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SSA Convention Preview - and More
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I hope you had a wonderful holiday season. It was nice having my son Adam home from college for a few weeks and having some quality family time.
Right now I am busy making preparations for the SSA Convention in Greenville, SC (more below).
The gliders are in storage here in Minnesota, but we'll probably pull them out and start flying again in early April - just a few more months. I'm looking forward to many fun and challenging soaring flights this year. I hope your soaring flights in 2016 are fun, rewarding, and safe.
Good Soaring,
Paul Remde
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SSA Convention - Feb. 18-20, 2016
Greenville, SC, USA
I am looking forward to seeing many soaring friends at the SSA Convention next week. The convention is a great place to check-out the latest sailplanes, soaring instruments, books, videos, etc. Many interesting speakers are lined-up for the event as well.
Preparations Underway
I am currently preparing my instrument demos, demo books and videos, and updating my "Soaring Product News" presentation. I hit the road on Monday for 2 days of driving with soaring buddies Lou Chouinard and Jay Biggs. It will be fun learning more about their soaring (and other) adventures, goals and dreams during the long drive. I am always amazed at how fast the miles fly by when sharing a drive with friends. We plan to arrive in Greenville, South Carolina on Tuesday evening. I have a room reserved at the Hilton Greenville (the recommended hotel for the convention). My lovely wife Renee is flying down to the Charlotte, NC area this weekend to visit family before meeting me at the convention center on Wednesday to help setup the tradeshow booth. My office assistant Dena is flying down on Tuesday so she too can help with the booth setup on Wednesday. Both Renee and Dena will be working in the booth throughout the event - so please stop by to say "hi".
Pre-Orders Highly Recommended
I will be bringing many demos to the convention, but only a few of each item to sell. If you plan to buy something in particular from me at the convention, please pre-order before Sunday, Feb. 14th so I can bring it especially for you. I'll be loading the van on Sunday and on the road on Monday - so please order before then. I have received several pre-orders already and would be glad to set-aside items for you. Pre-ordering is a great way to avoid shipping charges. You can pre-order using my web site, or through email or a phone call. If you order using my web site, please also send me an email asking me to bring the items to the convention for you.
Booth Highlights
Cumulus Soaring, Inc. will have a large booth with all the latest soaring products on display for you to see and touch. Scott Manley will again be demonstrating Condor Soaring Flight Simulator software in my booth. He's a huge fan of using soaring flight software to enhance flight training. I'm very thankful that he will be joining us. I look forward to meeting you. I'd be glad to show you the latest soaring products and give you my 2 cents on their pros and cons.
Soaring Product News Presentation
I will also be giving a "Soaring Product News" presentation on Saturday, Feb. 20th, from 2:30 to 3:15 pm in Convention Center Room 202A. I hope you can join us.
Convention Highlights
I have been hearing rumors of some spectacular sailplanes that are scheduled to be on-display at the convention. I think I heard that Dick Butler's Concordia will be on display. It is an amazing and lovely sailplane. Schempp-Hirth is rumored to be showing-off its "New Ventus" (Ventus 3). Photos of it look fantastic. I'm looking forward to seeing it first-hand. But I'm mainly looking forward to catching up with friends I have met at past SSA Conventions and soaring contests, etc. I also enjoy meeting customers and soaring friends in person that I have only previously talked to over the phone or through email or Facebook.
I hope to see you in Greenville in 1 week!
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New Mountain High O2D1-2G and O2D2-2G
SSA Convention Special - 5% OFF
Mountain High and Cumulus Soaring, Inc. are having a
5% OFF sale at the SSA Convention on all
EDS O2D1-2G and O2D2-2G systems.
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Mountain High Oxygen is pleased to announce the release of our next generation of EDS (Electronic Delivery System) Pulse Demand oxygen controllers, the O2D1-2G and O2D2-2G.
These changes are common to both the O2D1 and O2D2 family of EDS.
Our new Pulse Demand systems still incorporate all of the benefits of our legacy controllers but with many improvements.
We started with the control switch: The EDS unit now incorporates a MIL spec ruggedized easy-to- grip rotary control switch providing improved reliability, increased ease of function and visibility. This switch also has very positive position detents for excellent tactile feedback making it resistant to changes from causal rubbing or bumping.
While we were at it, we improved the manifold design to allow for better breathing response and effort tracking. This combined with a new circuit board, as well as a new micro-controller, gives improved power-conserving operations with even less RFI emissions, better respire-metric tracking and dispensing of oxygen in finer resolution resulting in smoother steps from altitude and breathing changes.
Other improvements include a dedicated bi-color system battery status light allowing much easier monitoring and definitive indication of battery condition without being confused as a station operation. The original O2Dx units encoded the low battery notification into the station lights. This status light also responds to each control switch change with a beep and green flash to confirm your actions. Also the audio alerts and warnings are louder, more crisp and dynamic to human hearing in an effort of being heard over modest cabin noise. The O2D2 has a 600 Ohm stereo external audio jack as well as a USB compatible (5VDC) external power port.
More intuitive F-Mode settings labeled as 1, 2, 3 & 4 for use with face masks or when more oxygen is required.
Abandoned Unit Auto Shut-Off
If you should forget to turn your EDS off after use, it will now go into auto shut-down (drawing very little power) after 3 hours of detecting no use in an attempt to save the batteries for another flight.
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2016 Region 7 Soaring Contest in Albert Lea, Minnesota
Leon Zeug and Geoff Weck did a fantastic job of organizing and running the 2015 Region 7 Contest. They will do it again in 2016. The contest will run from Sunday, May 15 to Saturday, May 21. I'll be there with our DG-1000. Fred Hewitt will be flying with me for 2 days and Dick Andrews will be my co-pilot for the remainder of the contest. I can't wait! Registration is available on the SSA web site now. So far 9 pilots have pre-registered for the contest. They plan to have contests in the Sports, 15m, 18m, Standard, and Low Performance classes.
Regional contests really are great for anyone that is interested in cross-country soaring. It isn't as much about the competition as it is about the camaraderie and accomplishment.
I hope you can join us.
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New Book - Rhön Adler
(Rhön Eagle)
Three Generations Alexander Schleicher Segelflugzeugbau
by Peter F. Selinger
New English Language Version
In Stock
Overview
The history of the glider manufacturer Alexander Schleicher is lively and varied. The author Peter F. Selinger has documented the company history for many years. We are pleased to announce the 3rd edition of the Schleicher book "Rhön Adler". Not only have the recent development of the past 13 years has been documented in the new edition, the previous contents have also been supplemented and completed. The number of pages has increased significantly from the original 280 to 340 pages. In addition to the author Hans Jürgen Schmacht has contributed a large amount to new edition. He arranged the text and images of Peter F. Selinger into an appealing layout. Karl L. Nickel, Jan Scott and Jürgen Melzer translated the contents of this third edition and thereby contributed very greatly to the realization of this project. Many photos and detailed drawings take the reader on a journey through time of the now 90 year history of the sailplane manufacturer Alexander Schleicher as well as the development of sailplanes in general.
Review by Simine and Jim Short - From the Fall 2015 edition of "Bungee Cord - The Voice of the Vintage Sailplane Association"
"Peter Selinger's Rhön Adler brings an up-to-date history of Alexander Schleicher Segelflugzeugbau, located at the base of the Wasserkuppe in Germany's Rhön, know as the "mountain of glider pilots".
This 3rd edition, significantly expanded from 280 to 376 pages, provides a thorough overview of the past 88 years, from a simple open glider made of wood and fabric by Alexander Schleicher to the aerodynamic, ergonomic and structurally sophisticated high-tech sports aircraft using the latest fiber composite plastic construction of 2015. Discussing Schleicher's pre-war gliders, the "OBS" and "Seeadler", Selinger highlights their part in the overall development. The company's reputation is based on its engineers, Rudolf Kaiser, Gerhard Waibel, Martin Heide and Michael Greiner, but also on its aerodynamicists Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Horstmann, Armin Quast and Prof. Luke Boermans. The author also discusses key personnel and scientific partners, as well as some of the easily forgotten craftsmen like Willi Gilges and Ludwig Krönung.
Each chapter brings detailed information including photos, three views, graphs and technical drawings, but also explanations of flight behavior. A glider is more than technology; it is the result of human creativity, performance and attention. Selinger acknowledges the many pilots who have flown Schleicher gliders to world fame, including Heinz Huth, Hans-Werner Grosse, Karl Striedieck, Terry Delore and Steve Fossett. Previously unpublished information includes world record flights by Helmut Sorg with a Ka-7 in South Africa, Ernst Klüh with an ASK-14 in Central Europe and Tom Serkowski with an ASH-26E in the US. The author also discusses the work of Dick Butler and his Schleicher sailplanes.
The English edition is expanded over the 3rd German version and includes chapters on the ASG-29, ASH-31Mi, and ASG-32.
Peter Selinger would like to acknowledge the assistance of Prof. Dr. Karl Nichel, Jan Scott and Dr. Jürgen Melzer in doing the translation. Hans Jürgen Schmacht did the layout and pre-press work for both the English and German editions.
The profusely illustrated book is a worthy addition to any glider pilot's library, not only for the many owners of Schleicher gliders and motorgliders, but for anyone interested in the history and development of the sport of soaring."
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New - AOPA ADS-B Out Selector
With the approaching FAA mandate for ADS-B Out-required January 1, 2020, in most airspace where a transponder is required today-owners need to understand the options. The new AOPA ADS-B selection tool will help you determine the best solutions to consider for your aircraft and where you fly.
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New - LXNAV S10 and S100 Varios
The S10 and S100 are very powerful and full-featured speed-to-fly variometers with navigation, IGC Approved (pending) GPS flight recorder with Engine Noise Level sensor, built-in back-up battery, built-in BlueTooth, and built-in AHRS (optional software enable). The S10 fits into a standard small 57mm instrument hole. The S100 fits into a standard 80 mm instrument hole. Other than the size of the display, the S10 and S100 are functionally identical - the screens even have the same number or pixels. They can display waypoints and airspace and can be used to navigate to waypoints and around tasks. They can display final glide information and shows turn areas on the moving map. They have an extremely powerful processor and use a MEMS inertial platform and pressure sensors. The built-in 320 x 240 pixel color displays are used to display parameters such as vario average, thermal average, distance to goal, altitude, battery level, speed-to-fly push/pull indicator, MacCready setting, etc.
The LXNAV S10 and S100 should be available in March.
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Flutter Video
The mechanical engineer in me has a love/hate relationship with this old video. Scary flutter - induced intentionally. It is my understanding that it was part of the flight test program for this glider.
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New Printable Catalog
I have worked hard to make my catalog easier to read. Please download it, print it, and give it a quick read. A printable version is available here:
Catalog
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Soaring News Facebook Page
Please check-out my
Soaring News
page for the latest soaring product news and links to soaring news, images and videos from around the world. If you're not a Facebook user - no problem. You can still see the page and click-on all the links on the page
. If you are a Facebook user, please "Like" the page so you will see posts from the page in your newsfeed. I had previously sent out soaring news in my "Soaring News" email newsletter - but it took so long to create each issue that I didn't send them out very often. It is very quick and easy for me to add items to the Facebook page - so it will be updated daily. I hope you find it interesting. If you like it, please tell your soaring friends about it and "share" the page with your Facebook friends.
Soaring News Facebook Page
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Thank You
I appreciate that you took the time to read this newsletter. I hope you found it useful. I hope you have a wonderful 2016 soaring season!
Best Regards,
Paul Remde
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