I've got my ASW-27B in the shop to have some cosmetic work done - building up the tip skids and fixing some minor scrapes. At the same time I'm wondering if a profiling job is in order as I can now see spar and rib dimples top and bottom all along both wings. The shop tells me that it's going to...

Recent threads highlighted tail stalls in powered aircraft experiencing icing. The thing that concerned me was the recovery being exactly opposite to the wing stall that we all practice and demonstrate, and thus have ingrained as almost automatic. It also sounded like the thing that distinguished a...

I had a chance to load a new config file and was able to fly today. There was no "flarm range" in my original config file. With the file I used today the "flarm range" config was set to maximum with the statement below. I had several flarm detections that occured around 4 miles. This is between...

So, if you were ordering a new Cobra trailer, would you order a fiberglass top or an aluminum top? For sake of discussion, lets exclude obvious price difference. I've never seen an aluminum top with insulation. What type of insulation is used and is it worth the 1000 plus euros? For those having...

Friends: I thought that it would be interesting to start a discussion on whether the FAI and different countries should begin to recognize 18 meters as a separate category for distance and speed records. The class has become very popular, even more popular than was the 15m class when those were ...

I am working through and investigating a leaking TE line in my ship. Leak tested the TE line and it seem to be wide open. Still have some more testing to do but as of now my feeling is the leak is in the fin and completely inaccessible. I think its leaking at the back of the TE port in the fin. I...

We recently purchased a Pawnee that was a sprayer. In the process of changing the airworthiness certificate from Restricted Aerial Spraying to Restricted Towing. The DAR is looking for either an STC or 337 Field Approval paperwork for the TOST hook. The EASA Form 1 paperwork will not suffice. Does...

Since winter is nearly ending and I'm doing final adjustments to my glider, I was wondering. Is it interesting to wax and polish it? I've seen a set of products he https://www.theaerodyne.com/gb/care-cleaning/188-basic-kit-for-glider-care.html D-1339

As we know, flying in wave with the sun shining, much of the cockpit stays reasonably warm, but the feet, down in the shade, get cold. So, as I'm here at home on a cold night with a fan helping distribute the heat from the wood stove to another room, it occurred to me that something like that may...

OK, I understand the various interpretations of the "20 year life limit," but we don't have a rigger locally that will touch a 20 year old chute. So, apparently there are riggers that WILL offer this service. Can you lucky folks who know who they are provide some contact information? I would be...

The ASW 20 seems to have a reputation for bad behavior in some configurations. Is this reputation deserved or overblown? What has been the experience of those who have owned and flown the glider? Are some variants of the 20 better or worse in terms of handling characteristics? Tom A

Snipping from another thread (Per): "And this is exactly why retrofitting an older glider to FES is impossible. With an max weight of non lifting part typically in the range of 230-250kg is it not enough marginal to put in an extra weight of 40-50kg for motor, electronics and battery in the...

I'm looking for an inexpensive oxygen system for occasional flights up to 18,000 feet MSL. It seems easy to get a used medical type bottle with a regulator that includes a flow restriction built in. You can select, e.g., a 1 lpm flow rate right on the regulator. But, in a glider, you won't be...

Hello, I am in the early stages of building a Luebke patterned clamshell trailer for my Schempp-Hirth SHK. The trailer is an aluminum sheathed steel frame 'interpretation' of the cobra and comet style trailers. I have been paying attention to every glider trailer I've been around for the last few...

I own a very fuel efficient car (40+ mpg) that handles the long drive to the airport at minimal cost. But my fuel efficient car is not suitable for towing a glider trailer... especially if I have to tow the trailer out of a muddy field. So if I buy a glider, do I need to trade in my very small...

There has been much needed focus on safety in our ranks recently, and in particular the risk of spinning during the turn to final. This is almost always caused by slow, uncoordinated flight. Many of us go through the trouble of installing an electronic gear up warning to prevent a costly, but...

Does an experimental ASW20B require a compass to be legal. The minimum equipment list in the amnual does not specify a compass?

Are IGC approved loggers too expensive? What is there cost point compared to a Barograph and camera setup? I.E. The cost of a Colibri logger compared to the cost of an approved Barograph (in 2008 dollars). I don't know the cost of a barograph 20 years ago (in there heyday) but they could not have...

FROM 11 MONTHS AGO: Only point was that one would need to know your predictions for what to do for, say, the past 10-20 years to know if your 2005 prediction was good or just lucky. Stock newsletter writers have used 'survivor bias' in market forecasting for years - trumpet your...

Has anyone had any experiences, good or bad, with the various solid state horizons on the market. Are they stable, is the response quick enough, are they reliable. (Probably only likely to get answers from UK pilots as the rest don't cloud fly)