Wills Wing
Flytec

Oz Report

Volume 5, Number 177
11 pm, Sunday, October 7 2001

https://OzReport.com
"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
Sun, Oct 7 2001, 4:00:00 pm EDT

to Table of Contentsto next topic Where is he now?

Dave Sharp «Flysharp1» writes:

Al Whitesal bought a big home in Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Showed up at Moriarty with a DG 400 motor glider.

(editor's note: That's what happened to those Millennium owners.  Just like Ramy.J)

Discuss "Where is he now?" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sun, Oct 7 2001, 4:00:01 pm EDT

to Table of Contentsto next topic Making the Climax

Rob Hibberd

Rob Hibberd «RobH» at Airborne writes:

Pilots may find the way we manufacture the control-frame parts interesting.  The frame is the streamlined option for the Climax.  The corner fittings are cut at the factory on our CNC milling machine.  The miller carries up to 20 tools on a rotary changer.  Once programmed the miller can use any of its 4-axis capability to shape almost any metallic, plastic or timber material.  It can change tools automatically and drill and tap as part of the program.  Once the job is loaded the doors of the machine are closed and the operator can walk away while the machine follows the computer code and completes the job.

 

The streamlined down tube fittings are a particularly complicated design as they reduce in width and are a faired radius.  They are made in two operations.  The total time to machine a complete set of fittings (4 sections) is 2 hours.  I've never seen a "Programming CNC for Dummies Guide" and so it's out of my league, but I have to give fellow partner Paul Mollison a wrap, because he wrote the 75,000 lines of code that it takes to make the fitting.  That's not counting the code to make the jigs that hold the job in place.

 

Some Climax centre sections in the foreground, and a shot of other fittings that we make on the miller.

Paul Mollison«Mollo»writes in response to my questions about the CNC programming:

The original design was done in one package as a 3D solid model.  In an ideal world there is an associative link between the design model and that used in the CAM package and a design change is automatically reflected (within limits) within the final code.

Unfortunately the tools that we had available did not support this and it was necessary to export the data from the CAD package to a separate CAM package for each of the four different knuckles at each of the various stages (orientations) in the machining processes.  As a result of all this we ended up with more than 30 CAM models for the complete set of knuckles.  The codes from these models was then patched together to form the final machine programs (of which there are five).

As we had not used either the CAD package of the CAM package prior to this exercise the learning curve was somewhat hefty.

So once we had juggled all this data we then has a proto type set of knuckles ready for the next design iteration.

A few design iterations latter we had a final pre production set.  The machining time for the code as it now stood was such that the project was of doubtful viability.  (Due in part to limits within the CNC machine controller.) A revised machining strategy swerving around these limitations (adding an extra 20 CAM models to the process), all new code, and a new set of jigs finally resulted in a production process.

What Rob should have said is "It requires more that 75,000 tool movements to produce one set of knuckles".

It is not possible to make the parts in a single setup in a four-axis machine.  There are 5 setups required for a complete set of four knuckles.  This requires the operator put new blocks or previously machined parts into the machine for each setup.

Discuss "Making the Climax" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sun, Oct 7 2001, 4:00:02 pm EDT

to Table of Contentsto next topic Low and slow

Aaron Swepston

Aaron Swepston|Tryg Hoff

Recently there was a good exchange of thoughts on slow approaches and landings on the Cloud Base Country Club mailing list:

Aaron Swepston «tontar» wrote:

The reason for sending this along is not to point out any particular pilots, but rather to point out a recurring problem that pilots seem to have all over the country and all over the world.  The too slow approach.

One reason that pilots MIGHT think that they are coming in with plenty of speed could be the ground rush perception.  At 1,000 feet, the ground barely seems to move beneath us, but as we get progressively closer, the ground "appears" to move faster and faster, even if we ourselves begin to fly slower and slower.  It is an optical illusion that speed is increasing as we approach the ground.

Now, consider that many pilots do not fly their approach with any great degree of excess speed, or speed above trim speed.  Combine that with an optical perception that the ground is going faster and faster as the pilot gets closer and closer, and you have a perfect recipe for a pilot to believe that they are actually accelerating as they go through their final leg, and that perception gives them the subconscious (or conscious, as I have seen in some pilots) excuse to start slowing down.  They slow down to maintain the "appearance" of a consistent speed as they descend, to the point where they are far too slow when they reach the ground, and definitely at the time that a flare should take place.

This may not be the one and only reason that pilots do this over and over again, but it seems to be at least one popular reasons that some are consistently too slow to flare.  Speed seems wrong when the optical experience of the entire flight has been one of virtually snail pace ground movement.

Tryg Hoff«HOFT235»responds:

This is THE most common problem in landing.  I see too many pilots pushing further and further out as they near the ground then they whack.  Why?  the glider finally stalls and they no longer have any flair authority because they're already pushed out.  The result in inevitable.

A solution: Keep your head between the downtubes on approach.  This does two things.  1. It gives you a common reference for where the control bar should be. 2. In insures you are maintaining adequate flying speed all the way to the ground and you will have enough flair authority when you get into ground effect and do your round out.

This solution has worked for everyone I have suggested it to. It also maintains a safe speed for approach unlike the hotdogs that like to come in hot.  Sometimes these guys loose their teeth in the process;-)

A lot can be learned in the Hang Gliding community from just watching airplanes land.  A controlled, stable approach with adequate speed is best.

Aaron Swepston«tontar»writes:

There's no question that the biggest problem with whacks is that the pilot will start pushing out gradually before flare to the point where they are actually mushing the root area of the glider, and then they have only a few inches more that they are capable of pushing out beyond that.  The technical analysis is in the can, it's already a known quantity.  The unknown is WHY the pilots do it in the first place.  Why they want to actually slow the glider down below trim speed.  Trim speed is an aerodynamic quantity that has nothing to do with any visual reference of the ground.  The glider will "want" to be flared from trim speed, not from some ground speed reference that can have the actual airspeed varying by huge amounts.

In a wind, the ground speed can be almost nothing, but the "airspeed" is still up there at or above trim.  In no wind, or even downwind, the ground speed can be horrendous, while the "airspeed" is or should be still up there at trim.  But to make the ground speed look better when there is less wind, pilots will push out until the glider is flying below trim, and until the ground speed "looks" better.  Problem is, looking for that comfortable ground speed is exactly what will force them into the ground a lot harder than they would prefer to!

My advice is always the same.  Come in with excess speed.  That means with the hands on the front of the basetube or downtubes, pulling in with some pressure.  Once down to the ground, level off, don't balloon up, but level off.  Speed should still be higher than trim, meaning the hands should still be putting pressure on the front of the tubes.  As the speed dissipates, the pressure is relaxed, then the hands gravitate to the back of the tubes.  As the hands subconsciously want to push on the back of the tubes to slow the glider down, take over, don't be a passenger, or a victim to automatic hand movement!  When you feel your hands wanting to push out even a bit to slow down, push out to a full flare.

Giving up your pilot in command status at the end of the final, allowing some subconscious entity to push on those downtubes to slow you down, is crazy.  Be in charge, be the pilot in command, do NOT allow anything or anyone to push that bar out on you to slow it down.  Flare from trim, and you will get a decent rotation for the glider to stop.

Whenever I see the arms slowly pushing out to slow down, I think "passenger" and expect a whack.

Discuss "Low and slow" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sun, Oct 7 2001, 4:00:03 pm EDT

to Table of Contentsto next topic The Earth at Night

Turn off those lights!

 

Discuss "The Earth at Night" at the Oz Report forum   link»

to Table of Contentsto next topic Pilots – sailplane and hang glider

Sun, Oct 7 2001, 8:00:04 pm GMT

Jules Gilpatrick|Nick Kennedy|Russ Locke|sailplane|tow|World Record Encampment 2001|XC

Nick Kennedy «nkavalancheranch» a Telluride, Colorado pilot who put on a number of Colorado hang gliding contests, including the nationals, writes:

Here is my spin and perspective on what going on out there after 7 years of private sailplaning, 4 years of commercial sailplaning, and 28 years of HG. Here in Telluride about half the sailplane club is also made up of ex and active HG pilots.  I've sailplaned now in NZ Austria, Switzerland, Oz and of course all over the western US. Matter of fact, our club and I leave tomorrow for a week in Parowan, UT. I've flown in three HG contests this year and have logged 192 hrs sailplaning at seven sites, this year.  Here's what the deal is, in the western US:

1. Pilots just as Russ Locke are burned out on driving for hours to find the wind is:
a. too strong
b. blowing down
c. no wind
d. too cross and
e: or having a nothing half hour flight after a lot of work and time and money spent to dribble around some site they have been to a hundred times and know every rock and bush!  Boring.

2. HG pilots are tired of getting hurt and banged up from launching and landing in the desert and big mountains and getting pounded in during a wind shift, blown launches launching unhooked etc.  we are also real tired of the constant fatalities of our friends.  Every time I watch my friends launch HG in the west I wonder if they will live through it!

3. HG pilots are tired of being scared to death of: Tumbling, structural failure, gust fronts over development, etc.

4. HG pilots are sick of seeing their gliders and harnesses become about worthless in a couple of years due to rapid design change, UV, crashes, etc.

5. The real world XC potential is so low.  Now ,I'm not talking about hanging out in Zapata for a month of prime time.  I'm talking about the Russ Locke's of the world driving to Slide and trying to go XC.

If Russ had his sailplane act together he could drive to Minden and fly his ever living brains out for 6-7 hours and do 200- 400 miles EZ. This is why so many HG pilots are flying sailplanes.  Safety, low stress, huge XC potential, comfort in a enclosed cockpit.  Even here in Telluride, which is the most difficult airport in the US to Sailplane from we launch 99% of the time we want to fly.  Downwind, xwind, no wind.

And if you look at the cost per hour of sailplaning opposed to HG I think it is not as near as expensive as you think it is. I average about 4.5 hrs in my sailplane here in Telluride.  In my Stealth I average about 1.5 hrs per flight.  In Parowan next week I will average about 6.5 hrs per flight and I will step out of the cockpit tired for sure but not completely wiped out physically.  I bet I won't get scared bad once.

So these are just a few reasons so many HG, especially XC pilots, are and have gone to sailplanes.  The opportunities are really limitless.  Convective summer storms?  We fly right up to them!

I still fly hang gliders in Mexico and Florida, but very little out west.  I, for one, am tired of spending all day for a sled ride.  And I don't know about you but in my HG career, I have really cheated death 5 or 6 times.  BAD Blown launches, getting flipped upside down twice in the Owens, landing going backwards in gust fronts in Colorado, etc.  When I close the canopy in my sailplane I feel good!  I feel like I'm not going out on a limb and the odds of having a great XC flight with my friends is very high.

(editor's note: Just wanted to support Nick on his comments about how sacred one can get flying in the big bad air you can find out west.  I know that it takes a great deal of courage to talk about being scared.)

Jules Gilpatrick «freeflite» writes:

The latest issue of the Oz Report struck home with me, mostly what sounded like veiled realizations of the actual amount of hassle involved to go flying on a hang glider.  I have to admit that the old passion for blowing a whole day to get maybe 2 hours of flying, for me just doesn't seem to be there anymore.

(editor's note: At the moment it is easier for me to get to the sailplane port than to a hang gliding launch.  It is just down the road three or four miles and I can ride my bike to it. I had no thought of flying sailplanes here in Minden.  Wasn't even coming here but for a few days.  Just ended up here near the sailplane port for a couple of months.  Purely an accident.  Thought I would take advantage of this happy accident.  I sure do love to fly.)

I was a sailplane pilot long before I took up hang gliding.  A couple of years ago I bought a Blanik L-23 and a Cessna Agwagon (to tow with) and started sliding back into sailplanes.  Now that I have a trained tow pilot I've been spending most of my time in the Blanik and very little on a hang glider anymore.

It seems that I have so much to do that, despite being retired, I just can't afford the time to get a driver, drive to a launch, set up, hang wait for good launch conditions, finally fly, land, break down and get home.  True, sometimes I can just launch Black Cap and land in my front yard but Black Cap is notorious for mediocre flying conditions when every place else (requiring a driver) is booming.

Anyway, I now find myself out at the airport almost every day now, working on the sailplane or the towplane or flying one or the other.  A tasty flight on my hang glider is still very much appreciated but somehow it seems like a helluva lot more hassle than it used to be…

Maybe its terminal geezeritis but, despite the considerable expense, I seem to be having much more fun with the Blanik and its not near the hassle.

It's also fun to see some old hang gliding buddies who show up occasionally with their sailplanes looking for a tow.  No, we're not the Carson Valley, but the soaring is still pretty good.

Nick «XcNick»writes:

It is so interesting to have you reporting on my world of the last twenty years.  The extra hang glider pilots at Minden I think have to do with word of mouth.  In sailplanes and hang gliders there is much talk about marketing at the lowest level: Take one friend.  Introduce people one at a time.  I have to think a Dan Murphy made the most amount of impact at Minden.  Perhaps the place in Florida doesn't have this kind of link.  It is weird that society can play such an important role in an individual sport.

It sounds like Slide did its magic on the weekend crowd.  They launched early and landed like bottom feeders.  I feel guilty, as I had a four hour, 95 mile flight.  After turning Leviathan I went to McClellan and saw Duck Hill was working better than I have ever seen it. There was a sea of paragliders and hang gliders going back and forth.  I took a minute to bring it to the attention of the pilots on the radio driving back up Slide ;-)

The basic compromise between any launch for sailplanes or hang gliders is between soaring condition and civilization.  Even Minden could be better.  It took me forever to get to the Pine Nuts today.  I would rather drive an extra ten miles and be closer.  Minden is in the perfect spot for the winter, however.  It is the Wave that makes Minden special.  It is something you only have to do once, but you HAVE to do it, even if it is not this trip out.

But anyway, I think the biggest news of the year were the attempts to go to the best places and screw the civilization: your WRE and Tom's trip to Ely, which also produced world records.

NSA as a club is unique because the interface with the members looks more like a cheap FBO (fixed base operator – a store at the airport). There are many hang glider pilots there too.  It was very helpful that Vern didn't look down his nose at hang gliders like many sailplane people have.  This could be what makes the difference in Florida as well.

Most clubs have even cheaper tows and no rental of the plane.  One would think this should be the least expensive.  However as you compare stories listen to what these people have to say.  I am curious how well they work.  I only seem to meet them after they get frustrated with the club and have bought their own sailplane.  I wonder how many just drop out because they spend more time going to meetings than flying.

Discuss "Pilots – sailplane and hang glider" at the Oz Report forum   link»

The Oz Report, a near-daily, world wide hang gliding news ezine, with reports on competitions, pilot rankings, political issues, fly-ins, the latest technology, ultralight sailplanes, reader feedback and anything else from within the global HG community worthy of coverage. Hang gliding, paragliding, hang gliders, paragliders, aerotowing, hang glide, paraglide, platform towing, competitions, fly-ins. Hang gliding and paragliding news from around the world, by Davis Straub.

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