JUST SOME OF THE NEWS ITEMS PRINTED IN THE SEPTEMBER ISSUE OF GLIDING INTERNATIONAL

Next update December 10th 2008

A GREAT LOSS  - DICK JOHNSON DIES IN SAILPLANE ACCIDENT -      Richard (Dick) Johnson (85) died on July 23, following a sailplane accident near Midlothian, U.S.A. - a tragic loss not only to his family but also to his gliding family, the world’s sailplane pilots. Many called him one of the best glider pilots ever to sit in a cockpit. His skills brought him eleven national championships and one world title. “Richard learned to fly before World War II and he had been flying ever since” said Jeff Baird, of the Texas Soaring Association in Midlothian. The cause of the accident is still unknown.   He was an encyclopedia of flying - one who was willing to share his passion; he loved soaring and flew every chance he could get.  “He probably couldn’t imagine a better way to go if he had to go,” said Dick Mockler, a friend. “To go in his sailplane was probably the best.”  Dick was a member (in fact the driving force) with North Dallas Gliders. He owned the land and put considerable effort into making the club work. He lived for gliding, his workshop was a truly magical place with projects all over the place  -  from his own designed Adastra, which he flew in a world competition, his HP-13 1/2, (a HP 12 fuselage with 19 m HP-14 wings and his ASW-17 which he was constantly improving. He also had a Skylark 4  which he flew, often taking the first launch of the day and being the last to land at sunset. Outside of the U.S.A. Dick will be most remembered for the several hundred sailplanes he tested and reported on - those reports were meticulously factual. Those of us at Gliding International  knew Dick for over 35 years and he championed us to make Gliding International the ultimate in reading for the world’s soaring pilots.  He wrote us a memo after every issue to tell us what he liked and didn’t like about the issue. Dick had a professional career designing aircraft and missiles for Chance Vought, Temco Aircraft, Texas Instruments’ defence division and Raytheon. He was an active engineering consultant at the time of his death. He is survived by his wife, Alice Johnson, three sons, and three grandchildren. All here at Gliding International send their deepest sympathy to Alice (from Dallas) as he always introduced her.

A “WIKIPEDIA” FOR AVIATION  A new Web site that was unveiled this week aims to provide a space for pilots who want to know about airplanes -- and to share what they know. According to Keith West,  HowItFlies.com webmaster, it is a Wikipedia for aviation. Pilots can share information, opinions, photos, videos, specs, and history. “The goal is to give pilots not only the numbers, but information from other pilots on what it’s like to actually fly a particular aircraft.”  Pages are provided for general aviation aircraft of all kinds (including sailplanes) , as well as military and commercial aircraft. “Whether researching an airplane or hangar flying on a rainy day, it’s a fun resource for pilots and enthusiasts alike,” says West. The site is free for users and doesn’t require registration. Pilots, manufacturers, distributors and others are welcome to contribute information.

STAND BY FOR INCREASED INSURANCE PREMIUMS  - For as sure as night follows day, the world’s sailplane owners should be preparing themselves for the inevitable major increase in sailplane insurance premiums on next renewal. The accident history at the Italian World Championships in July was not good.  At least two sailplanes unrepairable and a further five badly damaged.  Fortunately minor personal damage.  But this does not compare with six weeks of mayhem in Switzerland, (May through July), where there have been five fatal sailplane accidents (six for the year to date)  plus four deaths from a tow plane related accident.  Eyebrows will be raised amongst insurers when it is realised that, the recent deaths in Switzerland involved pilots who ages were 49, 54, 66, 69, 76, (average age 62.8) and which brings the deaths in this country to 10 for the part-way through year of 2008. (See graph).   Not an acceptable record!   Like many countries, the Swiss gliding movement  manages its own affairs, licenses pilots, instructors, engineers and sailplanes.  There are no medical requirements whatsoever for Swiss sailplane pilots – could this be the reason?  Without a doubt they have a problem on their hands, which unfortunately will reflect on the world scene with increased insurance premiums. To its credit, the Swiss accident rate for gliders and motors gliders has been substantially reduced since 1998.

HISTORY OF I.G.C./O.S.T.I.V.  -  Tor Johannessen, the former president of I.G.C. is heading a team  that includes, Fred Weinholtz, Angela Sheard,  John Roake,  Manfred Reinhardt and Peter Selinger  to produce a book on the history of IGC and OSTIV including the fore-runners of both organisations.  They have set themselves a time frame of 18 months to complete the work.

TIME IS RUNNING OUT  - PW-5 World Class owners are  most likely unaware that the moratorium protecting the PW-5 for 15 years expires in March 2009.  There are no guarantees beyond that date that I.G.C. has to provide a World Championship for the class, nor even a guarantee that the World Class itself will continue.  Owners now have little time to lobby IGC delegates to seek continuing support for the PW-5.  The talk is that there will be a proposal tabled at the March IGC meeting to retain a class ‘loosely’ called the ‘World Class’, but it will be opened up to allow other 13.5 metre wing span sailplanes to compete with/against the PW-5.  Time is running short guys!

MAJOR CHANGE FOR USA/FAA MEDICALS   Pilots who haven’t turned 40 now have five years between medicals.   As of July 24, a third class medical for someone who hasn’t reached his or her 40th birthday lasts five years, instead of three years, and a first class medical is valid for a year, up from six months.  In some cases, some medicals that expired on the day the new regulations came into effect have been reactivated.  If your three-year medical had expired before July 24 it was automatically extended to five years from the anniversary date. Also, turning 40 during the new term of the medical doesn’t affect the length of the term.. If you renew your medical the day before your 40th birthday, the new medical is good for either full five years or one year. FAA’s new policy makes it easier and more affordable for younger pilots to fly.

NEW WORLD FREE DISTANCE RECORD CLAIM  -Class: DU (Ultralight Gliders),   Free Distance, from  Zapata, TX (USA).   Performance : 791 km.  Pilot : William G. OSOBA (USA).  Glider : Woodstock  Date :19.07.2008 .  Current record: 627.60 km (09.07.2004 - Leonardo R. BENETTI-LONGHINI, USA).  Subject to F.A.I. homologation

GPS ENHANCEMENT  The Boeing Company has been awarded a $153.5 million U.S. Naval Research Laboratory contract to demonstrate High Integrity Global Positioning System (GPS) technology concepts. High Integrity GPS effort combines satellite signals from the Iridium Low Earth Orbit telecommunications system and GPS Mid Earth Orbit navigational satellites to enhance navigation availability, integrity and greater accuracy. “High Integrity GPS is an effective tool that will augment GPS satellites to provide critical new capabilities, including aggressive levels of additional anti-jam protection,” said David Whelan, Boeing Integrated Defence Systems chief scientist. “Our research has shown that significant low-cost improvements to GPS can be achieved by using existing signal platforms and systems.” GPS supports numerous military and civil applications, so the ability to jam the system presents a grave threat.

WARNING TO U.S. GLIDER PILOTS  New Airspace Policing -  U.S.A’s  FAA has ordered controllers to violate pilots for any and all errors and has threatened to discipline them if they don’t file the reports. While the FAA says it’s just enforcing rules already in place, the head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association say it’s yet another burden on an already-overworked workforce that will pit controllers against pilots. “We are not the FAA police! The FAA’s and controller’s mission is to provide the safe and efficient movement of live air traffic,” says NATCA President Patrick Forrey. “The fact that the FAA is now disciplining controllers for not ‘policing’ pilot actions as they relate to flight regulations is indicative of the tyrannical and oppressive culture the FAA has created.” The FAA, as one might suspect, has a different view.  Laura Brown,  FAA spokeswoman said “it’s always been controllers’ jobs to report pilot infractions and she stressed there has been no change in FAA policy in this regard”. But the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) spokesman has declared that “ it’s clear that reporting infractions is now being stressed but there has been no change in ATC requirements just reinforcing the reporting piece.”

OSHKOSH ATTENDANCE FIGURES SUSTAINED FOR 2008.  The current economic downturn led the organisers of Oshkosh 2008 to believe that attendances would be significantly down. Current fuel prices would hardly help either, Tom Poberezny, AA President predicted.  But he was wrong!  Overall attendance totalled 540,000, a very slight drop on last year but the same as 2006. More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport the alternate landing facilities in the area, (down one percent) with the number of gas gussling World War II-era warbirds up on 2007. Oveseas visitor number increase can be credited to the declining value of the US Dollar. Favourable exchange rates brought 2,128 registered visitors to Oshkosh from 71 nations, an increase of 25 percent. Campers in the fly-in and drive-in categories totalled more than 37,000 this year, and there were 865 registered media representatives on-site from five continents.

Poberzny says next year’s event will feature Virgin Galactic’s White Knight Two space vehicle and a reunion of participants from Concorde’s five visits to Oshkosh over the past 25 years, plus a salute to mission aviators who perform humanitarian work around the globe.