2005 WISHES

To all you glider pilots out there, wherever you might be: wishing you safe
flights and safe landings, 12+ knot thermals, and endless cloud streets at
17,999 ft.

Best wishes for 2005, Charles

Charles

From all the pilots of the whole wide World thank you very much.
This is so nice of you to post this, but the penalty for it is that you
have to post now something more interesting. Past posts don't count. No
winpilot subject please. Ooooo!
Please write about flying, success, mishap, problem, problems with
your... just anything...
I am just trying to save your post because I don't want even one click
of the mouse go to waist:-|

Andre

Vorsanger1 wrote:
To all you glider pilots out there, wherever you might be: wishing
you safe
flights and safe landings, 12+ knot thermals, and endless cloud
streets at
17,999 ft.

Best wishes for 2005, Charles

Today, January 1st, we started the day with a pancake breakfast. We had
some guests also, from AZ and the local area.

The wind was a bit uncooperative, at first 30-45knots (ground to 800 agl)
from the west, forcing the use of our short runway. The shear was strong
and resulted in two weak link breaks (red) on the L-23 at the shear line.
The first flight connected with some rotor and soared around a bit as we
repaired the weak link. The wave proved elusive. Before long the wind
dropped considerably and shifted SW, so we moved the winch and launch point.
After that we had several good launches to the SSW, including several
soaring flights in weak conditions with the Grob and L-23. I think we made
about 24 flights in all. Furthermore, we now have a new winch driver. As
the daylight waned, the wind shifted again, giving a slight tailing quarter,
so we finished with a couple of low launches, as reversing ends would have
resulted in very few launches before day's end.

It was a good day, bright, sometimes bracing, but filled with interest,
smiling faces, and flying. The forecast was quite wrong;^)

Happy New Year

Frank Whiteley
Colorado Soaring Association

Oh, nearly forgot, one ground launch endorsement completed also;^)

Frank

"F.L. Whiteley" wrote in message
...
Today, January 1st, we started the day with a pancake breakfast. We had
some guests also, from AZ and the local area.

The wind was a bit uncooperative, at first 30-45knots (ground to 800 agl)
from the west, forcing the use of our short runway. The shear was strong
and resulted in two weak link breaks (red) on the L-23 at the shear line.
The first flight connected with some rotor and soared around a bit as we
repaired the weak link. The wave proved elusive. Before long the wind
dropped considerably and shifted SW, so we moved the winch and launch
point.
After that we had several good launches to the SSW, including several
soaring flights in weak conditions with the Grob and L-23. I think we
made
about 24 flights in all. Furthermore, we now have a new winch driver. As
the daylight waned, the wind shifted again, giving a slight tailing
quarter,
so we finished with a couple of low launches, as reversing ends would have
resulted in very few launches before day's end.

It was a good day, bright, sometimes bracing, but filled with interest,
smiling faces, and flying. The forecast was quite wrong;^)

Happy New Year

Frank Whiteley
Colorado Soaring Association

In article ,
F.L. Whiteley wrote:
Today, January 1st, we started the day with a pancake breakfast. We had
some guests also, from AZ and the local area.

The wind was a bit uncooperative, at first 30-45knots (ground to 800 agl)
from the west, forcing the use of our short runway.

Man, I'd love to see that. Just tether the 2-33
to a strong post with a long rope, and get in it
and fly around like a kite!

Has anyone done this? I mean actually lifted off and
scooted around? Other than the absolute nightmare of
ground handling, this sounds like a fun thing to do...
--

------------+
Mark J. Boyd

Mark James Boyd wrote:

Man, I'd love to see that. Just tether the 2-33
to a strong post with a long rope, and get in it
and fly around like a kite!

Has anyone done this? I mean actually lifted off and
scooted around?

I tried it....had the 2-33 tethered to a golf cart instead
of a post. Since it was our first time with this technique,
and the wind was really howling, we didn't bother to put a
pilot in it.

The resulting damage to the wing tip was a bit spendy but it
was almost worth it to see the look of fear in the eyes of
the guy holding the wing tip as the fuselage launched
(lurched) up ten feet during a big gust. A post might work
better because the golf cart looses traction when the rear
wheels come off.


--

"Mark James Boyd" wrote in message
news:41df20ab$1@darkstar...
In article ,
F.L. Whiteley wrote:
Today, January 1st, we started the day with a pancake breakfast. We had
some guests also, from AZ and the local area.

The wind was a bit uncooperative, at first 30-45knots (ground to 800 agl)
from the west, forcing the use of our short runway.

Man, I'd love to see that. Just tether the 2-33
to a strong post with a long rope, and get in it
and fly around like a kite!

Has anyone done this? I mean actually lifted off and
scooted around? Other than the absolute nightmare of
ground handling, this sounds like a fun thing to do...
--

------------+
Mark J. Boyd
Reportedly the Seymour boys used to do something like this in upstate NY
when the winds were howling. Autotow to the end of the runway, then fly the
1-26 kite for a while.

Frank Whiteley

On Fri, 7 Jan 2005 23:52:11 UTC, (Mark James
Boyd) wrote:

: Has anyone done this? I mean actually lifted off and
: scooted around?

Ann Welch did it, without the tether, in a Grunau Baby (I think) from
Bishop Hill. Landed in gusty conditions, nobody around, got bored,
hopped forward and over the edge.

Ian

--

"Mark James Boyd" wrote in message
news:41df20ab$1@darkstar...
In article ,
F.L. Whiteley wrote:
Today, January 1st, we started the day with a pancake breakfast. We had
some guests also, from AZ and the local area.

The wind was a bit uncooperative, at first 30-45knots (ground to 800 agl)
from the west, forcing the use of our short runway.

Man, I'd love to see that. Just tether the 2-33
to a strong post with a long rope, and get in it
and fly around like a kite!

Has anyone done this? I mean actually lifted off and
scooted around? Other than the absolute nightmare of
ground handling, this sounds like a fun thing to do...
--

------------+
Mark J. Boyd

There was an account in a book by Eric"Winkle" Brown, a Royal Navy Test
Pilot, of some trials aboard a British Aircraft Carrier in the late 40's
early 50's to test the turbulence on the Roundown on the stern of the ship,
which involved a Slingsby Cadet or Tutor ( I think) being kited off the deck
of the carrier on a cable attached to a winch. The glider was then flown (
still attached) around in the wake of the carrier to assess the effect of
the airflow at different points, and eventually winched back down to the
deck.

After he ( Eric Brown) finished his part in the trials another Naval pilot
continued but eventually lost control and ended up in the sea.

DB

Here at the Cumberland Soaring Group at Cumberland Regional Airport in West
Virginia, we had a few souls show up and flew in great ridge and thermal
lift all afternoon in balmy 50+ deg F. The hang gliders were out in force
on the ridge as well. Wave was visible with lenies but none of us could
find the ladder. A great way to bring in the New Year.
Jim
wrote in message
ups.com...
Charles

From all the pilots of the whole wide World thank you very much.
This is so nice of you to post this, but the penalty for it is that you
have to post now something more interesting. Past posts don't count. No
winpilot subject please. Ooooo!
Please write about flying, success, mishap, problem, problems with
your... just anything...
I am just trying to save your post because I don't want even one click
of the mouse go to waist:-|

Andre

Vorsanger1 wrote:
To all you glider pilots out there, wherever you might be: wishing
you safe
flights and safe landings, 12+ knot thermals, and endless cloud
streets at
17,999 ft.

Best wishes for 2005, Charles