Next step, ownership

[Michael Ash]

With the philosophy that a pilot should always be learning, I recently
took the next step in my education by becoming an aircraft owner! I bought
into a partnership within my glider club a couple of weeks ago, although I
only managed to take my first flight this past Sunday.

N16AL (or H3 as we usually call it, using the contest ID) is a Schleicher
ASW-20C, built in Germany in 1985. It's fiberglass construction with a
50-foot wingspan, retractable gear, and flaps. Best glide ratio is in the
region of 43:1, which I can assure those of you who don't know if that's
good or bad that it's quite good, particularly for the relatively short
wingspan.

Here's a picture of it sitting on the ramp on the day of my first flight:

Loading Image...

Big surprise, insurance paperwork and weather kept me out of it for a
couple of weeks after the transaction was completed, but both finally came
together on Sunday. One of my new partners is a CFI-G which came very much
in handy for the checkout. It's always weird getting checked out in a
single-place glider, because there's the distinct feeling that the
checkout itself is all just preliminaries, and the real lesson is going to
come simultaneous with the test.

But not to worry, H3 flew spectacularly well. It's very responsive without
being twitchy, and very stable hands-off. I actually managed to thermal
and stay up for an hour when every other glider flight that day was just
up-and-down sled rides. The thing just locked in to a 45-degree bank and
stayed there almost as if it was on rails. And the performance is just
mind-boggling to me, especially after flying cross-country in a 20:1
glider. It just keeps on going! 8+ miles for a thousand feet of altitude
is an awful lot.

At one point while I was thermalling I suddenly realized that I had this
huge grin on my face without even knowing it. I couldn't even remember the
last time I had that happen.

It's definitely going to be a learning experience. All this extra
performance opens things up a lot, for one. For another, actually owning
an aircraft is completely new to me. In that respect I'm fortunate in
having two very knowledgeable partners to help me along. And lastly it's a
much more complicated machine to fly. This is probably nothing compared to
what most of you have to deal with, but the addition of flaps is going to
take some getting used to. They help for landing, but their main purpose
is to make sure the airfoil stays efficient over a wide range of speeds,
so they require constant adjustment depending on what speed I want to fly.
It'll take some time to get used to keeping my left hand busy, and
learning which flap setting to select when. But no doubt at all that I'm
looking forward to it!

[BT]

Mike.. that is a big step from the 1-26 to the ASW-20... we will miss your
1-26 journeys..
May I ask what high performance ships you flew before transitioning to
single seat glass?
We have a normal progression in our club. SGS 2-33 and 1-26 for students.
After the Private rating, transition to Grob 103 Twin II, and with
consistent acceptable performance in the Grob 103 then transition to the
Club's LS-4 and Janus C (flapped).

Our students have huge grins when they transition from the 2-33 to the 1-26.
And again with the transition from Grob 103 to the LS4... after almost an
hour of flying on a weak day in the LS4, the latest transition pilot radioed
back.. "Sorry Tweety", the name of our club's yellow 1-26D.

BT

Post by Michael Ash
With the philosophy that a pilot should always be learning, I recently
took the next step in my education by becoming an aircraft owner! I bought
into a partnership within my glider club a couple of weeks ago, although I
only managed to take my first flight this past Sunday.
N16AL (or H3 as we usually call it, using the contest ID) is a Schleicher
ASW-20C, built in Germany in 1985. It's fiberglass construction with a
50-foot wingspan, retractable gear, and flaps. Best glide ratio is in the
region of 43:1, which I can assure those of you who don't know if that's
good or bad that it's quite good, particularly for the relatively short
wingspan.
http://www.mikeash.com/h3_ramp.jpg
Big surprise, insurance paperwork and weather kept me out of it for a
couple of weeks after the transaction was completed, but both finally came
together on Sunday. One of my new partners is a CFI-G which came very much
in handy for the checkout. It's always weird getting checked out in a
single-place glider, because there's the distinct feeling that the
checkout itself is all just preliminaries, and the real lesson is going to
come simultaneous with the test.
But not to worry, H3 flew spectacularly well. It's very responsive without
being twitchy, and very stable hands-off. I actually managed to thermal
and stay up for an hour when every other glider flight that day was just
up-and-down sled rides. The thing just locked in to a 45-degree bank and
stayed there almost as if it was on rails. And the performance is just
mind-boggling to me, especially after flying cross-country in a 20:1
glider. It just keeps on going! 8+ miles for a thousand feet of altitude
is an awful lot.
At one point while I was thermalling I suddenly realized that I had this
huge grin on my face without even knowing it. I couldn't even remember the
last time I had that happen.
It's definitely going to be a learning experience. All this extra
performance opens things up a lot, for one. For another, actually owning
an aircraft is completely new to me. In that respect I'm fortunate in
having two very knowledgeable partners to help me along. And lastly it's a
much more complicated machine to fly. This is probably nothing compared to
what most of you have to deal with, but the addition of flaps is going to
take some getting used to. They help for landing, but their main purpose
is to make sure the airfoil stays efficient over a wide range of speeds,
so they require constant adjustment depending on what speed I want to fly.
It'll take some time to get used to keeping my left hand busy, and
learning which flap setting to select when. But no doubt at all that I'm
looking forward to it!
--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

[Michael Ash]

Post by BT
Mike.. that is a big step from the 1-26 to the ASW-20... we will miss your
1-26 journeys..

Don't worry, once I get the hang of landing short in it and it feels
comfortable and automatic, I plan to set off cross country some more.
Probably won't land out so much though... won't need to!

Post by BT
May I ask what high performance ships you flew before transitioning to
single seat glass?
We have a normal progression in our club. SGS 2-33 and 1-26 for students.
After the Private rating, transition to Grob 103 Twin II, and with
consistent acceptable performance in the Grob 103 then transition to the
Club's LS-4 and Janus C (flapped).

Depends on what you count as "high performance". I did all of my training
in an ASK-21 and Grob 103 Twin II, as those are the only two trainers my
club has. While not quite in the same league as most single-seat glass
ships, the general performance characteristics are something I've been
flying since flight 1. Beyond those two, I have a handful of flights in an
LS-4 and an Open Cirrus, and I've found the ASW-20 to handle similarly,
although better, with the exception of the flaps.

In my club, the normal progression is to start out in the ASK-21, as it's
newer and somewhat easier to fly. Most people will transition to the 103
midway through their dual instruction, and from then on fly both roughly
equally, although some people have preferences for one or the other and
some can only fly one or the other due to size or weight issues.
Post-solo, we try to move people into our 1-36, usually after 10
acceptable solo flights in the two-seaters, although obviously it depends
on the student. (I've heard people express horror at this, as apparently
it's not considered to be suitable for that crowd at least among some, but
it works well for us.) Once a member has obtained their PPL-G and
completed 75 flights as PIC/Solo, they can then move to our Open Cirrus.

Post by BT
Our students have huge grins when they transition from the 2-33 to the 1-26.
And again with the transition from Grob 103 to the LS4... after almost an
hour of flying on a weak day in the LS4, the latest transition pilot radioed
back.. "Sorry Tweety", the name of our club's yellow 1-26D.

I understand completely! I'll always have a fondness in my heart for the
1-26, and it does very well when thermalling, but I'm discovering that the
ability to get from one thermal to the next is pretty important too.
Perhaps my most memorable flight this year was my third flight in my
club's Open Cirrus. The first two were just quick familiarization sled
rides. I came back a week later, assembled it, and took off on what I
figured would be a slightly longer repeat. Three and a half hours later,
well on my way to freezing solid, I brought it back home. Even if I could
tolerate 3.5 hours in a 1-26's cockpit (I'm really just too large for it)
I doubt I could have kept it up nearly as long, as I'm sure I would have
fallen out of the lift band at some point and not had enough range to get
back into it. Alas I am not one of those golden 1-26 sticks who can keep
it airborne endlessly even when everyone else falls out. :)

[Steve Hix]

Post by Michael Ash
With the philosophy that a pilot should always be learning, I recently
took the next step in my education by becoming an aircraft owner! I bought
into a partnership within my glider club a couple of weeks ago, although I
only managed to take my first flight this past Sunday.
N16AL (or H3 as we usually call it, using the contest ID) is a Schleicher
ASW-20C, built in Germany in 1985. It's fiberglass construction with a
50-foot wingspan, retractable gear, and flaps. Best glide ratio is in the
region of 43:1, which I can assure those of you who don't know if that's
good or bad that it's quite good, particularly for the relatively short
wingspan.
http://www.mikeash.com/h3_ramp.jpg

Mike, powered aircraft pilots sitting on the ground in the cockpit can
make vroom vroom noises.

What do glider pilots do in the same situation?

:}

Sounds like a lovely machine.

[Michael Ash]

Post by Steve Hix

Post by Michael Ash
With the philosophy that a pilot should always be learning, I recently
took the next step in my education by becoming an aircraft owner! I bought
into a partnership within my glider club a couple of weeks ago, although I
only managed to take my first flight this past Sunday.
N16AL (or H3 as we usually call it, using the contest ID) is a Schleicher
ASW-20C, built in Germany in 1985. It's fiberglass construction with a
50-foot wingspan, retractable gear, and flaps. Best glide ratio is in the
region of 43:1, which I can assure those of you who don't know if that's
good or bad that it's quite good, particularly for the relatively short
wingspan.
http://www.mikeash.com/h3_ramp.jpg

Mike, powered aircraft pilots sitting on the ground in the cockpit can
make vroom vroom noises.
What do glider pilots do in the same situation?
:}
Sounds like a lovely machine.

Good question.... I can only speak for myself, but I just sit there and
move the stick and rudder around and I guess I don't make any noises. If I
were to make noises, it would probably be the "beep beep beep" noise that
the vario makes when climbing. That's probably the closest equivalent to
engine noise, although it's a deliberate indicator rather than a
byproduct.