The Saga of Fifteen Delta Chuck; The Backstory

[Oldbaldguy]

In way of a little background, 15DC is a US-registered ASW-15B, Serial #15230.  It has been in the United States since 1974, flying its last flight in mid 1986.  According to its log books, it has had three of four owners before me, with the earliest ones clocking six hour flights with alarming regularity.  (How anyone can fly anything for six hours without burning so much as a thimble of fuel is beyond me.)  I am guessing that the airplane passed to less able pilots over time because the number of long duration flights diminishes the farther into the books you go.  There are no log entries after 1986.  The owner previous to me got the airplane from a friend in about 1990, trailer, support equipment and personal parachute included, as the result of an apparently unpleasant divorce.  Until he stopped by my hangar in January 2012, he had never so much as laid eyes on it.  I acquired 15 Delta Chuck (American short-hand for 15 Delta Charlie) in late 2011 after a blind telephone call and a bit of haggling via e-mail.  After two decades of doing nothing with it, the previous owner was almost giddy to be rid of it.  How I found it and finally laid claim is a story for another time.   My intention is to bring the airplane back to life if I can and to learn to fly it.  This promises to be an adventure and if the members of and visitors to this site are interested, I will post on a more or less regular basis new chapters describing in words and photos the ressurection if this once formidable sailplane.  The glider currently lives in my hangar at the Rome, Georgia airport alongside my venerable Piper PA-12; they seem to get along well enough.  The Piper is a bit spoiled, getting most of my attention and flying about 100 hours a year. I expect it will get a bit peevish once I start flying ol' Chuck as well.  I attach only a single photo today.  It shows my hangar and the PA-12 with the ASW in the background.  As the story unfolds, the rest of the photography will be dedicated to progress on the glider.  If you are interested in reading about this project, please let me know via comments and such.  If there is little or no interest, I likely will not bother with posting the details.  Johan, if there is a better way to do this or if I am doing it wrong, please help me out.  Not only am I old and bald, I also am not much of a computer whiz.

Cheers,
OBG

[Adam Howell]

Hi,
I would be interested in reading about your progress on your 15,
I have also been following a blog of a libelle restoration and modification below is the webpage adress if you want to have a look. http://toflylibelle.blogspot.com


regards
Adam

[Johan van Ravenzwaaij]

If you are interested in reading about this project, please let me know via comments and such.

Count me in! I will be your faithfull follower. And maybe your experiences can help out in future restorations.

Johan, if there is a better way to do this or if I am doing it wrong, please help me out.

You are doing just fine. A bit more pictures would be nice.

If there are more restoration projects, I will create a special section for those specialists.

BTW Did you already start to take gliding lessons?

[Oldbaldguy]

Wow!  The guy with the Libelle site makes me feel more than a little inadequate.  His site is very, very good! 

Johan, I noticed that the first phot I posted is visible only to those who have logged in.  Is it supposed to work that way or did I do something wrong?

[Johan van Ravenzwaaij]

Johan, I noticed that the first phot I posted is visible only to those who have logged in.  Is it supposed to work that way or did I do something wrong?

That's right. It's a teaser for the really interested.

[Rick Barber]

Wow, your Piper sure looks good. If that is any indication, then Bravo Chuck should turn out great!
I would definitely like to follow your restoration.

My glider history is very similar to yours and it is serial number 15236. When the 15 first came out it was one of the hotest gliders available. Due to that, quite a few American pilots brought them to the States so they could be competetive in contests and to set new state and regional records.  Karl Stiedieck even had an over 1000k flight in his in the early 70's. That is why there were so many long early flights in them. The 70s were the hot bed of glider advancement so the 15 was not competetive for long and they were replaced by the competition and gung-ho pilots for newer, better models. Therefore they were sold to pilots with varying skill levels and soaring objectives. They were also used by a lot of clubs due to their good hanling characteristics. Now they are one of the most affordable glass ships so they are sometimes purchased by first time newer pilots such as I was when I purchased mine 12 years ago. So the hours abe based on the pilot and what their goal is. That is why the hours per flight started going down on most 15's. The 15 may not be able to fly as fast or have the LD as the newer gliders but it still is able to fly long distances and durations. I fly mine cross country so my goal is for a minimum of 6 hours and 500k.

Good luck and keep us informed.

Rick

[christian larsen]

Hi OBG

Thanks for Your refreshing post  ! Like You I think there is a bit too little of posts and storys about gliderflights, buying used gliders, restoration projects and experiences during the more pleasent months of the year :-)

I hope You will continue telling about Your project and experiences with 'Delta Charlie', and I surely will follow every word  :-)


Regards,

Christian,
Copenhagen, Denmark

[Rob Ford]

OBG-

Congratulations on your new (to you) glider! Looking forward to hearing about your progress.

Have you found all the support you need? 
There are a number of clubs and commercial operations in the area- I fly in Huntsville, AL, with the Huntsville Soaring Club.
There is a club in Sylacauga, AL that has an ASW-15.
Last I heard, there is an ASW-15 that flies out of Chilhowee, TN;  they are a commercial operation with comprehensive training services.

There's a club East of Atlanta, and one at LaGrange, and probably more that I don't know about.

-Rob