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 Utah Soaring Association
May 2002
Newsletter
www.utahsoaring.org

2002 Board Members
President Dale Taylor 801-785-8177 dale@soarwest.com
Vice President Paul Schneider 435-649-2762 soarn912@cs.com
Secretary Ned Dolan 435-649-2896 nedolan@parkcity.net
Treasurer Jim Krog 435-655-9626 jdkrog@burgoyne.com
Maintenance Bruce Boyes 801-463-7047 bboyes@systronix.com

First Day at Heber - David Lane
Saturday, May 4, Dave Robinson reported a dozen flights on the first day. That's good! All three gliders were assembled easily, and many pilots received their yearly check-ride thanks in part to Lee Steorts' and Lynn Alley's CFIG talents. At least three prospective members lent a hand as well. I'll try to get some data and/or pictures to introduce them asap.

The gliders all look great. Some maintenance and repairs have been completed: the Grob got new upholstering, a radio with a working display, and a new sunbrella canopy cover; the 1-34 got a new altimeter knob. Please be careful when entering and exiting the gliders to help reduce wear and tear.

While I'm going on about assembly day, I think it might be worthwile to list a few hints on how to install the Grob's wings:

Until repairs are made to the tarmac in our traditional tie-down area, we will be using the "west 40", which is to say that it's a bit of a walk out to the gliders.

Lastly, the club owns a new gas grill. Feel free to connect the propane tank now stored on the bottom shelf of the big work-table, and grill away! A few notes: 1) the starter button seems a bit weak so you may need to use a match or lighter 2) it's hard to know if the unit is lit (look carefully through the glass view port) 3) please stow the pieces out of the way when you're finished.

See you out at Heber!

Latest Nephi Safari Info - David Lane
Dutch Oven Dinner on Friday evening, May 17. Someone special will present a Slide Show. (Jay has seen the slide show and said it's GREAT!). Then when it is dark enough (and not raining) we will have a Star Gazing Party. Wyd said he will fix us Breakfast on Saturday. at the airport at 8 AM.

For Lunch on Friday & Saturday you will be on your own or for $3 you can order a Hoagie from Janet. We will have a 10 gallon water jug and cans of Cold Pop.

The Dutch Oven Dinner & Star Party will be $10. The cost to ferry the tow plane will be $15 per pilot.

2002 Calendar of Events
2nd Annual Nephi Safari May 17, 18
Spring BBQ June 15
Fall BBQ August 24
Dissassembly Day October 26
General Meeting November 7
For Reservation: RSVP TO: mvsoaring@juno.com, and Mail a $25 check by May 10th (or more if ordering Hoagie).

Morgan Valley Soaring
5000 N Cottonwood Canyon Rd
Morgan, UT 84050

Inexpensive Flight Computer - David Lane
One of the latest trends in cockpit gadgetry is the use of a handheld computer in conjunction with a GPS such as the commercial product offered by WinPilot www.winpilot.com. The idea is to feed global positioning data via a cable to a handheld computer which can then provide a wide range of useful information such as:

The power, flexibility and the simplicity of upgrading such a setup has not been lost on at least one of the "traditional" soaring instrument manufacturers. Cambridge Aero Instruments www.cambridge-aero.com offers a vario/gps/logger combination which works well with the pocket computer.

On the Cheap...

For club members and pilots on a budget there is an inexpensive entry in the field of handheld flight computers called SoaringPilot www.soaringpilot.org. I have been helping to write this software and thought I might give it a plug.

SoaringPilot is freeware (no cost at all) that runs on the popular handheld line of PDA's using PalmOS, which includes Palm, Handspring, and Sony. Version 1.8 has recently been released and includes all of the functionality listed above.

The cost of a typical SoaringPilot setup is composed of three items (I've included some example products and price ranges): Many of us are currently flying with (and love) a GPS, which means that for about $200 you can have a very functional flight computer! That said, there are some caveats which should be made clear... This software is created in the spare time of a cadre of geeks who test, fix bugs and add functionality while holding down "real" jobs. If you're interested in software with a professional level of polish and support I would suggest looking at the WinPilot offering.

If the idea of an inexpensive, portable, updatable Final Glide/Moving Map/Logging computer is intriguing, then please visit the SoaringPilot website and let me know if I can help. - David Lane davelane@lucent.com

Addresses - Jim Krog
More and more the e-age works into our lives. USA is trying to use this medium to enhance communication with club members. Please send an email to Jim Krog, the club treasurer, jdkrog@burgoyne.com, with your latest email address so he can make sure his list is up to date. He will be sending a new membership list out soon and would like to have the latest and best info available. If your address or phone number has changed send that also. He still answers the phone too, if you'd rather contact him the old fashion way.