The gliders we fly are required to have periodic inspections, in terms of time, and hours flown; the most common inspection is the annual inspection.  Many pilots back-load their inspections, so that they don’t have to find a mechanic in the most popular (and busy) time of the year – spring and summer.  Also, if something is found to be amiss, you have 5-6 months to sort out the problem, order parts (typically from Europe), and get a new inspection.  If you do your annual in the spring and a problem is found, it is conceiveable that you could lose most of the season.

Last weekend, two gliders were inspected; on Thursday, four more were done – Ron’s Lak-12, my SZD-55, and two club gliders – the L-23, and the ASK-13 two seaters.  Steve S is our mechanic.  Here are some pictures from the annuals. Martin L and Ron S got the club gliders ready, and had the ASK-13 finished by the time I had put my glider back together.

For new students and pilots, you can learn a lot about glider structures and how they work by helping with inspections. I highly recommend offering to help.  Learning how to adjust brakes, what ‘looks right’ for your Daily Inspections, etc will help you throughout your gliding career.

The weather; well, summer is over… the club house thermometer read 2C when I got there, and was up to 18C after a lot of firewood went into the stove.  We do have a shortage of wood, folks, let’s work at that on Sunday and the days following.  Wood needs to dry for a season before it’s usable; let’s fill the sheds with the trees that have fallen this summer.

BQN ready for another year.  Good DI on the first flight, folks!

All inspection panels off, and in a cramped position checking the internals

Facing a way you don’t experience often (this is in fact more uncomfortable than it seems; the rear stick keeps trying to ‘get familiar’)

Light drizzle just starting to fall; ops overseen by the barn owl