Our club is looking into a new canopy for a Grob 103 Twin Astir. We received an estimate from a well-known repair shop: $2,000 for the canopy and 50 hours of labor to install. I'm new to this field - I fly 'em, I don't fix 'em. But I'm having a hard time imagining what steps must be involved...

I just found out that due to a short runway at Seminole a decision was made to restrict the weight of each glider to 1150 lb. Supposedly the decision was made after consultation with pilots, not sure with whom. I would love to know who thought that it was a great idea. This leaves gliders with...

Now that our club tow plane has installed ADS-B out, I’m getting a constant collision alert on my S80, Flarm butterfly and Qudie while on tow. Is there any way to silence the collision alarm while on tow without turning off ADS-B targets on Flarm all together. I like seeing ADS-B targets while...

There are three messages here Your glider may not always enter spin in the same direction you turn or circle. At high bank 50-60 degree in tight turn with high G load your upper wing may stall first. In a split second you can get in accelerated spin in unexpected direction. Scenario could be a new...

http://www.reporterherald.com/lifestyles/neighbors/ci_32061333/loveland-family-soaring-new-heights-study-earths-stratosphere Arne is an SSA member and member of Colorado Soaring Association.

I think anyone who has read the "too many deaths" thread has been sobered. When we take to the air, we are accepting a far greater degree of risk than the vast majority every will. We do it because of the personal satisfaction we receive, which makes our lives brighter as a whole. But I also...

What is the initial new length of the tow ropes that you use? Assuming that you cut off the worn portion near the ring and gradually shorten the rope, when does the rope get too short to use? How often do you measure the rope? Do you usually discard used ropes because of visible wear, reduced...

Every year I test my two LiFePO4 batteries to gauge how long they will last during a flight. I decided to open the field a bit and also tested some soaring friend's batteries. You can read about my simple cheap manual process (later automated - see below) here ...

I noticed the Ventus 3 took 3 of the top 5 in the 18 meter class. Looks like to me they have come up with a very fine ship. I haven't seen one in person yet, look forward to that day.

With tried and true Ventus 3 and JS3, wonder how long before the ASG-33?

I just got notice from SPOT Tracking that they are increasing fees again for my next annual renewal. A few years ago, they added a "network fee" of $9.99 to my bill. That is now going up to $14.99. It looks like for tracking service, yearly fees will go from around $162 to $199.99. So another...

It is with great sadness that I inform you of the destruction of Sisu 1a, s/n 101, N6390X. We had a big storm blow through Avenal Ca and there was much damage. She was tied out (claw anchors, ratchet straps with screw shackles, wings on stands, tail elevated) but the ground liquefied and it was...

We imported a DG-505 Elan Orion built at the AMS Flight, d.o.o. (AMS) factory in Slovenia in 2006. It came with a Slovenian Certificate of Airworthiness and an AMS data plate. It was built under a German Standard Airworthiness Certificate which designates AMS in Slovenia as the manufacturer. DG...

Dear US-gliding community, it seems likely that I am going to spend about 2 year in the US (NJ area) starting next spring and I would like to bring my German registered glider along. Given it is for 2 years only, I would like to keep the ship under its German flag and keep any changes to glider...

The Genesis-2 was designed to incorporate a Ballistic Recovery System. My ship and at least one other US Genesis-2 is flying with a BRS installed. I regularly monitor the NTSB accident reports for glider accidents and this month I see 3 Cirrus Design Group accidents. The Cirrus is a power aircraft,...

On Tuesday, December 22, 2015 at 7:30:07 AM UTC-5, Jim White wrote: Leeching scenarios We can't agree on the problem, much less the solution. So let me go in a different direction using another sport as the analog. FLARM makes it easier to follow someone closely if leeching is your strategy....

Just wondering if L'Hotellier fittings wear? I can't seem to find what the tolerance is for the ball diameter. Just curious. I am aware of the min travel of the locking plate of 2mm. Thanks Casey

The tail dolly tire is flat again. The last time this happened, it took me bloody forever to get the tire bead off the rim, and back on again, with bicycle tools. (The wheel is one piece and does not come apart.) Somebody else must have figured this out. Short of taking it to a tire store, who has...

It worked fine last time I flew but today, it was stuck on the startup screen with 0 Satellites showing. I cycled the power a couple of times with no effect. Both my ClearNav vario and my Dell Streak were both receiving good GPS locks. The Streak reported 8 satellites. The PF Portable had...

Hi all, I’m looking for a reliable, high quality, standalone artificial horizon that fits cleanly in a round hole (I’m not wanting a square barnacle that “fits� into a round hole). Does anyone have any flight experience with either of these: uAvionix...