I'm curious how a late model Subaru Outback handles the load of a sailplane trailer. I'm looking at a 3.6 liter V6 with auto trans. If you use an Outback as a tow vehicle, please share your experiences and detail the motor size, transmission, and towing terrain. Thanks ben

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 ...

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...

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...

I have a deposit on both with FES system. The JS3 would arrive in 2020. The Ventus maybe 2021. Reading the POH, the Ventus may have gentler stall characteristics (according to the manual with forward CG it won't drop a wing on stall either level or in a 45 degree bank). The JS3 manual makes it...

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

Hey all, I've been flying with a Security 150 for quite a while. It is most comfortable. I tried a Security 350 and it is most uncomfortable. It's time to replace the 150. What chute do you suggest that is very comfortable for those 5+ hour flights? Thanks Steve

After removing all the gelcoat, a friend recommended applying a very thin cloth known as Vail to fill most pinholes. We brushed on epoxy and rolled on the Vail, followed with thin peal-ply, then squeegee'd it out with excess resin toward the trailing edges of the wing. Not sure it worked all that...

Making a run southeast from Sunflower in Kansas. Hoping to launch at 11 central. Follow on SSA Tracker or glideport.aero

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...

Yesterday afternoon Mark Mocho (MM Fabrication) opened the canopy of his Pegasus to get his cell phone. By the time he made a call to me, his soaring hat, which was lying atop the glare shield, was smoking. The canopy was acting like a big magnifying glass and focusing the sun's rays onto a...

Our club uses 4 pin jones plugs for battery plugs, 2 pins positive and 2 pins negative for redundancy. But even this is not fool proof after passage of time: sometimes they need to be "wiggled" to connect and they are getting hard to find now too. What kinds of plugs are other clubs or...

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...

All - For the third year in a row I've somehow managed to injure my back early in the season (base of the spine/sciatic nerve). I'm beginning to suspect its not my day-job or rigging my ship (I have a one-man rigger); but rather my flying and seating position in the cockpit (DG-300). Short...

I am looking for some advice on the forms and process I need to go through, to buy a glider registered in the US. From what I can tell, I need a Bill of Sale (form 8050-2) and an Aircraft Registration Application (form 8050-1). It appears that the latter form is only available from the local FSDO...

Does anyone out there in this world make glider launch winches or are there plans available?? THANKS!! Ted

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

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...

I've browsed the old discussions on gelcoat maintenance to learn what I can before developing a maintenance routine of my own, for my recently acquired V2C. One thing not yet clear to me is the best way to use/apply 3M's Finesse-It II, which seems to be the consensus cleaner/polisher compound: With...

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)