July - Central Indiana Soaring Society

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Member
Profile:
CATCHING UP WITH
DIRECTOR OF
OPERATIONS, “DUKE”
KOELSCH
AND A REPORT ON
THE AOPA’S VISIT TO
ALEX CLICK, HERE
JUST ANOTHER HOHUM DAY AT THE
GLIDERPORT
CISS WINGTIPS
THE MONTHLY VOICE OF INDIANA SOARING
Soaring in the US of A, Special Edition
Happy Birthday, America!
LISTEN
Did you make it through that tune without singing to yourself, “Be kind to
your web footed friends. For that duck may be somebody’s mother”? Join us
as we seek out exciting soaring venues and add new skills, Page 2
Blessed with a
diversity of
choices, let’s
explore the
country’s soaring
options! Where to
fly Wave, Ridge
and Thermals…
The SSA Nailed This!
One of the exciting things about being a pilot of a glider is the
seemingly unending opportunities to expand one’s experience by
soaring in different locations, types of lift and varieties of
conditions. The practice of making a point to soar somewhere new
every year offers the triple benefit of keeping things fresh,
enhancing one’s skills (and experience) and adding badge
elements.!
“Make it a point to
soar somewhere
new every year.”
The SSA has made the task of selecting a new soaring venue
incredibly easy with their Where To Fly interactive map on their
website. (www.ssa.org ) The two types of interactive maps
Ridge
offered are intuitive and easy to use. Select the state you will be
visiting, click on it and the map identifies the glider clubs and
operators in that state. Click on the glider icons to pull up
information specific to the location.!
Thermal
Wave
A click on nearby Cincinnati, OH revealed this:!
Sporty’s Academy specializes in self-launch endorsements. Hey,
cool! Not interested in going to Ohio to get an endorsement? No
problem. Let’s say the family is taking a little summer vacation in
beautiful San Diego, CA. Click on the map to see what adventure
in soaring presents itself. Continued next page…
“wherever you are
going, from Hawaii
to New Hampshire,
there is bound to be a
soaring opportunity
available nearby”
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“Nailed it!” continued…!
Hmmmm, Sky Sailing in North East San Diego county offers commercial rides. There is a link to Sky
Sailing’s website on the pop up window. Simply click on that to explore what they offer and what it
costs. And, just for giggles, try clicking on the icon for the Lake Elsinore Soaring Club. Their website
lists what they call the “Cleveland Forest Magic Flight” in which you are taken to 6,500’ on the San
Juan Capistrano side of the Ortega Mountains. With clear weather you’ll see the islands of Catalina
and San Clemente. Heck of a deal for $130.!
If you are leaning on working on that Diamond Altitude Badge you will easily find places that offer
that opportunity. Many of these commercial operators will check you out in their aircraft, and once
you are deemed competent and safe, off you soar to seek your new Diamond. !
The map lists more than 180 SSA Commercial Operations
and SSA Chapters
Thermal flying in the Western and Southwestern parts of the United States is some of the best in the
world. You owe it to yourself to suck on some oxygen and try that. Texas, Arizona and New Mexico
offer some incredible venues for high thermal flight. I used to live in Santa Fe and can attest to the
beauty of the state and the friendliness of its inhabitants. Check out the video from Sundance
Aviation in the Video of the Month column on the next page.!
Ridge flight is famous among many Appalachian Mountain venues where long (and fast) flights are
possible. Add a Gold or Diamond Goal or Distance element! Check it out with the map.!
The bottom line is that wherever you are going, from Hawaii to New Hampshire, there is bound to be
a soaring opportunity available nearby. The SSA nailed it with the addition of this interactive map to
their website.!
My best advice is to set your goals and make your plans well in advance. Contact the soaring club or
commercial operator who can tell you what type of conditions to expect depending upon your
schedule. Once you know what time of year is best
to experience the wave, ridge or thermal flying of
your heart’s desire, firm up your plans and pack
your bags.
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Video of the Month
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WATCH !
This fascinating film captures the
rebuilding of a Schempp-Hirth
Arcus glider after it was severely
damaged in an accident.
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Next Up:
HEY, BUD!! WHAT’S UP?
Instructor Ed Lossing and student receive a fly over by the
Budweiser blimp, 1995 at Terry Airport. Photo courtesy of Dick Hutchinson!
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Check it out!
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Watch the Budweiser blimp get a
makeover and become the
“Designate a Driver” blimp. It only
took a minute - - unbelievable
how fast these guys work!
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”11 Pilots Flew Almost
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The CISS is 54 Years Old
On
Line
Contest
6500 Km in May!”!
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Click Here
For the month of May, CISS pilots logged 35* flights in the
On Line Contest. A total of almost 6500 km was registered.
Flights were reported by 11 pilots on 9 different days with
the greatest number of flights (7) occurring on May 10. The
greatest number of kilometers flown in one day was 1726
Km on the 24th. The next best day was May 10th in which
a total of 1116 Km were logged. !
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*Caesar Creek Soaring Club, the largest club in the United States, recorded 38
flights.
Sundance Aviation Video!
Longest Flight
Most Flights
Best Avg. Dist.
Click Here
Ron Clarke
John Earlywine
Ron Clarke
495 Km
7
271 Km
!
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Report From Badge & CC Camp
Our first club cross country camp was completed mid June and if members
are satisfied we may well organize another next year . Who knows maybe it
might become an annual event.!
Ron would like to know from any of the 9 participants ( not everyone came every day
but there were nine ) what the pilots liked or did not like and what they would like to
see more of . Yes we do know you would liked to have had better soaring weather !
Please send Ron a message ( [email protected] ) or just tell him . We would like to
make sure the camp does what it's intended to do which is to help pilots become
more proficient at cross country flying .!
The message this year was to remind pilots of 3 key areas that relate to
good cross country flying : Efficient Thermalling , good "Spot landing
abilities" and good Flight Planning skills .!
During the course of this year's camp several pilots completed " Spot
landings " for their Bonze badge and when conditions permitted ,
practice in optimizing thermal climbs , in some cases together with an
experienced cross country pilot in a two seater . One pilot was signed
off to fly the Grob .!
As most club members who have a strong interest in leaving the field will most likely do so in the SGS 1-34 the
group cleaned up the club glider trailer, de rigged and re rigged that glider to be sure they were familiar with the
process .!
An " off field " landing by one of the class afforded an extra opportunity to help hook up the trailer , find the
landing site, help de rig the glider and get it put into the trailer - an excellent lesson for those who might be
confronted with a similar situation sometime in the future .!
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Precautionary Note For All Members
There have been several instances recently during weekend operations where wind or thermals have spun or
moved unsecured gliders and on one occasion the Pawnee rolled about 10 feet. Fortunately, they have missed
hitting other aircraft or the hangars, or someone nearby has been able to catch them before they hit something.
The Blaniks with swivel tail wheels are particularly vulnerable. Not much can be done here except position them
where they will not hit something if they turn. At contests, there is no tolerance for leaving a tail dolly on when the
gliders are gridded because they can be rotated by the wind. Also much care is taken to position gliders so if the
wind blows a wing down on the other side, it will not hit another glider. These would be good habits to encourage
at CISS.
The Ops manual has a minor mention of good practices in this area.
· On windy days, don’t leave a glider unattended without wing weights to hold down the wing
tip. Always place the wing weight on the upwind wing and If possible, point the glider into the
wind.
Sandbags are marginal and old tires are almost useless in holding down the wing when the glider can lift a couple
of people but, they may help. Using some care in positioning and pointing the gliders also helps.
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Official Club Tee Shirt
$17.00
Sizes S, M, L, XL, XXL, XXXL
Contact Kris Maynard
$5 Donation to CISS for every shirt
sold
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August 2014
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Weds.
Thursday
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1
11:00 AM
Wednesday
Soaring
3
4
Crew Day
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10
11
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Crew Day
17
!
18
5
12
19
Crew Day
24
Crew Day
25
26
6
11:00 AM
Wednesday
Soaring
13
11:00 AM
Wednesday
Soaring
20
11:00 AM
Wednesday
Soaring
27
11:00 AM
Wednesday
Soaring
Friday
Saturday
2
Crew Day
7
8
9
Crew Day
14
15
16
Crew Day
21
22
23
Crew Day
28
29
30
Crew Day
31
Crew Day
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Under Consideration
DG-1000
18m Wings / Fixed Gear
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The club is investigating a move to
upgrade our fleet of club aircraft by
adding a more modern training aircraft
such as the one pictured here which is
currently being used by the US Air
Force at the Academy in Colorado
Springs.
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Welcome, New Members!!!
Isabelle, “Izzy” Waymire
LaChele King & Family
Kami and Mike Barnes
…and, New Sign!
Congratulations
Dave Abbott, Silver Badge and
top five finish region6 south
contest
Carey Remel, B- Badge Flight time
Jerry Hargis, Solo
Tom Beckenbauer and bob zitnick,
Private Glider Pilot Rating
Gerald Simpson, Forth place
Region 6 south contest
Ron Clarke, Winner of club
contest weekend 2
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CREW Shirt
Now Available!!!
Florescent Safety Yellow
Same price and deal as
the Club Tee
$17
$5 Donation to CISS for
each shirt sold
See Kris Maynard
”11 Pilots Flew Almost
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On
Line
Contest
3000 Km in June”!
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For the month of June, CISS pilots logged 23 flights in the
On Line Contest, which was down considerably from May
due to poor weather. The best days were June 6th and 7th.
Todd Rutledge scored the longest flight of the month, a
244 km flight on June 7. !
Longest Flight
Most Flights
Best Avg. Dist.
Todd Rutledge
Ron Clarke
Todd Rutledge
244 Km
6
244 Km
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CISS / Wolf Aviation Fund Youth Camp A Huge Success
First of Two Youth Camps Took Place June 18 & 19
!
Several CISS members volunteered to help make the first-ever CISS . Wolf
Aviation Fund Youth Camp a fantastic and memorable experience for 10
teenagers from throughout Central Indiana. !
The excited youth were immediately immersed into flying after some
preliminary indoctrination into airport safety and a glider pre-flight. Mike
Nichols and John Earlywine provided individual instruction to the new
student pilots during their FAST Flights and presented each student with a
logbook. !
Throughout the 2-day camp attendees honed their flying skills with the help
of five Condor Flight Simulators and instruction from the nation’s foremost
expert Condor Instructor, Scott Manley. Scott was assisted by a variety of
folks including our own Kevin Johnsen and Joey Bowen.
!
The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) generously contributed time,
equipment and effort to enhance the camp attendees education through a
hands-on demonstration of model building and flying real models with the
help of a “Buddy Box”, a system which matches an experienced pilot with
a novice and allows an extra measure of safety while learning to fly. The
students also received a goodie package full of literature, scale models and
AMA apparel. The AMA also provided flight simulators.
!
Kris Maynard presented a short program about the National Aeronautic
Association (NAA) and the responsibility of officials observing records
which included what motivates pilots to achieve new aviation records.
!
Ken Liles, Tom Beckenbauer, Rick Hansen, Dick Hutchinson and Kurt
Ristow were on hand to help out with the camp and ensure its success.
!
The camp attendees, to a person, were eager to learn about flight and to
experience a real glider flight. A very high percentage of them indicated
their interest in exploring aviation as a career. For many, if not all, the Camp
will surely be a highlight of their youthful summer.
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The second Youth Camp is scheduled for July 9 & 10.
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Photos courtesy of AMA and Mark Benson
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Member Profile
Director of Operations
Duke Koelsch
!
What is it like to become a Marine Aviator
in the F-4 Phantom?
How and why did you get there?
Every one of us experiences that defining
moment when it comes to a major life
altering event which will determine where we go from here. From fascination turning to
determination I experienced two such events and thus aviation would be part of my being.
While in 5th grade (1960) living in Kansas City, Missouri, my family and I attended an open house at
Richards-Gebaur Air Force Base located 17 miles south of KC. It has since closed as part of the
Military Base Closure List mandated by Congress, 1994. At the time they were flying the F102 Delta
Dagger and Delta Dart. I was blown away by their speed, maneuverability and shear power. I told
myself someday I would fly a fighter jet.
Fast forward to December 1969, the Selective Service Lottery, actually 2 lotteries, and the fate of
many young American males born between 1944 and 1950 were in the balance. As a 20 year old
first semester Junior attending Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Illinois sitting in the large
living room with many of my fraternity (TKE) brothers you could hear a pin drop as birth dates and
then letters of the alphabet were drawn.
My number was 106 which ensured a very high probability I would be inducted if my grades fell and
upon graduation. I therefore made the decision that during the upcoming summer I would learn to
fly.
All Navy and Marine Officers go through the same basic flight training in Pensacola, Florida. The key
difference is if you are unfortunate to get two downs(fail two syllabus lessons) and asked to leave the
program there are two paths. In the Navy you have the opportunity to go back to civilian life and deal
with your local Draft Board. The Marine Corps has decided we have spent a good deal of time and
money making you a Marine Infantry Platoon Commander and it is our intention to place you in that
capacity. Therefore you are back to Quantico or another location for reintroduction to “grunt” warfare
and sent to someplace at the discretion of the Commandant of the Marine Corps. At the time the
destination with the most need was Viet Nam. This made Marines very focused on the flight training
at hand and what was necessary to stay there. Of the 12 of us from my OCS class 5 of us graduated
with the Wings of Gold at the same time, one required some additional training and ultimately
received his wings and the remaining 6 became ground officers. All these “ground pounders” saw
combat in Viet Nam.
After basic flight there were two paths for Marines, rotary wing or fixed wing. Being fortunate to get
fixed wing the choice was either the A-6 Intruder or the F-4 Phantom based upon the needs of the
Marine Corps. I was assigned the F-4 Replacement Aircrew Training Group Yuma, Arizona.
Some key facts about the F-4 Phantom II aircraft. It was designed as an all-weather fighter by
McDonnell Douglas. The F-4 had 2 J79 GE engines designed to fly at Mach 2.2. Beginning in 1959
it set 15 world records for flight performance including an absolute speed record and altitude climb
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record. It was designed to carry 18,000 pounds of
weapons on 9 external hard points on the belly and
wings. The F-4 entered in to Fleet service in 1960 with
the Navy. The first operational squadron of F-4’s was
VF-74 in 1961.
The F-4 Phantom remained a major part of the US
military air power throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s,
gradually being replaced by the more modern aircraft
such as the F-15 Eagle and F-16 in the Air Force; the
Grumman F-14 Tomcat in the Navy and the F-18 Hornet
in the US Navy and Marine Corps. The production of
Phantoms ran from 1958 to 1981, with a total of 5,195
built making it the most numerous American supersonic
military aircraft built.
Some additional specifications for the F-4:
On Friday Afternoons, the Officers Wash
Airplanes!!
Gross weight of 56,000 pounds and capable of both land
and carrier operations at that weight. Maximum landing weight 40,000 pounds.
Wing span – 38’5” Folded – 27’7” Length – 58’3” Height – 16’6”
7 internal fuel cells in the fuselage – 9303 lbs and 1368 gallons plus two cells in the wings for a total
of 13,573lbs and 1998 gallons of internal fuel. Fuel burn on average was 7,000 gallons per hour of
JP4 so additional center line and wing tanks were added for longer endurance. The average flight
time was 1.1 hour without aerial refueling.
The aircraft was flown using angle of attack: Climb – 5.5 units Max endurance – 8.5 units Stall
warning – 21.3 units (rudder shaker) On speed approach – 18.5-19.5 units (136-144 knots) landing
speed Nose gear steering until 80 knots Nose wheel liftoff occurred at 160 knots
Probably the most frightening piece of hardware was the Martin-Baker ejection seat. There were at
least 5 safety pins that had to be removed prior to strapping in and replaced upon unstrapping after
the flight. This was your responsibility. It was a rocket (actually several) that provided for a safe
ejection on the ground at 0 airspeed and 0 altitude. You required a positive angle of attack at low
level which is why it would not work if the nose of the aircraft was pointed down. The seat could
withstand an ejection at 500 knots, but the human body could only withstand 400 knots. Not certain
who volunteered to figure that out. There were quite a few deaths attributed to this seat, but many
more lives saved because of it. In order to “sit” in this seat during any flight operations required a
seat card or endorsement demonstrating a log book entry for training and indoctrination on its use.
The charter for the Marine Corps Air Wing was close air support for the Marines on the ground.
Therefore a great amount of time was spent on the air to ground target range. We would use 50
pound “blue” bombs up to 500 pound retarded Snakeye ordinance, as well as various rocket
configurations.
As this will be an article I continue to write going forward. The next pieces will include what it is like
to brief and fly a typical bombing mission, aerial refueling during the day and at night, preparing to go
to the boat, carrier operations, air combat maneuvering (dog fighting) against Top Gun pilots, and
more.
I trust you will continue reading.
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The Final Glide!
This month’s Final Glide
musical interlude is
especially relaxing, so sit
back and enjoy Enya
perform “On My Way
Home”.
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Click
Amelia Earhart Flys Again, No
Kidding….
As you read this, a young lady by the
name of Amelia Earhart is currently in
Day 4 of her flight around the world, recreating what would have been her
namesake’s most famous, instead of
infamous, flight. Follow her effort HERE
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