wrote:
See http://www.avweb.com/eletter/archive...ll.html#189075
" If you think you've tried everything there is to try in aviation,
think again. Sunrise Paragliding in Nepal has teamed with the
Himalayan Hawk Conservancy to present what it calls "Parahawking" --
flying a paraglider in tandem with a trained hawk who will scout out
the thermals for you. The flights launch from Pokhara, in a broad
valley surrounded by

Maybe the hawk is a good alternative to a sustainer powered sailplane.
The hawk is carried in the compartment normally used for the engine,
then released when the pilot is low and desperately needs a "save". The
hawk finds a thermal, the glider pilot accepts it gratefully, and while
he is climbing in it, the hawk flies back to his compartment, the doors
close, and he (or maybe she hawks are better at finding thermals - who
knows?) is rewarded with a bit of dead rabbit.

If the glider crashes, the hawk is automatically released from the
compartment an impact mechanism, and flies home to lead the rescuers
back to the glider. If there aren't such things as "homing hawks",
perhaps homing pigeons could be mandated (at least for contests) instead
of ELTs. Contests might prohibit the thermal hawk, anyway.
--
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Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA