It will not be news to the regular readers of this group, that a new day has dawned. As of October 21, in what is recognized by scholars and mathematicians everywhere and the first year of the new millenium, the skies of Minden, Nevada will be a little safer. Geese will migrate without fear, mustangs will graze in the high mountain meadows, pawnee tow planes can peacefully enjoy the wave, and hikers pause at ridgetop to enjoy the view, all without being terrorized by Al in the asw22. The tow pilots will also enjoy a respite from the site of the overburdened 22, wingtips drooping, nearly scraping the ground, as it lumbers down the runway. A new day has dawned.
You see, his wings have been clipped. Down to 20 meters. Al will be flying the very ship that lo these six years ago, lured the reformed Brit from the world of RC sailplanes to the world of actual experience. No doubt the young Al happily wiled away many rainy and foggy days and nights in his native isle, sniping, and gluing and sanding, but finally in the great state of Nevada, Al took wing. The legend of this great transformation, from model builder to glider guider, is not widely know and shall remain so for now. However, the images of grace and beauty that inspired the transition, can be seen at
http://www.silentflight.com/Gliding/Photos/user/
user.htm (first 7 photos).
The world of silentflight.com, is also known as 'Al's world.' Al's world, is Minden, Mecca to glider pilots world wide. In Al's world, a gliding vacation means going to the airport on Saturday and removing the covers. In Al's world, a gliding location away from the home filed means throwing the spare undies and socks (and maybe a toothbrush) in the baggage compartment of the mighty 22, snagging the 2,000' tow and off to Ely. In Al's world, a glider trailer is a storage device, to be used in concert with the adjacent land rover, as a place to stash various wingtips, wash buckets, covers, water ballast components and whatever other bits and pieces and parts that might be needed during the season. Al does not own a trailer hitch!
And that fact, patient readers, is what inspired this writing. For, you see, the papers have been signed and consideration paid, Al & I have swapped gliders. The 22 will live at Warner Springs and Al will soon return the skies at Minden in the older brother, the asw17, the ship refereed to by Gerhard Waibel, as his 'grandfather's airplane' due to its delightful and benign handling. And herein lies the crux of the problem.
Not to belabor the point, S22 needs a new trailer, or at least a better trailer. I will not offend the sensitive readers of this august group by describing the current trailer, just trust me, the 22 needs a new trailer.
Which is, of course, the reason for this gross waste of bandwidth. If anyone might know of a suitable trailer for the 22, preferably not too far from Minden, I would appreciate the information. Obviously, the 22 requires a trailer a bit larger that the standard rig for a 15M ship. I am perusing several possible leads, but thus far, no deal has been done. The 22 sits in Minden and needs to be at Warner Springs. It is a splendid bird and deserves an appropriate nest.
The power of the internet lured Al to soaring, please let it help me find a trailer.
Respectfully submitted,
Bob Backer 858 755-8383 D 858 755-5571 E
