Let's go back in time to August 4th 2010. The sport of soaring lost a well respected man named Chris O'Callaghan. It was the 4th fatal sailplane accident in 4 weeks. This was a wake up call to many pilots operating without Flarm or Parachutes. Chris was flying on the return leg of a task when...

I bought it as a toy and had fun with it. Now it's someone else's turn. Raspberry Pi 2 in plastic case 2 ea software defined radios with antennae USB GPS USB Wifi USB expander (4-port, I think. It's at the airport) Latest firmware installed. Tested in flight using Android/Avare, mounted to...

My SZD-55 (built 1990) had developed play in one aileron over the years. A powerpoint presentation with the relevant Flight Manual pages (allowable play), drawing of aileron system (Tech Svc Manual), and additional drawings and part numbers required to effect the fix, including the cause, and...

I was just looking at the entry list for Benalla and did not see Dick Butler's name as entered for the Open Class. Bill Gawthrop's name is listed for the Open Class, but Dick's is not. Does anyone know if that was just an oversight, or did Dick withdraw, or is he just entering late? I do hope he...

The trim in our club's K21 is no longer effective and I suspect it is probably a simple matter to tighten up a nut somewhere below the front seat so there is more friction on the trim lever. If anyone had a moment to confirm my suspicion and had any pointers, that would be appreciated. Mark

Is it known which serial numbers actuallly had spar problem? Conversely is it known which serial numbers were found to be ok after inspection? A

Sean and his adorable wife Tiffany did a first rate job this year organizing and executing the Grand Prix. First rate job! Kudos to Sean and Tiffany! 2017 will promise to be great!

It's a rainy day here and so I sort of drifted into watching a few of Bruno Vassel's awesome "Scenery tours of Utah" videos on YouTube. I bet most people have no idea that the mountains seperating the dusty, brown valleys of Utah are so green and intersting on top! Then I started reading the...

A friend of mine (seriously) is about to retire and wants to begin touring the US with an RV while towing a glider trailer. Been done many times. No issues to speak of with this concept. But he also does NOT want to use the RV to tow the assembled glider around the airport during events. He...

I've been kinda quite here about the subject but would like to share with those who follow this forum a program we have been running in the Soaring Club of Houston the past 3 or 4 years. The program is the weekend Task Days where we get together and fly tasks, score them, and hang out for a BBQ...

I was approached by a former student at our club's closing banquet. He stated he was so happy to see me because he wanted to thank me in person for saving his life. He explained: after receiving his license, he bought a Sinus motor glider, and went flying with a recreational pilot as his P2. ...

I've decided to buy it for myself. Dan, 5 On 10/16/2016 8:59 AM, Dan Marotta wrote: I've been asked to post a FLARM portable for sale for a friend. He's asking what I think is a terrific price and he tells me it's never been installed in a glider or used. I've seen it and it looks brand...

Congratulations to Bif Huss and David Coggins for being elected by our contest pilots to serve on the Competition Rules Subcommittee. Bif will serve 4 years and David will fill the position vacated by Mike Smith which is the balance of his term ending next year. Thanks to John Godfrey and Mike...

Other than having been - and remaining - thoroughly enamored with soaring (and all its varied aspects) since bumbling into it in the early '70s, I have no dog in the "racing vs. competition (aka US rules vs. FAI rules) tempest," but since no one else has mentioned a few thoughts that have...

http://www.popsci.com/new-software-lets-drones-surf-winds-for-hours

It seems that most operations here in the USA use a 200' tow rope, and I've heard that some places in Europe even use a rope as short as 120'. Ropes at our operation are more like 275' because it seems safer and easier when it's longer. What is the rational behind using shorter ropes? I see no...

Just put my ASG-29 with 15m & 18m tips on Wings and Wheels. 2012 build and 2013 delivery, Sn 29076 with 285 hours on it. Great avionics and both trailer and glider in like new condition. Stored in a hangar and boxed up in the hangar for winter storage. Additional pics on my Flickr page:...

Wondered what happened to soaringcafe.com? Nothing new since may 2015.

Those bobby pins are used extensively on my Stemme and I lost two that fell out of their retaining strings during taxiing operations leaving me with only one spare. A quick search found 1.2 mm hitch pins at WalMart (of all places). I got a bag of 50 pins for under $8. Here's a link...

On Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 8:22:12 PM UTC-4, waremark wrote: So what is the message? We are normally told not to have much weight on the nose of the trailer, which presumably would adversely affect the balance of the car. To achieve that I have to put luggage etc at the back of my trailer (I...