Having recently landed a Pilatus B4 'wheels up, on a wet grass runway (without any physical damage to the a/c!). I noted the extremely short ground run! Could this be a useful option- if you have selected a slightly small field for an out-landing (ie- leave the u/c up?) Another scenario,...

Jackie Payne shares, "This morning Dennis and Jim launched in the Arcus just after sunrise at gliderport Lago Nahuel Haupi near Bariloche. Link is below for near real time tracking. We think the best wave will be from midnight to noon today. So might be an early landing if the wave does diminish....

We just launched SeeYou version 6.2 with a very nicely re-worked overview of the airspace hints: http://www.naviter.com/2014/12/seeyou-6-2-with-new-hints/ We also announced that we are running a december discount coupon action with a coupon code "SEEYOU2015" which brings 20% discount to each new...

It has been several months since the last "Cloudstreet" video trailer was posted. I am happy to say that a new 2 minute trailer is up on the www.cloudstreethd.org website, or, you can click the following link: https://vimeo.com/114041998 The new trailer features a hint of the original musical...

A witness stated that she saw a glider coming down with a wing detached. http://www.az.com.na/unf-lle/segelflugzeug-bei-blumfelde-abgest-rzt.421887

Hi Everyone, A friend and I are planning a soaring vacation during 21-26 June 2015. A couple of choices are Nephi, UT and Telluride, CO. Can anyone tell me if there are full time tows available at either of these locations during our planned time? Also, can anyone suggest a mountain soaring...

The Yahoo site that has been around for 8 yrs has been hacked by spammers, and the owner hasn't shown up to revive it. So we are moving to a moderated group with three co-owners: http://groups.google.com/group/pik20 . Please join if you're interested in the glider. Bret

I have been trying to understand just how a TE probe functions. Is a TE probe plumbed as the only static source for a variometer or is it plumbed together with the static ports that are usually placed on the sides of a glider? Thank you.

On Tuesday, December 2, 2014 2:29:42 PM UTC-5, wrote: Those of you that have flown in NZ probably know these men. They will be missed.http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/63733381/Kiwis-die-in-Namibia-glider-crash Does anyone know what happen on this flight to kill two...

Hi I am a student pilot who is heading to Europe in the spring and would like to take the opportunity to do some soaring in the most scenic parts of Switzerland and Germany. Would appreciate any thoughts on the following: - best scenic soaring sites - commercial operations that offer rides -...

I use a 25mm Confor/Dyna Foam type seat cushion, would this help? The scenario, I suggested- would be to able to stop the a/c quickly!

Most people seem to prefer to mount their radio far down on the panel. Is this the best spot? The stick obscures the radio. Williams soaring mounted their ASK 21 radios on the far left but I have no idea how they support the radio as there isn't any space to attach a support bracket. So my 2...

Tailplane mounted video cams show fin mounted TE probes to be bouncing and jiggling up and down during flight. Do we have any information to indicate whether this affects their performance? John Galloway

On Tuesday, December 2, 2014 12:29:42 PM UTC-7, wrote: Those of you that have flown in NZ probably know these men. They will be missed.http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/industries/63733381/Kiwis-die-in-Namibia-glider-crash With flaps in positive position and in a spiral dive...

There was a Disney TV movie named Sky Trap produced when I was a kid in which a Blanik did a slow roll on tow. I believe Art Scholl was the pilot. Being Disney though you certainly won't find any clips on YouTube. There is an article about the filming in a contemporary issue of Soaring.

We've had to change tactics slightly to deal with the Cambridge flight recorder GPS date problems recently discussed here on r.a.s. Here's the latest: Cambridge 302 needs a new GPS card to fix this the right way. Simply soldering in a new battery won't get your 302 through Winter storage (which...

2003 TeST TST-10M self-launcher for sale. Excellent, "turn-key" condition. Aluminum Cobra. Max pilot weight with full fuel 201 lbs. Details: www.tst10M.com and Wings and Wheels. Price reduced to $39,000 firm. Need to start college savings plan!

Hi, Have you ever done the conversion ? Any other idea or experience on launching a bt ? Regards

It is sad to report that Raouf Ismail, developer of the Cambridge variometer and founder of Cambridge Aero Instruments and Cambridge Aeroflow, died on Nov 12th. He was lifelong friend and will be missed by many. ( private communication.) John Firth

Check out www.windyty.com It will be interesting to see if its forecasts are accurate enough for ridge soaring. One nice feature is that you can change the altitude for the forecast (lower right side) to get predictions for ridge height in your area. -John, Q3