Dear expert soaring pilots, What would be a nice metal equivalent of the KA6E or Foka 4? I am asking because those ships are 40+ years old now and I am concerned about the aging wood... Should I be concerned? Is there any relevant metal alternative to those ships? I would also be interested in...

I've been watching the Sport Pilot aircraft certification scene quite closely now, and as it fleshes out, I have some observations. The SLSA standards for airplane, weight shift, etc. which are published are hampering the development of SLSA for these categories due mostly to lack of familiarity.

I am running a system that includes WinPilot running on an Ipaq 37XX series, Colibri GPS/logger and Borgelt B50. The system is very unstable and will usually only run for an hour at the most and often only a few minutes before it crashes or gives an error message. I get a "lost GPS signal" quite...

I have a question for you CFIG's out the I recently moved to a "flat" state from a "mountainous" state and noticed that every glider pilot I have met and flown with in the "flat" state sets his altimeter to zero (a QFE setting) instead of field elevation. Back in my old stomping grounds, all...

I had to reinstall Glidenavigator II on the old Compaq running Windows CE 2.x but can't remember how to make the toolbar "autoihide" First one to answer this question gets a prize! (well, maybe not much of a prize, but my unending gratitude...) Thanks, Susan McAllister

Gavin Wills has two 5 day private coaching courses in the Duo Discus available in Minden, Nevada. Available start dates are July 18 and July 25. Details on web page at www.glideomarama.com. Contact Gavin directly at

Where are the official 2005 Sports Class handicaps? The 2005 official Sports Class rules (on the SSA site) says in Paragraph 11.5.1.1 "Each sailplane is assigned a Handicap Factor from the SSA Handicap Table (Appendix A to these Rules)." However, Appendix A is the "Guide To Competition Rules"...

Since I reported the US dollar's drop against the Euro a few months ago, I am delighted to report a reversal. The US dollar is currently at 1.23 to the Euro and improving daily. A currency specialist tells me he expects a rate of 1.15 by year's end. Where it goes from there is anyone's guess,...

I have not received my soaring magazine yet this month but I hear there is an article dealing with fin mounted vs fuselage mounted TE probes. Anyone have thoughts on this issue? Richard www.craggyaero.com

When you call for Notams, as I understand it you must ask specifically if there is anything slated for GPS testing, otherwise you will not be told what's up. For those who want to see what can happen please look at my flght log for 16 May on OLC. The test not only screwed up the gps instrument, it...

With a bunch of Arizona guys heading to the Region 9 contest this week, I've added some Hobbs soaring forecast links to my web site. The main page is he http://www.mike-the-strike.net/Soaring_Forecast/HOBBSSFINDEX.htm I appreciate e-mails letting me know of errors or broken links. Thanks!

Stanton Airfield, Stanton Minnesota, would like to announce that we are building two Ensign Sailplane hangars at our gliderport this summer. We have gotten local building permits and have developed plans with Richard Ensign for the "NORTHERN EDITION" version that can tolerate frost and snow-load...

Anyone out there got any data on ASW19 performance modifications: i.e. turbulator tape, sealing methods, winglets etc.

Navy ND-6 Emergency Parachute Just Repacked 5-30-05 Low Starting Bid, No Reserve http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4554088241

Navy ND-8 Emergency Parachute Just Repacked 5-30-05 Low Starting Bid, No Reserve http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1,1&item=4553849981&sspagename=STRK%3AMESE%3AIT

Post details or links thanks. Mal

Just got off the phone with long time friend Tom Stowers. His camp in Ely still has a few spots left in it. Tom has been doing these camps since sometime before the earth cooled down. He and his gang do a wonderful job of taking care of you. BBQ's almost everynite and even trips into town for...

My LS8 has 'root rib vents': can I put a wing on the ground after filling tanks without having water drip from the vent tubes? Manual states this is prohibited on LS8s fitted with 'winglet vents', but says nothing about my case. Thanks in advance, cheers Flavio

I had a pilot send me an e-mail this evening and ask about Mifflin Reg 2. Seems that many people follow the writngs of 711 and he is not here. The contest is writing 2 a day reports, one in the morning, and one by the CD in the evening. Those reports are available for all to see on the SSA...

Canadian Rockies Soaring Club blew us out of the water. That despite Bob Lepp's heroic efforts to almost single handedly defend our now lost 1st place in the club standings where we shined so briefly. But we're still in 2nd place! Wouldn't it be fun to have our pilots fly in the Rockies for...