Oz Report

Tue, Aug 6 2002, 6:00:00 pm EDT

US Open – Jim Lee and Campbell Bowen make goal

Bubba Goodman|dust devil|Gary Osoba|Glen Volk|Jim Lee|Kari Castle|Mike Degtoff|photo|Rich Burton|Timothy Ettridge|US Open

Bubba Goodman|dust devil|Gary Osoba|Glen Volk|Jim Lee|John "Ole" Olson|Kari Castle|Mike Degtoff|photo|Rich Burton|Timothy Ettridge|US Open

(?-i)John "Ole" Olson|Bubba Goodman|dust devil|Gary Osoba|Glen Volk|Jim Lee|Kari Castle|Mike Degtoff|photo|Rich Burton|Timothy Ettridge|US Open

Bubba Goodman|Campbell Bowen|dust devil|Gary Osoba|Glen Volk|Jim Lee|Kari Castle|Mike Degtoff|photo|Rich Burton|Timothy Ettridge|US Open

www.flytec.com

The results were up at 7:07 PM.

Great day here in Big Spring.  While the local forecast doesn’t mention anything about clouds, the FSL modeled sounding tells me that it will over develop.  Hmmm?  Who to believe?  I usually go with the FSL modeled data.

The predictions for the winds are for more of an east component, but its been east or east southeast for the last two days at least, so it seems like it will stay the same at about 10 mph.  Cloud base predicted to be 9,000’, a little lower than previous days, but at the bottom of isolated towering cu’s perhaps.

The cu’s start forming along the slight north south ridge line that runs through town at 10:30 AM, so we are going to have clouds again.  Soon the sky is full and it is beginning to over development.

The task committee has called a 75 mile triangle to the south west of town.  We are looking for a three hour task and with the increasing clouds it looks like it might be longer.  The last leg is 20 miles into a 10 mph head wind.

There are big clouds all around the airport as we approach the 12:30 PMlaunch window opening time.  They are shading the ground for a few miles all around and we get a few drops.  The safety committee is meeting to determine whether to call the day or have the task committee go with the secondary task to the north.  We decide not to change the task and the safety committee doesn’t see anything dangerous.

Bo is off first and I’m right behind him.  Enough of this waiting around to launch later.  I want the early start time and I want away from the airport.

Rhett drops me off over a tiny patch of sunlight a mile and a half from the launch.  I work 0 until I finally find enough to start rising.  Campbell, Mike Degtoff, and Jim Lee come join me and we slowly climb up over the shadows to 7,300’.

We’ve got to stay up long enough to let the start gate open at 1:30, and not drift further than 3 miles from the airport – the start circle radius for the day.  The task committee tightened up the radius hoping to get more pilots together for the start.

I’m loving the thermals as there is little to no turbulence and very light sink in between any lift that we happen to find.  This will remain true for most of the day.  This is so much different than the first two days where it was up and down strong.  Light lift – light sink.  Even when we find good lift, the sink is still quite manageable.  The high clouds are really mellowing everything out.

Campbell and Bo head off to the east side of the dark cloud over the airport while Jim, Rich Burton, and I hang near the 3 mile limit due to the west in the 10 mph east wind.  We can’t get to cloud base at 8,500’, but we’re not losing anything.  Other pilots are being towed out for 3 miles to us and dropped off in the only sunny area near the airport.  Many pilots will not get up and not make a start for the day.

A dozen or so pilots take the 1:30 Pmstart time in an effort to get away from the airport.  There is some rain in the vicinity so it is time to get out and come back later gliding into goal, hopefully.  Bo, Bubba and Campbell come from behind the clouds and get into the front.  Jim, Rich, and I plus a few lower guys catch them about ¼ of the way to the first turnpoint 25 miles to the south southwest.

There are high clouds covering over the lower cu’s and cutting off their over development.  That means that there are plenty of large shaded areas, but under the cu’s we find lift.

The lift is the least turbulent that we have experienced here in Big Spring.  I am loving it and not missing not having a tail.  The control bar is not hunting around and I’m not being tossed around in lift.  I’m loving flying and it’s great to be with all my friends in the friendly air.

We race toward the first turnpoint with Bo and Campbell in the lead.  I’m right behind with Jim Lee to my side and back a bit.  Rich, and then Mark P., plus a few flex wing pilots are here with us.

Just before the first turnpoint we have to go through rain under a cloud to get to the good lift on the southern side.  The rain isn’t a burden (I hear Jim Lee put soap on his leading edge), and there is good lift even in the rain.

I’m just behind Campbell and Bo as we make the first turnpoint high at about 8,300’. Bo veers off to the right o work something and Capmbell goes straight on the course line.  I go with Campbell.  But then a minute later he heads off at 90 degrees to the course line to some clouds way off downwind.  I’m on my own heading for some sun and good looking clouds five miles out to the west of the course line.  The others hug the course line heading toward

With Campbell way off to my left/west and the other pilots near me and a bit behind to my east/right I find a strong thermal just southwest of Stanton that gets me plenty high so that I can dive into the sun and under good looking cu’s just north of town.

I hook up with Jim Lee again there, Glen Volk is just over our heads as is Mark P. There are dust devils below, so it is a fast climb as we head toward the second turnpoint to the north.

There I’ll hook up with Glen, Rich, Jim, Mark P. and another flex wing.  Campbell Bowen will come in low beneath us just as we leave after climbing back to over 8,000 at the turnpoint.  We are still the first gaggle and now we are pushing into a 10 mph head wind.

To our right is an overcast sky, no doubt made that way from blow off from cu nimbs way to the south.  We haven’t come near any rain for a while, but earlier we saw wet ground from earlier rains, hard to say just when they happened.

To our left a blue hole is forming due to the shading of the high clouds to our right.  There are very few cu’s on the course line, and those that are in the sky and reachable are way off the course line to the north.

Mark P. is out in front.  I’m right behind him with Rich back a ways.  Glen is nearby and Jim is still climbing back at the turnpoint.  Mark P. finds a bit of lift and works it as I press ahead off toward the left to the north to go to the nice cu’s looking cu’s that seem to be forming out in the blue hole miles away from the course line.

I’m on my own, out in front and running away from the course line heading for the cu’s. I get under three different cu’s but I don’t find enough to turn in. I turn tail and go directly downwind for the last good looking cu, try for lift over a dry lake bed and don’t find it. I land 13 miles short.

Later Jim Lee will come in low over my head and continue downwind even further and find a solid 600 fpm from 500’. This and a line of cu’s straight to goal will get him in first to goal and the only flex wing to make it.

Glen, Mark P., Rich, Bo and others will stick to the course line and not find any lift after the thermal at 2 miles past the last turnpoint.  They will all land within a few miles of me but by the highway.

Campbell who is not adverse to going way off the course line to get under clouds, will do as Jim did, go way to the north, get under the cu’s, get up and make it to goal as the only rigid at goal.  This will put Campbellin the lead in rigids.

Many pilots landed short of the second turnpoint and many didn’t get going at all.  That reduced the validity of the flex wing contest to 740 points.  The rigids got enough folks away so that Campbellgot a full 100 points.

Kari Castle ready to launch on the first day at Big Spring

Gary Osoba helps out Rich Burton on the Stratos on the first day.

The wireless network at headquarters

The peanut gallery waiting for pilots to cross goal on day three

Photos by Timothy Ettridge.

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George Ferris⁣’s flight on day two

Tue, Aug 6 2002, 6:00:01 pm EDT

George Ferris

George Ferris|John "Ole" Olson

(?-i)John "Ole" Olson|George Ferris

George Ferris

This is the track log from Compe-GPS of George Ferris’ flight on day two here at the US Open.

At first George goes north and not northwest almost getting the last turnpoint (25T) before after a big struggle he finally makes it to the first turnpoint (27T).

He wizzes downwind to the second turnpoint at Cole and doesn’t have too much trouble making it to the last turnpoint at 25 T. Then past this turnpoint he turns around and goes back downwind at least 10 miles in search of a thermal.  When he finds it, he drifts further downwind and away from goal.

He finally gets enough height after another thermal where he can glide into goal (after a short stop) at 8 PM.

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Tue, Aug 6 2002, 6:00:02 pm EDT

ATOS nose catches

Tim Cooper

Felix Rühle «felix» writes to Tim Cooper:

Our design idea was to taper the end of the nose lever fitting.  The main loads there are tensile loads.  The stress concentration on the bolt is less with the tapered nut (fitting) which can have the result of higher dynamical strength (during flight the loads there are very small with small changes). We measured this with strain gauges at the test vehicle.

As far as I know a tapered nut works well with steel/steel construction.  Do you think the 1.5 /2*D rule works for a tapered design as well?  If the angle normal to the thread is not 90° which angle is favourable and which is critical?

At the first look I have two ideas how the cracks occur.  The lever manufacturer explained to me that it was possible in the very first fitting because when making the thread the fitting was not centred which caused high loads to the edge of the thread causing preedamage.  This fitting were selected and not delivered.  Later on the manufacturing process was changed with less tapering and little more material at the end of the thread and an exact facility.

On crashed gliders I have sometimes (mostly not) seen a crack there, but not with the slightly modified fittings.

In a crash higher bending moments can occur which can cause a damage there.

I really would appreciate to get some comments on this item.  Thanks in advance.

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Tue, Aug 6 2002, 6:00:03 pm EDT

No V-tail yet

The V-tails have arrived in Houston.  They came over the weekend, but there was no way for the broker to get a hold of us as there wasn’t a phone number on the package or invoice.  The V-tails are now stuck in customs, and we are trying to work it out so that they can get here to Big Spring ASAP.

Shoulda kept the one I had.

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Tue, Aug 6 2002, 6:00:04 pm EDT

Rumors – two flex wing pilot deaths

Two flex wing pilots have died in the last week.  One was killed at Ed Levin in northern California– the Bay Area.  The other was killed at Elsinorewhen his WW Ram Air tucked.

The pilot killed at Ed Levin apparently died while in the med-a-vac helicopter.  The pilot at Elsinorebled to death from broken legs.  He apparently threw his chute from low and it didn’t open.

More tucks and tumbles in flex wings?

I don’t have the full stories are and just pieced these together from what pilots have told me here at the US Open.  I continue to hold on tight (as though it did any good).

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