On Thursday, March 31, 2011 3:19:07 PM UTC-7, Nyal Williams wrote: I don't mind giving a cockpit checkout in gliders I have not flown. My statement says simply that the pilot has read the POH and that I have conducted a review of the instruments and flight controls, and then sign that...

A friend just had the axle break on his Eberle trailer. Any thoughts on an easy swap? Or should he rent a flatbed to get it home then take his time to replace it? He's about 50 miles inside Virginia on I-81 on his way to the DC area. 5Z

On Friday, July 22, 2011 8:14:22 PM UTC-7, Steve Koerner wrote: The most fundamental problem is that we invented too many towplane signals. Consider if there were only one signal, then there could never be this fatal problem of misinterpretation. The signal should simply be "tow...

On Thursday, July 21, 2011 9:30:04 PM UTC-7, Ramy wrote: How many more pilots need to die until the rudder waggle will be replaced with something more sensible, like a radio call?? And if the glider is on to at a busy GA airport with near constant radio calls by other aircraft? What then?????

On Friday, July 8, 2011 9:39:02 AM UTC-7, Dave Nadler wrote: So far, my Antares 20E has not let me down, but it is a motor-glider and I fly it always such that the day when there is a problem, I will have a pre-planned and safe out. My ASH-26E has never (completely) failed me either, but I...

Or if you're at the command line of a Linux, Unix, Mac OS-X machine: $ date Fri Jun 24 22:07:18 PDT 2011 $ date -v+180d Wed Dec 21 22:07:24 PST 2011 ;-)

So if several sailplanes arrive at pattern altitude at the same time, how does the port authority expect them to land "legally"? -Tom

On Tuesday, May 24, 2011 2:58:02 PM UTC-7, zulu wrote: Since the inclusion of TCAS equipment, line pilots (for the most part) look out the window even less. The thinking being if it’s out there, I’ll either catch it on TCAS or ATC will tell me about it. In ATC land, if the radar scope does...

On Tuesday, May 10, 2011 5:26:30 PM UTC-7, Papa3 wrote: 200K in a 2-33 is grounds for a mandatory psychological examination. Back in the mid 1970's, the Arizona Soaring Association's weekend race series had two classes. The "B" class was mostly for the 1-26, but Laszlo Horvath, proprietor of...

On Thursday, April 14, 2011 12:47:13 PM UTC-7, Tony wrote: Paul, since you sell V2000's, and I intend to buy from you anyway, do you know if it will work on Static or is TE an absolute requirement for the vario? TE is just static that changes with airspeed, so the vario has no idea whether...

This is primarily aimed at US pilots, but certainly applies to us all... The latest issue od Soaring magazine has a well written editorial by Dennis Wright about our responsibilities of avoiding airspace that requires permission to enter. On page 13 there's an article if interest to any of us...

On Thursday, March 31, 2011 7:02:30 AM UTC-7, KevinFinke wrote: Curious, is it possible to conduct the "minimum" 1 hour ground review session via a classroom environment with multiple attendees? Yes. Even better, find out where a local CFIG refresher clinic is being held and sign up. It's...

On Friday, March 25, 2011 10:41:58 AM UTC-7, Tim Taylor wrote: Sad thing is the AOPA site never mention the obvious error that if he had turned left rather than right he could have used the cross runway in a smooth 270 degree turn rather than the 360 degree turn required to go back to the...

The best way to get a good wind calculation while flying "straight", such as on a final glide, descending through wind gradients and shears, I do the following per conversation with Dave Ellis a few years ago: 1. Turn 45 degrees off course and fly straight for 10-15 seconds. 2. Turn 90 degrees in...

I just made my first flight with the new Panasonic DMC-ZS3 camera and it's quite impressive. The lens does an effective 25 - 300mm zoom, so not only can you get good pilot perspective shots, but air to air photography is also possible without the need to fly dangerously close to the other ship. ...

Messenger, that is... OK, so I've just been driving with it recently. But I have kinda figured it out, and have also set up an email filter to generate a much more useful email or text message position report. What follows will be most useful for someone who already has one of these, but it may...

Yet another potential source of lift? http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2007/11oct_undularbore.htm?list812469 The question is how long do they last and how far they propagate? And, of course, how do you catch one? -Tom

With all this discussion going on now, maybe someone with some knowledge or experience could enlighten us on the consequences of 10 or more sailplanes in a tight gaglge all squawking the same info. Will ATC see them all? Or will interference and/or filtering software at ATC make some or all of...

In another thread, some folks mention flying with these "light sensitive" glasses. I have a pair, but find I must use clip-ons while driving, as the glasses apparently react to UV, and the car's windows filter most of it. I have also found that same effect, though a bit milder in the sailplane. ...

I currently charge the (hard to remove) batteries in my ASH-26E with a solar panel and charger installed on/in my trailer. During a contest, the plane may not spend much time in the trailer during daylight hours, but it does spend most nights in there. The solution would be to use the solar panel...