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CANADIAN NEWS Edited by Dave King Items for this page should reach Dave King, 220 Iona St., Ottawa 3, by the 5th for the next month's Soaring. Photographs are welcome, but can't be returned. Copy should be about as you want it to read. Newsletters are welcome but we don't always have time to revamp them into items suitable for Soaring. "Letters to the editor" are invited. SAC Meeting The SAC Annual General Meeting was held in Montreal on Saturday, March 17th. The Montreal Soaring Council provided excellent arrangements at the Sheraton Mount-Royal Hotel. It was decided, after some debate, to allow club members attending the AGM to cast their own vote instead of, in effect, giving their clubs a proxy as in the past. The Regina Gliding and Soaring Club's offer to hold the National Contest from July 3-12 was accepted. The 1959 Nationals held at Regina were a resounding success and the 1962 event will certainly see a large field of first-class sailplanes and pilots. Last year's Instructors' School at Brantford was reported on and will be repeated this August. The Instructors' Manual prepared as a result of the 1961 school is now nearly ready for printing. It is regretted that no school could be organized in the west just yet, but the groundwork has taken much longer than was expected. A discussion on gyro-gliders proved to be a rouser. Albert Cudney of Kingston, builder of a Bensen whirlybird, showed a film of a car-tows of his aircraft, and asked for SAC aid in obtaining relaxation of the present D.O.T. rule against releasing these machines from tow. Jack Ames, chairman of the Technical Committee, strongly opposed the proposal and moved that SAC have nothing to do with gy.o-gliders. After heated debate, a modified version of the motion was carried. Treasurer Bob Murray of Ottawa reported that the finances are in their normal somewhat difficult state. A slight rise in fees may become necessary but no action was taken at the meeting. The 1962 Directors are: John Chesbrough (Gatineau Gliding Club, Ottawa), Terry Beasley (Montreal Soaring Council), Wolf Mix (Southern Ontario Soaring Assn., Brantford), Ross Grady (Edmonton Soaring Club), and A. N. LeCheminant (Gatineau Gliding Club). "Chem" declined to stand for re-election as president; three years were enough for him. John Chesbrough was elected, with Terry Beasley as vice-president. While John is away on a 6-weeks' honeymoon starting early in April, Terry will act as president. John recently stepped down from the presidency of his own club, which took great strides under his energetic and imaginative leadership. It may therefore be expected that he will be a fit successor to Chem, who has done much for the Association. After an excellent dinner the trophies for 1961 were awarded and films were shown. DAVE KING Moose Jaw (601 Wing) Soaring Club, Box 665, Moose Jaw, Sask. While we have not been off of the ground it can now be said that a new Canadian soaring club has been LAUNCHED. Launched into a paper operation, that is. For several years considerable interest has been created in glider flying locally by stories and news items appearing in the various news media and, quite naturally, this has caused talk and interest among the various interested RCAF Assn. Members. It was finally decided to approach Moose Jaw's only sailplane pilot (we now have two more with Rigby and Georgia Staminson) and owner Bob Shirley, to see about the chances of forming a club and what aid would be required. From these talks plans were laid to form a club with the aim of promoting gliding and soaring aviation and recreation from the sport of soaring. The 601 Wing decided to support the Soaring Club with a loan of fifteen hundred dollars, interest free for five years, providing that the club choose a name embodying the 601 Wing name. The name chosen is Moose Jaw (601 Wing) Soaring Club. Robert Shirley was elected as the first President, with Eric Flack as Vice-Pres., Jack Fenwick as Treasurer and Rigby Steminson as Chief Flying Instructor; and as additional Directors, Ralph Heard, Alf Olafson, Bob Keir, Avery Sahl, Norm Currell and Roy Dickinson. It was decided that the Club should apply for a charter and join SAC with all members being SAC members. Sustaining membership was set at thirty dollars. During the first three weeks of March 22 members joined with deposits, 14 of these paying in full. Sixteen members have paid their SAC dues. It is expected that flying will start in May with the Club planning to purchase the privately-owned L-K or try to raise money to buy a 2-22. It is planned to use a tow plane owned by one of the members and do car or winch launches, also. It is hoped to fly off the combined Municipal and RCAF School field during periods when the RCAF is not training. We hope to supply more news for next issue and that we are able to share with others this soaring sport for a long, long time to come. BOB SHIRLEY Longest 1-26 Flight, Zone 1 One of the highlights of the Annual Meeting of the Soaring Association of Canada at the Mount-Royal Hotel in Montreal on March 17, 1962, was the presentation of a Winter barograph by Tony Doherty, Sales Manager of Schweizer Aircraft Corporation, to Gordy Hicks of the Montreal Soaring Council. The Schweizer Corporation, manufacturer of the famous all-metal 2-22 trainer, 1-26 and 1-23 sailplanes, had conducted a competition in 1961 with $10000.00 worth of prizes for the best straight distance flights in their 2-22 and 1-26 sailplanes, in order to encourage more cross-country soaring. The United States and Canada were divided into three zones: Zone 1, all states and provinces east of the Mississippi; Zone 2, the same West of the Mississippi, except the west coast states and province, which made up Zone 3. Gordy Hicks turned in the best performance in Zone 1 with a Gold C distance flight of 228 miles from Hawkesbury, Ont., to St. Camille, P.Q., in 5 hrs. and 10 min. His pretty wife Mary, who acts as his retrieve crew chief, relates his feat as follows: "Sunday morning, May 28, 1961, and Gordon's day for a cross-country in my namesake, the 'Mary E,' a 1-26 sailplane he shares with his partner, Ted Henderson. As usual the prospect of a flight which might develop into that elusive Gold C distance had Gordon ordering us around like a couple of lackeys. The maps were missing, the straps on the chute out of adjustment, no film in the camera, no sunglasses, no hat, in fact nothing was right. Ted and I scurried back and forth from car to aircraft, righting all these oversights and finally heaved a sigh of relief as the signal for take-off was given and our understandably short-tempered pilot was off. However, our relief was short-lived for a brief ten minutes later there was the 'Mary E' back on the ground and as the canopy opened Gordon informed us, with ill-concealed irritation, that the air-speed indicator had failed and stuck at 35 knots. After a quick inspection we realized nothing could be done to remedy this situation on the spot and with a parting question as to why everything went wrong on his day, our pent-up pilot slammed down the canopy, announcing that he'd fly without the blasted airspeed indicator. With all that hot air in the cockpit how could he fail to succeed? SOARING (Bottom Left Image) The 1962 SAC Directors, from L to R: John Chesbrough, President; Terry Beasley, Vice President; A.N. LeCheminant; Ross Grady; and Wolf Mix. Photo by Doug McCormick
