How About Story Time

most of the guys who use the bag, lay it beside there leg or strap it to there calf.

YO,

I'd seen your Mark VIII video before. I'm waiting for the Mark IX you promised: a tube feeding a holding tank at the glider's CG. A level-sensing switch empties it at the appropriate time by closing a valve on the input side, pressurizing the tank using compressed air from a companion tank (charged on the ground or, in version IXa, by a small onboard 12v air compressor), and opening a valve to the discharge tube leading all the way back thru the fuselage to a tube that extends (a la Mark VIII) horizontally until it's aft of the rudder. Then, with an abundance of caution, it flushes the entire system each time with 50 cc of water from a connector to the water ballast system. I heard you had to make some adjustments after the air compressor accidentally pressurized your left water ballast tank and partially separated the wing skin from the spar. How could you have known that would happen? I agree a $2.99 check valve should fix that in the future. Teething problems like this are part of every great technological advance

Sign me up when it's ready. What good is technology if we don't use it? Besides, I'm tired of pilots complaining every time they see my wheel come down in a thermal.

Chip Bearden
JB

Nick Kennedy wrote on 4/18/2020 4:12 PM:
GETTING HIGH IN PAROWAN UTAH
I had been to a couple of the Marfa spring wave camps sponsored by Dick Johnson in the early 2000's so I knew what a Shear Wave was/is. Got to 23k+ in my 1958 Ka6CR. Great fun, some good story's from those meets.

Fast forward to a few years later in a early Region 9 contest in Parowan Ut..
Flying my aSW 20 XS.
Due to a 1st day navigation error I was about last on the score sheet.
We take off on this kinda windy blue day, Top of the start is around 10k.
Well I climb up super high for no real reason, waiting for the start gate to open. I'm up over 17k in the blue, when my thermal peters out and I bump into what I recognize from Marfa is a shear wave. I want to exploit this thing so I think real quick and turn off my logger, and slowly s-turn my way up to over 22k and drift way back to the NE. Then someone comes over the radio and says " Hey isn't that a glider super high about 15 miles NE? Jeez I was spotted. I pulled my hat low over my eyes.
The start gate was going to open in about 15 minutes so I lowered my gear and flaps and opened the dive brakes and descended down to 10k to get a start.
After that, the rest of the day I felt so low.
I like getting up over 20k, the air is so nice and crisp up there.
Nick
T

How do you recognize a shear wave, compared to the usual mountain lee wave?

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to email me)
- "A Guide to Self-Launching Sailplane Operation"
https://sites.google.com/site/motorg...ad-the-guide-1

http://www.nadler.com/public/1995_Fl...e_Monerai.html

OK- this kind of ties in to the 18 meter gliders need their own records and class thread.

One of our (former) pilots at Moriarty was known for running down his batteries, because they were connected to his radio and PTT switch. I mean, this guy's Tail Letters should have been "TMI." Everything he saw, experienced or imagined went out on 123.3. One day he blasted out. "I just had a DISASTER in my cockpit! My catheter just popped off, and now I got pee all over everything!"

Naturally, everybody in radio range was having catheter problems as we laughed our asses off.

A couple of hours later, I found myself getting a bit low, but with a bailout runway (barely) in reach. Our intrepid urine-soaked hero pulled into my weak-ass 200 fpm bugfart a few hundred feet below me. It finally got to about 400 fpm and we climbed to 10,000 MSL (3,800 AGL). I keyed the mic and said, "Another circle and I'll be ready to head home."

He replied, "Ha! With these 18 meter tips, I can already make it back.. Easy!"

I said, "Lucky you. You got 18 meters. But my catheter doesn't fall off."

Long time stalker, first time poster.
My first story is about how thankful I am for Hank Nixon and Diane Black's generosity. I apologizing for not thanking you ~40 years later is IMHO better than not at all. I haven't had anything to deal with soaring for a long time, but so many of my best memories have to deal with soaring and contests. First things first. My dad (Mike Teter; MJ) was a member of the Harris Hill Soaring Society (HHSC). I got to go to many contests and had the great fortune of being a "spotter" for Charlie Spratt back at the first 15-Meter Nationals at Bryan, OH back in 1976(?). I have good memories of working the gate at Region 5 in Chester (despite constantly having teenager fights with my dad during the contests). I spent my teenage years as a junior member of the HHSC (IMHO, one of the best opportunities on the planet). I flew ok, but wasn't anything special. My memory/story is that right before the start of 10th grade, several of the HHSC juniors and some of the grownups took some ships (2-33/1-26) out to Middletown Soaring Club for an excursion. We all had a great time (sorry for the food poisoning puking in your basement due to some bad Pizza Hut pizza). I didn't know it at the time, but my parents had decided to separate... I don't know the details, but Hank and Diane let me stay with them for a week or so rather than deal with the drama. Diane drove me home in one of her fun cars (I want to say it was a Rover instead of a Jag). I'm now 54-years old. Ex-spook. PhD. Had a lot of fun, but still. I remember Hank and Diane doing something very kind and I appreciate it. Thank you.
Eventually, I ended up in NM doing nuclear weapons work, but I never felt that Moriarty (despite being 5 miles from my ranch) was a good place for kids (unlike HHSC). I also got to be one of Charlie Spratt's kids. That was great, although if I could, I wish I could tell Charlie that I'm sorry for being a pain in the ass. Cheers.
On Saturday, April 4, 2020 at 11:40:32 AM UTC-7, wrote:
Maybe this is a good opportunity for some of us to share some stories of our experiences.
I'll go first.-

During the regional at Harris Hill in 2013 I was flying K21 with grandson Calvin Mampe, Rachel Conklin, and her sister Michelle. All 3 had flown multiple contests with me before, 2 having done so before they were old enough to solo.
Half way through the contest, my wife Dianne had a terrible fall and ended up hospitalized with some very serious injuries. All 3 of the juniors had good flights with me earlier in the contest so I told them to just keep on flying.
On Friday, Calvin and Rachel flew but decided to abandon the task part way around the course due to rain. They did not want to land out and take the ship apart in the rain. Smart!
The next day Rachel and Michelle flew together. About 4:00 I was in the ICU with Dianne when Calvin called. When I answered, he simply said “K21 four miles�. Our 2 young ladies had flown the course for a reasonable score. To my knowledge, this is the first time two young sisters had ever flown in competition. We had a seriously great group hug that night. This may be my best ever moment as a supporter of youth soaring.
Following up- Michelle is now an A&P working for Textron and just finished her first restoration, a 1-26E. Rachel is instructing at Flight Safety and soon will have all the requirements for her ATP.

UH

On Friday, April 24, 2020 at 7:56:38 PM UTC-7, wrote:
Long time stalker, first time poster.
My first story is about how thankful I am for Hank Nixon and Diane Black's generosity. I apologizing for not thanking you ~40 years later is IMHO better than not at all. I haven't had anything to deal with soaring for a long time, but so many of my best memories have to deal with soaring and contests. First things first. My dad (Mike Teter; MJ) was a member of the Harris Hill Soaring Society (HHSC). I got to go to many contests and had the great fortune of being a "spotter" for Charlie Spratt back at the first 15-Meter Nationals at Bryan, OH back in 1976(?). I have good memories of working the gate at Region 5 in Chester (despite constantly having teenager fights with my dad during the contests). I spent my teenage years as a junior member of the HHSC (IMHO, one of the best opportunities on the planet). I flew ok, but wasn't anything special. My memory/story is that right before the start of 10th grade, several of the HHSC juniors and some of the grownups took some ships (2-33/1-26) out to Middletown Soaring Club for an excursion. We all had a great time (sorry for the food poisoning puking in your basement due to some bad Pizza Hut pizza). I didn't know it at the time, but my parents had decided to separate... I don't know the details, but Hank and Diane let me stay with them for a week or so rather than deal with the drama. Diane drove me home in one of her fun cars (I want to say it was a Rover instead of a Jag). I'm now 54-years old. Ex-spook. PhD. Had a lot of fun, but still. I remember Hank and Diane doing something very kind and I appreciate it. Thank you.
Eventually, I ended up in NM doing nuclear weapons work, but I never felt that Moriarty (despite being 5 miles from my ranch) was a good place for kids (unlike HHSC). I also got to be one of Charlie Spratt's kids. That was great, although if I could, I wish I could tell Charlie that I'm sorry for being a pain in the ass. Cheers.
On Saturday, April 4, 2020 at 11:40:32 AM UTC-7, wrote:
Maybe this is a good opportunity for some of us to share some stories of our experiences.
I'll go first.-

During the regional at Harris Hill in 2013 I was flying K21 with grandson Calvin Mampe, Rachel Conklin, and her sister Michelle. All 3 had flown multiple contests with me before, 2 having done so before they were old enough to solo.
Half way through the contest, my wife Dianne had a terrible fall and ended up hospitalized with some very serious injuries. All 3 of the juniors had good flights with me earlier in the contest so I told them to just keep on flying.
On Friday, Calvin and Rachel flew but decided to abandon the task part way around the course due to rain. They did not want to land out and take the ship apart in the rain. Smart!
The next day Rachel and Michelle flew together. About 4:00 I was in the ICU with Dianne when Calvin called. When I answered, he simply said “K21 four miles�. Our 2 young ladies had flown the course for a reasonable score. To my knowledge, this is the first time two young sisters had ever flown in competition. We had a seriously great group hug that night. This may be my best ever moment as a supporter of youth soaring.
Following up- Michelle is now an A&P working for Textron and just finished her first restoration, a 1-26E. Rachel is instructing at Flight Safety and soon will have all the requirements for her ATP.

UH

Sorry for the typos. Booze. I'd also like to add that I remember and appreciate all of the time that I spent with getting flight instruction (FI)and playing chess with Dave Welles, FI and general pointing me in a positive direction by John "Corky" Gill, and playing chess with Judge Hal Lattimore. Also, thanks to Herbie Mozer for my first joint in a hot tub. (p.s. the CIA knows).

Sorry for the typos. Booze. I'd also like to add that I remember and
apprec=
iate all of the time that I spent with getting flight instruction (FI)and
p=
laying chess with Dave Welles, FI and general pointing me in a
positive
dir=
ection by John "Corky" Gill, and playing chess with Judge Hal
Lattimore.
Al=
so, thanks to Herbie Mozer for my first joint in a hot tub. (p.s. the CIA
k=
nows).


How about when your father thought that he would slay the 1970
Standard Nationals competition with his secret Corning IR scope to
see thermals with. He sneaked it into his 1-23 before take-off on
one contest day, having never tried it before. Once he got off tow,
he tried to raise it to look for thermals, only to find that it was so
long that it hit the canopy to where he could only see his instrument
panel through the scope. Busted.......but he joked about it later.
He was a nice guy...

RO

If nothing else...since I was crew and other stuff back then....WTF you saying????

I was normally crew back then, heard many things...can't say I ever heard what you're proposing...

Yes, sitting back in the back for weather briefing, weather God was stating "good day" while his comment was drowned out by rain on tin roof...

Sigh....

That come from the life style poly?

On 4/24/2020 9:09 PM, wrote:
Also, thanks to Herbie Mozer for my first joint in a hot tub. (p.s. the CIA knows).

--
Dan, 5J