Volume 7 Issue 6
June 2001

Calendar of Events

About the Gliders

Blanik Availability
Well our club members now again have two L-13s to choose from in the Omaha Soaring Club.   Many members showed up early sat. morning to help get 95Z put together and flying.   Thanks to all that helped.  There is an airspeed issue that we will be working to resolve.  As for now fly the pattern 5 kts above what you would in 950 lest the Earth rise up and smite thee.  Bill changed the brake pads on the Pawnee--we have the gear / tools on hand to change them ourselves, so us tow pilots should keep an eye on the brake condition.

Also for tow pilots or glider pilots wishing to stay within 200 feet or so of the Pawnee while on tow--there are two bolts at the forward end of the two tubes that the tow hitch is bolted to.  These bolts take the sheer load of the glider being towed (not to mention Dave and the slack rope thang he does).  There had been clevis pins installed and they had worn near halfway through.  The bolts are harder steel but we have decided that they need to be inspected at each oil change.  This will give us an idea of the wear rate if any.  Anyone inspecting them can report findings to Mac.

Soon--very soon--there will be radios installed in both Blaniks!  We are not sure what type of mic/headset--speaker set up we'll end up with.  All I can say is "treat the gear nice."  As to the operation on 07-14-01, I'd like to say that it's been a long time since I've seen things going so smoothly.

As soon as I could get the tow plane landed the next glider would be ready to roll out onto the field.  Nice work guys!

Take care and thanks to everyone--mac

Comments from Flight Operations

Jaime Alexander
Comments on being SOF
This month I want to make some comments about our Supervisor of Flying (SOF).  The person acting as SOF is my direct representative on field and as such has significant authority.  The SOF's primary task is to monitor the operation and see that it is being conducted in a safe manner, assigning and doing tasks as necessary.  Part of the task is administrative and consists of keeing the flight sheet, arranging the order of flying and generally keeping things moving efficiently.  There are many little tasks needing attention throughtout the day, such as remembering to call Omaha APC (or verify the tow pilot has) when we start and stop.  Getting the ships out and back in with all our stuff is another example.  The SOF is important.

Any member who is a Private Pilot or higher, and is checked out to fly our equipment is elegible to be SOF, so please don't always assume that someone else will do the job.  When the Secretary puts out the call for schedule volunteers consider taking a day or two.  Not enough of us have been participating in this task and the load is not being shared equitably.

One more comment, we have an orange vest for the SOF.  When the SOF wears the vest it is an indication not only of who is the SOF but also that the SOF is taking the job seriously.  Act professionally, wear the vest.
See you at the field.
Jaime Alexander
Flight Officer

Soaring in June...

Colorado Trip

Bob Craig
The Colorado trip was an experience - not quite the one I was hoping for.   When the trip was being planned, eight club members had expressed interest in going.  By the time of te trip, only two of us actually went (me and Bert Aagesen).   I had thought about cancelling the trip but family members still wanted to go even if I didn't fly, so I hooked up the trusty 1-26 and started west on Saturday Jun 9th.   Bert left with the 1-23 the day prior.

Winds were forcast to be strong from te south and that became a big problem.  I elected to take two lane roads west to reduce the amount of turbulence being caused by trucks passing in strong winds.  The upwind wing was banging against the fuselage support rod.  Luckily I anticipated this an wrapped the rod in padding to protect the wing.  By afternoon it became apparent that I could not continue the drive unless I re-enforced the trailer (reduce the amount of twisting that was occurring).  I stopped at a hadware store and purchased some tension rods and mounted them on the bottom of the trailer.  That helped a little plus the winds were not as strong as I approached Colorado.  We made it to eastern Colorado and spent the night.  Sunday the winds were lighter and the drive to Salida was uneventful.  We arrived at our resort aalong the Arkansas river Sunday afternoon.   We had to take the long way there since one of my family members was not supposed to go over 7500 ft.  Salida is only 3 hours from Denver if you go over the mountains.   Once I got to Colorado Springs, the sky was dotted with high based CU all the way to Salida with very little over-developement.

Monday, I hooked up the trailer again and drove the 25 minutes into Salida from our cabin and found the airport.  What a nice airport.   There is an air conditioned pilots lounge with a beautiful view of the mountains right next to the glider hanger.  There are several 14,000 ft peaks within ten miles of the airport and a 4000 ft ridge within 5 miles.The mountains rise up from the Arkansas River valley so there is always a landable field within gliding distance (even for a 1-26).  The 1-23 was there but no Bert.  It turns out he had to go back to Denver that morning to fix a car problem and was supposed to be back that afternoon.   There were several high performance glass ships there with their pilots waiting for the "strong" crosswind to go down so they could fly (not strong by Nebraska standards).  They were all there on vacation with the sole purpose of soaring as much as possible.  The winds never did go down that day and Bert never made it back from Denver so I returned to my cabin.

Tuesday, I had scheduled an area familarization flight that morning in the FBOs Blanik and we found some early lift.  The glider operation uses a 270HP Pawnee and a Super Cub.  After landing Bert arrived and we proceeded to set up the two gliders with help from glider operation personnel.  Winds were picking up as a front was approaching.  Again the visiting pilots in their glass ships were not flying due to the forecast of strong winds by afternoon.  After the 1-26 was set up I filled the tank with oxygen (thanks for the quick installation Bill while the glider was on the trailer - that had to have been difficult).  When I tested the system I could not get any indication of O2 flow.  After puzzling over it for a while I finally discovered that the flow meter had been installed backwards.  I reversed it, and everything started working.  Unfortunately, the winds were now gusting over 30 mph so I elected not to fly.  Bert did decide to fly and we moved his glider carefully to the end of the runway (with west winds it was a long walk).  Bert launched and released into very strong lift and we all watched him become a speck in the sky.  He ws the only glider to fly that afternoon.  We waited around for Bert to land which he did after 2 hours and a flight that took him around several mountains.   He said the turbulence was incredible but he had a great time.

The FBO is a husband wife team and they are the nicest people I have ever seen running a glider operation.  They have a policy that they will not leave the airport until every visiting pilot has landed for the day.   They will also come and retrieve a pilot who has landed.  Rates were very reasonable with tow charges of $1 per 100ft.  Rental of the Blanik was $15 per hour.   Jim, the owner, says he tries to keep his prices low to encourage young people to learn to fly.

With all the trailer problems I encountered, I elected to take the trailer to a welding shop and get it stiffened.  The price was $400 but I was not about to take the glider back to Omaha unless improvements were made.   Teh wing hitting the fuselage was putting dents in the wing.

The front arrived on Wednesday and there was no flying due to rain and thunderstorms (even snow 2000 ft higher than Salida).  I elected to take my wife and daughter horse back riding but a thunderstorm and heavy rain put a quick stop to that.

Thursday started out with overcast skies but the clouds started to break in the afternoon so Bert and I elected to fly along with four of the glass pilots.  I took a 3000ft tow and then climbed to 13,000 ft and got to use the new O2 system.  One lesson learned - make sure your mask is properly on before you take off.  I got off tow and started my climb but soon realized that the mask and my hat were tangled and I had to take it all off and then put it back on the right way while I attempted to thermal.  Since the only CU were downwind of the airport and I was playing it cautious, I headed back to the field but didn't encounter any more lift so I had to land (35 minutes - oh well).  Once Bert landed after one and a half hours, he wanted to take apart the 1-23 since he wnted to leave the next morning early.  So we worked for two hours with lots of help from the glass pilots to get it on the trailer before it got dark.

The forcast Friday was for much improved conditions.  I arrived at the airport around noon after taking my wife and daughter on a morning hike in the mountains.  The winds were moderate and it appeared they were breaking up all the lift.  I elected to try it anyway and the glass guys did to.   We moved the gliders to the end ofthe runway and I was the first to launch.   The tow started out normal enough but after awhile it bacame apparent there was sink everywhere.  For quite some time I had 100 down on the variometer during the tow.  In fact the tow pilot gave up trying to find any lift and towed me back toward the airport where I eventually released.  There was spotty lift and soon I was in the pattern to back to the hanger after watching me take forever to get towed to 3000 ft.   I then took the 1-26 apart since I had to leave for home the next morning.

So, the trip was not what I had hoped for.   The weather system which moved throught the area was unseasonable cold (it was 32 one morning) and resulted in poor soaring.  The day I left, the winds slacked off and again there were high based CU every where.  My family did have a good time since there is so much to do in Salida.  I will definintely go there again to soar and take my family.  The trip back was better.  Strong winds were encountered approaching Lincoln NE but the trailer handled them more reasonably.
(P.S. - I took pictures of the airport but a camera problem resulted in them all not developing)