Daily Aircraft and Equipment Care

While Crew Chiefs are assigned to each CSA aircraft or piece of equipment, they are only responsible to arrange for on-going maintenance, annual inspections, and the larger issues concerning their charge. ALL CSA MEMBERS are responsible for the general, daily care of the aircraft and equipment they use. Following are some specific items each member should take care of when using CSA aircraft and equipment:

Sailplanes

Before the first flight of the day:

  • Carefully remove and stow the canopy cover in a clean/dry location. The best is to fold the canopy cover and put it in the sailplane baggage area.
  • Carefully clean the smudges off the canopy with plastic polish (Brillianaze) and a clean soft cloth.
    • Be very careful as canopies scratch easily and are very expensive to replace.
    • Do Not use the access window as a handle to open/close the canopy.
    • Do Not use a chamois or squeegee to clean the canopy.
    • If there is any significant dust or dirt on the canopy, first rinse off the canopy with lots of water and pat it dry with a clean soft cloth. Then use the plastic polish for final cleaning.
  • Wash the glider by sponging/rinsing off the dirt with a water saturated sponge to minimize scratches and then dry with a chamois or clean towel.
  • Install a fully charged battery.
  • Make sure the tracker is installed and ready.
  • Check for any weights the last pilot might have inadvertently left in the cockpit and remove as needed.
  • Execute the sailplane's and your preflight checklist.

During the day:

  • Sailplanes should not be pulled/pushed by the wing tips.  As the wings are long this puts damaging force on the assembly fittings at the wing root and fuselage.
  • Un-attended sailplanes must be tied down with the stick secured and the canopies latched.  Thermals/dust devils and wind gusts can easily spin and/or flip sailplanes, damage control surfaces and break open canopies.

At the end of the day:

  • Remove any weights in the sailplane.
  • Remove battery and connect it to a charger.
  • Wash the bugs off the wings, vertical and horizontal stabilizer leading edges.
  • Ensure the canopy does not have any dust or dirt on it.  If it does, clean the canopy as described above. 
  • Put the canopy cover on the sailplane.
  • Volunteer to wax CSA sailplanes with a soaring friend now and again.

Suzuki

  • Make sure there is gas in the fuel tank.
  • Use the choke sparingly and make sure it is off after the engine is warmed up.
  • Make sure the shag rope is in good condition, and stowed properly in the back.
  • Use 4wd-Low to tow out sailplanes; so wing walkers can walk comfortably, and damage to the prairie grass is minimized.
  • Only drive on the prairie grass to tow a sailplane. Otherwise, use the dirt road for getting to the flight line as the prairie grass is very fragile.

Towplane

  • Help the tow pilot pull out and put away the towplane. It's more than a one-man job.
  • Help the the tow pilot pull out and stow the tow rope.
  • Always make sure you check with the towpilot before helping to be safe and not cause  cause any unnecessary damage.

Tractor

  • You must receive a tractor checkout and be approved by the the tractor crew chief to operate the tractor and it's equipment. 

 

 

Updated 02/26/2025