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Hangola June 24, 1999

Hi everyone,

I got a chance to fly at highland last Thursday afternoon for the first time. (I've been busy since then. Currently, I'm in Waterloo, NY on tour with the band for 12 days.) I was a little nervous about flying since I hadn't towed since last summer and my glider had a right turn in it the last time I flew. Sunny was great. He helped me adjust the tips and had Adam take a test flight in it. The turn was corrected and I was ready to go. I was not looking forward to the massive bar pressure I've experienced in the past. Although winds were forecast to be out of the Southeast, they were pretty consistently out of the Southwest at 5-10. Takeoff proceeded fine and I prepared for the bar pressure, but to my surprise, it never materialized. I actually had to push out somewhat to maintain proper position! I couldn't believe how slowly Chad could fly that tug. The air was quite rowdy on the way up to 2500'. After releasing, I couldn't find much to work with. I worked my way over to the NW end of the field and set up my approach.I flew parallel to the runway going SE with the intent of turning to the SW to land by the windsock as everyone else had done. I thought I was a little high and pulled in a little more to drop some altitude. Then, as I got closer I realized I had lost too much altitude to make the windsock and the wind had switched to the WNW. I decided to continue straight ahead and land. I was concerned about stalling, so I flared too soon and popped up about 7 feet( I guess), held it, and parachuted down . I came down hard on my right foot and bent my left downtube with my shoulder. Sonny commented to me that I made the best choice considering the situation. In retrospect, I would have rolled in on the wheels. They asked if I had a spare downtube with me and I was glad I didn't. I was happy to have had a good towing experience after a year off. Also, my ankle was sore. I'm looking forward to getting back there soon. It's a really nice operation. As I packed up, some cumi's finally materialized over the field and Adam launched and skied out. I'm curious how the guys did (Adam, Geoff, and another pilot I didn't know from PA). Driving home, my ankle began to hurt worse, so I stopped by the emergency room at Fort Meade. Doc said my heel was bruised and told me to stay off of it for two weeks. So, here I am on the road, travelling to a different city everyday, on crutches. It really sucks! To top it off, I got poison ivy on both ankles. Well, at least I'm not missing out on any flying! See you all after July 7th. Anyone curious where I'm going this tour can see our itinerary at:

http://www.mdw.army.mil/fband/schedule/schedja.htm

Take care,
Mike Buckley

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This page last updated June 30, 1999