H4 sits on the line at Ephrata on the morning of July 4, 2004 - practice day for the Region 8 contest. Today I flew a 300km triangle from Ephrata to Waterville, Davenport and back for my Diamond Goal and Gold Distance tasks.
  
 
Old prop-less DC-3 and a modified PBY-5 are in the background.  
 
I made this new canopy cover in about 2 hours to replace the old one that died a slow death. I figured since I was going to tie out for a week - I had better whip up a cover real quick. My wife Renee says I should make sure to tell everyone that SHE did not sew it - at least she would have used white thread. I used the thread that was loaded in the machine. The Tiger patch is the official TigerTiger Racing Team logo.
  
 
After a couple of days of very slow (for me) contest flying, an overcast accompanied by gusty winds set in for a couple of days, giving us rest and me a chance to completely re-wire the cockpit in search of the mysterious interference on 123.5 Turns out it was the Volkslogger itself.
  
 
Here's the line-up. Tom Udd's AC-4 is in the forground. Tom won day 4 Sports Class in the Russia - he had some great flights!
  
 
Friday evening (Day Three) festivities on the deck of the Seattle Glider Council clubhouse.  
 
May 29, 2004 was a very nice day in Ephrata, WA. Those beautiful clouds afforded a 9000' cloud base and a fast 100km run around a short course that I'm using to learn how to fly again after a winter off. I think I'm starting to get to know the Ephrata area a bit now and will start to venture farther afield in the coming weeks.
  
 
H4 is ready to go as DD and 3D rig for a nice day of soaring.  
 
   
Easter Sunday 2003- Dave Piotrowski took all of these photos with his Nikon 990. He and I were the only private owners to fly today - thermals to about 4000' and just a nice day to fly your glider.  
 
Lineman writing my name down while I load the task into the Volkslogger from the SN10B.  
 
I get ready to takeoff.
  
 
Beginning the takeoff roll.
  
 
 
 
The wings flex upwards as I select positive 1 flaps.
  
   
 
Hotel 4 assembled for first flight of the 2003 soaring season. New 25.5 meter tips installed. WH, AA, 7D and OS assembling in the background. Todd in the Ventus WH went at least to 10,400 feet on this mixed day of thermal and wave flying. Harry in AA (Discus 2) got to about 9000 and I went up to 8000 before I gave up and spent the rest of the flight checking out the new handling characteristics. The 1-26 gang assembled today - Terry Roach and Dave Piotrowski had a couple of nice flights.  
 
I bend the wings up as high as I can lift them to load the ailerons and flaps and make sure there is no binding - they're fine, aileron stiffness if much improved thanks to the info sent by Dick Johnson and Bob Gibbons. Roll response seems better and  easier to fly at slow speeds, less over-banking tendency. Primary result is that my arm is not tired after two hours of flying, so the workload is certainly reduced. Pitch is fine and rudder better with the external gap seals added.  
 
1 October and H4 rests after a great wave day at Sugarbush Soaring in Vermont. An easy ride up to 12,300 ft and the wave still working, but I haven't got the oxygen bottle in H4 yet, so I stopped before I got too happy.  
 
Sugarbush Soaring is a beautiful place to spend a long weekend, especially in October. 
  
 
September 29 was a thermal day at Sugarbush and I had some fun over on the west ridge, working some weak lift off the top of the ski lift. This airport has turf like a golf course and quite a few private ships based on the field, including a LAK-12 and another Nimbus 3. Sugarbush Soaring has a good sized fleet of L-23's, an ASK-21, a 2-32, a 1-26 and a Grob 102.  
 
30 June - My wife Renee takes this photo of the Nimbus on tow behind George in the L-19. It's a hot day and the L-19 uses all of the glider runway to get airborne with The Beast in tow. With me in the seat, the Nimbus has a takeoff weight of about 1170. I use full negative flaps for takeoff - up to about 20 or 30 knots at which point I start to ease the flap lever back to positive slowly as I push the stick forward to prevent ballooning off the ground. I get it back to positive 1 or 2 flaps and leave it there for the rest of the tow.      
 
30 June - Getting ready. Turned out to be a good day, cloud base at 6000, I flew over to Monticello, then blasted under a cloud street over to Middletown and finally back to Wurtsboro at 90 to 115 knots, this glider just doesn't sink!   
 
22 June 2002, H4 departs Wurtsboro on another very hazy day. A Dave Piotrowski photo.
  
 
Dave Piotrowski photo of H4 from Wurtsboro.
  
 
The photo above was taken by Joann Shaw of me landing at Hobbs after my first flight in the Nimbus - Labor Day 2001
  
 
Nice big runway, very effective landing flaps and spoilers, very effective wheel brake. Jo Shaw photo.
  
 
OK, so it's not a 1-26 - it's still a lot of fun to fly! The expression on my face after landing says it all - Wow!
  
 
The Shaw hangar in Hobbs - the Nimbus just fits with the 23m tips installed.
  
 
What a great day in Hobbs! Lots of big thermals and a boomer to 12,500 feet was a highlight of the day. Photo above is after the second flight, putting it in the trailer for the trip back to CT. That's the Shaw Cessna 180 in the background.  
 
What a great glider! Above photo at Candlelight Farms in September 2001 by Bruce Stein (BS). That's the Nutmeg Soaring Pawnee in the background. The following photos are all taken by Todd Smith (3S)  
 
September 2001 - The mowed portion of the runway is just wide enough! Peter Scarpelli (CA) ran my wing for the first flight out of Candlelight Farms.  
 
On final for 17, Candlelight Farms.
  
 
Landing is a breeze in this glider - just have to get it down and stopped - it does like to float.
  
   
Thanks to Todd Smith, Wally Moran and Bruce Stein for the photos.
Wally Moran (UC) took the above and below photos from his ASW-24 over Candlelight Farms. This glider climbs very well, thermals slowly and simply does not sink. Jo Shaw says I'll be further impressed when I get some water in it next spring. Can't wait! The J is missing because on this day the vertical was re-finished but not the rudder.  
 
This was a great fall soaring day here in CT that really was not predicted. I flew for about 3.5 hours and really had a chance to convince myself that this glider really does what they say.   
Soaring at Ridge Soaring, PA in April of 2002.
  
H4 over the Bald Eagle Ridge as seen from 8G, Doug Haluza's Janus C. This photo by Rudy Haluza, age 7 with Dad Doug Haluza flying.