SATURDAY, September 10, 2016. Hot, dusty, some training, some cross country

WEATHER
Visibility: 20 miles in haze and smoke.
Wind: Variable, mostly from the East
Altitudes: 9700 +
Time Aloft: 3.1 hours
Max Lift: 900 fpm.
Temperature: 100 degrees F.
Comment: Erich Harding, 11, learning to fly.
Tow pilot: Harold Gallagher, Jim Rickey.

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Last March, Erich Harding was here in Avenal taking the first two of a planned training program to earn his Pilot's license. He did very well on those two and was back for more today. He is a very quick learner and his progress is excellent. I have no doubt he would be soloing in less than a year. Trouble is, he's only 11 yrs old and won't be 14 to solo until March, 2019. By that time, he'll probably be flying better than anyone has in a long time, at that age. The great part about Erich is that he's bright, listens carefully, does what I ask him to do in the flight sequences, stays focused, and seems to understand clearly why, for example, the rudders are a necessary partner with the ailerons. So, here he is again, doing even better than he did last March.

Erich Harding flying his third training flight at age 11. Flying very well.

Erich is not left-handed but has a sore right hand. It's good to switch hands occasionally.

At his age, Erich is learning so quickly he could solo in his 12th year but, alas, the FAA says no.

Erich is a bright, determined, quick learner and will have no trouble learning to fly, anything.

A small cross country group is forming but won't launch until sometime after 1:00 pm.

Don Flinn and Jim Rickey chat while Russ Genet waits on his second flight.

Kyle O'Connell taking the ballast out of Big Bird in preparation for his solo flight.

It was a hot day with the heat ripples seen in this photo taken from the far end of the runway.

Sergio Grajeda is departing on what turned out to be a nice long, 2 hour flight.

With only one in the 2-33, the Bolthouse wires are overflown with slight room to spare.

The cross country group gathered and were ready to launch on hoped-for long flights.

Jeff Richardson, Andrew Palmer, and Carl Engel using the wing of the 2-33 for other than lift.

The guys are at the front of Martin Caskey's glider helping him get ready to launch.

Looks like the time is now for all of them to launch, one after another.

It's a small shadow but Jeff Richardson finds it useful for a slight cool-off.

Carl Engel standing by to help Martin Caskey get ready to launch. Martin's face shows how hot it was in that cockpit.

Martin Caskey is launching in his Nugget sailplane.

Jeff Richardson preparing the DG100 for flight but he's second to Carl Engel's launch.

Jim Rickey, the guy who somehow always shows up to help, towed half the flights today.

Carl Engel launching in his Discus was gone a very long time. His story follows.

Not sure if Jeff or Martin got back to you; a short summary of my flight below.

Duration 3.1 hours

Max altitude: 9,700 ft over Black, 5,000 ft over the foothills/valley

Max lift: 9 kts

The soaring conditions were reported as relatively non-existent through midday, but not long before I launched, we observed Sergio soaring over town and showing there was lift to be found!  I heard he ended up flying for around 2 hours. 

I released near where Martin reported a good thermal off tow where the power lines cross the foothills, and it took me high enough to press to the ridge.  Once there, I could maintain altitude, but not really gain much to push farther into the mountains.  I was joined by Jeff in the DG-100 and we bounced between the ridge and that first thermal a couple times. I was beginning to think this would be one of those days where you claw your way from thermal to thermal to stay up for an hour or two only to come back exhausted.  That's when Jeff spotted a circling hawk and reported better lift there, so I joined him along with Richard Walker. 

Richard's yellow 1-35 stands out well and I took a few pictures while we climbed together (see below).  Once we were at 5,000 ft, I pressed to Black where I found a stronger thermal which shot me up to a peak of 9,700 ft (and cooler air!) with Jeff not far behind.  Realizing the conditions of the day weren't very forgiving if I wandered too far from the mountain-provided lift, I stretched my legs a bit along the mountains but stayed within glide of Avenal.

Richard Walker in his bright yellow 1-35 sharing Carl's thermal near the West Ridge.

Jim Rickey moving into position to tighten the tow rope for Jeff Richardson's launch.

Jeff's wing runner, Mike Paoli, is just about to lift the wing of the DG100 for launch.

And now Jeff Richardson is on his way to a long flight, probably running the mountains with Carl Engel.

Richard Walker assisting Mike Paoli in readying the 1-26 for launching.

Yes, it was that dusty today, and with little cross wind, the glider spends a lot of time in IFR conditions.

The 1-26 on tow behind the Cessna 150, with Mike Paoli after some good soaring.

Labor Day Weekend, September 3-5, 2016

WEATHER
Visibility: 6+ miles and smokey
Wind: variable with Saturday evening frontal passage
Altitudes: 6000 ft
Time Aloft: 2.5 hours
Max Lift: 8 kts
Temperature: 90s
Comment: XC camp
Tow pilot: Dan Gudgel; Morgan Hall

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Today was a busy day with both training flights and a pseudo Cross Country Camp.

Training: There were enough training flights to last most of the day. Three students in their training cycles included in order of their flights, were: Peter Suddjian, Jim Bell, and Beth Platz. Since these flights took place all day long in and around the cross country pilots, I thought it best to group them here to allow Julie's excellent prose to be uninterrupted.

Peter Suddjian is a long time power pilot from Fresno who is moving along in his training quite well. I expect him to be taking the tow unassisted in the next flight or two.

Jim Bell has had some power flight training many years ago and that shows in his capture of the skill necessary to fly well. As with Peter, I expect Jim to take the tow entirely in a few flights.

Beth Platz, an M.D. from Valley Children's Hospital, flew her second training flight and after that committed fully to joining the Club. She is now a Member in good standing in the Central California Soaring Club. She also is making good progress as I noticed small but important adjustments during her stick and rudder coordination, especially during thermalling turns. I think she'll be surprised at how quickly the flights will go right up to the day when I exit the glider and send her off on her own.

Peter Suddjian working a weak thermal but mostly practicing stick and rudder coordination.

Peter Suddjian seems to be having fun flying the glider and that helps make progress.

The cross country pilots are busy assembling their sailplanes in preparation for the launch in an hour or so.

Andrew Palmer walking the wing of Peter Sahlberg's 1-35 enroute to the launch area.

Bart Klusek sitting comfortably in the DG100 before he took it for a nice flight. Here is his story:

Harold,

I thought I would fly the Russia. But, by the time I got to Avenal, Andy had already had it assembled, and the DG and everyone I needed to get checked out (Morgan and Alex - thanks, guys!) in it were available. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity.

I found the assembly to be somewhat more challenging than in the case of the Russia, mainly because of the weight of the wings. Morgan says that it *can* be done by one person. One day I might try it, but for now I would rather have help.

The tow was uneventful. CG hook or not, the glider was easy to fly. I wonder if it is possible to box the wake with the rope attached so far in the back?

This being my first flight in the type, I opted to stay local. And the best lift was to be found was in the valley anyway. I climbed to 6000, flew along what seemed to be a convergence line, went to the Black Mountain and, to my great surprise, found absolutely nothing there.

Finally, I crossed the 33 to explore "unusual attitudes". And I got disappointed - the glider won't even stall with me in the cockpit, let alone spin! With the stick in my lap, it flies happily at almost 40 knots. Diet time, I guess...

Another thing I noticed that may be related to my weight is this: when flying at 50-ish knots with full spoilers, any attempt at slipping causes the nose to drop 30 degrees or more. Then it accelerates to 60 or so and recovers. This would have scared me, had it happened on final.

So, what would I rather fly?

If there is a chance of landing out (in a field), I would rather be in the DG. The wheel brake is better and there are no gear doors to damage. If there is no one available to help with the assembly, or if there might be nobody at the airfield when I return, I would choose the Russia. Strong winds would probably favor the DG, and if I feel like spinning - the Russia. It's good to have options!

Bart

Sergio Grajeda landing the Orange Crush. He was one of the first to launch today.

Sergio's Mother arrived today and Alex Caldwell invited her to rest on the patio while Sergio was soaring above. Here is Alex story:

Hi Harold,

I thought I'd write up a little bit on how Sergio Grajeda's mother came out on Saturday. She drove up to the gate and said she was looking for Sergio. Figuring this was probably his Mom but having never met her before, I introduced myself.  Her name is Maria. Sergio was up in the Orange  Crush and was getting lift and doing some soaring, so I sensed an opportunity. I invited her in to get out of the sun on the porch,  and when she did, I pointed up in the sky to the west, where Sergio was thermaling at about 2500 ft. AGL and having no trouble staying up. I said "There's Sergio, in that glider up there by himself".   Her reaction was "Oh my God!", with her hand over her heart,  and she seemed like she needed to sit down. I explained that he's flying very well,  and will soon be ready for a checkride for his license. I had wanted to give Sergio my wife's old cellphone today so he could learn how to run XCSOAR on it, but I had discovered the battery in it had died. But Sergio's Mom had gotten him one and brought it out to him.  It looks like it will work for XCSOAR, as well as being a reliable phone he can use for regular communication. 

Alex Caldwell

Andy Reistetter flying the Russia, but not participating in the cross country camp.

Julie Butler flying XD and heading south with her students in Cross Country flying.

Andrew Palmer and Troy Wollman chat while Bart Klusek works on the DG100 in the background.

As indicated earlier in this write up, Bart had a nice relaxed time flying the DG100.

Pancho Herrera launching in his Libelle as a participant in the Cross Country Camp.

Martin Caskey also launching in his Nugget as part of the group heading south on cross country flights.

Jim Bell making a nice thermalling turn on his way up towards 5000 msl.

Jim Bell enjoyed his flight and the great thermal he managed to snag for high altitudes.

Troy Wollman launching in the 1-26 but did not participate in the cross country flying.

Beth Platz searching for a good thermal while practicing her stick and rudder coordination.

Beth managed to find and work a modest thermal and we were climbing well.

CONGRATULATIONS BETH, on becoming the newest CCSC member and student pilot.

Cross Country Camp:
Saturday:

 The morning started with lots of people out setting up ships and completing pre-flight inspections before a pilot briefing on the patio. Only 4 pilots showed up for the XC camp, and we decided to set a task of Taft, Porterville, Avenal with the option to do a straight out to Tehachapi if it looked like there was a chance to make it.
Peter Sahlberg launched first in 181, then Julie Butler in XD, Pancho Herrera in 4M, and Martin Caskey in TN. Pancho was really excited about the first thermal he hit on tow and got off a bit early only to find himself needed a relight. 181 quickly climbed to 5000+ and headed south toward Dudley, getting there at about 3000'. XD followed behind, but on a little better line arriving at Dudley at 5000'. Not finding much there I decided to continue south toward a building dust devil - that was the last one I saw.  The convergence had already moved to the east and I missed the opportunity to follow it about 15 miles back, so I soon found myself landing at Lost Hills with a stiff cross wind. Hearing Martin at Dudley, I called for him to head east, but maybe a little late. After pushing off at the first taxi way, I saw 181 east of the airport fairly low and he soon joined me on the ground and rolled out to the last taxi way. As we pushed his glider off the runway, we saw TN east of the field circling. Unfortunately, he did not get my 'go east warning' soon enough and he eventually joined us at Lost Hills for a little party complete with a welcoming committee of wild Chihuahua mixes.
The stellar land out crews were rolling out of the Avenal airport by the time I called to let them know Martin had also joined us and they were rolling in just about the time we were ready to take off horizontals and wings. 4M must have heard our demise by the time he got to Dudley and made the choice to head back to Avenal so he did not have to set his glider up again tomorrow.

 Peter Sahlberg after his first land out.

 Land out party at Lost Hills; check out the wind sock behind Martin's right shoulder.

Beautiful sunset at Avenal courtesy of the Sobraneres fire.

Meanwhile at Avenal, Big Bird had problems with the wheel assembly and Jim Rickey spent the majority of the day fixing it. Once everyone made it back from Lost Hills in time for the massive wind storm, we helped Jim finish up work on Big Bird and headed out for burritos before returning to the club house for post-flight briefing and learning. Here is the post to OLC:

http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/daily.html?sc=11&st=olc&rt=olc&c=US&sp=2016&df=2016-09-03

Sunday:

Many people camped out in Avenal Saturday night, so we enjoyed breakfast of bacon, eggs, and coffee on the patio. The forecast was a little more dismal than the prior day and no XC task was called. A multitude of people began work on various projects around the airport including clearing brush, cleaning airplanes, and putting Peter's SGS 1-35 back together following his land out. Jim Rickey went through the manual for the DG100 again before taking his first flights in that plane.

Jim is ready for take off.

Mario Pauda is waiting for the annual inspection on his new 1-26, so he flew the club's today. Harry Davies came out in his new Libelle 201 complete with awesome Cobra trailer and took 2 flights. Troy  Wollman and Jennifer Bauman took several flights in the 2-33 with Sergio, Luca, Jesse, & Andrew so that everyone got a chance to fly. Pancho also took several flights before putting 4M back in it's box.

 Lizzy makes sure Mario's cockpit is ready for flight while Troy gets ready to rob a bank or run a wing.

Mike Paoli was out working away, but did not get a chance to fly. Maybe next weekend.

Thanks to everyone who came out to play. It was a fun weekend with a lot of learning going on.

SATURDAY, August 27, 2016. Two new Solos, Clark and Luca.

WEATHER
Visibility: 10 miles in haze.
Wind: 5 kts from the SE, then N.
Altitudes: 4000 msl
Time Aloft: One hour.
Max Lift: 400 fpm.
Temperature: High 90's.
Comment: Two new solo pilots, Clark Woolf and Luca Soares
Tow pilot: Luciano Worls, Harold Gallagher, Alex Caldwell.

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The day started quite early for me, arriving at 7:20 am in preparation for Clark Woolf's solo day. In the morning cool air, Avenal seems a gentle, easy going, inviting place to be. Then the heat builds up, the activity increases, the dust is kicked up by the tow plane and the early morning idyllic setting comes crashing back down to reality. But we continue to fly, and train, and celebrate achievements, and have been doing so the past 27 years.

This morning Clark Woolf soloed. He could have done so on his 14th birthday but the FAA couldn't get their act together in time and Clark got caught up in the mess. Now of course, students CAN solo on their birthday with the FAA allowing them to apply for their Student license several weeks in advance of their birthday. Just a month or so ago, that wasn't the case. The FAA mandated that no student could apply for their student license at the earliest, on their birthday. Then they had to wait at least two more weeks for processing before their license was mailed to them. Finally after enough pressure was brought to bear they relented and figured out a way to allow students to apply ahead of their birthday. The solution didn't seem all that difficult to me but some bureaucracies just seem to make a mountain of a termite hill.

CONGRATULATIONS CLARK. You earned your solo privileges and made three excellent flights. Sarah, your Mom, said she wasn't at all nervous but as he launched for the first time, I thought I detected a bit of a quiver in her countenance but maybe I was just seeing things. Sarah has been the guiding force behind Clark's effort. She, herself, earned her Private Pilot's license (in power) in Spring of this year and set the example for Clark to follow. Now Clark needs a lot of book-work, and continued solo flights as the winter approaches. We'll make sure he gets both.

At the end of the day, beginning about 3:00pm or so, my student from Cal Poly, Luca Soares, also soloed and did very well. Luca is in the Computer Engineering program there in San Luis Obispo and is part of the crew from that fine university who come out nearly every Saturday for lessons, or flights, or work around the gliderport. But Luca admitted to being nervous. That's not only to be expected but I'd worry a bit about any student who was so blase' about their solo flights that they might miss some important operations during the flight. Luca didn't miss a thing, flew well, landed and rolled out, each time managing his energy better with each flight.

CONGRATULATIONS LUCA. You earned the privilege of solo flight by working hard, following instructions, and maintaining an excellent attitude throughout. Continue your solo flights until you qualify to fly the Schweizer 1-26.

There was a lot of activity during the day but I didn't get it all committed to memory. Here's what I remember:

Mike Paoli constructing an enormous launch ramp for the floor of his hangar. The ramp is just wide enough for the wheel of his Libelle and I trust it was installed without incident.

Carsten Moeller worked hard all morning cleaning the washrooms, and they badly needed it. He worked a bit on the clubhouse but needed help for that large effort and there weren't too many volunteers at the time. Thanks much Carsten. Those washrooms were a terrible mess and badly needed attention.

Richard Walker was on hand and did get two tows for rather short flights. The lift wasn't all that good today and most of what took place were training flights rather than cross country hops.

Troy Wollman brought a friend out but I have no more information on that.

It's likely I'm forgetting various folks who were here today but I'll have to wait until they contact me with their stories and pictures.

Clark Woolf about to solo the Orange Crush. He's 14 yrs + a month and a good pilot.

A few words of wisdom from his Flight Instructor and Clark will solo for the first time.

Clark's Mom, Sarah, who said she wasn't nervous (well maybe a little).

Clark on tow heading up to 1000 msl and will release near the IP.

Just about now Clark will release from tow and fly a good pattern back to earth.

Clark Woolf's first solo landing of what may be a long aviation career.

I'm really proud of how well Clark flew the three solo flights, his first ever.

Two (Luciano on the left towed Clark) of the three people who helped Clark make his first solo flights. The third? His Mom, Sarah is taking the picture.

Clark Woolf had to lose his shirttail after his excellent solo flights.

Carsten Moeller running the wing of the 1-26 for Troy Wollman.

Luca Soares is ready for his first solo flights in any aircraft.

Luca Soares on tow on his first solo flight.

Just like Clark, Luca is nearing the release point for his first solo flight ever.

Luca Soares second solo flight with Troy Wollman running the wing.

Luca through the dust makes a nice takeoff behind Alex Caldwell in the tow plane.

Next Saturday the temperature is expected to be in the high 80's and that's just about perfect weather for flying gliders. Since it's Labor Day weekend, perhaps a few more members will show up than were here today.

See you all then,

Harold Gallagher