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Dear Paul,
Merry Christmas
and Happy Holidays to you and your
family! I'm really looking forward to
spending time playing with my kids and
their new toys!
Let me know if you
have any suggestions for ways I can make
this newsletter better, or if
you have information to include in
future versions.
|
FAI World Gliding Grand Prix in New
Zealand |
Exciting
Soaring Racing
The 2007 FAI World Grand Prix Gliding
Championship has just concluded in New
Zealand.
The Bad News
I am very sad to report that
there was a fatal crash during the
event. Below is a well written quote
from
Tim McAllister's blog. Tim is
representing the USA in the contest.
"The facts are as follows: While
coming out of the 2nd
turnpoint, 075 Siberia,
Herbert (Weiss), in his
ASG-29 impacted terrain with
high energy on a spine about 300
meters from the top of the northern
ridge. The winds were out of the
Northwest at 5-15 mph, with mild
turbulence in the area. The loss of
live telemetry enabled Gavin Wills,
with Steve Jones (GBR)
analysis, to go directly to the
crash site once the last competitor
was home. Gavin saw the wreckage and
Herbert's body thrown some meters
from the aircraft. It was
immediately apparent that it was
probably not survivable. Gavin
landed at the
Makaroa Airstrip and waited
for the
SAR helicopter from
Queenstown to pick him up. On
arrival a the crash site, the -29
was inverted with serious damage to
the underside of the cockpit, ground
debris on the undersides of the
wings, and the perspex and contents
of the cockpit strewn in a fan
shaped pattern up to 100 meters from
the
initial impact site.
Everything points to a a high energy
impact with terrain. These are the
facts as we know them. How this
happened we will never know and have
no right to speculate on."
The Good News
The contest has been exciting to follow
- even from here in Minnesota. A
company called AirSportsLive has made
live coverage available over the
Internet. Access to the coverage cost
$24.99 US for the entire event. I found
that to be a great bargain. For the
first few days of the contest the
coverage included live video coverage
and live tracking of the competitors.
Gavin Wills, Gillian Spreckley,
Kirk Davis and Annie Kiehn hosted
the show and gave live commentary in
front of computer graphic screens
showing live tracking of the
competitors. It was nicely done. On
the last 2 days the coverage also
included live video footage from 2
helicopters and cameras mounted in the
cockpits of the leading competitors.
Highlights
The highlight for me was on day 4. Uli
Schwenk from Germany had jumped far out
in front of the others but was not
finding lift for quite a long time. He
ended up very low but found ridge lift
at low altitude and got back up in time
to finish in 2nd place. It was exciting
and a bit scary watching him scratch for
lift at low altitude. We watched the
flight trace update in real time on the
computer display and also saw video
footage from his cockpit. As he was low
and struggling Bruce Taylor of Australia
flew past him at altitude and won the
day. It was also fun watching the
post-flight interviews of the pilots.
One great aspect of the Grand Prix
racing format was that they know how
everyone had done as they finished and
even knew their cumulative standings as
they landed.
Final Results (Preliminary)
-
Sebastien Kawa (Poland) - 30 points
-
Uli Schwenk (Germany) - 25 points
(and a day win)
-
Ben Flewett (New Zealand) - 25
points (no day win)
-
Steve Jones (UK) - 24 points
-
Petr Krejcirik (Czech Rep.) - 17
points
I've dreamed of watching soaring contests
with live coverage - this was even better
than I imagined. After a cold day of snow
sledding with my kids I logged on and
watched exciting soaring racing in real time
from half way around the world. Very Cool!
Congratulations to the winners and the
organizers! |
Sugarbush Soaring Seeking Chief Glider Pilot |
Sugarbush
Soaring Association is seeking a Chief
Glider Pilot. This is a full-time hourly
position. CFIG rating and experience is
required. Additional consideration will be
given to individuals with glider towing,
CFI, or A&P ratings. Compensation will be
based on the applicant's qualifications and
demonstrated management skills.
Applicants are invited
to send their resume in confidence to: Dave
Ellis at
dellis@gmavt.net.
|
Preview of the LX Navigation LX8000
|
Hot
New Product
In February of 2008 LX Navigation will
start shipping the new LX8000 flight
computer system. I have not had the
opportunity to play with one yet, but I
will have one in my booth at the SSA
Convention in early February. The
manual is not yet available, so the data
found here and on my web site was taken
from the information on the LX
Navigation web site.
Background
The LX7007 Pro IGC has been a popular
soaring flight computer that is used in
sailplanes around the world. Its
grey-scale LCD display is extremely easy
to read in sunlight and its graphics
capabilities allowed it to graphically
show airspace, airports and other data.
It was preceded by the LX4000, LX5000
and LX7000 product families. The LX7007
Pro IGC will remain in production for
customers that don't want to pay the
extra money for the color display found
in the LX8000. The LX7007 Pro IGC could
not display topographical information.
The LX8000 will sell for $5595 in the
USA and the LX7007 Pro IGC will sell for
around $4495.
The LX7007 Pro IGC was a good option for
pilots that did not want to fly with a
PDA in the cockpit. I have long been a
fan of the awesome graphical display of
information that has (until now) only
been available on PDAs. However, PDAs
are quite difficult to read in
sunlight. PDAs are also notorious for
losing their setup information if the
battery dies and data cable issues can
lead to problems getting GPS data to the
PDA . The LX7007 is able to do most of
what a PDA can do, but it lacked the
color display required for showing
topographical information.
Interestingly, many LX7007 and ILEC SN10
users also use a PDA in the cockpit.
However, the new LX8000 will change that
trend - because it will do everything a
PDA can do.
LX8000
The LX8000 is an impressive new
product. My favorite new features
include:
- Bright (sunlight readable) color
display (320 x 240 pixels)
- SD card reader that is accessible
from the front of the unit.
- The moving map can display in "North
Up" or "Track Up" modes. (The LX7007 can
display in "North Up" mode only.)
- It is preloaded with worldwide
terrain maps, airspace and airports.
Like the LX7007 Pro IGC, the LX8000 will
be IGC Approved (I believe this is pending)
for use for all levels of badges and
records. It is designed to be mounted in
the instrument panel and includes the same
small LCD variometer readout used with the
LX7007. The LX8000 fits into a cutout that
measures 93.5 mm x 81.5 mm. The LCD screen
is 3.5 inches measured on the diagonal (the
same as iPAQ h2200 and hx2000 series Pocket
PCs) and has the same screen resolution as
most Pocket PCs. Two major differences
between the LX8000 and a Pocket PC are:
- The LX8000 screen is much brighter
than any Pocket PC
- The LX8000 uses the Linux operating
system (not Windows CE) to ensure fast
and reliable operation.
The screen capture above shows several
interesting features. First, the
topographical maps look great! Second,
if you look closely at the lower left
corner of the screen you will see a
graphic which looks exactly like the
"Thermal Assistant" feature in SeeYou
Mobile. The size of the dots indicate
the strength of the lift during the last
circle and the colors indicate how the
lift compares to the MacCready setting.
The arrow points to the location of the
maximum lift - suggesting that you may
want to move your circle in that
direction. The new Thermal Assistant
feature is not mentioned on the LX
Navigation web site, so I hope that it
is a "real" feature and not a "future
feature".
Like the LX7007 Pro IGC the LX8000 will
be available with or without
built-in FLARM capability.
As you can see in the screen capture
above, the LX8000 will be able to
display flight and task statistics and
even a thermal history bar graph. It
looks very similar to the statistics
screen found in SeeYou Mobile. The
number over the bars indicate the
average climb in the thermal. The
vertical height indicates the range of
altitudes climbed through. I imagine
that it will display bars for the last 4
thermals.
At this time a color 2nd seat repeater
version is not available, so the LX7007D
with grey-scale display will be the only
option for use in 2-seat gliders. I
sincerely hope that a color version will
be made available eventually.
I am really excited about this new
product. The data available so far
indicates that it will be the most
powerful and graphical "in panel" flight
computer available. I can't wait to
play with it, and fly with it! I'm
confident that it will be a popular
system, so order now if you want one for
the 2008 soaring season.
|
SSA Convention |
Join
the Fun
I'm really looking
forward to going to the SSA Convention
in Albuquerque in 2008. The convention
floor is open from Thursday, February
14th through Saturday, February 16th.
There won't be an SSA convention in
2009 - so be sure not to miss the one in
2008. It is a great time to catch-up
with friends in the soaring community,
learn about interesting new products and
sailplanes, listen to interesting
speakers on a wide variety of soaring
topics, and much more.
Training
Sessions
The details aren't are worked
out yet, but I do plan to
offer one-on-one training and support on
Wednesday, February 13th - the day
before the start of the convention. The
SSA has graciously made several rooms
available in the convention center and
I'm sure that representatives from
SeeYou, StrePla, LX and others will take
advantage of them. Let me know if you
would like to schedule one-on-one
training or if you would like to
recommend a topic for a large group
training session.
FLARM or
ADS-B in USA? Meeting Scheduled
I will be hosting
a brainstorming session on Wednesday,
February 13th from 4 to 5 PM (perhaps
longer) in a convention center meeting
room in regard to getting FLARM or low
cost ADS-B into our gliders in the USA.
The exact location will be announced in
this newsletter in the January and/or
February issues. FLARM is a traffic
advisory system that has been extremely
successful in Europe, New Zealand and
Australia (8000+ units in use!). ADS-B
is the system of the future here in the
USA and in other countries. Some hope
that low cost ADS-B units can be
produced which work like FLARM does -
but would be installed general aviation
aircraft as well as gliders. Please
join us for this informal overview and
brainstorming session. A representative
from FLARM will be giving a talk during
the convention but will probably not be
able to attend this meeting. Bernald
Smith is extremely knowledgeable on this
topic and has agreed to attend the
meeting as well. Mike Schumann has been
working hard to get representatives from
AOPA and the F.A.A. at the meeting as
well. Please let me know if you are
planning to attend the meeting.
Help
Needed
I am looking for volunteers to help me
at the SSA Convention. I have found
someone to drive to the convention with
me, but I need soaring pilots for the
tasks listed below.
- 4 to 5 people
to help with setting up and tearing down
my tradeshow booth. Setup will be on
Wednesday, February 13th and teardown is
after the convention hall closes on
Saturday, February 16th. Setup takes a
few hours and teardown usually takes
about 1 hour.
- Multiple
people to work in the tradeshow booth
with me during the convention. You can
sign-up for 2 hour time slots before or
at the event. The work consists of
processing orders and pulling together
the desired items from inventory. It is
a great way to meet glider pilots from
around the world and often you get to
meet soaring legends.
I will be offering
significant incentives to make it worth
your while - such as store credits ($100
for every 4 hours worked in the booth),
free phone support/training (in the
future - not during the convention) and
perhaps free meals. Please contact me
for details.
|
Outstanding Support |
My goal is to serve you and provide advice
you can trust.
Allow me to help you select, and get the
most from, your soaring instruments and
software.
Looking for help selecting the right
soaring instruments or software for your
needs?
Overwhelmed by the many options?
-
Review my free and comprehensive
online product comparisons and
selection guides.
-
Call me and we'll walk through the
many options.
-
I'll explain the subtle differences
that matter to you.
-
Let me clarify confusing terminology
or technology.
Need help using your new instrument or
software?
-
Call me and I'll patiently talk you
through it.
-
Web conferencing brings us "into the
same room".
Paul Remde |
Marfa Dedication as National Landmark of
Soaring |
News
from Burt Compton
April 4 & 5, 2008:
The National Soaring Museum in Elmira,
NY, has designated Marfa Airport as the 15th
"National Landmark of Soaring"
for the gliding activity that has
occurred here since 1962. The dedication
and unveiling of the plaque on Marfa
Airport will be on
Saturday, April 5th
following a week of soaring during our
annual spring "Thermal & Wave Camp".
George Moffat ,
winner of the 1969 US Nationals (as seen in
the film "Sun Ship Game") and the 1970 World
Soaring Championships held at Marfa (and
first ever held in the USA), will be the
guest speaker at a formal banquet at the
recently restored Paisano Hotel ballroom in
Marfa.
Information on flying at the Soaring Camp
(March 29 - April 5, 2008), room
reservations in Marfa, RSVP details for the
Camp and the banquet can be found at
www.flygliders.com.
Click on the "Landmark" button.
RSVP for the banquet and reserve your room
soon, as space is limited. The
toll-free telephone to the Paisano Hotel
is 866-729-3669. The Marfa Chamber of
Commerce website is
www.marfacc.com for more information on
activities around the Big Bend of west
Texas. |
|
Leo & Ricky Brigliadori To Speak at SSA
Convention |
2008
SSA Convention - Banquet Keynote Speakers
The article below was submitted by
Leo Benetti-Longhini. Leo is organizing the
speakers for the 2008 SSA Convention in
Albuquerque. Leo also provided the photos at
right and below.
Leonardo and Riccardo Brigliadori,
co-authors of the recent book "Competing in
gliders (winning with your mind)", will be
the keynote speakers during the Saturday
evening Awards Banquet at the 2008 SSA
convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico on
February 16th. The book, by the
father and son collaborators, was originally
published in their native Italian ("La
competizione in aliante: vincere con la
mente") in 2004 and subsequently translated
into English in 2006. Over 2,200 copies of
the English edition have been printed, with
more than 1,500 sold in the first year. A
German edition is soon to be released.
Leonardo
(or Leo for short) obtained his license at
the age of 14 with his older brother
Riccardo providing the flight instruction.
The early age was possible because there was
no minimum age requirement at that time, a
regulatory loophole that his older sibling
was quite aware of. The year was 1954 and it
was the first time that an Italian license
was obtained using a two-seat glider; up
until that time only single-seat primary
gliders were used, with incremental
instruction from the ground. Riccardo
(Ricky) obtained his license in 1985 at the
legal age of 16; by then of course
regulatory minimum age requirements were in
effect.
The
father and son duo share an impressive list
of competition achievements. Leo has
competed in the Italian nationals 21 times
(in Standard, 15m, Open, Two-seater, and
motorglider classes) winning a total of 16
times. In 1978 he placed second in the WGC
at Chateauroux (the same year that Baer
won); in 1982 he became European Champion at
the first EGC held in Rieti; in 1985 he
became World Champion in the Standard Class;
in 1996 he received a Bronze medal at the
EGC in Finland; and in 2001 received a
Silver medal at the first 18m WGC in Spain.
He has placed 4th twice and 5th
once in other World Gliding Championships.
In 1992 he flew the entire length of the
Italian peninsula from Como to Taranto,
achieving a challenging distance of about
900km. Ricky has competed in the Italian
nationals multiple times, earning the
national title five times (in Standard,
Club, and 18m classes). In 1991 he competed
in the Junior EGC in Sweden and claimed
second place. He has competed several times
in the EGC with two 2nd place
finishes (Hungary and Lithuania in 1992 and
2004) and two 3rd place finishes
(Germany and France in 2000 and 2007). Ricky
has flown in the World Gliding Championships
in Germany (1999), South Africa (2001), and
Poland (2003), achieving 8th, 6th,
and 5th positions respectively.
Both
pilots have contributed notably to our
sport. Leonardo instructed actively until
2001 and then held the position of President
of the CSA, the Italian Confederation of Air
Sports, from 2001 to 2003. In 1992 he
founded the Lariano Soaring Aeroclub (AVL)
and was club president for 10 years. Leo has
been team captain and coach of the Italian
Gliding Team multiple times. He was the
contest director of the European and World
Military Gliding Championships held at Rieti
in both 2003 and 2004. More recently he was
contest director of the 5th JWGC
held in August of this year where US team
pilots Kathy Fosha and Mike Westbrook
competed with the support of team captain
Richard Maleady. For the last three years
Leonardo has held the position of FAI Vice
President for Italy. Riccardo became an
instructor in 1991 and actively taught for
six years. Ricky is presently the general
manager of Glasfaser Italiana Srl., a major
glider and general aviation maintenance and
composite repair facility at the base of the
Orobie Alps in northern Italy.
During the awards banquet, the veteran
competition pilots will share some of their
unique flying experiences, discuss executive
decision making, and present anecdotes of
interest to fellow soaring enthusiasts.
During the day on Saturday they will also be
on hand at the SSA booth in the exhibit hall
to meet with individuals. The co-authors
have graciously offered to provide book
signings for anyone who brings their copy or
purchases from an exhibit hall vendor. |
Coming Next Month |
- Glide Navigator II Update - New
Version Coming Soon!
- Update on the JS-1 Revelation 18
m sailplane from South Africa
- Why the new EW microRecorder is so
popular
- Favorite soaring magazines from
around the world
|
Thank you for
taking the time to read this
newsletter. I hope you have found it
interesting. If you did, please forward
it to your soaring friends using the
link at the bottom of the page.
I consider myself
a servant. Please let me know if there
is anything I can do to help you find
the right soaring instruments for your
needs, or help you learn how to use
an instrument or software product.
Also, let me know if you have any
suggestions for products or services to
add to my web site, or ways that I can
serve you better.
I feel blessed
because I love my job. I enjoy serving
the soaring community. Like you, I am
passionate about soaring. Thank you for
your business, I sincerely appreciate
it.
Sincerely,
Paul Remde
Cumulus Soaring, Inc.
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