Soaring

[MRC01]

You wouldn't want to be downwind of the mountain, the slope lift is on the upwind side, though, at higher altitudes, the downwind side may have "wave" lift above the peak, below would be heavy sink. ...

True. The downwind side has not only big downdrafts, but also turbulence and mountain waves that can extend 50-100 miles downwind from the mountain, depending on conditions. Perfect for gliders on the upwind side, but stay out of the red in the diagram below.

As a general rule, mountain elevation * 1.5 gets you out of the strongest wind effects. If you're approaching from the downwind side on a windy day, climb to that 1.5x altitude more than 50 miles away from the ridge. Because if you get any closer, chances are you'll be in the mountain wave and won't be able to climb through it; the air may be sinking faster than your airplane can climb. With 10k foot ridgelines common in Colorado (not to mention several 14k peaks), the 1.5 rule gives 15k feet, high enough that oxygen is required and above the practical service ceiling of most GA aircraft.

In short, on windy days we simply don't fly most small airplanes in the mountains. Not unless you've got a turbo, oxygen and IFR equipped to get into the flight levels. And as you know, 18k and above is strictly IFR (class A airspace) even on clear days. I've done plenty of flying around the Rockies in my 172, but always on relatively calm days.

 

[DonH56]

True. The downwind side has not only big downdrafts, but also turbulence and mountain waves that can extend 50-100 miles downwind from the mountain, depending on conditions. Perfect for gliders on the upwind side, but stay out of the red in the diagram below.
View attachment 145107
As a general rule, mountain elevation * 1.5 gets you out of the strongest wind effects. If you're approaching from the downwind side on a windy day, climb to that 1.5x altitude more than 50 miles away from the ridge. Because if you get any closer, chances are you'll be in the mountain wave and won't be able to climb through it; the air may be sinking faster than your airplane can climb. With 10k foot ridgelines common in Colorado (not to mention several 14k peaks), the 1.5 rule gives 15k feet, high enough that oxygen is required and above the practical service ceiling of most GA aircraft.

In short, on windy days we simply don't fly most small airplanes in the mountains. Not unless you've got a turbo, oxygen and IFR equipped to get into the flight levels. And as you know, 18k and above is strictly IFR (class A airspace) even on clear days. I've done plenty of flying around the Rockies in my 172, but always on relatively calm days.

The AFA is right against the front range for practical (aeronautical?) purposes. They don't fly when it is real windy. I can't tell from ground level if the gliders are over the ridgeline or not; I suspect so, but don't have much experience judging heights from the ground. They look fairly low to me, and are required to stay below the commercial flight paths above the AFA's airspace. Not my area of competence by any means, and I am probably misremembering some things from years ago when I asked my brother (a commercial airline pilot) after a plane was brought down by "rollers" off the mountains.

The little clockwise circular loops along the eastern downslope side and at the right'ish-center'ish of your picture is what I called a "roller" as that's what pilot friends/relatives called it, as well as the local weather people. The gliders fly in the area of the middle of your red area but the scale is maybe 5-10 miles for the AFA gliders. No doubt you or Ray or someone who knows better could speak more to what and where the are navigating; I just see them as I drive up and down the highway.

 

[RayDunzl]

The little clockwise circular loops along the eastern downslope side and at the right'ish-center'ish of your picture is what I called a "roller" as that's what pilot friends/relatives called it, as well as the local weather people.

It's called a "rotor" elsewhere...

https://www.ssa.org/lift-sources/

 

[RayDunzl]

A book I found superb when getting a pilot license or actually before getting one is "Stick and Rudder:An explanation of the art of Flying"
by Wolfgang Langewiesche

It's online...

https://archive.org/details/StickAndRudderAnExplanationOfTheArtOfFlying/page/n3/mode/2up

 

[Helicopter]

Congrats on the purchase. Those Schweitzers are remarkably well crafted. If I were in the market for a glider, they would be my first choice.

 

[RayDunzl]

Congrats on the purchase. Those Schweitzers are remarkably well crafted. If I were in the market for a glider, they would be my first choice.

I'm mildly excited by it all.

Looks like a very good price, and so many convenience factors to go along with it, couldn't pass it up.

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Glass ships should be protected from the sun's UV..

Aluminum - the sun just eventually spoils the paint. The paint used is a two- part thing, didn't read the label, probably tough stuff, maybe some sort or urethane.

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Found a single picture of the wings in the shop from several months ago. They could be from another plane of the same type, since another was recently redone (farther below), not sure.

Wingspan is 15 meters / 49.2 feet and each wing is about 55 kilograms /120 lbs.

Total unloaded weight around 180 kilo / 400 lbs, and considered "light".

The other plane is an SGS 1-35 - no "C", has retractable wheel and the flaps and ailerons work together somehow.

It got packed up yesterday and is going to Pennsylvania for vacation.

 

[DonH56]

It's called a "rotor" elsewhere...

https://www.ssa.org/lift-sources/

View attachment 145125

I probably misheard and/or misremembered.

BTW, congrats on the weight loss!

 

[MRC01]

It's called a "rotor" elsewhere...

Yep. It has several names. We call them (lenticular clouds) "Lennies" for short. In the Seattle area where I live, Mt. Rainier's "hat" is a lenticular cloud. When she's wearing her hat, we pilots stay away. That wind pattern is also called a "mountain wave".

Perfectly safe to fly in, if it's not too strong. You're flying along perfectly trimmed in level cruise flight and then notice you're climbing... for a minute or two. Then descending... then climbing etc. No need to fight it unless you have to maintain an assigned altitude, or it's getting too strong. In rare cases I've felt the effects up to 75 miles downwind from mountain ranges.

Mountain waves are normally invisible. When they cause Lennies to form, stay away because that's when the winds are strong. Of course, if you're in a glider, that may be an invitation to come play in the lift. But playing with mountain winds is like having a tiger by the tail, make sure you know what you're doing!

 

[MRC01]

Gonna buy a plane... Too good a deal to pass up as I don't have to do anything -- it's already here, it's being rebuilt, ...

Congrats!
Mike Busch "Savvy Aviation" is known as the "maintenance guy" but he also has some good advice for aircraft purchase and ownership.

It's not just about engines... it's all about those ADs and has the airplane been truly inspected or just "pencil whipped" over the years.

 

[RayDunzl]

Congrats!

It's not just about engines... it's all about those ADs and has the airplane been truly inspected or just "pencil whipped" over the years.

We have three (one is a snowbird and gone right now) licensed mechanics in the club (retired). They just finished rebuilding the Pawnee tow plane and another private Schweizer 1-35.

The Club owns a 1-35C.

I'm inquisitive capable and enough to want to be a part of the process.


Prior "For Sale" listing:

https://flypmsc.org/2012/12/22/394/


Current Registration:

https://aircraft-data.com/model/schweizer/sgs-1-35c

https://aircraft-data.com/N2927H


Previous flight data from 2011:

https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3...DDC74F42AC69419C986487355?flightId=1330932685

https://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-3.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=-1593855861


Here's the current state of the glider and trailer:

Haven't torn off the tape/paper protecting the cockpit from overspray yet... a little touchup to be done in this area. This is under the paper:

Altimeter, airspeed, and two varios. Probably a compass, and an air vent.

Red ball is to release the tow rope.

I think it all looks good given the age.

One of the listings above said "997 hrs TT" so it shouldn't be anywhere close to end of life.

$12k for the airframe and all the stuff laying around and in the trailer that goes with it.

Can't pass it up.

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I'll have to find some shop to make a real nice seat pad that fits me.

 

[MRC01]

What is their category: experimental or certified?
That makes a BIG difference in how you approach the paperwork and keep it airworthy, both senses: legal and practical.
Airplane ownership has almost nothing to do with the purchase price... it's all about what it takes to keep it airworthy year to year.

... I'm inquisitive capable and enough to want to be a part of the process....

One of the nice things about the FAA regs is that even with certified airplanes, you can do a lot more than what is listed in FAR 91.43. You can actually do pretty much anything, so long as you are under the direct supervision of an A&P. So "owner assisted" annuals are a thing, for sure. I do this myself.

 

[RayDunzl]

What is their category: experimental or certified?

I found a Type Certificate.

https://tbss.us/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/SGS-1-35-Data-Sheet-Copy.pdf

I don't see any EXPERIMENTAL markings on the airframe.

I don't see any obvious modifications that would be troublesome.

Airplane ownership has almost nothing to do with the purchase price... it's all about what it takes to keep it airworthy year to year.

Shouldn't be too much, as a club member here.

$500/yr membership.

No tie-down/parking/handling fees for your own plane, no rental on the club gliders, insurance included in membership (at least for the club planes and liability), I'll presume minimal inspection fees if any at all, there isn't that much to break or wear on the thing, unless you crash it, which hasn't happened in its 42 year life.

You chip in your labor and help with whatever needs to be done to keep things running.

$10 hookup and $1 per 100 feet altitude aerotow charge... so $40 for 3,000 feet, stay up all afternoon on a good day if you like.

$20/hr instructor fees, as needed to get a license or endorsement or add-on ratings (loke Commercial and Flight Instructor).

I do know how expensive little aircraft trinkets can be. The Pawnee needed a new tailwheel assembly - I heard it was $4500.

This looks familiar. The swivel has a detent that causes the wheel to follow the rudder, or it can break loose and turn 90 degrees for a tight turnaround on the ground. Something went bad with the detent on the old one, they couldn't fix it.

 

[RayDunzl]

Costs...

Here's a price list for a commercial operation about 20 miles distant...

https://www.soarfl.com/new-prices-effective-september-1st/

 

[MRC01]

...
I don't see any obvious modifications that would be troublesome.
[cost] Shouldn't be too much, as a club member here.
$500/yr membership. ...

The tricky part is about ADs for airframe integrity. Especially in older airplanes, you can get requirements to inspect for cracks in spars, corrosion, etc. The inspections usually are not onerous, but can be expensive & invasive in some cases.

 

[Helicopter]

The tricky part is about ADs for airframe integrity. Especially in older airplanes, you can get requirements to inspect for cracks in spars, corrosion, etc. The inspections usually are not onerous, but can be expensive & invasive in some cases.

I would think these things get far fewer cracks than something with a vibrating engine or two.

I would also expect a Schweitzer to be almost perfect in terms of original assembly quality. I used to work with some of the guys who made these back in the day, and they were a bunch of obsessive perfectionists.

You could kinda sorta count me in that group. The military bought a few experimental versions of a Schweizer glider as spy planes that had a push engine and a pull engine, and one time I got sent over to do a few inspections on one of them for a few days.

Not sure how many decades of hot humid weather this one has seen though. That can be hard on things, especially salt air.

 

[RayDunzl]

Big day today.


Testing the instruments...

Uh, well, they seem to work.

Moving the wings from the clubhouse shop to the hangar...

That's his personal golf cart with a big Solar Panel on top.

Preparing for final assembly...

Have to put it on a scale, and calculate the new/current weight and balance, and end up with a number for maximum permissible load - 212 pounds.

It has to be leveled per specification (note the shimmed level on top of the fuselage) and the tail weighed at the same time as the rest of the plane.

Repainted, inspected, signed off with a fresh annual, and ready to fly when I'm ready for it, though it might get a test flight by the guy whose name is on the line.

Nothing failed the checkup - inspect and lube, maybe not even any adjustments since it only flew a handful of hours in the last two years.

The most recent logbook indicates it has about 1300 hours on it, which comes out to less than an hour a week over 42 years... Of course, it wasn't used like that, but...

Yes, that's the newly almost svelte Ray Dunzl striking a provocative pose (without wig and makeup, of course).

.



Twenty-seven Hotel is ready to roll and looking good.

Bound, gagged, and parked inconspicuously with the rest of the local fleet.

Now, what were all you guys talking about?

 

[MRC01]

Nice. Very nice.
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy an aircraft, and that's about the same thing.

 

[Doodski]

I like the bird with wings on the side of the aircraft. Looks suitable and accentuates the sporty long lines.

 

[RayDunzl]

I like the bird with wings on the side of the aircraft. Looks suitable and accentuates the sporty long lines.

It was a stencil, chosen by our resident tattoo artist and spray painter, long before I became a part of the project.

It's all kinda dumped in my lap.

Nice club, I'm enjoying it.

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I have to advance my skill experience a bit to fly it...

A few more flights in this beast and I can advance a notch.

You don't get to fly with an instructor in a single-seater. You just have to go for it.

Maybe I can knock them out on Wednesday.

Above, that's another student, don't know him, he said he kept it up 2.5 hours today,

It's very uncomfortable, no real seat in it. Stuff some random cushions from the cart in it and hope for the best.

It's a bit like sitting on the floor with your legs stretched out and your back against the wall.

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Now that I think about it, I haven't even sat in 27H yet.

Uh oh...

At least it looks comfortable, a reclined position.

Probably hard to get in and out.

 

[Doodski]

It's very uncomfortable, no real seat in it. Stuff some random cushions from the cart in it and hope for the best.

Flying for hours concentrating and focusing on the task would require the setting to be justttt right I think. Perhaps a nice lightweight plastic moulded seat. From motorcycling experience I've had issue with seats. Some of the seating positions and seat comfort are downright uncomfortable and after getting off the bike there are pains and tingles and spasms. It detracts from the awesome experience of being the rider or pilot.