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Geoff Weck and I will be out on Tuesday. Geoff will make his first flight in his “new” ASW-27. Weather is to be mid-70’s, clear and winds 270 at 7-11kts.
Thursday was indeed a very good day for soaring and cross-country trips. Lift was very good between 7-8K MSL and I was able to get up to 9K once while Pet’r and Steffan cruised up to 9,600!
-John (OHM)
I did review the FREE soaring weather tool at http://www.drjack.info/BLIP/univiewer.html which gave a similar forecast for Friday through Sunday.
As sometimes happens with Chicago weather, the SkySite forecast has changed with Saturday looking better than Friday. But who knows.
> Friday May 17 – Looks good for training but not necessarily cross country.
Lift to 5500 MSL, very few if any CUs, winds 300 at 5kts gusting to 7kts, temp 76
> Saturday May 18 – Looks good for training and cross country.
Lift to 6000 MSL, CUs starting at 1100h lasting all day, winds 192 at 7kts gusting to 11kts, temp 81
> Sunday May 19 – Looks good for training but not necessarily cross country.
Lift to 4000 MSL, very few if any CUs, winds 90 (lake breeze) at 5kts gusting to 7kts, temp 79
SPECIAL GUEST ATTENDING
Many of our members will remember our favorite “Brit”, and soaring buddy, Ed Stokes who sadly passed away last year. Those of us who were lucky enough to know Ed hold a special place in our hearts for him. He was a past president of the club, a great friend to all with his trademark ready smile and easy manner. He always gave words of encouragement to those new in the sport. Ed began flying gliders back in the early 50’s while growing up in England.
Earlier this year his family contacted Sky Soaring to schedule some time to come to the airport and make a “donation to the club” in Ed’s honor. We invited the Stokes family to our Memorial Day picnic and they accepted.
Please plan on attending to greet these nice people (not to mention we SSI members!).
– John DeRosa
An update…
Saturday is starting to look better than first reported with good lift and CUs. Friday is similar but with a longer window of soar-able weather from noon to around 5PM.
I will be out tomorrow and see you shows up.
John DeRosa
Sad news. This appears to have happened August of 2023 during a contest.
Here is more information about the accident with some flight trace images and analysis. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/aaib-report-ventus-2ct-g-kads-and-e1-antares-g-clxg-on-17-august-2023.
Being part of any gaggle is something that takes extra care when entering, circling, and exiting. At a contest even more so due to the number of gliders all wanting to climb better than everyone else. Just today the latest Wings & Wheels newsletter covered just this topic. I have copied the content below. Sign up for these interesting newsletters at http://wingsandwheels.com
Be careful out there!
– John DeRosa (OHM)
======================
<h1>Play Nice With Others in a Gaggle</h1>
In a past article, I wrote about leaving a thermal and accelerating while in the lift. That way when you encounter the sink you are already at or near cruise speed and get through the sink quickly. That is great when you are alone. However, let’s think about what happens when we have company.
<h2 class=”yiv6517697707null”>Everything Changes in a Gaggle</h2>
When you exit it is considered bad form to cut through the core of the thermal, dive onto the glider below you, and cut-off the guy that was next to you. Actually, it is considered such bad form they may ask you to leave, assuming you didn’t have to use the parachute to complete your thermal exit.Gaggles can be more efficient in finding the core and spreading out to find a thermal. Not only must we have our heads on a swivel we need to remember that the last mid-air at a WGC (that I remember) was not someone in a large gaggle but 3 guys on course. Two were focused on the one circling and they collided watching the one guy thermalling. I watched one midair where gelcoat was traded as the two pilots pulled up and one turned directly into the other glider, denting the bottom of the wing.
<h2 class=”yiv6517697707null”>Entering a Gaggle</h2>
Entry is like merging onto a crowded freeway with a bunch of A$$holes. Nobody is going to let you in, sometimes they physically can’t because the spacing is already worked out. As you approach a gaggle you need to look for an opening. Look for the other glider merging. Slow down before you merge and be at thermal speed as you slide in. You cannot hit the lift pull hard and directly into the gaggle. It is too easy to misjudge.
<h2 class=”yiv6517697707null”>Leaving a Gaggle</h2>
When you decide to leave, you leave on heading assuming you can safely exit when you want to. Then slowly lower the nose once the wings are level then build up your speed without major nose changes to not collide with the glider that may have left under you. There are a few seconds where you have to accept it could have been done more efficiently but compromised safety.You also have to fly a little faster as the gaggle gets busier. A little faster gives you more control and a little farther away from stall speed. You cannot make every small correction for centering because that might cause a mid-air. Quite often the gaggle can still be quicker on course than a solo glider even with these inefficiencies.
Next, read the article on gaggle thinking. https://wingsandwheels.com/blog/post/avoid-stupid-group-think
Reminder that this coming Monday will be Sky Soaring’s annual “Chili-Fest” party at the hangar.
Aside from chili you can bring anything you like to share. Get their early if you have things that need heating up.
Sky Soaring will supply cups, saucers, bowls, and knives/forks/spoons.
The festivities start as soon as two people have shown up.
See you there!
– John “First Taste” DeRosa
In the past we loaded the vending machine with pop and water – with water being the most important for hydration. However, the water bottles became an issue as their thin plastic often jammed.If we do get this machine one idea might be to put it in the office area taking the place of the derelict “balloon” refrigerator (which COMED may pick up for free). Alternatively, and John is correct about freezing if overwintered in the hangar, it would need to be unloaded about the time we turn off the outside water.
John H DeRosaOn Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 09:42:52 AM CST, SSI <webmaster@skysoaring.com> wrote:
Reply To: Soda machine opportunity for the club From John Phelan, [General Discussion Forum]
Also keep in mind that unless the machine in question is designed to be in outdoor environments, it will not fare well in the hangar in the wintertime. The cooling system needs an ambient air temp above the refrigerated temp in order to be efficient and maintain the internal temperature. Otherwise, the pop can freeze in the wintertime and then you have a real mess to contend with.
Reply To: Soda machine opportunity for the club From Don Grillo, [General Discussion Forum]
Hello Rich, We had a soda machine for several years. We got rid of it a couple years ago as it wasn’t maintained and I think it had some problems dispensing. I don’t think we need one at the field. But we can put it on the BOD agenda to talk about it.
DonBest Regards,
John F. Phelan
From: SSI
Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2023 09:34
To: phelanjf@gmail.com
Subject: Reply To: Soda machine opportunity for the club; By Don Grillo, [Sky Soaring]Unsubscribe from this Topic https://skysoaring.com/forums/topic/soda-machine-opportunity-for-the-club/
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