Tucson Soaring Club

Tucson Soaring Club

TUCSON SOARING CLUB

INTRODUCTION FOR NEW MEMBERS

JUNE, 2008

HISTORY OF THE CLUB

• The Club was incorporated in 1967 by a dozen Tucson aviation enthusiasts with the following objectives:

• to foster the art and sport of motorless flight and

• to develop interest in soaring as a medium of education for the youth of Arizona.

• The Club, approved in 1971 as a 501(c)3 corporation for research and training, is exempt from Federal taxes.

• Initially the Club operated from Ryan Airfield, but with power traffic increasing, moved early in 1982 to a barren ex-military airfield west of Marana. The field, which is leased from the BLM, is now the El Tiro Gliderport, home of the TuSC.

• The initial lease of 10 years was renewed in 1993 for 20 years.

• The Club’s Bylaws were revised in 1985 to describe the Board of Directors and other Executive Officers. These Officers, elected by the Club at the start of each year, appoint the Chairs of the standing committees.

• Club membership (currently about 150) is open to the public regardless of age or previous flying experience. Though one doesn’t have to have a Medical Certificate to fly gliders one should be in good health. Body size, however, can stand in the way of participating in the sport, for the capacity of glider seats is limited to about 242 pounds and cockpits are cramped for persons over 6 ft. 3 in. in height.

VOLUNTEER NATURE OF THE CLUB

• A goal of the Club is to make flying as accessible as possible to persons of modest financial means while at the same time remaining a financially healthy organization. To that end, almost all club activities are carried out by volunteer effort. THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CLUB.

• Some volunteering is “scheduled”; some is not. Usual “scheduled” volunteering is to help as Line Chief, Record Keeper or Tow Pilot at one of the Club’s flying operations which have taken place weekly for 20 odd years.

• Typical non-scheduled contribution is to help on the club’s standing committees or to assume a task that the club needs such as keeping club parachutes repacked or keeping club radios working. There is quite a number of these jobs as shown in the list below, and all need to be done by someone if the club is to function effectively. That members have volunteered to take on these tasks, reflects a member attitude that can be paraphrased as: “I help you, you help me, and we’ll all go flying together.”

• In addition there are two activities in the Club that the Club pays for, though not very richly. These are: (1) aircraft maintenance and repair, and (2) flight and ground school instruction. The Club is fortunate to have four members with A & P Licenses and about twelve members with CFIG Licenses. These members are compensated for services to the Club at about one-half the commercial rate.

• Finally, there is airfield security that is provided under contract by a member who lives at El Tiro.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF COMMERCIAL GLIDING SCHOOLS AND GLIDER CLUBS

• There is an excellent commercial gliding school, Arizona Soaring, at the Estrella Sailport in Maricopa, southwest of Phoenix. The operation has first-class equipment and expert instruction but its biggest advantage is that: (1) the student can proceed with training just as fast as his or her pocket book allows and (2) the student doesn’t have to volunteer any work. Thus at the end of a day’s flying, a student at these schools can simply pay the bill for flying, say goodbye, and go home. There is a second commercial gliding operation at Peoria, just north of Phoenix. This is Turf Soaring School, famous in the past, and now re-opened under new management.

• In clubs the cost of instruction is typically less than at commercial schools, but achieving a rating usually takes more time and there is always a commitment of work. However there are benefits, too. One of these is that working with other members in a club provides numerous opportunities to build gliding-based friendships. Another important benefit is that around a club there are almost always helpful people willing to answer questions about soaring, no matter how arcane. Around commercial operations this may not be so for there is a tendency for questions and answers to be focused on knowledge required to pass the FAA examination.

• For some individuals there is a big negative associated with club environments. This is that schedules, appointments, and agreements between members, etc., tend to be a bit squishy and un-firm. Now informality is nice but it can lead to missed appointments and is generally frustrating. Thus, good advice for a new member is to learn to say, “O. K., It’s just a club.” (However, this advice does not mean that one can be sloppy with SOPs or safety practices.) And always, one should remember, that in a club one can step forward and help organize things in a better way.

• A club, in a “holistic sense,” belongs to each member. An extension of this concept is that at some time in the future each member will be expected to take a hand in running the club. This prospect may sound like something to be avoided, but it turns out that members after a year or two in the TuSC commence thinking of this Club as belonging to them personally and want to run it. It’s a disease.

• Another characteristic of clubs is that they are ”tight little islands” with group esprit a very important concern. Thus there is a constant duty in club membership to “lift up” the pleasure of others of the club - to engender as much as possible fun, good spirits, and comradeship. Conversely, actions that decrease another member’s feeling of personal quality are very invidious to what soaring clubs attempt to achieve. Yet in clubs, characteristically with members who have been in the organization for many years, sharply different points of view can emerge, requiring extra amounts of thoughtfulness, tact, and consideration among the members. Clubs elect Boards, establish By-laws, and create Standard Operating Procedures to enable their “tight little islands” to run more smoothly.

2008 BOARD OF DIRECTORS, COMMITTEE CHIEFS, AND MEMBERS INVOLVED IN SPECIAL ACTIVITIES (Elections are held each winter and occasionally there are changes during the year.)

• PRESIDENT: Tony Smolder

• VICE-PRESIDENT: Randy Acree

• PAST-PRESIDENT: Bob Perry

• TREASURER: Gene Anderson

• SECRETARY: Tom Dukerich

• OPERATIONS CHIEF: Robert Lindeman

• SAFETY CHIEF: Jeff Smith

• AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE: Pete Stogsdill, Mike Donica, and Luke Irwin

• FIELD MAINTENANCE CHIEF: Charles Cramer

• CHIEF INSTRUCTOR: David Dunteman

• CHIEF TOWPILOT: Randy Wells

• THERMAL EDITOR: open

• AIRCRAFT BATTERIES, LINE CART WEATHER, ETC: Ali Guvenoz

• SOLAR POWER SYSTEM AND BATTERIES: Ed Fleder

• El TIRO WiRi INTERNET ACCESS: Robert Lindeman

• EL TIRO WEATHER (DR. JACK’S BLIPSPOT); Mike Stringfellow

• BAROGRAPHS AND FLIGHT RECORDERS: John Driskill

• AVIONICS: John Barrowman

• PARACHUTES: John Rader

• TOWLINES: Everyone

• 3-FLIGHT PROGRAM: Gene Anderson

• DUTY SCHEDULE COORDINATOR: Paul Hoffman

• CURRENCY ROSTER: Open

• CLUB MEMBERSHIP ROSTER: Open

• AIRCRAFT FUEL: Gene Anderson

• WATER SUPPLY AND TRASH PICK-UP: Mike Donica

• NEW MEMBERS AND MENTORING: Bill Rogers and Paul Hoffman

• OXYGEN SUPPLY: Charles Cramer and others

• NAME TAGS: Martin Umberger

• SOCIAL PROGRAM: Kate Porter, Erin Hsu, and others

• CROSS COUNTRY: Mike Parker, Tony Smolder, Randy Acree, Robert Lindemann, and Ted Wagner

• GLIDER RESERVATIONS: (schedule-now.net): Randy Wells

• TuSC WEBSITE: (TucsonSoaringClub.org): Randy Wells and Don Malin

• SHADE HANGAR OCCUPANCY: Randy Acree

• CONVENTION RIDES: Kate Porter

• FORMS AND DOCUMENTS: Tom Dukerich

• LIBRARIAN: Gene Anderson

• CLUB CONTESTS, CHALLENGES, AND SAFARIS: Randy Acree , Tony Smolder, and Robert Lindeman.

• BY-LAWS: Phil Kislak and John Driskill

• INSURANCE: Mike Moore

• GOLF CARTS: Charles Cramer, Bud Cranor, and Jim Tilton

• BLM LIAISON: Jesse Nodora and Kate Porter

• FRIENDS OF THE MONUMENT LIAISON: David Wrench

• PARAPLEGIC SOARING: Jeff Bonneville

• CLUB MERCHANDISE: Kate Porter

• BROCHURES: Martie Shrader (inactive) and Kate Porter

• WINCH: Gene Anderson and Don Haney

• GROUND LAUNCHING: Gene Anderson, Don Haney, and Jerry Hain

• CLUB HOUSE: Jerry Gordon, Gene Anderson, Chuck Cramer, and Tom Gragg

• NOMINATIONS FOR CLUB OFFICERS: Ted Linham

• YOUTH TRAINING: Joseph DiMatteo, Richard Barnes, and Brad Barber

• AIR SPACE LIAISON: Richard Barnes and Bob Perry

• GLIDER TRAILERS: Don Haney

• AIRFIELD SECURITY: Mike Donica (as Club contractee)

BOARD MEETINGS

• The Board meets at times (about monthly) chosen by the President and Board and announced through the TuSC internet mail.

• The form of the meeting is at the discretion of the Board. A popular site has been the clubhouse porch on Sunday morning with coffee and doughnuts at 8:30 preceding the formal meeting. Though the venue, fundamentally, is to provide for discussion among the Executive Officers of the Club and the Chairs of Committees others can attend the meeting and with discretion contribute information or insight to the discussions.

• Minutes of the Meeting can be viewed in the Club’s scheduling site

(schedule-now.net) as well as in the Thermal, the monthly newsletter of the Club on the Club’s Home page (www/tucsonsoaring.com)

• Officers of the Club are elected in the fall for one-year terms commencing January 1.

CONTACTING THE CLUB

• For an answering service with the following directions:

(520) 575 - 2500

• for information about the Club and the membership application process:

Bill Rogers (520) 297-3767 or .

•for a program of rides for a group:

Kate Porter (520) 325-7643 or .

• for an individual guest ride or a 3-Ride Program:

Gene Anderson (520) 297 - 6607.

• for the President of the Club

Tony Smolder (520) 742 – 6377 or

• for the Paraplegic Program

Jeff Bonneville 293 – 7625

• for El Tiro operations:

The Line Chief’s cell phone (520) 449-0138 is open during hours of operation (Sat. and Sun. 9 am to 5 pm; Wed. 12 noon to 5 pm.

• for the Club’s website:

APPLICATION FOR MEMBERSHIP

• The welcome mat is always out at El Tiro whether the visitor wants to have a guest ride or just wants to sit around and kibitz.

• Persons considering joining the Club should visit one or more of the flying operations, talk with members, (they’re all good talkers) and take at least one or more glider rides. There is also a Three Flight Program which is strongly recommended for people wanting a deeper exposure to soaring. The cost of this package, if it leads to membership, is discounted by everything except the Club’s costs. When possible, the rides will be given by a Club Instructor and can be logged. (It’s a screaming deal.)

• After the above steps, the applicant should call Bill Rogers at (520) 297-3767 to arrange a meeting in which Club policies and operations and the nature of soaring can be discussed in length. Following this the applicant can submit to Rogers an application and initiation fee (payable to the Tucson Soaring Club). With this submission the applicant immediately becomes a member of the Club with the proviso that the Board later can cancel or amend the action.

CLASSES OF MEMBERSHIP

• All Club Members must maintain membership ($64 adult and $32 student) through the Club in the Soaring Society of America. Once a year the SSA membership fee will appear in Club Member’s monthly dues.

• The Club has six Classes of membership.

• An Active Member participates in all Club activities.

• The initiation fee is $400; monthly dues are $65; and there is required duty.

• A Family Member (spouse or minor child of an Active Member) participates in all Club activities.

• There is no initiation fee; monthly dues are $32.50 for each family member; and there is required duty for each family member.

• A Limited Member can participate in all Club activities except voting or holding office.

• These memberships are available for a period of one to four consecutive months in any twelve months.

• There is no initiation fee. Monthly dues are paid up-front for the entire period and are not less than three times that of the Active Member. Duty is not required.

• A Student Member must maintain full-time enrollment in school (below graduate school level) and can participate in all Club activities.

• Fees are set by the Board. Duty is required.

• An Honorary Member has 30 years or more of active membership in the Club and can participate in all Club activities.

• Monthly dues are 50% of an Active Member’s.

• Duty is not required.

• A Guest Member is one who has a glider and would like to fly with the Club a few times a year. The details of this membership may change but essentially are:

• There is a $30 annual membership fee.

• There is a $5 per day fee for use of El Tiro facilities.

• Tow fees are $40. (less than 3,000ft.)

• A $1,000,000 liability insurance policy is required.

• Board approval is required.

• There is no initiation fee or duty requiremen.

• One can go inactive but only by writing to the Treasurer. Because of the many people who live in Tucson on a seasonal basis there are special rules that apply to returning after a short time to active status. One can get information about these rules from the Club President. Some members elect to avoid these stipulations by staying active regardless.

GETTING STARTED IN THE CLUB

• Soon after the meeting with Bill Rogers the new member will hear from a Club “Mentor” with information about opening El Tiro’s gate, arranging for instruction, reserving a glider, and scheduling duty.

• With this information the new member can go out to El Tiro and fly. But there are important safety considerations for the new person at the glider port. Some of these are that:

• gliders approaching to land are noiseless, move fast, and can be difficult to see. As a newcomer, don’t walk across the runways (the long gravel areas) without an O. K. from the Line Chief, i. e., the club member in charge of the flying and usually wearing a fluorescent vest.

• gliders on the asphalt strip are likely preparing to launch. In general do not walk in front of any glider in which a pilot is sitting.

• tow planes, especially when their propellers are turning, are dangerous. The pilots have many blind spots so stay well clear of these craft.

INSTRUCTION

• Club instruction is tailored to the particular needs of each member since experience levels range from the truly amazing to none at all, perhaps only sitting in the passenger section of a 727 or watching a war movie.

• In the case of a new member with no previous flight experience usually at least 30 flights are required before instructors are satisfied that he/she is safe to fly solo. After this stage at least 30 more flights, some solo and some dual, are carried out before instructors feel that the student is ready to take the formal FAA tests for the Private Pilot’s License.

• Estimated minimum cost (’07 figures) for the student without previous flying experience to get a license is about $2,000 based on 60 flights and the following assumptions:

• towing charges:

• half to 3,000 ft.. $750

• half to “pattern” altitude $240

• flight instruction charges :

• pre-solo phase:

• flying: 30 half-hour flights @ $12.5 $375

• ground: 30 periods of instruction @ $6.25 $187.5

• post-solo phase

• flying: 6 half-hours @ $12.5 $75

• flying: 6 quarter-hours @ $6.25 $37.5

• ground: 2 periods @$ 12.5 $25

• final flying preparation: 5 quarter-hours @ 6.25 $31.25

• pre-test ground school and books: $125

• FAA testing $150

• Currently there are about 30 members working toward their private ticket or toward Commercial or Flight Instructor ratings.

• Instruction is serious and the instructors are good.. As a result the Club enjoys an enviable reputation with the FAA for the quality of its training.

• Instructors are assigned duty about twice a month to teach on a Saturday or Sunday morning but they often continue teaching into the afternoon. In addition it is not uncommon for students to arrange for lessons at other times.

• Students can reserve an hour a week of instruction through schedule-now.net and often can get an additional weekend slot if a slot is unfilled on Friday evening.

• Students will likely have different instructors for each session.

• The Club charges $24 per hour of flight instruction as recorded by the Timekeeper. Since ground instruction is often conducted out of sight of the Timekeeper, charges for this are negotiated directly between the student and instructor.

• The Club has its own training manual. In addition there are several other excellent manuals by authors such as Wander or Knauff or Holtz. The FAA also has an excellent manual. There are training aids in the classroom and library.

AIRCRAFT AND OTHER EQUIPMENT

• The equipment and facilities described below have been added, a little each year, by members for 25 years. It should be noted that a person now joining the Club is a beneficiary of these earlier members and while in the Club creates a legacy for members to come.