We have cats and just got a new type of litter for them called SoPhresh Gel Lock. This stuff would be great in a zip lock pee bag! Super absorbent and turns into a gel immediately. I have not tried it in flight yet, but once i saw how this stuff worked i knew it would be great to put in some pee...

Our Club is reworking towing height fees. We are based south of Denver (elevation 7,000' msl). Normal tow heights are to about 9,000-10,000' msl. We have new members who now are asking for tows to 14,000' msl. This is causing up to 45-minute waits for the next tow. Normally, we get about four or...

Stefan Melber, et. al., have just published an aerodynamic simulation of a Standard Cirrus glider. It's a scholarly work and will not be understood by most of us, but the pictures are informative and worth taking a look at. You will find a link to it at www.standardcirrus.org. It's a 1.2 MB...

Why don't people in SRA and SSA get the message about contest safety? A unnecessary loss of life because the FINISH GATE was used and not a FINISH CYLINDER. Charlie Spratt and the top racing pilots want the finish gate at contests because it is so exciting! All the near misses in the pull ups and...

Can anyone supply a polar curve for a current 18m sailplane? Ideally the Ventus 2cxT, although Schempp-Hirth polars seem to be unobtainable. I already have the Dick Johnson review of the ASH-26E, so will use the polar from that if all else fails. That said, if anyone has a curve for a...

We've heard alot of arguments for and against instituting FAI rules in the US. For the record, I lean towards the FAI rules. If we want to win at the world level we ought to be selecting pilots under the same rules system that they will fly in the WC. That being said, the recent Junior Worlds...

Been trying to upload the day's flight but can't connect to the OLC website. Anyone else have problems?

Hi, Does anyone know the difference between an LNav and and SNav? I know historically the LNav was positioned as a 'budget' SNav, but looking at the manuals for the current versions there doesn't seem to be any appreciable difference between the two. If anyone could outline the 'family tree' for...

Wanted GPS-NAV display..any version considered, any language

Well, now I've done it. I've changed the tail number of my glider, and I'm in the process of getting a new experimental airworthiness certificate. My glider currently is certified as: "Experimental: Exhibition and Air Racing." The DAR (FAA Designated Airworthiness Representative) says that I am...

Contact Cessna. There are factory approved drawings for a Schweizer towhook installation. There is a charge for the drawings, but once you own them, you can install the towhook with nothing more than a logbbook entry. Since it is factory approved additional equipment, and not a modification, no...

I haven't even looked, but I'm guessing there is still a requirement in the contest "rules" to have contest numbers under the wing, etc. I'm thinking of removing my under wing contest number and not replacing it - is anyone aware of any contest where not having a contest number under the wing...

As a student pilot, thinking more about gliders lately, I started reading this group. I can't help but notice that talk of contests seems to dominate the subjects here. I think I would enjoy gliders just for the fun of flying, and seeing what you could do individually, and for the beauty of...

What's the minimum realistic climb rate that should be acceptable for self-launch? I've heard things like 1:4 ratio of thrust to MTOW (where thrust is approximated as 3x motor/engine power), but planes like the Silent 2 Electro and miniLAK FES seem to exceed this somewhat, with the miniLAK FES...

How do these compare? Not performance wise (no ambition to fly comps and still a beginner at ca 100 hours) though specs seem close for ls8 in 15m config but in all other aspects. Price difference makes me wonder which way to go... Has anyone flown, owned both? S

This article, originally in Soaring (Feb 2002) was updated recently to include information on the Trig TT21 transponder. You can download it from http://tinyurl.com/yg76qo9 It will also be available on the Soaring Safety Foundation website later this month: http://soaringsafety.org/

Anybody have a recommendation for a small thin digital camera with decent quality that might be suitable for taping to a winglet for inflight down-the-wing shots, with a connection for an rf remote? Have not been able to find a small camera with remote option. Thanks...

Haven't flown either one, but have flown the ASW17, and liked it. Would like to avoid gel coat issues. Thanks all, Rich

nice design for this wing wheel dolly carbon fiber texalium shock absorber easy to use watch the video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djXBxx9ys_Y

Each side of the landing gear of the Pawnee is fastened with 3 bolts. Each fore and aft outboard bolts connect through 2 sets of tabs welded to the lower fuselage longeron. Our right hand gear is slightly loose at the forward attach point . Either the holes in the 2 tabs are worn out-of-round...