Feb. 21st - Advanced Soaring Seminar

Philadelphia Glider Council is hosting an Advanced Soaring Seminar on Saturday,
February 21, 2004. Location: Doylestown Public Library, Doylestown, PA.
Time: 9:30am - 4:30pm. Fee: $20. Reservations Contact: Phil Klauder -
or call 215-643-5853

Advanced Soaring Seminar Topics and Speakers:

*Performance Tuning and Aerodynamic Modifications*
This session will explore the scope of improvements and modifications that can
enhance the performance of modern sailplanes. Peter Masak will discuss sealing,
drag reduction, and aerodynamic modifications that can be applied to
cross-country gliders. Masak is a well known sailplane and winglet designer
will
highlight performance gains possible with the latest designs. This session will
cover the possibilities from low-cost improvements to significant drag
reduction designs.

Peter Masak
Former U.S. 15m National Champion
Designer - Scimitar sailplane and winglets
Author - Sailplane Performance Enhancements

*Soaring Weather Forecasts*
Understanding the weather is an important aspect of cross-country soaring. This
presentation, by Richard Kellerman, will highlight the fundamentals of soaring
weather prediction; with a focus on the methods used to forecast thermal
strength, cloud formation, atmospheric stability, and wind. The use of
atmospheric forecast tools, such as, satellite soundings, FSL sounding plots,
BLIP map predictions, and other useful methods will be discussed. Learn how
predict when to soar and what to expect.

Richard Kellerman
Competition Pilot
Official National Contest Weatherman

*Off-Field Landings*
Flying gliders cross-country demands pilots have off-field landing skills. This
session, by Tom Beltz, 2003 U.S. Standard Class Champion and World Contest
Pilot, looks at the elements that contribute to safe off-field encounters. The
discussion will include, tactical decisions that may or may not lead to a
non-airport landing; selecting the best landing site; setting up an approach to
take advantage of the situation; and how to avoid the pitfalls of field
landings. This session will offer valuable information to both the novice and
veteran cross-country pilots.

Tom Beltz
2003 U.S. Standard Class Champion
World Contest Participant - Lezno, Poland 2003
U.S Airways Captain

*Finding and Working Lift*
Making effective use of lift is what separates fast cross-country pilots from
the pack. This discussion, by Ken Kochanski, will examine what accomplished
contest pilots know about reading the sky, looking for the appropriate ground
features, and working marginal lift. Advanced soaring techniques are built
around the ability to use available lift efficiently and know when to cut and
run. This session will focus on the weather knowledge, flying skills, and
decision making required to fly respectable cross-country speeds.

Ken Kochchanski
Competition Pilot
1000 km Task Completion
Sailplane Racing Association

*Competition Flying*
Flying in soaring contests is an excellent method to enhance your piloting
skills and expand your experience. This session, by Bif Huss, will outline the
skills, preparation, and understanding required to begin with regional events
and work up to larger contests. Learn about contest procedures, types of tasks,
flight recorders, and other elements of competitive flying.

Biff Huss
2003 Governors Cup Champion
Competition Pilot
American Airlines Captain