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The member-focused newsletter of the SOSA Gliding Club
Spring 2023
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Welcome to the 2023 season!
by Joerg Stieber
President
On the Easter weekend I was looking at beautiful cumulus clouds in a clear blue sky - a perfect soaring day. The sunny and unseasonably warm weather expected during the following week will go a long way in drying out our runways. There is a good chance that we can start flying on the last weekend in April, if we don’t see a lot of rain later in the month. Thanks again to Ray, Will and the crew who put in the additional drainage last year – it seems to be paying off.
SOSA is going into the 2023/24 season well-prepared and in a strong position overall. We have more than 100 members signed up, including a good number of new members, who I want to welcome here.
Our plans to train five new instructors early in the season are on track. We have been and still are very active with training and presentations. Our Hangar Talks have again been quite popular all across Canada, with two more to come on April 16 and 23 (details here).
The Ground School Introduction to Gliding is currently under way. In the first half of May, we will present the five-part Pre-Season Primer series to get everyone mentally prepared to fly after the long winter break. I want to thank all instructors and presenters for making this happen.
With the excitement of starting the new season, we must not allow safety to take a back seat. Safety has to be our number one priority in anything we do at SOSA. From daily inspections to walk arounds, cockpit checks and pre-landing checks, we must be thorough and complete. Never just go through the motions. The CFI will introduce a new “wing-runner’s check” to make sure the canopy is closed and locked, air brakes are locked and the tail dolly is off before the wing runner gives the “all-out”.
This year we will be celebrating SOSA’s 75th anniversary. More details to come as we develop a few celebratory moments, likely around the Canadian Nationals in late July/early August.
Please make sure you have our annual work day pencilled in-- the action begins first thing on Saturday April 22. Many hands make light work. It will be great to see everyone.
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Spring Work Day is on for April 22/23
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While the field is still a little soggy, things look like they're ready to improve rapidly. Fingers crossed.
We've got Saturday April 22 pencilled in for the season-opening work day (rain date Sunday April 23) and, as always, we invite everyone to come out, catch up with friends, find a thing that needs doing and get 'er done. There is no shortage of things to do, from grass trimming to glider waxing, hangar sweeping to picnic table hauling. Bring your best skill set! Wear old clothes!
The indefatigable Mike Viechweg, our Grounds Director, has prepared an XL spreadsheet itemizing the need-to-do's. It's available here.
Thanks in advance to everyone who will be pitching in. Early highlights-- a new windsock and pole on Runway 36, some fresh new shingles for the clubhouse roof (no more indoor showers during rainstorms) and a brand-new gazebo for Runway 21.
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🗓
SOSA Events at a Glance:
April 16, 4pm: Hangar Talk (Flarms)
April 22 (rain day Apr 23): Spring Work Day
April 23, 4pm: Hangar Talk (South Ont Airspace & IFR traffic flow)
April 29: New Member Orientation Day
May 1, 7pm: Pre-Season Primer (Aerotow)
May 4, 7pm: Pre-Season Primer (Spins)
May 8, 7pm: Pre-Season Primer (Slips)
May 11, 7pm: Pre-Season Primer (Circuit)
May 15, 7pm: Pre-Season Primer (Final Approach & Landing)
May 27: SOSA BBQ
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Membership Update
by James Wood
Director of Membership & Marketing
We start the season with a healthy pipeline of potential new members.
- We have a sold-out classroom at this year's Online Ground School with 23 students, a third of whom are junior members.
- We've already signed up 15 new members who did not need to attend ground school, half of whom are junior members.
- We have converted a significant portion (50 percent) of the people on last year's waitlist into ground school attendees or new members.
- We are communicating with 17 additional interested parties hoping to join SOSA this year.
This strong pipeline of new members likely means that we will need to introduce a waitlist again this year, so as not to overwhelm the flight line and instructor capacity. We're setting expectations with potential members and hoping to create staggered "cohorts" of new members throughout the year.
Of course, if we find ourselves in a position where we cannot take on any more new members this year, we will gladly refer them to another local gliding club.
We will have a host of member get togethers this year! Jeff Keay will be leading the Social Committee and hosting the monthly BBQ's. And we'll of course be getting together to mark the 75th anniversary of SOSA. More details to come!
See you at the field soon!
James
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👋
Welcome New Members!
Tyler Jones
Todd Cox
Tim Sansom
Frank Radencich
Sam Tse
Alex Gold
Lorie Gold
Ronak Patel
Julian O'Grady
Nitheesh Waidyatilake
Jacob Russell
Aleck Covaci
Tristan Michelacci
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(You can read a little more about new member Aleck Covaci here. As a 10yr old, he got the flying bug after an intro flight with Herrie ten Cate in his famous blue and yellow vintage glider. He'll turn 20 in August.)
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CFI lookahead
by Malcolm McLaren
Chief Flight Instructor
Looks like it could be another busy year with student training plus all the other activities surrounding SOSA this year. We have needed to expand our instructor personnel for the students' training and other club members' flying demands.
This year we have five members who've volunteered to become new instructors; they've been matched up with an instructor for their training and will be working on that over this spring and early summer. As well there are two returning members who are instructor-rated but have been away from gliding for a period of time and will need a number of flights with backseat training to get back in the groove, so to speak, for student training. Once all the training and paperwork are completed, we hope to have seven more instructors on our roster.
Hangar Talks are coming to a close soon but Online Ground School has started up in April and the club Primers will be happening in May. Many thanks go out to Joerg for organizing topics and presenters.
We have decided that any member not signed off to fly the Discus 2b must perform two consecutive dual flights in the Duo before being signed off for the Discus 2b. This is because members are jumping from a low performance single seat glider to a high performance XC glider with a different nose up attitude especially on landing. Please have a read on our club website in the members section dealing with “Progression of Fleet” for details.
We intend to have a number of instructors checked out in advance and ready to check out any remaining instructors and licensed members once we are able to commence flying at SOSA.
Our XC Camp has been moved up to July 10-14 this year because of the Nationals running from July 24 to Aug 4. For students, Acceleration Week will run from Aug 28 to Sept 1, so see you there if you need to get some items signed off in your PTR.
Thanks
Malcolm
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More on the 2023 Canadian Nationals
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by Dave Springford
Chief Tow Pilot
As previously announced, SOSA will host the 2023 Canadian National Gliding Competition July 24- Aug 4. Practise days are July 24-25, with official contest days July 26- August 4. The contest webpage can be accessed here.
For 2023, a major update of both the airspace and turnpoint files has been completed and the new files can be downloaded from the Nationals website. Major revisions include a change to the shape and size of the Guelph corridor as well as deleting turnpoints that were airports and are now fields and adding new turnpoints. This also involved changing all of the turnpoint numbers. For example, Rockton is no longer #58; it is now #63. Anyone who is using the files should download the new version for this year.
Running the contest requires a lot of volunteer effort from the management, to tow pilots, to day-to-day assistance at the field. Rafael Nunes is coordinating the volunteers required during the contest, so if you have time and are interested in volunteering, please contact Rafael. He can tell you what roles we need to fill and slot you into a role that works. He is actively recruiting young people to help run the launch. We also need volunteers to help prep the club before the contest and keep it in good shape during the contest.
There will be dinners planned every second night during the contest and club members are invited to participate. Advanced sign-up for the meals will be required so we can order the correct amount of food for each dinner. Anyone interested in organizing one of the meals for everyone, please contact Rafael and he can tell you what days we have planned and the menu for each day.
The contest will have some impact on club operation, but that does not mean club flying will be completely shut down. On contest days, club operations can occur in the mornings, stop for a few hours around noon as the competitors launch and then start back up in the afternoon. If you are at the club volunteering you can have a nice flight later in the day.
As an added bonus to volunteering during the contest, it is a great learning opportunity to speak with contest pilots, listen in to the daily briefings and expand your cross-country knowledge over a beer in the club house at the end of the day. You may even get a free steak dinner if you volunteer to pick someone up out of field!
Dave
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Help us celebrate
SOSA's 75th birthday!
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Plans are in the works to celebrate SOSA's 75th anniversary and we're looking for memories and images to share. If you have some, please let us know and we'll feature them over the season. Let's begin with this image of a very familiar SOSA member. Guesses as to his identity?
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Our 2022/23 Award Winners
Congratulations to our winners, as announced at the Annual General Meeting
DOUGLAS C. WINGER MEMORIAL TROPHY 2022
For a significant contribution by a tow pilot
Duncan Duong
DR. WOLF DIETRICH LEERS AWARD 2022
Flying instructor of the year
Sean Christie
KEN LARMOUR AWARD 2022
For a significant contribution to the club by a first-year flying member
Dan Aberg
JUNIOR TROPHY 2022
Greatest cumulative distance flying the PZL Junior SZD 51-1
Michael Chazot
201.84 km at 62.47km/h
July 16, 2022
ROYAL CROWN COLA SOARING TROPHY
For the best flight by a Silver Badge pilot
Irek Sek
458.43km at 105.52km/h
July 14, 2022
REINHARD AWARD
For a significant contribution to non-flying operations
Will Nyland
MEMBER AT LARGE AWARD
For a significant contribution to overall operations at SOSA
James Wood
SOSA FLIGHT ACHIEVEMENT TROPHY
For a significant flight by a SOSA pilot
Adam Zieba
641.97km at 82.96km/h
927.90 OLC points
July 14, 2022
SOSA FLIGHT ACHIEVEMENT TROPHY
For a significant flight by a SOSA pilot
Jerzy Szemplinski
962.11km at 116.65 km/h,
1010.43 OLC points
July 14, 2022
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Dan Aberg assumes
maintenance portfolio
As the 2023 season is about to start, I'm proud to have been offered the portfolio for Director of Aircraft Maintenance. I won’t claim to have a specific background relating to gliders in particular, however I spent most of my 40-year career working in aerospace mechanical design, motion simulators, aircraft subsystems, including the International Space Station Canadarm and various satellites.
Ready for the upcoming work weekend on April 22 (rain day April 23), I’ll be preparing for the spring glider wash and wax event. We need plenty of volunteers, so as not to create too many sore shoulder muscles!
As you'll recall from the fall, the LS4 is history, having found a new home. In late 2022 we took delivery of a second Discus 2B, YOH. We await the final Transport Canada paperwork. She’ll fly soon.
The new DG1001 delivery has unfortunately been delayed until fall 2023. This ship will have to wait until 2024 to fly.
Meanwhile, the board has approved the purchase of transponders for the remaining club ships (CDD, DYJ and DXX). The installation will be completed this spring.
I look forward to a fantastic season!
And of course, huge thanks to Angelo Quattrociocchi, our outgoing maintenance director, who has done such great work for the past several years keeping our much-used and oft-ravaged fleet airworthy.
Cheers, Dan
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A note from the
new Board Secretary
by Sean Christie
As I enter my third term of SOSA board duty, I am thrilled to be working with such a high calibre of people and I am excited about how we can serve and shape the direction of SOSA. The portfolio I am picking up this year is that of Board Secretary, a role which is not unfamiliar to me, having have served in this capacity previously. Firstly, I'd like to thank Dale Guenther for his excellent work in this role, as he steps down after the past few years of dedicated board service as both Secretary and President!
Of all the leadership positions on any nonprofit board, the board secretary role is often the most misunderstood and underappreciated. Many assume that the title “Secretary” is synonymous with the term “note-taker” and that the secretary’s only function is to record minutes during meetings. However, this not at all the case, and so I thought I would take this opportunity to educate those unfamiliar with the key duties of the SOSA Board Secretary.
Yes, one of the functions of the secretary is to ensure that all meetings, board and members meetings, are properly scheduled, effectively executed and accurately documented. And this all relates to the primary role of the secretary, managing the proper governance and compliance of the organization. The secretary ensures our club is operating within the legal framework of the Federal Not-For-Profit act, is following our own By-Laws, and acts as the custodian of the club’s records. The secretary also communicates with the appropriate governing bodies, such as Industry Canada, provincial and municipal authorities, SAC, and many others.
And so, while the board secretary is not as highly visible as the other front and centre roles like Club President, Aircraft Director, CFI, Communications, Grounds, Membership, Treasurer, it is no less a vital piece of our nonprofit puzzle and organization. I look forward to serving the club in this function once again.
Sean
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The Thermal Podcast
In case you missed it, here's Herrie's interview with Joerg,
about flying in Namibia over the winter. Great stuff.
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Help promote Intro Flights by sharing details with your friends, family, co-workers and neighbours. Hell, tell everyone!
Whether you are an aviation novice or are returning to experience the thrill again, a glider flight is a fantastic experience for everyone. What could be more exciting than dancing under the clouds, soaring like an eagle, or daring some aerobatics, all through the 'magic' of silent, zero-emissions flight.
Here's a link to all the necessary info on the website: https://www.sosaglidingclub.com/introductory-flights.html
If you haven't yet, make sure to follow SOSA on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and "like" or "share" our posts to help promote the club on social media.
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In Memoriam
Sad to report, we've lost some friends.
Joan Harris, wife of the lat Max Harris, who was a member of SOSA 1968-2004, died October 7, 2022. Joan was one of the great "SOSA mothers" who generally kept an eye on the many kids the club was blessed with in the 70s, 80s and 90s. (Max was an instructor and board member, and shared the Skylark 4 with "the two Herbies.")
Former SOSA member Marian Rakusan died suddenly January 16, 2023. Flying out of Cu Nim, Marian last year was recognized as "top rookie" flying in his first Nationals last May. He was a familiar face recently at SOSA during our cross-country weeks. Marian leaves his wife Dagmar and children Tomas and Nikol.
Long time SOSA member Paul Thompson died after a brief illness on March 12, 2023.
Ann Watson, wife of SOSA member Phil Watson, died earlier this year.
We send condolences to all.
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Clockwise from top left:
Attendees at the Joan Harris service included (from left) Monica Herten, John Malby, Chris Wilson, Stu Young, Janice Young, Ed Hollestelle, Monika Holden, Anne-Marie Hollestelle, Rosie Bandmann and Dixon Moore; Paul Thompson; Marian Rakusan; Joan Harris.
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2023 SOSA Executive, Officers & Directors
President - Joerg Stieber
Secretary - Sean Christie
Treasurer - Tom Coulson
Chief Flying Instructor - Malcolm McLaren
Aircraft Maintenance Director - Dan Aberg
Grounds Director - Michael Viechweg
Membership & Marketing Director - James Wood
Member at Large and Communications Director - Jeff Keay
Chief Tow Pilot - David Springford
Dean of Students - John Estey
Safety Officer - Hans Juergenson
Safety Committee - Bill Vollmar, Will Nyland
Flying Committee - Rafael Nuñes, Michael Viechweg, Bogdan Banas
Social Committee - Kathryn Huntsman, Jeff Keay, John Estey, Reza Darvish
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