The Newsletter of the Seattle Area Soaring Society

Upcoming Club Meetings
µ Lake Washington School District Board Room, Redmond µ
7-9 P.M., Monday, November 9^th and Monday, December 14^th at Rose Hill Junior High
(Meetings are held on the 2nd Monday of the month unless otherwise noted)

Upcoming Events
Ebey's Landing Slope Fun Fly, November 14^th

President's Message
By Bob Brewer, SASS President <airbrew@quidnunc.net>

This has truly been an "endless summer" for flying. Rain and mud are difficult to remember. However, they will return and the electric flyers will reappear. The dominant thing on my mind has been attempting to get a handle on the county's plan for 60 Acres South. Last month I heard through the grapevine that Northshore Soccer was interested in our field and was having conversations with King County officials. This prompted me to finish a 28 page notebook that was in the works describing in pictures and text the history and current activities at 60 Acres South, including free flight, dog shows, rocket launching, local homeowners and S.A.S.S.

Copies are on the desks of King County Council Chair, Louise Miller, Craig Larsen, the Director of Parks and Recreation, and the Marymoor District Manager for Parks. It comes as no surprise that these officials have a sketchy concept of the activities at the field and the numbers of year around visitors. After dozens of phone calls I have begun to understand the chain of command and reached some of the decision makers.

Response to date:

l. No action on the Northshore inquiry until after the first of the year.
2. We are assured of a chance to make our case to the county during any deliberations.
3. We have ongoing contact with the park director's office.
4. A meeting is pending with Louise Miller of the King County Council.

CONCLUSION: Counting the various user groups there are hundreds of persons needing this one multipurpose field. I will continue to inform county decision makers of the importance of continuing the multipurpose status. Political pressure will continue for soccer/athletic use of the field. I will call for a mass mail-in from our members as well as the other users and neighbors when it seems useful.

Other items: Remember the. club meetings are at the new location - Rose Hill Junior High. Thanks again to the Web Page Meisters, Adam, Rich & Waid -- I hear many good comments on your efforts. Good luck to the Visalia Warriors. I hope that the recent carnage during practice flights has left them with planes to fly.

Good Flying,
Bob Brewer Q

Where and What to Write!
By Waid Reynolds waid@aa.net

King County Districts

The King County Department of Parks and Recreation is preparing to consider converting all or part of 60 Acres Park South into soccer fields. Don't panic. At this point they are only getting ready to examine the feasibility. The SASS board of directors -- primarily club president Bob Brewer -- has been working the issue with Parks officials.

If we are to continue to be able to fly at 60 Acres it is vital that all of us express our opinions to our King County officials. Before the end of the year, please write letters to your county council member, to Ron Sims, County Executive, and to Craig Larsen, Director of King County Parks & Recreation, expressing your interest in seeing the field remain a multipurpose facility that is not dedicated to organized team sports. Council members' names and email addresses are listed below. Make copies so that we can do a repeat mailing after the first of the year.

The council members' mailing address is:

name of council member (or County Executive Ron Sims)
King County Courthouse
516 Third Avenue Room 1200
Seattle, WA 98104-3272

For more information, the Metropolitan King County home page is at http://www.metrokc.gov/.

The following background information extracted from a letter that I wrote to County Council member Dwight Pelz of District 5, might be useful:

This unique 20 acre "nonpark" is located on the north boundary of Redmond, 116 Ave NE and east of the Sammamish Slough. The 40 acre northerly (north of 116th) portion of 60 Acres is already leased to the Lake Washington Youth Soccer Association (LWYSA). It is heavily used by many soccer leagues that rent field time from LWYSA. Due to a recent court decision, NSA was unable to purchase a field for soccer development and are now looking at 60 Acres South as an alternative.

For at least 30 years the 20 acre portion of the 60 Acres property south of 116th, which is basically just a large grass field, has been used informally for a multitude of different activities including dog trials, horseback riding, model rocketry, walking, camping, flying free flight model aircraft, and my special interest -- flying radio controlled model gliders.

The Seattle Area Soaring Society (SASS) of which I am a founding member was formed in 1989 when LWYSA proposed to take over 60 Acres South. With the support of other interest groups, including the local residents who did not want more noise and traffic congestion, SASS was able to retain the use of the field for all instead of seeing it dedicated to only those who play soccer. At that time the County Parks and Recreation staff was very supportive of retaining the unique multipurpose character of 60 Acres South.

In the interim, SASS has formally "adopted" 60 Acres South. In addition to taking on responsibility for keeping the field clean, the club has carried out a number of capital improvements, such as installation of picnic tables, at no cost to the County. Recently, at the suggestion of Parks & Recreation, the club invested several thousand dollars to purchase, install and customize a shipping container and parking area to facilitate storage of club equipment on site. The club also poured a concrete pad that enabled the County to install portable toilets on the field for the first time (they were badly needed).

A recent turnover of staff at Parks & Recreation has caused a situation where the knowledge of the history of the field and its users has been lost to that organization. Our club is doing its best to educate the new staff.

I have mentioned that 60 Acres South is unique. It is. There are literally hundreds of soccer fields in King County. There is only one field in the County where citizens can go to fly planes, launch model rockets, run dogs, walk, or just sit and enjoy watching the activities. In addition, the field is used for overflow soccer parking when needed -- which is fairly often given the high level of activity across the street.

Without this field there will be no place to go for the hundreds of people (many are children) to go to fly rockets and model airplanes, both of which are educational and fun activities. People who want to engage in these interests will be shut out. Because they are small and replete with obstacles, school yards and parks cannot possibly take the place of 60 Acres South.

This letter from Pete Hinze to Craig Larsen is an example of the letters we need written:

Director of Parks & Recreation, King County
2040 84th Ave. SE
Mercer Island, WA 98040
Attn: Mr. Craig Larsen

Gentlemen:
I am an active R/C glider enthusiast and frequent user of the 60 Acres South flying field. You will note that I live in Snohomish County and a few blocks north of the King County line. However, I believe that reciprocity should apply considering the numerous R/C gas model fields near Monroe and Snohomish that have a high percentage of King County fliers that would otherwise literally swamp the Marymoor field. Unfortunately, the gas model fields are small and not suitable for glider launch and retrieval.

I am not anti-soccer and in fact my three children all went through that phase. I call it a phase for after a few years in the middle grades they left it behind and as adults have no interest in it although they follow the three "major" ball sports. Most modelers that start in their youth pursue it off and on through life as career and family permit. Aeromodeling has great value in that it requires great exercise of the senses, manual dexterity and the mind. There is no equal to the satisfaction of converting a pile of balsa wood into a craft that responds to your commands as it flies across the sky searching for rising air currents.

The predominate wind direction at 60 Acres is North-South and the field width of about 700' is the minimum required for glider launching systems. There is no other place I know of within reasonable driving distance and available that would serve the purpose if the field is converted to soccer. It would literally shut down the gliders and free flight models as well as other pursuits (rockets, boomerangs, hot air balloons, etc.) that have nowhere else to go.

If you apply the Vince Lombardy (Green Bay Packer Coach) philosophy to the soccer movement it comes out " Soccer isn't everything, it's the ONLY thing". That's not fair. We understand the large number of kids in soccer but it still is not the ONLY thing. There must be diversity and while it would be nice if there were glider fields all over and relatively close to each flyer, we flyers would be content to retain the single 60 Acres field which is so well suited to our purpose.

We trust that you will agree with the logic of our argument and leave 60 Acres for its best and highest use, i.e. , gliders, free flight, rockets, boomerangs, dogs, kites, astronomers, archery, balloons, horses, etc.

Respectfully,
T. G. Hinze Q

A Slope Soaring Heaven
By Charlie Baumgartner < baum.cjb@worldnet.att.net >

I never thought I would write anything for the SASS Newsletter, since I am the Treasurer, except the annual financial report. I requested our Newsletter Chief Editor to polish the prose and remove the foreign accent that seems to come through whether I speak or write. Well fellow members, here it goes:

On August 19^th, my wife and I left for our native Switzerland. This time we picked British Airways, the most direct route. Seattle-London 9½ hours, London-Geneva 1¼ hours. You arrive mid-afternoon with a severe urge to go to bed. Almost everyone has been subjected to jet-lag but I won’t go into details now on that subject, since I really wanted to talk about soaring.

A few weeks before our departure, as we were trying to establish our schedule, and visit family and friends, I found out that out of the 5½ weeks we were going to be there that there was one day when my wife would be visiting work colleagues, I would be on my own, fathom that. On the Internet I tried to find glider event schedules in Switzerland. I was not too successful, but came across the name of Gary Fogel who is a driving force behind the ISSA (International Scale Soaring Association). A quick E-mail to him was rewarded by a long response giving all the information of how to reach what he thought to be one of the top slope soaring spots in Europe. The place is near Adelboden, Switzerland, and is called Hahnenmoospass. Gary was kind enough to give me very detailed instructions on how to get there. At that point Gary was not aware of my Swiss heritage.

We deviated a bit from the soaring angle. Adelboden was known to me because I had spent a few days up there (4420 ft.) during boot camp in the Swiss Army. (That’s how I got a REAL Swiss Army knife, not the imitation sold in every gift shop). It was also the mountain resort where during WW2 the crews of bombers who had been crippled over Germany or France and landed in Switzerland were interned. The hotels were empty and, there was not much tourism going on in those days. There were about 130 US and UK crippled warplanes that landed safely during that period. The crews, because of the Swiss neutrality, could not be returned and had to wait for the end of the war. My understanding of that situation was that on weekends loads of Swiss girls would make a pilgrimage to Adelboden. But let’s go back to the subject.

So the only free day I had was going to be dedicated to gliders. A childhood friend of mine decided to come along, it was his wife’s day to do the laundry! So we met in one of those freeway rest areas. These rest areas offer a lot more then our dark and wet rest rooms. Stores, restaurants, hotel-rooms, gift shop and more. Well, we had coffee and croissants and on our way we were: about 1¼ hr on the freeway and 45 minutes up a narrow valley. Now we were pretty close to the Alps, the summits were visible 10-20 miles away. For those readers who have been in Switzerland, Interlaken is not far away, about 20 miles. So we reached Adelboden, a lovely mid-size mountain resort area, typically Swiss, clean, decorated, flowers at the windows, narrow streets, nice shops, hotels, restaurants, etc.

Now mind you this is a Wednesday and I have no idea if any flying is going on. But it’s a nice day. Actually it’s gorgeous and clear as a bell. Per Gary’s instructions we found a bus that took us up the valley. The bus is yellow. It’s a postal bus that runs hourly. (Yellow Postal Buses go practically to every location where trains don’t go, to deliver the mail and people). My father used to drive one of these buses. After about 20 minutes we were at the end of the run. The road is narrow and the bus takes up all the road. Once in a while there is a widening for crossing. Actually the access is limited to people who live along the road with special permits. After the bus we went on 4-seat gondola for the climb to the pass, a 15-min. ride to about 6400-ft.

Upon leaving the gondola station we were overwhelmed by the sight of 25-30 gliders interlaced on a grassy area, waiting to fly. Most were scale planes of many different makes. There was a Spirit, quite a surprise besides all these other planes. Many, maybe one fourth, were electric. Next to the gondola terminal there was a small mountain lodge that contained dormitories and rooms. The basement, a ski shop in winter, was transformed into a workshop for the modelers. There were another 10-15 planes in there being worked on. Close to the lodge there is a restaurant with the mandatory sunning deck. These buildings sit close to each other on a little plateau at the pass. This pass connects two valleys, and a couple of smaller valleys. So it does not matter too much where the wind is coming from, there is always an area from which planes can be launched. Short distance walks, 300-1000 ft, will take you to small hills or outcroppings from which planes may be launched. Aside from some very visible rock outcropping the ground is covered with grass. Landings can be accomplished safely. The area is a cattle grazing pasture, cow s..t is everywhere, but it’s dry. When I was there, the cows had been brought down to a lower altitude. I don’t know what goes on in the middle of the summer when the area is populated by milk producing cows (think Swiss cheese) and covered with fresh "cowstuff".

At 10 am when we got there the wind was non existent. Three or four electric gliders were flying, catching some sparse lift here and there. The pilots did not seem to be too disturbed, they obviously knew that the wind/lift was coming, and at around 1 or 2, after lunch, it came, stronger and stronger. Flying was performed from several different areas, there was lots of room. At least 10-15 planes were in the air, what a sight. And I had to keep my hand in my pockets, no plane to pilot. It was a gorgeous day. Clear. The alpine peeks (10,500 ft) close by were sharp. The temperature was around 75F.

I talked to one of the fellows that seemed to be controlling things around the lodge. I found out that on this particular week there was a flying school taking place. Most of the flyers were flying there for the first time. Most also slept right in the lodge in dormitories. What a vacation. The same gentleman explained to me that in the last 3-4 years the lift conditions had changed, and that to fly when things are relatively calm, it was necessary to go to higher altitude, 200-400 feet, to find lift. That explained the surprising number of electric scale planes.

Well, you can only look at others having fun for only so long. So with my friend we headed back, gondola down, a short bus ride to the terminal of another gondola which took us to another peak about the same heights as the Hahnenmoss but about 1½-2 miles away. We could not see the planes, but light flashes from the flying planes were visible with the naked eye. What a sight, what a site. It was truly exciting, also frustrating not to be able to participate.

That whole valley is highly organized for tourism. There are six gondola rides, with the bases and the tops connected with walking trails, clearly marked. There are lots of hikers coming and going. When I was there, in early September, most were senior citizens. They come by train and bus.

My thanks to Gary Fogel for directing me to this wonderful area.

I have a brochure of the area and will show it to anyone who is interested. Q

SASS Thermal Grabber TD Contest -- August 8-9^th

Final Standings from the official scorekeeper:

Two Meter CLASS

Competitor CLASS

Expert CLASS

Novice CLASS

1 3113 Sue Sayers

R.E.S. CLASS

1 8776 Kirby Parker

2 7434 Amy Pool Q

September 26th Hand Launch Glider Contest Results
By Adam (Red) Weston < adam.weston@pss.boeing.com >

The Seattle Area Soaring Society's hand launch glider season came to an end with one last day of great weather and great competition. Its been a fun season with the old masters showing they still have it, but with a few new faces to keep things moving along, and keeping everyone on their toes. Amazingly, we managed to hold five contests throughout the spring, summer, and early fall and didn't have a single one rained out (don't tell any of the California bunch)!!!

The final contest and the year end standings reflected some of the same names on both lists in the expert class. However, the sportsperson class has shown a slightly different group of faces each contest. This participation was very encouraging, and makes me think there is a really large pool of potential HLG pilots out there in the Seattle Area. Hopefully, next year, we'll be able to attract a few more of this new bunch to join in on the competition and the fun.

The day started with 60-Acres socked in with fog, it was thick enough that it was tough to see the other side of the field, but it allowed for a more relaxed atmosphere, without the rush to get the contest underway. Despite the fog, the thermals started early and once the contest started, it was a great day of flying. Winds were out of the north-northwest floating the planes back over the blackberries or off towards the hill to the east. It wasn't a given that one would make their times, but it was always a possibility that one of the competitors would string enough thermals together to get a max score.

In expert class, each of the contestants took one of the first five rounds, and it stayed close all the way up to the end. Once again, Steve Cameron came away with his 5th win of the year, and (obviously) the season championship. Joseph Conrad put in steadily increasing scores, for an out of no where (to number 3 anyway) second place finish. Close behind, was CD: Adam Weston. Phil Pearson finished in fourth and Jim Pearson finished up in 5th.

In sportsperson, the competition for 1st was even tighter with the final scores decided by 5 points (out of a possible 7000!) Steve Shumate was the winner with 6173 thanks to a quick repair between the 2nd and 3rd rounds to his Orbiter after a mid-air. Steve ended up flying with a piece of cardboard taped to his leading edge holding his left wing together (Thanks to our local chief HLG mechanic Phil P). Tim Naugler was a close second with 6168, flying his modified Orbiter with a foam and balsa SD4083 wing. Al Bangham was in third with his self designed SD7037ish poly, a great finish for his first time in competition. Dick Barker finished 4th and Wayne Farwell finished in 5th.

I would like to thank all the competitors who came out to the field this year for the contests, and also all those folks who helped with timing and scoring and helped in preparation for the contests with prizes and such. Special thanks go to our season sponsors, DJ Aerotech (Chrysalis) and Adam Weston (Red Herrings). I look forward to next year's season and hope to see lots of new faces, and a lot of the same old ones back again. The Seattle area has produced a lot of great HLG pilots and planes, and I hope we can continue that tradition next year.

FINAL SCORES

Expert:

1. Steve Cameron Orbiter II - RG-15 6432
2. Joseph Conrad SunSpot - Phil Phoil 6358
3. Adam Weston Glass Err - GM-15 mod 6327
4. Phil Pearson Sun Spot - Phil Phoil and SD7080 6033
5. Jim Pearson Sun Spot - Phil Phoil and SD7080 4954

Sportsperson

1. Steve Shumate Orbiter II- SD4061 6173
2. Tim Naugler Orbiter IIf SD4083 6168
3. Al Bangham Own Design SD7037 mod 4997
4. Dick Barker Uplink - SD7037??? 4203
5. Wayne Farwell Climax - SD7037 4062 Q

A Letter from SASS Member Glen Aslin

Wednesday, September 16, 1998 2:26 PM

Hello Waid,

I was thinking about you and acquaintances at SASS last week during the Farnborough International air show held here in England last week. I worked at the show in one of the chalet's and exhibitors lounge and found it quite interesting. The U.S. Department of Commerce made its presents felt during the show with numerous American concerns showing off their products and components for the aviation industry in the 'U.S. Pavilion'. Did you have any colleagues from Boeing attending Farnborough? This is a question I should have asked you ten days ago! I met representatives from the Washington (state) Aerospace Alliance exhibit. Boeing as expected had an impressive exhibit. The whole aerospace industry is quite interesting and technologically over my head. No pun intended. The precision engineering of all the thousands components that go into making a complete aircraft is something to marvel.

The first five days of the show were held for the trade only. I did get a chance to see a lot of the flying during the week and the demonstrations were mainly aimed at the customers interested in purchasing tactical fighters. The Saab Company showed off the Grippen, the French concern Dassault demonstrated the Rafael, and the Eurofighter, a multinational project were all flown daily. I found each aircraft's agility and manoeuvrability very impressive, particularly as each aircraft was put through its paces, so to speak in what seemed to be a very confined airspace. Also remarkable is the ability for the larger aircraft to take off and land in very short distances. For those that may be interested at SASS the next Farnborough Air show will be 24th - 30th of July, 2000.

Thank you for the recent SASS newsletter. I tentatively plan to delay my return to Seattle until autumn 1999 - winter 2000. I will be in the south of France a fortnight in October and would like to spend 1999 living in London.

Best wishes to those who remember me at SASS and to your family. Please stay in touch and make sure some amateur flyer or youngster has the chance to use the RC. equipment I left in your capable hands.

Glen c/o < rodl@avnet.co.uk > Q

Affordable R/C Gliders
By Don Bailey

Here's a question posed on the rec.models.rc.soaring newsgroup recently:

Frank Matthews < frank.matthews2@gte.net > wrote : As a technology teacher in a local middle school, I have decided to cover some of the goals and objectives of the course (principles of flight) via a hands on activity with RC sailplanes. I have ordered RealFlight from Great Planes and have a "Spirit" in the process of being built. I also ordered an EP 2-Meter (ARF) for use after demonstrating some "proficiency" on the simulator. I know that these students are going to really be turned on by this activity if for no other reason than my enthusiasm. The question is...can anyone suggest a "reasonably priced" kit or plan that I could introduce to these students as an extra curricula activity after school. My thought was that they could build the plane and maybe get Santa to bring the "extras" for Christmas. Thanks in advance for any and all input.

Here is Don's reply:

Frank, without question, the best choice for your students is the Global Easy Answer for $24.99 from Hobby Shack at http:\\www.hobbyshack.com\ or call (800)854-8471. I have built the Goldberg Gentle Lady and Electra, the Midwest Essence, the Dynaflite Bird of Time and two-meter Mini Bird of Time, the Pierce Paragon, the Minimax 700, the Dream Catcher Hobbies Nomad, and a variety of other built-up polyhedral trainer type gliders, and nothing else compares for ease of construction and good design. I built my Easy Answer in seven hours, and any beginner should be able to complete one in less than two or three weeks with a little coaching. They build nice and straight, they have excellent die cutting and wood quality, and they have a drastically simple and light structure that is strong and straightforward. They are also easy to cover, with no compound curves or flimsy members, and there is plenty of room for a standard two-channel radio.

The Dynaflite Wanderer is also an excellent choice. The wood quality is not as good as the Easy Answer, and the die cutting is not the best, but the design is simple and easy to build (especially the wing, with far fewer pieces than a Spirit wing, though the spar is not as strong).

By the way, right now, my favorite two-channel balsa trainer on the market is the Midwest Essence, which I built in twelve and a half hours. Nothing flies as good in this category, with the exception of my Mini Bird of Time (currently out of production). I'd put one up against a Spirit or Gentle Lady any day. The Essence costs more than the Easy Answer, and it requires a bit more work to build, but its flying characteristics are outstanding.

You may have been told about the new fad in trainer gliders, the all-EPP foamies, such as the DAW TG-2 and the M.A.D. Designs Highlander. They are a good idea because of their crash resistance, but keep in mind that they aren't anywhere as enjoyable to build, because all you do is glue the big chunks of foam together and then tape up the whole mess with packing tape. Not exactly a building project full of fond memories, if you catch my drift. The fun of building is framing and shaping and sanding and covering, not taping it up like a freezer trout.

I tell people not to get too preoccupied with crash-damage worries. Any beginner can learn to fly a balsa trainer in one or two sessions if he has good help, and the occasional boo-boos are part of the game. My wife built a Wanderer (with my help), and soloed her first day out. So far, she has broken the tail off once, and that's it.

Incidentally, I highly recommend the new two-channel, single-stick Hitec Focus IISS radio for a nice, cheap system. You can get them for as little as $51.98 from Hobby Shack, complete with two HS300 standard servos, the tiny HAS-2MB receiver, on-off switch, etc. It takes AA alkaline cells, but you can convert to nicads for some extra cost if you're inclined. I love mine, and use it a lot.

Have fun, and keep us posted on your progress. Exposing young people to the hobby is most rewarding! Q

Fun Fly -- Point of the Mountain, Utah, September, 1998
By Don Bailey

POTM was GREAT! Perfect conditions on Saturday, 85 degrees and sunny and twenty knots out of the south all day. We flew our brains out. I got some nice stick time on my K8, plus I flew the Pioneer flying wing a lot, and the ASW17. I ended up with a first place trophy in Vintage Scale for my K8 (People's Choice). It's a nice, hand-carved Grunau Baby on a stand. We also got some nice tee-shirts. Charlie and Dorothy Harris cleaned up in the raffle. That's what happens when you buy a hundred dollars worth of tickets!

It rained on Sunday, so we only flew for a little while, and then we followed Tony Elliot back to Boise, and Monday we flew at his home club field in Nampa. I got in some more flights in the K8 off the winch, but I flew into some power lines on my last approach, so I am rebuilding now. It was pretty bad. Both wing panels got it, plus the stab and the fuse at the stab position. I should have it flying again in a few weeks. Oh, well. Q

1998 Fall Soaring Festival, Visalia CA
By Waid Reynolds <waid@aa.net>

12 SASS pilots made the long journey to compete at Visalia on October 3rd and 4th -- all entered in the Open class. Unfortunately, there was an excess of bad karma hanging around our campsite, which resulted in more than one broken glider and lower scores than would normally be expected from the SASS crew. In spite of all this negativity Doug Buchanan put in an outstanding performance by achieving 15th place flying against nearly 190 of the country's best thermal pilots. Heck, Joe Wurts, unarguably the best RC glider pilot in the world, was in 8th place only a few points ahead of Doug!

The socializing and extracurricular activities made for a fun time. Visalia is the 3 ring circus of RC soaring. I certainly enjoyed the show and will definitely attend again. The next time, though, my pre-Visalia agenda will include lots of precision landing practice. The landing zones are challenging, and are very important in determining your position in the final results. Here's how the SASS dudes fared in Open class:

(1 CLERX ,BEN TPG OPN 7246 -- the top dog for comparison of points scored)
15 BUCHANAN, DOUGLAS SASS OPN 7127 (WOW!)
30 THOMAS, JIM SVSS OPN 7050 (ex SASS)
32 YOUNG, RUSS SASS OPN 7045
35 FINK, DANIEL HSS OPN 7032 (friend of Jim Thomas who has flown in our contests)
38 REYNOLDS, WAID SASS OPN 7024
42 RUSSO, GUY NWSS OPN 6999 (a top NWSS pilot -- Richland)
52 WILSON, RON SASS OPN 6937
58 GRAMMER, LES NWSS OPN 6908 (NWSS pilot -- Pullman)
80 OTTER, DENNIS SASS OPN 6663
81 KNIGHT, SHERMAN SASS OPN 6654
103 BEARDSLEY, DAVID SASS OPN 6466
110 CLARK, DARREL SASS OPN 6382
137 CESPEDES, RENE SASS OPN 6029
140 SKOTVOLD, OLE SASS OPN 6015
153 JOHNSON, JEFF SASS OPN 5894
176 CLARK, DON TPG OPN 4862 (Darrel's father)
184 DYE, ERIC SASS OPN 3244

The complete contest results are at http://www.onevisalia.com/cvrc/standings.html Q

Upcoming Contest: 11th Annual Southwest Classic

The Central Arizona Soaring League announces the 11th Annual Southwest Classic on the weekend of Feb. 6-7, 1999. This is the first contest of the 1999 Triad Series.

Where: Schnepf Farms -- Queen Creek, Arizona (15 miles SE of Rodeo grounds site). This is a new site which is supposed to be much nicer than the old one.

CD: Dave Wenzlick, 602-345-9232

AMA Class: Unlimited - 444(D)

Information: http://www.getnet.com/~tomt105

Registration: closes Jan 1, 1999. Only the first 175 entries will be processed.

Awards:

Grand Champion
Add-em-up, 1st-5th
Nostalgia (RES), 1st
2 Meter, 1st-5th
Gray Cup (age 62 and over), 1st-5th

Entry Fee: $35

Misc: Raffle, BBQ ($12), T-shirts ($15) or golf style ($20) shirts Q

Aerotow 1999

Steve Dentz submitted the following information he received from John Derstine:

Harris Hill L/DR/C is pleased to announce the official dates for next years edition of the largest aerotow gathering in America. Mark your calendars for June 10-11-12-13 1999. Plans will remain the same as last year with respect to use of the Harris Hill field. Thursday/Friday we will have pretty much the field to ourselves except for rides to our guests and a club flight or two. Saturday and Sunday we will have shared use with a radio link to the full scale flight line for a safe event.

This will be our third year at this venue operating with the full cooperation of the Harris Hill Soaring Corp. and the National Soaring Museum. The event continues to grow, and this year we are pleased to announce that the Eastern Soaring League will join us as a cosponsor and will assist with field logistics and flight line operations. Our efforts to present a satisfying and enjoyable soaring festival continue. Our aim is to give everyone who wants to fly ample opportunity, and provide an atmosphere of relaxed flying, camaraderie , and a collection of scale sailplanes unrivaled at any other single event.

We continue to get lots of interest from German manufacturers and pilots. EMS will bring a new gaggle of glass and foam beauties, (including the new Discus II) and we have inquiries from at least three other European sailplane and tug factories who would like to come. The major North American distributors will also show their wares. We will make announcements as we know more. One note: We will be blocking out probably four frequencies for exclusive use by the tugs. An announcement will be distributed to registrants and published on various electronic media as soon as we decide on which ones. Come Fly With Us and Soar To New Heights.

Best to all,
John Derstine < johnders@postoffice.ptd.net >

Eastern Soaring League contact is Tom Peterson, E-mail: Planes4tom@aol.com Q

From The Internet

From: Steve Dentz [steveden@microsoft.com]
Sent: Wednesday, October 14, 1998 8:35 AM
Subject: R/C gliders in the Alps

Just in case you haven't seen this site it is one of Thomas Schmits links off his TS Models website. For those of us in the NW, these kind of pictures get us thru the winter season:

http://www.rc-modell.de/ts/alpenfl/alpenfl.htm

From: Steve Dentz [steveden@microsoft.com]
Sent: Sunday, October 04, 1998 9:19 AM
Subject: Fw: Elmira 98 Video

Just FYI, Just passing on an email from John, it sounds like John is coming out with a great video of Elmira 98 video combined with a couple German events in November. See his message below and this web address on the sailplanes unlimited form page.

http://www.sailplanes.com/sulboard/messages/624.html

Critter Bits has a servo sizing calculator on the web at http://multiplexrc.com/calcservo.htm Q

Unclassified Ads
(To advertise glider related stuff, contact Waid Reynolds, 206-772-0291, or send email to waid@aa.net)

FOR SALE: Anyone in the club who would like a NIB Sagitta XC?I recently acquired one in Oregon. During my search I discovered that former club member, Jim Thomas < james.thomas@aerojet.com > had one and now it's available again. It looks fun: 14 1/2 ft., wingspan, 2100 sq.in. Send Jim e-mail as soon as possible if you are interested. Fred Guilfoyle, Edmonds, WA, Home Page -- http://www.emeraldnet.net/~guil/index.html. Q

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