The following message from Ken Sorenson speaks for the Rules Committee and the rest of the contest commitee on the subject of contest reports from Logan. Please especially note that NO ONE from SSA censored the previously posted reports. UH Ken's message: Many of us enjoy following contests by...

Just curious if there is research that compares blow holes versus tabulator tape as to effectiveness and drag? i.e., are the bow holes worth the maintenance or is tape effectively just as good? Does the new Ventus have tape or blow holes?

On a whim I said to my long suffering wife that I would like to tour the USA with my glider, see the sights and enjoy the soaring. Surprisingly she said that she would come with me! I have a time budget of 2-3 years but modest financial resources. So gents...where and what time of year? If I...

like many clubs, we have troubles finding enough tow pilots. We have a Pawnee tow plane so we need to find the ever fewer pilots that are tailwheel qualified, and meet the insurance minimums. The other big issue is finding the candidate pilots that are qualified and interested in spending their...

We made it! What an incredible 8 days of flying we all had. The weather cooperated and gave us many chances to go for personal bests and explore the beautiful areas Nephi has to offer. Here are a few quick flight stats: 300 flights uploaded to OLC, many more were flown but not uploaded to OLC 3...

Fellow Soaring Enthusiasts on RAS, The SSA and specifically the SSA Growth and Development committee have accepted the donation of a Blanik L13 for use as a static display at aviation events. Meant as a promotional tool, this purpose built display will allow adults and kids to experience the...

Hello, Anyone out there have specs/measurements for the rotary switch that Schleicher installs in their newer gliders, to enable switching between batteries? (see the lower-left part of the panel in this image, as an example: http://cdn-www.airliners.net/aviation-photos/photos/9/2/2/1272229.jpg...

http://cumulus.atmos.und.edu/winds_introduction.php Note first picture. I think it's easy to see how a pair of AOA sensing ports could be added to a glider nose.

In case somebody was interested, the video materials from 17th EGC (Club, Standard, 20m) are available at http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa5hoVLTl803FzSQOiQVz6w Today the video of the daily task briefing was posted about 9am EST (3pm local). So one could watch it while the competitors are still...

Hi, Photos from day 4 of the WGC in Uvalde, TX are available he http://www.flickr.com/photos/remde/sets/72157630984490418/ Good Soaring, Paul Remde

Looking for some help from the group... I'm putting together a presentation (might be overhead viewgraphs and/or a series of posters) for the general public on soaring and I want to catch their interest and imagination. For instances might be: the world altitude record for a glider is close...

Got my first experience with GPS Jamming. Apparently, lots of truckers on I-35 near the Kansas-Oklahoma border were jamming today. I would go from 8 satellites showing on my GPS Nav Display (Cambridge Model 20 GPS) to none, lost distance to turnpoint, lost ground track, lost bearing to turnpoint...

I had the honor of giving the Ralph S. Barnaby lecture at the fall Board of Directors' meeting. The title is "The evolution of US contest soaring," which I sort of talked about but couldn't resist adding an editorial here and there. If you're really, really bored at the office, you might enjoy the...

Hi, This was a crazy idea I had that my son thought would be a lot of fun. The question is whether or not it is legal or advisable. The idea is to tie a bunch of helium party balloons to a SPOT unit, then let it go and see how far it gets. We would chase it down in a car. Theoretically, we...

Hi Guys Does anyone have a 20B panel outline file that will work in Auto CAD program. The 20B has a completely rounded top a flat bottom and steps on both sides. It is different than a 19, 20A, and is the same as a 20C. Thanks Norm

Hi all This has been thrashed out before but a search didnt come up with any difinitive answers, only general observations and personal views. What opinions have you all on canopy tinting - what color and why? The tinted canopy looks better from the outside - Yep, I reckon so The tints seem to...

Please be careful out there. I just got an earful from a fighter pilot who said he had an 'encounter' with a glider over the Pahranagat valley tuesday afternoon. That's a VERY busy corridor Monday through Friday.

After reading of the recent mid-air out West I bought a Zaon MRX PCAS (Portable Collision Avoidance System) from Aircraft Spruce & Speciality to try out. I also fly a Piper Vagabond without an electrical system and this unit doesn't require your aircraft have a mode C transponder as it's a...

I'm planning to join the local soaring club and had my first ride last weekend. I was eager to take the controls while being towed and was enormously humbled by the experience. I've had my ppsel for several years, but do not have many hours under my belt. Never the less, I was looking forward to...

Just sent a note to Dennis to voice my disappointment with the current SSA website. I preferred less splash and more functionality (and reliability). It has been several months since the switch over, and I'm still unable to access the photos section, one of my favorites. Today was the tipping point...