Free Flight 1989 #5 p18
Club News

        BLUENOSE ‘89
         
The new Bluenose Soaring Club winch re-ported in 
free flight last year received a power upgrade this 
spring. The 6.9 litre Interna-tional’ truck engine, 
known for exhaust system back pressure under heavy 
load, and a lack of air volume, was fitted with a 
Gayle Banks Power Pack giving a 20% power in-crease. 
This improvement provides good launches to a K7 with 
two people aboard, even in still air and high 
temperature.
         
A ground school was run in conjunction with Dartmouth 
Continuing Education evening classes. The course was 
arranged by Dr. Tony Lock and Dick Vine, both BSC 
mem-bers. Besides the usual lectures and exer-cises, 
the instructors used educational vid-eos provided by 
BSC’s Gordon Waugh. These efforts were successful in 
attracting five new students to the club’s spring 
train-ing program, which already included two new 
students and four pre-solo from last year.

The Instructors Committee met in January to plan 
for this large teaching load. The con-cept of an 
intensive training period had been tried with varying 
degrees of success over the past three seasons. It 
was decided to continue again this year with the 
added pro-vision that student attendance at the Flying 
Week be mandatory.
         
Flying Week was May 13 to 22, and included the two 
following weekends. There were two teaching sessions 
each day, 0830 am ‘til 1230 and 530 pm fit dark. Three 
instructors were on duty for the morning sessions and 
two for evenings. Afternoons were free, giving the 
hard working instructors some soaring time. Many of 
the students had their first soaring experience as 
passengers in the club K7s during this free time. 
Instructors for the pro-gram were CFI George Graham, 
Donald Clark, Byron Bolt, George Warren, Dick Vine, 
Doug Girard and Gordon Waugh. Club instructors were 
augmented by two Air Cadet instructors Rob Francis 
and Wade Fleet. Both are now BSC members. Good 
organization that included pre-registration and 
training the students in field management on the week-
end prior to Flying Week facilitated 720 training 
flights. Student progress was rapid with Hope Graham 
and Marten Douma, two of last seasons students, going 
solo on day five. The first of this years crop flying 
on their own were Tony Toole and Don Rankin. They were 
followed by Steven Gerrard and Scott Travers who 
achieved the elevateo status on June 3rd, the fourth 
weekend Al other students, Faye Campbell, Evan Locke. 
Date Fatts, Hon and Joy Van Houten and Corrine Brown 
are within a few flights of solo
         
Instruction will continue witn post-solo and soaring 
training which will also include field exploration and 
recognition from the ar Debra Burleson and the Burleson/
Purcell Cub, C-FUXS, will be assisting in aspects of 
tnis instruction.
         
Besides improvements to the winch mentioned earlier, 
BSC has a new retrieve vehicle which will add to the 
comfort level of the drivers as well as cut fuel and 
repair costs. The old winch has been put in good order 
and ready for use when the new truck-mounted winch 
departs for other fields Plans are in the works for 
a visit to Debert. Nova Scotia and a chance to soar 
the Cobequid Hills north of the Minas Basin The 
experienced plots will use the new winch at Debert 
while the beginners will use the old one which isn’t 
mobile, to practise at Stanley.
         
During all this early-season activity in the air 
the entertainment hadn’t been neglected. there was 
a Lobster feed during Flying Week the goodies provided 
by new member Tony Toole and much enjoyed by all 
Peter Chirstakos, our house and grounds chairman 
in for a short visit from his studies at UBC, has 
managed to paint the clubhouse with the help of 
those members not actually required on the field 
and put together an excehent dinner party for about 
the largest crowd of members and friends we have 
seen at Stanley in a very long time. It seems that 
BSC is in for the predicted surge ahead
         
Next comes the development of soaring skills for 
the students and cross-country training and badge 
flying for the old hands, also, Dr Tony Lock is 
organizing some level competition between like 
gliders For instance, the two club K8s will be 
launched together and will depart on a short course 
within easy range of the field with turnpoints 
monitored from the ground to see who gets back first.
 Other aircraft will do the course on multiple rounos 
until they finish or get too dizzy which ever comes 
first. I’ll let you know how it turns out when we’ve 
picked the birds out of the trees

Update August 6th.
          One first solo to go! We are now at flight 
1374 for the season (last year 1400 total) arc counting. 
The competition was held and was enjoyed by those who 
took part It is planned to repeat the event with the 
assignment of crews to the club aircraft to make sure 
they all get in the air Also wth many of this year’s 
new pilots ready to wander a tIle it will be easier 
to find participants Our trip to Debert was postponed 
but will take place when toe competition is over

          Dick Vine