Mid-week Towpilot and Other Miscellaneous Notes

Once again, this year, SOSA will have a mid-week towpilot available Mon - Fri. Our new tow pilot is Gary Woolverton. Gary was prepared to start about three weeks ago in early May, but since the Citabria has been down for maintenance for the last 3 weeks we were unable to get him checked out. If the weather cooperates we will have him ready to tow next week.

Gary is currently attending Conestoga College in the Aviation program and has completed his commercial pilot licence. He is also a glider pilot and has instructed in the Cadet program during their summer training programs. Gary lives in Cambridge, about a 10 minute drive from the airport.

Other Notes

LS4 - is stored in the south end of the small hangar as will the DG 505. Ensure that the white wing covers and canopy cover is installed on the LS4 before you put it away. You should also wash the bugs from the wings before putting it away for the night. Use the Nu Finish Wax (orange bottle) avoid using water since it leaves large mineral deposits on the wings when it evaporates.

Small Hangar protocol - If you take the LS4 or DG out of the small hangar, return all other aircraft that you moved to the same spot from which you moved them. Once all aircraft are back inside the hangar, close the hangar doors. Do not leave the hangar doors open and aircraft outside.

Jantar - is stored in the large hangar with purple wing covers and canopy cover. As with the LS4 wash the bugs off before you put it away.

All gliders - if you are the last person to fly a glider, it is your responsibility to put it in the hangar. Do not leave it siting on the grass in front of the hangar for someone else to put away. Avoid using water to wash the bugs, use wax or pre-wax cleaner instead (see LS4 notes).

Parachutes - each parachute has a bag, they get lonely when separated. When you take a parachute in the glider, take the bag and stow it in the baggage compartment. When you land put the parachute in the bag and return it to the bus. Do not leave the parachute in the glider, especially do not leave it uncovered (ie out of the bag). The UV will destroy the parachutes in no time. How would you like top be left in a cockpit (on the ground) for two hours with the sun shining on you? Do not leave parachutes in the cockpit of the glider overnight in the hangar, return them to the bus. The club has over $20,000 invested in parachutes, help us preserve this investment.

Ballast Weights and Ballast seats - if you fly with ballast weight remove it after your flight. An unsafe condition may occur if a heavy person gets in the plane after you and does not notice your ballast weight. Return your weights to the bus after your flight, and again do not leave them in the glider overnight in the hangar.

When flying mid-week, there are several items that need to be attended to before and after flying since there is no duty crew.

Hangar unstacking - if you remove gliders and towplanes from the hangar to get to another glider at the back of the hangar, return all the gliders and towplanes you removed to the hangar before you fly. Do not leave them sitting outside for the day. This protects the planes from uneccessary UV damage, as well as the potential for wind damage. It also prevents visitors from accidentally damaging the gliders when everyone is up flying and the gliders are left unattended for hours.

Flight cards and Flight sheets - it is the responsibility of the pilot to fill in both the flight card and the flight sheet. Ensure that you transcribe the flight number from the flight sheet onto your flight card, this must be completed before take off. Keep track of your take-off and landing time and complete the duration portion of the card and sheet when you land. The sheet is used by Adam Zeiba and Patricia Olivier-Martin to fill in the journey logbooks, any incomplete information adds extra work for them.

Mid-week and weekends at the end of the day - collect all the white portions of the flight cards, place them in an envelope, label it "Flight Cards" and add the date. Place the envelope in the cash box in the clubhouse.

Flight sheets - all full flight sheets should be placed in the mail slot labelled flight sheets (currently in the hangar). Incomplete sheets should be left on the white flight board.