SSA Convention

[Greg Arnold]

Any reports from the Convention? Jet sailplane on display? NK vario?
Interesting talks? Etc.

[Frank Whiteley]

On Jan 28, 9:39*pm, Greg Arnold > wrote:
> Any reports from the Convention? *Jet sailplane on display? *NK vario?
> Interesting talks? *Etc.

Tst14 two-seater jet conversion, engine arrived after the sailplane,
but installed and flown. Two throats.

Hph 304 Shark jet sustainer.

Taurus self-launch, Rotax 503.

Arcus two-seater, with sustainer.

More to follow. Just back from very good OSTIV dinner and Concordia
talk with Loek Boerman and Gerhard Weibel.

Frank W

[stephen_p_thomas]

Jonker Sailplanes have some pictures from the convention. For more,
see: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jonker-Sailplanes/188010050668?ref=nf

On Jan 29, 3:39*am, Greg Arnold > wrote:
> Any reports from the Convention? *Jet sailplane on display? *NK vario?
> Interesting talks? *Etc.

[noel.wade]

Just to put a bug in people's ear:

There appear to be MANY good presentations scheduled for this year.

Rather than a single "wrap-up" issue of SOARING that covers the
covention, can we maybe try to entice some of the presenters to
convert their materials into articles for SOARING? If 1 - 3 articles
per issue of SOARING were based on these convention presentations, the
convention-based content could last quite awhile, too!

--Noel
(Who's really regretting his workload and inability to attend this
year)

[Greg Arnold]

noel.wade wrote:
> Just to put a bug in people's ear:
>
> There appear to be MANY good presentations scheduled for this year.
>
> Rather than a single "wrap-up" issue of SOARING that covers the
> covention, can we maybe try to entice some of the presenters to
> convert their materials into articles for SOARING? If 1 - 3 articles
> per issue of SOARING were based on these convention presentations, the
> convention-based content could last quite awhile, too!
>
> --Noel
> (Who's really regretting his workload and inability to attend this
> year)



This is a good idea. However, if the SOARING editor reads RAS, he is
keeping a very low profile, so he won't see this post unless it is sent
to his email address, not RAS.

One of the mysteries of SOARING is why it has never used the material
presented at conventions as ideas for articles. Perhaps the reason is
that in recent years the editors have just looked in the mailbag to see
what people have sent in, rather than actively approaching people about
writing articles. I do wish that the current editor was an enthusiastic
and active cross-country soaring pilot with connections throughout the
soaring community -- that would greatly help with the quality of the
magazine.

I must say that the January issue was quite good, with several
interesting articles.

[Jack Hamilton]

On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:39:39 -0800, Greg Arnold >
wrote:

>Any reports from the Convention? Jet sailplane on display? NK vario?
>Interesting talks? Etc.

And how is attendance?

[Frank Whiteley]

On Jan 29, 9:17*pm, Jack Hamilton > wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:39:39 -0800, Greg Arnold >
> wrote:
>
> >Any reports from the Convention? *Jet sailplane on display? *NK vario?
> >Interesting talks? *Etc.
>
> And how is attendance?

Many inbound and departing flights were canceled today due to the ice
storm. School was out and many restaurants closed, so the SSA meals I
think have been well attended. I've been able to feed the meter right
outside the convention center doors both days so far, so parking's
been really convenient.

Like to see more new faces though. The two school classes that were
supposed to visit today were canceled.

Overall, lighter than it should be.

Frank W

[delboy]

On 30 Jan, 05:19, Frank Whiteley > wrote:
>
> Many inbound and departing flights were canceled today due to the ice
> storm. *

Global Warming?

Derek Copeland

[Deadstickdon]

On Jan 30, 1:29*am, delboy > wrote:
> On 30 Jan, 05:19, Frank Whiteley > wrote:
>
>
>
> > Many inbound and departing flights were canceled today due to the ice
> > storm. *
>
> Global Warming?
>
> Derek Copeland

Nope. Climate Change.

Don

[delboy]

On 30 Jan, 07:24, Deadstickdon > wrote:
> On Jan 30, 1:29*am, delboy > wrote:
>
> > On 30 Jan, 05:19, Frank Whiteley > wrote:
>
> > > Many inbound and departing flights were canceled today due to the ice
> > > storm. *
>
> > Global Warming?
>
>
> Nope. Climate Change.
>
> Don

They are supposed to be the same thing!

Derek

[Mike the Strike]

On Jan 30, 3:46*am, delboy > wrote:
> On 30 Jan, 07:24, Deadstickdon > wrote:
>
> > On Jan 30, 1:29*am, delboy > wrote:
>
> > > On 30 Jan, 05:19, Frank Whiteley > wrote:
>
> > > > Many inbound and departing flights were canceled today due to the ice
> > > > storm. *
>
> > > Global Warming?
>
> > Nope. Climate Change.
>
> > Don
>
> They are supposed to be the same thing!
>
> Derek

El Nino

Mike

[Martin Gregorie[_5_]]

On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 22:29:42 -0800, delboy wrote:

> On 30 Jan, 05:19, Frank Whiteley > wrote:
>>
>> Many inbound and departing flights were canceled today due to the ice
>> storm.
>
> Global Warming?
>
No. Weather.

Remember: climate is what you expect but weather is what you get.

Definitions
===========
climate: the prevailing or average weather conditions of a place,
as determined by the temperature and meteorological changes
over a period of years

weather: the general condition of the atmosphere at a particular
time and place, with regard to the temperature, moisture,
cloudiness, etc.

Note: climate != weather


--
martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
org |

[Jack Hamilton]

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:46:24 -0800 (PST), delboy
> wrote:

>On 30 Jan, 07:24, Deadstickdon > wrote:
>> On Jan 30, 1:29*am, delboy > wrote:
>>
>> > On 30 Jan, 05:19, Frank Whiteley > wrote:
>>
>> > > Many inbound and departing flights were canceled today due to the ice
>> > > storm. *
>>
>> > Global Warming?
>>
>>
>> Nope. Climate Change.
>>
>> Don
>
>They are supposed to be the same thing!

Nope. Some places may get warmer, some places may get colder.

It's only the average temperature worldwide that is expected to
increase. The temperature at any give location may go up, go down, or
remain the same, and precipitation may go up or down or remain the same.

[Randy[_2_]]

> And how is attendance?

The attendance appeared to be pretty low. The ice storm was pretty bad
and
the roads were terrible. There were a few people that I was really
wanting
to see, but they were not able to fly in because the LIT airport was
closed.
The convention hall was very large and the only time there was a crowd
was when a ticket was raffled off at the Craggy Aero display.

Randy

http://talihinasoaring.com/

[Jack Hamilton]

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:10:41 -0800 (PST), Randy >
wrote:

>
>> And how is attendance?
>
>The attendance appeared to be pretty low. The ice storm was pretty bad
>and
>the roads were terrible. There were a few people that I was really
>wanting
>to see, but they were not able to fly in because the LIT airport was
>closed.
>The convention hall was very large and the only time there was a crowd
>was when a ticket was raffled off at the Craggy Aero display.

I asked because an editorial in Soaring said the SSA they will decide to
go back to yearly conventions based on the attendance this year. And
it's low.

Perhaps they will take the weather into account when the make the
decision, or perhaps they took a financial hit that will make it
impossible.

[[email protected][_2_]]

What is the excuse for not having the convention in the Northeast
again?

[JR Brooks]

On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 03:46:24 -0800 (PST), delboy
wrote:

On 30 Jan, 07:24, Deadstickdon wrote:
On Jan 30, 1:29*am, delboy wrote:

On 30 Jan, 05:19, Frank Whiteley wrote:

Many inbound and departing flights were canceled today due to the ice
storm. *

Global Warming?


Nope. Climate Change.

Don

They are supposed to be the same thing!

Nope. Some places may get warmer, some places may get colder.

It's only the average temperature worldwide that is expected to
increase. The temperature at any give location may go up, go down, or
remain the same, and precipitation may go up or down or remain the same.

Well, I'm glad you guys could turn the convention thread into a manbearpig debate.

The fact is, this is typical Arkansas winter weather. This one was not near as bad as the ice storm we had at this time last year. I've lived in and near Little Rock for 50 years. This is nothing unusual.

I'm just sorry it put a damper on the convention. Talk about bad timing.

John

[JS]

Climate, weather?
How about the top USA OLC club hosts it?
May the Schwartz be with you,
Jim

On Jan 30, 6:34*pm, " >
wrote:
> What is the excuse for not having the convention in the Northeast
> again?

[Bob]

On Jan 30, 7:34*pm, " >
wrote:
> What is the excuse for not having the convention in the Northeast
> again?

I just got back to Phoenix from the convention. Handily, my flight
was this afternoon, as airport was closed / totally iced in
yesterday. FULL flight today. A good number of VERY good talks. The
only problem was that, as at most conventions, there were 3
presentations at the same time all day, and sometimes there would be 2
you wanted to be attend at the same time. Ah, choices in life.

Really enjoyed seeing old / good friends. The Taurus 41:1 2 place
side by side electric self launcher really caught my eye... for way
less than half cost of Antares, but less glide, too. Gonna get a test
flight with Roger Mudd next month in that one. Some orders for
various gliders, and a winch, were taken, and I'm sure lots of
instruments, etc... so for some folks at least, the event was a
sucess. I often watched money being exchanged for goodies at the SSA
booth. I heard from several folks that the ARCUS that was there was
sold, and several others were seriously considering purchasing one. $$
$$$ Bob Carlton and Mark Mocho displayed a pretty neat jet powered
twin self launcher for a pretty reasonable price.

Global warming / climate change has been expected to, and is,
producing weather extremes. Very basic physics makes it easy to
understand. We got to see that in Little Rock. While at the same
time down under is roasting / dessicating.

There is an on-going discussion within SSA about future conventions.
Spent an hour with Bill Daniels this morning talking about the many
possibilities / pros / cons / options. No question that the weather,
current financial climate, and I'm sure other things, affected the
attendance some this year.

RE: the editor. He attended, and is working at improving the
magazine, as has been seen in recent issues, with more to come. One
must remember, he's the editor, not an author. Hopefully someone in
our community will submit an article on the event. Perhaps several of
us might collaborate on an article and some photos.

19

[Frank Whiteley]

Next full convention will be Reno 2012. Odd years may/will be a
symposia, working groups, committee tracks, with awards, board(s)
meeting(s), etc. In 2011, this will likely be in the northeast. I
staffed the collegiate, youth, Kolstad booth with Ralph K. We got
some work done. Leadership torch was passed in a couple of instances.
I had a small SSA by-law passed by the board, thank you.

Visited with many soaring friends. Two years is too long.

Frank Whiteley

[Bob]

On Jan 28, 8:39*pm, Greg Arnold > wrote:
> Any reports from the Convention? *Jet sailplane on display? *NK vario?
> Interesting talks? *Etc.

Many fine, interesting talks. For me, if I had to choose ones that
caught my fancy the most, I'd have to start with Bill Collum's "The
Future of Soaring" (some AWESOME things / possibilities coming in the
future!) and several talks that Mark Maughmer was involved in. Uri
Schwenk's presentation on the Grand Prix in Chile showed how awesome
and pleasant an international meet can be. Numerous other talks
reinforced what we already know / should know. Had to miss a few I
really wanted to see, but were scheduled at the same time as another I
wanted to see... so I can't comment on them. Life is full of
choices. Only a very few duds in the entire 3 days. A well done,
very worthwhile 3 days. Thanks to the hard workers at SSA and
everyone involved in putting on the event! The weather was really no
big deal. The event was inside, and getting about outside was no big
deal. Its just winter. And attending the event, and seeing everyone,
made things much warmer. Summer IS coming.

[Mike Schumann]

On 1/30/2010 8:44 PM, Jack Hamilton wrote:
> On Sat, 30 Jan 2010 17:10:41 -0800 (PST), >
> wrote:
>
>>
>>> And how is attendance?
>>
>> The attendance appeared to be pretty low. The ice storm was pretty bad
>> and
>> the roads were terrible. There were a few people that I was really
>> wanting
>> to see, but they were not able to fly in because the LIT airport was
>> closed.
>> The convention hall was very large and the only time there was a crowd
>> was when a ticket was raffled off at the Craggy Aero display.
>
> I asked because an editorial in Soaring said the SSA they will decide to
> go back to yearly conventions based on the attendance this year. And
> it's low.
>
> Perhaps they will take the weather into account when the make the
> decision, or perhaps they took a financial hit that will make it
> impossible.
>
Does low attendance imply that the convention should be held every year,
or that a radical rethink is in order on where and when it is held?

If you want to get more attendance from glider pilots who are not "hard
core", then it might be useful to think about co-locating the event with
some other venue or attraction that would entice more people to attend.

--
Mike Schumann

[JS]

Reno 2012, sounds promising. But of course there can be nasty weather
in the Sierras too! Most locations are a gamble in winter.
Perhaps there will be a wave camp before and after the Reno
convention? And there's always skiing/boarding.
The posts about winch launching seem to indicate people would spend
extra time on that, if a site would support it. Perhaps the 2011
symposium can be somewhere warm and close to the gliderport. It only
takes a hotel with a banquet room to host such an event, or motels
close to an airport with hangars...
Jim

On Jan 31, 6:14*am, Mike Schumann >
wrote:

> If you want to get more attendance from glider pilots who are not "hard
> core", then it might be useful to think about co-locating the event with
> some other venue or attraction that would entice more people to attend.

[Scott Alexander[_2_]]

For those of you who missed the Concordia presentation....it was
great. It was so exciting to hear the first half of a "story that is
in the writing" as multiple elite aersospace engineers are coming
together to build a glider that is another quantum leap into the
future. Dick Butler will no doubt kick some tail when this glider is
up and running. I will be cheering him on as he blows past all of us
at 75/1 L/D. It is truely the story of an American Dream coming true.

This glider is so dang bad to the bone, that I firmly believe when it
shows up for contests in the future, all other glider pilots will
throw in the towel and forfeit immedately upon first glance at this
motorless-rocketship.

Other than that Moffat had a speech about his days when he was burning
the gelcoat off the wings. The Perlan exhibit was exciting as they
are attempting to set a rediculously high altitude record of 90,000
feet over the southern tip of South America on a wind condition that
only happens 3 times a year. The Perlan pilot was a wingman with
Steve Fosset.

It was my first time to attend a convention and it just adds salt to
my wound in the fact that we still have a few more weeks of cabin
fever to endure before we set off on more cross country flights.
Spring is almost here and I can't hardly wait!

[Bruce Hoult]

On Jan 30, 8:24*pm, Deadstickdon > wrote:
> On Jan 30, 1:29*am, delboy > wrote:
>
> > On 30 Jan, 05:19, Frank Whiteley > wrote:
>
> > > Many inbound and departing flights were canceled today due to the ice
> > > storm. *
>
> > Global Warming?
>
> > Derek Copeland
>
> Nope. Climate Change.

It cracks me up every time!

[Tony[_5_]]

Leah and I had a really good time. The only talk I made it to was
Allen Silver's presentation about bailing out, which was very good in
my opinion. I really had a blast visiting with people on the
convention floor and at the SSF Booth. Too bad there won't be a full
convention next year. Hopefully whatever they come up with will be
able to encourage attendance by more than just the SSA Die Hards. I
find the social aspect of talking to pilots from around the country by
far the best part of the convention.

Tony

[Mike Schumann]

On 1/31/2010 1:55 PM, JS wrote:
> Reno 2012, sounds promising. But of course there can be nasty weather
> in the Sierras too! Most locations are a gamble in winter.
> Perhaps there will be a wave camp before and after the Reno
> convention? And there's always skiing/boarding.
> The posts about winch launching seem to indicate people would spend
> extra time on that, if a site would support it. Perhaps the 2011
> symposium can be somewhere warm and close to the gliderport. It only
> takes a hotel with a banquet room to host such an event, or motels
> close to an airport with hangars...
> Jim
>
> On Jan 31, 6:14 am, Mike >
> wrote:
>
>> If you want to get more attendance from glider pilots who are not "hard
>> core", then it might be useful to think about co-locating the event with
>> some other venue or attraction that would entice more people to attend.
>
I would suggest Naples, FL as a great venue for 2011. Don Ingraham's
winch experiment down here is a rousing success, and will hopefully
become an annual event. Besides winching, Immokalee offers lots of
other options, including an Acro box, etc....., not to mention golf,
beaches and warm weather!!!

--
Mike Schumann

[Bob 7U]

Host it the week before the Seniors and you will have a terrifc
attendance!

Bob 7U



On Feb 1, 12:57*pm, Mike Schumann >
wrote:
> On 1/31/2010 1:55 PM, JS wrote:
>
>
>
> > Reno 2012, sounds promising. But of course there can be nasty weather
> > in the Sierras too! Most locations are a gamble in winter.
> > * *Perhaps there will be a wave camp before and after the Reno
> > convention? And there's always skiing/boarding.
> > * *The posts about winch launching seem to indicate people would spend
> > extra time on that, if a site would support it. Perhaps the 2011
> > symposium can be somewhere warm and close to the gliderport. It only
> > takes a hotel with a banquet room to host such an event, or motels
> > close to an airport with hangars...
> > Jim
>
> > On Jan 31, 6:14 am, Mike >
> > wrote:
>
> >> If you want to get more attendance from glider pilots who are not "hard
> >> core", then it might be useful to think about co-locating the event with
> >> some other venue or attraction that would entice more people to attend..
>
> I would suggest Naples, FL as a great venue for 2011. *Don Ingraham's
> winch experiment down here is a rousing success, and will hopefully
> become an annual event. *Besides winching, Immokalee offers lots of
> other options, including an Acro box, etc....., not to mention golf,
> beaches and warm weather!!!
>
> --
> Mike Schumann- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

[Frank Whiteley]

On Feb 1, 10:57*am, Mike Schumann >
wrote:
> On 1/31/2010 1:55 PM, JS wrote:
>
> > Reno 2012, sounds promising. But of course there can be nasty weather
> > in the Sierras too! Most locations are a gamble in winter.
> > * *Perhaps there will be a wave camp before and after the Reno
> > convention? And there's always skiing/boarding.
> > * *The posts about winch launching seem to indicate people would spend
> > extra time on that, if a site would support it. Perhaps the 2011
> > symposium can be somewhere warm and close to the gliderport. It only
> > takes a hotel with a banquet room to host such an event, or motels
> > close to an airport with hangars...
> > Jim
>
> > On Jan 31, 6:14 am, Mike >
> > wrote:
>
> >> If you want to get more attendance from glider pilots who are not "hard
> >> core", then it might be useful to think about co-locating the event with
> >> some other venue or attraction that would entice more people to attend..
>
> I would suggest Naples, FL as a great venue for 2011. *Don Ingraham's
> winch experiment down here is a rousing success, and will hopefully
> become an annual event. *Besides winching, Immokalee offers lots of
> other options, including an Acro box, etc....., not to mention golf,
> beaches and warm weather!!!
>
> --
> Mike Schumann

I hear Don arrived with the Arcus early this morning, but it rained
all day.

[Don[_6_]]

On Feb 1, 9:31*pm, Frank Whiteley > wrote:
> On Feb 1, 10:57*am, Mike Schumann >
> wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > On 1/31/2010 1:55 PM, JS wrote:
>
> > > Reno 2012, sounds promising. But of course there can be nasty weather
> > > in the Sierras too! Most locations are a gamble in winter.
> > > * *Perhaps there will be a wave camp before and after the Reno
> > > convention? And there's always skiing/boarding.
> > > * *The posts about winch launching seem to indicate people would spend
> > > extra time on that, if a site would support it. Perhaps the 2011
> > > symposium can be somewhere warm and close to the gliderport. It only
> > > takes a hotel with a banquet room to host such an event, or motels
> > > close to an airport with hangars...
> > > Jim
>
> > > On Jan 31, 6:14 am, Mike >
> > > wrote:
>
> > >> If you want to get more attendance from glider pilots who are not "hard
> > >> core", then it might be useful to think about co-locating the event with
> > >> some other venue or attraction that would entice more people to attend.
>
> > I would suggest Naples, FL as a great venue for 2011. *Don Ingraham's
> > winch experiment down here is a rousing success, and will hopefully
> > become an annual event. *Besides winching, Immokalee offers lots of
> > other options, including an Acro box, etc....., not to mention golf,
> > beaches and warm weather!!!
>
> > --
> > Mike Schumann
>
> I hear Don arrived with the Arcus early this morning, but it rained
> all day.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Hi Frank - indeed, you are correct. Do you have a network of spies? We
arrived in Naples at about 5AM after driving for 15 hours straight
from Little Rock. The Arcus/Cobra pulled like it wasn't even there
behind Barry's F150. MPG went from 18 (no trailer) to about 15! That
seems extremely good to me, especially given that the Arcus is over
1000 LBS. At one point a guy on a motorcycle slowed next to the truck
and gave us a big thumbs up and then took his hands off the grips and
drove ahead on cruise control with his arms out like wings banking
gracefully back and forth from lane to lane ahead of us. We laughed
pretty hard. Everyone was too terrified to pass him for about ten
miles. We slept hard for about five hours after we arrived and then
washed the trailer and tucked it into a hangar at the Immokalee
Airport (KIMM). Barry has business back in Mpls (I just took him to
the airport), so we won't fly it until he returns on the 12th. It
feels a bit like waiting for Xmas.

There's still enough space on the winching schedule for a half dozen
winch endorsements/BFRs the last 10 days of February down here in
sunny, warm, palm-tree lined, breezy, sandy, beachy Naples. :-)) Then
we go up to Seminole and the Seniors.

Here's the winching schedule - http://plus.calendars.net/xcsoaring -
SIGN UP and WARM UP!
Sure was fun seeing everyone at the convention.

-XS-