SOGGI’s Classic Line Launching Event
The Southern Ontario Gliding Group Inc. celebrates time-tested designs in a fun fly format.
During the winter months, our executive was approached by Blake Moran, an avid RC enthusiast from Eastern Ontario. Blake mentioned that his club consists primarily of pilots who fly gas-powered land planes. He prefers to fly sailplanes, especially the ones we now consider classics. He came up with the idea of having a day in July where we would hold a special Classic Line Launching Event. Eventually, Saturday July 16th, 2022 was selected as the event date.
On Your Mark
Our executive felt Blake’s idea was great and accordingly planned to hold the event at our Hwy 6 sod farm flying field. I was in charge of the providing the barbecue and refreshments.
In early April, I emailed the season’s contest and flying event schedule out to all the members. Included in the notice, was the holding of the Classic Line Launching Event.
As a reminder, President Andy Meysner sent out an email to the members a week a head of the scheduled event. Andy noted that Tim Glover, one of the newer members of our club, had prepaid the cost for free cheeseburgers for the first 10 members to attend the event. Tim felt this might help boost attendance. We were impressed!
Get Set
I have accumulated a lot of line launch classics over the years since I joined the club. Unfortunately, most of them haven’t seen the light of day for a long time! The week before the event, I went on a rampage, installing new receivers, setting the dual rates and exponential throws, flight modes, timers, checked the CG and other pre-flight tasks on eight old line launching classics!
Early in the morning of the event day, along with the help from fellow club member and friend, Terry Dawson, we took a van and a car fully loaded with items to the field.
The weather prognosticators had predicted low winds, sun and a high of only 25C! Instead, we experienced fairly strong, gusty winds veering from East to South West, and a high temperature close to 30C!
The free food offer must have helped because we ended up with 12 members and one guest in attendance. There were 22 different classic sailplanes laid out on the field.
Three heavy duty hi-starts and one F3RES hi-start were set up on the diagonal across the southern field to accommodate the strong south west winds. The north field was used primarily for hand launching and testing.
Go!
As there was no specific contest tasks planned, the day’s event was strictly a fun fly affair, which a lot of the members seem to prefer.
Around 11am I fired up the barbie and proceeded to cook up the hamburgers and jumbo hot dogs. Another member, Ann Tekatch donated enough money to pay for everyone’s drink of choice! Well done, Ann!
Finally, when we were just about finished, another member, Jim ‘Jim Bits’ Laslett attended the event and brought a large box of Tim Bits which were eagerly consumed!
Not all the sailplanes brought to the field were flown, but they were all admired by those in attendance! There was great camaraderie and discussions amongst those who made the effort. The two shade tents set up on the field made conditions tolerable as the heat really built up during the day.
This was such an enjoyable day, we will most likely make it an annual event. Perhaps other sailplane clubs from across Canada will jump on the bandwagon next year and hold a Classic Line Launching Event of their own!
©2022 Lyle Jeakins
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