Re: [Aus-soaring] Newbie Questions

[Colin Collum]

You can look on the GFA website: http://www.glidingaustralia.org/

In the top left corner there is a menu list.

At the bottom of the list is "Finding a Gliding Club"

You will also see "New to Gliding" and other useful items that will help you
to get started.

Regards


-Original Message-
From: aus-soaring-boun...@lists.internode.on.net
[mailto:aus-soaring-boun...@lists.internode.on.net] On Behalf Of Neville
Sutton
Sent: Friday, 23 August 2013 2:45 PM
To: aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net
Subject: [Aus-soaring] Newbie Questions

I am told that you don't need a License to Glide in Australia

But there are endorsements or classes ??

I have read online the way to get into Gliding is to Join a local club (I am
still trying to find out if local club is still operating)

What exams are there and is it possible to study them now (before flying)

The process to me seems very confusing

Then if a glider has a motor can I assume you need a license

Also is there Plans build gliders i.e. build from scratch not a kit

All Google seems to return is Models i.e.radio control

Regards





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Re: [Aus-soaring] Newbie Questions

[Peter Champness]

Dear  Neville,

CASA has delegated the GFA to manage and administer Gliding in Australia.
The GFA controls gliding via the clubs.  Therefore you have to join a
club.  Addresses are given on the GFA website.

There is a training syllabus, and you can fly a glider when the CFI of your
club says that you can.

If you want to build a glider from plans there are approved designs.  The
cost of second hand gliders means it is not really worth doing that but if
you are interested there are some unfinished homebuilt projects which you
could acquire.

Peter Champness
On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 2:44 PM, Neville Sutton wrote:

> I am told that you don't need a License to Glide in Australia
>
> But there are endorsements or classes ??
>
> I have read online the way to get into Gliding is to Join a local club (I
> am still trying to find out if local club is still operating)
>
> What exams are there and is it possible to study them now (before flying)
>
> The process to me seems very confusing
>
> Then if a glider has a motor can I assume you need a license
>
> Also is there Plans build gliders i.e. build from scratch not a kit
>
> All Google seems to return is Models i.e.radio control
>
> Regards
>
>
>
>
>
> __**_
> Aus-soaring mailing list
> Aus-soaring@lists.internode.**on.net 
> To check or change subscription details, visit:
> http://lists.internode.on.net/**mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
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Re: [Aus-soaring] Newbie Questions

[Gary Stevenson]

First question; Where do you live? If it is a big city name the suburb.
Gary


-Original Message-
From: aus-soaring-boun...@lists.internode.on.net
[mailto:aus-soaring-boun...@lists.internode.on.net] On Behalf Of Neville
Sutton
Sent: Friday, 23 August 2013 2:45 PM
To: aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net
Subject: [Aus-soaring] Newbie Questions

I am told that you don't need a License to Glide in Australia

But there are endorsements or classes ??

I have read online the way to get into Gliding is to Join a local club 
(I am still trying to find out if local club is still operating)

What exams are there and is it possible to study them now (before flying)

The process to me seems very confusing

Then if a glider has a motor can I assume you need a license

Also is there Plans build gliders i.e. build from scratch not a kit

All Google seems to return is Models i.e.radio control

Regards





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-
No virus found in this message.
Checked by AVG - www.avg.com
Version: 2013.0.3392 / Virus Database: 3211/6600 - Release Date: 08/22/13

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[Aus-soaring] Newbie Questions

[Neville Sutton]

I am told that you don't need a License to Glide in Australia

But there are endorsements or classes ??

I have read online the way to get into Gliding is to Join a local club 
(I am still trying to find out if local club is still operating)


What exams are there and is it possible to study them now (before flying)

The process to me seems very confusing

Then if a glider has a motor can I assume you need a license

Also is there Plans build gliders i.e. build from scratch not a kit

All Google seems to return is Models i.e.radio control

Regards





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Re: [Aus-soaring] Contact lenses, laser surgery etc

[Ron Sanders]

I absolutley agree with DMcD regards bifovcals and flying. Multifocals are
a dead loss with great reduction in peripheral acuity (not vision). I find
the wider field of accurate vision available to me with bifocals at work
essential for watching my F/0s panel.

I have the split right on the instrument panel top level which also just
happens to suit gliders.

Ron


On 23 August 2013 09:03, DMcD  wrote:

> Hello Bernie,
>
> I had eye surgery a couple of years ago for early-ish onset cataracts.
> I said to the surgeon, does that mean I won't be able to focus and he
> said, "You have not been able to focus for years."  The fact is that
> for people over 40, your focussing performance degrades like falling
> off a cliff to the point where after 50, you can't focus worth the
> mention.
>
> Getting any eye surgery done is terrifying, whatever they say and not
> to be taken lightly. However the results may be worthwhile. I have
> never met anyone who has had laser surgery who was not back needing
> glasses or surgery some years later. My cataracts were marginal but I
> went for surgery because the mild double vision was worrying. The
> results were spectacular with probably 15:20 vision as a result.
>
> I wear multi-focal lenses now. Why? Because I still cannot focus and
> need glasses. I can wear off the shelf sunnies but they won't allow me
> to read that well… though oddly, I can read a menu better than most
> middle aged people even though my bionic focus is set to infinity.
>
> For flying gliders, you mainly need two focus ranges. One is close
> within the cockpit which ranges from 400mm to about a metre and the
> other is infinity. If this is true for you, then why bother with
> multi-focal lenses when bifocals will do the job better and for less
> money? I say better because a bifocal lens covers a wider field of
> view with the same focus and has none of the vexing distortion which
> is a guaranteed result of almost all multi-focal lenses. Running
> downhill or down steps is really difficult with multi-focal lenses
> because the focal position in the lens means you have your head at the
> wrong angle.
>
> I have worn bifocals flying for some time, made specially to suit. I
> got the frames and sat in the glider and car and drew the top of the
> instrument panel on the lenses and the bifocal split is made for this
> and it works perfectly. Our local optometrist will dye the lenses to
> whatever colour you want and even add or reduce the tint for optimum
> results.
>
> Something worth looking at are Barz sunnies.
>
> http://barzoptics.com
>
> They are an Australian company who have thought a little more than
> most about bifocal sunnies. You can get a range with things like
> polarised lenses with a non-polarised bifocal/
>
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Re: [Aus-soaring] Contact lenses, laser surgery etc

[Mike Borgelt]

At 11:51 AM 23/08/2013, you wrote:

The lesson from all of this " get your eyes tested". Glider pilots 
are an aging population and you should have your eyes tested so that 
you can get prescription glasses/bifocals/trifocals etc if required.
Also you want to check for things like glaucoma and macular 
degeneration, chances of which increase with age.
DMcD's story on bifocals is spot on. You may need a pair of reading 
glasses and a pair of bifocals set for instrument panel distance and 
with the split vertically a little higher than most optometrists will 
try to put them. Also consider the "executive" type bifocals where 
the closeup portion is right across the lens. You will need to move 
your head a little more when looking over the side though to avoid 
looking at the ground through the closeup section.
Those who are Private Pilots know that you are required to carry a 
spare pair when flying. If it isn't a Regulation it ought to be and 
anyway is good practice even if it doesn't specifically apply to glider pilots.
I solved the sunglass problem with Sunwraps, a cheap polycarbonate 
clip in which curves around the sides and is extremely lightweight. 
Had to buy 288 sets though so Carol has some for sale. Call or email.


Now I know glider pilots don't have a formal medical exam but really 
the standard is not different, only the certification 
thereof.  Vision is one area where you do have a direct effect on 
third parties particularly in VMC so it seems reasonable to ask 
people to have their vision checked and corrected to CASA Class 2 
medical standards. If you can't do this you really shouldn't be 
putting your fellow pilots and other airspace users at risk.


Mike







Borgelt Instruments - design & manufacture of quality soaring 
instrumentation since 1978

www.borgeltinstruments.com
tel:   07 4635 5784 overseas: int+61-7-4635 5784
mob: 042835 5784:  int+61-42835 5784
P O Box 4607, Toowoomba East, QLD 4350, Australia  ___
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Re: [Aus-soaring] Contact lenses, laser surgery etc

[Mark Fisher]

Guys,

Have a look at zennioptical.com

You will fall of your chair when you learn how cheap glasses can be.

All you need is your prescription.

   1. upload your smiling face to the site,
   2.  try on some frames, and
   3. buy the ones you want.

Delivery is about 10-15 days

They will do Distance, reading, bifocal, multifocal.
They have an online chat service to assist if required. Straight reading
glasses need a bit of massaging of the script values, but zenni will help
with this.
What they dont have is a high quality sunglasses, but they will sell you a
cheap polarized clip on for $6

Cheers
Mark


On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 11:26 AM, Bernie Baer wrote:

>
>
> Hi DMcD,
> thanks for the comments. However, as stated in the first sentence of my
> original post, I already have bifocal sunglasses, and they work very well.
> I am always acutely aware of the fact that should I lose them, break them,
> drop them in the drink, etc. etc. I am up for an expensive replacement and
> a long wait for same. The conversation with my friend re laser surgery
> prompted me to investigate contact lenses as my thinking was that perhaps I
> could wear multifocal contacts (or even bifocal contacts) and use  off the
> shelf sunglasses when flying, driving and fishing. Thus should any of the
> afore mentioned misfortunes occur, I could simply buy/borrow/beg/steal
> another set of sunglasses at short notice.
>
> I have an appointment with a local optometrist who is a member of the
> Cornea and Contact lens Society of Australia so maybe they can assess my
> vision and come up with a suitable product, we will see.
> As far as laser surgery goes, the option most suitable for me (monovision)
> is apparently not suitable for pilots as it reduces depth perception so I
> have ruled that out.
> Regards, Bernie.
>
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-- 
Mark Fisher
Managing Director
Swift Performance Equipment
Unit 2, 1472 Boundary Rd
Wacol 4076
Australia
Ph:   +61 7 3879 3005
Fax: +61 7 36076277
www.spe.com.au
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Re: [Aus-soaring] Contact lenses, laser surgery etc

[Bernie Baer]

 Hi DMcD,
thanks for the comments. However, as stated in the first sentence of
my original post, I already have bifocal sunglasses, and they work
very well. I am always acutely aware of the fact that should I lose
them, break them, drop them in the drink, etc. etc. I am up for an
expensive replacement and a long wait for same. The conversation with
my friend re laser surgery prompted me to investigate contact lenses
as my thinking was that perhaps I could wear multifocal contacts (or
even bifocal contacts) and use  off the shelf sunglasses when flying,
driving and fishing. Thus should any of the afore mentioned
misfortunes occur, I could simply buy/borrow/beg/steal another set of
sunglasses at short notice. 

I have an appointment with a local optometrist who is a member of the
Cornea and Contact lens Society of Australia so maybe they can assess
my vision and come up with a suitable product, we will see.
As far as laser surgery goes, the option most suitable for me
(monovision) is apparently not suitable for pilots as it reduces depth
perception so I have ruled that out. 
Regards, Bernie. 

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Re: [Aus-soaring] Contact lenses, laser surgery etc

[DMcD]

Hello Bernie,

I had eye surgery a couple of years ago for early-ish onset cataracts.
I said to the surgeon, does that mean I won't be able to focus and he
said, "You have not been able to focus for years."  The fact is that
for people over 40, your focussing performance degrades like falling
off a cliff to the point where after 50, you can't focus worth the
mention.

Getting any eye surgery done is terrifying, whatever they say and not
to be taken lightly. However the results may be worthwhile. I have
never met anyone who has had laser surgery who was not back needing
glasses or surgery some years later. My cataracts were marginal but I
went for surgery because the mild double vision was worrying. The
results were spectacular with probably 15:20 vision as a result.

I wear multi-focal lenses now. Why? Because I still cannot focus and
need glasses. I can wear off the shelf sunnies but they won't allow me
to read that well… though oddly, I can read a menu better than most
middle aged people even though my bionic focus is set to infinity.

For flying gliders, you mainly need two focus ranges. One is close
within the cockpit which ranges from 400mm to about a metre and the
other is infinity. If this is true for you, then why bother with
multi-focal lenses when bifocals will do the job better and for less
money? I say better because a bifocal lens covers a wider field of
view with the same focus and has none of the vexing distortion which
is a guaranteed result of almost all multi-focal lenses. Running
downhill or down steps is really difficult with multi-focal lenses
because the focal position in the lens means you have your head at the
wrong angle.

I have worn bifocals flying for some time, made specially to suit. I
got the frames and sat in the glider and car and drew the top of the
instrument panel on the lenses and the bifocal split is made for this
and it works perfectly. Our local optometrist will dye the lenses to
whatever colour you want and even add or reduce the tint for optimum
results.

Something worth looking at are Barz sunnies.

http://barzoptics.com

They are an Australian company who have thought a little more than
most about bifocal sunnies. You can get a range with things like
polarised lenses with a non-polarised bifocal/

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Re: [Aus-soaring] Gliders, glider manufacturers, service

[Gary Stevenson]

Hi Adam,

As you seem to be in a frisky mood, please advise whose Ventus you bought.
How much time have you done in it? What are your first impressions?

 

Whose '20 did Jim buy?

 



 

On a more serious note, in my experience, the S-H factory provides great
service, and the fact that Mike Maddocks is the Oz agent is (I consider), a
bonus.

 

Don't know about Schleicher's. Never had to have any dealings with them -
which as the owner of one of their ships  may be the ultimate compliment -
but Bernard Eckey as the Oz agent seems to be knowledgeable, competent, and
totally committed to the cause. Is it out of place to ask here about
customers' experiences - good, bad; amusing even,  when dealing with
Bernard?

 

DG? - well maybe the owners of current aircraft can make some comment here
as to the service they get?  As far as older ships  are concerned I am
tempted to say "forget it", but that is totally simplistic. However when it
come to buying/selling an older DG aircraft, there isn't the slightest doubt
that  the factory policy has had a major impact; not good for a seller, and
depending on price - in what is already a buyer's market - maybe good - even
very good - for a potential buyer. If you are prepared to pay for it, you
will still get service.

 

Then there is  the SZD 56 (Diana), from Poland  in its several evolutions.
First there is the language barrier, and then you have to deal with Bogumil
Beres, firstly designer, later factory owner.  Possibly a real visionary
(but nobody can do it entirely on their own), and Beres has (yet??), to come
to terms with this. The Diana 2 is the current hottest 15 m ship without
doubt, but not without its problems. Down the track there may be maintenance
issues. One that comes to mind is the water ballast/control rod interfaces.
The whole wing is filled, so the control rods have to pass through the
ballast tanks.  No Dianas in Australia, so don't worry.

 

Cheers,

Gary 

 

From: aus-soaring-boun...@lists.internode.on.net
[mailto:aus-soaring-boun...@lists.internode.on.net] On Behalf Of Adam
Woolley
Sent: Thursday, 22 August 2013 7:51 PM
To: Discussion of issues relating to Soaring in Australia.
Subject: Re: [Aus-soaring] Tasman Trophy Glider Request

 

That's what I like to hear! Schempp-Hirth all the way.

 

Starting to save up for the Ventus 3aJ already! Dad may or may not be
impressed with the thought/plan though..

 

 

SeeYou,

WPP

 


On 22/08/2013, at 8:04, Cee Kay  wrote:

I know someone with a soon to be refurb'd Ventus a, WPP. Although it might
be a little faster than a 20 ;-)

Chris

 

On Thu, Aug 22, 2013 at 7:49 AM, Adam Woolley 
wrote:

On behalf of Peter Trotter,



We need a glider for the NZ Tasman Trophy rep to fly at the Kingaroy
nationals which are from 14th to 25th October. Our rep is Jim Crowhurst who
flies an ASW 20 so something similar would be preferred. If you have
something available could you contact Peter Trotter at
 peter.trott...@bigpond.com 




Regards, Adam Woolley 


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Re: [Aus-soaring] Tasman Trophy Glider Request

[Adam Woolley]

That's what I like to hear! Schempp-Hirth all the way.

Starting to save up for the Ventus 3aJ already! Dad may or may not be impressed 
with the thought/plan though..


SeeYou,
WPP


On 22/08/2013, at 8:04, Cee Kay  wrote:

> I know someone with a soon to be refurb'd Ventus a, WPP. Although it might be 
> a little faster than a 20 ;-)
> Chris
> 
> 
> On Thu, Aug 22, 2013 at 7:49 AM, Adam Woolley  wrote:
>> On behalf of Peter Trotter,
>> 
>> 
>> We need a glider for the NZ Tasman Trophy rep to fly at the Kingaroy 
>> nationals which are from 14th to 25th October. Our rep is Jim Crowhurst who 
>> flies an ASW 20 so something similar would be preferred. If you have 
>> something available could you contact Peter Trotter at 
>> peter.trott...@bigpond.com
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Regards, Adam Woolley
>> 
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[Aus-soaring] dg fuselage

[Phillip Organ]

Does anyone know of a dg 100/200/300/400 fuselage wreck that I could buy pirate 
some bits for a repair project . 
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