Another Glider article

tonycondon

tonycondon

Gastons CRO (Chief Dinner Reservation Officer)
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Tony
I wrote an article for the Spring Bungee Cord, newsletter of the Vintage Sailplane Association, about my experience flying a vintage glider in a regional contest last summer (see http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/showthread.php?p=746835#post746835http://www.purpleboard.net/forums/showthread.php?t=23831). It has been published on the Soaring Cafe in an attempt to attract a few new members to the VSA. Check it out:http://soaringcafe.com/2012/04/flying-a-vintage-glider-in-a-regional-contest/http://soaringcafe.com/2012/04/flying-a-vintage-glider-in-a-regional-contest/
 
Hello Tony,

Nice job in a Cherokee II. I had a friend with a Cherokee II and I always liked the design. I am a fan of the KA8 and hope to own one someday. I almost bought an L-Spatz III, but when I went to test it out I was too tall to attach the canopy...

Anyhow, I go to the VSA/sailplane homebuilders meet in Tehachapi CA every year and really enjoy seeing all the vintage gliders fly. Also they do a handicaped contest called the dustdevil dash and many of the VSA guys fly their vintage gliders to have a huge handicap. I remember one year a TG2 was entered and did quite well...

I have been out of soaring for a while as I switched to Hangliding due to cost as well as launch sites were closer to home. However i recently shelved HG to work on my PPL and once I have it plan to go back to soaring and fly to the gliderport rather than drive...

So is the Cherokee your wifes?

Marc
 
I have a Cherokee II (N373Y) and Leah has one as well (N4653T), which is under a slow restoration at the moment. There is a thread around here somewhere about that. Which Cherokee did your friend have/who was your friend?
 
Hello Tony,

The cherokee I remember was flown by a member of our sailplane club. I use to fly sailplanes in the the early 90's with the Douglas club at California City. Around 1995 or so the Douglas club merged with the SCSA which was another club based at Cal City. When we merged we changed the name to the SCDSA. Before the merge we had a meeting at a SCSA members house to discuss if the clubs should merge or not. That person is the one who owned the Cherokee II. For the life of me I cant remember his name. Fast forward 12 or so years, I return to soaring and ask Cindy Brickner of Caracole Soaring whatever happend to the person who owned the Cherokee. She said he passed away and I asked what become of his Cherokee and she was unsure. Now I poke around online and do a search and I found it. Also on your page none the less.

Its N151OU and you have a pic of it at the Southwest Soaring Museum. It says its built by F.L. Swaney, but that name does not ring a bell. You mention him getting Silver in it in 1967, but when I did reg shearch it shows airworthiness cert of 1980... I am curious if the person I knew found it and restored it in 1980? He was an amazing wood worker and artist and I always assumed he built it since it looked like a piece of furniture inside. Also I am curious if there are a few punctures in the right side of the fuselage just below the canopy frame... Reason I ask is I was helping him break down and put it back in the trailer and I had a key in my pocket which managed to poke a few holes in the side of the covering. I felt so bad, but he said it was not a big deal... That was the last I saw of it at a VSA meet in Tehachipi in the mid 90's.

Do you have any more info on this glider? Any idea if the person I knew was Swaney or if the person I knew ended up with his glider and restored it? I remember he was quite old in the 90's...
 
Anything I know about it is on the blog. The airworthiness certificate being issued in 1980 is pretty typical for experimentals. Previous to that year experimental amatuer built's had to have an annual inspection done by the FAA and were issued a new airworthiness cert each year with a one year duration. In 1980 or there abouts they switched to an unlimited duration airworthiness certificate and the requirement for an annual condition inspection done by an A&P. From what I remember of seeing that glider at the SW Soaring Museum, there were no holes in the fabric. No doubt the owner patched them up in a few evenings and it wasn't a big deal just like he said :)
 
Got sucked into that website and lost 30 minutes. Darn. You. Tony! :)

Love glider photos and videos.
 
Hey Tony,

Any idea if a person 6'4" tall would fit in a Cherokee II? I love Vintage gliders. I barely fit in a Ka8 and to do so it has to have the larger full plexi canopy and not the small one similar to the Ka6. Even in a Blanik, I barely fit without a chute... With a chute even with the lower seat gone I dont fit...

I am a fan of everything vintage in aviation yet most were designed around 5'7" 150lb people...

Marc
 
it is possible. one of my friends who is taller than you I think has the same problem not fitting in many gliders but he fit in my Cherokee with a parachute on. The seating is upright though so proper leg/torso ratio is important. He got in with no seat back, he was leaning up against the forward spar. The problem with that is it puts your head back in the turtle deck area. If you were building one you could just build it with a longer canopy or something to accommodate. of course if you were building one you could build it with a larger cockpit too. If you found one to buy that you fit in you could do some modification to improve visibility.
 
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