2015 is almost gone. The Christmas rush is over and the few remaining days tend to be a time of reflection. How were the 12 months now behind us? What were the joys, the victories and defeats, the challenges, the necessary and the unnecessary? But it is also a time for being visionary, looking ahead curious of the 12 months in front of us. How do we picture and imagine these days ahead?
Siljan Airpark consists of a number of elements: the village, the museum and the flying club, and in this issue you can read about how the three “presidents” contemplate and predict on their respective areas of responsibility. In this issue you will look in vain for the traditional pictures from the airpark covered in snow and Santa Claus arriving in a sledge camouflaged as a PA 28! There was no snow on Christmas Night this year. Wonder if the device for making ski trails will have to stay in summer storage until next winter…strange things happen with the weather this winter…
President of SAPS, Fredrik Diehl
Soon another year is over, and a new approaching. To summarize 2015 a little bit short the season began with the annual meeting. We decided inter alia to make an extra amortization bringing us ever closer to freedom of debt which is good. Our new website 
was also launched. Good work Florin!
Two weeks later we had the history of traditional spring cleaning. Twelve participants worked. A lot of undergrowth became an impromptu bonfire and then the customary dinner in the clubhouse afterwards.
This midsummer we were unfortunately not in Siljansnäs but hope for great support in 2016.
RedBull Air Race is becoming a tradition. This year two planes from Siljansnäs, SE-XXX and SE-XJC were at the races in Budapest in early July. Great city and perfect competition arena.
Several other flight events were also visited during the summer by SAPS members.
During the summer we even got to meet the new members Russell and Brenda Myles who bought Jocke’s house. Warm welcome!
On Siljansnäs Day we got the opportunity to produce ourselves to the village of Siljansnäs. We were eleven planes that made an appreciated over flight of central Siljansnäs.
Kräftis was very successful this year with beautiful weather and the addition of Swedish Air Force’s Hercules and the JAS 39 Gripen. Could be both seen and heard all the way from Leksand. Particularly appreciated was the formation airmen RVators with René in the forefront. Thanks!
Then summer was over, and fall came with unexpectedly warm weather. In late October it was time for the last meeting, fall cleaning. 11 participants helped with the continued clearing of undergrowth. A tribute to Christer, who has been fighting for a year now with recalcitrant contractors to get the job of levelling of taxiway edges done. So far it has not gone without a hitch but it is hoped that it will be carried out in the spring. The working day ended with our traditional pizza evening in the clubhouse.
The Board’s work has continued to focus on roads, water, sewer, and general upkeep of the area.
We call for more people to take hold in other areas of interest related to the SAPS.
As usual, do not forget to make your proposals for the next annual meeting. That’s when we set our goals for the future.
See you in the spring, Fredrik Diehl, President of SAPS
Village news
Leila and Kyösti Salo from Finland have announced that they are starting building this spring. The Salos own the plot B3 in the northern corner of the area. They are going to build a smaller log cabin a charming house according to the blue print, a house that will fit in perfectly with the surroundings. Excellent choice! (now who said something about your editor being biased!?!?) We congratulate Leila and Kyösti for their decision not just about the type of house but especially for starting building. It is so important for the well being of our airpark that activities are going on and you can see it developing. Good luck and we shall all look forward to follow the process.
Chairman of the Flying Club, Peter Muus
A Happy New Year to all members and supporters in Siljansnäs Flying Club!
When members line up and the money is flowing to then it is easy and simple to be chairman of a club. 2015 has largely been such a year in Siljansnäs Flying Club. If I look back at the ten points from AOPA regarding how to get a good club presented at the conference 2013 I am pleased to note that the ten points have worked well as a compass for the board. On our website we read: Siljansnäs FK is a friendly club with a cozy timbered clubhouse with full kitchen, and a living room with fireplace, TV, computer, wireless Wi-Fi, shower and toilet, simple cabins, camping and summer sauna house / showers. And we want that still to be true even though these words were written a long time ago! Therefore, information and social spaces had priority, and has been worked on vigorously through the last three years. The results are very visible: a beautiful website, newsletters, nice and pleasant club environment with lovely large living room with beautiful floor and free internet access, and where this year’s big shot new patio came to, freshened cabins and play area for children. All these standard-enhancing measures have succeeded only thanks to generous donations from members and supporters and volunteer labor. I would like to thank everyone who helped in any way.
It is a cold fact that the economy of the club although now strong and healthy is totally dependent on results from Kräftstjärtsvängen. This year we were relieved as decent profits were made even though we had competition from Dala-Järna’s air show. Anders and Gunilla Löfvenborg conducted the entire orchestra but again, this was only possible thanks to a huge effort from members and supporters. Thanks to all of you who put down anything from 2 hours to a week’s work of this. Everything contributes to the continued drive to realize this tradition year after year which is absolutely necessary for the survival of Siljansnäs Flying Club.
But naturally the board wants to invest efforts in flying, which is the core activity of our club. The dream was that UAC would be in the air in August 2015 but unfortunately circumstances prevented that this target was achieved. It looks much brighter for 2016! The engine is fitted, the fuselage is ready, and the propeller is acquired. Now all of us hope for that year for the resurrection of our Raserfalke will be 2016! Thanks to all who worked and still are working hard to get the UAC on her wings again.
On the heels of this follows the desire to invite pilots to our friendly club environment and therefore we organized in June our first glide-in, a completely informal fly-in for gliders. Very nice and cozy it was, and all subsequent visits and announcement on the Face-book page testifies, that this has to be repeated in 2016! So we intend to do so. Great thanks to all who pulled that load also!
Last year I ended my New Year’s greetings to you by emphasizing that the board considers economic responsibility and control of utmost importance. We continue to believe so. 2015 challenged this stance when the engine on VPS broke down in the summer of 2014. Admittedly Rotax helped us with the right offer, but salvation came with a very generous donation from the member Stig Persson. Without this, the club reserves would have been drained in total and we had had to start from scratch. Now we can safely continue to use energy and resources on trying to increase the flying activity because conditions in the club environment are as cozy as they are and will not tear at the funds. I therefore urge the younger generation, the young people to show up in the club, please come especially on Wednesday evenings, where we barbecue during the summer season and socialize and have a good time. This is where ideas are born, ideas as to how Siljansnäs Flying Club shall develop and grow with time.
As of this writing, which is Lucia in 2015, is the day 10 years ago that Siljan AirPark physically began. PEAB Mark “cut the first turf” to dig the road up at the craft house to put down the first meters of sewers before the frost. After the New Year, with a small crust o
f frost to support the excavator the drain submission continued down to the airfield. Then, 10 years ago, it had however only been 2½ years since I stood at Barkarby with military tents and for the first time tried to sell Siljan Airpark, or Flypark Siljan as I first called it, to prospective land speculators.
Contribute to community development
10 years pass quickly, but if we settle for five years, ie 2 x 2½, and looking forward: then it will be 2020. Will more things happen with our AirPark and if so, what? As many of you know, we have on several occasions managed to get official approval and various grants. The reason is that it was possible to argue that what we do is not only for our own enjoyment, but also contributes to society in a positive way. There are some exciting things going on at the national level where even Siljan AirPark may be involved. I have used the following text in the contacts with various authorities and organizations in recent times:
Vision 2020
Siljan AirPark village is a unique thematic community of aviation enthusiasts from around ten different countries. The community consists of more than forty owner-occupied housing, a variety of sheds and small workshops as well as gardens and orchards. Only three of the properties are still vacant and these are kept as open green space. The streets of the village and the road to Mora road are asphalted.
Siljan AirPark community. Owns and manages the airport with roads, taxiways, sewerage and other shared infrastructure outside and between the different separate properties and consists of different property owners in Siljan AirPark.
Siljansnäs Flying Club. Active flying club for residents of Siljan AirPark village, members and guests from around the world. The club conducts training of gliders and small engine airplane. The aero club also offers “hands-on” -flights and owns and leases aircraft to club members. Aircrafts are gliders and small motorized aircraft. The flying club is responsible for the operational flight activities at the airport. The fly-in “Crayfish Svängen” has just celebrated 30 years.
Siljan AirPark Business Park. Organizations with activities related to Siljan AirPark. Consists of, among other things Testbed “Green small aircrafts”, Siljan AirPark aviation museum, the Flying Brewery brewery and AirDeco aircraft manufacturing. Hangars, workshops and offices and experience center. A unique dimension of the museum is that some of the planes are kept flying and visitors can experience various events, and that you can see both the older aircraft and the very latest experimental plan. There is a museum fire station with Siljansnäs first fire truck and a playground with pedal planes and aircrafts frames to play on for children. You can stay either at the flying club campsite or in some of the cottages or houses that are in Siljan AirPark. In Biggles’ Café restaurant, visitors can also get a gastronomic experience both indoors and outdoors on a large veranda with views of the airfield and enjoy the locally brewed beer. Developed on the Siljan AirPark 2020 is a total of approximately 12000 m2 of buildings divided into sheds, garages, stores, restaurant, clubhouse, as well as privately owned houses and hangars. Overall, there are in Siljan AirPark more than 10 salaried jobs.
Carl Rönn, founder of Siljan AirPark
VL3
Browsing around on a website of a Czech aircraft manufacturer named jmbaircraft http://www.jmbaircraft.com we stumbled upon a picture with something familiar about the gentleman in the cockpit, and even the hairdo on top of the Hawaii shirt looks somewhat familiar.
Turns out that Christer and Danne are heavily flirting and close to falling seriously in love with this beauty. And after this photo (below right) landed in the in-box yours truly was no longer in doubt: this is true love!
The world’s fastest side by side ultralight with retractable gear – if you prefer that. Study the specifications and performance below. Not bad – eh? Price? With the manufacture’s own words: “Unbeatable for the quality received”!!!
Technical informations |
||
| Wing span | 8,44 m | 27.7 ft |
| Length | 6,24 m | 20.5 ft |
| Height | 2,05 m | 6.7 ft |
| Wing area | 9,77 m 2 | 105 ft 2 |
| sStalling speed | 55 km/h | 30 kts |
| Maximum speed at horizontal flight | 290 km/h | 155 kts |
| Cruising speed | 210-270 km/h | 113-145 kts |
| Never to exceed speed VNE | 305 km/h | 165 kts |
| Engine output(Rotax 912 ULS) | 73,5 kW | 100 hp |
| Climb capability | 6 m/s | 1200 ft/min |
| Fuel consumption | 8-18 l/h | 2-4,5 gal/h |
| Fuel tanks volume | 90-120 l | 24-32 gal |
| Approach Speed | 80 km/h | 43 kts |
| M TOW (without/with rescue system) | 450/472,5 kg | 992/1040 lb |
Christer Wretlind is an eager watcher of http://www.pilotworkshop.com/ . Here he recommends a tip and a video:
A piece of advice concerning icing and an interesting discussion following the advice.
http://www.pilotworkshop.com/tips/structural_icing_escape.htm
We all tell ourselves that if we had an engine failure in IMC, we’d simply head for the nearest airport. However, what seems nearest isn’t always the best choice – or even the airport we’re most likely to make. Check out this new, fast-paced training session that tackles this scary event head-on. The video will present you with a real scenario and you must decide the best course of action from several choices. Put your decision making skills to the test and compare your choice with other pilots. Wally Moran provides expert analysis and tells you the keys to managing this kind of event to a safe outcome. Access the free video here:
http://pilotworkshop.com/video/best-glide/pw/watch
…that our airplane is our darling. The photos you carry around in your wallet are in normally prioritized order your grandchildren, your pet, your children, maybe your summer house, and your wife. But in a pilot’s wallet the order is different: First you have a picture of your airplane, then an picture of your airplane with the grandchildren in it, then a picture of your airplane with your pet, and then a picture of your airplane in front of your house (if you are a lucky airpark resident), and then maybe a picture of your airplane with your wife in front of it. So why don’t we make a game? A contest! Games are played around Christmas and during December more often than during the other months of the year (don’t know if that goes for computer games as well). Send us you favorite or the master shot of your airplane or photo on the “my best aviation photo-theme 2015”, and the editor will chose a winner among all the photos. The president of a certain flying club might be helping in this huge task. The award will be – that you win! All photos will be published in SAPnews during 2016. Just e-mail on muusingrid@gmail.com or muus@dadlnet.dk in some common image file format and in a high solution. Dead-line for sending pictures will be February 1st 2016.A short text about the picture and the circumstances around the shot will enhance the experience for the readers to come.
Like when we took off for a picnic in the lush greenery of summer and ended up on Rörbäcksnäs in Sälen and all the “greenery” we could find was the pot with red geranium to create an illusion of vegetation!
Or – what about this one below? Travelling light is not necessary when you fly small airplanes even though you are going all the way from northern Sealand, DK to ESVS… It all depends on what’s under the cowling. A boy or girl scou
t at heart once always a scout and therefore: Be prepared!!
Or – it is a proven fact that all the fun happens in the front seats!
And happiness is having friends with a high winged aircraft when you are forced to land due to rain.
So let us have your favorite 2015 shots of your darling(s) by the end of January 2016.
Dear readers, faithful readers, not one of you have annulled your subscription this year either! As your thankful editor I feel a little bit remorseful about announcing that 2015 produced only 10 issues of SAPnews, two less than the year before but as foreboded earlier this year. But until I get a little further into technologies the process of producing SAPnews has grown heavier since we got the new website. It is not as far as I know possible to convert the word format – the one you receive as a pdf-file in your mail box – directly to the website or vice versa. Had it been the case it would have lightened the task. And I should appreciate being contradicted!
Enough whimpering from the editor (editors seem to do that constantly) – I wish to thank all of you who contributed to this volume with ideas, stories, text, and pictures. I know that all inhabitants in the airpark love to read about what you are doing when you are away from the airpark and flying around on our planet but also what you are doing when you are visiting the airpark which is our common frame of reference after all. So keep up the activities, tell about them or write about them but most important: take pictures and share! A picture says more than a thousand words. I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous 2016.
Ingrid Muus, your editor