Soaring News - November 2019 and Season Summary
Photo Credit; Jean-Marie Deschanps
The club operations officially closed November 25 for the 2019 season after a full weekend of flying before closing, we reopen April 1 2020. We flew only 4 days in November and canceled ops 7 days due to weather, total flights for the month was 28. Total flights for the year was 533 compared to 596 in 2018 with 49 operation days canceled due to varies types of weather. Our Wednesday fliers were most affected by weather, 24 of the available 34 days were canceled. Still a good year even with the high number of days canceled, income was just a few thousand dollars over operating cost. Good maintenance and members taking good care of the equipment kept us flying on the good weather days.
2019 Highlights:
Total flights were 533 including 47 guest flights which kept the club in the Black.
Shipp reached a career 10,000 glider tows in April.
Our September Picnic was held at the club hangar with lots of various dishes. Food was great, grilled by our Chefs Neal Miller and Jim Thompson.
Mark Geudtner and Nate Kemppainen passed their Private Pilot check flights with DPE Kerry Brown.
One of our tow pilots Brandon Schultz is flying higher and faster with a Type Rating in a Cessna Citation. Brandon completed Commercial Power, Instrument and CFI ratings last year. His Dad is also a club glider CFIG.
Vaughn Bateman flies a C47 and B25 out of Willow Run when not towing for the club. Tom Neese experienced back and leg pains that kept him grounded from towing for a while but recovered without surgery.
The club hosted the MG car club again this year with several guest rides.
Anik Ganguly is our newest glider Solo pilot, joining Bob Kuehne and Jim Thompson as our solo students. Anik and Bob have power ratings.
A former 1960’s ASC Member Tom Bajkieweiz visited the club and was given a ride in the K21 by Neal Miller. Tom did many hours towing and flying gliders during the 60’s and 70’s.
The Board approved replacement of the K13 which may be a Grob 103 or similar.
Steve Rusinowski purchased an HpH 304CZ glider to replace his ASW19, Bill Lynch also looking at a Standard Libelle.
Shipp has written in prior Soaring News about pilots landing and not dropping a wing until stopped or near so and not turning off the runway in cross winds, am pleased to see that it’s working.
Thanks much to our tow pilots Vaughn Bateman, Tom Neese, Tom Shipp and Brandon Schultz for a great job towing and thanks to our instructors Rick Clark, Matt Schultz and Dino DiNatale for their skill in helping our students stay within limits of the Pawnee rear view mirror. We wouldn’t be much of a club without full time and student members who support the club by flying.
When turning from base to final keep your aim point on target, nose down and speed up. Outside rudder is OK but inside rudder is a control position for spin training.
Enjoy the Winter, attend every Webinar you can, see you next year. I will be contacting some of you to help with Glider-Pawnee Annual Inspections, probably February-March 2020.
Tom Shipp.
