It has indeed been a privilege and an honour to be involved in organising the Cape Gliding Club’s 50th year celebrations. The Gala Evening, set in the beautiful surroundings of Spier, was enjoyed by all 90 people who attended, and including members and friends from near and far, past and present. Amongst those from far were Carol and Bobby Clifford with their daughter Toni, as well as Dick Bradley, who presented Andrew Roos with the SSSA Award.
During the evening, Herbie Oberhofer reminisced about the past days in the club, and Mike Pascoe launched his new book of the Cape Gliding Club’s history (copies can be ordered directly from him). A nice impromptu touch was added when Sammy Samson proposed a toast to those members who are no longer with us.
Our fleet is fully functional again and working very hard. Although activity levels were much lower this year compared to the past few years, this can be entirely attributed to the bad weather patterns prevailing. Although the resultant income was minimal, it was a good time to maintain and refurbish our fleet. We hope to see all members enjoying the club equipment with renewed enthusiasm.
André certainly deserves accolades for a most successful course as well as all the work he has put in personally in completing the winch hanger. Well done André.
Whatever else you may read in this issue, the most important thing is that the soaring weather has definitely arrived. So much so in fact, that even André's Duster has been seen above Worcester, and on Saturday 23rd October, well over a thousand collective cross-country kilometres must have been flown by those lucky (wise) enough to be there.
I hope you all enjoyed the September edition of the Krautkoerant - admittedly not all gliding, but at least exclusively about people connected with our club.
The electronic age brings continuous changes to our daily lives, in this instance to the way many of you will in future receive the Krautkoerant. Of the 66 members who have given us their e-mail addresses and are currently able to access the Internet, 24 of these have responded to our questionnaire by requesting the Krautkoerant by Post Office mail, as in the past. Another 30 have indicated that they would be happy to read and download the Krautkoerant from the club's web page on the Internet. As the remaining 12 have not bothered to respond to repeated requests as to their particular preference, it will be assumed that they will also be happy to access the Krautkoerant from the club's web page at http://os2.iafrica.com/sport/gliding Every time a new Krautkoerant is added to the web page, the web master will broadcast an e-mail advising you all of the update. All the non-e-mailers will have to remain on the manual mailing list as in the past, until they too move with the times and "get connected".
As all of you must know by now, the club is experiencing the most severe cash flow problem in decades, and these savings in copying and postage costs will help to alleviate overheads.
As it is nearing the end of our 50th year, allow the KK editor to sound off a bit! It has always been editorial policy to confine contributions to those from members and friends of this club, and to avoid reproducing material from other books and papers unless these are especially relevant to some aspect of our own operation, mainly safety issues. As a result, we rely heavily on our members and friends to provide interesting copy for what has become probably the biggest, most regularly issued gliding newsletter in Africa, and which has readers all over the world. As another year draws near to a close I would like to thank all those valued contributors who continue to make the Krautkoerant the unique club newsletter that it is. DON'T STOP WRITING NOW!
As far as members are concerned, we say farewell to Hedley Prince as well as Cornelia and Mattys de Wet. Fortunately we have a good crop of newcomers, namely: John Howard, Louis Moore, Paul Roos Daniel le Grange, Jack Warrener, André Potgieter and "FC" du Toit. A big welcome to you all!
Congratulations to the Ingram-Mountain-Sanderson-Harris partnership on their recent acquisition of the Fournier UIL.
News from earthquake beleaguered Ronnie Moore in LA is that he has been to another of those amazing air shows at Edwards Airforce Base. The Americans really do things on a grand scale and this time he did get to see the F22 Raptor, which was missing at the last show, as well as a replica of the X15. Also of major interest was an SR71 Blackbird which flew past at Mach 3+ on its final public flight. He says that even at 6500' you could get an impression of the incredible speed. The stuff of dreams!
As proof that there's more to life than gliding, Craig Fussell and the editor both made debut appearances at the Bredasdorp Voet van Afrika Marathon on October 9th, finishing ignominiously in 4hr10 and 4hr20 respectively. A lot of room for improvement to work towards for next year's event!
On a more sombre note, something that should concern us is the vulnerability of the club and its members to predatory litigants. In an aviation environment the potential for damage to persons and property is enormous. As SA appears to be following hot on the heels of the USA as far as people and institutions being litigated against is concerned, this has the potential for devastating financial and material loss to anyone being successfully sued. It would appear to be particularly the case with committee members, Approved Persons, instructors and duty pilots. The mandatory SSSA third party insurance covers pilots as well as instructors, but the amount of cover is obviously limited. What I'm referring to is not tens or hundreds of thousands of rands, but possible loss of entire personal estates due to sequestration.
This issue deserves at least some serious thought and possibly even legal opinion, before something goes wrong that concerns you.
More depressing news from Europe is the possible introduction of a Dm7000 annual tax to be levied on all VFR aircraft, on the pretext of paying for such things as met forecasts and accident investigations. As SA seems to follow overseas trends, could this become a reality here soon?
On the airspace issue, it is alarming to read in the SSSA minutes of 24th August that attendance by gliding representatives at future National Airspace Committee (NASCOM) meetings "was not encouraged". Not encouraged by who, I wonder? We have already had a hint from a senior ATNS officer that a proposal exists to control ALL airspace above FL100 in the Worcester area, including that airspace outside the Cape Town TMA. It is quite clear that the heavy hand of bureaucracy is tightening on our existing freedoms, and not having representation on NASCOM is tantamount to capitulation before the battle commences.
Much of the news that follows below stems from the recent AGM of the Soaring Society of SA, at which delegates from ALL the gliding clubs in SA, including one which is still only in the formation stage, were present. Thanks to SSSA officers Carol Clifford and Anne Kienhofer for the facts.
What made this year's AGM especially important, is that the future role of gliding administration in SA was sketched out, a future that is already filled with change which will affect each and every one of us in gliding, so please read on and make sure you understand what the changes involve.
The former state-run Department of Civil Aviation is no more, having been privatised and reconstituted as the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The CAA deals with ALL aspects of civil aviation in SA. However, they do not necessarily desire to be involved with or deal with all aspects of sport aviation, and it is for this reason that the Aero Club of SA has applied for authority to be delegated to it by the CAA, to become the controlling body of sport aviation in the place of the CAA.
The various sections of the Aero Club of SA, these representing all recreational flying disciplines (eg. gliding, ballooning, microlighting, power flying, paragliding etc), are in turn applying for status as aviational recreation organisations (ARO's) representing their various disciplines. ARO's are defined as organisations whose members operate for recreational purposes. Our ARO for gliding is the Soaring Society of SA (SSSA).
When registered as an ARO, the Soaring Society of SA will have more authority than it does at present, but in turn will require each affiliated gliding club to have more formality in its organisation, operating, reporting, quality control management, administration and so on. Much emphasis will now have to be placed on operating "by the book" and in this particular regard we are fortunate to be the only club is SA that already has its own full operations manual - "Cloudbase". There is, in addition to this document, a new SSSA Manual of Operation which will be issued to all clubs once it is finalised.
Additional protection in the form of insurance will be required, and although SA has not had a lot of litigation in the aviation field yet, we do still need to be aware of the possibilities. An initial step in this area is the raising of the third party liability from R250 000.00 to one million rands. Additional insurance for airfield operators (such as ourselves) and for glider repairers also needs to be investigated right now.
Under the new CAA, the financial principle is "user pays". It therefore follows that if CAA were to be directly involved in the organisation and administration of the clubs without the Aeroclub and Soaring Society having delegated authority, the cost to us for that administration would be enormous. Although the "user pays" principle will still apply, and is bound to incur some cost increases, much of the administration work will be done by the Soaring Society, which is staffed on a voluntary basis by dedicated gliding enthusiasts from within the national clubs (eg. from our club, André Leeb du Toit and Mike Pascoe).
The Aero Club, which will continue to do certain aspects of recreational aviation administration, will continue to be funded in part, as it has been up to now, from fees paid by the Soaring Society (our annual affiliation fee) and the other recreational aviation disciplines it represents. As you can imagine, the existing fee structure is going to be inadequate, but as yet the additional costs are unknown. Only once the final approval of the application for authority delegation and designation is finalised, will we have more details on costs. The only known SSSA price increase is that for processing the LS1 documentation, which has risen slightly to R65. This is not much in the light of continual petrol price increases that threaten to prevent us from even getting to the airfield these days.
The immediate upshot of all this is that members as well as club management will have to be more precise with administrative matters. Whether you like it or not, the age of bureaucracy has arrived at the door of gliding. For example, GPL applications and LS1 documentation will have to be meticulously handled with regard to existing regulations. More attention will have to be focused on safety issues. Accidents will have to be reported on in full and even minor incidents will need reporting in order that all may learn from these experiences. Our club seems to be out in front on many of these issues, the recent safety audit being a case in point.
Certain new issues arising will require modification to the club constitution and these should be voted into place at the next club AGM in February 2000.
All gliders wishing to exceed FL185 as well as all wishing to enter controlled airspace will have to be transponder equipped. At least for our club this is nothing new. So for the moment, there you are!
Also from the SSSA AGM, Gary Shields, who has been one of the main movers over the past 10 years as far as the SA Soaring Magazine is concerned, has decided to step down. The amount of work in producing such a publication is enormous (something I can vouch for). The club therefore extends a vote of thanks to Gary for his continued efforts over the years in providing us with SA's own gliding magazine.
As far as the year-end camp is concerned - meetings have now finalised the important issues and by this stage most of the Bloemfontein participants should have bought their charts, planned a good set of tasks, loaded their GPS turnpoints and got their gliders shipshape. Success has a lot to do with meticulous preparation. And don't forget to prepare the trailer too! Enough said; it only remains to wish you all success with your goals, be they 50km, 1000km, or merely a world record.
And remember: Flying is the second greatest thrill known to mankind - landing is the first!
Most SA glider pilots, especially the more sporty folk, will know that SA proposes to host the World Gliding Championships from 18th to 31st December, 2001, at Mafekeng. However, it is traditional to hold a Pre-World Championship in the year prior to the "Worlds". This event, to be held next year at the same venue over a similar period, is to be called, rather pretentiously, Gyps Africanus. For those who are not students of ornithology, this refers to the Whitebacked Vulture which has its habitat in (amongst other places) the Mafikeng area. It's also something of a word play on the popular acronym, GPS. Quite different from former pre-worlds titles in that it has absolutely nothing in it to indicate either the venue or the sport.
An appeal is being made by the organisers of Gyps Africanus for local glider owners to offer their gliders (and perhaps themselves and their cars!) for use by overseas entrants, either for hire or possibly with reciprocal arrangements whereby you could fly their ships while overseas yourself. These gliders do not necessarily have to be "state of the art" ships, as the main purpose of this competition is familiarisation with the local area and conditions by the overseas pilots.
The main focus of Gyps Africanus is on "fun flying", with little or no controlled airspace, no specialised flying skills (eg. wave) being required, and to offer good old fashioned South African hospitality at affordable prices. Opportunities to make new friends in the broader gliding community abound, and Cape Gliding Club members are all invited to offer what assistance they can, and so also join in the fun of this international gliding event. If you have something to offer in this regard, please contact Carol Clifford of the SSSA at (011) 615 2461 or e-mail her at bobcar@global.co.za
On the week end of 26/27th June, Rudi and Liesl Schurkes, Erna and myself, travelled by road to Oudtshoorn via Ladismith, to investigate the use of the airfields and other facilities at these towns, for future gliding camps. The main objective was to evaluate the potential of these airfields as bases for distance flights into the Little Karroo, Great Karroo, and along the Swartberg mountain range.
Travelling along the N1 from Laingsburg to Beaufort West, one cannot fail to be impressed by the sight of the majestic Swartberg range, stretching all the way from Ladismith and finally flattening out to the south west of Willowmore. Often fantastic towers of cumulus can be seem stretching for at least 200km along the whole length of the mountain chain.
Judging by discussions with two glider pilots who have flown in this area, it would appear that here indeed lies a region holding good cross country flying potential.
Arriving at Ladismith at 11hrs00, we were met by the friendly and helpful Arnie le Roux, who showed us the town's 1150m long 24m wide gravel runway. To my mind and for an experienced glider pilot with a self-launcher, Ladismith would be a very favourable venue from which to attempt cross country flights along the Swartberg and into the Great Karroo.
We continued further on via Calitzdorp to Oudtshoorn, 320km from Worcester, all on relatively quiet tar roads.
The airfield at Oudtshoorn is directly adjacent to a good residential area with a tarred 1700m, 30m wide runway. At this stage there is very little flying taking place at this field, and while the local flying club is being resuscitated, at present there is only one resident Cessna. There are plans to introduce microlighting as well as paragliding shortly.
Hardstands directly adjacent to the runway provide ample parking for gliders and trailers, and the airfield boasts water, shady trees, club house and braai facilities. Hangarage and Avgas are also available on site.
Due to its proximity within the George (GG) TMA, there are certain airspace restrictions, as well as a no-fly area over a military base just north of the town.
On the Sunday morning at 10hrs00, Chris Slabber took Rudi and myself on a 30km radius, 20 minute reconnaissance flight in his Cessna. Resulting from observations made during this flight it would appear that ample outlanding possibilities exist in the area traversed.
In our opinion, Oudtshoorn would provide a potentially rewarding cross country venue for a camp, with the benefit that it is relatively close to Worcester compared to Gariep, Bloemfontein and Mmabatho. Pilots who attended the recent club camp there reported that the air was indeed "bumpy", and that in the middle of winter.
For the more experienced pilots, flights along the Swartberg into the Little Karroo, as well as flights north of the Swartberg into the Great Karroo, present exciting challenges. However, the venue does not seem suitable for less experienced pilots wanting to attempt their first 50 or 300km flights. But then again, even for the less experienced, flights of 20 or 40km would be safe, and a lot of good flying experience and confidence could be gained.
Plenty of bed-and-breakfast type accommodation is available in Oudtshoorn, and starting at R70 per person per night, would appear good value. Camping facilities also exist.
We are planning to hold a camp there from the 3rd January until the 15th January, 2000. Each participant will be required to pay an entry fee of R250 (could be less depending on numbers) to cover the cost of the out and return tug ferries, food and accommodation for the tug pilot as well as clubhouse and airfield fees. This price is subject to numbers participating, so obviously it is a case of the more the merrier (and cheaper).
At this stage there are seven club members committed to going to Oudtshoorn (four gliders and three self-launchers). Two or three members from the Eastern Province Gliding Club have also shown positive interest. Final approval for attendance is, as always, at the CFI's discretion.
Those who are interested in attending this camp should contact me at their earliest convenience, preferably straight away (Reinhold, ph 875 5603).
Going on experience and judging by the list of camp participants, it would seem a good thing if additional participants could speak a bit of German! (Ed.)
This is a tale of long, long ago, and not intended to be read by the young and impressionable would-be aviator. So please read it in the context of the by-gone era in which its events took place! (Ed)
As far back as I can remember it was my burning desire to become a pilot. Ambitions to become a fireman, policeman or any of the other childhood fantasies were never mine. In November of 1946 my father started training for his private pilot’s license at Youngsfield. Although I was only 3 years old at the time, I refused to be left at home when daddy went flying. I was spellbound by these magnificent flying machines and knew each aircraft, what engine it had, the horse power, stalling and cruising speed and anything else that I had overheard "The Pilots" talking about.
On 15th May 1947, my father having recently completed his PPL, brother Peter and I were strapped in the back seat of Piper Cruiser ZS-BIL. The logbook shows that we went to Kalabas Kraal and the flight lasted 40 minutes. I remember this flight as if it were yesterday. Over the following six years until my father stopped flying, I was taken up on many occasions in most of the aircraft types at Youngsfield by my father and many of the other pilots flying there.
At about age 12 I lost the sight in my left eye due to an injury that damaged the lens. My dreams were shattered. With one eye I would never be able to fly. Fortunately some years later a lens implant enabled me to pass my PPL medical, although not for commercial flying. This was however after the following story.
It is all very well to relate flying adventures to friends around the bar at the club, quite another matter to put pen to paper, especially if some minor regulations may have been inadvertently overlooked. However I have decided to relate this tale, and if you promise that you won’t try this at home on your own, you may read on.
As mentioned earlier, I had been on many passenger flights in light aircraft but had never had the opportunity to handle the controls. I had read many books on the subject and watched very carefully and was convinced that I would have no problem flying myself given the chance. In 1965 I was offered the chance of buying an Autogyro; my first flying machine was duly purchased. Mark Vos had built this Autogyro and had not yet fitted an engine; instead it was fitted with a release hook and supplied with a 100-metre towrope. I suppose this could be considered to be a rotary wing glider.
This magnificent machine was an open cockpit, tubular frame structure with normal 3 axis control stick and rudder pedals coupled to both the rudder and steerable nosewheel. Due partly to a lack of suitably long autotow sites, I decided the best way to learn to fly this machine was to wait for a good strong wind and fly it like a kite.
Sunday morning in Plumstead brought black skies and a howling South Easter. After fetching my new gorgeous girlfriend, Sheila, I woke up brother Peter and informed him that today was the day for flying the autogyro. After lashing the rotor, connecting up a short towrope to the Jeep station wagon and strapping myself in, off we went, with Peter driving the Jeep and Sheila probably wondering what on earth she was letting herself in for, heading for the local sports field. This was my first experience of taxiing using pedals. This was easy, I knew that flying was going to be no problem.
Minor matters like a licence to be on the road, registration of the aircraft and a pilot’s licence were soon forgotten in the excitement. Once at the sports field we connected up the long towrope to the Jeep, set the craft into wind, strapped the pilot in and prepared for takeoff. Stick back, and as the wind lashed past, the rotors started speeding up. As the rotor RPM increased the noise of the rotors and the vibration in the stick really got the excitement level on a high. The wheels started to lift off, but not quite enough power was available. The problem was that the trees at the windward end of the field were reducing the wind strength. I sensed that all I needed was a little more wind and we would be airborne.
Plan B was rapidly evolved and we hitched up for the long tow from Plumstead to Muizenberg. By the time we reached the beach I was a fair expert at taxiing. The large gravel parking area at what was then known as "Christian Beach" was deserted, no doubt because of the 40 knot south easter and black skies. This was perfect, and I knew that we had more than enough wind.
Once again ready for take-off, stick back and this time the rotor RPM built up very quickly and before I realised what was happening I was airborne and climbing at an alarming rate. It took about 15 second to stop the wild over-controlling and before I knew it, I was at about 150 foot in more or less controlled flight. That first flight lasted about five minutes before I decided to land. The landing was OK but I was a little shook up. The very rapid takeoff and climb had been unexpected and I needed a few minutes to recover. After about 2 minutes on the ground only the good parts of the last flight were remembered and I was ready for the next attempt.
The second take-off was much more controlled and I was soon experimenting with coordinated stick and rudder movements, turning left and right, up and down, this was definitely the most fun I had ever had with my clothes on. At this stage I considered the possibility of pulling the release knob and having a go at free flight, but the uncertainty of what effect a 40 knot breeze might have on my new toy made me decide to stay with what appeared to be working.
Let’s see how high we can go, stick back, higher, higher, oops – the rear wheels of the Jeep are being lifted and it’s moving backwards, better go down a bit. All the way to the left, a bit like water skiing, now swing across, like a slingshot, to the right, isn’t this fun. Now what about a beat-up, if I go all the way out to one side up high and as I swing across to the other side, dive down to near ground level and then pendulum up again to the other side? Let’s try. Wow!! That was amazing. I could do this all day. Let’s try a real low pass for the fans down there, we’ll shave the gravel on this one.
From my position strapped in the cockpit the sound of disintegrating rotors was unexpectedly loud. My "crew" later reported that all they could see was a cloud of dust with pieces of aircraft exploding out of the cloud. What had happened was that the rotor tip had just touched the ground as I was passing ground level. After the dust settled I was in an upright position, still strapped in, completely unscathed. Sheila assumed that only small body parts would be found. Can you believe that about four years later she agreed to marry me?
At least I didn’t have to taxi all the way back to Plumstead, the pieces easily fitted into the back of the Jeep.
Soon after that I passed my medical and enroled as a pupil pilot at the Cape Aero Club at Youngsfield. This was clearly a foolhardy experiment that would only be attempted by someone very young and inexperienced, however I really can say "I learnt about flying from that".
Over the past ten years aviation and general flying in South Africa have grown in leaps and bounds. With this comes an increasing interest from John Public and his family. One needs only to go to the local air shows to see how much interest there is in flying as well as aircraft.
I was brought up with aeroplanes in my Post Toasties and even today I long for Saturday, so that I can get out to the airfield and fly. Gliding was taught to me from a very early age and I have been involved with full size gliders as well as models for the past 35 years.
My involvement with overseas visitors comes via my father, Kurt, who used to swop out our Astir CS ZS-GJJ (now residing at the Cape Gliding Club) with his German flying buddies as far back as 1975. These pilots and their families would fly our glider here in SA for three weeks over December, and the favour would be returned during the following July, when Father would fly their gliders in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. This influx of overseas pilots slowly grew and grew due to the superior flying conditions existing in South Africa.
In 1991 I was responsible for bringing out to Mmabatho/Mafikeng some 25 overseas pilots and their families. The local gliding community were shocked and just laughed! But when the claims for World Records stared coming in, things changed dramatically. So popular is this venue now that the Soaring Society of South Africa will host the World Gliding Champs at this same venue in 2001.
For the past 10 years I have been on the SSSA Exco, whose function it is to ensure gliding is run efficiently and smoothly in South Africa. My own function there has been, and will continue to be, helping overseas visitors find gliders to fly and the correct gliding venue to fly at. Even though we now have modern communication networks, the need for a liaison person to be able to assist visiting pilots find gliders, as well as find suitable venues, is very important. Being able to speak and write four different languages helps a lot too! As long as there are visiting pilots, and as long as John Public has a desire to find out more about aircraft and flying, the team at the SSSA exco and I will ensure that they are offered the best information on where to fly and what gliders are available.
Dieter has recently resigned from the SSSA Exco for health reasons. Nevertheless, as he says, he will continue in this role as long as the need exists. Please refer any overseas queries that come your way, which you are unable to handle yourself, to Dieter at glide@global.co.za (Ed.)
This pertinent article was written by the late John Ellis, a former CGC member, and somebody really devoted to the gliding movement. It would appear that until now, his words have fallen on deaf ears, but owing to the dire straights that our club presently finds itself in financially, coupled with the dearth of cross-country hours being flown, perhaps a new look at our approach would be worth the trouble (Ed).
In the beginning there were only single seaters. With a lot of effort it was possible to achieve about 10 minutes total time in the first three months of learning. This was good value for money then, really, but any organisation that offered that rate of flying nowadays wouldn't last three months. With the advent of dual trainers, things speeded up and the general format of gliding in most countries gelled into today's system. Apart from the USA, there are few professionals, the sport is mostly amateur-run with unpaid voluntary instructors. Probably because of this, gliding, compared to professionally-run power flying with paid staff, remains relatively cheap and still attracts people who want to fly.
It would seem that although the initial attraction is still there, the total world membership is now static. Since most people past a certain stage (about Silver C plus two or three more good cross-country flights) get hooked for life; the losses have to be mainly from members who haven't reached that stage - the newer and less experienced members. Initial turnover has always been high but is now at a rate when clubs need to consider the problem rather more seriously if the sport is to survive.
The usual suggestion is to run recruitment campaigns. In my view this is a total waste of effort. The first priority is to keep the members one already has, by giving maximum value for money (VFM). When this is done, the word gets around and there is no need to recruit. The successful clubs have new member waiting lists: has yours?
I believe that most clubs have been complacent in the new era of competing leisure time and particularly with the newer forms of flying activity. For example, who had heard of paragliding a while back? Now it's apparently the fastest growing aviation-related sport. It is apparent that most gliding clubs haven't kept up with the times and now don't give VFM. The newer members notice this very quickly and leave to try something else. The lack of VFM is the fault of the established club members who, hooked themselves, accept the frustrations, in fact may not even notice them. A private owner who can get a launch when it is soarable is literally above a new member and is not particularly interested - he most emphatically should be. The Committee, often playing power politics in miniature, should devote themselves to the flying well-being of their members. The CFI should ensure that his instructors and Air Experience Pilots are there to instruct and give air experience flights, not to indulge themselves with free flying to the detriment of the pupil.
The specifics of all this are obvious with a bit of thought; some of them follow:
Air Experience Flights (more descriptive than the usual "Pax" flight): Whilst these are essential to attract new members and revenue, they should not take priority over members' flights and numbers should be limited in any one day. Many people on first flights are put off for life by the selfish attitudes of their pilots eg. aerobatics - un-asked for aeros are unforgivable of course, but they shouldn't necessarily be carried out even if asked for. Many macho first-flighters will request aeros because of their "friends", hoping their pilot will refuse. In most cases a first flight should be Lesson 1 & 2 in brief.
The quality, and to a certain extent, the standardisation of Instructors contributes greatly to VFM. The newer instructors should have done a course and not just be "Pax" carriers drifting into instructing. All Instructors should instruct reasonably regularly. Four hours a year is not enough - think about the difficulty of driving through a busy city on only four hours of driving a year. Deadwood should be politely asked to stop instructing. This is all up to the CFI. He should be solely responsible for flying matters, on a daily basis. Once the method of operation is agreed with the Committee, he should be left to get on with it. Incidently, committees should hang onto good CFI's like glue: constitutions that force change, for the sake of change, every one or two years are crazy. Think VFM.
There is no doubt that members who get plenty of flying are happy members. The Paradise GC would have enough gliders and facilities to launch on demand. In SA, with the value of the Rand, more gliders are almost out of the question. One can only hope that this will change before all our clubs look like the Ug...an Air Force. Facilities are another matter. A new member understands the flying list system and is mostly happy to wait his turn while helping with the operation (should we change to a booking system?). He is not happy when flying stops for avoidable reasons. For example: Winch failures due to lack of basic maintenance, no fuel, oil or ATF; excessive cable breaks due to reluctance to change an old cable - no launch, no revenue, no VFM. Unserviceable aircraft due to lack of routine maintenance between LS1's. Not carrying basic spares such as tyres and tubes. Cross-country opportunities lost due to unserviceable trailer, no spare wheel, no derigging tools. Using incompetent duty pilots regularly, just because they volunteer and are "nice". "Nice" isn't worth losing 10-20% of the day's launches. Lack of gliders due to excessive time spent on major overhaul, usually with the mistaken notion that it will save the club money.
The list is endless but most of these problems can be avoided by some foresight, a little more effort and a relatively small amount of expenditure. An aircraft on the ground is a totally useless object except in a museum. Buy your spares now, they will be more expensive later, if you can still get them. Keep your members now - if you don't give them VFM now, you may not be able to get them later.
Still as a bird
Transfixed in flight
We shiver and flow
Into leagues of light.
Rising and turning
Without a sound
A summer lifts us
Off the ground.
The sky's deep bell
Of glass rings down.
We slip in a sea
That cannot drown.
We kick the wide
Horizon's blues
Like a cluttering hoop
From round our shoes.
This easy 'plane
So quietly speaks,
Like a tree it sighs
In silvery shrieks.
Neatly we soar
Through a roaring cloud:
Its caverns of snow
Are dark and loud.
Into banks of sun
Above the drifts
Of quilted cloud
Our stillness shifts.
Here no curious
Bird comes near.
We float alone
In a snowman's sphere.
Higher than spires
Where breath is rare
We beat the shires
Of racing air.
Up the cliff
Of sheer no-place
We swarm a rope
That swings on space.
Breezed by a star's
Protracted stare
We watch the earth
Drop out of air.
Red stars of light
Burn on the round
Of land: street-constellations
Strew the ground.
Their bridges leap
From town to town:
Into lighted dusk
We circle down.
Still as a bird
Transfixed in flight
We come to nest
In the field of night.
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! Members making electronic payments to the club MUST ALWAYS QUOTE A REFERENCE on the deposit whereby the bookkeeper can see FROM WHOM THE DEPOSIT COMES. Otherwise only the main club account will be enriched, not your own flying account. It is unreasonable to expect Barbara to phone the entire membership every time an unreferenced electronic payment is made.
The club is still in need of a Fire Extinguisher Officer. Should you be interested in this position please contact André Leeb du Toit at aldut@zsd.co.za or 782 2362 (all hours). We promise you won't be overworked.
The hangar for the winch and "Flight Centre" is nearing completion. Being able to store the winch in "ready to use mode" should avoid the "hassle factor" which has existed up to now with its daily preparation. Some members still feel very enthusiastic about winching and Paul Bailey has committed himself to recommissioning the winch. In this role he has taken over from Peter Clemence as Chief Winch Operator.
This course was held from Sunday evening 26th September to Friday afternoon of the 1st October. Because of heavy rain on Monday morning flying only started mid afternoon.
Fourteen pupils attended of whom five were club members who needed to accelerate their training progress. It was good to see young Jack Warrener (76yrs) again and John Howard, an ex-member of many years ago, who wanted to get back into gliding.
Those attending were Clement Johannes, Willie vd Westhuizen, James Davidson, Jon Driver-Jowitt, Barry Dunman, Nicholas Grunert, Quinton Hoole, John Howard, Daniel la Grange, Louis Moore, Andy Romani, Paul Roos, Kylie Stacey and Jack Warrener.
Paul, John, Louis Jack and Daniel all joined the club and Willie and Clement may join before the end of October to take advantage of the Course Discount.
Jack and Paul, soloed (converted) and Barry and John re-soloed after a lay-off of many years.
Elsabe du Toit did the catering and once again did an excellent job. We hope she will look after us again next September.
My thanks go to all the instructors, Martin Grünert, Hans Jordaan, Peter Clemence, Paul Bailey, Charles Torrance and Rika Oliver as well as the tug pilots, Barry Dunman, Gary Pottage, Piet Truter, Frans du Toit and Sandy Hultberg. Andrew (General) Lightfoot did an excellent job as duty pilot for the whole week and must take the credit for the smooth running of things at the launch point, as well as helping with many other things.
All in all an amazing 27 hours of aerotow and 60 hours of glider time was flown, bringing in a sizable revenue to the club. The treasurer breathes again!
To quote the late Dave Boome: "What is needed for a beat-up?" Answer: "An audience, no idiot would carry out such a stupid manoeuvre without one!".
Call it what you like - "Competition finish", "Runway Inspection", "Low Pass", it is still a stupid thing to do.
As much as we would like to ban all beat-ups it is not absolutely possible to do so. The old ANRs considered this an aerobatic manoeuvre and as such illegal, as it was carried out below 2000' and within 5nm of the airfield. The new CAR's make no mention of this. The only solution is to EXERCISE GOOD AIRMANSHIP and for the purpose of the Cape Gliding Club training procedure, it is a requirement that Phil Surridge, our aerobatic instructor, should train and clear anyone before they attempt such a manoeuvre solo. The minimum height should not be below 100' AGL and it must NEVER be performed against the traffic.
Let's put an end to this sort of show-off flying unless carried out properly and then only by very experienced pilots. One day someone will get it wrong and then we will wonder, was it worth it?
We must stress that the club does not wish to promote beat-ups. It is a dangerous manoeuvre if not done properly and the risk to the club because of someone's ego trip is not worth it. Practising for racing finishes is not an acceptable excuse to perform a beat-up.
Oxygen: A new AIC was issued by CAA on 15th September which supersedes the previous rule applying to the use of oxygen. The new rule states that "No owner or operator of a non-pressurised aircraft shall operate the aircraft at altitudes above 10 000 feet and up to 12 000 feet for longer than 120 minutes, or above 12 000 feet, unless such aircraft is equipped with supplemental oxygen as prescribed in Document SA-CATS-OPS 91". The full AIC is on view on the notice board in the club house.
1: Chapter 9 – page 1. "Recommended Conversion Procedure". Item 4 DELETE (Open book) (in future it will be a closed book exam).
2: Appendix 1 – (form I) The Accident/Incident form is no longer applicable – See SA Soaring Magazine Issue 23 – October 1999. The new reporting forms are on the CAA website at http://caa.co.za
Observations clearly show that a disappointing trend has developed with regard to the execution of duties by tug pilots. If you are unable to do your duty it is essential that you arrange to swop with another tug pilot. The same applies if you have to leave the airfield early. For a long time we have been stressing the need to start earlier, and lack of punctuality of tug pilots is another area of concern. Late starts don't only mean less revenue for the club, they are a fundamental reason for pupil and pilot dissatisfaction and a prime example of where the club is failing to give its members value for money. It should be unnecessary to mention this yet again, but tuggies need to be reminded to wash the tug every day before flying commences - it's simply good airmanship and should be part of your preflight checks. The club has invested a lot of money in its tug planes and it's up to you to see that these aircraft get the attention and care that they deserve.
In order to ensure maximum safety for both the tug pilot and the tug, safety circuits are essential. If a glider pilot requests to be towed "straight out to Vic Peak or the Quarry", use your discretion and judgement when considering safe altitude and the proximity of the airfield. You as tug pilot, are in command of the combination, and the glider pilot must comply accordingly, especially where turn-outs are concerned.
Hard stands have been constructed at much expense both ends of the runway and these are to be made use of for parking the tug. The runway is NOT to be vacated at any other point. In the event of strong winds on runway 33, wait with engine off for assistance to move the tug. Do not attempt to turn round and backtrack.
Should any of these points need further clarifying, or any other points for that matter, please do not hesitate to contact me immediately (854 4094 w).
Finally, thank you to those who have put in much work in making the operation safe and efficient.
The weather has finally improved, the fleet is up and running, and now it’s time to kick-start operations at the launch point. Not turning up for duty is still viewed as letting the side down, so if you cannot do your rostered duty, swop. Don’t just ignore it, because I can assure you, it (or me) won't go away!
The Flight Centre is now housed in the "winch hangar" and the normal Abloy-type club key fits the lock. Make sure you have all the relevant standard club forms in the drawers. If you are in any doubt as to procedures, read them up in Cloudbase, or ask me. I am always on the airfield.
Remember that when you are in charge of operations, anticipate the next move. Once one glider takes off, immediately get the next glider and pilot ready. Do not just sit in the flight centre, taking the times and waiting for things to happen, because believe me they wont! You are the only one to motivate the day’s activities. It is your fault if it fails. But it is also your input that makes the day safe and successful with happy pilots. These same people will do the same for you when your turn to fly arrives.
So far eight Cape Gliding Club members have paid deposits and committed themselves to attending the official club year-end camp at Bloemfontein. An additional two from the EPGC have also committed, making up a total of 10. There is still the possibility of another entrant from EPGC and another from Underberg. The initial 10 have proved sufficient to bring the tug ferry cost well within the means of most members, and a few more entrants will reduce this fixed cost even further.
If you are a late starter, please contact Jacques Willig now (713 0194 or willig@yebo.co.za), as there is a limited number of gliders that can be accommodated due to the optimum daily "launch window".
A major fly-in is planned to take place on Sat/Sun 20/21 November at Stellenbosch airfield and the club has been invited to bring gliders along to fly and for display. A TV crew will be there making a documentary on all aspects of recreational flying, and all participants will be interviewed for this, as well as by Cape Talk 567 Radio.
For planning purposes, all participants are required to make prior arrangements and forms and other details are available from Alison (854 4094 w).
A final reminder that the Winelands Week(s) will begin at FAWC on 16th December, so if you are not one of the camp participants, why not come along and fly at Worcester. Who says you can't fly 500km out and return from your own club venue?
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CGC SMALLS FOR SALE: "Coachman" bakkie-top caravan on permanent site at FAWC. Sleeps four. Tatty condition but very solidly built. R1500.00. Contact Peter Clemence 782 5217(w) or clemence@new.co.za FOR SALE: Cape Gliding Club polo shirts with 50 year commemorative logo, (R75). Contact Alison 854 4094. |
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NEXT KRAUTKOERANT - FEBRUARY Sincere thanks to Dr Reinhold Lawrenz, Trevor Johnson, Dave Starke, Dave Shakeshaft (SFC), Carol Clifford/Anne Kienhofer (SSSA) and the committee members for their contributions to this issue of the Krautkoerant. The next Krautkoerant will appear in February and the deadline for receiving copy is 15th January. You are reminded that the views expressed in the KK are not necessarily those officially endorsed by the club, its committee or flying panel. Small pieces appearing without an author's name should always be accepted as being by the Editor. My contacts are: 487 2451(w), 487 2592(fax) and 686 3883(h), e-mail pwooley@cmc.gov.za Contributions would be preferred on disk which I promise to return to the post-box in the club house. Cheers till next time, Peter. |