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Hangola April 30-May 1, 2001

501 continues to play her role as our most accomadating site. The FCST was VERY iffy. All the signs on the drive there said VERY cross and very lite, yet there she was, STFI @ 5 to 10. Too lite for reliable ridge lift but you could smell the pig shit thermals. Dave Brown, Shawn Macduff, and Bob Beck wallowed in it like pigs in shit. 900 over in SMOOTH lite thermals. Luddite Bob.................INDEED!

Fred and I just returned from the Wallaby Open Competition and found it to be a intense, fantastic experience.

The comp was an international, sanctioned XC race meet. While making goal is important, primary emphasis is on speed running the task course. All tasks were triangle, quadrangle, turnpoint courses to goal, designed to challenge pilots with cross and upwind legs (this also keeps everyone closer to home). All speed runs, turnpoint entries, and tracklogs are via GPS.

There were 102 total competitors - 76 flex wings and 26 rigid. The 27 volunteer launch crew people (including Robert Sweeney) worked swiftly, competently and in perfect concert with the 14 tug vehicles. It was staggering to see the two launch lines perform up to 125 launches (with relaunches), seconds apart and all within usually 45 minutes.

To go on the XC course line there are start gates every 15 minutes. This times pilots and helps to keep gaggles together. If you make goal, the time it took is of ultimate importance. If you don't make goal your distance on course earns the points. Fred and I tried to leave with the first gate so we could maybe thermal once or twice with the "big boys" before they'd speed off.

There were five valid task days - two days called because of conditions. As always, the fastest hang glider pilot in the world took first place: Manfred Ruhmer. 2nd Gerolf Heinrich, 3rd Tomas Suchanek, and 4th Paris Williams on the new Wills Wing curved tip glider, the Talon.

So, how did we do? The top 20 plus slots consisted literally of the best hang glider pilots in the world. There was stunning skills and experience represented. So, considering the consummate pilots competing. . . we did okay. The second task day I made goal, which felt awesome (okay, so the task was under challenged. 54 of 76 flex wings made that goal). I have no doubt Fred would have made goal that day also but he had GPS problems at the gate. Another task day Fred landed under 8 miles from goal after flying 60 miles, fighting a crosswind for about 45 miles.

I came in 55 out of 76. Fred 63 (the last day he had three weaklink breaks!). In six days (one practice) I flew 275.5 miles, 18 hours, longest flight 79 miles. Fred flew 221 miles, 14 plus hours, longest flight 76 miles. BooWa.

Obviously, racing is totally new to us so we prioritized to stay in the air, get distance, and fly with as many gaggles as possible to learn from them. What shot me down was the cross/upwind legs. We're lazy XC pilots here just cruising downwind, so my weakness in not skillfully working the cross/upwind sections well was evident.

We owe tremendous gratitude to Dennis and Claire Pagen. They mentored us both before and throughout the comp and were fantastically helpful.

Raean

Norm P, Tom C, Gerry J, Craig B, Miles

A beautiful day to view New Jersey from above. Forty five minutes for me, all between release height (3K) and 500'. Others got hour+ flights and 5K+.

Judy

Nice thermal flying at 501 tuesday evening. Tom G. launched just a little early and sledded to the horse/egg farm, but with Bob in hot pursuit was retrieved and back on launch setting up his glider just as conditions starting turning on. I launched around 5:45 and went up easily to around 150' over. I caught a thermal in the launch slot and work it to 500' over thinking this was the beginning of evening magic. But the magic never materialized like it usually does, there was a pretty good west cross so maybe that had something to do with it. Bob launched next and was stuck just above the trees as I was soon to be. We scratched for awhile in some less than desirable conditions just trying to hang on for the next cycle to come through. Finally we found one over the rock pile which was a beauty! Nice and big enough for both of us. It was smooth, warm, fuzzy, stinky, smokey, just a beautiful thermal that took me to 1550' and Bob to 1700'. We boated for awhile and watched Tom launch. I flew back over luanch and headed out to land at 501. I was only on the ground for 2 minutes when a nice elderly couple stopped by and drove us back up to launch to get the vehicles. The rest of the evening was spent leisurely breaking the gliders down over some Honey Browns and great conversation.

Doug.

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This page last updated May 6, 2001