Does anyone know if there are (or have been) any books written about aircraft instrumentation? I recall reading short blurbs in biographies of Sperry and Kollsman about the instruments they invented, but I've never seen a book entirely devoted to aircraft instrumentation (with details on how they...

I was helping a friend with his ASW-20, and we took a mystery instrument out. The instrument consists of a small project box containing a single layered printed circuit board, non-silk-screened, that holds 3 integrated circuits, a few resistor packs, a few capacitors and a 20K trim pot. Etched...

I think it's significant that DG's Forum has gone silent. Probably DG is holding it's corporate breath, waiting until the "grace" period has expired, and hoping against hope that owners pony up some cash. I don't think they're going to be happy... -John On Feb 21, 5:18 pm,...

I've got one of the newer Volksloggers, with the rectangular connector (hardware version 3.4, firmware version 3.6). No operating problem with it, but I have a preventive maintenance question on the 10 year old device. Old messages on RAS mention the presence of an internal battery, and say it's...

There are summaries of Frank Irving’s 1981 OSTIV paper that say he concluded the optimal CG for a standard class glider is 0.3 to 0.35 of the Mean Aerodynamic Chord. DG’s web site has an entry that says the 2001 Akaflieg Braunschweig flight test results concluded best glider results are obtained...

When you water ballast the four wing tanks of an LS8a you fill the inner tanks first, and when you dump the water there’s provision for the inner tanks to drain last. With a RS LS8-18 (and the newer DG LS8- s) this procedure is reversed - the outer tanks are filled first and there’s provision for...

I’ve got two questions for European pilots regarding the Form One, arising out of curiosity on my part. First, it appears to this US pilot that one of the uses of a Form One is to certify that a new part is airworthy, with the basis for airworthiness being that the part was made in accordance with...

Has anyone experienced touchscreen problems with their iPAQ in heat? Any Yesterday with ground temperature at 90F I had great difficulty after landing in selecting the ConnectMe program in Settings, then in commanding various actions to download. I'd get things above and below the item I wanted,...

I need to replace a Terra TRT250D (it's failed for the 5th time). The only transponder that might fit into the Terra's rectangular cutout in my crowded panel (if I do some horizontal filling) is the Trig TT21. The Trig's specifications look good and it has an attractive price, but it's brand new on...

A few days ago, Bumper mentioned his TPAS "went deaf" in his transponder equipped glider while flying near other transponders. Jim S asked about the blanking distance, and Eric Greenwell found in the manual for the Zaon MRX that this was about 0.4 miles. But the shape of the dead zone is very...

In the FAA aircraft registration listing on the web there is a section called Airworthiness. In this section my ASW-19B is listed as having an Engine Manufacturer of AMA/EXPR and an Engine Model of UNKNOWN ENG. Three questions about this: 1. EXPR must mean experimental, but what does AMA mean?...

Sixteen years ago, while I was testing VC-10s at Brize Norton, Sqn Ldr Jerry Odell took me for my first glider ride at Bicester. I've lost touch with Jerry, and now that I'm actually piloting gliders I'd like to thank him again for introducing me to this wonderful sport. Does anyone on RAS have...

I did a 200 km flight today (my personal best) that I wanted to post to the OLC. The OLC site refuses to accept the trace, stating that "the maximum timegap between two valid fixes is too large. (2166 sec 900 sec)". I am instructed to correct the error, and then click 'check entry'. Obviously,...

Last week, before the Minden midair, I reviewed Collision Avoidance Systems with the intent of putting one in my transponder-less ASW-19. I was interested in such a system because my glider club lies inside the Mode C veil of PHL, because an active military air base is 5 miles away, and because...

Glider trailer wiring can drive you crazy! I finally managed to get things working, and I offer the following tips in the hope that others might benefit. First, you must determine for both the car and the trailer exactly what turn signal and brake light system is being used. Are there...

Ran across an interesting web site today, then did a Google search of RAS and found it hasn't been mentioned here yet: http://www.runwayfinder.com/ It's interesting to me as a US pilot because the current METARs and TFRs are available by right clicking on a colored airport marking. Once the new...

I'm going to be putting a Cambridge Model 10 FDR (the one with the internal battery) into my ASW-19 at the end of March. Gary of CAI wasn't able to advise me, so I'm sort of winging it. Because of the 10's weight (3.6 lbs) and size (6" x 6" x 3"), I felt it would be best to mount it in front of...

On my ASW-19B's airworthiness test report there's an entry for "rate of wing bending oscillation". Two questions: 1. Why would a pilot want to know this frequency? Flutter prevention? Attachment integrity? 2. How would he go about obtaining it? Accelerometer and frequency counter?...

My ASW-19 came with a Schweitzer logbook, for whatever reason. This logbook is almost full, and I'm looking for a new one. The Schweitzer logbook has a very stiff, black, pebbled cover that has held up extremely well for over 23 years. I called the SSA, and Rhonda said that the logbook they sell...

I would like to be able to calculate the actual CG position for my ASW-19B, in addition to using Schleicher's cockpit load CG check. I found some data in the AS Airworthiness Test Report and more in the FAA Type Certificate Data Sheet, but 3 items are still unknown. Schleicher does not give any...