Flytec
Wills Wing

Oz Report

Volume 6, Number 28
11 pm, Saturday, February 9 2002

https://OzReport.com
"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
Sat, Feb 2 2002, 1:00:00 pm EST

to Table of Contentsto next topic New Site record in Santa Barbara

John Greynald|record|USHGA

John Greynald|record|USHGA|World Record Encampment

John Greynald|record|USHGA|World Record Encampment

I have been reading all week about John Greynald’s new site record set in Santa Barbara recently.  John flew in last years WRE and landed just short of 200 miles.  I got to speak to John at the recent USHGA BOD meeting this last weekend and he did mention that he had a bit of a mishap on landing, but he looked in great shape to me.

Tony de Groot «TdeGroot» writes:

I am happy to announce that we have a NEW record in Santa Barbara achieved by non other than John Greynald.  I am waiting for a write up from John and I think he is working on this.  It occurred on a Monday a week and a half ago on one of the coldest days we have had in the last two years.  Thunderstorms were in the forecast and he was almost forced to keep on moving as the people eater over-development chased him and Robert Millington across our local mountains.  It was pretty awesome to go from a coastal site (with snow and hail) all the way into the desert.  The flight was a total of 92 miles and took about 3.5 hours to accomplish.  The first 20 minutes they flew straight under the rapidly developing cloud streets.  John finally landed in or just past Palmdale.  The previous record was in the 70 mile range.

Discuss "New Site record in Santa Barbara" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sat, Feb 2 2002, 1:00:01 pm EST

to Table of Contentsto next topic 2003 World Record Encampment

David Glover|record|World Record Encampment 2003

David Glover|record|World Record Encampment|World Record Encampment 2003

David Glover|record|World Record Encampment|World Record Encampment 2003

The planning continues for the 2003 WRE in Zapata, Texas.  The present plans call for two sessions.  A first session June 8th through 22nd – 15 days, and a second session June 23rd through July 7th also 15 days.  The sessions are timed to allow pilots to attend the World Championships in Chelan starting with two practice days on the 11th (it takes three days to drive from Zapata to Chelan – at least).

Each session will cost pilots about $500 (amount to be determined) which includes all tows.  You’ll want to contact David Glover who will be handling registration this year.  We will be setting up a registration site a bit later this month at www.flytec.com.

For now send an e-mail expressing your interest to David Glover and «davi».

I will have a lot more to say about the upcoming WRE in future issues of the Oz Report.

Discuss "2003 World Record Encampment" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sat, Feb 2 2002, 1:00:02 pm EST

to Table of Contentsto next topic No Texas Meet

USHGA|US Nationals

Gaye Roach has informed the USHGA Competition Committee that she won’t be hosting a sanctioned national level competition in Hearne this year.  She expects to come back next spring to the USHGA BOD and submit a proposal for 2003.

All the top US pilots loved coming to Hearne over the last two years to fly in the great conditions that we’ve experienced at Hearne.  The US Nationals was held at Austin Airsports last year and we couldn’t have been more pleased with the fine organization and flying that took place there.

Discuss "No Texas Meet" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sat, Feb 2 2002, 1:00:03 pm EST

to Table of Contentsto next topic Chelan Cross Country Classic – CIVL/USHGA sanctioned

Chelan Cross Country Classic|CIVL|Florida|record|USHGA|Worlds

Chelan Cross Country Classic|CIVL|Florida|record|USHGA|World Record Encampment|Worlds

Chelan Cross Country Classic|CIVL|Florida|record|USHGA|World Record Encampment|Worlds

The USHGA Competition Committee meeting in Ontario, California over the weekend in conjunction with the Sport Aviation Expo, has sanctioned the Chelan Cross Country Classic as a Category A meet.  This means that it will also be a CIVL Category 2 sanctioned meet also.

The Chelan XC Classic will be held from July 1st through 6th and therefore should also draw interest from top rated world class female and Rigid wing pilots who will be coming to Chelan to attend the Worlds which start on July 11th. This is a great competition in which to learn about the Chelan area.

USHGA sanctioning unfortunately doesn’t mean much when it comes to getting NTSS points and competing against the top national and world ranked pilots.  Last year the Chelan XC Classic was also sanctioned but there were no NTTS points available to the competitors because no ranked competitors attended the Classic.

The question is, will this year be different?  It takes a process of encouraging all the other guys to come also so that the competitions can mean anything.  Pilots who are interested in getting NTTS points need to commit to going and then persuading other pilots to bring their points to the meet.

Chelan can be a great place to fly especially in competition.  I’ve enjoyed flying in the competition for many years and felt really bad when I had to stay in Texas last year at the World Record Encampment.  Given that there will only be two other sanctioned meets in the US this year, both in Florida and both in April, perhaps west coast competition pilots especially should organize themselves to get up to Chelan.  It won’t happen and be worth any points if there isn’t a group effort.

Discuss "Chelan Cross Country Classic – CIVL/USHGA sanctioned" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sat, Feb 2 2002, 1:00:04 pm EST

to Table of Contentsto next topic Other sites for NTSS points

Bubba Goodman|Jim Lee|Mark Dowsett

Bubba Goodman|Jim Lee|Mark Dowsett|Mike Barber

Bubba Goodman|Chris Zimmerman|Jim Lee|Mark Dowsett|Mike Barber

Bo Hagewood|Bubba Goodman|Chris Zimmerman|Jim Lee|Mark Dowsett|Mike Barber

Bo Hagewood|Bubba Goodman|Chris Arai|Chris Zimmerman|Jim Lee|Mark Dowsett|Mike Barber

Bo Hagewood|Bubba Goodman|Chris Arai|Chris Zimmerman|Jim Lee|Mark Bolt|Mark Dowsett|Mike Barber

Bo Hagewood|Bubba Goodman|Chris Arai|Chris Zimmerman|Jim Lee|Kari Castle|Mark Bolt|Mark Dowsett|Mike Barber

Bo Hagewood|Bubba Goodman|Chris Arai|Chris Zimmerman|Gary Davis|Jim Lee|Kari Castle|Mark Bolt|Mark Dowsett|Mike Barber

Bo Hagewood|Bubba Goodman|Chris Arai|Chris Zimmerman|Gary Davis|Jim Lee|Kari Castle|Mark Bolt|Mark Dowsett|Mike Barber|Steve Rewolinski

Bo Hagewood|Bubba Goodman|Chris Arai|Chris Zimmerman|Gary Davis|Jim Lee|Kari Castle|Mark Bolt|Mark Dowsett|Mike Barber|Steve Rewolinski|Wayne Sayer

Bo Hagewood|Bubba Goodman|Chris Arai|Chris Zimmerman|Gary Davis|Glen Volk|Jim Lee|Kari Castle|Mark Bolt|Mark Dowsett|Mike Barber|Steve Rewolinski|Wayne Sayer

Bo Hagewood|Bubba Goodman|Chris Arai|Chris Zimmerman|Gary Davis|Glen Volk|Jim Lee|Kari Castle|Mark Bolt|Mark Dowsett|Mike Barber|Paris Williams|Steve Rewolinski|Wayne Sayer

Bo Hagewood|Bubba Goodman|Chris Arai|Chris Zimmerman|Gary Davis|Glen Volk|Jim Lee|Kari Castle|Mark Bolt|Mark Dowsett|Mike Barber|Paris Williams|Steve Rewolinski|Wayne Sayer

Need some more points to secure your spot on the US National team.  Check out these possibilities:

Competition :

13th European Hang Gliding Championship

Discipline :

Hang Gliding
Continental Championship (1st Category Event)

Date(s) :

20.06.02 - 06.07.02

Site :

Bled (Slovenia)

Organiser :

Aeronatical Association of Slovenia
Contact Person : Andrej Mravlje
Cesta v Gameljne 8
1211 Smartno
Slovenia

Email: «euhg2002»
Web: http://events.fai.org/eurohg2002

Competition :

2002 Brasilia HG Open International

Discipline :

Hang Gliding
2nd Category Event

Date(s) :

24.08.02 - 08.09.02

Site :

Brasilia (Brazil)

Organiser :

ABVL

Av. Pref.  Mendes De Moraes, S/N
São Courado RJ
CEP 22610 - 090
Brazil

Email: «abul»

Competition :

2002 Canadian Open Hang Gliding Nationals (class 1)

Discipline :

Hang Gliding
2nd Category Event

Date(s) :

12.05.02 - 18.05.02

Site :

Lumby, BC (Canada)

Organiser :

Mark Dowsett
Contact Person : Mark Dowsett
353 East 19th Street
North Vancouver
British Columbia V7L 2Z4
Canada

Email: «mark»
Web: http://www.dowsett.ca/cdnnats

There will be plenty of US NTTS points at the first two competitions as high ranking European pilots are sure to attend.  If US pilots can organize themselves to attend the Canadian Nationals in mid May, then there may be some points there also.

Class I 2003 NTSS points:

2003 US Flex Wing Ranking

2001 Meets

02 OZ Open

02 OZ Nats

02 Bogong

Rank

Pilot

Total

Points

Points

0.75

0.95

0.82

1

Williams Paris

2163

627

536

374

626

358

2

Barber Mike

2136

571

554

452

559

0

3

Rossignol Jerz

1809

528

370

393

518

0

4

Hagewood Bo

1559

493

464

324

87

278

5

ZIMMERMAN Chris

1511

488

292

419

312

0

6

Castle Kari

1462

383

379

231

469

228

7

STINNETT James

1335

364

323

247

345

303

8

Warren Curt

1159

345

327

0

487

0

9

Lee Jim

939

510

429

0

0

0

10

Volk Glen

902

505

397

0

0

0

11

Bolt Mark

892

474

418

0

0

0

12

Davis Gary

862

475

387

0

0

0

13

PRESLEY Terry

814

471

343

0

0

0

14

SAUER Richard

804

446

358

0

0

0

15

Arai Chris

739

498

241

0

0

0

16

Rewolinski Steve

687

354

333

0

0

0

17

Goodman Bubba

673

412

261

0

0

0

18

Sayer Wayne

664

346

318

0

0

0

19

Bessa Carlos

662

386

276

0

0

0

So this is now things stand in the flex wing category.  Jim Lee will need to place well to get back up to the top of the list after not attending the Australian meets (which have become an adjunct of the US meets for top US pilots).

Discuss "Other sites for NTSS points" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sat, Feb 2 2002, 6:00:05 pm GMT

to Table of Contentsto next topic Class I 2003 NTSS points:

Bubba Goodman|Carlos Bessa|Chris Arai|Curt Warren|Gary Davis|Glen Volk|Jerz Rossignol|Jim Lee|Kari Castle|Mark Bolt|Mike Barber|NTSS 2003|Paris Williams|Robert "Bo" Hagewood|Steve Rewolinski|Wayne Sayer

2003 US Flex Wing Ranking 2001 Meets 02 OZ Open 02 OZ Nats 02 Bogong
Rank Pilot Total Points Points 0.75 0.95 0.82
1 Williams Paris 2163 627 536 374 626 358
2 Barber Mike 2136 571 554 452 559 0
3 Rossignol Jerz 1809 528 370 393 518 0
4 Hagewood Bo 1559 493 464 324 87 278
5 Zimmerman Chris 1511 488 292 419 312 0
6 Castle Kari 1462 383 379 231 469 228
7 Stinnett James 1335 364 323 247 345 303
8 Warren Curt 1159 345 327 0 487 0
9 Lee Jim 939 510 429 0 0 0
10 Volk Glen 902 505 397 0 0 0
11 Bolt Mark 892 474 418 0 0 0
12 Davis Gary 862 475 387 0 0 0
13 Presley Terry 814 471 343 0 0 0
14 Sauer Richard 804 446 358 0 0 0
15 Arai Chris 739 498 241 0 0 0
16 Rewolinski Steve 687 354 333 0 0 0
17 Goodman Bubba 673 412 261 0 0 0
18 Sayer Wayne 664 346 318 0 0 0
19 Bessa Carlos 662 386 276 0 0 0

So this is now things stand in the flex wing category.  Jim Lee will need to place well to get back up to the top of the list after not attending the Australian meets (which have become an adjunct of the US meets for top US pilots).

Discuss "Class I 2003 NTSS points:" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sat, Feb 2 2002, 6:00:06 pm GMT

to Table of Contentsto next topic Scatter in the drop test data

Angelo Crapanzano|parachute|Rob Kells

I had an opportunity to speak with Rob Kells about parachutes at the recent USHGA BOD meeting.  Rob admitted to the fact that Wills Wing hasn’t done a good job getting out useful information to pilots to help them pick a parachute of an appropriate size.  One problem he mentioned was that there was a wide scatter in the drop test data, the results of tests that determine the rate of fall under various loads.

He has decided that it would be a good idea to publish all the data so that pilots can see just how wide a variation there is in manufacturer’s tests when they report how well their parachutes due.

What should pilots be interested in? For one thing, they will want to know just how fast they will be coming down (given their weight and a portion of the glider’s weight) and how that value relates to their chance to suffer from injury.  Of course, if you’re going down under canopy in 500 fpm sink, it’s going to hurt a bit more.

Angelo Crapanzano has presented some strong arguments for his position of chute size and I look forward to hearing more from Rob.

Discuss "Scatter in the drop test data" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sat, Feb 2 2002, 6:00:07 pm GMT

to Table of Contentsto next topic Beef Up the ATOS

ATOS|Davis Straub|Felix Rühle|Mart Bosman|Robert "Bo" “Hillbilly” Hagewood

Jaime A. Ruiz «ruizlp» writes:

I twice consulted with the designer, Felix Ruhle, prior to strengthening my Atos-c. Though he thought it unnecessary, when pressed Felix suggested to use one cf bi-directional tape 1.5” wide all along the outside D-spar corners (four corners), from just before rib #1 to rib #6 (spoileron rib). (The loads drop significantly after rib #6.) He told me to use approximately 0.25”-0.5” into the flap, and the rest up the D-spar using a Twill cf tape, 5.7 oz/sqyd of weight.  One carbon fiber strand should lay parallel to the corner (0°) and the other vertical up the spar (90°).

After much research and phone calls, I could not find Twill tape in the web less than 20” wide.  When cutting this width, the strands break up making a 2” tape all but impossible to cut.  Nobody makes 1.5” carbon fiber tapes.  All 2” cf tapes sold are plain—too stiff to drape around 90° corners—or uni-directional.  I needed bi-directional twill so it draped well around the corners.  It took me a month of negotiating and cajoling with carbon fiber manufacturers and distributors to finally get one manufacturer to sell it to US COMPOSITES (561-588-1001, 5101 Georgia Ave, West Palm Beach, Florida) who in turn sold it to me. They were very cooperative, helpful and gave me good service.  I recommend them.

I had seen my previous Atos, and the one Davis Straub used in Australia, break their wings at 4’, 8’, 8’, and 9.5’ from the root.  On my own, I decided to use a shorter and narrower (1.25” wide) first tape of cf up to 10’6” from the root to further strengthen the first section of the D-spars.  The second longer and wider tape (2” wide) recommended by Felix would overlap this first tape—both in width and in length—starting at the much stronger root spar, creating a diminishing staircase of carbon fiber strength from the root to the wing tip similar to the suspension coils you may have seen in old pick-up trucks.

A. Materials: about 32 yd of 2” wide, cf twill tape, 5.7 oz/sqyd from US COMPOSITES; EZ-LAM 60 epoxy and hardener (is hot in Miami, Florida, in colder weather use EZ-LAM 30); cotton “flox” from Aircraft Spruce to strengthen corners with small radius; several 1” wide brushes from Home Depot; Rubber-Maid small plastic containers from Wal-Mart to hold and mix the epoxy resin; plastic spoons/forks to mix epoxy; cheap latex gloves from Wal-Mart; blue masking tape; good shear scissors from Wal-Mart; wax paper roll; 1” wide foam rollers bought at Home Depot; blue masking or duct tape; and several rolls of toilet paper.

B. SET-UP & PREPARATION: Remove the sail and open the wings about 10 ft at the end; using masking tape on the top fuselage mark the beginning (2’3” from the root just before rib #1), end of first tape (10’6” from the root), and end of second tape (14’6” just after rib #6); carefully remove the small metal safety rings on the lower part of the ribs; tape temporarily and out of the way all the strings and wires up the spar with masking tape; mask tape the retaining holes and rings where the ribs pivot on so epoxy doesn’t fall in them or between the rib and the flap

Photo with masking tape on it while the epoxy resin is still wet.

Final photo after removing the masking tape.

(I did not remove the ribs, however if you do make sure you mark them carefully so you can put them back again correctly); using 220 grit sandpaper carefully sand the flap and about 2.5” up the spar to take the shine out of the epoxy but without getting into the carbon fiber (use a dust mask against breathing the carbon dust); brush away the carbon fiber dust off the spar and flap; clean the area again of any remaining carbon dust using cotton or toilet paper with rubbing alcohol.

C. TAPES: Measure and carefully cut two tapes at a time—one 8’4” and one 12’4” long.  I used a sliver of masking tape at each ends so the strands don’t break up. Place masking tape all along on 0.75” of the first narrow cf tape lengthwise to cut it later on as you lay it up so that it remains only 1.25” wide.

D. CORNER’S STRENGTH: I noticed that the corner radius on the upper D-spar where thick and wide, meaning structurally strong.  I also noticed that the corner radiuses diminish from the root to the tip, probably according to the theoretically expected G loads.  But the lower corners had a much smaller radius—almost 90°—meaning structurally weaker.  I am sure that this was done in manufacturing by design to build less weight in the areas that theoretically would have lower loads.  However, my intended purpose was to strengthen the Atos.  The small added weight from strengthening is entirely secondary in my book.  Using previous experience in building Long-EZ wings, canards, and spar caps with fiberglass and foam, I decided to strengthen the lower corners using a mixture of 1-to-2 epoxy-to-cotton flox prior to laying the cf tapes.

E. FLOX LOWER CORNER: Mix 2-1 flox-to-epoxy in a cup, pour into cake frosting receptacle with a cut in lower part, lay a small bead of wet flox all along the corner itself, spread evenly with your gloved finger.

F. IMMEDIATELY LAY THE NARROW TAPE: Measure and mix the 2-to-1 epoxy and hardener carefully; brush mixed epoxy all along the corner, from beginning to end.  Wet thoroughly the shorter-narrower tape of carbon fiber tape laid on a spread out roll of wax paper.  Bring the wet tape to the corner with the wet side down facing the corner.  Lay from beginning to end while stippling the epoxy (not brushing it) into the dry side of the cf tape facing you.  Orient the short-narrow tape with one strand parallel to the corner and the other at 90° to it. Use only 0.5” onto the flap and the rest up the spar.  Cut the masking tape side with the scissors leaving only the wet narrow tape on the spar.  Make sure no wet tape interrupts the ribs pivoting motion.

G. IMMEDIATELY LAY THE WIDER TAPE: No need to wet one side of the long-wide (2” wide) tape upon the wax paper since it will suck the epoxy up from the previous wet tape underneath as you stipple it with a brush.  Bring the tape over in a roll, and unroll it right over the narrow one, overlapping it width like, finishing several feet more, and stippling the epoxy with the brush making sure to wet thoroughly the whole carbon fiber.  Roll the 1” foam-roller all along the flap and the spar pushing and spreading the resin evenly into the carbon fiber.  Along the rib pivoting points, carefully push any cf tape up the spar with a dry screwdriver, a brush or your finger that might impede this rib pivoting movement later on, and immediately dry any resin that fell into the rib pivoting points or safety rings.  (These parts should have been covered previously with the masking tape mentioned.)

h. DRY EXCESSIVE RESIN: Slowly roll a roll of toilet taper pushing it into the flap and the spar to absorb excessive resin.  Throw the wet paper away.  (All resin above and beyond wetting the tape only makes your wing heavier, not stronger.) Wait 24-48 hrs for it to dry hard.  (See photo below for final lay-up. The first narrower cf tape lies underneath this wider one.)

I. Do the other lower corner on the other wing behind you.  Wait 24 hrs for it to dry.  Then turn the Atos over and do the top two corners without the cotton flox (if their corner radiuses are wide).

J. SHEAR RIBS: While at it, I added white Velcro sticky-back shear strips (from Home Depot) on both upper and lower side of the ribs, and the sail.  This may reduce the likelihood of “wandering pitch pressure” and “speed bumps” while giving the Atos a more solid feel of stability when flying very fast.  (This, of course, has nothing to do with the structural strengthening per se but with aerodynamic pilot “feel”.) See photo.

K. SOME FINAL NOTES:

a. I will let you know how much more weight I added after I finish working.  My guess is less than 2 lbs.

b. Though I don’t have static test data to scientifically support my statements, I do believe that this carbon fiber lay-up significantly increased the capacity of my Atos-c to sustain positive and negative G loads, increased its VNE, and reduced the likelihood of both wings breaking up in mid-air due to spins, tucks, and tumbles.  How much, I don’t know.

c. On my conversations with Felix Ruehle, he stated that this strengthening was unnecessary.  (I already said so.)

d. However, I feel emotionally and intellectually more comfortable (and safer) flying my stronger Atos-c now.  This peace of mind alone is worth a lot to me.

e. We will never know if this strengthening would have prevented the breaking of my Atos when Bo Hagewood spun it at Quest Air, or Davis Straub's when the dragons made him go into an inverted tuck.

f. But we can reasonably infer that, at the very least, this strengthening could have given either or both pilots 1 to 10 more precious seconds to maneuver out of their precarious position, or even just to throw their parachutes.

g. I believe that this strengthening should be done at manufacturing time.  This would allow placing the corner tapes also on the INSIDE of the spar, which obviously I don’t have access to now.  It would also allow the manufacturer to lay the corner tapes in a straight line prior to placing the rib holding foam squares on the D-spar flap.  (As it is, I had to lay the tapes going up and around these rib-holding squares.)

h. I am sure that, if done at manufacturing time, the designer could cut the length, width, and weight of the carbon fiber and resin that I used while still boosting the structural strength of the D-spar and its resistance to breaking in spins, tucks, and tumbles for less than two pounds weight increase.

i. Don’t do it yourself if you don’t have extensive construction experience with fiberglass, carbon fiber and epoxy resin.  There are many steps not mentioned here.

j. If you decide to do it, seek the work of a proven expert and have him do it for/with you.  Plan ahead.  Do only one corner at a time.  Go slowly, methodically and carefully.

k. This strengthening does NOT suggest that you may intentionally spin the Atos or do aerobatic maneuvers.  Do not spin the Atos or attempt any aerobatic maneuvers with it. Fly the Atos fast in turbulence, while thermaling, and below 500 AGL.  There is no need to fly the Atos slow.

l. Use a 20-gore parachute always.  (Perhaps a Conar HG18/20 or Lara 250 Gold?)

m. You don’t have to agree with what I did or said.  Follow your own compass.

n. Good luck!

Discuss "Beef Up the ATOS" 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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