New Thermal sensor

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 Himalayan mountains, about 100 miles west of
Kathmandu. The two Phariah Kite chicks, Shadoko and Sappana, were
rescued from a local farmer. Adam Hill and Rajesh Bomjam, owners of
Sunrise Paragliding, learned the traditional methods of the ancient
sport of falconry to train the birds. Newbies can try the intro
experience for $160; that includes getting to know the birds and
taking a flight with an instructor and a hawk. Air fare to Nepal,
that's extra. Enthusiasts can also sign up for a seven-day intensive
course in parahawking. Students learn about the birds of prey and how
to train them, in a mix of theory and practical lessons. "Parahawking
is truly addictive," the Sunrise Web site says. "

What sort of cross-country speeds can these trained hawks acheive? If
it's better than 100 k.p.h., where can I get one?

Flying a high performance sailplane along with a trained hawk will probably
result in cross-country speeds that are slower than what is achieved without
the trained hawk. What is needed to achieve a higher cross-country speed,
are two sailplanes flying side by side. By transferring variometer
information in real time between two sailplanes and comparing their
information, the pair can direct themselves and center thermals in less time
than a solo sailplane. It may even be possible for the pair to fly a course
without having to stop to thermal!

Bob

" wrote in message
m...
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 Himalayan mountains, about 100 miles west of
Kathmandu. The two Phariah Kite chicks, Shadoko and Sappana, were
rescued from a local farmer. Adam Hill and Rajesh Bomjam, owners of
Sunrise Paragliding, learned the traditional methods of the ancient
sport of falconry to train the birds. Newbies can try the intro
experience for $160; that includes getting to know the birds and
taking a flight with an instructor and a hawk. Air fare to Nepal,
that's extra. Enthusiasts can also sign up for a seven-day intensive
course in parahawking. Students learn about the birds of prey and how
to train them, in a mix of theory and practical lessons. "Parahawking
is truly addictive," the Sunrise Web site says. "

What sort of cross-country speeds can these trained hawks acheive? If
it's better than 100 k.p.h., where can I get one?

Why not put a hawk on each wingtip. Turn toward the wing that has the
gliding hawk. In periods of sink, both hawks can provide some lift. They
may even serve as an audible stall detectors. It would be nice to have an
internal release mechanism to let them go if something goes wrong and you go
inverted.

Colin N12HS


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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.
--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA

"If there aren't such things as "homing hawks",
perhaps homing pigeons could be mandated (at least for contests) instead of
ELTs."

As I see it, there may be a problem for the pilot who wishes to cover all
contingencies. This would especially apply to the pilot who has trouble
determining which way to turn to recover from a spin. He (or she) would
have a sustainer hawk in one box and a carrier pigeon in the other. While
going the wrong way in a spin, he (or she) might release the carrier pigeon
by mistake, instead of the sustainer hawk. The carrier pigeon, being
related to the seagull, would likely circle around in sink, and the confused
pilot, if able to recover from the spin, would blindly follow the pigeon in
sink.

In that event, I may suggest that the pilot carry a vulture along, to be
released just before the crash. The vulture could call his relatives in,
which would assist the searchers, who would look for circling vultures, and
they would cleanup the site afterwards.

Colin N12HS


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