KRAUTKOERANT - AUGUST 1998
No: 98-04

 FROM THE CHAIR
Paul Bailey

Looking at our weather pattern this year, I'm sure you will all agree that we have not yet had our usual winter, which gives rise to our notorious wave flying here in the Cape. By the time this edition hits the stands, we'll almost be into spring. So for those of you who managed to get a wave flight or two, great stuff. Those who did not manage it, hold thumbs for a late winter, or be at the airfield when those cold fronts come through periodically.

On the club side, things are moving along at full pace. Our yearly budget meeting has come and gone, and after a two year stability, we have had to raise the tug and glider rentals by a few cents. This is attributed largely to the fact that we are now registered for VAT. If you do a quick calculation, you'll find that the increases are less than the VAT cost, so it proves once again that the more you fly, the less the yearly increase. Bear in mind that fuel has also increased in the past few months.

The club has now officially taken over the winch, as mandated by the club members over two years ago. Winching will carry on on Sundays as usual. Please do not be shy to be involved, drive the winch or take a winch launch. In summer this is the cheapest entry into a thermal you will get. The contact people are Andre Leeb du Toit or Peter Clemence.

The other major expense at the moment is the trailer shelter. A work day has been scheduled for the 12th September (see elsewhere in issue) when we will complete the shelter, do numerous odd jobs and generally tidy up our area. You should have received your roster by now. There will be no flying and we will end off the day with a social braai in the early afternoon. By erecting this shelter ourselves, we will be saving approximately R20,000.00. There will be enough space for a few syndicate trailers, so we expect to see ALL club members at the work party.

Dave Starke is doing a superb job co-ordinating the maintenance of our fleet. There should soon be a contact person for each glider, so if you find something wrong, please don't ignore it. Either fix it or let someone like Dave know. Many folk are now jumping in and sorting the problems out. Feel free to get involved.

On the social scene, please diarise Friday 18th September when we will be holding our Annual Dinner and Solo Awards at the Constantia Nek Restaurant (see the notice further on). The venue can only hold 80, so if you have not yet decided, let Hans Prüter know asap (ph 592 5353 (w)).

Folk are already thinking of Gariep dam at the end of the year. Now is the time to start preparing. Also good luck to those taking the adventure up to Bitterwasser. Those staying at home this Christmas, remember the Winelands Week between Christmas and New Year.

The end of this month is the SSSA AGM at Orient which I will be attending on behalf of the club. I should be able to give you some feedback by the next issue.

Once again there has been a wonderful contribution to the Krautkoerant from members, a sure sign of a healthy club! On the membership front we extend a warm welcome to Jacques Storm and Kobus Smith. We are very sad to report that Ronnie Moore has resigned and is off to the States. Ronnie, we wish you everything of the best and thank you for all the hard work you have done for the club in the past, serving at times as committee member, instructor, secretary, newsletter editor, web-page editor, as well as editor of the national magazine, SA Soaring. You will certainly be missed. On the acquisitions side, Horst Mücke is now the proud owner of an ASW 15, Alan and Kathryn O'Regan the proud parents of a baby boy and Sven and Christelle Olivier, a baby girl. Congratulations! Reinhold Laurenz is the owner of a large new hangar but we will have to wait and see if the rumour about a DG500M is true! On the flying side, Hans Prüter is soon off to the Bitterwasser Namibian Nationals with ZS-GIG and we wish him the best of luck with his first competition.

Congratulations to Dieter Schwarz on going solo on his 16th birthday, as well as Cyril George. Rika Olivier has finally completing her silver distance (with an outlanding of course!) and Graham Levitt both his silver distance and gold height gain - two more GPL's in the bag. Well done all of you!

Otto Tönges has written from Germany saying that the standard class champs took place in the rain, all four days of them, with only one day finishing on the airfield. Mario Kiesling is the German champion in a Discus 2 and all other places were taken in LS8's. Nevertheless, during better weather, one May week-end saw a number of 1000km flights completed by the pundits. He also says there is a possibility of yet another DG500M for Worcester - we seem to be assembling a squadron of them!

On the domestic scene, nobody can say that the grounds at Worcester are not looking anything less than fantastic. In addition the apron and taxiways have all been graded (perhaps you noticed the dust?) and new hardened areas created next to the runways on which to park the tugs. Our thanks to Gerhard Groenewald for all this.

While we have arranged for the gardening contractor to remove refuse from the bins at the back of the clubhouse, it's amazing to see that twice monthly is not enough to keep up. We appeal to you all to take your refuse home with you - PLEASE!

Tuggies and others will see that there is now a shelf built into the fuel store (courtesy Graham Levitt) on which to keep the fuel book, which previously had the habit of disappearing down between the fuel drums. Please do remember always to fill in the aircraft registration when uplifting fuel.

All present at the clubhouse on the last July Saturday were entertained by Helmut Morsbach, visiting here with his wife and young daughter from Japan. Helmut entreated us to an amazing selection of stories of the old CGC back in the fifties and it's clear that the club has come a long way since those days of the "dictatorship". Congratulations Helmut, on your recent re-solo.

The secretive Ken Urquhart has just let on that he and Sharon are the proud parents of a son, born last December. They have built a new guest house in the Hout Bay valley called Sunbird Lodge. They are especially keen in sharing this unspoiled paradise with any glider pilot visitors. A full colour brochure is on the notice board and I have additional photos if anybody is interested.

Those who knew Clinton Allderman probably know already that he passed away on the 12th June. Though I had never met him in 11 years at the club, Clinton was one of Herbie Oberhofer's partners on ZS-GHR.

On the financial front the committee has planned a budget for the next financial year which has endeavoured to contain the escalation of costs as much as possible. However, due to the club's recent registration for VAT, fuel price and insurance costs we have had to increase prices slightly from 1st August. The only aircraft that has not been paying its way is UUA, so please, all you Motorfalke enthusiasts, the more you fly the lower we will be able to keep the rates.

Finally, the committee has acknowledged the important need to establish a full members' database. A form for this is included on the back page for you to photocopy and return. This is an important exercise so please take time to complete the form, and return it to PO Box 4154 Cape Town this week.

 CROSS-COUNTRY CAMPS & COMPS
Alan O'Regan

As deep winter passes it is time to start thinking of spreading those (slightly damp) wings again and leaving the nest of Worcester for some cross-country experiences - either starting from Worcester or from further afield. Now is a superlative time to get those field landing currency checks completed (when did you last land out or complete the Motorfalke exercises?) and get yourself properly prepared.

There are a number of events coming up which are worth considering - especially for those pilots who are wanting to spend some holiday time improving their cross-country flying:

*Gauteng Regionals (Orient Airfield) 20 to 25 September

*Bitterwasser (Southern Namibia) 1 to 8 November

*Gariep Performance Camp 13 December to 9 January

*South African Nationals (Mafikeng) 27 December to 8 January

* The competitions are an excellent way to improve your cross-country flying speed (just ask Sven!), but you need to be fairly comfortable setting off on a task of someone else's choosing with little briefing. I know of at least a couple of Cape Pilots going to each of these competitions (and a squadron appears to be going to Bitterwasser), so if you are going, want to be sure that you are properly prepared, want to know what to expect, or just want to know how to enter, then give me a call and I'll be happy to help.

The Gariep Performance Camp promises to be very well attended this year (I know of at least 8 private gliders that are planning to go). Last year was a huge success with the Cape pilots flying lots of badges in club gliders. You don't need to be massively experienced to go, but you do need to be cleared for cross-country (and current on field landing checks) and preferably have attempted a 50km distance flight.

The camp runs for 4 weeks, and depending on demand we will take more or less of the club equipment. We assign a maximum of two club pilots to each club single seater aircraft for a week (which runs from Sunday to Saturday). This allows pilots a rest day between longer flights, or everyday flying for shorter flights. Last year Bill and Axel both managed to complete a 103km triangle on the same day in the same aircraft (just a short pitstop to change pilots)!

Gariep is approximately and eight hour drive from Cape Town. Rondavel accommodation can be arranged (either at the Aventura resort or the Game reserve - I can provide contact numbers) although this is in short supply and should be booked before you read this or earlier! I have booked some camping for the pilots of the club gliders in the first week and will extend this as I receive sufficient bookings/deposits for particular weeks.

- decide which weeks you want to go & what club glider you want to fly;

- let me know when you want to go by paying me a deposit of R500 by September 15 (cheque made out to the club) to confirm your booking details (no deposit no booking). Entries later than this date will not be included in the initial allocation of gliders. This deposit goes towards your flying fees at the camp but is not necessarily refundable if you pull out of the camp (particularly not if you pull out at short notice).

- We will have a meeting of interested pilots on October 1 to allocate the gliders (this may entail a quick ballot if demand exceeds available gliders); Those pilots allocated to a glider are then responsible for ensuring that the trailers are serviceable and the flying equipment is prepared;

- We will have a pre-camp briefing (what to expect, weather conditions, photos from last year) on November 12;

- We will have a packing evening on Sunday December 6 (after flying) at the club;

- December 12 - depart for Gariep!

Last year the average club member incurred the following costs (for week):

- Camping R172

- Glider 'parking' R220 (weekly rate was 440 divided between 2 pilots)

- Launches varied but averaged R8/minute. My average launch time was 7 minutes.

- Glider rental at club rates (note that the GIG syndicate pay for soaring away from Worcester);

- Petrol R300 (depends on the car & the speed of travel!)

- An of course you have to eat, and er, drink water?

So, for a fixed cost of circa R700 you can 'move' your club to Gariep (home of the World 1000km record) for a week and expect to get considerably more flying than you would get in a week at Worcester.

If you want to know more, then please feel free to contact me.

I will shortly be placing an exercise book in the bar so that you can record your cross-country and badge exploits. The idea is that we can then publish these exploits in the KK, so even if you don't feel like writing about your flight (or buying beers to make people listen), we can at least hear about them.

I recently had to visit Montreal for a congress and the Sunday that I was to be there was reasonably free. A chat with Randy Cullen and a visit to the Montreal Soaring Council home page soon put me in touch with a group of very friendly and helpful people. Once I arrived a couple of phone calls got my lift organised and Sunday morning saw me driving along the highway with Hicham to the club.

The club is situated at Hawkesbury, Ontario, about 100 Km from Montreal. The strip is to the West of town and there is a power operation at East Hawkesbury field. Roughly 2 Kms from the field is the Ontario River and to the North of that some small hills about 600’ above the surrounding terrain. This is the "high ground" where the best thermals are to be found. The hills are covered with trees and the terrain northwards is tree covered as far as one can see. To the South and West is farmland but Ottowa is not far off – also about 100 Kms and the USA border also about 100 Kms South. Cross-countries have to be fitted in and around all these geographical barriers.

The aerotow-only system operates from a fairly short all-grass strip using three L19 "Bird Dog" tugs. These tugs are ex US Army spotter aircraft with 210 HP motors and all metal construction. They give a good launch. The glider fleet comprises Krosno, Blanik, Twin Astir, Schweizer 1.26 as well as Single Astir, LS1 and DG 300. They have two Krosno, two Blaniks and two Schweizer 1.26s. They have a pleasant clubhouse and a large caravan (trailer locally) area, so many members spend weekends at the club as we do. The gliding season extends only from early May to October, weather permitting – for the rest of the year the weather is impossible. The day I was there many were complaining of the heat at a full 28⁰ C. The whole area was extremely green and lush.

I flew twice in the Krosno. This is an all metal 2 seater that forms the basis of their training fleet. It is comfortable and easy to fly and is, I am sure, a good trainer. The all-metal construction would perhaps prove difficult to repair in our situation. I towed on each occasion to about 2000’ AGL and enjoyed some thermal flying and a short jaunt to the Rouge River which is very popular for white water rafting. This club operates with a Public Relations budget and they were very happy to allow me to fly on this budget. The charges would have been CD$34.00 for the glider for 30 minutes and a tow to 2000’ AGL plus CD$11.00 for daily membership. Over 30 minutes the glider charge is 16c/min (the conversion rate is roughly R4.00 is 1 CD$).

The logistics of solo flight proved difficult to solve because of my lack of documentation. I would have had no difficulties at all had I had my GPL along with me.

For those who are keen to visit the MSC home page the address is: http://www.flymsc.org/index.html

Believe it or not, next year is the 50th year of the club. It is intended to hold some special events to celebrate this milestone in the club's history, but it is hoped that members will come forward with some innovative suggestions in this regard. Please talk to Hans Prüter or Mike Pascoe if you have any ideas which could help make 1999 a memorable year for the club, either on the flying or social side.

With the upcoming wave season and the recent record heights achieved, I thought it would be useful to revise why we need oxygen when flying high. Among the problems encountered with flying high, such as extreme cold, reference to ground features, true vs indicated airspeed etc, the most significant risk to the pilot is posed by hypoxia - a cellular deficiency of oxygen. In a healthy individual the brain is unfortunately the organ most sensitive to hypoxia. (I know some women believe that men don’t think with their brains but I still think that a brain in good working order is useful).

At sea level the atmospheric pressure is roughly 760 mmHg (mm mercury). The same pressure as in our lungs - otherwise we would explode. However the composition of the gasses in our lungs is different to the composition of air. In our lung air sacks (known as alveoli) water vapour and carbon dioxide (CO₂) are added as metabolic waste. The comparison of the composition of gasses is as follows:

You will notice that the pressure of oxygen in the lungs is already lower than that of atmospheric oxygen. This is due to the increased pressure of water vapour and carbon dioxide. By the time this oxygen has diffused across the alveolar wall into the blood, the pressure of the oxygen (at sea level) will have dropped to 95 mmHg. This is a remarkable efficiency (even German lungs are no better). Unfortunately with age and disease this efficiency is quickly reduced.

Our cells can function quite well down to a blood oxygen pressure of 60 mmHg. Below this pressure things start to go wrong very quickly. Unfortunately there is no obvious way of detecting when we have reached this level of hypoxia. As an anaesthetist I am required by law to use sophisticated monitors to detect hypoxia in my patients. Even as a trained expert I would be grossly negligent if I relied on physical signs as an indication of hypoxia. By the time you notice anything, it is too late. I know its your own life, but having a wrecked glider is no fun - I know, I’ve been there.

With increasing altitude the atmospheric pressure drops exponentially according to some fancy equation. The composition of the gasses however remains constant - thus oxygen will always make up 21% of the air we breathe in.

In the lungs the pressure is the same as ambient (unless you kept your breath all the way up - then you would explode!). In the lung alveoli the oxygen pressure is lower than that of the inspired air due to the additional of carbon dioxide and water vapour. However the pressure of these two gasses does not decrease with altitude, as our bodies produce a set amount of these gasses as waste. The effect of this is that the higher we go, the more the oxygen pressure is diluted by these waste gasses. From the simple equation: Oxygen pressure in lungs = 21% x (atmospheric pressure - 47) - 40.

From this we can work out the pressure of oxygen in our alveoli that can cross into our bloodstream.

From these values we can see that somewhere between 3 000 m and 4 000 m we start operating on the edge of our design limits (i.e. blood oxygen pressure less than 60 mmHg).

Increasing the concentration of oxygen you breathe in will increase the concentration in the lungs. It will never equal 100% due to the dilution by water vapour and carbon dioxide (unless you are dry and produce no metabolic waste - a condition commonly known as death).

The glider pilot flying with 100% oxygen at altitude will give the following values (in the previous equation replace 21% with 100%).

Note that at lower altitude 100% oxygen is an overkill as it gives unnecessarily high oxygen pressures, and above 10 000 m even breathing 100% oxygen the oxygen pressure in the lungs is already lower than when breathing air at sea level. All glider oxygen systems therefore have some way in which the correct oxygen concentration for a given height can be selected.

The above values assume that there is no leak in the mask, diluting the oxygen being breathed in. Even a very small leak causes a pronounced reduction in the inspired concentration of oxygen. The effect is similar to a home loan - we all know how a small change in the interest rate is compounded over time into a heck of a lot of money.

* Always use oxygen when flying above 4 000 m - (13 000 feet).

* If you are older or a smoker, use oxygen sooner.

* Select the correct oxygen concentration for a given altitude - it is usually clearly marked on the equipment.

* Above 27 000 feet use 100% oxygen.

* Check that your oxygen system works (I have the instrumentation to test it if you need it).

* Use only tight-fitting masks.

* Never wait for symptoms of hypoxia - by then it is always too late as your judgement is the first function to be impaired.

Hopefully this thesis is understandable and you now grasp the science behind the rules. If you don’t believe me, I will happily show you patients (not mine of course) that suffered from hypoxia - the results are devastating.

Fly high but don’t get high (poxic).

MAINTENANCE MATTERS
Dave Starke

The following have volunteered to take care of club gliders:

Charles Ryan - GJJ

Rika Olivier - GUC

Hans Prüter - GIG

Rob & Dulcie Brandon Kirby - GOK

Please report any problems regarding these aircraft to the responsible person or myself. Please note all snags in the DI book.

We still need volunteers for GUU, GTO and UUA. How about you?

GHB: Rudy, who has been heading the rebuild on GHB is overseas at present and work parties will only commence on his return. Many thanks to Rudy and all the willing helpers who have put in many hours of work so far. The real interesting part will be when the recovering and finishing work is done. I am sure we will all learn a lot from this exercise.

GUU: Our "new" K7 has had a nose wheel fitted thanks to the efforts of Edi Malinaric and much running around and organising by Hans Prüter and helpers. Sandy Hultberg applied the new registration marks and doped and sprayed the fabric in the area of the nose wheel. This glider is in excellent condition and we plan to fit a sprung main wheel and disk brake at a later stage. Please be aware that no wheel brake is fitted at present and landings must be planned accordingly.

GUC: Like many gliders of this era the Jeans Astir is fitted with a Tost drum brake system that does not work very effectively at the best of times. Once again a new cable has had to be fitted. Alex and Yogi spent many happy hours before finally getting the better of this problem.

Some damage has been done to the underside of the wing. This was caused by the wing dolly, please exercise extreme care when ground handling gliders, more damage is caused this way than flying.

GJJ: A wheel brake cable also needs to be fitted, this should be done by the time you read this. A partial rewire was done recently to fix repeated blowing of the main fuse. No other problems were reported.

GIG: The rear fuselage was badly scratched by the tail dolly. This occurred when the felt lining of the dolly compressed and the bolts holding the hinge and clip were not countersunk. This is a typical example of unnecessary damage that should be noticed and corrected before time-consuming repairs have to be made. Thanks to Randy Cullen carried out the required repairs to the glider and dolly.

UUA: Yet another Tost drum brake system has tested our patience. We have now skimmed the drum and replaced the cable and fittings and hope that this will solve the problems. Since the repair and re-spray the "Clockwork Mouse" has been performing very well. This aircraft is a valuable tool in basic and cross-country training but utilisation needs to be increased for this aircraft to be viable. The cost of flying this aircraft is extremely low so lets see more flying.

GTO: "Tango Oscar" has been doing the bulk of the basic training recently and although a bit tatty all systems are essentially OK. Please take care when ground handling these fabric gliders. Two weeks ago a gust of wind turned this glider ninety degrees while parked on the flight line very nearly hitting a private glider. Needless to say the glider was unsecured. Don’t assume that because the conditions are calm that a gust is not possible. It is the responsibility of the last person who flew to make sure that the glider is properly secured.

My thanks go to all the club members who have reported snags and assisted with maintenance tasks. Our club aircraft work hard and your interest and effort helps us achieve our goal of safe, enjoyable and trouble free flying.

EMERGENCIES DURING TAKE-OFF
André van Rensburg

André is a former Chief Tug Pilot and gliding instructor from the club who now flies heavy metal for Air Mauritius.

After reading an article concerning pilot error in a recent Krautkoerant, I thought of writing this article and perhaps viewing pilot error from a slightly different angle. So often, aircraft accident investigators attribute pilot error to be the main cause of an accident. One could ask the question, was it pilot error, or was the pilot unable to cope with the situation? A case in point could be an accident following a rope break during take-off.

Emergencies during take-off are debatably the most difficult of emergencies to cope with in aviation. I have deliberately used the wording "are debatably the most difficult of emergencies" because the manner in which a pilot copes with this type of emergency, is somewhat related to the training he has received. No matter how gifted a pilot is, there is simply not enough time, in this type of situation, to analyze and make good decisions.

It is also well known that glider pilots will attempt to turn back to the runway after a rope break, even at heights that are ridiculously too low, despite their instructor's emphasizing the dangers involved. Why is this? Simply because all the good old things like pre-flight inspections, cockpit checks, sound advice from senior pilots and instructors, memory recall items, checklists, standard operating procedures, crew resource management, even the bar-talk, you name it, all play a very small role in coping with a take-off emergency. The solution here is to mentally prepare for the unlikely, but probable occurrence of such an event.

A take-off briefing (performed prior to take-off) is a technique used by airlines to co-ordinate multi-crew actions in the cockpit during take-off emergencies. The take-off briefing has proven to be extremely effective and remarkably so, for single pilot operations. By the foresight of good instructors, this technique seems to have filtered down into general aviation and quite commonly used in the better flying schools of today. The main value of the take-off briefing lies in the fact that the pilot is mentally prepared and that the decision making process is done on the ground prior to take-off.

In gliding there are two emergencies during take-off we should be prepared for, even though they may never happen:

1. The discontinued take-off (while still on the ground)

(a) landing on available runway ahead

(b) landing in a field ahead

(c) having sufficient height to complete a circuit

Prior to giving the thumbs up to the wingman for take-off, it is a good idea to brief yourself for each of the possible scenarios listed above. A good take-off briefing should be concise, leaving the pilot with a clear and simple plan of action. I will give an example of a typical briefing adapted for gliding towards the end of the article. First let us recap on some of the actions required to cope with these scenarios.

The discontinued take-off, also known as the aborted take-off, is initiated whilst still on the ground and for a number reasons. Here are just a few, a loose canopy, loose object in the cockpit, straps not done properly, faulty instruments, loss of control, deceleration of the tug, and a rope break on the ground. The actions would be to pull the rope release, extend the dive-brakes, stop on the runway, steering clear of the tug if necessary.

If the weak link or rope breaks, or the hook malfunctions after take-off, lower the nose to maintain flying speed. Check for available runway on which to land straight ahead. If this is the case, extend the dive-brakes as required, maintain the normal approach speed and land straight ahead.

If in your opinion there is insufficient runway ahead to land on, select a field within 30^o left or right of the extended runway centre line. If a suitable field is not available within this arc, it is still regarded safe to turn up to 60^o left or right of the centre line, provided a landing field could be reached safely. Make yourself familiar with suitable landing fields in the vicinity of the airfield. DO NOT TURN BACK unless you are above the safe, pre-determined, indicated altitude for flying a low-level circuit. During the take-off briefing one would have reviewed the safe indicated altitude for turning back.

This indicated altitude is derived from a considered safe height to fly a low-level circuit, added to the airport elevation. If you think you may have difficulty to memorizing this altitude, then bug it on the perimeter of the altimeter with 'Presstick'. This eliminates the need for mental calculation under stress and really simplifies a very stressful situation. ONLY if you are above the indicated safe altitude will you turn back and fly a circuit.

An example of typical take-off briefing would be as follows:

In the event of a rope break after being airborne, I will lower the nose:

a: If sufficient runway ahead I will extend the dive brakes as required and land

b: If insufficient runway ahead to land, I will pick a field within 30^o left or right of centre line.

c: ONLY above an indicated altitude of 1200ft will I turn back and fly a circuit

Note that I did not brief on the discontinued take-off whilst still on the ground. I personally prefer to have a shorter briefing, containing only the most critical phase of the take-off. Furthermore, with gliders having to discontinue the take-off while on the ground, is not as critical a manoeuvre as for other aircraft. Glider pilots tend to cope quite well with this. The reference to the safe indicated altitude (1200ft) is of course dependent on the airfield altitude and the considered safe height to fly a circuit. The safe height is at the discretion of the flying panel or the individual maybe, but its best to have a standard of sorts.

A trap one could fall into quite easily, is to rattle off the briefing, just to get it over and done with and then get no value from it at all. Be sure that you have a mental picture of what you are briefing about. If you are already positioned on the runway, look down the runway and visualize the different stages of the briefing as you brief. It does work!

Finally, if a pilot knowingly turns back below a safe altitude and crashes, that's pilot error!

BLACK MASTERS OF THE WIND
Randy Cullen

Four black eagles come soaring along the knife edge of the ridge, surfing on the wind, wings motionless, heads turning, hooded yellow eyeballs scanning. Line astern, the feathery fighter squadron closes rapidly with the glider, flying in the opposite direction and passing within a few feet of the wingtip. Magnificent.

The rocky knoll ahead of them is a mogul on their black diamond run. Closing in, at speed and on a collision course, the birds enter the invisible rising airmass that engulfs the steep sided obstacle, then pull up sharply into a vertical climb with breasts nearly touching the sheer face of the slope. They rocket upward, climbing the height of a twenty story building in an instant. Maintaining their flight order, one, two, three, four, each in turn zooms skyward, full profile against the background of jagged sandstone, then sky.

As the lift tops out they push over into a level attitude, hovering above the knoll, motionless with respect to the ground, hooked beaks pointing into the gale. The air rushing past riffles the feathers on their shoulders and backs as they hover and peer around at their universe. Unimpressed, even disdainful, they tolerate the clumsy giants gyrating around them, maintaining their position, heads turning, hooded yellow eyeballs scanning. Masters, even gods, controlling and focusing the forces of nature with an ease that borders on impudence.

Quickly bored with the scenery, they begin wheeling in the sky, pulling up, then tucking wings and dropping, only to spread wings and climb again. Climbing and diving, rolling and turning, they play in the rising air, cavorting like children released early from school.

The four bird group becomes two, then even they are gone and only a couple of gliders remain patrolling back and forth along the ridge like slow learners.

Should any eligible members wish to join this "syndicate" and avail themselves of some very cheap gliding rates, will they please contact the treasurer, Graham Anderson (tel 23 9434 at home). Also, if you are on the syndicate and wish to resign, please let Graham know straight away.

All members are urged to keep their flying accounts in credit as it helps keep club costs down. The following members are not assisting in this by running up enormous debits on their accounts:

N Bizinos R2256; H Prince R1183; B Prince R1159; A Rund R1138; P Farrell R1151 and P Baines R710. The treasurer will be very happy to receive settlement in respect of these accounts!

The club is planning to build two new hangars, one for the winch, start-wagon, bakkie etc and another for trailers. There will also be room for a limited number of private trailers. Quotes were obtained to have this structure built professionally, but owing to the enormous expense, it has been decided to enlist members' help to do the job and thus effect a considerable saving to the club in general and you in particular. André Leeb du Toit and Boet Coetsee, who are leading this project, are appealing for support from as many members as possible, including syndicate members who intend to utilise space for their trailers.

As you have read in Maintenance Matters, Dave Starke desperately needs volunteers to assist with general maintenance of gliders. Please would you consider getting involved with this as there are lots of small tasks crying out to be done and Dave would also like to get into his new DG some time. Don't be shy if you are a new member as full guidance will be given and you will not be saddled with more than you can reasonably cope with. It really does help to spread the workload as much as possible. Dave can be contacted at tel 54 1491 (w).

The Annual Dinner is to be held at Constantia Nek Restaurant on Friday 18th September at 7.00pm for 7.30. The cost is R70.00 per head and there will be music for those who enjoy a shuffle on the dance floor. A cash bar will also be available. Please contact Hans Prüter at telephone no 592 5353 (office) before 14th September to reserve your booking (about 50 have done so already!) and the cost will be reflected on your flying account.

FROM THE FLYING PANEL
Peter Clemence

It has been decided with immediate effect that the Motorfalke will do all its circuits on the town side of the runway (i.e. right hand circuit for 33 and left for 15). The reason for this is that a circuit in UUA is flown at the pretty much the same approach speed as the gliders, which is considerably slower than power aircraft. While in the circuit the engine is either turned off or idling and can hardly be heard from the ground, and therefore should not cause any disturbance to the town. Take off and climb out procedures will remain unchanged.

A word of warning. While wave itself is very still and gentle, the rotor is not. Make sure that your straps are always tight. A recent incident where a pilot's head went through the canopy in heavy rotor over Waaihoek points out how quickly it can happen. By the way, his straps were checked a few minutes before it happened, so this stuff can be very rough.

The winch operation is on the up and up. We are at present obtaining conveyor belting to place at the launch point to stop the stones being thrown up by the parachute and I'm sure this will encourage many more single seater launches (and with summer coming, at R25.00 per launch, you should get yourselves cleared!). Also, the C B radios should have been fitted and working on the winch, bakkie and launch point by the time this is printed, which will make the operation a lot more efficient. The new procedure for the use of these will be printed in Cloud Base.

What formula do you use to arrive at a safe approach speed?

The rule of thumb method that is generally used is one and half times the stall speed of the glider plus half the wind speed. When the wind is constant this calculation seems to work pretty well.

However, during strong north-westerly winds at Worcester, the rotor that exists on the approach to rwy 33 is not something to be taken lightly. Using the above calculation and flying in a glider that stalls at 60kph, in a 50kph wind it would mean that the approach speed would be 90kph plus 25kph (half the wind speed), ie. at 115kph which I don't feel is quite enough. I was taught as a pupil that when calculating the approach speed, the full wind speed should be added, thereby making your approach in the above situation 140kph, which I for one would prefer to use.

Instructors Brief No 5 is now out and this newsletter is proving to be a great form of communication between the CFI and the instructors. Any input towards this from members will be appreciated.

The next instructors' meeting will be on Tuesday 25th August at Mike Pascoe's. Instructors please diarise.

• Work Day at Worcester, Saturday 12th September
• Annual dinner, Friday 18th September
• KK deadline 14th October
• Accounts - please settle debts now
• Cirrus syndicate - on or off? - advise Graham now
• Glider maintenance work - please phone Dave Starke 54 1491 (w)