Calendar or Events
Safety Seminar – 15 Feb 2013, Chalco Reservoir Community Center 9am – Noon
First Quarter meeting – 15 Feb 2013 following the Safety Seminar (Pizza for lunch) to 2pm
Club Phone Number
Club Phone – 630-9640
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Entrance Code – #6693
A Two Place Alternative by Bert Aagesen
Our new president of our club, Perry Mitchell made contact with Ken Dales, now of Lincoln, NE, owner of a Blanik L-33 Solo. This glider is the trainer upgrade, single seat thought of as the natural progression from our club ship, the Blanik L-23! Ken Dales says he no longer has time to fly and has recently moved to Lincoln from Alliance, also of Nebraska. The glider is priced fairly at $18,000.The Wings and Wheels website lists a few other L-33 Solos. One more in this country for $20,000, does not say where it is located! Another in Vancouver,BC for $16,500 and one in the Czech Republic for $10,000 without trailer and any other equipment!
Keeping in mind the logistics of getting these gliders to our area, I think the Lincoln glider would be an excellent buy for our type of operation!
Mr Ken Dales says he is not willing to let any of us fly the Solo to try it out, however if he is still sitting on this glider come spring maybe he can be talked into coming to Blair to demonstrate and/or fly with us! I know I do not have consensus in the Club of us needing a single place trainer rather than another two place! Yes, a two place glider can also be used for solo training so that it serves two purposes in one! However, whenever a two place goes out for a solo flight we also lose the opportunity to instruct in the same glider! As a student has soloed, he could easily transition into the L-33 and relieve our L-23 for more dual given. The Blanik L-33 Solo could also be a good initial cross country ship for students and Private Pilots Glider in that it would be a whole lot easier to take apart and reassemble than the L-23 and it has a trailer ready made for the Solo! The L-33 could also be a good step towards the Jantar, which I feel is sometimes too large of a step for a beginner, whether he has the Private Pilot Glider Certificate or not! I am sure all this warrants more discussion and who knows, maybe our club would not even be in position to make such a purchase comes Spring.
On another note, I made contact with Joel Glantz, former member of the club when we were operating out of Wahoo,NE. Joel is a flight instructor for both airplanes and gliders, having had his first piloting experience with us at the Omaha Soaring Club,Inc. Joel says his kids are done with college and it is time he came back into the fold!
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