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Hangola March 23 - 30, 2005

Flight Reports

After how many weeks of no flying (not to mention us all not getting too much airtime this winter), Tim takes his first truck tow of the afternoon and just NAILS his SPOT Landing (Again!!!) Wink . I believe he could just sit down on the cone. Tim is becoming quite an example for landing technique.

We got to Steve's about 1 o'clock followed shortly thereafter by Kinsley. We all took our turns on truck tows using Steve W's new $3000 launch dolly. It was somewhat of a struggle finding and staying in lift. I even managed a short-lived low save. It could have been due to the challenge of the sparse lift or because it had been so many weeks since I'd flown, but my two short extendos were two of the most enjoyable flights I'd had.

It looks like Spring is ramping up the flyable days. I plan on getting 'High' on most of them.

Rance

When I first heard of the icaro relax, I thought gee... a single surface glider with curvy tips... What a freakin gimmick! It seemed like something out of the Sharper Image catalog. Overpriced status symbol garbage. I mean really... a single surface glider is a single surface glider is a single surface glider right? They're easy to setup, easy to fly and easy to land. They're all about having fun flying. Don't give me all the extra crap, just let me at the fun!

So a glider with curvy tips just seemed wrong. Come on man, what's with the extra setup pains? This is a single surface glider, it's supposed to be easy. It seemed like Icaro just didn't get it. Suffice to say, I was a little skeptical.

But then every single person I talked to absolutely RAVED about this glider. I mean EVERYONE. Over and over and over I heard "the sweetest handling glider I've ever flown". Really... gee, an easy to fly single surface glider, what a shock right? We've got one here at Quest, so I figured I'd get around to flying it sometime. That sometime wound up being today.

First I have to apologise up front. I'm about to sound like one of those people I've been talking about. I expected an easy to fly glider and all, but OH MY F*#$ING GOD! Seriously, it's freakin retarded! I've flown some easy gliders. I've flown some sweetass handling gliders, and I can tell you there ain't nothin on the market today that handles THAT nice! There's nothing close.

A really sweet handling glider still feels like a hang glider. You know you're up there and it's just an extension of you right? You're in tune with it. Well, the relax doesn't feel that way. You're not "in tune" with it... heck, it's not even there. It doesn't feel like a hang glider. It doesn't feel like anything.... you forget about the glider completely. I felt like freaking superman, just blazing around the sky. (Ok, maybe not blazing, but you get the point).

The tow was amazing. You want that superman feeling? Tow a relax. Tow it off the shoulders... you heard me... off the shoulders. It's freaky. People commented that as I came out of the cart, I sorta looked down at the basetube, gave a "hunh?" look then an "uh, ok", stuck my hands in the middle of the speedbar and planted it sqaurely under my parachute. That's all folks. That's the tow. No fuss, no muss and very little bar preassure. I'm telling you, this thing is retarded.

No input was necessary on tow. None. Turns? It just followed the tug. Not like "I can barely tell I'm putting in inputs" kinda following the tug, I mean one hand on the center of the basetube just to keep it under my chute kinda towing. F-a-r-e-e-k-y

Off tow was the same story. The sweetest handling glider I've ever flown. Don't take my word for it... do yourself a favor and go fly one. I think Steve Went has one.

Jim

Yesterday, I finally received my ATOS VX. I have been waiting anxiously, like a five year old for Christmas to get my hands on this thing. It was cloudy with zero lift but that seemed fine with me. I just wanted to see if I could still tow and fly it and smooth air was just great! Only problem was there was also zero wind.

Got another ATOS pilot to help me set it up and got Davis Straub to help with a pre-flight. Then I sat and tried to will the wind to pick up. Well, I have very little influence with the weather gods so eventually I decided to show some kahonas and give it a go. Wrong move!!!! Launch and flight were totally perfect as I might have suspected in these conditions. This is a sweeeeet glider and I think I'm going to like it a bunch...... but the landing pretty much sucked. I had been told that to land these things, you pretty much just slowed them down and run it out. That probably works better if you get the flaps all the way on. Some how I managed to only get them about half on and my groundspeed was correspondingly fast. REALLY FAST!!!! Anyway, glider and pilot are fine and I bet I get those damn flaps full on next time. Think I might try an "old fashioned flare" too.

I'll give a better pilot report after I've put a few hours on it.

Happy flying,

Paul

Went to Blue Hill today, our local training hill, for a little excercise in the melting slop. Because of all the slush and mud, I decided to take my old beater Allegra and spare my Summit 2 from getting wet and dirty.

Although the cast was for ESE to SE in the afternoon, when I got there it was WSW to calm. I figured that if I hiked to the top that conditions might get better as the day goes on. Unfortunately, the winds didn't cooperate and it never did straighten out.

The top was covered with melting snow banks and little running streams. I layed out as best I could, but I just couldn't get the glider up due to the light cross winds. Every time I pulled up the glider would flop off to one side or the other.

A few days before I had come up and encountered similar conditions, and hiked back down--nearly breaking my neck on the descent when slipping in the deep snow/slush. So, I was a little more determined than usual to avoid having to hike off. I figured if I could just get off I might get lucky enough to glide back to the parking lot.

I finally got an OK cycle--almost 90 cross, but I started from the east corner of launch so it worked out. I made one pass to the west maintaining launch level, and when I turned out in front of launch I headed to the field immediately below launch. About half way across the upper bench I hit a bump--and a quick mental calculation confirmed I probably had enough room to do a 360. Well, I gained enough to be able to do another 360, but I was already at the edge of the field and had to decide whether to go with one more or not--figured what the heck, I think I had enough to pull out and land.

But I gained more, and started getting some breathing room--and eventually took that thermal to 2,500 over--3,400 msl. I couldn't believe it--a training hill on the ocean in winter conditions on a stable blue day.

Well, as far as I know nobody had ever got that high there--nor tried going xc--so off I went. Things didn't look very promising to the NE--nothing but bare trees and frozen bogs, so I decided to try tracking straight east along rte 1. Got another thermal over the gravel pit operation near the town dump, but only topped that one at 2,700 msl. I started a long pucker glide towards the town of Surry--but I started sinking fast over the ocean of trees, so I chickened out and turned back to the west to land at a construction equipment business for just over 4 miles.

OK--not much of a flight distance-wise, but a real opener for what is possible even in what we may normally think of as a site impossible to get up and go from. Hopefully a sign of good things to come for flying in Maine this year.

Marc

In a message dated 3/26/2005 8:48:12 P.M. steven_kinsley writes:
> Are you supposed to be able to run at the full flap stall speed? Do you know what that is?

Book says it's around 19 mph, similar to my Litespeed and no, I can't even get close.

> Or Is landing it based on the theory that by running you are unweighting the glider and therefore the stall speed goes way down?

This is the way it's been explained to me but I have my doubts. I think in no wind conditions I'm going to have to have good, basic landing skills including good flare timing and possibly running a few steps, too. After the storms passed today I tried a couple more flights. The first (with a light head wind) worked pretty well but by the time I launched again the wind had really laid down and I had another wack. VERY embarassing!!! It [b]IS pretty cool to cruise around and only loose about 130 feet per minute. Still haven't flown it in soarable conditions. Maybe tomorrow?

Paul

I taught a class at Oregon Ridge where the wind was it's usual cross from the SE (right) most of the time but OK some of the time. Had 4 first timers and two experienced students. The experienced students (Chris D, and Chris A.) got nice flights and all the first timers got some decent fligths. Richard was teaching earlier but left by 2:00.

john middleton

The wind was perfect at Bills, but unfortunately the visibility was less than 50 feet. We did a bit of exploring and scouted a SE-facing site.

'Spark

Great turn out for the 501 Work Party. Big Thank You to all that showed up! Llyod was already wackin away when Pat & I got there a little before 10 Am . Then everyone came shortly after. Doug, Shawn, Bob B, Keith O, John Hope, Ken Church, Tom (Thanks for makin the Sock) Gartland, Jesse, Christian, Pat, Llyod & myself all made it. I think we where done b4 3Pm & on the way to the Keystone. For them that couldn't make it we have more sites so everyone will get a chance. It was a great turn out for short notice & a non flyin day. But I did get 40ft above Doug for at least 20 min. Great job everyone & thanks again. Sorry if I missed anybody !

Gary ( I'm really glad I didn't say I was buyin the beer) Cargen

It was easily soarable, strong at times, and predominately very smooth. I launched at 3 and headed North, Steve Kinsley observed and launched soon after. I was very conservative with altitude and made slow progress at 8-13 over, rarely finding thermals and with a few manageable penetration episodes. I met Steve at the point at around 4:15 and we flew near the ridge's end for a few minutes, and then Steve suggested that we exercise our best-case day's option and X-C the day and call on Joe Schad.

We had many fields to choose from as we made slow progress getting out. Steve crossed to West of the river and bridge road, I finished this my first X-C on the East side in the big field by the new log house.

Joe, paint-speckled from respectable and gainful work but nonetheless exceptionally gracious, picked us up and took us home for Sam Adams, Doritos, and Zelda's wonderful turkey pot pie, then he drove us to the primary LZ.

We came upon Adam and Hubble as they were breaking down. They had arrived soon after Steve launched and they also had good flights.

Thank you, Steve, for your observations, formal and otherwise, and Joe and Zelda for your gracious hospitality.

--Wesley

Mill Point is a full-fledged construction site, and is no longer a training hill.

The top of the hill is excavated for foundations and has several large piles of dirt and boulders. No grass The slope of the hill is cut in two places for roads. It has three areas still grass-covered. 100 yards upwind in the center of the field, one home is stick-framed and ready for roof trusses, another foundation just downwind of it has floor joists ready for sheeting. It will be framed in two weeks. In front of the ridge are various and sundry piles of construction supplies, heavy equipment and interesting obstacles. There are two remaining HG-landable areas.

Because I was told by the project manager that I could continue to fly there, I am planning to squeeze every remaining air-nanosecond possible.

I flew PG from 5pm until sunset, kiting and working my way to the top of a 5' dirt pile, launching during a stronger cycle (6 to 9 mph) and soaring 100' down the ridge, top landing, reversing direction and repeating - 6 cycles in all. I ended the day kiting on top until the wind began to die, then flying down and landing next to the foundation where the workers were pounding nails. All the workers and passers by seemed friendly and waved hello.

I plan to be back tomorrow afternoon and every time I can. I am crossing my fingers for one more HG-soarable day.

Death and taxes ...

'Spark

Tuesday. Low inversion, winds averaging perhaps ten with higher gusts, from the west, a bad direction. High pressure system. Combined, they made bad juju. The early flyers exhibited weak link breaks and bad landings. The lift was marginal, too. However, Ron stayed up, and towed well, so exceptions existed. Paul elected to wait until conditions mellowed before flying his new ship. It looked like a glider parking lot down by the launch area. I got stupid and a little unlucky, when I decided I could handle it.

I could feel a huge gust hit right as I came off the cart. Uh oh. I was right behind the tug at maybe 100 feet when my link broke. (Kev said yesterday the weak link might have also broken because of the very powerful tug, which throttled back yesterday.) My glider stalled severely and fell off very hard to the left. Look, Mom, I can do aerobatics! By the time I regained flying speed I was aimed at the trees with a crossing tail. Really not funny. I turned hard right and missed the trees but impacted the ground hard with the left corner of my control frame. I got thrashed by that nasty rotor behind them, and my wings were never level.

Well. I crumpled Griffin's downtube, and none were in stock. Malcolm (Wallaby's owner) was nice but didn't have any either. Turns out Bob went to heroic measures and MADE a downtube to fit Griffin, which he installed with Paul yesterday morning, before I arrived. But in the process of repairing it they found the corner bracket had crushed the tang, making it un-airworthy. So I have to wait for new side wires to arrive. Me? My arm is bruised from hitting the side wires and breaking the downtube, but I am fine. Thank goodness for those calcium pills!

Don't think I haven't analyzed this to death. My attempt at humor does not imply being cavalier. The bottom line is I need to listen to my instincts and keep my ego out of the package. On the other hand, stuff does sometimes happen. Even if conditions are within your skill level. The reward to risk ratio wasn't good for Tuesday, though, for me. Besides being smarter, I need to increase my skill by flying as much as possible and understanding my glider's responses better at altitude, so I can control problems more dynamically and instinctively, so that when everything does goes wrong my odds are better.

I rented a 170 Falcon yesterday, all ragged out. It was really fun to fly it. I needed to get right back into the air again. I was nervous as sh** off the cart, but winds were L and V and conditions benign. I flew her for an hour and didn't even run from the gaggles. Kev says my most important thing to remember about competing is to FOLLOW the other pilots. Run TO them.

It also really helped me today to remember what he says about flying, how it shouldn't wear you out at all, that you should be in a really non-defensive pose, feeling the air. I thought I did better with this but I was flying the easiest ship in the world and it wasn't rocking conditions, so who knows!

The gaggles were kinda a mess with the light lift but mostly everyone was very well behaved. The exception was one dyslexic who flew to the right while everyone else circled left! He also flew at me at one point, and flew right through the center once. I think he had no clue what he was doing but I learned quickly to watch for his glider and stay away from it. Hey, there was even a baby trike thermaling with our group once. None of us got very high. I think the best was 3500 but I didn't see it. 2999 was my top.

When I bailed for the airport I learned the Falcon has a glide like a concrete block. I thought I was being conservative but I had it about right. Have to admit I thought I was going to deck it when I found a low thermal. I was very happy for a few minutes until everyone else in the sky rushed over to join me again. Anyhow, the Falcon was fun, so easy. Paul flew his new ship 3 1/2 hours... talk about getting your butt kicked, he kicked mine!

I had to run out the landing because I am not used to having no energy retention whatsoever. I kinda pushed up a little, waiting for the Falcon to settle... and nothing happened. By the time it dawned on me that I'd better flare it was LATE but at least I didn't set down the frame or beak it. I did a good imitation of Forest Gump though (run Forest, run!!!).

Misty is bringing me her never-been-flown-high Falcon for me today, also a 170. Useable lift is only predicted to be 1000 feet so it is too butt-clenching for XC. But she is so nice she told me I could do whatever I wanted with it.

Oh, and I bummed a ride with Rhett in his Dragonfly yesterday evening. He was so nice, and he actually ended up teaching me some. I haven't flown a plane in a long time and, uh, kinda overbanked a few times. He said I scared him at first. Great. The guy who can do 40 spins with the horizon level, and I can make him tremble. But I got better as we went. Fun. Much better than Tuesday.

Lauren

Jack's was a day of learning! #1)A hang3 is just a hang2 without an observer!
#2) Listen to them who know! #3) The only person dumber than a wind dumy is the guy who launches right after the wind dumy sinks out! Ha Ha !! Shawn said I should take a early flight that would be a sled for a warm up & he would come get me! I figured I would wait till it was soarable & only fly once. Then TR told me it would turn on around 4. So of course I launched at 3:30 scratched & sunkout.

Gary (live & learn) Cargen

Norm writes:
so did it turn on around 4?

Gary says:
Yep!! By 4:20 TR, T-Bone & Dave where a few hundered above launch & climbing! Gary & Shawn were in the LZ breaking down to get back up to relaunch. I helped Shawn launch but decided not to launch so I could get a jump on the ride home! Another bad idea . after I helped Shawn launch I wished I would have set up & launched also. I could have got a 45 min flight!

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This page last updated April 1, 2005