I'm happy to report to members that we are starting to see activities picking up at the club. Our time sheets are fuller; we are getting more pupils and the PAXes keep rolling in. Unfortunately this brings problems of its own, as we find our resources come under pressure to meet this demand. With summer coming up this problem will be exacerbated. What is the solution? To start earlier!!! If we can all get to the airfield by 9h30 and start flying by 10h30 we would effectively add two hours to our present flying day. (remember free flying on club gliders before 11h00).
We will be opening our summer flying season on Saturday, 2nd November and hope to organise an interesting program. On Saturday, 14th September we will hold our second annual maintenance day at the club. The purpose of the day is two-fold: firstly to complete a lot of maintenance jobs that have been stacking up at the airfield and secondly, more importantly, a chance for all of us to get together as a club. Normal training will continue. So duty pilots and instructors will carry out their normal duties. Bruce Ingram and the social committee are organising sandwiches for lunch and braai packs for a late afternoon braai. All tasks are been run under leaders who will organise them. Please bring along implements requested. Start time is 9h30 sharp! PRIVATE Task Team Leader Team Members Jobs Hangar Maintenance Herbie Oberhofer Trevor Smallbone, Fred Vernimmen, Peter Wooley, Barry Gazzard, Terry Dagnin, Sue Liegner Raise the doors, paint, change lights, patch holes. Hangar Cleaning Andrew Roos Nicky Oberhofer, Dieter Schwarz, Garth Ennion, Alan Ball, Roger Tipping, Christian Strohmaier Sweep the hangar, paint demarcation lines (bring brooms). Concrete foundation for shade area André Leeb Du Toit Paul Baines, Craig Hawtrey, Hubert Spaun, Martin Grunert, Colin Hancox, Mike Mountain Dig and concrete holes for shade areas at the launch points of each runway. Fix Trailer Hangar Trevor Johnson John Armstrong, Paul Bailey, Chris Dixon, Frans du Toit, Horst Mücke Clubhouse Ian Vivian Boet Coetsee, Gerhard Waller, Allison Hultberg, Sandy Hultberg, Ronnie Moore Install the bar lights, hook for clubhouse door, shelves, flute for braai area. Signs Peter Clemence Sven Olivier, Mike Pascoe, Charles Torrance, Steve Matchett, Reinhold Lawrenz Grounds Peter Versveld Bruce Ingram (Braai), Peter Colman, Grové Steyn, Phil Surridge, Rico Suter, Marianne Thomson, Chris Way, Bill Weideman, Lourens Feyt, Axel Kreuter, Cornelius von der Heyden Plant trees and put in irrigation for trees, general clean up of area (bring spades and picks). Rubbish Bill Griffiths Ken Urquhart, Pepi Tommasi, Otto Tonges, Helmut Schuster Remove old glider to the dump. Tar Road Rob Tiffin Peter Farrell, Wally Tamsen, Richard O' Molony If your name doesn't appear above, it's a mistake and I apologise. Please come along anyway and join one of the above teams. All those who can't make the event, please excuse yourself to me at home (761-4928) and we will allocate you another task. Team leaders, please speak to me if you are not sure about what needs to be done. Looking forward to seeing you all on 14th September.
Regards, Rob Tiffin
Do you read the gliding accident column in the SSSA magazine and then think to yourself, "I would never do that - how did he get into that situation - he should have......" ? Perhaps you should rather have asked, "Do I have the skills to evaluate and deal with unusual situations without hesitation - how good is my survival training and is it up to date?"
First, consider what you have done this last year to upgrade your flying skills and knowledge. Those flying skills that you learnt way back when may be a little rusty around the edges. In fact, when last did you do a solo stall? A solo steep turn, left and right with the speed on the numbers through three-sixty degrees? A solo full airbrake short field landing? A solo spin? Well, if you can't remember without referring to your logbook it may be time to polish your skills.
Agreed, good gliding books are expensive but they are an investment in knowledge. And there's always something worthwhile referring to - if not for yourself but to help others. We all do an annual check and the CFI did clear you for a further year of flying. But, are you really comfortable in your ability to demonstrate the full range of the annual check items in a solo flight - on your own, without that fellow in the back seat to sort out any problems you may encounter? The point that we overlook is that most gliding accidents occur while flying solo. Here is an easy, enjoyable, way to get up to speed and iron out the wrinkles in your flying; your personal investment in safety. Get a copy of the annual check form from your friendly instructor and choose two or three items to practise on your next flight. Score each exercise for yourself and then ask yourself whether you could have flown the exercise better. If the answer is yes, then repeat that item next time you fly. And work through the check form, at your own pace, by completing a few of the modules each time you fly.
If you need help with any of the tasks, ask an instructor to give you a refresher on that item - and practise it with him until you are confident of your ability to fly that exercise on your own. Now I'm reasonably sure that the sky is not going to be full of auto-rotating aircraft with members queueing up for spin recovery exercises for one very good reason; most pilots are one turn spin per annum pilots - at annual check time! Fact: the greatest killer of gliders and pilots is the stall/spin accident and the least practised exercise - spin and recovery.
Very briefly the why's of stall/spin accidents: most stall/spin accidents occur at low level during shallow, uncoordinated, turns at low speed. The transition from going incipient to full spin is rapid and the visual effect of the earth rotating with the lack of change in G forces is both disorientating and unexpected. Therefore recovery, if at all, is delayed in a situation where height is critical. Spin and spin recovery are in the same category as learning to swim if your sport is messing about on water - essential. Initially you were not too confident about swimming either; but under controlled conditions and with a qualified person you became familiar with the basics of survival. So, too, must you master the vital recognition of the incipient spin and recovery from the spin. Spinning may not rate high in your personal scale of gliding fun; but prompt recovery could prevent you from becoming a brief paragraph in an accident report.
It's a great confidence booster to know that you have equipped yourself to survive unusual situations. Being a better pilot is your contribution to making our sport of gliding safer. Practice + knowledge = safety
Recommended reading - Gliding Safety by D Piggott.
Safe flying - Charles
Sandy Hultberg has sold his Fournier RF4 ZS-UEG, but has already bought another one from Simon Springthorpe. UEG will be going to Magalies where it will be owned by a 10-member syndicate. Hubert Spaun has bought Dave Dicey's share in the ASW 20, GRW. The maintenance club house (bowling club) does not look as if it will be a reality, so we are still looking for premises in town where we can work on gliders. Any suggestions? Two more wooden huts are to be erected at the airfield (with a tentative third), and two more caravans are being brought in by members. A row of new masonry microlight hangars is being constructed between the CGC hangar and the three private T- hangars (with the full knowledge of your committee). The club is also building a unit in this row to house the winch and retrieve bakkie. The airfield fence to the east of the CGC hangar is to be moved eastward to the present boundary of the riding club, to accommodate a future taxiway and future hangars. You can see from all this that aviation is on the increase at Worcester. So why not come and be part of the action yourself? There will be an Air Force Museum Day at Ysterplaat on 24th September. Contact Barry Gazzard for more details. Please will everybody make a note of this! In conjunction with the Work Day on 14th September, a braai is being organised for the evening of Saturday, 14th September, with good quality braai packs and salad on sale at only R17.50, Why not stay and make a weekend of it? To facilitate catering, please let either Sarah (551-2596) or Bruce (96-6080) know as soon as possible if you would like to stay for the braai.
In the last KK I outlined the requirements for the FAI badges. I would now like to outline the requirements for the Glider Pilot's Licence (GPL). The rules governing the GPL are laid down by the Soaring Society of SA (SSSA). A Student GPL is issued to each pupil, when he/she starts gliding. For administrative reasons these are usually held by the CFI until the application for a GPL is made. The syllabus which pupils are required to cover is outlined in the SGPL, as well as in the pupil logbook. The GPL rules vary from country to country. In some countries NO GPL is needed (UK for example), while in others, such as the USA and SA, a GPL is needed to be recognised as a fully-fledged glider pilot competent to operate solo without instructor supervision. To obtain a SA GPL you have to comply with both the theoretical and flying components as outlined below. The theoretical component comprises written examinations in the following subjects: 1) Rules & Regulations governing flying with particular reference to gliders. (This should be done before 1st solo.) 2) Examinations in Aerodynamics, Instruments, Meteorology, Airmanship & Cross-country flight. Although there is substantial overlap between these subjects and the subjects covered for the PPL (Power flying), all the subjects for the GPL are orientated towards gliding aspects of the topic. These subjects may be written at any time; but the GPL will not be issued until they have been completed. The flying component of the GPL comprises 2 parts: 1) A minimum of 30 hours total flying time, including 15 hours solo time and 40 take-offs and landings. 2) A Silver C badge completed. By the time most people achieve the Silver Badge they have substantially exceeded the flight time requirements in 1 above. SA is the only country which requires a GPL to include a FAI badge as part of that requirement. Because of this the flight requirements for a SA GPL are considered to be particularly stringent. In addition, a candidate for a GPL must have passed the examination and obtained a restricted RT licence, and must have passed a glider flight medical. Mike Pascoe
Jenny and I recently had the pleasure of 2 weeks vacation in the UK. For most of the time we were in South Wales. While we enjoyed all the usual "tourist things" with which I won't bore you, I did, however, manage to visit 2 Welsh gliding clubs. The first club was the Black Mountain Gliding Club at Talgarth. This club is situated on a farm near the small town of Talgarth, about midway up the Black Mountains. The airfield itself is rather small, the long runway is 400 yds long, while the short runway is 350 yds long. (Convert to metres roughly 1:1). Because of the short runways, take-offs tend to be downhill and the combination disappears from sight into the valley soon after take-off. Landings are generally uphill. The locals comment that their pupils take somewhat longer to first solo than those at clubs with more generous space. A few points on the club administration are of interest as well. The farmer on whose farm the club is sited is the chairman, and he also owns the tug which is flown by the club's tuggies. However the owner charges the glider pilots at commercial rates for the tows; which, allowing for the conversion of the currency, is still about 75% more expensive than our club rate. A ride in the K13 would have cost the equivalent of about R280, so I declined the offer. I have, after all, flown a K13 before! The members did admit to being the most expensive club in the UK. The tug, a 235 hp Pawnee, is fitted with a "hush kit" comprising a 4- bladed Hoffman propeller and a large (and very ugly) silencer under the fuselage. I also visited the South Wales Gliding club situated at the beautiful little town of Usk in the Wye river valley. Club flying was cancelled the day that we visited because of high winds. (I suspect that at Worcester we would still have been flying). I had contacted Ken Counsell who is a very senior member of the club (ex CFI, ex Chairman) who had recently visited CGC at Worcester. He had had a very enjoyable time at CGC and was delighted to show me around. They share the field with a farmer's sheep. These keep the grass short but make a certain amount of mess and have to be rounded up and cleared from the field before flying starts. About 8 pm or so the wind dropped and Ken, with my enthusiastic help, hauled out the RF5; and we enjoyed a flight of about 30 minutes or so down the Wye valley to the Bristol Channel and the Severn bridges - the new bridge only recently opened. The RF5 was great to fly with light, well co-ordinated controls. They also operate a Pawnee fitted with a "hush kit" as well as a winch. They are obliged to be extremely conscious of their neighbours and the concept of noise pollution. Flying the circuit in the RF5 I was given a series of commands to "Fly to the south of that village - there is a person there who complains if we overfly him", "Fly to the left of that farm house - similar reasons" and even on final approach "To make a dog leg and not overfly the farm house". Certainly puts our not overflying Worcester town on a Sunday into perspective.
These 2 visits were great fun. It is always interesting to see how others operate and solve the common problems of gliding.
(Now revealed by a confused safety officer.)
If you ask a glider pilot about Gremlins, he will tell you about the ones that hide in training gliders during flight - known as Control Gremlins - usually referred to as CGs. (Not to be confused with C of Gs who live in the nose and tail of gliders). They often appear when you're gliding along in silent and slow flight, minding your own business and at peace with the world. You hear a burbling noise, like the patter of little feet, as the CGs run out along the wing and proceed to jump up and down on the wingtip. This, of course, causes the wing to drop and you go into a nasty, unexpected, spin. If they're really in an evil mood they do this when you are turning base leg or final and you have to explain to an unbelieving CFI - Certified Flying Instructor - or Someone higher up the ladder, how the CGs bent "His" glider. They also have other nasty little tricks. Just as you're coming into land, they shove the stick forward or backward and you either hit the ground very hard or float up again and then strike the runway a mighty blow, wrecking the skid and wheel. CGs steal maps so that you get thoroughly lost going cross country; or put magnets behind the compass so that you go the wrong way. On badge flights they switch off barographs and steal the film from your camera. They sneak into your radio set and cause static so that you can't hear any messages and are definitely known to hide in transponders while in controlled airspace, making the ATC unhappy enough to demand your presence on landing. At least this is what I'm told. There's a specialised clan called TAGs - Twin Astir Gremlins - who, just as you're taking off, release the canopy lock, to see how you react under severe stress. Most victims require treatment for nappy rash, and a few say that they stepped on something bad. At least this is what others claim to have observed. Now and then the CGs connive with the GGs - Ground Gremlins - to make your life miserable. You have just touched down when the GG, standing on the side of the runway, grabs your wing tip and, when you stamp on the opposite rudder to correct the swing, the CGs have crossed the cables and you shoot off through the undergrowth, across ditches and into the perimeter fence. Of course, by the time the CFI arrives, they have neatly switched the cables back. GGs also attack unattended gliders; they wait for a dead calm day, whereupon they assemble the whole tribe for a quick huff and puff of wind. The glider swings around crunching an aileron into a post that the gang conveniently placed while your back was turned. Well, it wasn't there when I parked the glider, is what I'm told. Their best-known mischief is in the circuit area where they are known to catch even experienced pilots. You have completed your pre-landing checks, and are concentrating on the forthcoming perfect landing, when they sneak along and pull your wheel back up. You land to the music of grinding fuselage against unyielding runway; and while the CFI is charging down the runway in your direction, the CGs jump on your canopy, stick their tongues out at you, give you the finger and vanish, leaving you to explain it all to the CFI. At least, that is what some glider pilots claim. Oh, and happy, Gremlin-free flying.
Unfortunately the much awaited fly-in of the Stellenbosch folk did not take place due to strong NW winds and solid overcast. Some intrepid souls did, however, drive over to Worcester later in the day, just to have a look see. The previous day, Saturday the 22nd, had shown some promise as a ridge and wave soaring day, but the mild berg wind suddenly picked up to alarming strength in a matter of minutes. The ASK13, which was at the runway at the time when the wind came up, was violently swung around into one of the concrete-filled tyres that we have there. The result was a badly crushed aileron. This is a good example of why the gliders must always be well secured, even when the wind is not strong. For those of you who have ever wondered (or cared) about how these things actually get fixed, André Leeb du Toit spent many hours of his time doing this at home (thanks André!).
Saturday night saw a very pleasant evening spent in the clubhouse. Thanks to Alison and Sandy Hultberg, who provided a lovely sit-down supper of fettucini, complete with salad, rolls, wine and proper glasses, as well as colourful table napkins. An unaccustomed touch of class for the usually austere gliding club. Fortunately, the gale-force wind which threatened to blow the caravans away, was not sufficient to blow off any more hangar doors. The fly-in will still take place, though we will now wait for the beginning of Spring. A date will be announced later.
Barry J Gazzard
Every year, during the last week in July and the first week in August, the Magaliesberg Gliding Club arranges a "Wave Camp" in the majestic setting of the central Drakensberg - the country's premier Alpine resort area. Operating from xe "rador\", a sloping grass strip shouldered by mealie fields and " "El Mirador" (4 000 ft ASL), a sloping grass strip shouldered by mealie fields and nestling in the shadow of Cathkin Peak. Here some 40 pilots with no less than 20 gliders and 2 tugs were to rise to the call of the Dragon, and meet the challenges of the Drakensberg. Having flown here as a pupil, some 5 years ago, and seeking to secure my Diamond Height, I jumped at the opportunity to fly our Libelle, "Goofy", at this camp. So it came to pass that Roger Tipping, his wife, Jacky, and I set out from Cape Town with the Libelle in tow one cold Friday morning, for a 1 450 km drive to the Drakensberg. Save for a trailer wiring problem, the drive was pleasant and uneventful - and we arrived at the Drakensberg around 8 pm. We were welcomed by Roger's friends, Henry Dobrowalski and his wife, Hennie, who had hot potjiekos and a roaring fire awaiting us. After a good few frosties, we checked in at our resort, Champagne Lane, at around 10 pm. To my surprise, we discovered that our luxury 3-bedroomed, 8 sleeper Timeshare cottage was complete with a private Spa Bath, Sauna and heated swimming pool - nogal!! Our first flyable day, Saturday, 3rd August, proved to be a disappointment. After a late breakfast, Roger and I rigged "Goofy". As we were both unfamiliar with the area, we both required check-flights in the Magalies Twin Astir. Due to the large number of PAX flights (at R220 for 1 hour), neither Roger nor I got to fly. Nevertheless, we ended the day with a braai and a few raucous drinks at the Nest Hotel with the rest of the Pilots - whose friendship and camaraderie overwhelmed us. Not wanting to miss our check flights again, Roger and I were first at the field on Sunday at 8:30 am. By 9 am, many of the Pilots had arrived and both Roger and I completed our check-flights. Low cloud over the Little Berg, however, precluded any other flying, and rain set in. Notwithstanding this, we enjoyed a long hike, an indoor braai, a roaring log fire, and a good deal of Gliding folklore - not to mention the odd Sauna and splash in the heated pool! At 8 am on Monday, I braved an early morning jog. Snow had fallen on the mountains overnight, and the temperature had dropped substantially. The sun, however, already battled to break through the mist. By 11 am the mist and clouds had lifted like a veil, revealing Cathkin Peak, Monk's Cawl, the Sterkhorn and Dragon's Back in all their rugged beauty. Snow-capped peaks were brushed by high-altitude winds - leaving wisps of white snow suspended magically in the pale winter heavens. By 11:30 am a long queue of gliders waited impatiently as the two tugs hurried to get them aloft. As a result of the late start, I only got airborne at about 2:30 pm and decided to release over the Little Berg and get my orientation. I released at about 7 500 ft ASL, but quickly lost height (and, perhaps, a bit of nerve) and began running home. Along the way I encountered massive sink and arrived back at the airfield at only 500 ft above circuit height. After failing to stay aloft, I joined circuit and completed my first solo "uphill" landing. Roger launched shortly after my return in KD, an ASW20 belonging to Adre Vinkler and in which Roger had previously been a partner. Roger also returned to the valley fairly quickly, but managed to remain airborne. on some late-afternoon thermals for over an hour. All in all, although both flights had been shortish, they provided us with an opportunity of familiarising ourselves with the valley and the terrain to be crossed in dashing home. Tuesday was to prove the highlight of the camp. Determined to get an early start, we arrived at the airfield at 8:30 am and I managed to get the fourth launch position. By 10:30 am I was airborne and released at 8 000 ft ASL. Radio reports from the pilots who had landed before me were that waves existed and already some pilots were climbing through flight level 110. To connect with the wave, however, was an onerous task, involving climbing in rotor. For the next hour I battled it out, climbing 3 m/s in half my turn, only to be hammered down at 2 m/s for the rest of the turn - centring was simply impossible. Gradually, however, my altimeter etched upwards, and eventually I climbed through 9 500 ft and connected with the wave. By this time, the leading pilots were sitting at flight level 160 and climbing. Radio communication with Durban had been made, and clearance to flight level 210 had been granted. For the next 90 minutes I climbed steadily as the snow-capped peaks of the Drakensberg flattened below me, and the vista of mountains stretching into Lesotho unravelled before me. At flight level 180, with my oxygen flowing steadily, my canopy began to freeze-up and my toes became numb. By this stage, the leading pilots had reached 25 000 ft - the minimum height I would need to claim my Diamond Height. Regrettably, however, my rate of climb had dropped to less than 0.5 m/s and every 1 000 ft brought colder and more icy temperatures. My toes were now completely numb, and my visibility restricted to two fist-sized clearances in my iced canopy. At 22 500 ft my climb rate was down to less than 0,25 m/s and the coldness had become intolerable. Furthermore, I had now been above 18 000 ft for over 20 minutes and already most of the pilots who had climbed ahead of me had descended to under flight level 160. It now seemed clear to me that to continue to etch my way above 22 500 ft would be at substantial risk of frostbite and, reluctantly, I decided that unless I found better lift quickly, I should abort my Diamond attempt. After losing 3 000 ft, I resolved to call it a day, and so my descent to Mother Earth, warmth and fresh air commenced. After flying to either end of the Little Berg and back, I flew out to Winterton before returning to "El Mirador". Although disappointed by my failure to secure my Diamond Height, I thoroughly enjoyed the day. Regrettably, Roger did not fly on this day, but three other pilots did obtain their Diamond Heights and, just to rub in the injury, one pilot, a Drakensberg regular, had climbed through flight level 320 - so making my disappointment all the more acute. Well, one can only learn from such experiences. After Tuesday's literal "high", Wednesday and Thursday proved less spectacular, with inversion in the valley until late morning. Notwithstanding this, the odd anabatic thermal did exist along the Hotel and Little Berg Ridges. Although I "fell off" the Little Berg on Wednesday, I managed to climb back up from 5 500 ft to 9 000 ft - only to fall off the Little Berg a second time. Roger had a little more success "polishing" the ridge, and was also fortunate to fly in a twin-seater Janus with Alan Lentle from Durban. Late Thursday afternoon I derigged the Libelle, and our brief - but enjoyable - stay in the shadow of the Dragon ended with a camp braai at Rynie Reath's farm - the owner of the airfield. On our long trip home, Roger, Jacky and I had much time to reflect on the week past. For both Roger and myself the stay had been far too short. The Drakensberg Range of mountains is immense, extremely rugged and challenging. Unlike flying around Worcester, El Mirador is located some distance from the main berg with unlandable terrain between. Furthermore, it is quite possible to fly off from the main berg and to get caught in an unforgiving valley. While some valleys are quite unlandable others run off into the Natal Midlands, leading one further and further away from "El Mirador". Clearly a thorough knowledge of the range is highly advantageous, and a single week was simply too short to become familiar and comfortable - making aggressive flying a daunting prospect. As far as striving for a Diamond Height Badge, the Drakensberg wave conditions and the ease of dealing with Durban's air traffic control (no transponders necessary here!!) is a fairly good bet. Additionally, the central berg offers lots of other activities, including walking, hiking, horse-riding and trout fishing - to name but a few. All in all, with a little organising, this is one of the few gliding camps that can be fun for the whole family. For any Kaapies considering joining the camp in the future, here are a few tips : 1. Register well in advance. It is intended to make the camp more accessible to members from other clubs, but early booking and payment of a registration fee (R275 this year) is essential. Pilots will also need to hold a minimum of a Silver C and, preferably some mountain flying experience. A glider and check-flight are both essential.
2. Be Prepared to Pay. This year aerotows cost R7,50 per minute. With an average tow of 20 minutes, this amounts to R150 for a single launch.
3. Be Prepared to Start Early. Getting to the airfield before 9 am is generally essential, to ensure launching before midday. CGC members will need to get used to this idea!
4. Go For 10 or More Days. One week is too short, and is not worth the trip. Two weekends sandwiching the weekdays or two full weeks is a far better idea.
5. Sort Out Your Accommodation. The Drakensberg has numerous hotels and Timeshare Resorts. The Nest Hotel offered a special rate of R125 per person per day with Breakfast, a Picnic lunch and Dinner. Timeshare is a very good alternative for those who own, and I have been very successful with RCI exchanges.
Should anyone be interested in going next year, please let me know. If time and circumstances permit, I would like to go again - but this time for the full two weeks - and maybe then I'll succeed in silencing the Dragon's Call!
Members of the Cape Gliding Club may have seen my Partenavia P64B (ZS-IZE) at the Worcester airfield. I am not flying it much on business these days. So, rather than lose it to an up-country buyer, I thought I would first try to syndicate the aircraft in the Cape, preferably with members of the Cape Gliding Club. I am offering to sell 5 shares at R22500 each. I will retain one share. Details of IZE are as follows: Crew and Passengers 1 plus 3 Engine Lycoming 180 hp at 2700 rpm Propeller Hartzell variable pitch 74 inch diameter Licence date 22/8/75 Engine and airframe 1200 hours since new Fuel consumption ± 33 litre/hour Safe range 5 - 5½ hours Cruise speed ± 125 mph (a little faster than a Cessna 172) At present IZE is hangared in Louis Frouw's hangar at Fisantekraal. It is easily accessible and is cheap to fly from. The aircraft is well maintained and I have the complete history. It is comprehensively insured at present. I am prepared to set up and run the syndicate to start with, based on my experience of the ZS-UEM syndicate which I ran for about 6 years. Contact Mike Mountain at 834-8409 (h) or 64-4180 (w).
From the Secretary's Desk Peter Wooley
We are pleased to welcome new members Charles Ryan, Connie Marais, Kathryn Harrison and Alan O'Reagan. Kathryn and Alan are from England (Bristol and Gloucester Gliding Club) and have brought with them a beautiful new LS 8 (even the trailer is beautiful). They also both fly those other types of aircraft. Welcome to you all!
Those who have become full members are:
Dave Starke, who is an "old hand" at gliding from Fisantekraal days, and has just acquired a very neat Maule. As he already has a tug rating for the Super Cub, perhaps we can persuade him to have a tow hook fitted to the Maule? Sheila, Dave's wife, has a fund of hilarious stories about the historic exploits of various club members, past and present, and might be persuaded to write one or two down for future newsletters? Did you know that at one time the club had its own cat, called naturally, Charlie Alpha Tango!
Richard Chase, who is part-owner of the maroon and white Piper Cruiser that you may have spotted at the field. Richard is also rated to tug with the Super Cub.
Unfortunately we say goodbye to Ron Duval, but we are hopeful that he will return some time in the future when his business commitments are not quite so heavy.
To duty pilots and others: New membership and other forms are usually to be found in the secretary's cupboard in the clubhouse. Please, however, let me know when any of the forms are running low, or have run out. For those that are unable to understand this, it means don't take the last one without telling me (my phone numbers are on the club list).
On the subject of RT procedure, concern has been expressed regarding the RT procedures of some of our pilots when communicating with ATC. A simple guide to RT procedures when joining the TMA is enclosed elsewhere in this newsletter
For those who are honest enough to admit to themselves (if not to others) that they don't know it all, Ex Libris bookshop in Stellenbosch has or can get any of the Derek Piggot gliding books as cheaply as they will be found anywhere. Thanks to Campbell Lyons for this info.
Our appeal for increased utilisation of the Motor Falke has borne fruit as the graph shows. Thanks to all of you are making the effort. Thanks, particularly to André Leeb du Toit, who has been organising conversions.
In the meantime a free-standing jetmaster-type fire place has been installed in the club house, which has been tried and tested and declared essential for those Saturday night get-togethers which are becoming popular these days. Why don't you brave the cold and come and spend the week end at Worcester some time? The club house affords plenty of warm, comfortable sleeping accommodation (provided you don't mind sleeping on the floor!). You don't even have to bring supper as Ed's pea or chicken soup is always on hand. Thanks especially to Sandy and Alison Hultberg for acquiring the fire place at a very good price, transporting it to Worcester, and for masterminding its installation. Thanks also to André Leeb-du Toit for making the tiled hearth, and to Ed V. and others for their help.
We are now using a lot of firewood and our usual supply has become exhausted. If anyone can help here, we would be most grateful.
Another improvement is that the exterior of the club house has very kindly been re-painted by Gerhard Groenewald, and it looks good in the new light grey colour. Gerhard has also totally reconstructed a greatly enlarged drain soakaway for us. Thank you Gerhard.
We've just heard from Jim Payne that 14 1000 km flights were recorded in early August. On the 8th, 3 zig-zags were flown from Tehachapi (Joe Gera, Tom Massoth and Rob Morgan) and one zig-zag was flown from Hilton s ranch. On the 9th, 2 zig-zags and a 1060+ km triangle (John Sinclair in a Nimbus 3) were flown from Minden., one zig-zag from Tehachapi (Rob Morgan again because of a bad barogram) and 5 zig-zags from Hilton s. To cap it all off, Jim Payne flew a triangle from Inyokern on the 10th in a Discus. Looks like our big flyers have got a lot of work to do at the end of the year!
If you are expecting to encounter lift which will carry you through 7 500' altitude, consider the following:
1. Make sure that you know how to operate the transponder before you take off.
2. Make sure your transponder is switched ON to ALT mode, with the pre-allocated squawk code set, and fully warmed up before you reach Vic Peak, or wherever it is that you are headed. It takes at least 10 minutes to warm up properly.
3. Make sure that you maintain a ground speed of at least 35kph, otherwise the Cape Town ATC radar will cancel out your image. This may be less when flying at high altitude, when your transponder will also be interrogated by the radar at Sutherland, which does not have speed filtering.
4. On reaching 6 500' (the transition altitude), re-set your altimeter sub-scale to 1013 (note down the original setting for later), and call Cape Town on 119.7 as set out below.
5. Remain on the ATC frequency continuously when in controlled airspace. Never try to communicate with other aircraft on this frequency, and do not change temporarily to another frequency to chat.
6. Do not climb into controlled airspace before ATC have given you permission - if necessary extend the dive brakes or fly in and out of the descending air. 7. Always use the phonetic alphabet when talking to ATC (and others).
You: Cape Town approach, glider GJJ on one one niner decimal seven (119.7).
ATC: GJJ Cape Town, go ahead.
You: GJJ is two nautical miles south Worcester (or wherever), flight level seven fife (FL75), request flight level one zero zero (FL100), for fife (5) nautical mile radius Worcester.
ATC: GJJ, squawk one two zero tree, flight level one zero zero, fife nautical mile radius Worcester, call on completion.
You: Squawk one two zero tree, flight level one zero zero, fife nautical mile radius Worcester, call completion, GJJ. (That means you must call to tell him when you have reached FL100.)
* Now start your climb from FL75 to FL100. *
You: Cape Town Approach, GJJ (now that you have reached FL100).
ATC: Go ahead.
You: GJJ is flight level one zero zero, requesting flight level one fife zero for same position (or how ever high, or wherever you want to go to, this must be given as a request).
ATC: GJJ cleared flight level one fife zero, Rawsonville only, call on completion.
You: Flight level one fife zero Rawsonville only, call on completion GJJ.
OR
ATC: GJJ remain flight level one zero zero, call fifteen minutes.
You: Remain flight level one zero zero, call fifteen minutes GJJ.
* While you are flying, ATC may say: *
ATC: GJJ, Cape Town.
You: Cape Town GJJ go ahead.
ATC: Recycle squawk.
* Switch the transponder off momentarily and then on again. With the Terra 250 transponder it is not possible to cycle through the numbers, so we switch off and on instead. The likely cause of ATC's request is that the radar speed filter has removed your image from ATC's screen because you have been flying too slowly. Maintain a minimum ground speed of 35kph. *
OR
ATC: Give me an IDENT.
* Press the IDENT button on the transponder, which will enhance your image momentarily on ATC's screen. *
* Later, when you are descending: *
You: Cape Town Approach, GJJ.
ATC: Go ahead.
You: GJJ is flight level eight zero descending below TMA.
ATC: GJJ, report on TIBA frequencies.
You: Report on TIBA frequencies GJJ.
* Re-set your altimeter to the Cape Town QNH (which should be given to you by ATC) when descending down through the transition level (FL75) and re-set the radio frequency. Turn off the transponder to conserve power for the radio. *
TIBA
For your information, official TIBA frequencies are as follows, but as you know, special arrangements are in place at Worcester to simplify procedures for our operation. ie. 124,8
124,8 Ground to 1500' AGL 125,1 Above 1500' AGL, and outside of designated General Flying Areas (GFAs) (this is the Flight Information Service (FIS) frequency). 124,4 In GFAs 130,35 Air to air chat.