DG 505 to go to the Ridge

The 505 will be heading to Mifflin, Pa on either the weekend of 28-29 April or 5- 6 May.

The intent is to get a group of SOSA members to experience flying at a different site and learn about ridge soaring.

Anyone who is interested in making the trip, plesae email dave at sosaglidingclub dot com.

The exact date of the trip will be decided based on the weather forecast. Both Dave and Joerg will be designated ridge instructors for the trip.

Joerg plans to fly to Mifflin in his Piper Arrow and can take three passengers with him for the weekend, but the combined weight of the passengers can not exceed 480 lbs, everyone must be a Canadian Citizen and hold a valid Canadian passport.

A Great Start to the Season

The sun was out, the temperatures were perfect and the runway has dried nicely allowing us to kick-start the season this weekend. As of the end of flying on Sunday, we had launched 115 flights, flying from 10 am until 6 pm both Sat and Sun (and from noon till 5 pm on Fri).

Many completed their spring check flights and spin checks over the weekend, so we now have a good core of check instructors ready to get everyone else checked out.

The conditions were also superb with great soaring conditions - 5 kt average lift to 5000 ft. Luke flew the Jantar on Sat for 3 hours, confirming that the newly installed LX4000 is working well. On Sun both Luke and Sergei flew the LS4 again confirming the operation of the newly installed LX5000.

Tom Coulson and Chris Wilson also rigged and launched in W2 - likely making it the earliest soaring flights of the year in W2 history.

Let's Go!

It looks like the weather has finally cooperated and the runways should be OK for limited flying operations this weekend.

Let's Go Flying!

Spring Work Weekend

Another successful work weekend was held this past weekend with about 60 members helping out over the two days. Many thanks to those who chose to help the club prepare for the season.

Angelo Savoia and crew lay a new sidewalk from the Clubhouse to the office trailer, while Andrew Parker and crew built a skirt around the office trailer

Meanwhile, at the hangar, another crew was busy preparing the aircraft. Luke Szczepaniak and Sergei Morozov installed the LX4000 flight computer in the Jantar, while John Brennan installed the new LX5000 in the LS4.


Joerg Stieber and crew vacuumed, cleaned and waxed the Blaniks, Puchacz and Junior, as well as the three towplanes. Pat O'Donnell and the Jurgensen clan also added their talents to the towplane cleaning crew.

Dan Bush re-installed the LX5000 in the DG 505 after having been removed for winter storage.

The grass cutting crew under the tutelage of Scott McMaster were given a briefing on the operation of both the tractors and mowers.

During the lunch break on Saturday, Anthony Kawzowicz was presented with the SAC Instructor of the year award for his efforts not only instructing, but also mentoring and working around the club throughout the season. Congratulations Anthony!

There are still many jobs that need to be completed to get the operation going.

LS4 - needs t0 be cleaned, waxed then rigged

DG505 - needs t0 be cleaned, waxed then rigged

Junior ZCA - needs t0 be cleaned and waxed

Clubhouse needs to be swept out and furniture needs to be vacuumed

The runways need to be rolled

The sidewalk to the office trailer needs to be finished

Please contact Herrie Ten Cate or Andrea Kuciak about the clubhouse and grounds or Alan Grant for Aircraft.

Flight Line Efficiency

During both the Summer and Annual General meetings, improving flight line efficiency was discussed at length. Some of the key points regarding improving efficiency relate directly to member satisfaction and ultimately retention. Other benefits to improving our flight line are: less wasted fuel as tow planes idle, thus reducing cost and pollutants, more flights in a given day resulting in more revenue for the club – thus minimizing the need to increase fees.

Our goal should be to fly the maximum number of flights possible each day so that all members are given the opportunity to fly on a given day. There have been many days where we have launched 100 flights. We need to look at our field management on these days and adapt this success to every day operations.

This year we need to focus on four items to meet this goal.

1. Gliders will be placed on the runway in two lines at all times*.
2. Duty Instructors need to be pro-active in assigning student and Instructor pairings.
3. Field Managers need to manage the field – not run ropes.
4. The VIP role will change from that of flying all the Intros to managing the Intro/pilot pairing.

What does each of these points mean and how should they be implemented?

1. Gliders placed in two lines
1. Instead of placing gliders in a single line-astern row, gliders will be placed in two rows. This allows the Field Manager flexibility in launching, since there are two gliders at the front of the grid. For example if a single and two-place are both at the front and the Citabria is the next tow plane, the single should be launched first.
2. If a glider at the front of one row is not ready this also gives the Field Manager the ability to launch the other row, thus minimizing wait time and manpower to move the first glider from the runway.
3. * Both Runways 10 and 28 are two narrow for this type two-plane grid, so we will continue to use a single row on these runways. Typically, when using 10/28 the operation is fairly quiet.

2. Duty Instructors role in field management
1. The Field Manager job is the most important job on the flight line, yet it is typically held by our least experienced members since our more senior members move into the Duty Instructor role.
2. Duty Instructors must mentor the Field Managers to pass along knowledge.
3. The Field Manager does not know the students, whereas most instructors do so the Duty Instructors should be pro-actively working with the students and Instructors on the line to pair them up well before the flight. In an ideal world when there are lots of instructors on the line this allows pre-flight briefings to take place while waiting for a glider. Instead of at the front of the line with the tow plane waiting.

3. Field Managers need to manage the field
1. Field Managers must be aware of the big picture – this is not possible if they are running ropes and hooking up gliders. Delegate this task to other members who are waiting for a flight.
2. To improve efficiency, the Field Manager needs to focus on the gliders that are next to launch. By ensuring pilots in the second row are ready to launch, the first row will always be ready when the tow plane arrives. Depending on the number of tow planes in service, the Field Manager may need to focus on the second and third row in the grid.

4. The VIP role
1. On busy days, it is not feasible for the VIP to fly all the Intro flights, this is unsafe in terms of the fatigue the pilot will experience.
2. During the peak period, the VIP should focus on managing the Intro list and available pilots. By doing this we will again remove some load from the Field Managers and allow them to concentrate on launching gliders.
3. In the morning before the flight line is busy, and again at the end of the day, the VIP will likely be required to fly some of the Intros, but when things get busy they must assume a management role.
4. In recognition that the VIP is above and beyond the normal Flight line duties, the VIP's will have 1 less normal duty.
   

To implement these changes will take some effort on the part of all members and it will take some time to adapt to the new system, but the resulting improvements on the flight line will positively affect everyone’s opportunity to fly, and that is why we are all at SOSA.!

Too Muddy to Fly

With the warm conditions this past week, the field is unusable for flying this weekend. It looks like we have moved from the frozen season to the hurry up and dry season.

With the sun shining the last few days, the snow is completely melted from the runways and the runway lakes are relatively small for this time of year.

Hopefully, it will be a dry spring and we can fly over the next few weekends.

In the meantime, don't forget:

Instructor meeting Sun 25 March at McMaster University

CAS Cross Country Soaring Seminar Sat 31 March in Mississauga (for details contact dave"at"sosaglidingclub"dot"com)

SOSA Work weekend 14-15 April

More Flying on the 18th

With a frozen runway and some brisk winds from the north, we took to the skies again today. The photo above shows our CFI John Brennan and Dave Springford about to embark on a check flight. During this flight we were able to climb to 5000 ' with about 3 kts average and the vario indicating up to 6 kts at times. What was remarkable is that it was 1140 am (1040 sun time!). It is not often that conditions are as strong that early in the day during the summer.
Sassy also enjoyed her first flying day at SOSA taking her normal spot supervising from the Gator. She is very sensitive about the red coat - so don't bring it up - it is hard enough to get her to wear it, but at least it keeps her warm.

Terry McElligot soaring in ICQ. Note the altimeter reads 4250 ' and the vario is showing 4 kts. Also of note is the position of the yaw string. While many may think that Terry is flying uncoordinated, in fact, he is applying an appropriate amount of slip into the turn - a well recognized thermalling technique - and yes it is meant to increase the climb rate. There have been several papers published on this subject.

Of course a flying day is never complete without the post-flight gathering in the clubhouse over a bottle of Sleeman's finest.

Flying on the 17th of March - 2007 this time!

With the warm weather last week to melt the snow and the cold temps overnight to freeze the runway last night, the weather aligned just right to allow the first flights of 2007 today.

John Brennan - in typical Irish fashion remarked that it was a suitable manner to celebrate St Patrick's Day. Other particpants on the day were Dan Bush, Andrea Kuciak, Scott McMaster, Dave Springford and Luke Szczepaniak.

Of course with the cool temps, the Citabria needed a good pre-heat before firing up, but after 20 minutes of pre-heat and pulling the prop through a few times, by hand, it fired with no hesitation - I think she wanted to fly as much as we did.

Most people think of a snowball as something you throw, well today it was something you followed on take-off, because if you look really closely, you can see a blue and white wing sticking out of it! (Click on the pic to enlarge)

Here it is from the outside

There were even a few thermals, with the vario peaking at 5 knots. The duration award for the day goes to Dan Bush who managed 25 minutes, including a couple of spins from a 3000 ft tow.

And if you have never seen snow covered runways at SOSA from the air it is actually a beautiful sight.

With a forecast overnight low of -11 C, the runway should be good and solid for some early flying tomorrow as well. We plan to open the hangar at 9 am and do some more flying.

As the sun warms the ground later in the day, it tends to become a little soft so we will likely only be able to fly until about 1 pm and then we will need to stop when the ground softens up.

So if you want to fly come out early!

Spring Work Weekend and Small Hangar Unstacking

The Work weekend is scheduled for Sat and Sun April 14-15.

All members are expected to attend one of the two days to help prepare the club equipment and facilities for the up-coming season.

If you have specific tasks that you think should be accomplished please contact Herrie (facilities), Andrea (grounds and equipment), Al Grant (aircraft) with your suggestions


All private owners who have glider trailers stored in the small hangar are asked to remove their trailers from the small hangar on Easter Weekend 7-9 April.

Flying at SOSA on the 7th of March

A Blanik circling over the Lion Safari on the 7th of March.

A few hardy souls braved the cool temps and managed to get in the air. This early start to the season does not happen every year - things need to align just right, cool enough temps to keep the runways frozen, yet not too much snow to hinder flying operations. As it is, the snow is still covering the runway today, but a year ago we flew the first flights of last season on this day. With the warming trend on its way at the end of this week, and a little rain to wash away the snow, we might yet be flying before the end of March! Keep your fingers crossed. And for those who thought I was talking about 2007 - sorry about that :)

SOSA AGM and Awards Banquet

A well attended AGM took place this past weekend with a room full of members to hear reports from the Board about last years activities and plans for the future.

Mike Sury busy at the registration table

Dave talking and John listening :)

Dave still talking!

After the meeting many toured the Museum with Mike Sury's father as the tour guide

The cocktail hour before Dinner

70 people attended the awards banquet and were treated to a wonderful meal. Following dinner, certificates and awards were presented for the 2006 flying year.

Solo Certificate Presentations:

Mark Karamanis - Dennis Dyke - Spencer Hunt - Ping Wu

License Presentations:

Ping Wu

Instructor Ratings:

Andrew Corrigan - Rafael Bravo - Eric Gillespie

Awards Presentations:

Ken Larmour Award - significant contribution by a first year member - Neil Wilson

Chris accepting on Neil's behalf

All-round Junior Trophy - best non-badge pilot use of Junior - Keith Hartley -162 km Triangle - SOSA- Platsville-Tillsonburg.

Kyle and Jay accepting on Keith's behalf

The Doug Winger 500 Trophy - fastest 500 km triangle flown from SOSA - Joerg Stieber - 501.7 km Triangle @90 km/hr - SOSA- Priceville- St Thomas - Hagersville

The SOSA Flight Achievement Award - for a significant flight by a SOSA member - Wilfred Krueger - 1194 km @ 138 km/hr - Ely Nevada

Honorable Mention: Jerzy Szemplinski - 1012 km @114 km/hr - Mifflin, PA

The Royal Crown Cola Trophy - best flight by a silver pilot - Jay Allardyce - 432 km @80 km/hr

Dr. Wolf Dietrich Leers Award - SOSA Instructor of the year - Scott McMaster

Douglas C. Winger Trophy - significant contribution by a Tow Pilot - Scott McMaster


The Reinhard - for a significant contribution to the non-flying operation at SOSA - Jean-Marc Henry

Tribute to Bela Vados

We are sad to inform you that with his family by his side, at Princess Margaret Hospital, on February 9, 2007, Bela Vados passed away. Many will remember him for his passion for flying that he shared onto Peter and for always helping around the club those many years. Bela was quiet but always there when someone needed assistance. He joined SOSA during the 60’s and really enjoyed the time he spent soaring and also the time he spent with other members chatting and dreaming of flying. I will always remember, a few summers ago, at the flight line during a very windy day. Peter was towing and all his landings were perfect. Bela turned around to me and said: “This kid can fly”.

He was really proud of Peter. You may also remember him helping Steve with the BBQ’s or roasting 5 or 6 turkeys over the fire for Thanksgiving dinner. The club would like to extend our deepest sympathies to the Vados and Burany families for their loss. In lieu of flowers, a Donation to the Princess Margret’s hospital in Bela Vados’ name would be preferred.

Annual Report

The Annual Report for the 2006 season was mailed to all flying members last week. If you do not receive your copy by 15 Feb, contact Dave.

The 2007 membership form is available on the SOSA website. Click on the Member Login button on the left navigation bar and then on the Membership Forms link. You need Adobe Acrobat software to open the form. The form may also be accessed directly at:
http://www.sosaglidingclub.com/9MembersLogIn.html



Please print a copy of the form and bring the completed copy with you to the AGM on 24 Feb. This will save time during the registration process prior to the meeting.

Don't forget to RSVP to Mike Sury if you plan to attend the Awards Banquet. Dinner cost will be around $35.

From the Skies to the Skis

Three young SOSA members endured lift lines to tackle Mount Chicopee in Kitchener. Neil Wilson and Jacob & Nathan Corrigan were out cruising the slopes and enjoying winter now that it is here. All had new skis and were testing them out by pushing to the edge. This makes up for not being at SOSA.

Andrew Corrigan

WestJet Flying into YKF

WestJet has announced that they will start flying into Kitchener airport starting 14 May until the end of October. There is one flight per day arriving at 1737 and departing at 1810.

This should not have a significant impact on SOSA operations (or at least not as much as Hamilton). All flights will use runway 25/07, so the arriving 737's will likely stay north of SOSA near the 401. Departures should be no concern at all as they climb rapidly and all departures are westbound for MB, SK, AB and BC. By the time arriving aircraft descend to altitudes that would conflict with our operations they will likely be within the YKF control zone.

The SOSA Airspace committee is aware of WestJet's YKF plans and will be in contact to determine routings and try to resolve potential conflicts. We should have better details available to pass along during the spring Instructor, Tow pilot and Field Manager meetings sometime in April.

As we find increasingly busier airspace moving into our flying area, it is incumbent on all of us to continuously be on the look-out while flying and to respect the required VFR separation from cloud.

So it might be a good idea to review what type of airspace is over SOSA and what the requirements are. This might make a great question during spring check flights!

2007 SAC Insurance Plan Details Released

The 2007 SAC Insurance Plan has been released and I will soon be sending the rating guides and renewal details to all private owners via email.

There have been some significant changes to the plan this year.

1. Private ship and club ship hull premiums have been decoupled to recognize that private owners have demonstrated a lower loss level in the past than the club aircraft.

2. All pilots must undergo an annual checkride to be insured (both private and club aircraft)

3. New deductible limits
a. the standard $500 deductible remains

b. 5% or 10 % hull deductible is available for a 5% or 10% hull premium decrease respectivley

4. a pilot claim declaration must be made by all private owners every year

5. The 2008 plan renewal date is moved to 1 Mar 2008, so this policy covers a 13 month period

6. On average the base premium decrease for this renewal is approximately 2.5% for Club Aircraft and 16.5% for Private Aircraft (Liability Only and Ground Risk Only aircraft receive a smaller decrease). Actual decreases will vary for individual aircraft.


Insurance coverage for all aircraft is bound over until 1 Mar 2007 when full payment is required for the 2007 policy.

2006 – It was a very good year

The 2006 flying season was a very good year at SOSA. Despite the wet weather in the latter part of the season we managed to fly 3597 flights, up from 3406 flights in 2005. We also celebrated FIRST SOLO flights for:

Dave Akaydin
Justin Allport
Dan Darragh
Dennis Dyke
Gary Green
Spencer Hunt
Mark Karamanis
Francois Labelle
Andy Mazur
Neil Wilson
Ping Wu

GLIDER PILOT LICENCES for:

Scott Hube
Anna Piascik
Tomas Rezek
Ping Wu

and INSTRUCTOR’S RATING for:

Rafael Bravo
Andrew Corrigan
Eric Gillespie
Sergei Morozov

This increase in flights is in part due to an increase in members in 2006, but flat rate programs also made a significant impact on the number of flights members take. The flat rate programs have become very popular since their introduction in 2004. Approximately 50% of the membership now purchase either the 10 hour block or unlimited flat rate package.


The atmosphere at the club is also a contributing factor to the successful year. During the year many visitors remarked that SOSA is the most welcoming club they ever visited! The flight line is a bustling happy place, hangar flying in the clubhouse, camaraderie on the field all contribute to the atmosphere at the club. If members feel happy while at the club they are more likely to spend time at the club and fly more. It is important that we make all members and visitors feel welcome.


The increase in the number of flights also translates into good fiscal performance for the club. Once again as a result of our flying operations we booked a good surplus in 2006. This surplus can now be used for future improvements to the club facilities, equipment and fleet. This also means that there will be no fee increases for the 2007 flying season.

Equipment upgrades for next season include a new LX5000 flight computer in the LS4. This computer will be identical to the unit in the DG505. The LX4000 will now be installed in the Jantar, improving its instrumentation and making it contest ready. The Blaniks will all receive new Borgelt electric audio varios. New seatbelts will be installed in GHL and CXC as well as the front seat of the Citabria.

LX5000 and B40


AGM

Don’t forget the AGM scheduled for Saturday 24 February at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum (CWHM). Registration will start at noon and the meeting will start at 1 PM. After the meeting the Annual Awards Banquet (with door prizes) will start at 6 PM at the CWHM. Join us for the meeting and banquet to celebrate the success of the club and our members during 2006.