2008 Club News

Club Logo
New Panel
Cart Girls
October 4th Soaring
Scott's Monnett Monerai Flies
David Manning Solos
Club Name Chosen
Freddie Wendland's US Solo
Soaring pictures from 07/23/2008 Weekend
First Pictures from 07/12/2008
First Club Meeting on 06/21/2008

Club Logo Suggestion Calvin Mayo has been hard at work developing a logo for our soaring club. This is his latest version. It's looking very good. We can get everybody's input the next time we get together or you can just flame away now via e-mail.  :-) The logo is something we can use in the future for silk screened t-shirts. It could be applied much like on our EAA Chapter 960 t-shirts (small logo on the left chest and large across the back). Many thanks to Calvin for taking on this task.

New Instrument Panel for the Ka7

Frank purchased an electronic variometer for the K7. Over the holidays Frank, Freddie and Calvin removed the old panel from the glider and designed a new one.

Calvin traced the old panel on a CMM (coordinate measuring machine) machine and then loaded the data into CAD. He was then able to create the new design on the computer. The new design has holes for the electronic vario at the bottom and two electric vario indicators top right and left. He also added a master power switch in the center above the altimeter.

The new design was then loaded into a CNC mill and the new panel was cut from aluminum plate. Calvin also cut the N number into the panel above the radio. The panel was painted black and the N number white. It looks GREAT! Calvin has been a very busy boy over the holidays. Be sure to thank him for his efforts.

What's Soaring Without Some
Pretty Cart Girls

The weather kept us grounded Saturday but Sunday November 9th 2008 was good. The lift was almost no where to be found so most flights were of the ten minute variety. With the short flights and both the K7 and Monarai flying we ended up with four-teen tows. That's not bad considering the days are shorter and we assembled and disassembled both gliders. The highlight of the day was having two pretty young girls staging the tow rope and towing the gliders into position.

Click here for some flying photos.
 

October 4, 2008 Soaring

Check out the photo slideshow from this weekend's soaring.
 

Monnett Monerai Flies Again

Club member Scott Crippen purchased a Monnett Monerai P single place power glider a few weeks ago. After much research and inspection it was time to fly. They decided to make the first flights as a pure glider without the engine pod installed. On Saturday 10/04/08 CFI-G Frank Wendland took her up for the first two flights behind the Super Cub. As tow pilot I could hardly tell the little glider was back there. I had to watch the mirror to confirm the release.

The picture to the left shows Frank crossing the fence with flaps at 90 dgrees. This was the landing on flight number two. Scott took the controls on flight number three.

Rick
 

Another Club Solo

Sunday afternoon (10/05/08) yielded another club solo flight. Private pilot David Manning soloed the K7 after a simulated rope break. The simulated rope break involves the instructor pulling the tow rope release just above 200' AGL (Above Ground Level). The student must respond quickly with a 180 degree turn back to the field and land downwind on the runway he/she just departed.

The photo to the right shows David crossing the fence in the K7 with spoilers extended.

Club Name Chosen

Our little soaring club now has a name (East Carolina Soaring). The eastcarolinasoaring.org domain name was registered and this site was published on 10/01/08.
 

Soaring Over Farmville

It was a great weekend for soaring (8/24/08). It was a very eventful weekend with 14 year old Freddie Wendland getting his first solo flight in the USA. Freddie soloed a k13 in Germany a few weeks ago. A MUCH older, glider rated, Scott Crippen performed his first Ka7 solo flight Sunday after noon. We now have three club members checked out to solo the Ka7. Calvin Mayo managed to stay up Saturday afternoon for 1 hour and 7 minutes. Way to go Calvin! Calvin is a private pilot working on his glider rating. There were also a few low altitude (200'-300') simulated rope breaks on Saturday. That will get your heart pumping. :o)

I was able to catch the lucky tow Sunday afternoon. Tow pilot Monty Clark dropped me off near a nice thermal at 450 meters AGL (1,500'). I was able to take it up to the cloud base at 1,600 meters (5,248'). Frank says that's the highest his German glider has been over the USA so far. I already had a long ride last weekend so once I hit the clouds I started down so somebody else could go. She didn't want to leave so I did a few stalls and wing overs. Then I applied full spoilers at 100 kph to bring her down. I was up for 42 minutes.

We need to discuss a name for the club. I've been calling it Farmville Soaring but David Manning suggested "Down East Soaring". Once we nail that down I'll see about registering a domain name.

There will be flying again this Saturday (August 30th 10:00 - 6:00) and Sunday (1:00 - 6:00) so ya'll come on out and see what it's all about.

Rick

Soaring on 08/23/2008 Weekend

Freddie Wendland in the K7 with, CFIG (Certified Flight Instructor Glider), dad.

Getting the tow up to 457 meters (1,500') behind the PA18-180 Super Cub.

A shot back toward Greenville from about 5,000'. A very clear day for August in Eastern North Carolina.

Coming down from 1,600 meters (5,248').

On the way down from 1,600 meters. The Variometer shows -1 meters/second and the altimeter is unwinding now at 1,450 meters.

Photo by Calvin Mayo

Photo by Rick Jones

Photo by Rick Jones

Photo by Rick Jones

Photo by Rick Jones

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Freddie Wendland in the K7 with, CFIG (Certified Flight Instructor Glider), dad.

Photo by Calvin Mayo

 

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First Pictures from 07/12/2008

Schleicher K7 on the trailer.

Attaching the right wing.

Wing spar attachments.

Inside the tail.

Hooking up the controls. All that's missing is the horizontal stab/elevator and canopy.

Rick's first K7 landing.

Hard to get rid of that sailplane grin.

Hilton preps for first K7 flight.

Brian preps for first K7 flight.

David Stow's first K7 landing.

Calvin preps for his first ever sailplane flight.

David Manning and Frank on short final.

A shot of Flanagan Field from 750 meters.

K7 under tow behind the Super Cub.

Photo by Rick Jones

Photo by Rick Jones

Photo by Rick Jones

Photo by Rick Jones

Photo by Rick Jones

Photo by Tim Jones

Photo by Tim Jones

Photo by Tim Jones

Photo by Tim Jones

Photo by Tim Jones

Photo by Tim Jones

Photo by Rick Jones

The K7 panel from 750 meters. The speed got a little high during the photo (almost 100 kilometers). The variometer is showing positive lift. It would have been higher if I was paying attention to the speed instead of taking the picture. :o)

Photo by Rick Jones

Photo by Rick Jones

Photo by Rick Jones

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Schleicher K7 on the trailer.

Photo by Rick Jones

 

First Meeting on 06/21/2008

Our new soaring club based at Flanagan Field (N08) held their first meeting on June 21st. Several EAA Chapter 960 members showed up to discuss forming a soaring club. There were several others on the list that could not make the first meeting but have an interest in flying the glider.

Frank Wendland brought his Schleicher K7 sailplane over from Germany and will be providing lessons to club members. Most of the group showed up to assemble the glider on Tuesday evening July 8th. The FAA representatives arrived the following morning to give their blessing. The inspection went well and Frank was presented with a US airworthiness certificate.

Jack Farrior ordered and received a new tow rope and rings. Saturday morning July 12th the tow pilots and a few others met to assemble the rope and continue tow pilot check outs. Once that was complete, Jack towed Frank in the K7 using the Piper PA18-180 Super Cub. Frank then proceeded to give glider checkouts to the tow pilots and intro flights to a few others. A total of nine flights were made that day.