Do you enjoy well-written stories of national competition? If so, there is an especially good
a
article by Sylvia Colton and Doug Lamont starting on pg 10 of this issue about the Nationals
a Stead (a former Air Force Base) near Reno, NV. Sixty-five contestants came from all over the
at
c
country (and one from Poland) to participate. Some of the best known pilots of the time were
there, including Paul Bikle, Ross Briegleb, Ben Greene, Bill Ivans, Al Leffler, Hannes Linke, Lyle Maxey, George Moffat,
Dick Schreder, and Sterling Starr. Best performances included altitudes to 24,000 ft, speed to 66 mph, and distance to 443
miles. Can you guess which pilot became champion?

Twenty-five years ago: August 1991

A fter two years of discussion and exchange of ideas, Tom Knauff and Charlie Spratt start-
ed the Senior National Soaring Championships at Seminole Lake Gliderport in central
Florida. Minimum requirement was age 55. Average age of contestants at this contest well ex-
ceeded that minimum. The first Senior Champion was Don Wasness with Walter Cawby and
Ray Galloway in second and third place. Everyone involved wanted to repeat the event in 1992.
Arleen Coleson (FAI Awards Coordinator) reviews the book written by Jackie Payne —
“Badge and Record Book.” Arleen had seen the need for a book describing how to successfully
document badge and record flights and decided to ask Jackie if she would write such a book.
Turns out Jackie had been thinking of a similar project for several years. After three years of
effort, the book was ready and covers material from the basics of the ABC and Bronze Badge
programs through State, National, and World Records including the duties of an Official Observer. A Table of Contents
guides the reader to the subject of his interest.

Exploring the Archives

● Do you know what the “Let’s Go Gliding” initiative is all about? It provides important tools to keep our sport growing and thriving for the benefit of all of us.
See the article on pg 21 of the August 2012 Soaring and learn how to sell soaring.
● Did you know that Simine Short has planned and conducted many Landmark Dedications on behalf of the National Soaring Museum? One about the Sierra
Wave Project is described starting on pg 34 of the August 2002 Soaring. There is information about all the landmarks on the new museum website, soaringmuseum.org.

SOARING CALENDAR
CONTESTS and SPECIAL EVENTS
Event sponsors are requested to submit
details of their events for the calendar.
The submission deadline is the 15th of
the month, at least two months prior to
the cover date (e.g. February 15 for the
April issue). Email calendar listings to:
feedback@ssa.org
July 25-August 8, 2016, Mackay
Idaho Regatta – Mackay, ID – Lim-
ited space. Not just fantastic moun-
tain soaring but biking, fishing, hik-
ing, nightly group dining, and more.
In 2015 we had 45 launches and flew
over 17,200 km. Contact: Tom Dixon
at dixon.18m@gmail.com or 208-
867-6953 for event and accommoda-
tion information.
August 7-15, 2016, Sports Class
Nationals – Uvalde, TX – Sponsored
by Uvalde Soaring Association –
Practice day August 6, 2016. Contact:
Kerry Huffstutler at 830-591-4554 or
kkhtsc@gmail.com.
August 14-20, 2016, Region 3
Contest – Dansville, NY – Sponsored
by Finger Lakes Soaring Club – Prac-
tice day August 13, 2016. Contact:
Ann Lafford at 585-444-6213 or ann
lafford@mail.com.
September 4-7, 2016 (Labor Day
Weekend), Experimental Soaring
Association Western Workshop/
Vintage Sailplane Meet – Moun-
tain Valley Airport (L94), Tehacha-
pi, CA. Tows, flying operations, and
camping facility provided by Sky-
lark North: 661-822-5267. Informa-
tion: Josh Knerr at 661-912-2102 or
VSANews@gmail.com.
September 10, 2016, Annual Dust
Devil Dash – Mountain Valley Air-


port (L94), Tehachapi, CA. This is
a one day straight out handicapped
distance event. All sailplanes and
sailplane pilots welcome. Two-place
sailplane? No problem. Pilots are re-
sponsible for paying for their own tow,
flight, and bringing their own crew.
Camping facilities and tows avail-
able through Skylark North. Hotels
and other amenities available nearby.
Potluck BBQ on the Friday evening
(September 9) prior the Dust Devil
Dash. Bring your own meat to grill,
your own beverage, and a dish to share.
Grill, plates, utensils, and other neces-
sities provided. Contact: Rob Morgan
at 858-442-6194.
September 18-24, 2016, Region
4 South Contest – Newcastle, VA –
Sponsored by the Blue Ridge Soar-
ing Society. Practice day September
17, 2016. Contact: Charlene Cole at
540-774-2885 or charliecole5242@
gmail.com.
September 22-25, 2016, Great
Plains Vintage/ Classic Regatta –
Wichita Gliderport, two miles east of
Year-Round
Soaring Instruction
Glider instruction, glider rides, glider
rentals, and gift certificates available.
XXXTPBSáDPN
r
TPBSá!BPMDPN
r

WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring
Jabara Airport in Wichita, KS. Ho-
tels and restaurants nearby. Saturday
features vintage topics colloquium.
Contact: Neal Pfeiffer at nealpfeiffer@
sbcglobal.net or Tony Condon at
abcondon@gmail.com.
October 8, 2016, Aircraft Spruce
West Customer Appreciation Day
– 7:00 am-3:00 pm, Aircraft Spruce
& Specialty Co., 225 Airport Circle,
Corona, CA 92880. This is the time
of year when we go all out by offer-
ing spectacular discounts on our most
popular products and provide a chance
for our loyal customers to meet our
vendors. So come join the fun and get
a chance to win big prizes. Enjoy a free
grilled hot dog and cold soda on us!
Raffle tickets for Young Eagles. Con-
tact: 951-372-9555 or 800-861-3192.
October 8-9, 2016 (Columbus Day
Weekend), Massey Vintage/ Classic
Rally – Massey Aerodrome (MD1),
1.5 miles east of Massey, MD. Airport
information: 410-928–5270 or massey-
aero.org. Contact: Rusty Lowry at 240-
925–5683 or lowry94@verizon.net.
October 9-15, 2016, Region 4
North Contest – Fairfield, PA – Spon-
sored by MidAtlantic Soaring Associ-
ation – Practice day October 8, 2016.
Contact: Mary Nelson at 843-907-
0738 or region4n@yahoo.com.
53
 Soaring Magazine
Milestones Guidelines
Milestone entries are welcomed
for soaring pilots who have soloed,
received their private pilot rating,
added-on the glider rating to a cur-
rent power rating, and any additional
ratings added to a current glider cer-
tificate. Due to the increasing num-
ber of Milestone submissions being
generated by the membership, the
Soaring staff asks that the following
guidelines be followed:
Text: Individual entries are lim-
ited to a minimum of 50 words and
a maximum of 100 words per pilot.
Entries with multiple persons be-
ing mentioned are allowed the same
minimum and maximum per person
mentioned. Identify everyone shown
in photos. Insure that you the text in-
cludes; Who, What, When, and  Where.
Text must be written in the body of
the email, no attached text files. Please
include a headline.
Photos: Must be digital, high-res-
olution .JPG image files, submitted
in the same email as the text file (as
a separate .JPG file, not embedded
in a page of text). The smallest image
file size that we are generally able to
reproduce in print is about 150 kb,
at 300 dpi. Entries with image files
smaller than 100 dpi will be returned
for correction and re-submission.
Generally, the photo files directly
from the camera works best. Do not
send links to online services such as
Shutterfly, send the image file.
Date Format: September 10, 2015
– not 9/10/15, not Sept. 9, 2015.
Changes or Re-Submissions: Re-
submission or changes to an entry for
any reason require a new text file and
a new photo file to be submitted via
email.
The Soaring staff makes every ef-
fort to run all Milestones entries in as
timely a manner as possible. The very
soonest to expect a Milestones entry
to appear is 90 days after submission.
Much longer delays can be expected
after the end of the soaring season.
If you have any questions, please
contact the editor via email: editor@
ssa.org
54 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
SOARING MILESTONES
GLIDING ACHIEVEMENTS
and FINAL GLIDE
SANFORD, ME – First glider solo
(in 24 years). On June 4, 2016, Bill
Cotter, at age 83, re-soloed a glider
at the Sanford Soaring Club. Bill did
some glider flying 24 years ago but
never completed his rating and is now
working on rectifying that!
SANFORD, ME – First glider
solo. James Stickney, a private pilot in
powered aircraft, soloed in gliders on
June 4, 2016 and is working toward his
commercial glider rating and then on
to CFI. James is a member of the San-
ford Soaring Club in southern Maine.
SANFORD, ME – First solo. Rob
Montgomery soloed a glider on May
29, 2016 and promptly repeated that
feat several more times the same day.
Rob is a tow pilot for the Sanford
Soaring Club in Sanford, Maine – a
brand new soaring club generating lots
of local interest!
BUNN, NC – Richard Wells  (R)
completed his first solo flight with
the North Carolina Soaring Asso-
ciation  on May 15, 2016 at Crooked
Creek Airport in Bunn, NC. Richard
is shown here in front of the club’s
Schweizer 2-33 being congratulated
by his instructor, Sandy Mackenzie.
It’s Richard’s intention to continue
training toward his Private Glider
rating especially now that an instruc-
tor isn’t with him for each flight.
BOZEMAN, MT – Barry Wil-
son (C) is receiving congratulations
for  passing his add-on Glider CFI
check ride from examiner Greg Meck-
lenburg at Bozeman Yellowstone In-
ternational Airport on April 22, 2016.
Barry is a professional fixed wing and
helicopter pilot/CFI. Barry was recom-
mended by John Hartley who was not
available for photo. Barry is pictured
here with Ursula Howland (R), chief
tow pilot for Big Sky Soaring.  As a
new CFI, he is a welcome and much
needed addition to Big Sky Soaring
community.
BOZEMAN, MT – Jim Norem
(C) of Seattle, WA is shown here with
examiner Greg Mecklenburg (L) and
Ursula  (tow pilot) after successfully
completing his add-on Glider rat-
ing check ride at Bozeman Yellow-
stone  International Airport on April
21, 2016. Jim is a former professional
airplane pilot who plans to continue
his glider training to become a glider
flight  instructor. His recommending
instructor was George O’Leary of
Portland, OR. George was not avail-
able for the photo.
BOZEMAN, MT – Congratula-
tions to Burke Stafford, a business
man from Helena, MT, who is shown
here after completing his add-on Pri-
vate Glider check ride with DPE,
Greg Mecklenburg, on May 28, 2016
at Three Forks Airport in Three Forks,
MT. Burke was recommended by John
Hartley who was not available for the
photo. He plans to buy a single place
glider to explore the Big Sky Soaring
and to further his education by be- soaring instructors Kevin Martin and
coming a Commercial glider pilot and Jim Angelou, I took a step in fulfilling
CFI. He will also be attending A and that dream. I look forward to the next
P school this fall at Helena, MT. phase of this wonderful sport. In the
photo from L to R are: Jim Angelou,
Michael Christensen (new solo glider
pilot), and Kevin Martin.
BOZEMAN, MT – Jim Jonas
(L), an environmental engineer from
Anaconda, MT, is receiving congrat-
ulations from Chris Lang (R), FAA BYRON, CA – This picture was
inspector from Denver FSDO, for taken May 26 at Byron Airport, CA
successfully completing his Commer- on the occasion of Ace Lewis’s Private
cial Glider check ride  on December Pilot check ride in a Grob 103. In the
17, 2015 at Yellowstone International picture, L to R: Terence Wilson (CFI),
Airport. FAA requires 5 glider check Ace Lewis, and Dan Gudgel (DPE).
rides in each District every 12 months ☛
to “justify the expense” of maintain-
ing a glider DPE. This was Helena’s
The Kolstad award is
5th glider check ride.  The local
glider DPE was reinstated. Jim Jonas
plans to continue with his training
to become a much needed Glider
now $5000 toward
CFI in  Montana.  Special thanks to your college expenses!
Chris Lange who did the check ride
in 13 degrees F.
Application deadline is Sept 30
Contact
SSA.org/
Youth &
Scholarships
Or call:


BLAIRSTOWN, NY – On Satur-
day, May 28 at Jersey Ridge Soaring
two and a half years after my first soar-
ing lesson, I soloed. It was a childhood
dream to be a pilot but my life went SUPPORT
another direction. Now retired, I have YOUTH IN 100km, 200km, Century
300km, 500km,
100,200,300km Award
SOARING or 1,000km Century Award
the time and under the supervision of
WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 55

NORTH PLAINS, OR – Devin
Wickenhagen (C), Chief Warrant
Officer in the Oregon Army Na-
tional Guard, is shown here with his
son Aaron and instructor, George
O’Leary, on the occasion of his first
solo flight in an aircraft with the
Willamette Valley Soaring club. Of-
ficer Wickenhagen has logged over
4,500 hours in Black Hawk helicop-
ters and has done two tours of duty in
the Middle East, but due to army reg-
ulations has never flown solo. His son
Aaron, age 15, soloed last October, 8
months before his father. Needless to
say, Officer Wickenhagen’s progress
from first flight to solo in a glider was
the shortest that his instructor had
ever experienced. Still he reported a
sense of nervous excitement about
the flight, but happily jumped into
the cockpit to do it again.
LLANO, CA – Dean Neeley (R)
soared through his check ride on
May 30, 2016 at the Southern Cali-
fornia Soaring Academy, Inc., add-
ing on a commercial glider rating.
Dean, a NASA research pilot, is
shown being congratulated by DPE
Dan Gudgel (L).
56 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
IONIA, MI – After just over two
weeks of flying Rick Lederman soloed
on June 3! His instructor, Lee Larder,
came over to congratulate him. It only
took six visits to Benz Aviation in
Ionia, MI (a 2.5 hour drive each way
from Swanton) and 28 tows. He had
three to six flights each visit. Average
duration is about 13 minutes, longest
was one hour six minutes, climbing
from the 2,500 ft tow release to over
5,000 ft with no variometer audio to
help. Going there two to four times a
week helps, and his R/C experience
really helped flying, climbing in ther-
mals, and ground school!
LAWRENCE FIELD, AR –
14-year-old Benedek Szabo flew his
first glider solo on June 7, 2016 at the
FINAL GLIDE
Phillip R. LaBerge; Concord, GA
Gary D. Becker; Santa Monica, CA
Keith Beardslee; Endwell, NY
James Oglesby; Tifton, GA
Ralph Luebke; Memphis, TN
Eric June; Truckee, CA
Henry Combs; Santa Clarita, CA
Memphis Soaring Society, the oldest
club in the U.S. Benedek soloed in a
Blanik L23. The picture was taken af-
ter landing, with his instructor Scott
Ballard, President of MSS. On his 4th
solo flight, two days later, Benedek
flew for one and a half hours, while
on his 5th solo he stayed up for two
hours, hunting and finding thermals.
(Photo and caption by proud father,
Gyorgy Gulyas.)
WAIALUA, HI – Soki Maeda (R)
completed his Private Glider Added
Category with Hawaii Glider and
Sailplane Academy on June 8, 2016.
Yuko Matsumoto, DPE, is pictured
with Soki at the Dillingham airport in
Hawaii. 
LLANO, CA – Martin Orchard
flew his first solo ever on May 22,
2016 at the Southern California Soar-
ing Academy, Inc. Martin is shown
with his CFI-G, Dale Masters.
SEND US YOUR
MILESTONE
Share your wonderful experience
with the ever growing soaring com-
munity. Send your text and photo to
editor@ssa.org.
 SOARING CLASSIFIEDS
SAILPLANE and
EQUIPMENT LISTINGS
WINWARD PERFORMANCE
NOTICE TO SPARROWHAWK
ADVERTISERS
The deadline for Classified listings is the
15th of the month for two months in ad-
vance. Soaring Classifieds can also be
found online at www.ssa.org
FLY A
SAILPLANE TODAY
DEADLINE FOR THE
OCTOBER 2016 ISSUE
IS AUGUST 15 The FAST Program gives you
the opportunity to get a taste
SINGLE PLACE of what soaring is all about. It
is a program that offers you


CENTRAIR 101A PEGASE 2006 Sparrowhawk w/trailer. <100 hrsTT,

 
Pegase w/trailer. <700 hrs TT. Both in very
good condition. $28,500. Photos http://tinyurl.
com/PegaseBick. 720-217-9436. usoarfab@
gmail.com.
white, BRS. $60,000 Miami. Would consider
partnership. 305-665-8904.

TWO-PLACE FOR SALE

SCHWEIZER 1-34R
Schweizer 1-34R, good condition, open
trailer, 2 mech. and 1 audio vario, TT
615 hrs., oxy, new annual with purchase.
$16,000. Contact harve2@icloud.com or
435-757-1974.
START & FLUG H101 SALTO
SCHWEIZER 2-22
Schweizer Glider 2-22 for sale. $11,000.
Contact William Rogers at 678-450-6729 or
email easyaces@att.net.
SELF-LAUNCHING AND
MOTORGLIDER
GROB 109B
Grob 109B Motorglider 1984 5545TT cur-
rent annual, all ad’s up to date. $39,900
Texas 972-771-0289 or k5bh@juno.com.
AMS
Carat 2003 s/n 007. E-mail gary@ntin.net.
Phone 214-232-0333. $98,000.
an introductory lesson in flying
a glider, during which you will
handle the controls of the aircraft
under the guidance of an FAA
certified glider flight instructor.
The FAST Program is geared
towards you! To buy a FAST Pro-
gram lesson voucher, visit the
SSA web site at www.ssa.org.
Then call a participating soaring
operation to schedule your les-
son. FAST packages may be pur-
chased by calling (575) 392-1177
to receive your voucher by fax.
The FAST package is a great
value for $139. With your pur-
chase you will receive: An intro-
ductory lesson, a copy of the
Everybody’s First Glider Book, a
glider pilot logbook, and an in-
troductory 3 month membership
in the SSA, including one copy of
the monthly publication Soaring.
To find the nearest participat-
ing soaring operation, log onto:
http://www.ssa.org/sport/where
tofly.asp, or contact the SSA at
the address below. Get involved
and fly a sailplane FAST today!

EIRI AVION PIK-20E

PIK-20E, low times, extras, & accessories.
The Soaring Society
$36,000 or best offer. Contact boxerhawaii@
yahoo.com or 520-399-2538.
of America, Inc.
P.O. Box 2100
STEMME S-10 Hobbs, NM 88241-2100
Stemme S-10. All AD, SB, TBO items cur- Phone: (575) 392 1177
rent. Fresh annual. FAA certified. Well main- Fax: (575) 392-8154
tained with complete maintenance and flight E-mail: feedback@ssa.org
1972 Salto H-101 No.14. http://vasclinic. logs. Many spare parts, ground gear, and Web site: www.ssa.org
com/salto/. tools. $120,000. gmarvin@rosenet.net. ☛

WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 57
 PIPISTREL SINUS
2015 Pipistrel Sinus Club Sport Motorglider
26.4 hours $107,777 Contact Jeff K 920-
946-8788.
AMS
Carats for sale. AMS/USA 707-942-5727.
amsaero@aol.com. CA
INSTRUMENTS
Always Buying, Selling, and Trading –
Largest selection of new and used sailplane
parts and accessories in the USA! Wings &
Wheels, 909-302-1811. CA
PARACHUTES
Strong Model 303 back parachute
$1250.00. bhschwartz@comcast.net or
phone 413-531-4567.
Pennsylvania Parachute Company –
Parachute riggers. Your authorized Softie,
Strong, and National dealer. New and used.
www.pennsylvaniaparachute.com or phone
610-317-2536. PA
Strong, National Softie, Squadrons, Best
prices 1-800-872-2488. www.parachuteshop.
com. NH
Guaranteed lowest prices on Strong, Na-
tional, and Para-Phernalia parachutes. In
stock! New and used. Trade-ins accepted.
Wings & Wheels. sales@wingsandwheels.
com or www.wingsandwheels.com or 909-
302-1811. CA
SAILPLANE DEALERS
Sportina Aviacija – LAK-17A, LAK-19,
LAK-20. Contact BLANIK AMERICA, INC.,
exclusive importer. Email: blanikam@nwi.
Look sharp when you
go into to the office.
Men’s Silk Polo
#3779… $40.00
58 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
net. www.nwi.net/~blanikam/ba/lak.htm. 509-
884-8305 or fax 509-884-9198. See our
display ad.
Pipistrel – Gulf Coast Dealer, Rand
Vollmer 813-333-1088 or 813-774-2127 or
email: rand@pipistrel-usa.com.
Stemme Gliders – Stemme USA is the ex-
clusive US distributor. For further information
contact 803-726-8884. www.stemme.com.
Jonker Sailplanes – factory autho-
rized North American sales and technical
support. Contact Jonker Sailplanes, Inc.
931-455-5994. www.JonkerSailplanes.com.
Alisport – Italian manufacturer of the Silent
series of light sailplanes and self-launchers.
Contact Leo Benetti-Longhini, authorized
USA representative, at 931-434-3434. www.
alisport.com.
Schempp-Hirth Sailplanes – contact US
dealer and authorized US repair station M&H
Soaring for information, sales, and parts.
Call 607-796-4973 or 607-734-2346 or www.
MandHsoaring.com.
Ximango USA – North American Distribu-
tor for all Ximangos and parts. We have buy-
ers for your Ximango. 386-760-4072. Email:
XimangoUSA@aol.com. Website: www.
XimangoUSA.com. FL
SZD Gliders – Long tradition, built to last,
the best for training and aerobatics: SZD-54-
2 Perkoz; SZD-51-1 Junior; SZD-55; SZD59
Acro; Authorized dealer for SZD, PW6 for
North America. Website: www.windpath.ca,
email: info@windpath.ca, 905-848-1250.
CANADA
DG & LS Parts and New Aircraft Sales
– High Performance Gliders (Pure, Self-
Launch, and Sustainer) 360-474-9394, Mail@
PacificAerosport.com, www.PacificAero
Sport.com.
Diana Sailplanes is exclusive U.S. &
Canada distributor for DIANA 2. New gen-
eration sailplane for 15m racing class, tube
type BPB trailer. Contact Jerry Zieba, 8051
N. Wisner, Niles, IL 60714. Website: www.
dianasailplanes.com, email: jerryzieba@
dianasailplanes.com, 847-384-1144, or fax
847-384-1154. IL
HpH Glasflugel 304CZ Sailplanes – New
304S sailplanes, 304S 18 meter (15 and 20
meter optional wingtips). Self-launch sail-
plane and exclusive HpH 304S JET Sustain-
er. Contact Wings & Wheels, 10700 Jersey
Blvd Ste 400B, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
91730. 909-302-1811. CA
SAILPLANE REPAIRS
Mansberger Aircraft – Excellence in Com-
posites since 1985. Major structural repairs.
All makes & models. A&P, IA. Now centrally
located in Ft. Worth, TX. Call 817-439-5978.
www.MansbergerAircraft.com.
Composite Solutions has relocated to
northwest Arizona! 30 years experience of
structural repair and performance tuning of all
makes and models of composite sailplanes.
Visit our website at www.alphazulucompos-
ites.com or email: composites@mindspring.
com. Phone 928-757-8698. Kingman, AZ
Composite Aircraft Repair – Major and
minor repairs, Annual and Condition Inspec-
tions. Factory authorized parts and service
for all Grob gliders and motorgliders. Certi-
fied for Rotax Heavy Maintenance on 912
and 914 motors. Dealer and service center
for Pipistrel gliders and motorgliders. Over
30 years of experience repairing, modifying,
and manufacturing composite aircraft. Robert
Mudd A&P/IA Moriarty, New Mexico. Ph 505-
269-8234 email robertmudd1u@aol.com.
Eastern Sailplane – Fully FAA certified
composite repair station for 24 years, fiber-
glass repair major or minor on all makes of
sailplanes. John Murray – Eastern Sailplane
email: John@easternsailplane.com or 513-
897-5667.
Gerhlein Products – Quality fiberglass
and metal repairs. FAA certified repair station
GP1R174K. 9001 Hamot Road, Waterford,
PA 16441. 814-866-1131. PA
Pacific Aerosport LLC – A&P/IA specializ-
ing in sailplane and motorglider quality inspec-
tion and repair services. 360-474-9394, Mail@
PacificAeroSport.com, www.PacificAero
Sport.com.
Yankee Composites – inspection, main-
tenance, repair, & composite services,
specializing in sailplanes & motorgliders.
FAA certified repair station #Y8QR517Y.
707-263-5188. Lakeport, CA
SCHOOLS, CLUBS, AND
SOARING SITES
Auxiliary-Powered Sailplane Assn. –
Thinking about flying a motor glider? Join
ASA and get the details in our newsletters.
Contact Russ Owens, 858-566-7717 or email
Auxpoweredsailplanemembership@gmail.
com.
Sugarbush Soaring Association at the
Warren-Sugarbush Airport offers Instruction,
rentals, aero tows, introductory flights, and
scenic rides. We are New England’s premier
gliding site with ASK-21, PW-6, Blanik L-23,
G-102, and 1-26, more than 20 privately
owned gliders, and daily operation from
May through October. Camp on the field.
Stay in touch with free Wi-Fi Internet. P.O.
Box 123, Warren, VT 05674, 802-496-2290,
www.sugarbushsoaring.com, email: Soar@
sugarbushsoaring.com.
 Sundance Aviation, Inc. – Incredible
year-round soaring conditions. Basic and ad-
vanced instruction all glider ratings. Examiner
on staff. 2 Grob 103s, LS-4a. PO Box 2066,

Blast from the Past

Moriarty, NM 87035-2066. Web: www.soar-
sundance.com or 505-832-2222. NM

Cypress Soaring Club – Join & fly: Dis-

cus B, PW-6, PW-5, 1-34, Grob 103, Krosno
KR-03, SGS 2-33 in Southern Califor- If you are not familiar with the phrase “Blast from the Past,” you
obviously do not subscribe to SSA’s eNEWS newsletter. For a niche
nia. www.cypresssoaring.org. sport, soaring has a rich history that few outdoor activities can
match. In 1932, a diligent group of volunteers laid the groundwork
MISCELLANEOUS to achieve something very special. While other aviation groups
have long dissolved into memory, The Soaring Society of America
2-33 Interiors – Spruce up your old trainer has endured, flourished and thrived. We are proud of our history
with a new interior! First class – Satisfaction and love to feature it in eNEWS.
guaranteed. Arizona Soaring, Inc. 520-568- Each issue has photos of our re-
2318, fax 520-568-2602. AZ cord setters, pioneers and glider
enthusiasts that have made the
sport of soaring what it is today.
Bowlus Maxi Gap Seal Tape – Bright To start your free subscription,
white, 400%+ stretch, easy clean up, 1 in. x contact Kayla Owens at the SSA
36 yd. – 6/$57.00 ($9.50/roll) plus shipping. headquarters:
Bowlus Maxi Tape, P.O. Box 221, St. Paris, kowens@ssa.org
OH 43072. To order call 614-783-6912 or “If all you read is Soaring
Magazine, you’re only getting
email: usoar@juno.com.
half the story.”
Photography © Christian Mackin
Canopy Covers for most sailplane models.
Contact Iris M. Striedieck at Ridge Sewing,
email: iris@ridgesewing.com or phone 814-
360-4997.

Move to Soaring Paradise! Time to do

it? Call for info packs on area and homes,
lots or inv. property. Minden/Douglas Co/
Lake Tahoe! Sam Whiteside, CFIG. Re/Max
Realty Affiliates. 800-814-8777. Email: sam@
carsonvalleyhomes.com. www.carsonvalley
homes.com.
PLANS & PUBLICATIONS
Hang Gliding & Paragliding Magazine –
Monthly magazine of the United States Hang
Gliding Association, Inc. Covers all aspects
of foot-launched flight for rigid and flexible
wings. Full membership $59, subscription
$42. USHGA, PO Box, Colorado Springs,
CO 80901. www.ushga.org. 719-632-8300.
Fax 719-632-6417. CO
Australian Gliding – Monthly publication
of the Gliding Federation of Australia. Edi-
tor, Anne Elliott. Subscription by airmail AUS
$102.00 (includes GST) by check on Aus-
THE SOARING SOCIETY OF AMERICA E-NEWSLETTER
tralian bank. MasterCard, Visa card quoting
all card details or international money order.
E-mail: Secretary@sec.gfa.org.au or Gliding
Federation of Australia, 130 Wirraway Rd.,
Essendon Airport, Victoria, Australia 3041.
Free Flight – Quarterly journal of the
Soaring Association of Canada. A lively re-
cord of the Canadian soaring scene, includ-
ing relevant international news and articles.
U.S. $30/yr. U.S. $55/2 yrs., U.S. $65/3 yrs.
Soaring Assoc. of Canada, 71 Bank Street,
7th Floor, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1P5N2.
sac@sac.ca. Web www.sac.ca. CANADA
Sailplane and Gliding – The only authori-
tative British magazine devoted solely to the
sport of gliding and soaring. 64 pages of
fascinating material and pictures. Published
every other month. Send $53 U.S. for de-
livery by surface mail. For airmail send $68
U.S. to: British Gliding Association 8 Merus
Ct, Meridian Business Park, Leicester, LE19
1RJ, England.
Gliding International – The world glid-
ing news publication edited by John Roake.
Read world wide. Printed version US $68.00
pa. Digital read only version US $39.00 per
annum. Personal cheque or credit cards ac-
cepted. Write Gliding International, 79 Fifth
Avenue, Tauranga, New Zealand. Email: of-
fice@glidinginternational.com or subscribe
via our web page: www.glidinginternational.
com

ALL CLASSIFED ADVERTISING MUST BE PREPAID

The rate for classified advertising is $1.00 per word or group of characters for magazine insertion only, or $1.25 per word or group of characters
for both magazine and web site listing (an area code and phone number are counted as one word). The 10-word minimum charge for ads is $10.00.
Insertions made by telephone are subject to a $1.00 service charge and must be charged against a VISA, MasterCard, American Express or Discover
account. A fee of $20.00 is charged for each photograph per insertion. These charges include sales tax.
Ads can run continuously until canceled but must be prepaid three months in advance. Ads can be canceled by the deadline date, in which case pre-
payments will be refunded for ads not run. Advertisements are accepted up to the 15th of the month for the second cover date following. Should the
15th occur on a weekend or holiday, the insertion deadline will be the last business day prior to the 15th. Thus the deadline would be January 15th for
the March issue. Ads may not be canceled or refunded after the deadline date, but a SOLD sign may be placed over an ad for a product that has been
sold if the request for a SOLD sign is made the last day of the deadline month.
Please send ad, photo (color if possible), and payment payable to the SSA to: Classified Advertising Dept., Soaring Magazine, P.O. Box 2100, Hobbs,
NM 88241-2100 or by email to: advertising@ssa.org.
Advertising is published as a service to readers and the publisher reserves the right to accept, reject, discontinue or edit any advertising offered for
publication. Publication of advertising materials is not an endorsement, qualification, approval or guarantee of either the advertiser or product.

WWWSSAORGs!UGUSTsSoaring 59
 INDEX OF ADVERTISERS
Telephone: 575-392-11775R5Fax:5kmk7ioh7ngkj5R5Email: advertising@ssa.org
ADVERTISER PAGE ONLINE PHONE
Aircraft Spruce & Specialty 5 www.aircraftspruce.com 1-877-4SPRUCE
Arizona Soaring Inside Front Cover www.azsoaring.com 520-568-2318
Blanik America 51 www.nwi.net / ~blanikam / ba 509-884-8305
Bruce’s Custom Covers 9 https://aircraftcovers.com/soaring 800-738-2729
ClearNav Instruments 7 www.ClearNav.net 610-388-0456
Costello & Associates Back Cover www.gliderinsurance.com 800-528-6483
Craggy Aero, LLC 12 www.craggyaero.com 530-905-0062
Cumulus Soaring 47 www.cumulus-soaring.com 952-445-9033
Desser Tire Company 42 www.desser.com 800-247-8473
DG/LS 27 www.pacificaerosport.com 360-474-9394
FAST Program 57 www.ssa.org 575-392-1177
Knauff & Grove Soaring Supplies 38 www.eglider.org 814-355-2483
Kolstad Scholarship 55 www.ssa.org 575-392-1177
Lxnav 10 Lxnav.com +386 592 33 400
MM Fabrication LLC 29 www.mmfabrication.com 505-249-0161
Mountain High Equipment 23 www.mhoxygen.com 800-468-8185
National Soaring Museum 41 www.soaringmuseum.org 607-734-2128
Para-Phernalia / Softie Parachutes 13 www.softieparachutes.com 800-877-9584
SeeYou Software 49 www.naviter.si 607-734-4307
Seminole-Lake Gliderport 53 www.soarfl.com 352-394-5450
smile.amazon.com 24 smile.amazon.com 575-392-1177
SoaringNV 45 www.soaringnv.com 877-276-2768
SSA Membership 37 www.ssa.org 575-392-1177
SSA Merchandise 43, 58, Inside Back Cover www.ssa.org 575-392-1177
Stemme USA 6 www.stemme.com 803-726-8884
Stowe Soaring 39 www.stowesoaring.com 802-888-7845
The Vintage Sailplane Association 33 www.vintagesailplane.org
U.S. Southwest Soaring Museum 36 www.swsoaringmuseum.org 505-832-9222
Wings and Wheels 11 www.wingsandwheels.com 909-302-1811

SSA ADVERTISING POLICY

Prospective purchasers of products or plans mentioned or advertised in Soaring should realize that proof-testing by the makers of the product, or by
the designer of the plans, and/or it installation may have been accomplished according to standards acceptable to either government regulations or the
individual purchaser. The Society has made no tests nor checked the validity of compliance with any Society advertising policy criteria.
Before you buy, talk with someone who knows aircraft, products, and/or plans and who knows you. Some aircraft, products and/or plans may not be
appropriate to your level of construction or flying skills, nor may their present condition be the equal of that when originally produced.
If any advertisement does not specifically state “U.S.ATC’d,”TCO’d” or FCC approved, prospective buyers of aircraft, products, or plans for build-
ing which are offered for sale in Soaring may wish to ascertain whether the aircraft, product, or plan being considered has been awarded a government
approved Type Certificate, Technical Standard Order of FCC Approval. Otherwise, the aircraft may be licensable only in the Experimental Category
under F.A.R. 21 or the product may no comply with certain operation requirements and may even be illegal to be advertised.
SSA and its journal have neither, the facilities, staff, nor legal authority to investigate advertising claims, but readers are requested to notify Soaring
if misrepresentation occurs.

60 Soarings!UGUSTsWWWSSAORG
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Photography
© Steve Hines

GROUP INSURANCE As the Soaring Society of America’s official

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