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Volume 6 Issue 1 June/July/August 2013 2013 PSSA Siskiyou Trip PSSA Picnic August 18 by Marlene See Upcoming Events Page 6 for details: Nelson Great conditions, friendly folks and a comfortable facility contributed to the success of the 2013 PSSA sojourn to Siskiyou County last week. Un- der the leadership of trip organizer, Wayne Ginther, we traveled south on I-5 for ten hours to the Montague Rohrer airport near Yreka, CA. Participating members included: Wayne, Stefan Perrin, Terry Crippen, Tim Heneghan, Dave Kremers and Curt Chenoweth and Marlene Nel- son. Three and a half to four hour flights were the norm and although conditions were not con- ducive to flights above Mt. Shasta, several flights Photo by Tim Heneghan across the base occurred. In past years we have operated at Siskiyou Country airport without the benefit of shade or facilities, this year the re- gional contest was held earlier this month at Montague so we decided to move our PSSA base to this much narrower and shorter facility. Everyone was grateful for the shade, green grass, restroom facilities and cold beer after flying. The landing lights were lowered each day to preclude interference with glider wings on landing or takeoff. It worked well for us—all takeoffs and landings were Runway 33 with the exception of Tuesday when the gliders departed run- way 15 in 20 K winds. The resident Pawnee towplane pulled us to Gunsight Ridge which provided good access to Soaring Society of America News In This Issue In the August issue of Soaring, members tives are now sent by e-mail only! will learn The Thrill of Flying Out, in an In order to receive these essential AD's, July PSSA Siskiyou Trip ....1 New PSSA Members …… 2 essay by Greg Swiderski, embellishing in aircraft owners (individuals, clubs or cor- Guess That Sailplane …….4 the risks and rewards to be gained from porations) must update their -e mail with Maintenance Report …….. 4 venturing away from 'home' base and the FAA. To continue receiving ADs at Safety Corner …………….. 4 embarking on a cross-country adven- no cost, owners must subscribe to the Training Corner …..……… 4 Club Addresses …………. 6 ture. GovDelivery e-mail service by visiting the Board Members ……...…… 6 Regulatory and Guidance Library home Upcoming Events ……...… 6 Since March 2010, Airworthiness Direc- page http://rgl.faa.gov. Cont. Page 6 - PAGE 2 VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1 Scott Valley and the Marble Moun- tains on the west side of the valley. Many flights were made to Duzel rock, China Mountain and Mt. Ed- dy. Tim flew a distance over 400K one day in something more than six hours—he barely missed his gold badge distance working his way back from Dry Lake nearly 45 miles east of Montague. All but the first two days were totally blue sky days which made it a bit tougher to lo- cate lift. For the most part we had the airport to ourselves—very little power plane traffic. Start times were 1-2 PM and temperatures were in the mid 90’s except on our last day of flying when Don, who lives across the road from the air- port, reported his home thermom- eter was reading 108 degrees F in the shade. Conditions on Sunday were forecast to be similar so we packed up and headed home. Photo’s of the Siskiyou trip by Tim Heneghan New Members! We have several new members that have joined the club in June. Photos of New Members by Roger I have always been interested in Schert and Jeff Gibbons flight, but it has only been recently that I’ve had the time to invest in Jason Caulkins: piloting. Gliders have always fasci- nated me, and ever since seeing I live and work in Issaquah, Wash- Balleka's YouTube channel of cliff ington in high tech, but enjoy all soaring in the UK, I’ve wanted to give things that fly in my free time. soaring a shot. I have a growing fleet of RC aircraft, After discovery flights in various including gliders, fixed wing, multi- fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft, engine, gas, electric and single and I’ve decided that sailplanes are the multi-rotor craft. VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1 PAGE 3 most fun and accessible. Bergseth Field is about a 2.5-hour drive for me each way (I live in I have obtained the FAA student Port Townsend, on the Olympic pilot certification, passed the Pri- Peninsula), but so far I am loving vate written and have soloed on it, and find it completely worth July 7th. the effort every time I make it to Congratulations Jason! the field and get some flying. Jeff Gibbons: My wife Martine and my 11-year- old son Jack come with me some- I'm 57 years old, and got my pri- times too, and spread a blanket vate pilot's license about 25 years on the grass at the edge of the ago, but never got many flying "overrun" part of the runway to hours in after getting that license. spend a few hours; they say it's The practical and travel aspects of like being at the park, but nicer flying aren't too important to me, because they can watch the sail- the appeal of flying for me is planes! mainly in the flying itself: the physics and aerodynamics, all the Roger Schert: knowledge people have learned there's been one thing or another I have been around aviation all of which make it possible to build keeping me from learning to soar for my life. My Mom says that even and control a vehicle which can most of my 57 years now. But a few as a baby, I had AV fuel for blood travel through the air efficiently. months ago I saw that one of my Dad's old friends from NASA/Edwards, a test and that I would point to the sky For that reason, soaring has al- pilot named Einar Enevoldson, was and babble every time an air- ways appealed to me, and I've giving a talk at the Museum of Flight plane flew over head, my wife always wanted to learn to do it, about his project to build and fly a says I still babble when an air- but never took the time. I was al- glider higher than anyone has ever plane goes by. ways very aware of soaring, too, flown one. He is going to use an at- My dad had many airplanes, even when I was a little kid; I grew mospheric wave to climb up to the Howard DGA 15, Beech 18, sever- up in the Mojave desert north of polar vortex near the southern tip of al BT-13’s, two B-25’s, and a fixed Los Angeles, only a few miles from South America, and then ride that up base operation at Jane's Airfield a lot of really fantastic soaring to 90,000 feet! (This is the Perlan Pro- in Blaine Minnesota. sites: Tehachapi and Crystal Aire ject, www.perlanproject,org; they've and El Mirage dry lake, etc. already flown to more than 50,000 feet). I went that day, and along with My Father worked for NASA as an his talk, the museum had a lot of gor- aeronautical engineer at Edwards geous sailplanes on display too, and Air Force Base, on Rogers dry lake, the Puget Sound Soaring Club had a and they tested a lot of rocket table with information about them- planes there like the X-15 and var- selves -- and I realized that this was my ious lifting bodies which had to chance to finally learn soaring! So land without power after the rock- since then I've been coming as often et fuel was gone, so a lot of the as I can to Bergseth Field, learning test pilots got training in gliders at from Gary Ohlinger and all the other places like Tehachapi. So I knew extremely helpful people in the club, about it, and wanted to do it, but and hope to get my glider rating this didn't have the money when I was summer, maybe soon enough to take young -- and then I moved away my daughter Olivia soaring before she to college, and then a job, a fami- heads off to college in California. ly, and real life got in the way; VOLUME 6 ISSUE 1 PAGE 4 July 17th was [email protected]. Owners Manual. The radio and my 48th anniversary of my first so- your fellow members will appreci- lo. August will see my 47th anniver- I hope to see you at Bergseth soon. ate it. A copy of the manual can be sary of my first solo in a glider. I found on the PSSA website under Maintenance Update: have flown gliders with the Minne- TRAINING. sota Soaring club in Stanton, MN, The 2-33 radio has been problem- Caesar Creek Soaring Club in Day- atic for some time. Since clear and Safety Corner: ton Ohio and the Associated Glider reliable radio communication is an Towing the Trailer Safely (originally Clubs in San Diego. I have towed important aspect of PSSA's daily ASA newsletter- March/April 2009) Sailplanes and flight instructed in operation and safety, the decision power. I intend to get my CFI-G was made to replace the radio and Any combination of tow vehicle sometime in the next year. I am microphones rather than continu- and trailer will be safe if you go currently building an Easy Eagle bi- ing to fight the gremlins that lurk slow enough.