Wills Wing
Flytec

Oz Report

Volume 7, Number 253
10 pm, Thursday, September 25 2003

https://OzReport.com
"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
Fri, Sep 26 2003, 4:00:01 am EDT

to Table of Contentsto next topic 2003 Team Challenge

Dean Funk|Dr. Jack|Dragonfly|Marc Fink|Team Challenge 2003|Wills Wing

Davis Straub|Dean Funk|Dr. Jack|Dragonfly|Marc Fink|Team Challenge 2003|Wills Wing

Davis Straub|Dean Funk|Dr. Jack|Dragonfly|Marc Fink|Team Challenge 2003|Wills Wing|World Record Encampment

Aeros Combat|Davis Straub|Dean Funk|Dr. Jack|Dragonfly|Marc Fink|Team Challenge 2003|Wills Wing|World Record Encampment

Aeros Combat|Bo Hagewood|Davis Straub|Dean Funk|Dr. Jack|Dragonfly|Marc Fink|Team Challenge 2003|Wills Wing|World Record Encampment

Aeros Combat|Bo Hagewood|Davis Straub|Dean Funk|Dr. Jack|Dragonfly|Kevin Carter|Marc Fink|Team Challenge 2003|Wills Wing|World Record Encampment

Aeros Combat|Bo Hagewood|Davis Straub|Dean Funk|Dr. Jack|Dragonfly|Kevin Carter|Marc Fink|Steve Rewolinski|Team Challenge 2003|Wills Wing|World Record Encampment

Aeros Combat|Bo Hagewood|Davis Straub|Dean Funk|Dr. Jack|Dragonfly|Kevin Carter|Marc Fink|Steve Rewolinski|Team Challenge 2003|Wills Wing|World Record Encampment

A front was supposed to come through during the day, but the wind direction never changes.  It was out of the south all day, maybe a bit south west right up the valley.  Terry Presley says you stay home and mow your lawn on southwest days here.

The forecast was for 5 miles per hour out of the west with an inversion, but 5,000’ cloud base, cu’s. Dr. Jack is calling for 500 to 600 fpm lift.  Not much of this comes about except the inversion and the clouds.

We do see the cu’s starting early in the morning but they are not forming over the valley – surprise, surprise.  They are over the plateaus to the east and west.  Too far away to get to.

We hang around in the field at Dr. Dale’s field and hang around some more watching the clouds that are too far away to get to.

Claire launches as a wind dummy and Bo tows her all the way under the clouds up on the east ridge line.  She doesn’t find any lift, flies back and lands.

I tow up right after her and pin off low as Brad Gryder puts his Dragonfly in a tight turn right over the tow field in order to climb in light lift.  After a while I tire of this get off only to find no lift and also land.

Joe gets away but all the rest of the pilots who try land back at the tow field also.  Finally Terry Presley sticks, not high, but he sticks.  Brad makes up for his spiraling climb and takes me high to the south looking for lift under some disappearing haze domes.  Nope.

I fly north to come in over Terry Presley and we slowly stay even at about 2,500’ AGL.  Bo and Brad tow up other pilots to join us, including Revo, Carl Burrick, Jack Slocum, and Dean Funk.

There is a 10 mph wind out of the south so we just stay in the very light lift and drift toward goal.  We are still in the five mile start circle, so there is no hurry.

At the edge of the start circle we find a better thermal and climb 700 feet to 3,000’ over, then Revo, Terry and I run back to get a later start time, coming back to the same thermal and climbing to 3,500’ AGL with the other three pilots.

We all go on glide as the lift gives out and for everyone but Terry it is a final glide.  I lose track of Terry but apparently he finds some lift and continues on to win the day.  No one makes goal.

Task 4:

 

Name

Glider

miles

Total

1

PRESLEY, Terry

Moyes Litespeed

19.4

565

2

STRAUB, Davis

Air ATOS C

16.7

513

3

REWOLINSKI, Steve

Icaro WRE700

14.9

478

4

BURRICK, Carl, 13

Airborne Climax

14.7

473

5

SLOCUM, Jack, 20

Icaro Laminar

14.5

468

5

FUNK, Dean, 7

Icaro WRE700

14.5

468

7

GREGORY, Ollie

Air ATOS C

14

450

8

HUNTER, Brian, 22

Aeros Stealth

11.1

361

8

LEONARD, Scott

Wills Wing Talon

11.1

361

10

SALAMONE, Linda

Wills Wing Fusion

10.2

340

Cumulative:

 

Name

Glider

Total

1

REWOLINSKI, Steve

Icaro WRE700

1658

2

STRAUB, Davis, 24

Air ATOS C

1586

3

PRESLEY, Terry

Moyes Litespeed

1525

4

HAGEWOOD, Bo

Aeros Combat 2

1471

5

HUNTER, Brian, 22

Aeros Stealth

1154

6

SLOCUM, Jack, 20

Icaro Laminar

1139

7

GREGORY, Ollie

Air ATOS C

1086

8

HAYWOOD, John

Wills Wing Talon

1045

9

JOHNSTON, Joe

Wills Wing Talon

1014

10

SALAMONE, Linda

Wills Wing Fusion

997

Teams:

Team

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Total

BUBBLE BOYS

350

188

101

639

BLIND SQUIRRELS

365

88

181

634

BELOW ME

345

164

120

629

TRAVEL GUYS

278

155

133

565

SMOKING CHICKENS

204

136

179

519

Marc Fink «marcfink» writes:

I’d like to mention to your readers that Kevin Carter, presently (yesterday) in 7th at the team challenge (his first ever comp) has only in the past year started actively flying as a novice and beyond.

Kevin is unusually modest for his young age--he is already a world-class triathelete and has incredible dedication and endurance.  I wouldn’t be surprised, if these energies were diverted to exclusively hang gliding, Kevin could become a major player in the international comp scene.

Discuss "2003 Team Challenge" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Fri, Sep 26 2003, 4:00:02 am EDT

to Table of Contentsto next topic Hook In

Dan Keen

Dan Keen «editor» writes:

Way back in the early 80's I also forgot to hook in. It was off of Vedder Mtn.  which is a 2600ft cliff launch.  I was left hanging below the base bar looking up at my control frame.  With the rush of adrenaline I had the strength to pull myself up into the control frame and fly it down while standing crouched on the base bar.  I jumped off just before impact as there was no way to perform a landing flair.

My recommendation to all Hang glider pilots is to treat your harness and glider as one piece of equipment.  When you finish setting up your glider, hook your harness to the hang strap and never unhook it until after your flight.  If you need to get out of your harness due to poor launch conditions, unzip from your harness but don't touch your carabineer.  I still do a hang check by walking through the control frame as a comfort blanket, but I know the carabineer is already hooked in and locked.

If you see a pilot walking around on any launch with his harness and helmet on, walk up to him and smack him on the side of the head.  When he asks "What was that for?" tell him "We don't need anymore senseless deaths

Discuss "Hook In" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Fri, Sep 26 2003, 4:00:03 am EDT

to Table of Contentsto next topic Ropes on cliff launches

photo

Hileman, Doug «Doug.Hileman» writes:

As you've found out, no one is comfortable trying to hold on to your d-cell on the edge of a cliff or ramp in gusty conditions.  At many sites the wing is up and out of reach of the launch crew.

I've installed bungee retracting wire assist ropes inside the d-cell of my Stalker that work great.

Before that I had my crew drape a rope or length of webbing over each wing and hold one end in each hand.  When I "cleared" they let go of the forward end, hung on to the back end and as I launched the rope slid over the top of the wing.  My friend Jake pioneered this technique with his ATOS.  Be sure the rope is either inboard or outboard of your spoilerons.

I've uploaded pictures to the Yahoo RigidWing list in the "AWCL Rigids" Photos folder showing this technique in action.

Discuss "Ropes on cliff launches" at the Oz Report forum   link»

to Table of Contentsto next topic Aeros on the Outer Banks

Fri, Sep 26 2003, 4:00:04 am EDT

G. W. Meadows «gw» writes:

To all U.S. Aeros and Just Fly customers.  Our phone system seems to have a mind of it's own since the hurricane.  Sometimes it rings through just fine and sometimes it goes to voice mail without ringing on our end.  We ask that you please be patient with our problem.  We are receiving all voice mails, so if you get our voice mail system rather than us directly, please leave us a message and we will return it asap.

Discuss "Aeros on the Outer Banks" at the Oz Report forum   link»

Fri, Sep 26 2003, 4:00:05 am EDT

to Table of Contentsto next topic Photo/Caption contest

calendar|Davis Straub|photo|record|Richard Cobb

Richard Cobb is the first to write (within fifteen minutes):

That is not a picture of Isabel, or even of a hurricane, but rather of a wall cloud.  See

http://www.snopes.com/photos/isabel.asp

Discuss "Photo/Caption contest" 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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