While I don't know much about this product, especially cost, it might be worth looking onto for someone familiar with the technology. Maybe it could be taylored for our specific needs. http://www.daysatphones.com/downloads/simplex.pdf Bill Daniels

I've been watching some of the Globalstar SPOT tracks from Region 9 in Parowan. I'm interested in SPOT and think the concept is really great. However, Monday the Internet server seemed to be down for most of the day so no tracks were available until after 5PM. Some of the users were getting...

Frank Whiteley and I spent the first three days of this week training the folks at Cross Country Soaring ( http://www.crosscountrysoaring.com/index.html ) to use their new winch. Frank trained the winch drivers and I trained pilots. I lost track of the number of launches but it was probably...

It seems that every day now some electronics giant is announcing their micro fuel cell. See: http://www.goodcleantech.com/2008/05/sony_presents_tiny_hybrid_fuel.php What I want to know is whether these things have a place in gliders. The first concern that pops into my head is that they must...

http://www.news.com/2300-11397_3-6238647-1.html?tag=nefd.also

This is a continuation of the earlier thread about tow plane fuel. From AVWEB February 11, 2008: Tetra-Ethyl Lead If I had an aircraft that required 100LL, I would read every report from Innospec, the only manufacturer of tetra-ethyl lead (TEL). Here is a quote from their 2007 third quarter...

OK, this is really going to show my age. I'm looking for a copy of an article by Bruce Carmichael published, I think, in a 1960 - 1962 issue of Soaring. The title was something like "Limits to Sailplane Performance". I'd like to share it with Al Bowers. If you have it, or just know exctly...

One of the little things that seems missing in other reports was the buzz created by the Condor Competition Flight Simulator. There were several booths set up with it in use and one session about using it in flight instruction. People are wild about this thing. Bill Daniels

I'm having a problem that I am almost positive isn't with IGC Simulator but with Google Earth. When viewing flights over mountaineous terrain, the program frequently hangs with the message "Google Earth not Available". I suspect that the required terrain data is not being supplied by GE as...

It seems as if GPS interference testing is becoming more widespread. See: http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/gps/gpsnotices/GPS_Interference.pdf I wonder if anyone has thought of what might happen if one of these 'tests' happened near the time an place of a sechduled contest. Basically, you would lose...

I believe there is a disc brake modification kit available from Wings and Wheels at about $1200US. That seems hard to justify given that it is about 7% of the resale price of the glider. I just decided not to aim the monster at anything I want to keep. Bill Daniels Lark owner "Kurt"...

I was very pleased to see the advert in the December issue of "Soaring Magazine". See: www.safeflight.com Does anybody know more about this device - especially the price? Bill Daniels

I want to apologize to anyone I offended with my "Dog Whistle" remark about the Silent jet glider. I have long held a disparaging view of small turbines based largely on their huge cost, noise level, awful specific fuel economy and short lifespan. There's also the safety issue of a compressor...

I'm fiddling with a Bohli Variometer that originally had a TE compensation diaphragm that connected to the pitot. (A Bohli uses the same taut band technology as the Sage except it's shorter and the needle is at the face of the instrument.) I have removed the compensating diaphragm and its housing...

Friends, please note a new e-mail address. (Remove the underscores) Bill Daniels

Think this might be useful? http://www.storm-hawk.com/ Bill Daniels

I placed an order by e-mail with S-H for new gas struts for my Nimbus 2C on October 2nd and received them today less than two weeks later. In 45 years of flying and owning aircraft, this was about as painless a procedure to obtain new parts for an old, out of production aircraft that I...

New flap/spoiler gas springs are on order for my Nimbus 2C. Would anyone care to give me the procedure for getting the old one out and the new one in? It looks to be a real pain to get the rear bolt out. Bill Daniels

From Aerokurier: Plastic winch cable now in series production ----------------------------- After a year of testing at AeC Landau the Lippmann Tauwerk GmbH has begun production of Dyneema as a winch-towing cable. Lippmann Tauwerk has developed the necessary braiding and coating of the "Dynatec...

I've sold my old glider and now I'm in the market for a new one. This time I'm going the single-place route. There seems to be a sweet spot in the price/performance curve when looking at the older open class gliders like the Open Cirrus, Jantar 2 (A or B), LAK 12 etc... I haven't ruled out 15...