From the home of the Scottish Gliding Centre Portmoak Press

1 Volume 2K, Issue 5 October 2001 Volume 2K5 Ian EassonSGC Page 1 of 16 From the home of the Scottish Gliding CentrePortmoak PressEditorial-Ian EassonWell, we made it!This issue (5)marks our 1stBirthday - yes, this volume of Portmoak Press waslaunched exactly one year ago. I hope everyone hasenjoyed reading it as much as I have enjoyed writingit. There has been some confusion over the paperversions of the last issue. E-mail recipients will havereceived issue 4 at the beginning of July but manyother members may not have received their papercopies due to problems with postage. Please let meknow (again) if you prefer to get a copy posted toyour home address, and note that the usual box ofcopies will be available at the club.

2 Also, note thatmy PC decided to corrupt my address book lastmonth, which means that I have lost all e-mailaddresses. If you want e-mail copies, let me year has had many ups and downs and as I writethis editorial we, along with every club in the UK,are grounded following the terrorist attacks inAmerica. More close to home was the sad news ofHamish Wotherspoon's death following a long battleagainst cancer. Little did we know that last issue'sarticle An Instructors' Course, about Hamish, wouldhave such a sad outcome. There is a very nicememorial plaque fixed to our winch - next time youvisit the club, take a well as our usual RAF and ATC summer visitors,we have been able to entertain numerous pilots fromsouth of the border. The foot and mouth outbreak hasstarved many clubs of their flying and we have beendelighted to play our part in helping fellow pilots gettheir "highs" please note the cut-off dates: end ofDecember for January, end of March for April, endof June for July.

3 Material can be sent to me eithertyped or hand-writtenand dropped in mymailbox beside thepayphone in the clubhouse or you can e-mail me Those eagle -eyedmembers will notice a familiar article in the currentissue of S&G. Helen Evans, (editor), is a regularreader of our own rag and I agreed that she could re-print one of our articles from the last issue. I hopethis encourages more of you to submit articles forPortmoak Press because there is obviously a wideraudience with the internationally renowned S& this issue:Editorial-Ian 1 Board 2 CFI's Notes .. 2 Safety Officer's Report .. 2 Director for Gliders Report .. 3 Stories from our men in the field .. 4 Sporrans over 4 Cadet Corner.. 5 Going Solo - at last! - by Sarah 5 Crosswords answers for last 6 Internet updates.. 6 Safety Matters .. 7 Ted Lysakowski Trust - Comp Experience Award.

4 7 Sartorial Elegance .. 9 Walking On 11 What did you do on the hill today? .. 11 Uni News .. 12 Club 13 Hamish Wotherspoon - Obituary .. 14 Friday Evening 14 Rotas for Duty Pilots and Instructors .. 14 Ladder 15 Are you an Official Observer? .. 15 Crossword 2000-5 .. 16 Volume 2K, Issue 5 October 2001 Volume 2K5 Ian EassonSGC Page 2 of 16 Board have been some changes to our Board andtheir responsibilities:Chairman, with responsibilityfor Buildings & PropertyBrian Cole-HamiltonSecretaryJim ProvanShadow SecretaryBruce MarshallTreasurerAlisdair StewartChief Flying InstructorBob JonesSafety and Glider FleetChris RobinsonTug and Walking-on-AirJoe FisherWinch & Ground equipmentDouglas TaitPublicityNeil IrvingCadets & Deputy CFINeil McAulayMembershipCommunications and EassonAirfield and Duty RostersKevin HookCFI's NotesGround Handling (Hangar)Over recent months, there have been too many casesof gliders being damaged when they are removedfrom the hangar.

5 The club rules are as follows: Gliders may only be removed from, or put into,the hangar with the permission of an operation must be directed by a bronze pilotor above ( Pilots holding a Yellow, Green orBlue badge). At least three people are required to move aglider. In the case of the Falke, four arerecommended. Additional helpers may watch thetail and nose. An individual must be in charge of the operation. S/He should check around the glider for possiblehazards before moving it. S/He should brief everyone involved so that theyknow what they are required to do. Move slowly. If damage occurs, mark it in the book, reportthe incident to the Director for Gliders (oranother Board member) and the duty the damage inspected and, if necessary, markthe glider as unserviceable in the book (andleave it on theseat), and on theGlider Status Board in the Handling (Launch Point) There have been a number of accidents at thelaunch point, where vehicles towing gliders andcables have damaged gliders.

6 At the instigation ofthe Regional Examiner, the SGU has revised itspolicy on towing gliders at, or near, the launchpoint: No glider shall be towed, by mechanical means,closer than half a wingspan from any principle, this means that to put any glider online, it should be towed at 90 degrees to thelaunch direction to a position 20m behind thegliders already on line. The tow-vehicle shouldbe detached and the glider manually pushed online. The sane applies to gliders with tow-outgear. When retrieving club two-seaters, in addition tothe driver of the tow vehicle and the wing-holder, someone should walk close to the noseto prevent the glider from running Jones CFIS afety Officer's ReportParachutesA life-expired parachute has been withdrawn fromservice and has been replaced with a new one. Inaddition, another new parachute has been orderedand we expect delivery at the end of 591 - Heavy landing (20/07/01)Pilot uninjured.

7 Glider: damage to underside ofnose, repaired by North Yorkshire Sailplanes (NYS)and now back in WA1 - Ground handling incident (25/07/01)Glider: damage to rudder, repaired by NYS and nowback in HRG - Canopy departed in flight (27/07/01)Pilot uninjured. Glider: Perspex disintegrated,damage to starboard wing. Repaired by McLeanAviation and now back in ExtinguishersPeter Clayton has kindly offered to take on Mountain Rescue Team (TMRT)The TMRT held anexercise on Bishop HillVolume 2K, Issue 5 October 2001 Volume 2K5 Ian EassonSGC Page 3 of 16on Sunday 26th August and visited the SGC for abriefing on our operation and familiarisation RobertsonDirector for Gliders ReportDG 505 - 5 GCWork Done: U/C warning horn sounds when U/C raised andA/B shut.

8 Micro-switch striker bonded to A/Brod. Fix failed, horn disconnected until : Replace altimeter in rear cockpit with itemhaving mb sub-scale. A seat back cushion will be obtained for the frontcockpit. 57mm T&S slow to run up. The supplier hasadvised that dampness is the most likely cause ofthe problem, the solution is to run the T&S everyday the glider is outstanding: The provision of oxygen is being considered. Rear seat modification is being developed byanother club to replace the suspended seat panwith a seat supported by structural foam. A BGAminor modification is being written and DG havebeen consulted. After the modification has beenapproved and tested, the SGU will revise andadvise the Board if 5GC should be 505 TrailerOutstanding: The lift top does not lift high enough to clear theglider fin, it has to be pushed up to provideclearance.

9 The right gas-strut is a little soft. Newstruts were ordered but the company has ceasedtrading and a new supplier is being sourced. Fit strap to secure the tailgate and preventinadvertent opening in transit. Fit strap to secure belly-dolly to fuselage. Fit pad to rear fuselage tie-down strap to preventscratching the gel coat. Fabricate a lifting strop to assist in lifting the tailof the glider out of the trailer. Fabricate stowage points for the 18m wing tipsand otherequipment(trestles, tail-dolly etc.) Fabricate panel to create stowage area in thefront of the - FUSWork done: C of G hook beak broken - replaced, nose hookrelease cable extended to enable C of G hook tooperate : Damage to starboard wing trailing edge (temprepair carried out). Vario over-reads, requires to be checked - HRGWork done: Vario - returned from repair and refitted.

10 Stillprone to intermittent operation. Borgelt B40 vario has been : Battery box - fit safety - HPWWork done: Rudder removed to support WA1, refitted. Wheel-brake calliper refurbished and refitted. Tail-wheel : Replace TESA tape on elevator and ailerons. Fit DV panels with 21 - HPVWork done: Tail-wheel : Elevator self-connecting bearing worn - newbearing delivered, to be fitted. G-Meter glass broken - removed, replacementitem to be : Fore and aft movement of wing - Peter Wells(agent for this type) advises that the play in thewings is within limits and can be eliminated byadding shims. This requires the wings to beremoved so that the mounting spigots can bedriven out. Replace TESA tape on ailerons. Rear canopycracked. NewVolume 2K, Issue 5 October 2001 Volume 2K5 Ian EassonSGC Page 4 of 16canopy will be fitted during C of A.