I'm a new glider pilot, having just switched my FAI air sport of choice after 23 years of leaping out of airplanes. By this summer it is almost certain I'll be purchasing my own glider. I'm interested in having fun, cross-country (eventually competing), and having fun, in that order. I've read...

My girlfriend and I have decided to offer our services as ground crew at the Region 9 Championships in Parowan, June 20-26. Me, so I can learn the difference between a task and a turnpoint, and my way better half, so she can learn how to crew. Though I'm a new pilot (65 hours since starting last...

I'm new to both of these products, and I'm a bit perplexed about a connection question. My iPaq has a cradle added to the glider by the previous owner, who like myself, ran WinPilot. The iPaq receives the GPS's NMEA stream from the cradle's connection to the LX5000. Works great, no problem. I...

1. I have an iPaq series 55xx and I can't make out the display outdoors, or in the cockpit. (Yes, I have the brightness set to max.) Is this typical of iPaqs? Are the older iPaqs brighter? Do I have an "off" unit? 2. What hardware do I need to connect the iPaq to my LX5000 to use the Downloader...

Is there an FAQ or list of How-To's somewhere for the LX5000? I've RTFM'd, but while the manual gives a decent overview of the user interface, it doesn't go into much detail at all on how to do things like prepare tasks and then use the LX5000 to fly tasks. When I google this I only get references...

Does anyone have any idea how SeeYou calculates the (ground) velocity at any given fix in a flight? I'm examining the take-off segment of one of my log files, and when I calculate the velocity using the ubiquitous Great Circle algorithm from the previous fix to the current fix, I get velocities...

7 months young. Great product, but too much for a backup logger. Details in the classifieds section of the ASA web page: http://www.asa-soaring.org/classifieds/classifieds.asp

This observation motivated by the recent discussion on hydration. Just under a year ago I started my x/c career in Arizona, flying at Estrella and Turf. Needless to say these are not cool places in the summer. When the weather turned hot (which was in mid-April last year) I followed...

Details he http://www.asa-soaring.org/documents/304CZ_N304AM.pdf $1,000,000 obo (come on you scammers, take your best shot) -ted/2NO

I took the last half hour to read all the FARs, FAAs, PDQs and XYZs, and I can't find where they say that I can't wear my headphones when the airplane is coming in for landing. (And no, I'm not flying the airplane!) I don't use my headphones for listening to anything but silence; they're the Bose...

I started my Super Bowl Sunday afternoon with a tow to 3000'. Upon release I unlocked the gear lever and pulled it back firmly. About 1 inch short of the closed-position lock and still pulling hard, I gave up and started thermalling. I learned how to fly with the gear down, I can do it again. A...

Thanks to everyone for the informative feedback. I did forget to mention my experience level, and it seems to be relevant to the question. Assuming I've made no errors in my Excel electronic logbook, I have 137 flights and 35 hrs as of this afternoon, 93 and 23:30 of them solo; 78 in a 2-33A, 18...

The latest version of WinPilot (4.61) does not seem to have the ability to set the comm port for the GPS. (Mine is a NavMan 4400 wireless (Bluetooth).) Has anyone else had experience with this? Someone, somewhere said to go to Menu / Comm port, but I can only get a menu in WinPilot Simulator, and...

A few seconds into take-off roll today in a Pilatus B-4, while applying left stick to correct for a dipping right wing, the right wing suddenly dipped all the way into the ground. The glider lurched to the right, and a second or two later popped up into the air, a good 20 feet up and 30 or more...

**** Post for FREE via your newsreader at post.usenet.com **** If anyone knows a public (or not-so-public) news server that lets me read and post messages I can use, I would appreciate it. I'm away from my normal Internet provider during the week, and while my hotel's service provider is kind...

Well, that was certainly an informative and oft entertaining set of replies from my post a week++ ago. I think the combined experience of everyone who responded would add up to a number even Carl Sagan would admire. I thank everyone who took the time to respond to my original question; all the...

As I start to collect notes on what kind of glider I'm going to purchase later this year, and knowing I likely won't be able to test drive the models I'm most interested in, I'd like to get some comparisons to what I do have access to. Last weekend I started flying a Pegasus 101A, and it looks...

Does anyone have the latest version in .pdf? If so, can you e-mail it to me, or post a good URL for one? The "Manual" link on the SotS web page is b0rken ... -tw

a.. Flaps or no? (I'll be flying mostly in Arizona, more x-country than local.) b.. Opinions on the Rigging Innovations P-124 emergency parachute system? (Yes, I know it's a ram-air parachute. I have much more experience on that kind of glider.) Mostly looking for feedback on comfort compared to...

I will be the new owner of a Ventus 2C in a week and I'm trying to scratch together what I need for the flight computer. Is there a WinPilot polar file available somewhere? I could not find one on the WinPilot web page. I also need the polar coefficients (a, b, c) for my LX5000. (With one of those...