From: Bruce.Hoult@bbs.actrix.gen.nz
Subject: Nearly...
Organization: Actrix Information Exchange
Date: Sun, 11 Oct 1992 09:05:24 GMT

Bruce's Gliding Report, Wed October 7th.
 
There we were at 12:15 standing around the privately owned glider trailers
looking at the clouds at 1500'.  "Looks pretty poked" says one. "Well, I'm
going to rig anyway," says Roland, "looks like a little blue sky to the
north."
 
I help him pull his glider out and attach the wings, then head for the club
hangar to pull out echo-xray, the Ka6 CR -- I've got an appointment to
convert into it today and I intend to do that even if I only get a 1500' tow
a couple of stalls and a circuit out of it.  Oh great.  I've got to pull out
Beetle (BTL, the 180HP Cub, which won't get used today since BKA (the 150HP
Cub) is already being pre-flighted) and GZ (the Std Libelle) to get at it.
 
Quarter of an hour later EX has been towed out onto the field and BTL and GZ
have been put back in the hangar.  The glider I helped rig is just getting
into the air, the pilot having waved to the north west and relayed the
instructions "3000 over the beach" to the tow pilot.
 
I try on EX's parachute -- which is also the only padding for the seat -- and
settle into her cockpit to try it for size, become familiar with the control
and instrument locations, and to read the Flight Manual.  Hmm, they're right
that you don't sit in a single seater, you wear it.  If there was any less
distance between the canopy rails I'd have to hunch my shoulders.  And those
rudder pedals feel too close -- are they adjustable?  Yep.  But they're
already right forward.  Drat.  Ah well, I can live with it.  My shins aren't
*quite* scraping on the tops of the cutouts in the instrument panel.  I've
got to press the stick hard into my thighs to get full aileron deflection --
but I *can* do it if I have to.  Actually, it's really quite comfortable
snuggled in here.  I'll probably thank whoever put that sheepskin on the
headrest.  Ok, controls.  Rudder is OK.  Aileron we already tried.  Full
elevator deflection is no trouble.  Hmm - that's interesting.  The back third
of the elevator travel also deflects both ailerons up a little.  I hope that's
supposed to happen...  (I check the manual later -- it's intended to have the
same effect as washout in a stall (keep the tips unstalled for better control)
without penalising high speed flight.)  Elevator trim?  Ah, by my right elbow.
No way to operate that with the right hand, have to reach across with the left.
Spoilers?  Ok, on the left, lever falls naturally to the hand.  Full back feels
soggy -- that applies the wheel brake as well -- while full forward produces a
very solid *clunk* as the overcenter action locks them away.  Tow release?
Under the left hand edge of the instrument panel.  A bit of a reach, but OK.
 
Ok, that's it for controls.  Instruments are standard and basic: airspeed,
calibrated from 20 to 120 knots, altimeter, compass, wool taped to the canopy
as a slip indicator, standard variometer plus "Altris" electric vario (emits
a variable pitch sound depending on whether you're climbing or descending). Ohh
-- nice radio!  "active" and "standby" frequencies on LCD readouts, swapped
with the press of a button, plus some other pre-programmed frequencies.  That's
better than the hand-held R/T strapped to the side of the Blanik cockpits!
Flip the master switch on.  Hmm -- that's Roland reporting halfway out to
Kapiti Island (5 miles offshore) at 5500' and asking us to notify flight
service that we want GFA 13 opened so he can go to 9500'.  There must be some
action up there past the local clouds after all!  (Paraparaumu is in the TMA
and on the approach path for runway 16 at Wellington Intl, 30 miles away, so
we've got to get them to clear the big iron out when we want to go high -- 5500'
to 9500' is ours automatically if we ask for it.  Higher is at ATC's pleasure)
 

Ok, I'm happy with the controls and instruments, time to read the operating
specs part of the Flight Manual.  Stall speed 31 knots, min sink 37, best L/D
43, approach at 45 - 50, max rough air and aerotow 79, Vne 117.  I'll check
the stall speed in the air later -- it's probably a knot or two faster than
that, since I'm at the max pilot weight of 220 pounds.  Well, about eight
pounds over, actually :-( but that won't matter.  Yep, pretty normal glider
loading factor +5/-2.  Spins and loops ok, no rolls or inverted.
 
Right, I'm happy here.  Time to grab the instructor and get him to officially
demo the DI (Daily Inspection) procedure for this bird.  Hmm -- that's Roland
on the radio again, at 9000', asking for ATC permission to open GFA 17 (9500'
to 12500').  It must really be working up there!  ATC ask if there are likely
to be other gliders wanting to use GFA 17.  Yep.  (We normally have to get
authorisation for each glider wanting to use GFA 17).  ATC come back: "Ok,
gliding club, you may have unrestricted use of GFA 17 until 1700 hours. Notify
when all gliders are clear of GFA 17."  Hey, that's pretty decent of ATC!
Better get this thing DI'd and get flying!
 
Hey, look at that -- this low cloud is clearing from the north and WOW! look
at the cap cloud on Kapiti Is!  And look at those parallel bands of lenticular
cloud this side of Kapiti!  Three stationary solid bands of cloud with mile-
and-a-half gaps between them from Kapiti to us, and more going back inland.
Looks like *great* wave conditions -- no wonder Roland's doing so well!
 
Minutes later, with the CFI.  Ok, just start with the normal cockpit checks.
Right.  Check the Flight Manual for the next C of A date.  1994. Fine.  Grab
the DI book.  Check the last entries for listed faults.  No faults, good.  Look
in the back for the Maintenance Release.  Release valid until 30/9/92. Whoa!
Did that say *last* Wednesday?  Yep.  Drat!  Wait a minute -- that's funny, the
release is also *dated* 30/9.  How can that be?  You don't write out a release
that expires the same day you issue it.  Did the club engineer make a mistake
here and put the same date twice by mistake?  Well, we can't fly it until we
know, anyway.  He'll be at work now, but he's expected to arrive at 4 to do
some instructor training.  We might as well complete the DI while we're here.
 
Three hours later: "No, that's right, I made the release out for one day,
because I wasn't able to do a full inspection then.  It'll take me two hours
work to issue another release and I can't do it now.  Sorry."
 
Drat, drat, drat.  A great wave day wasted :-(
 
Next week, weather and maintenance releases permitting, a report on actually
*flying* the K6...


Terms:

ATC   Air Traffic Control
CofA  Certificate of Airworthiness
CFI   Chief Flying Instructor
DI    Daily Inspection.
GFA   Glider Flying Area
TMA   TerMinal control Area  (I think the M may once have stood
      for "Manoeuvring" but the abbreviation has stuck)
-- 
Bruce.Hoult@bbs.actrix.gen.nz   Twisted pair: +64 4 477 2116
BIX: brucehoult                 Last Resort:  PO Box 4145 Wellington, NZ
"Cray's producing a 500 MIPS personal computer with 256MB RAM and 8 GB
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