SHENANDOAH VALLEY SOARING

The annual meeting of Shenandoah Valley Soaring will be held Saturday, May 8 (for the calendrically obsessed that’s March 69^th, according to President Bob Lock) at 6 p.m. at the airport. Election of new officers, transfer of power to President-Elect Bud Klaser and various issues are among agenda items.

Randy Branch a32ram@hotmail.com, a 15-year-old from Charlottesville, and a father-son team, Bill and Charles Randolph Thornton54@aol.com, are the newest members of SVS. Welcome Randy, Bill and Charles.

Here is another three months of tow schedule -- like the last, completely arbitrary and meant only to serve as a starting point for whatever horse trading and arrangements we settle on amongst ourselves. Bob Lock aerobear@cfw.com

April		May		June
4/3	Larry	5/1	Larry	6/5	Fred
4/4	Bud	5/2	Bud	6/6	Bud
4/10	Fred	5/8	Fred	6/12	Larry
4/11	Bob	5/9	Bob	6/13	Bob
4/17	Larry	5/15	Larry	6/19	Fred
4/18	Bud	5/16	Bud	6/20	Bud
4/24	Fred	5/22	Fred	6/26	Larry
4/25	Bob	5/23	Bob	6/27	Bob
		5/29	Larry
		5/30	Bud

The Tidewater Soaring Society will be host to the 1999 Women’s Soaring Seminar June 21-25. The WSPA, founded in 1986 and a division of the Soaring Society of America, currently has 170 pilot-members. The registration deadline is May 31; a registration form is available at TSS’s home page, which can be accessed through a link on SVS’s home page. For further information, contact Frauke and Wolf Elber (elber@erols.com)

Looking down at the windsock we noticed it standing straight out 90 degrees to the runway (330 degrees). This meant some special precautions for the landing and Dave asked me to show him the approach and landing in that crosswind. First the approach speed was set at 70 knots. due to the turbulence at low altitude. No landing on the hardtop as it was most likely that the right wingtip would have to be put on the ground at the roll-out, to keep the glider from weathervaning. Runway 06 had been the active all afternoon so that helped to get the Lark closer to the tiedown area.

The touchdown occurred about 40ft.to the right of the runway in the grass and it was smooth. But as soon as the Lark slowed to about 30-35 knots there she went to the left at about a 28-30 degree angle. This must be expected as the wins approach 15 knots or more. We were headed straight for a runway light. Immediate reaction has to be: lower right wing so wingwheel touches the ground. The Lark immediately straightened out and continued parrallel to the runway and with both of us on the brake it came to a quick stop.So ended an enjoyable flight in below freezing thermals.

Here's a question from the old pre-solo test used at 8W2 [New Market]:

The correct control position for a takeoff in a crosswind from the left is a. Right stick, left rudder b. Left stick, left rudder c. Right stick, right rudder d. Left stick, right rudder

Right "d". Everyone knows that. For sure anyone recommended for solo at 8W2 in the last couple of years knows that!! Even so, at 8W2 we didn't have the opportunity to see why that's important in action nearly so much as we do at FRR.

At 8W2 we had, shall we say, "interesting" wind situations, and frequently right scary ones as the wind from the west or north curled around the hill to the west of the airport. That same hill, however, often shielded the actual takeoff and landing, and affected us much more as a rather violent shear on the approaches. At FRR we get as a rule relatively less violent shear, but more common significant crosswinds right down on the runway as we take off and land. It's different, but not difficult. Don't get surprised by the difference!

For sure we get to experience first hand WHY "d" is the correct answer Let's briefly review exactly what's happening first takeoff at FRR in crosswinds. Go back to the question scenario again. The wind is from your LEFT. It is always going to be trying to weathercock your glider TO THE LEFT, that is, it's blowing on the vertical fin from the left, with the huge moment of the fuselage, twisting your nose INTO THE WIND. Thus as a very practical matter, as soon as you signal readiness for the launch, put in full right rudder; Also, as you first start rolling, the wind from the left will seek out any opportunity it can find to get under your left wing.

So at launch, it's critical to make sure the upwind wind is kept as low as possible without scraping the runway. So it's gonna be right rudder and left stick. In addition, it's OK in fairly strong crosswinds to orient your glider with the nose SLIGHTLY oriented away from the wind, in the knowledge that the crosswind on initial roll will push the tail so that the nose swings back into the wind. Talk to an instructor if you're not sure the conditions merit this orientation.

Even so, many ships (especially those with anything other than a nose hook!) will start turning into the wind in the first few feet of takeoff roll in spite of having full opposite rudder in! Having the control inputs already in, and being quick to respond, you can gain control authority very quickly and the roll will straighten out.

Another trick to make this easier is to make certain that you've coordinated with the towpilot and your wing runner that you want to make certain the slack is completely out before signaling to launch. Ask the towpilot to begin the engine runup with the towplane's brakes set, so that he/she releases the brake the tow-plane accelerates SMARTLY (getting enough airspeed to give you control authority quickly). (In my cg-only Cirrus, I also hold the glider's wheel brake-which is NOT in the spoiler control, by the way-until I can sense significant tension on the towrope. Then when I release, I'm accelerating quite rapidly.) Finally, make sure the wing runner, always on the UPWIND wing, understands the dynamics of a crosswind takeoff and doesn't lift or hold back on the wing during initial roll. You may be surprised how well this works.

Now lets talk briefly about landings. Before getting into the details of crosswinds, notice that first off, the approach to runway 27 drops down into a little valley, and the terrain rises as you get closer to the threshold of runway 27. The Airman's Iriformation Manual (AIM) says: ..... upsloping terrain... can create the illusion that the aircraft is at a higher altitude than it is. The pilot who does not recognize this illusion will fly a lower approach." So even though the runway itself has a very gentle DOWNSLOPE to it, the rising terrain on final will definitely give you an illusion that results in an unsafely low approach. The "cure" is to pay attention to your AIMING POINT! TLAR works. Use it!

Second, let's assume the same wind scenario that the question uses-wind from the south (your left on final for 27). Remember, you may be using a crab or a side slip or a forward slip or some combination or sequence of these to make certain that you've established a ground track on short final that's right on the runway centerline. Make sure you practice getting comfortable with ALL of these approaches. Bottom line is that you need to make sure that on short final you are tracking the centerline. Whichever set of maneuvers you're using to manage the crosswind component, you will, of course, straighten out the longitudinal axis of the plane at flare to assure that you don't actually touch down with side loads on the landing gear;

Third, now we get to enoy the same experiences as we did on takeoft but this time, BACKWARDS! In other words, as yoll slow down, you will LOSE control authority and in many instances, your glider WILL turn into the wind no matter how much control input you make as you slow below about 20 mph. This it is critically important that you establish, while you are still rolling fast enough to have control authority, an attitude that keeps the upwind wing DOWN and the fuselage tracking down the centerline with increasing rudder; This will NOT involve coordinated control inputs! (Think about it.)

Finally, in a crosswind, you will want to bring the plane to a stop as quickly as possible WITHOUT LOCKNG THE WHEEL!! At touchdown, immediately begin moderate braking, and as you lose control authority, increase the braking. CAUTION: Do NOT under ANY circumstances, land with the wheel brake locked!! This will cost you money (ONE wheel-locked landing on pavement in the K-21 will ruin the tire!) and LOTS of ruthless ribbing by your fellow Club members!

Once again, it is NOT difficult, it IS different. Try to find a day when there's a significant (but still flyable) crosswind component and shoot a couple of patterns with an instructor. Nothing beats experience at building your skills and confidence.