only the good ones
some crazy stuff
Light lift, thermals turned on late, then epic glass off and wonder wind until the sun went down
Top landings
Big ears
10mpr
sled
First flight
Sledder
Sledder
Light thermals easy boaty lift
Straight flight to destination
First flight! Just glad I landed safely.
launch, land
launch, land
launch, land
Launch, land
launch, land
launch, land
launch and land
Goal: get into harness, look up at wing, locate outside A’s, land on feet, kite wing Goals: MET!
Goals! attempt weight shifting, Land on feet Flight: winds low, difficult to launch but able to keep kite steady and encourage a flight, not much altitude so not much time to try weight shifting. landed on feet.
Winds were strange and a lot of new equipment and unsure pilots on the hill, so only took 1 flight. Landed feet up, kited wing.
Sledder
Nice second flight, wind at end a bit sinking but landed well
Nice flight down Channing, small turns
Sled, kiting
Sled, kiting
1-hand, no-hand, rear riser only, big ears, asymetric, look/lean, speed bar,
figure 8 approaches, kiting
spot landings, kiting
spot landings, kiting
figure 8 approaches, spot landings, kiting
Written P1, P2 test, spot landings.
Ridge launch at Bates, sled ride down
4 Sled ride flights. Each flight approximately 1 minute in duration. Kiting in the afternoon.
4 Sled rides. approximately 1 minute each. Kiting in Afternoon
10 flights: regular flight, 1 hand, no hand, Rear Riser only, Big Ears, Asymmetric, Look/Lean, Brake Wrap, Speed
(4) 1 minute flights- Figure eight approaches and kiting
(5) 1-2 minute flights. Spot Landings, kiting
(10) 1-2 minute flights, spot landing, kiting
(10) 1-2 minute flights. Spot landings Figure 8 approaches, kiting
(5) 1-2 minute flights. Written P1 & P2, Spot Landings
Cliff/ridge launch at Bates. Sled ride to beach. Kited Buzz z6
2 LOW TOWES
TANDEM FLIGHT(I HAD THE CONTROL LITTLE BIT)
3 LOW TOWES
6 LOW TOWES
TANDEM FLIGHT(WEIGHT SHIFT PRACTICE)
3 LOW TOWES (RELEASES)
4 LOW TOWES (RELEASES)
Solo flight. Checked the surge and Headed back to the YZ.
BIG EARS. WEIGHT SHIFT. – WEIGHT SHIFT WITH BIG EARS. GLIDER TIPS.
BIG EARS. WEIGHT SHIFT. – WEIGHT SHIFT WITH BIG EARS.
PITCH ISOLATION. WEIGHT SHIFT.
PITCH ISOLATION. WEIGHT SHIFT.
PITCH ISOLATION WITH SPEED BAR. WEIGHT SHIFT.
SPEED BAR WITH BIG EARS. WEIGHT SHIFT WITH BIG EARS.ANALYZE THE WIND. FIND OUT THE WIND DIRECTION AND RESIST THE DRIFT WHILE FLYING. TRY TO LAND MAKING MY OWN DECISION.
Training flights at Eilings, then afternoon ridge soar at Bates
practice launch, spot landings, kiting
More practice launch, spot landings, kiting
More practice launch, spot landings, kiting
All of the em!
First flight without Rob at LA. Did fine but tripped on landing. bummer!
Big Learning moment. Got nervous with bushes, turned left too low and wing slammed me into the ground. Rolled, no injuries. But the downslide began at “oh crap, bushes”. Good things: 1) tried not to see the bushes after I saw them 2) managed to land well in a tough situation Bad choices: 1) turned too late, despite not realizing I was doing so. Joel said next time force self to “look just at my hands”. climbed up hill desperate for one good flight but no go.
S turns
breezy launch
sledder
sledder
sledder
sledder
sledder north launch
sledder
My FIRST FLIGHT AT BLUE ROCK! BEAUTIFUL. ROB SAID “100%!” A GOOD LAST FLIGHT BEFORE VACATION!
first soaring flight. big ears, speed bar, rear riser turns, pitch control, figure 8
Ridge soaring
Weight shift turns speed bar 360
Ridge soar sunset no wind landing
Sledder, had trouble getting in my harness, soft landing
Great soaring conditions, easy lift, small wing-overs, speed bar, dolphins
Dune Soaring, kiting laps and good lift, may be light for my wing 5 flights
Speed bar. Bit bumpy air
Sledder, opened the bridle, had more turbulence, need to work on gauging distance and penetration
1st flight. Straight about 1000ft and then land
big ears left 90 degree and right 90 degree turns
hop, forward sledder
hop
Sledder
Nullam sagittis. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Sed aliquam, nisi quis porttitor congue, elit erat euismod orci, ac placerat dolor lectus quis orci. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Nulla sit amet est. Fusce ac felis sit amet ligula pharetra condimentum.
Phasellus a est. Proin faucibus arcu quis ante. Vivamus euismod mauris. Pellentesque posuere. Phasellus ullamcorper ipsum rutrum nunc.
Nullam sagittis. Vestibulum ante ipsum primis in faucibus orci luctus et ultrices posuere cubilia Curae; Sed aliquam, nisi quis porttitor congue, elit erat euismod orci, ac placerat dolor lectus quis orci. In hac habitasse platea dictumst. Nulla sit amet est. Fusce ac felis sit amet ligula pharetra condimentum.
Phasellus a est. Proin faucibus arcu quis ante. Vivamus euismod mauris. Pellentesque posuere. Phasellus ullamcorper ipsum rutrum nunc.
Take off, turns, landing
Short sledder
First dumps flight. Soaring, scratchy
Sledder
Soar. Sank out
Avoided houses, and concrete culvert.
Rough start. Avoided bush.
Tandem with Rob
Tandem with Scott
Tandem with Scott #2 went out further to north,
First Solo, launch poor, held risers ( old skydive habit) . great basic flight, good landing, guided with LAN
second solo. better launch, need more torpedo
3rd solo, went over the hill, and takeoff into the bushes. redid takeoff after much adrenaline. good flight, a bit bumpy, found I needed to flare later than I thought.
First flights
First flights
First flights
First flights
Sledder Sank out
Down the ridge almost to stables
Speed bar. Big ears. 360. Figure 8. Hands off. Good landing
First flight. “Princess launch”. On landing pull breaks to fast
“Princess launch”. Good landing – pull breaks with right speed.
First front launch, from second try.
Reverse launch
6 flights total off of Apollo 14. Totaling approx 6 min
sledder
sledder
sledder/long hop/kiting up and down slope
sledder/long hop/kiting up and down slope
sledder/long hop/kiting up and down slope
sledder/long hop/kiting up and down slope
forward/hop/kiting up and down slope
forward/hop/kiting up and down slope
Take off, turns, landing
Size 28
No Soaring. Reserve fail on the ground.
Wing very slow.
First time try to use ears.
On landing loop always keep eyes on landing zone
On landing loop always keep eyes on landing zone
Wing very slow. On landing keep eyes on LZ. No Soaring today.
Marc give very old harness
SPEED BAR. WEIGHT SHIFT.ANALYZE THE WIND. FIND OUT THE WIND DIRECTION AND RESIST THE DRIFT WHILE FLYING.
SPEED BAR. WEIGHT SHIFT.ANALYZE THE WIND. FIND OUT THE WIND DIRECTION AND RESIST THE DRIFT WHILE FLYING.
THERMALING
PITCH ISOLATION WITH SPEED BAR. PITCH ISOLATION WITH BRAKES.
BIG EARS. 360 TURNS. WEIGHT SHIFT. LANDING APPROACH DECISION MAKING.
PITCH ISOLATION WITH SPEED BAR. PITCH ISOLATION WITH BRAKES.
BIG EARS. 360 TURNS. WEIGHT SHIFT. LANDING APPROACH DECISION MAKING.
Sledder, opened the bridle, had more turbulence, need to work on gauging distance and penetration
First thermals, steep spirals, speed bar
Great soaring. Big traffic in air. All gliders start to sink together.
Forward Take off, turns, landing. 5mi/hr NE winds on launch.
sledder, New harness (progress 3)
short ridge soar from top, figure 8s
short ridge soar from top
Left turn
Left turn
First reverse start
first flight, straight
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
P2 checklist items
south launch, over the spine to the left, ( no my other right) new wing, Advance Alpha 28. Needed to let the glider fly more off launch. came around corner no problem and then back and forth but did not really find lift. south landing no problem. a little long but main field
Flight #1
Forward launch
Sledder
Not a graceful landing – downwind landing
Tow launches
This flight was a practice tow launch
Forward launch
Did not release the tow since it was a practice introduction to towing. This was a mistake as the toe line got wrapped around the legs and was borderline very dangerous.
Tow launch Pay in
First full tow launch flight
Forward launch
The only mistake – Left brake line was wrapped around the risers.
After gaining 600 ft, the tow was released and landed after 2 180 left turns. Smooth landing.
Forward Take off, turns, landing. 5mi/hr NE winds on launch.
south launch, over the spine to the left, bad first launch, too hard, crushing leading edge. redid, better and south landing. 2nd test on used Advance wing likely to buy
Forward Take off, turns, landing. 5mi/hr NE winds on launch.
Forward Take off, turns, landing. 5mi/hr NE winds on launch.
Very short ride. You can use D lines instead of breaks
Almost hit another glider in air. Almost hit hikers on ground.
Start from second attempt.
Very low landing
Botat. Did a 360 turn
Apollo 14. Forward launch and torpedo are starting to feel good.
Apollo 14.
Apollo 14.
Apollo 14.
Apollo 14.
Apollo 14.
Apollo 14.
Apollo 14.
Botat.
Was to high on landing. Didn’t pool ears.
Apollo 14.
Apollo 14.
Apollo 14.
Apollo 14.
Apollo 14.
Sled
Forward take-off
Forward take-off
Forward take-off
Forward take-off
Forward take-off
Forward take-off
Forward take-off
Forward take-off
Forward take-off
Forward take-off, S-turns
Forward take-off, S-turns, within 10m of spot landing
Forward take-off, within 10m of spot landing
Forward take-off,
Forward launch
Smooth conditions
good landing
Forward launch
Smooth conditions
good landing
Forward launch
Smooth conditions. Slight lift and sink.
No thermals as it was a high pressure day.
Flared a second too early while landing but still good.
Forward launch
Smooth conditions.
Good landing.
Forward launch. Had to run really hard to launch.
Butter smooth conditions.
Good landing. No wind at the landing.
Executing flight plan/ landing / Forward launch
Executing flight plan/ landing/ forward launch
Executing flight plan/ landing/ forward launch
Forward launch/ 180 turns
Forward launch/ Big Ears
Improvising flight plan/ Reverse launch/ 360 turns
Reverse launch
Reverse launch/ Accuracy
First flight as P2!
Long smooth evening soar
Long evening soar, slightly thermic. Carolyn, Ben, Karl
Ridgetop! First flight from up high. Big ears and 360s.
After getting the Alpha in a bush on the training hill went up with Bolero had had a great flight, decent thermals along Kingdome
Getting to know the basics of the gear;
Building a wall, kitting.
First flight – reverse launch.
+ 12/22/18 Forward launch training – no successful flights
+ 12/30/18 Kitting at Dillon (1h)
Reverse launch, short flight down the hill.
Reverse launch, first baby soaring flight!!!!!!
+ 01/27/19 Kitting at gateway 2h in low winds
Reverse launch, short flight
Reverse launch, short flight
Got plocked and twisted my ankle
+02/04/19 (Salano community collage ) kitting 2 h with Joel
+ 03/16/19 (Channing) 3h kitting on a slope with Joel, changing winds. Big progress, i feel more in control over the glider.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch. Doing pre check on my own. Soft landings + in control of the glider after landing too, able to kite it after the landing. Able to make more decisions on my own.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch. Doing pre check on my own. Soft landings + in control of the glider after landing too, able to kite it after the landing. Able to make more decisions on my own.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch. Doing pre check on my own. Soft landings + in control of the glider after landing too, able to kite it after the landing. Able to make more decisions on my own.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch. Doing pre check on my own. Soft landings + in control of the glider after landing too, able to kite it after the landing. Able to make more decisions on my own.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch. Doing pre check on my own. Soft landings + in control of the glider after landing too, able to kite it after the landing. Able to make more decisions on my own.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch. Doing pre check on my own. Soft landings + in control of the glider after landing too, able to kite it after the landing. Able to make more decisions on my own.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch. Doing pre check on my own. Soft landings + in control of the glider after landing too, able to kite it after the landing. Able to make more decisions on my own.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch. Doing pre check on my own. Soft landings + in control of the glider after landing too, able to kite it after the landing. Able to make more decisions on my own.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
+ Ground school about turbulence and speed bar.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch. Doing pre check on my own. Soft landings + in control of the glider after landing too, able to kite it after the landing. Able to make more decisions on my own.
+Kitting 2h
+Object fixation hehe 😀
Super fun day!!!!
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
+ Ground school about turbulence and speed bar
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
Self timed flare timing.
Smooth landing
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
Self timed flare timing.
A bit rough landing.
Beautiful day.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
Unassisted landing. Smooth launch and landing.
Strong winds.
+ Kitting at Dillon 2h
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
Short flight down the hill. Reverse launch.
Short flight down the hill. Forward launch.
+ 04/28/19 kitting at Dillon 2h (~10mph)
+05/04/19 kitting at Dillon 1.5 h
Short flight. Kinda swooped my landing, messed up knee 😀
Short flight. Nice landing?
Short flight. Nice landing
Short flight. Bush – butt first 😀 Object fixation – better to fixate on a bush not a ditch – best version to land in a good spot but bushes are not that bad 😀
Short flight. Bush – chest first ? Object fixation – better to fixate on a bush not a ditch – best version to land in a good spot but bushes are not that bad ?
Takeoff without torpedo. Turning and landing
Takeoff without torpedo. Turning and landing
Takeoff without torpedo. Turning and landing
Takeoff without torpedo. Turning and landing
Forward takeoff without torpedo. Turning and landing.
Forward takeoff with torpedo. Turning and landing.
Almost crash on start, need to be fully committed
Forward take-off,
Forward take-off,
Forward take-off,
Forward take-off,
Landing at strong east wind.
Hikes up with Celeste, horrible launch with deep brakes, aborted, started over, great launch, relax the arms, long flight with last chance thermals, flew with bald eagle. nice landing and first flight on new harness, sp much nicer
First mountain/high flight! Sledder with Ben, but very lifty
sledder, no lift
sledder, First thermals!
Pitch Control
Reverse Launch
Forward Launch/Turns
Forward Launch/Accuracy Landing
Forward Launch/Accuracy Landing
Forward Launch
Forward Launch
Forward Launch
Forward Launch
Forward Launch
First lunch from South. North Landing. First flight on new Pi 2.
super hot hike up with al gear with Luke.. so hot! great south takeoff, more relaxed. short flight then thermals came up after I landed,
BIG EARS. STOBILO LINE CONTROL FOR CRAVETTE.
My FIRST FLIGHT AT MUSSEL ROCK! BEAUTIFUL. Landed in a bush, but otherwise good. Learned a lot today kiting, and also did an wonderful educational TANDEM with Mark – including orientation to the site, sharp turns and easy turns, how to avoid body swinging, feeling a rotor, lift, big ears.
short south launch, good launch, landed south after Marc suggested I go either direction. I was using too much back in forth at end blocking others to set up for final, noted. Good flight
The first flight off the training hill. Pretty rough landing. Ouch!
Second flight. Launched off west hill #3
Third flight. Launched off the training hill. Worked on forward launches.
Fourth flight. Launched off the training hill.
Fifth flight. Launched off the training hill.
Worked on making a better flare.
Sixth flight. Launched off the training hill. Worked on lanching with torpedo.
Training hill. Worked on torpedo and coming out of it smoothly. Also worked on weighted turns – look, lean, and turn.
Training hill. Worked on torpedo and then flat s-turns.
Worked on s-turns.
Worked on s-turns and pitch control.
Worked on s-turns and pitch control. Tried to nail a spot landing but shot over.
Worked on s-turns and pitch control. Also worked on applying a bit of breaks to keep the wing from overshooting at launch.
Worked on s-turns and pitch control.
Worked on spot landings. Came within twenty feet of target.
Forward takeoff with torpedo. Turning with pitch adjustment and landing.
Forward takeoff with torpedo. Turning with pitch adjustment and landing.
Forward takeoff with torpedo. Turning with pitch adjustment and landing.
Forward takeoff with torpedo. Turning with swing adjustment and landing.
Forward takeoff with torpedo. Turning with swing adjustment and landing.
Forward takeoff with torpedo. Turning with swing adjustment, S turns and landing.
Forward takeoff with torpedo. Turning with pitch control, S turns and landing.
Reverse launch with building a wall and turning to forward takeoff with torpedo. Turning with pitch control, S turns and landing.
First flight. Forward launch.
Bo tat launch. Worked on turns and landing flare.
Worked on forward launch, turns and landing flare and getting used to flying
Worked on forward launch, turns and landing flare.
Worked on forward launch, weighted turns and landing flare.
Worked on torpedo.
Good Reverse Lunch. Good landing
First at Muscle Rock! Sledder, Alex filmed launch on video, made it most of the way to the LZ.
Sledder but picked up some decent hight as wind was pretty strong. Landed just past LZ.
Wing Cravat. Learned what it feels like and how to fly with one.
A short flight in light wind.
Short flight working on pitch control and weighted turns.
Worked on flare.
Reverse Lunch. Zig-Zag Landing. Longest flight.
Great fathers day launch, smooth launch into crowded sky. lots of lift right away and spent first 40 minutes above the launch point. So fun. then came in landed by Chris Santacroce. good drills and landing right on target.
My FIRST FLIGHT AT MUSSEL ROCK! BEAUTIFUL. Landed in a bush, but otherwise good. Learned a lot today kiting, and also did an wonderful educational TANDEM with Mark – including orientation to the site, sharp turns and easy turns, how to avoid body swinging, feeling a rotor, lift, big ears.
Flights 1 through 46 completed during eight days of P2 flight training. All maneuvers/demonstrations required for USHPA rating P2 were successfully completed.
Mountain flight. Good slope launch (reverse) at 7000′ ASL. Thermal climb to approx 8600′ ASL. Mostly smooth glide flight plan over the valley to the LZ. Performed numerous turns and landed safely within the LZ.
Blossom Valley small mountain flight. Good reverse top launch, short ridge lift flight and safe top landing at the lower “bail out” spot.
Lift everywhere. Hard time to land. Big ears e.t.c
Forward Launch/Big Ears/360 turns
forgot this one
Flight Plan: Perform a forward take off, kick into the harness, remove hands from breaks, using weight shift perform one left and one right turn, get out of the harness and land into the wind.
Notes: I got a bump of wind and some height and so had to perform another turn to scrub off the extra height before landing in the LZ.
Flight Plan: Perform a forward take off, kick into the harness, perform one left and one right turn, get out of the harness and land into the wind.
Notes: I launched straight down hill. The flight went as planned and I was for the first time able to get out of the harness for the and land in the LZ. I was relaxed and in control and having a lot of fun.
Flight Plan: Perform a forward take off, kick into the harness, assume one handed control position, perform, one left and one right turn, get out of the harness and land into the wind.
Notes: I noticed too much weight on the breaks from holding the breaks at my nose as instructed and so held them at my fore head instead. During debrief my instructor confirmed this to be the correct adjustment.
Flight Plan: Perform a forward take off, kick into the harness, Pull on outer A’s to create Big Ears so as to loose height, get out of the harness and land into the wind.
Notes: Apparently I pulled some alarming big ears – by all accounts they were enormous. Adding one ear first and then the other caused a lot of directional change. I corrected the direction to land.
Flight Plan: Perform a forward take off, kick into the harness, Pull on outer right A to create an asymmetric, use weight shift to correct course, get out of the harness and land into the wind.
Notes: I was less vicious on the outer A line resulting in a smaller ear. I had to lean a lot more than I had initially expected to compensate for the one sided deflation.
Flight Plan: Perform a forward take off, kick into the harness, Switch to using the rear risers to control the wing, get out of the harness and land into the wind.
Notes: We were not to pull down on the risers (very dangerous), but to push them back instead. I had to push them back more than I had expected.
Flight Plan: Perform a forward take off, kick into the harness, push out the speed bar, perform two turns, resume normal control, get out of the harness and land into the wind.
Notes: I could not reach the speed bar so I reached down with my hand and placed it under my foot. I pushed out, but not enough to release it from the velcro that was holding it in place. After the first turn I heard from my instructor say that I had not pushed it out. I pushed out harder, released the velcro engaging the speed bar. I sped up!
Flight Plan: Launching by ourselves and landing in the LZ with our own flight plan.
Notes: I launches into the wind which sent me towards the canyon west of the hill.
Flight Plan: Launching by ourselves and landing in the LZ with our own flight plan.
Notes: I launches into the wind which sent me towards the canyon west of the hill.
Flight Plan: Launching by ourselves and landing in the LZ with our own flight plan.
Notes: I launches into the wind which sent me into the canyon west of the hill. I popped into the harness and busted out some James Bond moves in the canyon. Turns out that the canyon is dangerous and although we may launch into the wind on the east side of the canyon, we should not do so on the west side, even if the wind is coming from that direction.
Lesson 1 – canyon’s can be prone to turbulence, as is the case with this one.
Lesson 2 – you don’t have to launch directly into the wind.
Flight Plan: Launching by ourselves and landing in the LZ with our own flight plan.
I was told to chill on the launch and almost walk it out which really helped smooth everything out. I launched south off the hill despite the slight west and it worked out well. Someone complemented me on a slick, smooth turn. Someone else complemented me on my landing. Thanks somebody! <3
Flight Plan: Launching by ourselves and landing in the LZ with our own flight plan.
I started to think about spotting the landing site which went really well. I notice that I tend to turn into the landing quite late so as to not over shoot. I could perhaps try longer traverses with tighter turns instead. I need to remember to keep my legs together.
Reverse Launch/360 turns/Big Ears
Getting a feel for ridge lift/Accuracy
Turbulence training!
Accuracy
Soaring
Accuracy Landing
Tow launch.
Getting the hang of tow launches
Smooth landing
Tow launch.
Smooth air.
Smooth landing.
Tow launch.
Smooth air.
Smooth landing.
Spot landing attempted, overshot it.
Tow launch.
Last flight of the day.
All tow launches were forward launches today.
Smooth air.
Smooth landing.
Spot landing attempted, nailed it (for my current skill)
The trims were slightly out for all the tow launches today.
Only flight for the day.
Light winds.
Launch helped by Josiah Sewell.
Reverse launch.
Thermals were just starting to develop. Some bubbles of lift, otherwise smooth air.
Smooth landing.
Spot landing attempted, nailed it (for my current skill) Just a few feet from the circle in Pano LZ.
NW ~3 mph 70 & Steady Apollo; 1130 Yeti Harness; training; forward launch
NW ~3 mph 70 & Steady Apollo; 1200 Yeti Harness; training; forward launch
NW ~3 mph 70 & Steady Apollo; 1200 Yeti Harness; training; forward launch
NW ~3 mph 70 & Steady Apollo; 1100 Yeti Harness; training; forward launch
NW ~5 mph 75 Apollo Swing Harness; training; forward launch
NW ~5 mph 75 Apollo Swing Harness; training; forward launch
NW ~5 mph 75 Apollo Swing Harness; training; forward launch; Worked on A release
NW ~5 mph 75 Apollo Swing Harness; training; forward launch; Spot landing good, s-turn, butt landing
NW ~5-8 70 Apollo; 1620 yeti convertible; turns, spot land, forward
NW ~5-8 70 Apollo yeti convertible; turns, spot land, forward
NW ~5-8 70 Apollo yeti convertible; turns, spot land, forward
NW ~5-8 70 Apollo yeti convertible; turns, spot land, forward
NW ~5-8 70 Apollo yeti convertible; turns, spot land, 1st reverse
NW ~5-8 70 Apollo yeti convertible; turns, spot land, 1st reverse
NW ~7-12 65 Apollo; 1630 Connect Reverse 2 Med (too small, painful); reverse
NW ~7-12 65 Apollo Connect Reverse 2 XL (crotch grabber sucks); reverse
NW ~7-12 65 Apollo Connect Reverse 2; reverse
NW No wind 65 Apollo Connect Reverse 2; reverse
1500 SW ~5 60 Top Gun s nob Connect Reverse 2; forward, s-turns
HSB 4000 1400 NW <5 65 yippee ky-yay Connect Reverse 2; forward, big ears, 360, 8, s-turn. Didn't stay on board, strain on back.
HSB 4000 1400 NW <5 65 yippee ky-yay Connect Reverse 2; forward, big ears, 360, 8, s-turn. Didn't stay on board, strain on back.
HSB 3500 900 NW <5 70 Ridgemont Split leg, gray flame (more comfortable); front reserve; forward, big ears, 360, s-turn
HSB 3500 900 Calm 70 Ridgemont Split leg, gray flame (more comfortable); front reserve; forward, 360, s-turn
HSB 4000 1400 Calm 70 yippee ky-yay Forward launch, South w/East launch turn, big ears, 360, s-turn, 8
HSB 4000 1400 Calm clear, ~70 yippee ky-yay Connect Reverse; Reverse Launch; 360, s-turn, s w/east launch, 8 turn, speed bar
HSB 3500 900 NW ~5-10 clear, ~70 Ridgemont Connect Reverse; Reverse Launch; 360, s-turn, 8 turn, speed bar
HSB 3500 900 NW ~5-10 clear, ~70 Ridgemont, 1630 Tandem harness; Reverse Launch; 360, s-turn
HSB 3500 900 NW ~5-10 clear, ~70 Ridgemont Tandem harness; Reverse Launch; 360, s-turn
HSB ~3-7 Apollo, 1230 Brave 4; Forward launch
HSB ~3-7 Apollo, 1230 Brave 4; Forward launch
HSB ~3-7 Apollo Brave 4; reverse launch; spot landing
HSB ~3-7 Apollo Brave 4; reverse launch; spot landing
HSB Calm clear, ~80 Ridgemont Swing Connect Reverse; Reverse launch; 360; s-turn; 180; big ears
HSB Calm clear, ~80 Ridgemont Swing Connect Reverse; Reverse launch; 360; s-turn; 180; big ears; thermal in 360 (about 5 turns)
First flight! Lifted legs a little early, brushed the grass at launch, but otherwise flight was good. Nice landing.
Landed a little hard, but stayed on feet.
Could not stay on my feet on landing. Mild sprain right elbow.
No incident
No incident
No incident
No incident
No incident
First motor flight. Reved throttle unexpectedly on launch. Lifted legs a little early but got up okay. Climbed to about 7000 feet and circled the airport. Landing was pretty good.
Josiah Sewel supervised launch. Perfect launch. Flew to LZ and did lazy circles and figure eights upwind of LZ to lose altitude. Perfect landing!
Flew with Justin. First attempted launch bombed. Second launch attempt was successful but I scrapped the ground after lifting legs too early. Lucky I didn’t bust the prop. Discovered in flight I had not connected the wing properly – risers were twisted. Unwrapped brakes and setup was stable so I continued flying. On final approach to landing I was low so I applied throttle to clear trees. Killed motor after clearing trees, but there was slight oscillation. Landing came in fast. On landing I fell forward on hands and knees, but no injury. Had fun, but several things sucked about this flight!
Mountain launches on slope, big ears.
Flight Plan: Perform a forward take off, remain in torpedo position throughout the flight. Perform one left and one right turn to scrub off height and land into the wind.
Notes: I had two starts of running too hard into too little wind causing me to nose dived my face into the ground. Eventually I launched, I was somewhat heavy on the breaks, and responded to the adjustments given by my instructor. I completed two turns and landed in the bushes like a fucking champion!
Flight Plan: Perform a forward take off, remain in torpedo position throughout the flight. Perform one left and one right turn to scrub off height and land into the wind.
Notes: I had two starts of running too hard into too little wind causing me to nose dived my face into the ground. Eventually I launched, I was somewhat heavy on the breaks, and responded to the adjustments given by my instructor. I completed two turns and landed in the bushes like a fucking champion!
Flight Plan: Perform a forward take off, remain in torpedo position throughout the flight. Perform one left and one right turn to scrub off height and land into the wind.
Notes: I Launched slightly east into the wind, running down a lot of the slope. It felt as though I hit some sink and headed for a tree. I waited for instruction on how best to avoid the tree but heard none so flared, raised over the tree like Evil Kenevil – it was really a champion maneuver executed very well based on my scant experience. I turned right, and then left and once again landed in some bushes with style. My instructor said nothing about my amazing maneuver which made me a little sad… and than I got over it.
Flight Plan: Perform a forward take off, kick into the harness. Perform one left and one right turn to scrub off height, get out of the harness and land into the wind.
Notes: I launched slightly east into the wind, not running hell for leather as previously. It was a more balanced launch and I used my awareness of the wing to balance my running input which produced a far lass frantic launch. I was also more aware of my arms and their weight on the break lines. The flight went as planned, but I was not able to get out of the harness. My thighs seemed to get stuck in the leg straps. I cushioned somewhat with my legs and landed and bounced on my bottom up onto my feet. Billy Elliot!
Flight Plan: Perform a forward take off, kick into the harness. Remove hands from the breaks, perform one left and one right turn using weight shift, get pout of the harness and land into the wind.
Notes: I launched slightly east into the wind. The flight went as planned, but I was not able to get out of the harness. My thighs seemed to get stuck in the leg straps. I managed to get only slightly out of the harness but managed to somehow land on my feet like a penguin.
Kiting practice. Light wind forward inflation launches off training hill.
180 degree turns
180 degree turns
180 degree turns, Ridge Soar
180 degree turns, Ridge Soar
180 degree turns, Ridge Soar
180 degree turns, Ridge Soar
180 degree turns, Ridge Soar
180 degree turns, Ridge Soar
Landings getting better!!
180 degree turns, Ridge Soar
Landings getting better!!
180 degree turns, Ridge Soar
Landings getting better!!
180 degree turns, Ridge Soar
Landings getting better!!
TANDEM
Completed 55 full hill training flights demonstrating requirements for P2 with eight flying days (and one additional ground school day) from May 4th to May 14th.
TANDEM. Thermals. Ridge soaring.
3 flights. Ridge soar. Stalls and surges.
tough time getting off the hill. Not used to tall weeds. but the flight was fine. I tripped in weeds on landing, but got myself up in enough time to kite wing. passed P1 test today, could have done better.
First flight at Channing
Great launch control. Very good flights
Second flight at Channing
Great launch control. Very good flights
Ridge soaring
ridge soaring
launch practice crosswinds
launch practice crosswinds reverse launch
launch practice crosswinds reverse launch
sled ride
sled ride. Smooth air. Stable air
practice riding thermals along ridge and out infront of ridge area. Soared one hour and twenty minutes.
foggy soar, southy
SIV – pitch control, asym and full frontal, B stall
SIV – pitch control, asym and full frontal, B stall
SIV – pitch control, asym and full frontal, B stall
SIV – autorotation, wingover, dynamic turn
SIV – autorotation, wingover, dynamic turn
SIV – full stall, spin to backfly, collapses on bar, SAT
SIV – full stall, spin to backfly, collapses on bar, SAT
SIV – full stall, spin to backfly, collapses on bar, SAT
SIV – full stall (12), wingover, SAT
SIV – full stall (12), wingover, SAT
nice flight. missed the super Thermal. Good launch and great landing, pretty good for solo#13
Reverse take off, left turn, landings
Reverse take off, left turn, landings
Reverse take off, left turn, landings
Cliff/ridge launch at Bates. Sled ride to beach. Kited Buzz z6
Flew Buzz Z6 for the first time. Harness was too lose. Made adjustments for second flight.
Flew Buzz Z6 for the second time. Harness but board was waaaaay too far forwards.
Nipple Launch.
Ridgetop.
Ridgetop.
Bunch of kiting. Forward launch. Kite up hill.
SMOOTH
360s/Big ears
Extended sled ride/proximity to ridge
Reverse take off, left turn, landings
Reverse take off, left turn, landings
Reverse take off, left turn, landings
Reverse take off, left turn, landings
Reverse take off, left turn, landings
Reverse take off, left turn, landings
Walker launch site
good launch
sled ride to LZ in Iceplant
Walker launch site, WSW wind
good launch
soared for about 6 min, unable to get above launch
Landed in designated LZ
East wind
good launch from just below the top of the hill
Sled ride. Encountered thermal lift, learned not to overfly the glider IE relax.
Landed in LZ w/ aggressive flare.
East wind
good launch from middle of the hill
Sled ride. relaxed and flew glide on decided flightpath,
Landed in LZ w/ aggressive flare.
WSW wind
Walker launch
Aggressive launch
Soared the cliff face.
1st time using the speedbar.
Landed in LZ.
WSW wind
Walker launch
Aggressive launch
Soared the cliff face. Got above the cliff top.
North to the church and back to launch area
More use of the speedbar. Get to know its capability.
Attempted big ears and only got middle ears.
Weight shift turns with ears collapsed
Landed in LZ after 3 S turns to loose alititude.
Fun flight. will have to do more of that stuff again.
WSW wind
Walker launch
launch was crappy lost altitude
Tried soaring SW facing cliff but unable to get lift
Landed in LZ
Needed better launch.
WNW wind
Mid hill launch
launch was good and aggressive
Sledder to LZ , encountered thermal lift. slowed down a little to stay in it
Landed in LZ using a crabbing technique approch.
WNW wind
Mid hill launch
launch was good and aggressive
Sledder to LZ , encountered thermal lift. This time I let it fly through the light thermal lift
Landed in LZ was smooth with aggressive flare.
Sledder, no ridge lift. First flight with stirrup
Thermic and poppy. Messing with asked bar so sank out
Sled rides
Kiting day. Many launches off hill in strong wind.
Flew my first XC with 5 other pilots at BMF 4th of July Fly-In. Motor died a couple of times before launch while idling. I may need to adjust the low jet to correct this. I got launched on my first attempt. I was a little hesitant on the throttle but the wing stayed straight and I launched with no incident. I made a conscious effort to overcome my instinct to lift my legs early and kept my legs down until well into the air. The air was very smooth and I was comfortable flying hand-off brakes. I set the trims to the red line and pretty much stayed there until approaching the LZ I played with the cruise control on the throttle and it worked well. Landing was pretty good. Good times!
After walking down few days ago ( good choice) went north today and had a great flight, bumpy and thermals…up above the Takeoff a few times then the winds switched and went for south landing. fun!!!!!!!
Basic sledder. Nice reverse launch in mild wind. I came into the LZ a little lower than I liked – not as much tree clearance as I am comfortable with. Nice landing.
There was some ridge lift and some other pilots were soaring for quite a while. I did not get much lift on launch. I scratched back and forth about four times trying to get above launch, but I was gradually losing altitude so I broke away and headed to LZ. Still had good altitude above LZ so I scrubbed. Had to turn a little aggressively to scrub because I didn’t want to come in low over the trees like I did in the previous flight. Landing was good.
Chill warm up flight. All went well.
Chill warm up flight. All went well.
One handed control. Better than last time, felt more in control. Takes longer to turn without the lean.
Rear riser turns. Better than last time, felt more in control. Takes longer to turn without the lean.
Chris explained more about when to use these. (landing in strong wind)
Big Ears. I used smaller ears than before and remained perfectly on course as opposed to last time.
Just practicing. Working on my landings making them smooth.
Just practicing. Working on my landings making them smooth.
First ever reverse launch. Yey. A bit tentative, but got off. Need to just turn and launch as soon as it’s stable.
Another reverse launch. Much better. Kiting on the way to becoming second nature. (Did a lot of kiting in a very mild breeze – was really cool instructive)
I lost a lot of height early so I cut hard, low and fast across the hill. Well in control and traded speed for height with a gentle flair when I wanted more height.
Nailed the reverse launch. Used a little flare to pull away from the hill gently trading air speed for height. Nailed the landing like a fucking pimp!
Lost height quickly and dove across the hill, like Bond. It was hot. Seriously.. .I think I made a bit of action hero wee in my camo undies.
I was a little early leaving on the reverse launch – I could have waited for a better moment before heading out. But I worked it out and had an awesome landing. Buttery. I’m really dialing the landings in – smooth on the flaring and really feeling the air.
Evening soar. Pitch control. Turbulent. First real flight with stirrup.
good Orthographic lift
good Orthographic lift
A chill warm up. I felt a little rusty. It all went fine.
Asymmetric deflation. I Pulled the steblo line instead of the outer A. I pulled the most outside line rather than the outer A. Need to grab the single red line.
Sped bar. This all went better than last time on the speed bar. I released from the zelcro retainer better.
I had another go at an asymmetric. This one went really well. I made a big one and even with the beginner wing it was necessary to compensate for a direction change.
Break wraps. This went very wellI I was waiting for right turn instructions and they didn’t come, so I took control myself but landed outside the LZ. Must remember to be the pilot.
General practice. I let go of a toggle on launch but found it soon after.
General practice. I came very low to the terrain and did a little run on the side of the hill. I feathered my breaks for a low flight across the LZ to get near the meeting point.
General practice. All went well, stayed further away from the hill.
Ridgetop.
good Orthographic lift
General practice – warm up. Forgot to take a wrap.
Hit a lot of sink. Over steered on landing.. .lots of roll but landed on feet.
Over steered on landing a bit less.. .lots of roll but landed on feet. Feeling I’ll, went home.
Warm up lap. Unspectacular. I need to remember to cross my legs and keep them together on landing.
Forward launch in low wind. Focusing on running straight off the front.
Reverse launch in light wind. Turned under a bit too soon. Flared too late on landing.
Reverse launch in light wind. Flared a hair too late on landing.
Reverse launch in light wind. Flared a hair too late on landing.
Perfect flight. Smooth reverse launch. Wrapped, Crossed, legs together. Landed like a ballet dancer.
good Orthographic lift
Kiting day
First flight, tow-in!
Second flight, tow-in!
Third flight, tow-in!
Fourth flight, tow-in!
Only flight for the day.
Wonder winds!
2nd day of the BMF fly in 2019
Reverse launch with slight high winds. The launch was perfect.
Had my first soaring experience and soared the Pano ridge for almost an hour. Shared the air space with 22 other PGs and 2 HGs.
Landing approach could have been better.
Ascent/takeoff with tow. Tracked away from line, landed.
Ascent/takeoff with tow. Gained 200 Ft. altitude, released, and glided down in figure 8. Landing had to much flare too early.
Set up glider, got glider overhead, torpedoed, launched, landed, but failed to put glider down in front of me properly.
Reverse Kite to torpedo, launched, flare, spin, glider drop.
Running start, had A lines in the wrong position. Flew, but wing was behind.
Running start, needed to turn left faster, and put my kite down in front of me on landing.
Launched reverse, needed to land with more flare.
Reverse kite to torpedo, gained 5 Ft.flare, drop. Need to work on placing the wing down in front of me, on landing.
winched up to 250 Ft. released tow, looped around field, landed.
Winched up, over corrected glider, swerved and almost hit the winch line, before correcting to proper flight path, and gaining altitude. Glided down to a soft flare landing.
Reverse launch to torpedo, launch flare, land. need to work on setting kite down.
first reverse Launch!
Reverse launch to torpedo, launch flare, land. 3Ft Vertical. Perfectly laid kite down.
Reverse launch to torpedo, launch flare, land. 5Ft Vertical. Perfectly laid kite down. Too much flare, once I was airborn. Glider bucked, then dropped me.
Practiced going into light thermals, practiced flairs and stand up landings, watched tow tech
Practiced sliders on foot launches, practice flight landing patterns (s turns)
Practiced sliders on foot launches, practice flight landing patterns
Practiced sliders on foot launches, practice flight landing patterns
Total Paramotors flights since before this date, leaned to properly takeoff, fly, and land with motor
Worked on flare.
Worked on flare and got my spot landing.
Worked on flight plan involving turns to bleed off altitude..
Worked on flight plan involving turns to bleed off altitude made my second spot landing.
Worked on flight plan.
Worked on flight plan and s-turns and scored another spot landing.
Worked on flight plan and s-turns.
Extended sledder. Fun!
Thermal, triangle. Nice hike up
Worked on Shallow S turns.
Worked on Shallow S turns.
Flight off of Bo Tat with a different flight plan.
Flight off of Bo Tat. Worked on weighted turns and landing flair
Flight off of Bo Tat. Worked on weighted turns and landing flair
Flight off of Bo Tat. Worked on weighted turns and landing flair
Flight off of Bo Tat. Worked on weighted turns and landing flair
Perfect flight. Smooth reverse launch. Wrapped, Crossed, legs together. Landed like a ballet dancer.
Perfect flight. Smooth reverse launch. Wrapped, Crossed, legs together. Landed like a ballet dancer.
Perfect flight. Smooth reverse launch. Wrapped, Crossed, legs together. Landed like a ballet dancer.
Straight flight in optimal wind. Minor right/left corrections performed to maintain straight flight. Brake flair for landing
Straight flight in optimal wind. Small Right and Left turns performed. Brake flair for landing
Straight flight in optimal wind. Right and Left turns performed. Brake flair for landing
Straight flight in optimal wind. Right and Left turns performed. Brake flair for landing
thermal climbing. big ears to descent and lose altitude
tried thermal climbing. and studied the Vario during the flight.
Forward launch
Sled ride from Walker. Great flight
First soaring flight!!!
Big ears, soaring turns, traffic, one handed flying.
Tried speedbar, but couldn’t hook it.
Overall great flight.
Second soaring flight
Couldn’t get above the ridge.
Over controlling.
Good flight regardless.
Third soaring flight.
Another great flight, other traffic, big ears to get out of fog, great landing.
A spectacular day!!!
forward launch
forward launch
forward launch
forward launch
forward launch
reverse launch
Sled ride from Walker. Hybrid launch. Very light wind, 2-5 mph
Sled ride from Walker. Hybrid launch. Very light wind, 2-5 mph
Sled ride from Walker. Hybrid launch. Very light wind, 2-5 mph
Sled ride from Walker. Hybrid launch. Very light wind, 2-5 mph
Forward launch, Torpedo, Land
Forward launch, Torpedo, Land
Forward launch, Torpedo, Land
Forward launch, Torpedo, Land
Forward launch, Torpedo, Land
Forward launch, Torpedo, Land
Forward launch, Torpedo, Land
Forward launch, Torpedo, Land
Foreward Takeoff, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Takeoff, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Takeoff, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Takeoff, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Takeoff, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Takeoff, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Takeoff, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Takeoff, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
tough time getting off the hill due to silly errors (turned to the right, ran left around a tree instead of right and did not apply sufficient break pressure to get out the ground). Landing was clumsy. Just out of habit.
Sweet Hill – Training Hill feeling things out
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
fluffing brakes, feeling the wind
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
more of the same
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Perfect spot landing!!
First flight!
Second! Much more comfortable.
Foreward Takeoff, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Takeoff, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Revrse Launch, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Reverse Launch, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Launch, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Launch, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Reverse Launch, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Launch, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Launch, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Foreward Launch, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Reverse Launch, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
Reverse Launch, hard run, flew, flare, landed.
WNW wind
Mid hill launch
launch was good and aggressive
Sledder to LZ , encountered thermal lift. This time I let it fly through the light thermal lift
Landed in LZ was smooth with aggressive flare.
W wind. very light
Walker launch
launch was good and aggressive
Sledder to LZ.
Landed in LZ was smooth with aggressive flare. Had to run it out a little due to little headwind.
W wind. very light
Walker launch
launch was good and aggressive
Sledder to LZ.
Landed in LZ was smooth with aggressive flare. Had to run it out a little due to little headwind.
W wind. very light
Walker launch
launch was good and aggressive
Sledder to LZ.
Landed in LZ was smooth with aggressive flare. Had to run it out a little due to little headwind.
WSW wind. strong headwind
Walker launch. 45 degree cross from left
launch was Ok.
Had to be quick with Reverse > turn forward > torpedo due to turbulence while kiting.
Soared 3 passes of the low ridge. Fogbase was low, couldn’t get too high.
Landed in LZ was smooth with mild aggressive flare.
SW wind. strong headwind
Walker launch. 45 degree cross from left
launch was Ok.
Had to be quick with Reverse > turn forward > torpedo due to turbulence while kiting.
Soared 3 passes of the low ridge. Fogbase was low, couldn’t get too high.
Landed in LZ was smooth with mild aggressive flare.
sled ride. launch easy, parma landing a bit rough – gotta flare early as hell on that uphill. With Jeff, Derek gave site briefing from the launch
First mountain flight. amazing
First high flight. with Molly, Jeff, Jamie, Jon, Chris
Longest flight yet. Riding thermals above main chief ridge. Stayed up but didn’t climb out – tops for me seemed to be about 4700, but I was above launch at 4750 so I dunno. Awesome flight
Seated flight. Used foot strap to enter the seat. Launched into a thermal and controlled out the other side. Chained right and left turns throughout flight and navigated to LZ that was out of view from launch. Brake flair for landing.
Seated flight. Used foot strap to enter the seat. Chained right and left turns throughout flight to control altitude before LZ that was out of view from launch. Brake flair for landing.
Seated flight. Used foot strap to enter the seat. Chained right and left turns throughout flight to control altitude before LZ that was out of view from launch. Brake flair for landing. Minor turbulence midway from launch.
Forward Launch. Used foot strap to enter the seat. Chained right and left turns throughout flight to control altitude before LZ that was out of view from launch. Brake flair for landing. Minor turbulence midway from launch.
Reverse Launch in moderate turbulence. Chained right and left turns throughout flight to control altitude before LZ that was out of view from launch. Brake flair for landing. Turn on landing to cross lines
Reverse Launch strong wind. Chained right and left turns throughout flight to control altitude before LZ that was out of view from launch. Brake flair for landing.
Reverse Launch in strong wind. First time directing glider to LZ without radio input for final turns. Brake flair for landing. Landed in the LZ but short and was able to run it out the entire way to the gathering point. Turned under lines to reset them when I killed the glider.
Forward launch. Radio was on the wrong channel so had no contact with instructors. Did two early turns and then flew over spirit ridge and over the back side. Did several S turns in the valley to line up for a landing in the confluence. Could’ve improved my approach to LZ by heading further upvalley to line up straight towards LZ.
Forward Launch. Used foot strap to enter the seat. Chained right and left turns throughout flight to control altitude before LZ that was out of view from launch. Brake flair for landing. Minor turbulence throughout flight.
Forward Launch. Used foot strap to enter the seat. Chained right and left turns throughout flight to control altitude before LZ that was out of view from launch. Brake flair for landing. moderate turbulence throughout flight.
Reverse Launch. Used foot strap to enter the seat. Chained right and left turns throughout flight to control altitude before LZ that was out of view from launch. Good flair and turn on stall to reset risers. moderate turbulence throughout flight.
Forward Launch. Used foot strap to enter the seat. Chained right and left turns throughout flight to control altitude before LZ that was out of view from launch. Good flair and turn on stall to reset risers. significant turbulence throughout flight. Large sways on landing. Remember to keep feet together!
Reverse Launch self controlled. Did figure 8s over LZ to drop height and s curves to do final adjustment before landing short of cone. Good flair and turn on stall to reset risers.
Reverse Launch self controlled. Did figure 8s over LZ to drop height and s curves to do final adjustment before landing short of cone. Good flair and turn on stall to reset risers.
Reverse Launch self controlled. Did figure 8s over LZ to drop height and s curves to do final adjustment before landing short of cone. Good flair and turn on stall to reset risers.
A’s and D’s reverse launch. Controlled the rolly polly and caught lift, did S-turns to kill height and landed way long on past the LZ.
Split A’s. Controlled the rolly polly and caught lift, did S-turns to kill height and landed way long on past the LZ.
Forward. Controlled the rolly polly and caught lift, did S-turns to kill height and landed way long on past the LZ.
Split A’s. Controlled the rolly polly and caught lift, did S-turns to kill height and landed way long on past the LZ.
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Forward. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach. Landed within 25 of cone.
Split As. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach. Landed within 25′ of cone.
Split As. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach. Landed within 25′ of cone.
Split As. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach. Landed within 25′ of cone.
A’s and D’s. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach. Landed within 25′ of cone.
Forward launch with torpedo. Look, lean, turn. Flare timing.
Forward launch with torpedo. Pitch control and flare timing
Forward launch with torpedo. Pitch and swing control and flare timing
Forward launch with torpedo. Pitch and swing control and flare timing
Forward launch with torpedo. Pitch and swing control and flare timing, spot landing
Forward launch with torpedo. Pitch and swing control and flare timing, spot landing
Forward launch with torpedo. S turns and flare timing, spot landing
Forward launch with torpedo. Look lean turn, pitch control and flare timing, spot landing
Forward launch with torpedo. Look lean turn, and flare timing, spot landing
Forward launch with torpedo. Look lean turn, bleeding off altitude and flare timing, spot landing
Up for a while! Radio died, landed on own well, but with poor approach.
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill – Swan Dive!
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Depart Les Ruinette 2,200 meters, land Champsec 850 meters. 4.5 km flight. Skills: Big Ears, inverse steering.
Depart Savrayer 1,700 meters, land Champsec 850 meters. 2.4 km flight. Skills: turns 90 degrees, 180 degrees, 360 degrees.
First 10 flights with Verbier Summits in a two-week Club Pilot course under the British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association system. Stuart Belbas OFAC 34595.
Depart Les Ruinette 2,200 meters, land Champsec 850 meters. 4.5 km flight. Skills: flying slow, inverse steering.
Depart Les Ruinette 2,200 meters, land Champsec 850 meters. 4.5 km flight. Skills: asymmetric collapse.
Depart Les Ruinette 2,200 meters, land Champsec 850 meters. 4.5 km flight. Skills: pitch control.
Depart Les Ruinette 2,200 meters, land Champsec 850 meters. 4.5 km flight. Skills: speedbar.
Depart Les Ruinette 2,200 meters, land Champsec 850 meters. 4.5 km flight. Skills: fly as a group (3)
Depart Les Ruinette 2,200 meters, land Champsec 850 meters. 4.5 km flight. Skills: ridge soaring.
Depart Les Ruinette 2,200 meters, land Champsec 850 meters. 4.5 km flight. Skills: more independent flight; shifting winds in LZ.
Depart Les Ruinette 2,200 meters, land Champsec 850 meters. 4.5 km flight. Skills: more independent flight; strong winds in LZ, landed a bit short.
Completed the BHPA exam and received the Club Pilot certification and IPPI 3 certification.
Depart Puli Tiger 709 meters, land North Landing 209 meters. 1+ km flight. Skills: survival flying in strong winds with lots of turbulence, especially turbulent in very small LZ with myriad obstacles (power lines, houses, trees, greenhouses), short ridge soaring.
Depart Puli Tiger 709 meters, land North Landing 209 meters. 1+ km flight. Skills: survival flying in strong winds with lots of turbulence, especially turbulent in very small LZ with myriad obstacles (power lines, houses, trees, greenhouses), short ridge soaring. Wind about 7 meters/second.
Depart Puli Tiger 709 meters, land North Landing 209 meters. 1+ km flight. Skills: general flying in lighter winds than yesterday, less turbulent in very small LZ with myriad obstacles (power lines, houses, trees, greenhouses).
Depart Puli Tiger 709 meters, land North Landing 209 meters. 1+ km flight. Skills: general flying in lighter winds than yesterday, but increasingly turbulent in very small LZ with myriad obstacles (power lines, houses, trees, greenhouses).
Depart Puli Tiger 709 meters, land North Landing 209 meters. 1+ km flight. Skills: general flying in lighter winds than yesterday, but increasingly turbulent in very small LZ with myriad obstacles (power lines, houses, trees, greenhouses).
Depart Puli Tiger 709 meters, land North Landing 209 meters. 1+ km flight. Skills: general flying in lighter winds than yesterday, but increasingly turbulent in very small LZ with myriad obstacles (power lines, houses, trees, greenhouses). Caught descending air, hence the shorter flight, straight to LZ.
Basic sled run in light wind, forward launch, landed very near target.
The first 17 flights were all forward launches.
Basic sled run in light wind, first reverse launch, landed very near target.
My longest free flight to date. Soared the ridge for about 20 minutes. Did not get above launch though. Flaired too soon on landing (again – ugh!) Came in a little hot and couldn’t stay on my feet. When landing I’m going to try to focus on keeping my vision more in front and not so much on the ground directly below me.
Kiting for about 40 minutes with Grace. Winds were forecast 8 mph gusting to 16 mph around 7pm. Beginning of kitting winds were consistent for about 10 minutes then dropped off occasional gust cycles. Practiced reverse inflation first after winds died down could only forward launch. Had about 4 failures and 3 really good forward launches. Kited till 8pm.
Longest flight yet. Riding thermals above main chief ridge. Stayed up but didn’t climb out – tops for me seemed to be about 4700, but I was above launch at 4750 so I dunno. Awesome flight
EJ off the back -> parma. tangle on launch, and eventually snapped stabilo. Couldn’t turn right, barely made parma, no harm done
Nice flight. couldn’t really scratch above Faros but then found lift heading towards LZ, climbed back to 7300. Strong W wind, maybe 10 by the time I landed. Came up short on landing, underestimated wind, but safe&good landing.
Forward take off, flare landing
Forward take off, flare landing
Forward take off, flare landing
Forward take off, flare landing, left turn, right turn
Forward launch from bottom of hill.
Flare landing.
Fell forwards on landing.
Forward take off, flare landing, left turn, right turn
Forward take off, flare landing, left turn, right turn, move arms and elbows forward and up
Forward launch from bottom of hill.
Flare landing.
Fell harder on landing.
Arms need to be higher, especially right side.
Forward take off, flare landing, left turn, right turn, used foot bar to sit down
Forward take off, flare landing
Takeoff techniques
Forward take off, flare landing
Takeoff techniques
Forward take off, flare landing
Takeoff and landing top of the hlll techniques
Takeoff and landing top of the hlll techniques
Forward launch from bottom of hill.
Flare landing.
Much straighter flight, landed on feet.
Takeoff and landing top of the hlll techniques
Takeoff and landing top of the hlll techniques
Forward launch from top of hill.
Flare landing.
Performed left and right turns.
Takeoff and landing top of the hlll techniques
Forward launch from top of hill.
Flare landing.
Performed left and right turns.
Takeoff and landing top of the hlll techniques
Takeoff and landing top of the hlll techniques
Forward launch from top of hill.
Performed left and right turns.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Takeoff and landing top of the hlll techniques
Forward launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Performed left and right turns.
Kicked out of seat.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Forward launch from bottom of hill.
Straight flight.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Forward launch from bottom of hill.
Straight flight.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Forward reverse launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Performed left and right turns.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, weight shift turns
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Performed left and right turns.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Let go of brakes, performed weight shift left and right turns.
Back on brakes.
Performed left and right turns.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Takeoff and landing top of the hlll techniques
Weight shift
One handed braked
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Put both brakes in right hand and performed left and right turns.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, one hand turns
Messy take off, brakes crosssd
Basics practice.
Basics practice.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat steer with rears
Rear risers steering
Big Ears
Asymmetrics
End of the day flight plan
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, big ears
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Preformed “big ears”
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, asymmetric flying – big eat on right, lean to left with light left brake
Bonus flight
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Preformed right side “big ears” weight shift left turn with a little left brake.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Performed turns.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Performed turns.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Warm up
Speed bar
Thermalling for real
Thermalling for real again
Thermalling for real again
Evening soar
Stalls
Spins wingovers
2 SATS wingovers
Trashy thermals
Morning sledder
Evening soar
Morning sledder
Short soar sunset
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Sweet Hill – Training Hill
Towing – Westford!! First flight was overwhelming, and had trouble getting used to the glider on tow
Towing – Westford!! Second flight was better, and started getting used to the glider on tow
Towed up, flew figure 8 perpendicular to the wind, flared, and landed. Focused on being smooth with my turns.
Towed up, flew figure 8 perpendicular to the wind, flared, and landed. Focused on being smooth with my turns.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Performed turns.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Forward launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Used speed bar.
Performed turns.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight – botched take off – stopped running too soon
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Second use of speed bar.
Performed turns.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight, speed bar use
Speed bar 2
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight, brake wraps
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Brake wraps.
Performed turns.
Flare landing with brake wraps and reverse kiting.
Brake wrap
Spot landing
Reverse launch from top of hill.
First spot landing.
Sat back in harness.
Brake wraps.
Performed turns.
Flare landing with brake wraps and reverse kiting.
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Second spot landing.
Sat back in harness.
Brake wraps.
Performed turns.
Flare landing with brake wraps and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight, brake wraps horrible take off
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight, brake wraps, better take off. Too much turn, cane up short on spot landing
Spot landing
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight, brake wraps, better take off. spot landing still short
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Third spot landing.
Sat back in harness.
Brake wraps.
Performed turns.
Flare landing with brake wraps and reverse kiting.
Spot landing 3
Spot landing 4
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Forth spot landing.
Sat back in harness.
Brake wraps.
Performed turns.
Flare landing with brake wraps and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight, brake wraps, better take off. spot landing – closer at 25’ right of flag
Spot landing 5
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Fifth spot landing.
Sat back in harness.
Brake wraps.
Performed turns.
Flare landing with brake wraps and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight, brake wraps, better take off. spot landing, closer to flag this time
Spot landing 6
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight, brake wraps, better take off. spot landing, closer to flag this time, best one so far 20’ shy
Spot landing 7
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Sixth spot landing.
Sat back in harness.
Brake wraps.
Performed turns.
Flare landing with brake wraps and reverse kiting.
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Seventh spot landing.
Sat back in harness.
Brake wraps.
Performed turns.
Flare landing with brake wraps and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight, brake wraps, better take off. spot landing, closer to flag this time, Good but a bit shy
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Eighth spot landing.
Sat back in harness.
Brake wraps.
Performed turns.
Flare landing with brake wraps and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight, brake wraps, better take off. spot landing, closer to flag this time, Good but oscillations on landing – make less inputs and glider will correct itself
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Ninth spot landing.
Sat back in harness.
Brake wraps.
Performed turns.
Flare landing with brake wraps and reverse kiting.
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Tenth spot landing.
Sat back in harness.
Brake wraps.
Performed turns.
Flare landing with brake wraps and reverse kiting.
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight, brake wraps, better take off. spot landing, closer to flag this time, Good , a little far past flag on landing
Reverse take off, flare landing, sit in seat, standard flight, brake wraps, better take off. spot landing, closer to flag this time, Good , last run of day
Towing – Westford!! Third flight, fine tuning and starting to practice figure 8s on landing setup. Early round out…work on timing!
Towing – Westford!! Forth and last flight of the evening. Towed about 450ft up! More fine tuning and dialed in figure 8s on landing setup. Had an early round out which will be worked on next flight.
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Eleventh spot landing.
Sat back in harness.
Brake wraps.
Performed turns.
Flare landing with brake wraps and reverse kiting.
WSW wind. Lite to med headwind
Walker launch. 25 degree cross from left.
Easy kite
Good launch.
Soared 2 passes of the low ridge. Air was slightly turbulent as lift zone was in the condensation point.
Landed in LZ was smooth with aggressive flare.
WSW wind. Lite to med headwind
Walker launch. 25 degree cross from left.
Easy kite
Good launch.
Soared 2 passes of the low ridge. Air was slightly turbulent as lift zone was in the condensation point.
Landed in LZ was ok. Wing was in a slight left turn at touch down, and had to run/skate it out.
Reverse launch from top of hill.
Sat back in harness.
Performed turns.
Flare landing and reverse kiting.
Spot landing 8
Help from Richard and Chris Lee. 3 1/2 hours of kiting, winds were 6 mph gusting to 12 mph temp was around 90 degrees F. Worked on reverse inflations. Kept having issues with the wing twisting and falling to the right side. Chris pointed out that I wasnt holding the C’s evenly and that I May have been riding the brakes. Also I released the A’s and C’s too early on several occasions causing a frontal collapse. I also wasnt sitting back far enough in the harness and my caribeaners were slack, (was holding my arms bent and too close to my hips). Chris Lee pointed that out, and it corrected my problems. After a few attempts by myself I started noticing the differece after I was corrected. Was able to kite about 1 minute or so without it falling. I realised my problem was overthinking the controls. With the help of Richard was able to do a reverse to forward launch and got maybe 2 feet off the ground. Over all, I feel pretty good with what I learned in my second kiting session.
With Andi. A bit too much west wind,bouncier than usual. Lift by faros and also over the LZ. Landed towards ojai, short again but safe
Awesome site. Billy helped me, high wind launch. Air really smooth. Could have stayed up forever, had to get back to town though
Towed up, turned left, then crossed the field, turned right, then came in to final approach too quickly, and ended up flaring and landing with the wind, not against it.
Towed up, turned left, then crossed the field, turned right, flew parallel to landing zone, then perpendicular, then into the wind for final flair and landing.
Towed up, turned left, then crossed the field, pulled a lines to initiate big ears, then used weight shift and c riser to turn right, flew parallel to landing zone, then perpendicular, then into the wind for final flair and landing.
Towed up, turned left, then crossed the field, pulled a lines to initiate big ears, then used weight shift and c riser to turn right, flew parallel to landing zone, then perpendicular, then into the wind for final flair and landing.
Towed up, turned left, then crossed the field. Next, I pushed half bar, until surge was controlled, then pushed full bar. Then turned right, flew parallel to landing zone, then perpendicular, then into the wind for final flair and landing.
Towed up, turned left, then crossed the field. I pulled a’s again, and turned using c’s and weightshift. Next, I pushed half bar, until surge was controlled, then pushed full bar. Then turned right, flew parallel to landing zone, then perpendicular, then into the wind for final flair and landing.
Ridge soar sunset. First landing in Irene park
soar sunset. 2nd park landing very good
MY VERY FIRST SOAR!! sunset flight; climbed hill and waited. anxious all day, then not after doing site overview with Rob. Got anxious again when laid wing out. Did ridge soaring, tight turns, back and forth. weight change harder than expected, more dramatic. On the way to LZ practiced my first speed bar (half), and tried big ears but I realized later I pulled the wrong risers (I wondered at the time why I had a surge). But, all is good – it was a GREAT flight!
First Time on Buzz 6. Amazing glide.. .this wing does not want to land! :DDD
We were doing spot landings – I overshot by about 40ft
Exercise – Spot Landing
I Came in short, turning in late to point up wind and landing on my arse… poo! I scratched my knee! :'(
Exercise – Spot Landing
I overshot the spot, landed, turned to the kite, got picked up and dumped on my arse and dragged a few feet.
Exercise – Spot Landing
Overshot the spot but got closer.
Exercise – Spot Landing
Overshot the spot but got closer.
Exercise – Spot Landing
Overshot the spot but got closer. I’m getting a bit of a feel for this wing.. .it’s awesome!
Exercise – Spot Landing
Overshot the spot but got closer.
Exercise – Spot Landing
Overshot the spot but got closer. I came in a steep angle, a bit near stall and backed off, but got closer still.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Getting buoyant out there!
I got lifted up at the end and realized that I get stuck with my landing plan once on final approach. I need to drop that and be more flexible, adjusting my plan moment by moment.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Getting buoyant out there!
I’m feeling the rind mote in my non breaking hand by holding active tension. I get so much feedback from this wing, it’s wonderful – the connection I was hoping for with the experience of flying through the air.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Getting buoyant out there!
I’m getting used to the idea of crabbing while traversing across the wind, less concerned with heading and more with vector.
Landed one foot to the right of the spot! Fuck Yeah!
Exercise – Spot Landing – Getting buoyant out there!
I landed within 10ft of the spot.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Getting buoyant out there!
During take off I was lifted, I spun off my feet and was dumped. I need to be aware of being in control even when I an spinning in the air! I could have added a little break and kept the kite over head.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Getting buoyant out there!
I came in steep and slow with good air speed. I waggled left and right to hit the target and virtually crammed the tennis ball on a stick up my arse, landing 2ft up wind of it.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Getting very buoyant out there and the wind is picking up!
Another bang on landing.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Getting very buoyant out there and the wind is picking up!
I got lifted and spun, but remained in control at take off. I did about five figure 8’s before final approach (getting much better at changing my plan). Landing was bang on.
MY VERY FIRST SOAR!! sunset flight; climbed hill and waited. anxious all day, then not after doing site overview with Rob. Got anxious again when laid wing out. Did ridge soaring, tight turns, back and forth. weight change harder than expected, more dramatic. On the way to LZ practiced my first speed bar (half), and tried big ears but I realized later I pulled the wrong risers (I wondered at the time why I had a surge). But, all is good – it was a GREAT flight!
Ground handling only
Ground handling, short flight x2
Sat down in the haness
Basic steering, Steering with just body shift. Great landing in slide slope
WSW wind. Lite to med headwind
North launch.
Easy kite to qiuck good launch.
Soared 3 passes of the ridge. Air was slightly turbulent as lift zone was close to ridge. Unable to fully get into the harness due to foot rest strap being on my upper thigh.
Landed in LZ was good.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Flying with Birds.. .YEY!
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Tingly lines are getting annoying.!
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Tingly lines are getting annoying.!
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Tingly lines are getting annoying.!
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Tingly lines are getting annoying.!
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
I’m developing better handling of my lines and collapsed glider to be in better control and to avoid tangles and for easier inflation.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Spot Landing – Very Buoyant Conditions
Exercise – Ridge Lift!
Jumped off the edge and it felt like nothing compared to when I was scared the last time that I looked at the launch. Everything was great apart from there being no lift even though I scratched pretty close to the hill.
Result: Sled ride to the beach.. .landing like Bond.
WSW wind. Lite to med headwind
North launch.
1st kite ended in getting dragged and shutting down wing.
2nd was good kite to quick launch.
Soared multiple passes of the ridge. Issue with getting into harness again, same as last time. Finally able to sort footrest out and use it to sit back into harness. Smooth and relaxed after that.
Landed in LZ was good.
WSW wind. Lite to med headwind
North launch.
Kited to good launch
Soared 3 passes of the ridge. Lift was too lite and fell out of the lift band. Was able to get into harness without issue.
Landed in LZ was good. Had to run it out due to lite to no headwind.
Basic introduction
Ground handling
Inflation practice
Body rotation in prep for launch
First flight on ikuma P. Landed in Irene
Thermal day, never got through inversion
Thermal day, Struggled through inversion. Top altitude of 7200′
Thermal day, Struggled through inversion. Top altitude of 5200. Tired. Thought about going for stonyford.
Ground handling, challenging conditions. Shifting winds and working at tree line. Experienced air rotor
After Britton adjusted my carburetor the Atom 80 ran nicely. Forward launch. I didn’t hold the throttle full open so I came down and almost tripped before going back up. Got high then flew low in some large fields, about 20 ft above ground. When I came in for a landing I was making some turns that were a little too tight, because I didn’t want to over-shoot the LZ. I need to get better at coming in just over the trees so I don’t need to “crank and bank”. Nill wind landing, ended on my knees, but all was well.
Basic sledder good forward launch. Tripped up on landing, ended on hands and knees
Basic sledder good forward launch. Good landing.
Good forward launch. Rode the ridge for a few passes, but sunk out. Good landing.
Buttery sunset with park landing
Good forward launch. Good landing.
Good forward launch. Good landing.
Reverse launch. Wing went wonky, I should have aborted but the wing got right on its own and I sent it. I saw the video and it was ugly. Landing was good.
Good Reverse launch. Good landing.
I inflated the wing in forward position. To my great horror and embarrassment I realized I had grabbed the A risers without having the brakes in hand. I of course aborted. On second attempt the forward launch was good. I got lifted as I was coming in to land. To avoid over-shooting the LZ I applied brakes a little higher and came in hot. Hit the gound hard and fell down. No injury.
1st of 3 sledders, off of Walker. Poor first launch, did amazing save of falling wing then turned, only to poorly control my wing, without good forward movement and wing management. Ended up in weeds before ledge. 2nd attempt better. Not a good landing, ended up in weeds. But otherwise fine.
1st of 3 sledders, off of Walker. Poor first launch, did amazing save of falling wing then turned, only to poorly control my wing, without good forward movement and wing management. Ended up in weeds before ledge. 2nd attempt better. Not a good landing, ended up in weeds. But otherwise fine.
3rd of 3 sledders, off of Walker. Did launch independently. Rob again helped with improving landing. Did good launch (but had slight surge), and Rob led me to practice better landing – coming in fast, and waiting before flare. Slid a little at landing but ultimately a better landing! VISUALIZE before launching and all will be better. Rob reminded DONT GET COMPLACENT with launching!
Ridge flying
Tandem with Rob Black- Took off, flew along the ridge briefly, and then landed.
Ground handling. Worked on staying square, cobra, getting kite over head and lowering w better control. Shifting/ limited wind.
First flight, practiced turns and approach to landing.
Smooth air, nice easy sled ride.
Experienced somewhat bumpy air. Buoyant air near landing zone lead to overshoot. Got my first good flare for landing.
Slider
First solo flight. Took off not facing directly into the wind which pushed me too far to the side. I needed to compensate by continuing to turn until landing.
First solo flight. Took off not facing directly into the wind which pushed me too far to the side. I needed to compensate by continuing to turn until landing.
First flight was a short sled ride got up about 100 ft and the tow line broke. We glided back down to land, reset and prepped for our 2nd/3rd attempt. I’m actually glad it worked out the way it did as I was nervous and the 100ft ride really helped me to know what to expect.
3rd Attempt and we have lift off. Climbed to 1800-2000 feet and soared around back to where we stared the tow. winds and thermals pretty muched died out at this point and it was just another sled ride but at least I got my cherry popped. Is this what a girl thinks the first time? LOL This was one of the most scary and thrilling moments of my life. ( Other then becoming a Father ) Toggle Monkeys are Rockstars!
Quick sled ride due to tow line break. Got up tp about 100 ft and had to release the pin after the line from the tow rig broke and the drogue chute was still attached to us, pulled pin, released drogue came in for a butter landing.
First real flight, towed up to 1800-2000ft, released the tow line and soared around back toward the launch site. was nervous the first 5 minutes and just had to get comfortable as i was in the process of getting out of my head and focusing what was actually happening. thermals and wind had died down at this point so we could stay up for long ;( come in for landing and about 10 ft off the ground we hit some sink and I about ate it, was able to pull my legs back out from behind me and stay on my feet. Lindsay was A1 It was the single most scary and exciting thing I’ve ever done.! ( except for becoming a Father ) Toggle Monkeys are Rockstars!
Cant wait to continue learning new skills toward my growth in this sport. Plus I’m so jacked I get to have my Wife rite by my side as we learn and journey through this together.
WNW wind. Lite to med headwind 8-10
Kited to good launch
Soared 2 passes of the ridge. Lift was too lite and fell out of the lift band. Was able to get into harness without issue.
Landed in LZ was good.
WNW wind. Lite to med headwind 10-12
Kited to good launch
Soared 2 passes of the ridge. Lift was too lite and fell out of the lift band. Was able to get into harness without issue.
Landed in LZ was good.
Top landing
Launch supervised by Robert Simpson.
The conditions were great for soaring, but the flight plan was fly straight to the LZ as Britton was not there to supervise.
Both landing and launch were excellent.
Launch condtions, stronger winds. Reverse launch and started flying just after stepping off the launch
Launch supervised by Gabriel Silva.
The conditions were lighter than the previous flight. Had just enough time to fly straight to the LZ and land before sunset. Both the launch and landing were good.
light to no wind – forward launch.
light to no wind – forward launch.
Reverse launched into steady winds. Perfect landing.
Reverse launched. My longest ridge soaring flight to date. Nice easy landing.
Nice sledder. Good landing.
Nice sledder. Good landing.
Forward inflation, turns
Forward inflation, S-turns, 180 Turn
Forward inflation, S-turns, 180 Turns, uphill landing, landing spotting, accidentally over flew landing area, flared a little too early.
Reverse inflation, S-turns, 180 Turns, had excellent landing right on target, the air was getting a bit bubbly (active piloting)
Forward inflation, S-turns, 180 Turns, the air was bubbly (active piloting), avoided thermals by planning flight around areas where it would be present.
Towed up, turned left, then crossed the field. I pulled a’s again, and turned using c’s and weightshift. Next, I pushed half bar, until surge was controlled, then pushed full bar. Then turned right, flew parallel to landing zone, then perpendicular, then into the wind for final flair and landing.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Looking for lift.
Found lift straight off the hill.. .went straight up. It felt great apart from the dog that jumped at me who I kicked in the head. Well.. .they’ve gotta learn!
Exercise – Spot Landing – Looking for lift.
I hunted around a bit and found some lift, leaning into the raising side of my glider. I only did this when there was room in my flight plan to get back on track for a good LZ approach what ever the outcome.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Looking for lift.
I hunted around a bit and found some lift. There wasn’t much.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Looking for lift.
I hunted around a bit and found some lift. There wasn’t much.
Exercise – Spot Landing – Looking for lift.
I hunted around a bit and found some lift. There wasn’t much at first but moving out over the field, getting ready to land I got a lovely gentle thermal. I was at about 100ft and up wind level with the LZ so I had to double back with a figure 8 and then hooked nicely into the LZ like a fucking pimp!
Towing – Westford!! First flight of the evening. Towed to about 450ft. Warm up flight to and dialed in figure 8s on landing setup. Still early round out.
Towing – Westford!! Second flight of the evening. Towed to about 450ft. More figure 8s on landing setup, figuring out restricted LZ. Better timing on round out.
Towing – Westford!! Third flight of the evening. First attempt at Big ears! Popped them out no problem with brakes. Better timing on round out.
Towing – Westford!! Fourth flight of the evening. Speed bar and turns with rear risers! Upon landing, Calef said I had officially become a P2!
Fledged off the North (Club) launch! Scary as hell forward launching off a mountain for the first time! Sam coached me down to the vineyard LZ and said I had a perfect flight! Definitely felt bumps of small thermals throughout and tried focusing on pitch control.
Second flight of the day, off the West launch. Reverse takeoff. Focused on more pitch control. Made to many turns and came up just short of the Club LZ and landed on the DVL side.
Third and last flight of the day. West launch. Reverse takeoff. First time experiencing glass off conditions! Went straight for LZ and had tons of altitude. Had enough height to make my first 360. However I ran out of room in the LZ and landed in the weeds on the perimeter of the field.
Terrible take off in very light wind.. .a whisper really. I should have done a forward launch.. .it was crazy that I didn’t after having seen two others struggle with reverse launches. Don’t be a sheep.. .always adjust the plan for MY needs! I will practice forward launches on the hill as it’s been a while since doing one.
I climbed very slowly to round 9000ft after being kicked about a bit low down. I felt like I was in a chair in the sky and for a moment fancied that I was in a wooden dining chair. I was a little tense at first and leaned forward tensing my core. I managed to relax back into my chair a after a while. Even so, I feel that I would be a little more comfortable angling my harness back a few degrees so have done that for the next flight.
Landing felt really good until the very last moment. I was half on the brakes by the time I flared. I need to practice long glide finals at the hill so that I can use a full flare for when in sinky air. I think that my landing issue was two fold.. .I was a bit cross to the wind and I may have gotten some rotor off the mound. A road landing may be preferable in such conditions.
big ears, full speed bar
Kiting Day
Kiting Day
My first MOUNTAIN FLIGHT! Was a little nervous but mostly calm. Forward launch off small runway. Practiced big ears, speed bar, 360’s, burning altitude, figure eights, setting up landing. Landing was perfect, Rob called it an A++. AMAZING!! I did it! max altitude 3432 ft, gain 82 feet
Second mountain flight! Reverse launch. This time Rob was at launch and I made my own decisions on the way down. Practiced big ears, 360’s both directions, pitch control, crossing thermals, burning altitude, figure eights, setting up landing. Landing was less perfect, but only worse in minor ways. AMAZING!! I made my own decisions and had some fun! max altitude 3530 ft, gain 89 ft
third mountain flight! forward launch. This time Rob was at LZ and I made my own decisions on the way down. Very light winds, lost altitude more quickly. Practiced a 360, no thermals, landing was good. Slightly boring, had higher hopes. max altitude 3415 ft, gain 10 ft
fourth mountain flight and FIRST THERMALS!! reverse launch. This time Rob was at launch. Mike gave ground school – lots to remember. Wing will swing back when hit a thermal – HANDS UP! then swing forward – check the dive! Begin circle, trying to stay in thermal – outside hand up and inside down. then count to 3 and turn again. At one point was thermalling at same altitude as Scott directly across from each other, so much fun! then our circles didn’t match and he was able to gain more altitude. Rob got a bit focused on him and sent me to land – bummer – as I still had good thermal sounds on vario! Anyway, made it t LZ fine – and it was a really great flight! max altitude 3428 ft, gain 118 ft
No wind
No kiting forward launch.
Early morning sled rid to the LZ
Landed in LZ was fast but good.
Easterly wind cycles up the hill to launch
Did quick reverse Wing raise to forward launch.
Had some weak thermals which were too small to use. Rode it down to LZ. used speedbar, bigears, and no handed flying.
Nice 3 step landing
No wind forward launch.
Smooth air sled ride to the LZ.
Did D riser 360s, right and left sides.
Did weight shift 360s, right and left sides.
No handed flying
Nice 3 step landing
5 MPH easterly breeze
Quick reverse to forward launch into a cycle.
finally got to thermal. Got above launch for a bit
Did big ears for practice.
Nice 3 step landing
Sprint league (non participant) Thermal over launch, nice low save, ceiling at 5000 ft. (Frustrating)
One tow, first on ikuma. About 6-8 stalls. Hard to find backfly. Great launch, windy landing
Reverse launch. Dynamic conditions. Thermals just starting to kick in.
Smooth landing and launches.
Reverse launch. Soaring conditions. Made a few passes along the headwall. Got below the headwall and had to go land. Smooth landing.
Lesson learnt.
The moment we go below the headwall, head towards the LZ.
Stay in the lift band.
Reverse launch. Thermals just starting to kick in. Air not as dynamic as the previous day at buffalo. Still needed active flying.
The air was coming from the east. Started sinking as soon as launch till the headwall.
Smooth landing.
Lesson learnt: when there is sink as soon as launch, aim for the LZ and try to fly through the gaps in trees. to avoid hitting any bushes.
Reverse launch. Thermals just starting to kick in. Air not as dynamic as the previous day at buffalo. Still needed active flying.
Smooth landing.
Lesson learnt: Keep the wing loaded during the launch.
Reverse launch. Thermals just starting to kick in. Needed active flying.
Got lift when about to land.
Smooth landing.
Forward launch. Nill wind, thermals were dying down and air was not active except for a few bumps.
Launch was good, ran a good distance and was able to fly before the cliff. Launch supervised by Mike Canefield
Smooth landing.
Forward launch. Nill wind, slightly cross (1mph). Very smooth air
Smooth landing.
Lesson learnt: Have to be running at trim speed to avoid hitting the bushes after launch.
Reverse launch. 10 – 12 mph winds, Thermals just starting to kick in.
Lift near LZ.
Downwind landing. Overshot the landing spot because of the lift.
Had to turn downwind to avoid overshooting the LZ.
Lesson learnt: Better to approach the landing spot to land ahead of it on lifty days.
PPG flight. First launch bombed, probably due to hesitating on the throttle. Second launch okay. Did a couple of low passes over the LZ. When landing I flared too high. Could not stay on my feet on landing, ended up on hands and knees. No injury
Good launch. Flew in to LZ a little low for my comfort. Perfect landing.
Good forward launch. In LZ I think I turned too low because on landing I came in hot. Strained my ankle a little. I think I need to get the glider flying straight and even, with enough time to gain stable speed and glide before coming in to flare and land.
Boyant at the LZ. I overshot while trying to glide in long.
Long glide in with a tender landing bang on the LZ. Exactly like i want to kerp practicing.
Much batter take off, arms right back like a torpeto.
Long glide in with a tender landing bang on the LZ. Exactly like i want to kerp practicing.
I got some lift chasing an eagle around.! Wow.. .so cool!
A few passes across the hill getting some ridge lift.
Long glide in with a tender landing near the van.
Left turn/ crabbing into the wind
Flaring.
Left turn/ crabbing into the wind
Flaring.
Left turn/ crabbing into the wind
Flaring.
Reverse launch sled run.
Reverse launch sled run.
Reverse launch sled run.
Reverse launch sled run.
Reverse launch sled run.
Reverse launch sled run. Windier, bumpier.
Reverse launch sled run. Windier, bumpier.
Reverse launch sled run. Windier, bumpier.
Forward launch sled run.
Reverse launch sled run. Spot landing.
Reverse launch sled run. Spot landing.
Reverse launch sled run. Spot landing.
Reverse launch sled run. Spot landing, brake wrap.
Reverse launch sled run. One-handed flying.
Reverse launch sled run. One-handed flying.
Reverse launch sled run. Spot landing.
Reverse launch sled run. Brake wrap.
Reverse launch sled run. Brake wrap.
Running reverse launch in very light wind. Sled run. Brake wrap, spot landing.
Reverse launch in very light wind. Sled run. Brake wrap, spot landing.
Forward launch 0-3 mph. Great launches and landings.
Forward launch 0-3 mph. Great launches and landings.
Forward launch 0-3 mph. Great launches and landings.
Forward launch 0-3 mph. Great launches and landings.
Forward launch 0-3 mph. Great launches and landings.
Forward take-off
Forward take-off
Forward take-off
Forward take-off
Forward take-off Top of hill
Forward take-off Top of hill
Forward take-off Top of hill
Reverse take-off mid hill
Reverse take-off mid hill
Reverse take-off mid hill
Reverse take-off mid hill
Reverse take-off top of hill
Reverse take-off top of hill
Reverse take-off top of hill
Reverse take-off top of hill
Reverse take-off top of hill
Reverse take-off top of hill
Reverse take-off top of hill
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, no hands flying
Forward launch
Forward launch
Forward launch
First solo flight. Took off not facing directly into the wind which pushed me too far to the side. I needed to compensate by continuing to turn until landing.
Take off with wind coming from North-Northwest which is not perpendicular to the slope. Practiced a reverse kiting and transition to forward launch. Also practiced flare timing.
Take off with wind coming from North-Northwest which is not perpendicular to the slope. Practiced a reverse kiting and transition to forward launch. Did three turns by looking, weight shifting, and then pulling the brake. Also practiced flare timing.
Take off with wind coming from North-Northwest which is not perpendicular to the slope. Practiced a reverse kiting and transition to forward launch. There was strong wind at the landing zone so I practiced crabbing and then flare timing.
Take off with wind coming from North-Northwest which is not perpendicular to the slope. Practiced a reverse kiting and transition to forward launch. There was strong wind at the landing zone so I practiced crabbing and then flare timing. Attempted to get into the harness on this one but wasn’t able to. Will need to configure it to fit me properly.
Reverse launch, figure 8s, 360 to the left and right, flight without hands, big ears, steering with just body shift, speed bar. Landed softly in two steps at the end of the LZ. I should have reduce altitude sooner.
Reverse launch under pressure 🙂 many advance paragliders watching,, figure 8s, 360 to the left and right, flight without hands, steering with just body shift. Aware of thermals as I was passing them and I had to control the pitch. After few mins I was at the same levels as the launching spot.
This time I overcompensated so I missed a fence with barb wire at the beginning of the LZ and landed not hard but could not stay standing.
No wind, great forward launch, bad timing in the flare so I fell
No wind, great forward launch, better timing but not perfect.
A bit more wind, great forward launch, this time nice landigg
Fourth effortless forward launch, a bit more wind, applied speed bar but I should have done turns to decrease the flight duration. Ok with the flare but not perfect.
Bad day, forgot helmet, I was not focused. Reverse launch I overshoot the intended LZ and my flare was not good, and I had a bad flight path, radio didn’t work during the flight which didn’t help. I had after a bad launch so I called a day.
An awesome flight. Smooth conditions. Great take off, gentle landing.
No thermals but some headwind so I got some feel for needing bar, which was awesome. I also got a chance to do some ridge soaring at the cliff by the road amongst air trafick, which went well.
Forward launch, no wind. Need to work on applying slightly more break during launch. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach. Landed within 25′ of cone.
Forward launch, no wind. Need to work on applying slightly more break during launch. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach. Landed within 25′ of cone.
Split As, moderate cross wind. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach. Landed within 25′ of cone.
Split As, moderate cross wind. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach. Landed within 25′ of cone.
Split As, played on spirit for the first time. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach. Landed within 25′ of cone.
As and Ds, played on spirit. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach. Landed within 25′ of cone.
As and Ds, sun started to heat up finally. Played on spirit and had to use right of way rules since it was a bit crowded. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach.
As and Ds, strong wind. Played on spirit. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach.
Split As. pulled big ears for the first time. weight shift turns practiced. Had to fiddle with the break line to clear left big ears but right came out just fine on it’s own. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach.
Split As. Figure 8s over upwind LZ and S curves into final approach.
Split As. Went straight over spirit from launch. Played around on the side of spirit to improve glide before crossing over don’s LZ to the right side of the valley. Finally passed back over downwind of the confluence to begin final approach towards the bunkhouse. S curves into final approach before smooth landing in the confluence.
New learning is there’s quite a lot of sink at the end of Don’s LZ. I lost a little too much altitude to be comfortable getting set up for a confluence landing.
Barely any wing
Forward launch. Ran the hell into it.
sledder to LZ. Interestingly long flight, mostly hands up let the wing do its thing. Minimal brake corrections, more weight shift turns.
Big long flare into up slope landing.
Barely any wing
Forward launch. Ran the hell into it.
Sledder to LZ. turns to land closer to the windsock.
Smooth flare, 2 step landing 20 ft from sock
reverse launch
reverse launch
reverse launch
Reverse Launch/Successful landing
Reverse Launch/Successful landing
Reverse Launch/Successful landing
reverse launch
forward launch first tow. tow up went well. I stayed looking at the kite. after i unhooked I continued to look up at the kite as well as didn’t get into my harness. was overwhelmed of first flight, and ended up by the driveway and sunflowers
forward launch
forward launch. Third winch. my weakling snapped, and kite surged. I didn’t pull breaks as needed, but kite corrected itself. I had a solid remainder of my flight, and ok flare
forward launch. Third winch. my weakling snapped, and kite surged. I didn’t pull breaks as needed, but kite corrected itself. I had a solid remainder of my flight, and ok flare
forward launch. fourth winch. was tired and end of the day. I didn’t release my A’s in time and didn’t takeoff.
I was hill kiting and lifted off for about ten seconds. I took off forward launch
did a forward launch that went well. need to work on flare
did a forward launch that went well. need to work on flare
did a forward launch that went well. need to work on flare
did a forward launch that went well.
did a forward launch that went well. the flight lasted about ten to fifteen seconds off the ground
towed up at 100 ft. flew down and landed downhill went well
towed up at 50ft had a shorter flight that went very well.
third tow of the day. I went up 100 ft, and had a nice flight w some turns for a few minutes
Quick soaring flight, issue with speed bar clips
slight turns and wing control on the ground with moderate wind
slight turns and wing control on the ground with moderate wind
Forward launch from 1/4 way up the training hill
Straight and steady
Forward launch from 1/4 way up the training hill
Straight and steady
First Blue Rock flights. Mini soaring flights. Good launches and landings. Too aggressive on controls in stronger conditions.
10-15 mph
First Blue Rock flights. Mini soaring flights. Good launches and landings. Too aggressive on controls in stronger conditions.
10-15 mph
Med wind launch
Reverse to Forward launch. Low to ground side hill landing
Smooth flare, 2 step landing.
First totally solo/off radio launch, flight and landing!
Side hill landing
Side hill landing
Side hill landing
Side hill landing
Aborted side hill landing. Great launch, flight and landing without radio instruction.
Med wind launch
Reverse to Forward launch. small flight, Low to ground side hill landing learning and practice
Side hill approach, smooth flare on one side to turn wing & land all in one motion. 2 step landing.
Med wind launch
Reverse to Forward launch. small flight, Low to ground side hill landing learning and practice
Side hill approach, smooth flare on one side to turn wing & land all in one motion. no step, turned and controlled wing landing.
Forward launch
Gateway
soaring
Gateway
Reverse Launch
Channing Circle
Reverse Launch
Activated Big ears
Channing Circle
Reverse Launch
Fly and steer with no hands
Channing Circle
Afternoon flight. Aborted 2 launch attempts because winds were slightly. First launch attempt needed more brake input and weighting the harness. On launch, nearly took out Zoe who was filming me! Could have faced more SW to get better take off. Once in the air, soared for a bit before bailing to the LZ. Good setup into the grassy LZ instead of the weeds.
First flight at Brace! When we got to launch, the wind was coming in perfectly West, with a few cycles of Northwest. Perfect launch and started soaring immediately. Thermals were starting to build up, and Shane coached me to start catching them while I was just out in front of the ridge. Got several hundred feet above launch, almost up to 3000 ft MSL. Started to get the hang of thermaling. With wind from the NW, I was slowly drifting to the South so Shane told me to whip around quick on my downwind turns to prevent drifting. Eventually lost the thermal and started to sink out. I was able to catch another thermal several hundred ft above the LZ and kept playing with it as long as I could. Unfortunately I set up my landing approach to close, so I landed in the weeds adjacent to the LZ. Epic flight nonetheless
First ridge soaring flight!! Launched from the North site and joined the gaggle of ridge soaring gliders. Jamison joined in after I launched and we were flying together for a few minutes. Beautiful evening. I was able to get good control on my pitch control and become aware of my surroundings including other gliders. I eventually sank out on a light cycle, but made it with enough altitude to fly back to the club LZ. Spot landing to boot!!
sledder to DVL vinyard LZ
Reverse Launch
Fly and steer with one hand
steer with rear risers
Channing Circle
Reverse Launch
Fly and steer with no hands
Channing Circle
Reverse Launch
Fly and steer with no hands
Channing Circle
Reverse Launch
Channing Circle
Forward Launch
Channing Circle
Forward Launch
Channing Circle
Reverse Launch
One hand steering
Channing Circle
Reverse Launch
no hand steering
Channing Circle
Short but lovely soar. Park landing
Extended sledder from green monster
Floaty soar. Windy launch. Park landing muddy.
Floaty soar. Windy launch. Park landing muddy.
Great take off and spot landing as intended near the windsock.
Two mistakes, holding to the raisers and a very sharp turn which although it was intentional to lose altitude it wasn’t great.
Great take off and spot landing as intended near the windsock.
Two mistakes, holding to the raisers and a very sharp turn which although it was intentional to lose altitude it wasn’t great.
Great take off and spot landing as intended near the windsock. Nice turns
Great take off and spot landing as intended near the windsock although this time a bit farther, but still within 10-15 feet
Towed launch, basic canopy control, landing pattern
Towed launch, basic canopy control, turns, landing pattern
Towed launch, basic canopy control, turns, stall recovery, landing pattern
Towed launch, basic canopy control, turns, stall recovery, landing pattern
Towed launch, basic canopy control, turns, stall recovery, landing pattern
Good take off and landing
Take off with a touch and go. Good landing.
Bad flight with lucky landing. I missed to verify 1,2,3,4 before launching
Tiny flight with touch and go during take off but a a mini crab to the right. Radio was out of battery.
Simple flight from top to bottom and soft turns. Air started to be a bit more turbulent.
Nice simple flight with a big turn to the right with the back raisers and another, not as good to the left with the back raisers. Caught a mini thermal. Longest flight of the day caught in video (2 mins). Very nice and soft 1 step landing.
Spot landing 8
First ridge flight – 10 mins
Spot landing 8
Ridge soar
First Hawai’i ridge flight – north launch, hiked up. North wind, very light – sled ride right to the beach
Ridge soar 2
First Hawai’i long flight. Launched from Manics, 3 hrs in the air. Perfect conditions, north wind about 6mph. Shallow on landing, landed in the parking lot not the grassy strip
Sled ride on bumpy north day. Beach landing. Tricky take off, bush landing
Holy shit. First long flight. Insanely good. 3 hours. Good take off from Manics and gentle landing in LZ
Forward Launch
no hand steering
Channing Circle
Forward Launch
one hand steering
Channing Circle
Forward Launch
Channing Circle
Forward Launch
Channing Circle
reverse Launch high wind
semi soaring
Gateway
reverse Launch high wind
semi soaring
Gateway
reverse Launch
PLF
Channing Circle
Started with some kiting at Dillon. Moved to Blue Rock to attempt to soar. Fell out of lift band pretty quickly and landed at upper LZ. Good launch and good landing.
Good Launch, able to soar for a while and then finally fell out of lift band. Mike thinks it was mix of wind died and not being close enough to the hill. Still trying to figure out what “close enough” really means. Landed out in primary LZ. Good launch, good landing.
reverse Launch
180’s
Blue rock
reverse Launch
Soaring
180’s
Blue rock
Worked on burning off elevation and setting up for landing.
I camped in the sod farm outside of Little Rock. It was windy when I got out of the tent in the morning. Decided to just kite a bit. Kiting was easy so I decided to make a motor flight. Launch was easy and clean. It was a little rowdy so I decided to make a big loop and then land. Got high and discovered I was not making penetration when heading to the LZ. Let trimmers all the way out – still moving backwards! Became concerned I would need to find a field behind me to land in. Let engine go to idle, lost altitude, and found I could get penetration while heading upwind. Made it back to the LZ and had soft landing. Very relieved to be on the ground in the LZ and not a couple of miles away!
Launched from Kurt’s land next to my pasture. Nice launch and landing. Atom 80 carburetor seems to be dialed in.
Sled ride.
Sled ride.
Sled ride.
Forward launch with torpedo. Look lean turn, bleeding off altitude and flare timing, on the back side.
Forward launch with torpedo from ridgemont. Pull big ears with weight shift turns. 360s, set up for landing.
Forward launch with torpedo from ridgemont. Pull big ears with weight shift turns. 360s, set up for landing.
Forward launch with torpedo from ridgemont. Use speed bar. 360s and s turns to burn altitude, set up for landing, land.
Build a wall, reverse launch, torpedo from ridgemont. Pull big ears. 360s and s turns to burn altitude without radio. Set up for landing, land.
Forward launch, torpedo from back side. S turns to set up for final. Land.
Forward launch, torpedo from back side. S turns to set up for final. Land.
Forward launch, torpedo from back side. S turns to set up for final. Land.
Worked on big ears, and 360s.
Worked on reverse launch, weighted turns, and 360s.
Reverse launch, big ears, flat 360s.
Weighted turns and tighter 360s. Working with turns in the wind
Set up and approach for landing on road.
Set up and approach for spot landing on road.
Set up and approach for spot landing on road.
Launched from Heavener South Launch. I wanted to follow the ridge and land at the SW launch. I wasn’t confident that I would make it, so I bailed out in a closer pasture.
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Motor flight. First two launch attempts failed – wing went side ways. Third time got launched. Flew to around 3000 ft. Cold! Nice landing. On landing noticed the sheathing on one of my lines was abraided. I think the core is still intact.
Flight off of Bo Tat. Worked on weighted turns and landing flair
The first flight off of the backside. Worked on the first 360 turns and landing in a new LZ.
The first flight off of Ridgemont. I pulled big ears for the first time and made a 360 turn. Forward launch.
The second flight off of Ridgemont. I pulled big ears and made two 360 turns. My first reverse launch.
Flight off of Ridgemont. 360 and S turns to bleed off altitude. My second reverse launch.
Flight off of Ridgemont. 360 and S turns to bleed off altitude. Very little radio advice. Forward launch.
Flight off of Backside. S turns to bleed off altitude. Forward launch.
Flight off of Backside. S turns to bleed off altitude. Forward launch.
Flight off of Backside. S turns to bleed off altitude, overshot LZ and was forced to make an uphill landing. Forward launch.
Calm conditions, was soarable, got below the headwall after a couple of passes and had to go land.
Calm conditions, was soarable, got below the headwall after a couple of passes and had to go land.
reverse Launch
reverse Launch
reverse Launch
speed bar
reverse Launch
Spot landing
reverse Launch
180’s
reverse Launch
reverse Launch
360’s
ridge soaring
sledder. could not get into my harness. Good lesson: the kiting I did at Cesar Chavez in high winds loosened my leg straps which made harness ride up too high. Good thing to know. Landing on knees, but flight and launch okay.
sledder. was learning side hill landings from Joel but then winds calmed down, so we did a sledder. Again, not the best landing.
sledder. goal was to get to the wind sock – I did not. Not sure when I am going to “get it” and be able to plan landings better. Was not all the way out of my harness (although I thought I was) so landing wended on knees. Spent time with Joel and Rob going over p2 checklist, still short on several items. I know Rob wants me out of the nest – I am TRYING!
Forward Launch & Landing
Laying out the wing
Clipping in to the harness
Identifying the “A” risers, rear risers, brakes
Forward Inflations
Landing
Forward Launch & Landing
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Forward Launch & Landing
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Hands Back Run
Forward Launch & Landing
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Hands Back Run
Forward Launch & Landing
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Hands Back Run
Forward Launch & Landing
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Hands Back Run
Forward Launch & Landing
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Hands Back Run
Forward Launch & Landing
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Hands Back Run
Reverse Launch
Tear Drop Turns
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Reverse Launch, Soaring
Tear Drop Turns
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
By now I have learned:
Laying out the wing
Clipping in to the harness
Identifying the “A” risers, rear risers, brakes
Forward Inflations
Reverse Inflations
Turning to face the glider, turning to face forward
Maintaining good control of the glider
2 poor flights before one good flight. really disappointed in myself, Rob says not every day is a good day, but my performance bothered me. Adequate launch although slight surge which resulted in not catching lift. Overshot the LZ, not quite understanding how to do the right set up. landed on knees because I had tightening my right leg strap too much. Oy.
Poor decisions, leaving me way to close to hill on one turn. Rob said launch had a bit of a surge. Left strap off so had difficulty getting into harness. STAY OUT OF HARNESS AT LEAST 10 seconds! Did a better approach to LZ but it all went to hell and I landed on my butt (although closer to the right part of LZ). This really threw me because I have not had a stand up landing for a few flights. Disappointed in self, thinking I was becoming worse pilot not better. Hike back up and try to fix it!
THANK GOODNESS for this flight! I took my time on launch as Rob suggested (although maybe could have been slower). Less surge. stayed out of harness at least 10 seconds while flying the wing into life band. On first turn got way to close to the hill (Mike coaching, me swearing). However, saved it and hit the lift band. 6 km, 131 ft/min lift, max altitude 781 (launch is at 620), Flew with MIKE AND ROB! sweet! stayed out of their way. stayed in lift band. Headed to long LZ with altitude, burned it (I think) appropriately including using big ears. LANDED ON MY FEET! I so needed this flight to give me back some confidence. I have much to learn. ONE MORE FLIGHT to P2!
Tandem Flight
Mini Hill
Mini Hill
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Not enough wind on this flight but was able to get to LZ2 so I could come back faster
Reverse Launch, Soaring
Tear Drop Turns
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Scoping the landing
Eating the Carrot
Thinking about the landing path
Lowering altitude
By now I have learned:
Laying out the wing
Clipping in to the harness
Identifying the “A” risers, rear risers, brakes
Forward Inflations
Reverse Inflations
Turning to face the glider, turning to face forward
Maintaining good control of the glider
More wind this time. Soared!
Reverse Launch, Soaring
Tear Drop Turns
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Scoping the landing
Eating the Carrot
Thinking about the landing path
Lowering altitude in figure 8s near the LZ
By now I have learned:
Laying out the wing
Clipping in to the harness
Identifying the “A” risers, rear risers, brakes
Forward Inflations
Reverse Inflations
Turning to face the glider, turning to face forward
Maintaining good control of the glider
Missed the soaring opportunity. Worked on landing. Was able to control where I wanted to land. Lost some altitude and was a little short of the landing path, but felt more in control of landing
Reverse Launch, Soaring
Tear Drop Turns
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Scoping the landing
Eating the Carrot
Thinking about the landing path
Lowering altitude in figure 8s near the LZ
By now I have learned:
Laying out the wing
Clipping in to the harness
Identifying the “A” risers, rear risers, brakes
Forward Inflations
Reverse Inflations
Turning to face the glider, turning to face forward
Maintaining good control of the glider
Failed first two launches, then got up on third. Lovely flight, butter smooth. Found a nearby hay field and flew around low, 10 to 20 feet off the ground. Flared a little too early on landing, but landing was not too hard.
Forward launch due to light winds. Seated in seat.
Forward launch due to light winds. Seated in seat.
Forward launch due to light winds. Seated in the seat. Half speed bar
Forward launch due to light winds. Seated in the seat. Full speed bar
Forward launch due to light winds. Seated in the seat. Full speed bar
Slider
Slider
Slider
Slider
Towed up South, turned right, then crossed the field. Did a few turns, until landing back at takeoff. Conditions were light, Slightly cross.
Towed up South, turned right, then crossed the field. Did a few turns, until landing back at takeoff. Conditions were light, Slightly cross.
Towed up South, turned right, then crossed the field. Did a few turns, until landing back at takeoff. Conditions were light, Slightly cross.
Towed up South, turned right, then crossed the field. Did a few turns, until landing back at takeoff. Conditions were light, Slightly cross.
Towed up South, turned right, then crossed the field. Did a few turns, until landing back at takeoff. Conditions were light, Slightly cross.
Towed up South, turned right, then crossed the field. Did a few turns, until landing back at takeoff. Conditions were light, Slightly cross.
Towed up South, turned right, then crossed the field. Did a few turns, until landing back at takeoff. Conditions were light, Slightly cross.
An ANTICLIMATIC graduation flight. Very little wind, and Joel commanded I be the one to fly down and put up the lower windsock. Sigh. However, I did manage to fly (low to ground) and land side hill several feet from the windsock pole. But alas, no fanfare, no beauty, no height. I guess it is appropriate given the long haul I took to get here. But, I am glad to be here! Now, forward to P3! (and of course all the learning adventures on the way).
NO wind. A day for practicing forward launches and side hill landings. First attempt did not go well. Rob said it was – can’t remember exact word – but basically lazy. I did not get forward enough, didn’t run hard enough. Ended up getting dragged across hill, scratches on arm. Second attempt at side hill- well done – all went well, landed well, on feet. Rob said no criticism, did everything well but reminds me to really get chest forward and get out of harness, or else I will be practicing butt landings instead of feet landings.
Nice simple flight with a big turn to the right with the back raisers and another, not as good to the left with the back raisers. Caught a mini thermal. Longest flight of the day caught in video (2 mins). Very nice and soft 1 step landing.
Forward launch, nice simple flight, soft turns great spot landing.
Forward launch, nice simple flight, soft turns great spot landing.
Forward launch, nice simple flight, soft turns great spot landing.
Forward launch, practice 1 hand turning. Several sort turns and landed without enough forward speed falling forward and not exactly where I was aiming for
Forward launch due to light winds. Seated in the seat.
Forward launch due to light winds. Seated in the seat.
Forward launch due to light winds. Seated in the seat.
Forward launch due to light winds.
Reverse launches, crabbing
Reverse launches, crabbing
Reverse launches, crabbing
Reverse launches, crabbing
Reverse launches, crabbing
Flew the bunny hill
Flew the bunny hill
Flew the bunny hill. Been hiking the bunny hill for 3 days. Need to graduate so I can be driven.
Fly from R/C 4 times.
Fly from R/C 4 times.
Fly from cattle guard 4 times, down the hill, down wind, base and final.
Fly from cattle guard 4 times, down the hill, down wind, base and final.
Fly from cattle guard 4 times, down the hill, down wind, base and final.
Fly from cattle RC 1 times, down the hill, down wind, base and final.
Fly from Echo 1000″ vertical 3 times
1 aborted launch. 5 very successful launches. 4 ok landings. 1 superior landing. Need to flair deeply and sooner, but not gentle. All launches from Echo site. 4712 feet msl. 712 vertical.
Med wind launch
Reverse to Forward launch. Long flight
Got easily 700 over launch. PLayed with speedbar and 360’s back to the ridge. Was in the air with 5 other gliders at one point.
Smooth landing. no impact
light wind launch
Cross hill path flights with side hill landings. Getting the timing down on height above ground and flare timing.
light wind launch
Cross hill path flights with side hill landings. Getting the timing down on height above ground and flare timing.
1 aborted launch. 1 launch that I had to abort 1/10 of the way down the mountain. I got airborne but could not get lift and I should have turned away from the mountain. Probably could have saved the flight. Launched 3 successful flights and 1 excellent landing: the last one of the day. I quit on the last successful flight of the day. I have consistently practiced this routine.
horrible launch – didn’t commit, got dragged – made it in the air but it wasn’t pretty. Landing was good, did s turns and landed in keyhole. Short sled ride type flight. Learned where East launch is
Good launch, still needed coaching for gaining altitude and landing
5 fantastic launches at Echo. 3 great landings, 2 acceptable ones.
Did 2 big ears—one short one because I was too close to the ground. I really lost altitude fast. One with 2 90 turns. Ready for Fern tomorrow. Only 2 more days left on Haleakala.
Practicing side hill landings with David Suder and Chris, with Mike coaching Larry. This first flight I landed downwind on my butt, but it was a good effort.
Practicing side hill landings again – this time landed on my feet, but still downwind. Too low to make the turn into the wind.
Practicing side hill landings again. Got some height, landed on my feet but in the weeds.
Practicing side hill landings again. landed GENTLY on my feet. This time successful kited up the hill, not as pretty as Chris but did not rosette at all.
1st launch from Fern. Perfect launch. 4 more launches from Echo.
All launches very successful. 4 good landings. Last landing I did not turn away from the hill and therefore landed short of the final. No big deal except Dexter saw me and told me he would not sign me off tomorrow. I was a bit upset but he would not budge. He said I needed 6 Fern launches.
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Forward Launch
360’s
Reverse Launch
360’s
Reverse Launch
360’s
First flight with skypper pod. Sank out.
Thermal with skypper pod. Got comfy
Task with sprint league. Almost made task! Landed LZ.
Training Tandem: Mountain Launch/Ridge Soaring/Thermal Flying
Task with sprint league. made task! Landed LZ.
borrowed JTs freestyle harness. Funky air but easy up. Almost went for castles.
first flight on E-Gravity! With freestyle harness. Proximity flying and first side hill landings
first flight on E-Gravity! With freestyle harness. Proximity flying and first side hill landings
first flight on E-Gravity! With freestyle harness. Proximity flying and first side hill landings
first flight on E-Gravity! With freestyle harness. Proximity flying and first side hill landings
E-Gravity! With freestyle harness. Proximity flying and first side hill landings
E-Gravity! With freestyle harness. Proximity flying and first side hill landings
E-Gravity! With freestyle harness. Proximity flying and first side hill landings
E-Gravity! With freestyle harness. Proximity flying and first side hill landings
E-Gravity! With freestyle harness. Proximity flying and first side hill landings
E-Gravity! With freestyle harness. Proximity flying and first side hill landings
First mountain flight. Once I checked my lines, and got the site layout, I rosetted and layed out at launch. I checked all my gear, and harness. Then I proceeded to try and build a wall in order to kite. I was immediately airborn upon pulling up my kite. I took off right, towards the wide end of the valley. I caught some little thermals that brought me above the peak of the mountain. But, I was not experienced enough to catch them, and keep riding them. I realized a few times that I was scratching way too low next to the mountain, and at one point I realized I didn’t have enough height to make it to the lz. Upon heading in the direction of the LZ, I caught a little updraft, and managed to make it across the highway to safety. When I got to the LZ I got some thermals that pushed me higher, so I had to make more turns to get down. I finally landed into the wind, without incident.
Second mountain flight. Once I checked my lines, and got the site layout, I rosetted and layed out at launch. I checked all my gear, and harness. Then I proceeded to build a wall and kite. I was able to effortlessly turn, torpedo and launch. I took off right, towards the wide end of the valley. I caught some little thermals that brought me above the peak of the mountain. But, I was not experienced enough to catch them, and keep riding them. I pushed out toward the LZ, where I caught a little thermal which Alek (on the ground) told me to explore. after one full loop and no height, I headed toward the LZ. Once I got there, I was still to high, and had to turn off some altitude. I again landed safely in the field, but I should have lost some more altitude, since I was still too close to the trees.
Slider
straight low flight
straight low flight with running touch downs
straight low flight. This flight and flights 1 and 2 were from part way up the hill, not the top
straight low flight.
from 3/4 way up the hill. Several 180 turns
from 3/4 way up the hill. Several 180 turns
from 3/4 way up the hill. Several 180 turns
from top of the hill. Several 180 turns. No wind forward launch
from top of the hill. Several 180 turns. No wind forward launch
Reverse/Forward launches. Spot landing and kiting
Reverse/Forward launches. Spot landing and kiting
Reverse/Forward launches. Spot landing and kiting
Reverse/Forward launches. Spot landing and kiting
Reverse/Forward launches. Spot landing and kiting
Reverse/Forward launches. Spot landing and kiting
forward launch and S-turns
forward launch and S-turns
Big ears and rear riser turns
forward launch and S-turns
Big ears and rear riser turns
Speed bar and figure 8 turns
forward launch and S-turns
reverse launch and S-turns
Wind was mainly west, with southern component. On launch I didn’t weight the glider enough to drive it straight forward. The wind moved me to the right side of the launch which had me ending up crashing through the shrubs. I managed to keep flying and everything was intact. I started to soar for a few passes, but the wind was too light and got a sled ride to the LZ.
First flight at the Point!! Ridge soaring the south side. Had to come down to fight of cold hands. Awful screaming barfies
Second flight at the Point!! More ridge soaring the south side. Still had to come down to fight of cold hands. Awful screaming barfies.
Third flight at the Point!! More ridge soaring the south side!
South side! More ridge soaring the south side! Screaming barfies were so bad!
South side! Lots of playful soaring. Longest flight to date!!!
South side! Super playful soaring. Stayed in the air too long. Last pilot in the sky…. desert thermals were kicking early! Had to use big ears twice to come down to LZ.
South side, sledder.
South side, sledder.
South side, sledder.
South side, sledder.
South side, sledder.
Big sledder off Mt. Sentinal Incredible view of the surrounding Missoula area. Super cold!
Another big sledder off Mt. Sentinal. Still super cold!
Skied out and stuck landing
Back to the mountains! I LOVE potato hill! Great first run, very little wind but such a lovely place. Forward launch, 13 ft max alt gain, elevation drop of 1762 ft. Good landing.
Up early and happily up the hill. good morning flight, forward launch, 23 ft max alt gain, elevation drop of 1686 ft. Good landing.
second morning flight, reverse launch, 36 ft max alt gain, followed Jorge into a bit of a thermal, still not able to stay long. elevation drop of 1765 ft. tried to practice efficient turns, using only weight shift and rear risers, except when I was chasing thermals. Good landing.
an afternoon flight! light winds but reverse launch, 52 ft max alt gain, chased a few brief thermals still not able to stay long. elevation drop of 1749 ft. Practiced all kinds of skills and tried one handed turns for first time. trying to get better at spot landing. Good landing.
such a peaceful late day flight! first time flying with flight deck. light winds and forward launch, only 3 ft max alt gain, but so very relaxing and peaceful and joyful. air like butter, laughing and smiling all the way. elevation drop of 1736 ft. thought flight deck would impede my ability to get out of harness so worked hard to get feet out. Good landing.
up again for some morning flights! forward launch. first time with flight deck AND the vario, flight deck sat nicely in lap, great seeing the numbers! landed on feet. 10 ft max gain, elevation drop of 1719. Hit tree with tip of wing directly off launch. Serafina powered through and recovered immediately.
second morning flight and the last of the weekend! reverse launch all by myself without Mike in his usual place. tried new position for flight deck but it did not work and was not visible. Planned on practicing landing for Columbia (shorter LZ with 100 foot trees at start of LZ). 13 ft max gain, elevation drop of 1736. However, could not figure out where 100 feet would be (couldn’t see vario) and went slight long, but landed not too far from the spot I had wanted. Not good enough for Columbia quite yet, but loved learning all weekend!
from 3/4 up the hill moderate wind
from 3/4 up the hill moderate wind
from 3/4 up the hill moderate wind pulled big ears
from top of hill no to low wind
from top of hill no to low wind
from top of hill no to low wind
from top of hill no to low wind
from top of hill no to low wind
from top of hill no to low wind reserve handle location drill
from top of hill no to low wind
from top of hill light wind soaring the hill in light traffic top landing
from top of hill 12-14 mph wind soaring the hill in traffic kiting and launching in this much wind is difficult for me
from top of hill 12-14 mph wind soaring the hill in traffic kiting and launching in this much wind is difficult for me
from top of hill 12-14 mph wind soaring the hill in traffic kiting and launching in this much wind is difficult for me
from top of hill 12-14 mph wind soaring the hill in traffic kiting and launching in this much wind is difficult for me pulled big ears
from top of hill 12-14 mph wind soaring the hill in traffic kiting and launching in this much wind is difficult for me tried speed bar
from top of hill 12-14 mph wind soaring the hill in traffic kiting and launching in this much wind is difficult for me
from top of hill 12-14 mph wind soaring the hill in traffic kiting and launching in this much wind is difficult for me did d riser turns did one hand brake control
from 3/4 of hill 14 mph wind soaring the hill in traffic
Low wind 90 degree turn
Forward launch, big ears, speed bar, 360s, rear risers, no hands. Great landing
Forward launch, big ears, speed bar, 360s, rear risers, no hands. Great landing
THIS LOG SUCKS. Good that I had my flights in another file because13 flights that I log before they are gone
Turns are smoother and easier when you’re head is up and your body is in a more poised position
Turns are smoother and easier when you’re head is up and your body is in a more poised position
Try to land in the same position as when you launch. Like an airplane
Remember to fully complete your turns. When you don’t you eventually need to overcompensate which makes things unpredictable
your best flight. Smooth takeoff with your hips leading the way, long smooth turns with your head up, and excellent relaxed flare even though you got popped a little bit.
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Had an hour of kiting before the flight. Flight off of Ridgmont, 180 and 360 degree turns. Forward launch in a light tailwind.
Forward launch from ridgemont, after an hour of ground handling. 360 turns, set up for landing, flare, landing.
Flight off of Ridgemont, good reverse launch in a light headwind. Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns.
Flight off of Ridgemont, good reverse launch in a headwind. Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns as well as my first time ridge soaring.
Flight off of Ridgemont, a good reverse launch in a headwind. Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns as well as ridge soaring and one-handed flying.
Flight off of Ridgemont, a good forward launch in a light tailwind. Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns as well as landing approach and flair.
Reverse launch from ridgemont. Practiced one-handed flying and getting into the harness. Big Ears, 360s, set up for landing, flare, spot-landing.
Flight off of Ridgemont, a good reverse launch in a light headwind. Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns as well as landing approach and flair.
Flight off of Ridgemont, a good reverse launch in a light headwind. Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns as well as landing approach and flair. First time using the speed bar.
Reverse launch from ridgemont. Turned back towards the ridge for ridge-soaring. Down the ridge and back in line with launch area; 180 degree turns across “half pipe” until low enough to set up for landing. Flare, spot-landing.
Reverse launch from ridgemont. Problem with break line wrapped through risers. Not fixable in air. 360 degree turns, set up for landing, spot landing.
Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns, approach and landing flare. Forward launch in a light tailwind.
Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns, approach and landing flare. Reverse launch, building a wall and kiting.
Forward launch from ridgemont in slight tail-wind. 360 degree turns. Scott mostly off radio. Set up for landing, flare.
Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns. Reverse launch, building a wall and kiting. First time ridge soaring.
Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns. Reverse launch and building a wall. Ridge soaring.
Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns. Forward launch.
Reverse launch from ridgemont; worked on building a wall and kiting beforehand. Speed bar with weight shift turns, 360s and 180s to set up for landing. Got lift over transfer station; bled off altitude for landing. Flare, spot-landing.
Worked on 360 degree turns with speed bar and 180 degree turns. Reverse launch and building a wall. One-handed flying.
Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns. Reverse launch and building a wall. Pulled big ears.
Reverse launch from ridgemont; worked on building a wall and kiting beforehand. Scott off radio for most part. 360 turns, just focused on having fun flying rather than working on anything in particular. 180s to set up for landing, bleeding off altitude as necessary with sift from transfer station. Set up for final, flare, land, kite to within reasonable distance from pro shop.
Reverse takeoff, spot landing
Reverse takeoff, kiting after landing
Flight off of Ridgemont, a good forward launch in no wind. Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns as well as landing approach and flair.
Flight off of Ridgemont, Reverse launch. Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns as well as landing approach and flair.
Flight off of Ridgemont, Reverse launch. Worked on 360 and 180 degree turns as well as landing approach and flair.
Glider, harness, reserve chute intro. A and C lines practice. unpacking and packing, ran with glider using A and C lines ground handling
A and C lines practice. unpacking and packing, ran with glider using A and C lines ground handling. improved moderately
Boat to launch for SIV training. Performed basic SIV maneuvers.
Boat to launch for SIV training. Performed basic SIV maneuvers. B-line stalls were abnormal. Wing horse-shoed both times. Not sure why, but my wing manual does mention an overly aggressive b-line stall could cause horse-shoe.
Flew around the farm. Smooth up high, a little turbulent down lower. So I didn’t do much low-level flying.
Boat tow flight. I had to engage full speed bar to make it to the LZ. I turned a little too sharply down low to burn some altitude. Came in to land a little too fast, but managed to stay on my feet on landing. I need to remember to not make any big adjustments on final approach.
Motor flight from airport with the gaggle fliers. Did some low level flying. With Britton’s help I hooked up speed bar to the motor for the first time, but didn’t use it during the flight. Nice launch and landing.
Motor flight. On first launch attempt – after the wing came up I applied power, and then leaned forward to drive the wing with my legs. Why did I do that under power? When I leaned forward the thrust of the motor was pointing down and pushed me into the ground. I killed the engine as soon as I could but expected I had cut some lines. Miraculously there was no damage to my wing. I reset and launched again. This launch was successful but I lost the brake from my left hand when I let go of the A’s. I went ahead and continued the launch, and quickly secured the left brake. Rest of the flight was great. With altitude and trimmed at red line, I went on speed bar and switched to tip steering. Then, I released speed bar and went back to brakes and did some low level flying in nearby fields. Had a nice landing.
Reverse Launch
360’s
Reverse Launch
360’s
1900m launch
Reverse Launch
360’s
Reverse Launch
360’s
1200m launch
Reverse Launch
360’s
Reverse Launch
360’s
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A and C lines practice. unpacking and packing, ran with glider using A and C lines ground handling. improved moderately. worked on building wall.
reverse launch and S-turns. Landing within 25′ of the target.
reverse launch and S-turns. Landing within 25′ of the target.
reverse launch and S-turns. Landing within 25′ of the target.
reverse launch and S-turns. Landing within 25′ of the target.
reverse launch and S-turns. Landing within 25′ of the target.
Reverse Launch
360’s
1200m launch
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Sidehill
Sidehill
Sidehill
Sidehill
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sidehill
sledder at end of the day after helping to coach. Carried someone’s backpack down the hill, so had difficulty launching, Had to reset, got off the hill, landed and fell onto knees due to backpack. But all was fine.
practicing side hill landings at gateway today. First one not too good, some dragging.
practicing side hill landings at gateway today. Second one better, did not land on feet, Rob says at end I pull my feet up.
practicing side hill landings at gateway today. Doing better, Mike says outside hand ONLY for flaring! Ahh! much better.
practicing side hill landings at gateway today. Much better this time! landed on my feet! Also, each time kiting UP the hill – getting much better at this secondary to Mike’s coaching. hit left brake to get it angled in front and then balance with right brake. Practice practice practice!
practicing side hill landings at gateway today. last one of the day, did almost all by myself, paid attention to changing wind, kept feet under me. Need a LOT more practice though.
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, one handed flying
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, rear riser turns
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, symmetric deflations
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, asymmetric deflations
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, speed bar
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, foot stirrup, precision landing
Reverse take-off middle of hill
Reverse take-off middle of hill
Reverse take-off middle of hill
Reverse take-off top of hill, stirrup in, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, stirrup in, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, stirrup in, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, stirrup in, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, stirrup in, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, stirrup in, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, stirrup in, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, stirrup in, precision landing
Reverse take-off top of hill, stirrup in, precision landing
Straight short flight
Straight long flight, turns
Long mostly straight flight
Short side hill landing
Short side hill landing
practicing side hill landings at gateway today. last one of the day, did almost all by myself, paid attention to changing wind, kept feet under me. Need a LOT more practice though.
Short side hill landing
This flight is available in FlySkyHy app
This flight is available in FlySkyHy app
This flight is available in FlySkyHy app
This flight is available in FlySkyHy app
This flight is available in FlySkyHy app
This flight is available in FlySkyHy app
This flight is available in FlySkyHy app
This flight is available in FlySkyHy app
Tried to ridge soar, but got below the head wall
SIV flight 1
SIV flight 2
Tried to ridge soar, got below the headwall and landed.
This flight log is available in FlySkyHy
Ridged soared along the headwall till it got dark.
This flight log is available in FlySkyHy
Ridgemont. Reverse launch. big ears. 360s
Ridgemont. Reverse launch. 180s ridge soaring
Ridgemont. Reverse launch. 180s ridge soaring. Getting closer to the terrain
sidehill
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A and C lines practice. unpacking and packing with different methods, ran with glider using A and C lines ground handling. improved moderately. worked on building wall. Kited a higher performance wing and was able to control it much better than my Alpha, It was a low B wing BGD Echo ML
light wind launch
Touch and go’s. Did 3. Cross hill path flights with side hill landings. Getting the timing down on height above ground and flare timing.
Forward takeoff
Forward takeoff
Forward takeoff
Forward takeoff
Launch uneventful. Landing: Need to get out of harness higher, work on flare timing, have legs ready to run.
Missed the soaring opportunity. Worked on landing. Was able to control where I wanted to land. Lost some altitude and was a little short of the landing path, but felt more in control of landing
Reverse Launch, Soaring
Tear Drop Turns
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Scoping the landing
Eating the Carrot
Thinking about the landing path
Lowering altitude in figure 8s near the LZ
By now I have learned:
Laying out the wing
Clipping in to the harness
Identifying the “A” risers, rear risers, brakes
Forward Inflations
Reverse Inflations
Turning to face the glider, turning to face forward
Maintaining good control of the glider
Missed the soaring opportunity. Worked on landing. Was able to control where I wanted to land. Lost some altitude and was a little short of the landing path, but felt more in control of landing
Reverse Launch, Soaring
Tear Drop Turns
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Scoping the landing
Eating the Carrot
Thinking about the landing path
Lowering altitude in figure 8s near the LZ
By now I have learned:
Laying out the wing
Clipping in to the harness
Identifying the “A” risers, rear risers, brakes
Forward Inflations
Reverse Inflations
Turning to face the glider, turning to face forward
Maintaining good control of the glider
Missed the soaring opportunity. Worked on landing. Was able to control where I wanted to land. Lost some altitude and was a little short of the landing path, but felt more in control of landing
Reverse Launch, Soaring
Tear Drop Turns
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Scoping the landing
Eating the Carrot
Thinking about the landing path
Lowering altitude in figure 8s near the LZ
By now I have learned:
Laying out the wing
Clipping in to the harness
Identifying the “A” risers, rear risers, brakes
Forward Inflations
Reverse Inflations
Turning to face the glider, turning to face forward
Maintaining good control of the glider
Missed the soaring opportunity. Worked on landing. Was able to control where I wanted to land. Lost some altitude and was a little short of the landing path, but felt more in control of landing
Reverse Launch, Soaring
Tear Drop Turns
Flare, Brakes, Left Turn, Right Turn
Cross Legs
Scoping the landing
Eating the Carrot
Thinking about the landing path
Lowering altitude in figure 8s near the LZ
By now I have learned:
Laying out the wing
Clipping in to the harness
Identifying the “A” risers, rear risers, brakes
Forward Inflations
Reverse Inflations
Turning to face the glider, turning to face forward
Maintaining good control of the glider
Launch Fly Spot Landing
Launch Fly Spot Landing
Reverse Launch Fly Spot Landing
Reverse Launch Fly Spot Landing
Reverse Launch Fly Spot Landing
Reverse Launch Fly Spot Landing
Everything on P2
Rear Cs
Real C turns
Single Hand
No Hand
360
S
Landing
Landing Airspeed
Everything on P2
Rear Cs
Real C turns
Single Hand
No Hand
360
S
Landing
Landing Airspeed
Everything on P2
Rear Cs
Real C turns
Single Hand
No Hand
360
S
Landing
Landing Airspeed
Everything on P2
Rear Cs
Real C turns
Single Hand
No Hand
360
S
Landing
Landing Airspeed
Everything on P2
Rear Cs
Real C turns
Single Hand
No Hand
360
S
Landing
Landing Airspeed
Everything on P2
Rear Cs
Real C turns
Single Hand
No Hand
360
S
Landing
Landing Airspeed
Everything on P2
Rear Cs
Real C turns
Single Hand
No Hand
360
S
Landing
Landing Airspeed
Reverse launching
S-turns.
Landing within 25′ of the target.
Sidehill landings
Reverse launching
S-turns.
Landing within 25′ of the target.
Sidehill landings
Reverse launching
S-turns.
Landing within 25′ of the target.
Sidehill landings
Reverse launching
S-turns.
Spot landing and sidehill landings
Reverse launching
S-turns.
Spot landing and sidehill landings
Reverse launching
S-turns.
Spot landing and sidehill landings
Reverse launching
S-turns.
Spot landing.
New Harness
Reverse launching
Spot landing.
Reverse launching
Spot landing.
Reverse launching
Spot landing.
Reverse launching
Spot landing.
Reverse launching
Spot landing.
Reverse launching
Spot landing.
light wind launch
3 sidehill passes with a side hill landing.
light wind launch
5 sidehill passes with a side hill landing.
Tandem flight. Nice conditions. Good landing
Helped to coach today then sledder down afterwards. Forgot to put strap over leg, so stayed out of harness. Stumble on the landing.
Reverse launch
Ridge soar
Spot land.
Reverse launch
Ridge soar
Spot land.
practicing sidehills today. landed on butt. Need to remember outside hand for flare, and need to land on feet.
practicing sidehills today. landed on butt. Need to remember outside hand for flare, and need to land on feet.
practicing sidehills today. landed on feet!
practicing sidehills today. got some lift, landed on feet!
Landing was better than first flight. Landed on feet. Need to memorize pre-flight checklist.
8-12 mph, W wind, Sunny but cool to cold
Easy launch from top launch. Rose to above ridge height right away.
Found bigger lift over the knob. Flew for about an hour. Landed when the air became turbulent and cold. Landed good but didn’t like the approach. Had to make multiple decending passes until I was able to final. Air was lifty in the landing zone.
practicing sidehills today. got some lift, landed on feet!
Motor flight. Launched from home field. Farthest flight yet. Trimmed to red line except for landing. Stayed on speed bar when up high. Found some nice clear areas in the hills for some low level flying with no speed bar. Got pretty cold on the way back. Nice landing.
Motor flight. Launched with my new flying buddy Trevor. Flew over interstate 60 which was pretty fun. Good launch and landing.
Motor flight. Launched with Trevor. A little breeze, and when I got pretty high got parked. Lost a little altitude and managed to penetrate with full speed bar engaged. We flew from Macomb to Mansfield. Coming back (downwind) was fast!
Tried ridge soaring / thermaling, but sunk out
This flight log is available in FlySkyHy
Tried ridge soaring , but sunk out
This flight log is available in FlySkyHy
Tried ridge soaring, but sunk out. Smooth conditions
This flight log is available in FlySkyHy
First flight in Jasper. Good launch, video available. Hit a massive sink and had to land in the bailout LZ. The hike back was fun.
Lessons learnt:
May have been a bit deep in the brakes.
Need to be as efficient as possible.
Should avoid turning in thermals that are not promising.
Results in more altitude loss than gain.
This flight log is available in FlySkyHy
Good launch, Made it to the main LZ thanks to a couple of bubbles
This flight log is available in FlySkyHy
Good launch, Landed in the sage grass field.
This flight log is available in FlySkyHy
Good launch. Tried to be as efficient as possible. Smooth flight and Landed in the sage grass field.
Lesson learnt. The glide ratio of the Mojo PWR sucks when compared to the other paragliders.
This flight log is available in FlySkyHy
Flared too early.
Reverse Launch
180s
Reverse Launch
180s
Reverse Launch
180s
Reverse Launch
180s
Reverse Launch
180s
Reverse Launch
soaring
180s
Reverse Launch
soaring
Reverse Launch
soaring
practicing sidehills today. less anxious. landed on feet
practicing sidehills but got some unexpected lift several times – all the way down the hill. landed in taller weeds, but got down safely.
practicing sidehills – last flight of the day before choosing to pack up my big wing before wind got nuts. landed on feet.
Forward takeoff
Forward facing lunch due to low wind.
Forward facing lunch due to low wind.
Forward facing lunch due to low wind.
Forward facing lunch due to low wind.
Forward facing lunch due to low wind.
Forward facing lunch due to low wind.
Forward facing lunch due to low wind.
Forward facing lunch due to low wind.
Forward facing lunch due to low wind.
Forward facing lunch due to low wind.
Forward facing lunch due to low wind.
Forward Launch, midair brake wrap correction
Forward Launch, spot landing
Reverse/combo Launch
Forward takeoff
Reverse/combo takeoff
Reverse/combo takeoff
forward takeoff, variable speed
forward takeoff
forward takeoff, side hill landing
forward takeoff, sidehill landing
forward takeoff
forward launch
forward launch
forward launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
forward Launch
side hill landing
forward Launch
side hill landing
forward Launch
side hill landing
forward Launch
side hill landing
forward Launch
side hill landing
forward Launch
side hill landing
Reverse launch
side hill landing
Reverse launch
side hill landing
Reverse launch
Soaring flight
Jasper sled ride. Moderate winds.
Jasper sled ride. Moderate winds.
Jasper sled ride. Moderate winds.
Motor flight at neighbor’s field. The day before I bombed three nil wind launches. On one, I killed the engine but the lines went into the idling prop and go wrapped around the axle. Had to remove the prop to free the line. Miraculously, the lines appeared to be undamaged. Got my first “foot drag” – actually just a “foot touch”. Forward inflation and launch and landing were good.
Flew with Trevor at Macomb. Nil wind launch. First attempt found my speed bar cable was caught up in my right hand, apparently looped around the throttle. Aborted. Second attempt I accidentally released the left brake on launch. Aborted. Third attempt I got launched. Landing was good.
Almost nil wind. Forward launch. 1st attempt wing went wonky – I killed the motor but some lines got wrapped around the axle when the wing came down. Was able to free lines without removing prop. Line sheathing appeared to be undamaged. Second launch attempt was good. About the smoothest flight I’ve ever had. Virtually no turbulence at all! Got down low and skimmed the ground in some big fields. Super fun flight!
fantastic day at Blue Rock! So much rain lately and lots of pilots just dying to fly! I launched from a NEW LAUNCH – top launch. Scared at first launch but Rob helped to calm. Launch has barbed wire behind it, so you have to control wing. Really great soar – flying mostly with Jorge – it was his first soaring ever! Started getting low, decided I would not chance it given that there is rotor near the tree in the bowl. Decided to go land. Landed on upper LZ, on fit – 20 feet from my spot land location! 🙂
second flight. launched from top launch. At least 8 wings in the air – very scary. But I did not run into anyone! Managed the traffic! Worked on finding the best lines for lift. Mike said it was getting light, Rob suggested to his students to land, but I was able to stay up much longer. Finally headed to the far LZ. Landed on feet!
Reverse launch
Soaring flight
Reverse launch
Soaring flight
Reverse launch
Soaring flight
8-12 mph, WNW wind, Overcast
Easy launch from walker launch. Rose to above ridge height.
Flew past the second high face to the north Flew for about an hour and a quarter. Landed when the lightened up and cold.
Landing was smooth and quick.
Christmas Sledder off Mt. Sentinel!
2nd Christmas Sledder off Mt. Sentinel!
Basic flight instructions
3 flights
Reverse launch
Soaring flight
Reverse launch
Soaring flight
Reverse launch
Soaring flight
Forward launch
Spot land.
Forward launch
Spot land.
Reverse launch
Spot land.
watched student sledders until wind sufficient. Launched from left side of top launch. No coaching! Flew with Jorge, Enes. Scratchy at times but kept it up. Finally decided it was safest to go land, and at the same time I decided Rob radio’d to “not get too aggressive with the hill”. Great flight, so happy. The hill and air is the best for one’s psyche! Love this stuff!
Basic flight instructions
8 fights
forward launch
side hill landing
reverse launch
side hill landing
reverse launch
side hill landing
Foward launch
side hill landing
Short sled ride. Skimming the ground on landing foot caught an unseen rock in the grass and broke my leg. Next time will flare a little higher.
reverse launch
soaring
reverse launch
soaring
Short sled rides from the top of the RC airport to the campground
Short sled facing west nort west. Tall farmers hillside. Rocky on top but smooth grassy landing
Nice short flight. Gained some altitude. North facing hill, small launch area. 6-8mph winds are perfect for smooth flight.
third tow of the day. I went up 100 ft, and had a nice flight w some turns for a few minutes
Hiked to the top of the OC, and performed a forward launch. Had a nice smooth flight down. It lasted a couple of minutes, and I had a smooth landing in the parking lot.
Performed a smaller height 400ft winch. I wasn’t able to get my stirrup on my feet, and struggled with that going up. Should’ve focused more on remaining seated and flying the kite prior to releasing the dislatch cable. After I released a had a smooth shorter flight. I could have gotten out of my harness early and had a smoother flare and landing
Performed a smaller height 400ft winch. I wasn't able to get my stirrup on my feet, and struggled with that going up. Should've focused more on remaining seated and flying the kite prior to releasing the dislatch cable. After I released a had a smooth shorter flight. I could have gotten out of my harness early and had a smoother flare and landing
I performed another lower 400ft winch. I wasn’t able to get my stirrup on my feet again getting up. This time was more focused on getting seated and flying the kite getting up, which was much better then prior flight. After I dislatched the cable I felt a large surge in the kite throwing overhead me. I caught it with pulling some breaks. Once the kite came back overhead I had a nice reminder of my flight.
I performed another lower 400ft winch. I wasn't able to get my stirrup on my feet again getting up. This time was more focused on getting seated and flying the kite getting up, which was much better then prior flight. After I dislatched the cable I felt a large surge in the kite throwing overhead me. I caught it with pulling some breaks. Once the kite came back overhead I had a nice reminder of my flight.
reverse launch
soaring
High wind
SIV #2 flight 1 of 9
SIV #2 flight 2 of 9
SIV #2 flight 3 of 9
SIV #2 flight 4 of 9
SIV #2 flight 5 of 9
SIV #2 flight 6 of 9
SIV #2 flight 7 of 9
SIV #2 flight 8 of 9
SIV #2 flight 9 of 9
SIV #3 flight 1 of 9
SIV #3 flight 2 of 9
SIV #3 flight 3 of 9
SIV #3 flight 4 of 9
SIV #3 flight 5 of 9
SIV #3 flight 6 of 9
SIV #3 flight 7 of 9
SIV #3 flight 8 of 9
SIV #3 flight 9 of 9
foggy
foggy
foggy
foggy
foggy
New Years soar. cross and windy becoming calm. Tried B3 big ears. nice landing at bottom.
Sledder. Launched from north and landed at main landing area.
Sledder. Launched from north and landed on a hill next to alternate landing site.
Sledder.
Sledder.
Sledder.
Sledder.
Sledder.
Sledder.
forward takeoff, no hand flying, weight shift turns.
reverse takeoff, one hand flying
reverse takeoff, rear riser turns
reverse takeoff, half-speedbar use
reverse takeoff, big ears
reverse launch
soaring
High wind
side hill landing
reverse launch
soaring
High wind
side hill landing
reverse launch
soaring
High wind
side hill landing
reverse launch
soaring
High wind
side hill landing
reverse launch
soaring
side hill landing
reverse launch
soaring
side hill landing
reverse launch
soaring
side hill landing
reverse launch
soaring
side hill landing
reverse launch
soaring
side hill landing
reverse launch
soaring
reverse launch
soaring
reverse launch
soaring
Some thermals
reverse launch
soaring
High wings and turbulence started while in the air so I landed sooner
reverse launch
soaring
reverse launch
soaring
Forward launch
Spot land.
Forward launch
Spot land.
Forward launch
Spot land.
Forward launch
Spot land.
forward launch, slight tail wind
forward launch, speedbar
forward launch
forward launch, 180s, speedbar, overshot landing
reverse launch
soaring
reverse launch
soaring
Top landing
reverse launch
soaring
Top landing
reverse launch
soaring
Top landing
reverse launch
soaring
Top landing
reverse launch
High wind, flew from low on the hill
High wind, flew from low on the hill
High wind, flew from low on the hill
High wind, flew from low on the hill
from top
from top flights 35-44 were attempted spot landing flights
from top
from top
from top
from top switched to pegasus because I was having problems with oscillations during flights with the nova pegasus cured the problem
from top
from top
from top
from top
from top
from top
from top
from top
from top
from top with top landing
from top with top landing
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
from top 51-64 were all spot landing practice
7-111 mph, WNW wind,
Easy launch from walker launch. Scratchin for lift. At ridge height or below most of the flight. Side hill landed at Mid Launch to not have to hike all the way up.
7-111 mph, WNW wind,
Easy launch from walker launch. Scratchin for lift. At ridge height or below most of the flight. Just couldn’t stay up, too many other wings up and stay in the best part of the lift area.
Landed in main LZ.
reverse launch
soaring
top landing
360’s
linked 180’s
big ears
reverse launch
soaring
360s
linked 180’s
big ears
asymmetric 50 50 wing tip collapse
reverse launch, turned right, had 360 riser twist that I pulled out of and did a couple 180s and landed.
reverse launch, a couple 180s.
reverse launch
reverse launch
Motor flight. Forward launch went okay. Went to Hartley’s place and buzzed the field down low.
Motor flight. There was enough wind for a reverse inflation so it was pretty easy to get launched. Low ceiling around 1000 ft so I couldn’t get super high. Fairly smooth air, I got down low a couple of times. All in all, a great flight. I was flying low in a field and a school bus driver stopped and was filming me with his phone 🙂
Forward launch
Forward launch, sidehill landing
combo launch, sidehill landing
combo launch, sidehill landing
combo launch, sidehill landing
reverse launch
soaring
high wind
reverse launch
soaring
high wind
reverse launch
soaring
high wind
360
linked 180’s
5 consecutive landing in 10ft radius
reverse launch
soaring
reverse launch, sidehill landing
reverse launch, sidehill landing
reverse launch, soaring beats, traffic yielding, sidehill landing
reverse launch, soaring beats, traffic yielding, 360, sidehill landing
reverse launch, sidehill landing
reverse launch, sidehill landing
reverse launch, sidehill landing
reverse launch, mini soaring turns, sidehill landing
reverse launch, mini soaring turns, sidehill landing
Forward facing lunch due to low wind. Able to get some lift from thermal activity off spine
reverse launch, sidehill landing
reverse launch, sidehill landing
reverse launch, sidehill landing
reverse launch, sidehill landing
reverse launch, sidehill landing
A and C lines practice. unpacking and packing with different methods, ran with glider using A and C lines ground handling. improved moderately. worked on building wall. Kited a higher performance wing and was able to control it much better than my Alpha, It was a low B wing BGD Echo ML
Motor flight. Reverse inflation, nice easy launch. Flew all the way to the Dogwood church. Moderately turbulent, but not stressful. Got and stayed pretty high (3536 feet above launch). On landing I got pulled sideways and pulled wrong brake so I lost my footing and fell sideways. No injury or equipment damage.
reverse launch
reverse launch, extended kiting
extended forward kiting, sidehill landing, retakeoff
extended forward kiting, sidehill landing
extended forward kiting, landing and kiting.
Sledder to fire road landing area, launch from North launch.
Basic flight instructions Big ears
7 flights
Practiced side hill landings today. GOAL: land on my feet. Did so every time.
Practiced side hill landings today. GOAL: land on my feet. Did so every time. 2 of 3 (4th doesn’t count because did not get sufficiently off the hill)
Practiced side hill landings today. GOAL: land on my feet. Did so every time. 3 of 3 (4th doesn’t count because did not get sufficiently off the hill)
Tried out BGD MAGIC. Liften easily off the ground twice, then launched. Not as stable as my wing, but very long glide ratio. Light and easy but somewhat shakey. Like my wing is a solid vehicle and the doors thud shut, but the Magic is a light weight car with tinny sounding doors. This is just because I am used to something different, and a future lighter wing will be a good thing. And then I will get used to that.
Terrified to fly there, had never done so before. Watched all day long, watched very experienced pilot do well, less experienced pilots have some fun and then land out. Conditions kind of trashy. Finally launched, saw the terrain for sky, did a few laps, then got too low on hill, Did not land on my feet, landed hard on butt, but not near barbed wire fence. Proud of myself for launching. Realizing I need to improve my skills.
Forward Launch long sledder to flat spot near the lake
Forward Launch long sledder to flat spot near the lake, practiced no hands steering – weight shift only
Forward Launch sledder, practiced rear riser steering
Forward Launch sledder, performed big ears!
sidehill landing reverse launch
sidehill landing reverse launch
reverse launch
reverse launch
reverse launch, 180s
reverse launch, 180s, bad landing
forward launch eastward on North Ridge
Motor flight. Kited for a couple of hours because wind was gusting to 12 mph and I was not comfortable launching. Winds started to subside later in the afternoon so I decided to send it. Reverse inflation, nice easy launch. Winds aloft were strong but turbulence was mild. Had to go trims out and full speedbar to get reasonable penetration up high. Practiced steering with D risers. Did some low level carving in a big field and got a couple of short foot drags (One was just a foot touch). Landing wasn’t perfect, but I stayed on my feet. Just a great flight, and I wasn’t cold at all (finally!)
Soaring flight, did figure 8’s along ridge to stay in lift, stayed in front to avoid rotor.
Sledder
Sledder
Forward Launch Sledder
Forward Launch Sledder
Sledder using Frankenstein forward launch
Sledder using Frankenstein forward launch
Reverse launch Sledder. Launch was good, didn’t turn enough early in flight to get left over ditch, then didn’t have room to turn right into wind on landing. Also may have flared early due to tall fennel blocking ground. Tweaked knee slightly
Reverse launch Sledder. Launch was good, had more room to turn right into wind but only did slightly due to low altitude. Also may have flared early again due to tall fennel blocking ground. On landing felt pain in knee and got scared, stopped running and got slightly dragged just due to not running.
reverse launch, sidehill landing
reverse launch, sidehill landing
reverse launch, aborted sidehill landing
reverse launch
reverse launch
reverse launch, sidehill
forward launch
forward launch
forward launch
forward launch
reverse launch
reverse launch, north bowl
reverse launch, north bowl
practicing side hills with Magic – similar to my soon to arrive Epic.
Sledder. Skipped a lot during launch, as I applied too much brake. Put it down after nearly hitting a bush.
Sledder. Practiced no hand turns.
Sledder. Practiced big ears.
Sledder. Practiced rear riser turns.
Forward Launch sledder, perfect landing
Forward Launch sledder, side hill landing
Forward Launch sledder, flared slightly early
Forward Launch sledder
Reverse Launch sledder, went long, landed good along valley / fence
Forward Launch sledder
New Years soar. cross and windy becoming calm. Tried B3 big ears. nice landing at bottom.
47.8k open
gust front rain landing
after rain sledder
16.3k open
18.9 k open
42k open
34.4k open
70.6k open
56.5k FAI
69k flat
68.5k flat
14.8k open
31.8k FAI
42k open
84k open
48.6k FAI
reverse launch, NE section
Forward launch, NE section
Reverse launch, NE section
Reverse launch sledder. Good launch and landing.
Reverse launch sledder. Good launch and landing.
Reverse launch sledder. Good launch, flared a bit late on landing, on an uphill slope, fell down briefly.
MY NEW WING! sledder at Channing. Easy up, easy launch. I was too heavy in my turns because I was used to the advance. Got to dial it in.
second sledder at Channing with new wing. Winds getting wonky, had to launch oddly, but up she went. At landing I was able to kite her for a while before she went to the ground. Thought I needed to shorted brake lines, but instead Rob says flare into my center, rather then down the sides like I did on old wing.
third sledder at Channing with new wing. Hit some sink near the landing, and was headed for the bush. Just a slight bit of brake and up and over the bush! Love this new wing!
7-11 mph, WNW wind,
Easy launch from Mid launch. At ridge height or below most of the flight. Big lift at times but some turbulence. Stayed low in the smoother air in front of the ridge
Max Alt 1050 Ft
Landed in main LZ.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift, flair and landing runout.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift, flair and landing runout.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift, flair and landing runout.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift, flair and landing runout.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift, flair and landing runout.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift, flair and landing runout.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift, flair and landing runout.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift, flair and landing runout.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift, flair and landing runout.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift only steering, flair and landing runout.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift only steering, flair and landing runout. Reverse launch kiting.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift only steering, flair and landing runout. Reverse launch kiting.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift only steering, flair and landing runout. Reverse launch kiting.
Forward launch, S turns weight shift only steering, flair and landing runout. Reverse launch kiting. Reverse launch
Rear riser steering, S turns weight shift only steering, flair and landing runout. Reverse launch kiting. Reverse launch
Reverse launch One handed steering steering, S turns ,flair and landing runout. Reverse launch kiting.
Reverse launch , Big Ears right then left together, flair and landing runout.
Reverse launch , Big Ears right then left weightshift turn with little left brake, flair and landing runout.
Reverse launch , Big Ears right then left weightshift turn with little left brake, speed bar and flair and landing runout.
Reverse launch , Big Ears right then left weightshift turn with little left brake, speed bar and flair and landing runout.
Forward launch
Forward launch
Forward launch
Forward launch
Forward launch
Forward launch
Reverse launch, top landing
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Reverse launch ,
Reverse launch ,
Reverse launch ,
Forward launch , take a rap ,earier flare stay farther out from the hill.
Forward launch , take a rap ,earier flare stay farther out from the hill. Pinpoint landing near flag.
Forward launch , take a rap ,earier flare stay farther out from the hill. Pinpoint landing near flag.
Forward launch , take a rap ,earier flare stay farther out from the hill. Pinpoint landing near flag.
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Basic flight instructions
Good takeoff and landing. Landed short of lz
Basic flight instructions
Good takeoff and landing.
Basic flight instructions
Good takeoff and landing.
Good thermals
Basic flight instructions
Good takeoff and landing.
Good thermals
7-11 mph, WNW wind,
Easy launch from Mid launch. Got above ridge top right away. Big lift at times but turbulence going in and out.
Max Alt 1240 Ft
Landed in main LZ.
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
First floght
sledder to LZ! woohoo!
sledder to LZ! woohoo!
sledder to LZ! woohoo!
MY VERY FIRST REAL RIDGE SOAR! 3 botched launches but calm, focused, learning. Few laps on ridge to get height and headed over to the other ridge. FELL IN LOVE WITH FLYING TODAY! Nailed the landing despite wonky winds. Learned: slow the wing for turning in thermals, both hands with pressure, weight shift for turn, outside hand adjusts speed inside hand adjust for turning, knowing which way to turn is opposite from where the thermal kicked the wing. flying with one wrap helps you feel the wing.
sledder to LZ! woohoo! stumbled on landing, down on knees. had some diff with figure eights, need to make them tighter
started for sledder but hit amazing thermal! great height! touched cloud!
better figure eights, but landing not on feet
15 km, 1.6 m/s. hit 5196 feet ALL BY MYSELF! tried to keep altitude at LZ bc lynsey was scratching and racing towards lz.
sledder
sledder into thermal, max alt 4713, scolded by Rob for not entering thermal correctly and scaring him
ridge soar at sunset, 18 km, 4860 feet, max lift 1.9 m/s.
avoided spot landing competition (good decision). stayed on hill and learned from Ivan about weather on conditions – time EXTREMELY WELL SPENT.
sledder
very scary flight. scratching and no help on radio. very scared. took bold decisions and turned out to be good ones but my fear freaked me out. turbulence at landing, less than stellar landing.
sledder
sledder
sledder
ridge soar sunset. NO FEAR! focused on where and how to get lift and lost altitude when necessary. stayed away from cloud suck. just me and the birds! landed on feet, not near x.
went for sledders, got 2 epic thermals! 4878 feet
went for sledders, got 2 epic thermals! 3787 feet
went for sledders, got 2 epic thermals! 4632 feet
sledder
sledder – launch site opened just for us. readjusted harness – made big difference!
epic soar! 34 km, max lift 2.9 m/s, max alt 5112. partial collapse at launch but flew through it. bumpy thermic conditions.
sledder
sledder
sledder, scattered mom’s ashes on flight #100!
sledder
sledder
EPIC flight, last one of trip. 50 km, max lift 3.2 m/s, sink 2.2 m/s. 5319 feet. was low once or twice but found my way up again, Flew with Jorge and Lynsey a LOT. LOVED this flight.
totals for trip: 30 flights, 653 minutes, totals now: 103 flights 936 minutes.
1st launch from Fern. Perfect launch. 4 more launches from Echo.
All launches very successful. 4 good landings. Last landing I did not turn away from the hill and therefore landed short of the final. No big deal except Dexter saw me and told me he would not sign me off tomorrow. I was a bit upset but he would not budge. He said I needed 6 Fern launches.
Long sledder. Out of the seat. Winds 10+.
Motor flight. Reverse inflation went well. Stayed mostly high because air was a little choppy. Good landing.
Motor flight. Wind very light and variable. First forward inflation failed. Second forward was successful. I was flying low in a field and went a little too low. I instinctively lifted my legs and the frame contacted the terrain. Fortunately I was able to apply throttle and regain altitude. In retrospect I think I should have kept my legs down rather than do a “butt drag”. Fortunately no damage or injury. After that it was a fabulous flight – very little turbulence and not too cold.
7-11 mph, WNW wind,
Easy launch from Mid launch. Got above ridge top right away. Big lift at times but turbulence going in and out. Multiple Big ears practicing w/ weight shift turning.
Max Alt 1079 Ft
Max lift 394 ft/min
Landed in main LZ.
Forward Launches
Forward Launches
Forward Launches
Forward Launches
Forward Launches
Forward Launches
Reverse Launches
Reverse Launches
Reverse Launches
getting into foot strap
turning with weight shift (no hands)
one hand flying
rear riser turns
coordinated turns (look, lean, brake)
coordinated turns (look, lean, brake)
coordinated turns (look, lean, brake)
symmetric and asymmetric tip folds (big ears)
symmetric and asymmetric tip folds (big ears)
symmetric and asymmetric tip folds (big ears)
spot landings within 25 feet of target
spot landings within 25 feet of target
forward launch
reverse launch
single hand turns
weight shift turns
rear riser turns
Reverse launch
Forward launch
Forward launch
Forward launch
Reverse launch
8-12mph
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
10-13mph
Short sledder. Out of the seat. Winds 10+. Rotor when winds switched to from the north.
Short sledder. Out of the seat. Winds 10+. Rotor when winds switched to from the north.
Forward Launch
Forward Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch, Side Landing, Breaking Downhill
Reverse Launch, Side Landing, Breaking Downhill
reverse launch
Spot landing
Reverse launch
Speed bar application
Spot landing
Short sledder. Out of the seat. Winds 10+. Rotor when winds switched to from the north.
7-11 mph, WNW wind,
Easy launch from North launch. Scratched a bit to get above ridge hight. Big lift at times but turbulence going in and out. Big ears practicing w/ weight shift turning.
Max Alt 1745 Ft
Landed in main LZ.
Motor flight. Reverse. Wingovers performed. I am not an acro pilot, it gives me some motion sickness. On landing the wing was deflected left by a gust. Didn’t land hard but due to left drift I lost my footing. No injury or equipment damage.
Motor flight. Reverse. Nice flight. Toured some and cruised close to terrain. Landed ok.
Motor flight. Reverse. Headed west to my favorite hills. Amazing springtime green in the pastures. Low sun caught the color perfectly. Turbulence was billowy – not hard-edged. Cruised low in a giant field. Landed ok. Most satisfying flight!
Post-holed to launch for an hour. Launch went great, started soaring above launch immediately, then I started to lose some altitude so I glided out to the field where I did some figure 8’s to sink out. Had a great landing and flare! Short but sweet first flight in Jackson.
Practice Takeoff and Landing
Practice Takeoff and Landing
Practice Takeoff and Landing
Practice Takeoff and Landing
Practice Takeoff and Landing
Practice Takeoff and Landing
No Handed Flying
Big Ears using small a’s
Steering with rear risers
No new skills.
1 handed flying
1 handed flying
First lesson. Flew 1/4 mile @ Gateway!
Covered the anatomy of the wing,
clearing lines,
pre-flight check.
-practiced inflating wing, and staying centered below it while running @ Channing.
-symmetry in arms while launching
-remembering to drop A risers
-Torpedo position
-Leaning, looking at headings
-Packing wing
-Object fixation-look where you want to go-nearly ran into Tom
-remember to put bag in pack- had to climb hill holding rosette
Winds were East at Channing so we moved to Gateway.
Winds South. Spring conditions/switching.
10mph, windshifts of 60 degrees.
Worked on reverse kiting on a slope.
Became super frustrated, and overwhelmed-just trying to establish new muscle memory and process information and new movements- also dehydrated.
Did a couple attempts at launching, wind dropped.
3rd shot wind came back and I got a flight.
-remember to pack my wing for an easier hike
-Lost my temper today. Need to have realistic expectations, and not be so hard on myself.it’s day two. I’m doing great.
Winds were East at Channing so we moved to Gateway.
Winds South. Spring conditions/switching.
10mph, windshifts of 60 degrees.
Worked on reverse kiting on a slope.
Became super frustrated, and overwhelmed-just trying to establish new muscle memory and process information and new movements- also dehydrated.
Did a couple attempts at launching, wind dropped.
3rd shot wind came back and I got a flight.
-remember to pack my wing for an easier hike
-Lost my temper today. Need to have realistic expectations, and not be so hard on myself.it's day two. I'm doing great.
sledder with fellow penguins. Top launch, towards road with s turns and odd bumps. Flew with Suder, lyndsey.
sledder with fellow penguins. Mid launch, fun! Flew with Suder, lyndsey and others. Some really fun kiting with small flights/hops .
First onto the ridge (only sledders done prior to my launch). Proud of myself for figuring this out by myself. Really fun to work the ridge, make own decisions. Shared ridge well with schmidty. Odd flight, gains then losses, somewhat bumpy. Eventually was scratching too low for me, so I went and landed. Really really fun! Left before the other pilots but penguins making good decisions today.
No handed flying
Practice Takeoff and Landing
Practice Takeoff and Landing
Big Ears
Practice Takeoff and Landing
launched like elevator from mid launch. Mohamed and Lyndsey in the air prior, John k joined after. It was my first time just boating in front of the ridge! Had foot on speed bar but did not really need it (although used it to practice). Keep in front of ridge top and tried to keep altitude down. Decided to commit to however long it took to land. landed well. So happy to be in the air!
launched North launch for sunset flight. 11 wings in the air! 6 penguins. somewhat complicated to make sure you did not run into anyone but everyone was well behaved. Sweet flight with FULL moon rising while sun was setting. Managed conditions well, did not get as much lift as some, but I was also paying attention to not colliding. Nice landing on floor of blue rock. Such a NICE flight!
hardly any wind. waiting long time to launch from top launch. Planned for a sledder, tried to work it, but no way. Managed a nice landing on floor. Mike McCook said on the radio “wow, you’ve been working long and hard to dial in a landing like that. It was awesome!”. SO nice to hear that. Also nice that I had confidence about my landing, planned it and completed it. Nice.
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
Landed in upper alpine meadow, shared fresh milk with farmer, then took off from meadow’s Edge.
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
Took off from meadow’s Edge.
High Altitude Tandem Alpine Flying
Beautiful last flight before leaving these incredible alps and valleys
Practice Takeoff and Landing
Practice Takeoff and Landing
Practice Takeoff and Landing
Practice Takeoff and Landing
Spot Landing
Motor, reverse. After launch I found that the seat had folded under me. I couldn’t get it loose. It was a little uncomfortable and speed bar wasn’t available. Still had a nice flight. Flew to the hills to the west.
Motor, reverse. Flew west. Motor is slow to return to idle when it gets hot. I’ve been noticing this for a while now. Did some strong spirals. Exhilerating!
Motor, reverse. Flew north. Little too turbulent to spend much time down low. Went to the outskirts of Ava. Vistited the airport and flew low along side the runway. On landing the wind blew me backward and I lost my footing on landing. You don’t need to flare as much in a strong headwind! No injury or equipment damage.
First Flight/ Right Turn
Second Flight/ Right Turn
Spot Landing
Practice take off and landing
Hillside takeoff and landing
Spot Landing
Spot Landing
Spot Landing
Spot Landing
Spot Landing
May 2 Training hill with Jonathan
May 4 Tandem with Frank
May 6 Tandem with Tim First Solo after
2nd solo
3rd solo
4th solo side knee/butt land
5th solo good! landed short
6th solo good!
7th solo good! high wind many glider
8th solo 1030 only student
Sled rides down mountain
Caught first glimpse of a thermal
2 spins
Sled rides down mountain
Caught first glimpse of a thermal
2 spins
Sled rides down mountain
2 spins
Sled rides down mountain
Take of was a bit sloppy
First time Big ears!
2 spins
Smooth landing
Sled rides down mountain
Good Takeoff
Big ears
2 spins
To close to the hill on landing.
Sled rides down mountain
Jumped on take off which caused a pendulum
First ridge soar!
2 spins
Smooth landing on the bullseye ?
Super smooth take off
Caught 2 thermals
Good steady turns
Landing not on run way but smooth
Super smooth take off
First real ridge soar!
150’+ over ridge line
8 other pilots in the air
Big ears with speed bar
Landed on a soft pillow
Good flight
Good flight
Good flight
Good flight
Good flight
Good flight
Good flight
Good flight
Good flight
Good flight
windy. Chris was up several times, reported as “bumpy”. Rob came and launched and then quickly landed, reported “no fun to be up there”. Bill and David had several sledders earlier. We all did sledders at noon. I went first, got some lift despite going for a sledder. But, my goal was to get up and get down without getting anxious. And, I did it. Used the big field LZ, did not want to mess with attempting to get to the runway.
Spot Landing
Hillside flight and landing
Hillside flight and landing
Hillside flight and landing
Hillside flight and landing
Smooth launch
Sled ride down
Slight downwind landing but good
Smooth launch
Sled ride down
Good soft landing
Smooth launch
First real thermal day!
Reached 4542 ft
Good soft landing
Smooth launch
Ridge soar
Caught a little thermal
Had to use speed bar to get to landing
Smooth landing
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Mini Hill
First Soaring Flight
Practice Taking Off And Landing
North launch – BIG up from launch. Got so much height that I had to use big ears twice to get back to my comfort level. In retrospect, could have used that height to get over to the castles. But, I don’t think I was ready for that yet. I think I got up to maybe 1600, but my xc trak did not record the flight. Great fun!
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Tow Flight: Line snapped on tow up, checked surge, landed safely.
Tow Flight
Tow Flight: Big Ears
Tow Flight: Speed Bar Input
Takeoff and Landing Practice
sunset soar at Blue Rock. North launch – difficult launch, got my foot caught in dannys lines but got out in time. Proud that I did not get anxious. Felt like Colombia – lots of wings but all spread out. Went over the road twice on the way to castles, but did not ga to far over, just wanted to test it out. David says use speed bar next time. Did figure eights forever to get down and finally had to make them steeper. Great flight! 22 km, max lift 1.2, sink 1.1, max altitude 392M (1292 feet)
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Forward launch
Forward launch
Reverse, north launch
Reverse, north launch
7-11 mph, WNW wind,
Easy launch from North launch. Scratched a bit to get above ridge height. Big lift at times but turbulence going in and out. Weight shift turning, Trying to flt turn in the big lift and circled a couple of times to simulate thermaling
Max Alt 1341 Ft
Landed in main LZ.
Short flight, not much air time off the ground. Reverse launch
Full flight down to landing zone. Forward launch
Forward launch with landing in LZ
Forward launch with landing in LZ
Forward launch with landing in LZ
Forward launch with landing in LZ
Full flight down to landing zone. Forward launch. Turned with brakes, didn’t quite get leaning turns in
Spot Landing
Spot Landing
Attempt At Soaring. Hit Sink become a sledder
7-11 mph, WNW wind,
Easy launch from North launch. Scratched a bit to get above ridge height. Big lift at times but turbulence going in and out. Mainly weight shift turning, Super smooth air. Used Speed bar on center of ridge, while letting it out on the turnaround turns at each end. Fun.
Max Alt 1273 Ft
Landed in main LZ.
Reverse launch with landing in LZ
Reverse launch with landing in LZ
Reverse launch with landing in LZ
sunset soar at Blue Rock. North launch – nice flight. cold, need to remember to use wind breaker. 10 minutes short of the 20 hours I need for p3. Oh well, more flights ahead! SPOT LANDING number 1!
sunset soar at Blue Rock. North launch – good launch. 15 wings in the air, so busy but had better time figuring out ridge rules, seemed folks were better behaved this time. Did not know many of the other pilots. However, flew with David, Nancy, Ray, Danny & Jess, John, Tony, Oleg, Scott. David took photos! Lois was there too, after the kite tournament that day. Beautiful smooth flight, and spot landing number 2!
Reverse, mid launch
Reverse, mid launch
Reverse, north launch, spot landing
0-12 mph, W wind,
Interesting launch from North launch. Lost the right brake handle and launched backwards due to getting under the glider with out 1 brake. Turned, found R brake and flew away. Got low at one point (mid launch height) had to scratch back up. Big lift at times but turbulence going in and out. Mainly weight shift turning, Turned into super smooth air later in flight. Fun.
Max Alt 1368 Ft
Landed in main LZ.
Turn left, turn right.
Turn left, turn right.
Forward launch with landing in LZ
Forward launch with landing in LZ
Forward launch with landing in LZ
sunset soar at Blue Rock. North launch – good launch. good flying but not as much lift, and eventually I just could not hold the altitude. could have scratched more to stay up but just not motivated to fly with the group due to two wings that just don’t know how to follow ridge rules. So, I decided to scratch for two more laps and if I did not get lift to make the decision to go land, so I did. I invited Rob out and he showed, which was nice! Also, helped Ray and Nancy to get off the hill so they could get flights without as many wings in the air, which they did! Nice evening all around! (prior I kited with Oleg and learned two new things to practice – 1) finding brakes with eyes closed 2) flying wing upside down.)
10-12 mph, W wind,
Interesting launch from North launch. Birthday flight Big lift at times but turbulence going in and out. Mainly weight shift turning, Turned into super smooth air later in flight. Had to scratch it back up to top ridge
Max Alt 1262 Ft
Landed in main LZ.
Good launch
Ridge and lift super bumpy
2500 ft
Good launch
Good lift but small and hard to catch
1800ft
Good launch
Ridge soaring
Bumpy landing but close to bulls eye
1950 ft
Good launch
Sled ride
Good launch
Ridge soar / thermal lift
1800ft
Good launch
Ridge soar / thermal lift
1700ft
first mountain flight in green valley with my brand new pg gear
Rear Launch
Ridge Soared
Big Ears
Spiral
Good launch
Thermal activity in the valley
2982 ft
Bumpy on landing but smooth touch down
Good launch
Sled ride
Not enough lift on the ridge
Good launch
Sled ride
Not enough lift on the ridge
Good launch
Sled ride
Little Ridge lift but not enough
10-12 mph, W wind,
Smooth launch from Mid launch. Big lift at times, with solid ridge especially at the south end of the bowl, Turned into super smooth air later in flight. No scratching needed, easy up especially if you got over the top of the ridge.
Max Alt 1515 Ft. Same height as Castles
Landed in main LZ.
Reverse, north launch, spot landing
Reverse, north launch
Reverse, strong conditions
Reverse, strong conditions, gusty
Reverse, smooth conditions
Good launch
Sled ride
Little Ridge lift but not enough
Went to BR hoping to fly, but willing to just help P1’s if that is what is came to. arrived early, felt okay to launch but gusts were high so decided to wait. Helped Nancy and Ray launch, and Jess too, then P1’s arrived. Next thing I know Rob is on the radio saying he would help coach me in Top Landings! What?!! I launched well, straight up, but had to be reminded by Rob hands up to get away from the hill in the strong conditions. Nice to have him in my ear. Got a bit of altitude then he had me do some passes to get used to flying at the hill. Then went back to flying. Flew for an hour – soo cold, but determined to stay in the air if he still wanted to coach. Things go too busy so landed. Landing: I sooo wanted that 4th spot landing and tried to extend my glide as much as possible. Mohammed was guiding me in like at an airport – very funny. I softly touched down on my butt because I refused to give up the chance at that last 5 feet! Very funny.
Reverse launch, flying without hands on brakes, landing in LZ
Reverse launch, turns with rear risers, landing in LZ
Reverse launch, landing in LZ
Motor, reverse. Flew above clouds for first time. Spectacular!
Freeflight. First thermal flight and first time to get above launch in freeflight. I flew with XC Tracer for first time.
Freeflight. Thermal flight. Got well above launch. Landed a little hard due to thermic lift in the LZ that I didn’t manage well. Very minor ankle sprain that cleared up in a day.
Freeflight. Ridge soaring. Many gliders in the air. Got above launch before sinking out.
Launch NOT ideal
Figure 8 for descent
Was about to miss my landing spot so I ended up landing downwind
Freeflight. Ridge soaring. Many gliders in the air. Got above launch before sinking out. I think I’ll need a dedicated mountain wing at some point – the Roadster is not ideal for freeflight.
Freeflight. Thermal flight.
Kited Wing Before Launch
Good Reverse Launch
Kited Wing Before Launch
Good Reverse Launch
Rear Riser Turn
Freeflight. Thermal flight. After getting a couple of good lifts sunk out pretty quickly
Freeflight. Ridge soaring. Managed to stay up almost an hour!
Motor flight. Reverse. Probably should have done a forward. Bombed first two attempts, made it up on third. Smooth as glass. Truly an enjoyable flight. Did a lot of low flying in fields. Flew down low next to a farmer baling hay. Flew to Ava airport. I forgot to pull my trimmers in on landing (was trimmed to the red line) so I came in a little fast. Flare was good though so I didn’t land hard. Really enjoyed this flight!
Forward launch, overcast skies, sled ride
Lesson learnt: look out for other paragliders taking off at the launch.
Forward launch, overcast skies, sled ride
reverse launch, great thermalling flight.
theramalled in high traffic.
Was high enough to over the top, but since my altimeter was in meters, made and inaccurate calculation of feet which led me to believe that I was still low to go over the top.
Lesson learnt: adjust your metric/imperials units according to the local info or know your conversion exactly and not approximation.
reverse launch, sled ride.
reverse launch,
Late evening thermals, thermalling flight.
reverse launch,
great thermalling flight in busy traffic.
reverse launch,
great flight in late afternoon thermals.
reverse launch,
great flight in late afternoon thermals.
reverse launch,
Good thermal flight.
The LZ was active and bumpy.
reverse launch,
Good flight in late afternoon thermals and a bit of a glass off.
reverse launch,
Lost the lift and had to land.
Lesson learnt: learn to do zeroes.
reverse launch,
had a great theramalling/glass off flight.
reverse launch,
had a great theramalling flight.
reverse launch,
had a great theramalling flight.
reverse launch,
had a great late afternoon theramalling/ glass off flight.
reverse launch,
weird day, could not find any thermals.
In retrospect, should have zeroed in weak lift and wait for a good thermal. Disappointing as the flight was too short.
reverse launch,
Launched a bit early as the conditions were just starting to kick in.
Should have made maximum use of the weak lift available.
Bragging points: showed other pilots that the conditions were on.
Tow forward launch.
The forecast was off that day, wind was blowing cross almost all day until the late afternoon.
Butter smooth air with no lift.
approx 20 launches down training hill
approx 15 runs down training hill
launch, weight shift turns. nice landing. FIRST MOUNTAIN LAUNCH!!
launch, weight shift turns. bad landing. Fixated on bush and had to flare over it, butt landed other side
launch, weight shift turns. bad landing. got out of seat but slipped on touchdown and hit butt, bounced onto feet. Need to work on landings, slowing and good flare
first flight
good landing
90deg turns,
landed in null wind on my feet
launch, weight shift turns. good landing on feet. trouble with loaner harness
launch, weight shift turns. good landing on feet. trouble with loaner harness
launch, weight shift turns. good landing on feet.
S launch. fly along ridge to SW launch. land LA. good landing on feet.
Rear Launch
Ridge Soared
Big Ears
Landed OTB in a field.
Winds over 15 mph and increased drastically with elevation
Good launch, launched tad too soon
Ridge soar
Speed bar and big ears
Good launch, launched tad too soon
Ridge soar
Speed bar and big ears
Smooth sled ride
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Tow Flight: Sunset Flight
Smooth sled ride
Good launch
Little ridge roar
Thermic at landing
Good launch went straight up at.
Ridge soared to find ridge thermal
Hard to get passed the ridge line on speed bar
Landed in corn field just south of lz
Landing was bumpy but touched down lightly
forward launch
Weight shift
Landing
forward launch
Weight shift
Landing
forward launch
Weight shift
Landing
forward launch
Weight shift
Landing
forward launch
Weight shift
understanding how to burn off altitude
Landing
forward launch
Weight shift
understanding how to burn off altitude
Landing
reverse launch
Weight shift
understanding how to burn off altitude
mini XC
Landing
Basic Flight turns and landing
Basic Flight turns and landing
90deg turns
light thermal bump
90deg turns, 180 turns
extended sledder
180 turns (good)
Ridge soared from Heavener S launch past SW launch.
landed in Heavener SW main LZ (upwind heading S-SW).
tree landing!
First Flight with the Vivo wing
Bad launch – Tried to kill the wing but was unable to
Good Landing
Multiple trials until I managed to launch
The original plan was to do a soaring flight but that did not happen due to the delay in launching
Good Landing
Basic Flight turns and landing
Basic Flight turns and landing
Basic Flight turns and landing
Launched from Mid. It was odd and unusual air. Roller coaster-y without being all that bumpy. Lots of wings but did not think traffic that bad. Never had to get on bar, although had slow ground speed at times. Had photographer from AARP there, as well as Eva, Chris and the kids. A fun night! Came in on my butt, but otherwise fine.
Reverse launch mini flight. Needed to bring arms back. torpedo better
needed to release my a lines earlier
Needed to land better so my lines are cleaner
get my lines tangled up when I land
Reverse launch mini flight. Needed to bring arms back. torpedo better
needed to release my a lines earlier
Needed to land better so my lines are cleaner
get my lines tangled up when I land
Reverse launch mini flight. Needed to bring arms back. torpedo better
needed to release my a lines earlier
Needed to land better so my lines are cleaner
get my lines tangled up when I land
Reverse launch mini flight. Needed to bring arms back. torpedo better
needed to release my a lines earlier
Needed to land better so my lines are cleaner
get my lines tangled up when I land
500 ft winch.
My arms were flailing while I was running trying to get airborne.
first winch of the season.
I couldn’t get into my stirrup
wasn’t turning hard enough and could’ve turned better
release and flight went well
could’ve flared better by waiting to pull brakes right before I land rather then higher up in the air
Short soar
Attempted Soar, became sledder
Sledder
500 ft winch
second winch of season
Hands were still flailing
went up nicely
caught surge well
still need to land better by flaring later
make sure i turn to the right when i land and clear my lines
have been having line tangling issues
500 ft winch
third winch of the season
still need to clean arms flailing getting up
had a great flight. caught small thermal. spun a bunch of 360s and hard bank turns.
need to flare more gradually right before i land to properly slow my landing
could’ve turned to the right and cleared my lines better
they tangled every time
Good Launch
Good Landing – Avoided bushes by NOT looking at the bushes
Bad Launch – Too much Brake
Bad Landing – Lifted my left foot right at landing
Losing altitude with figure 8
Good Launch – Second Trial
Good Landing at Run Way
Caught some decent altitude
Sled right launch and land. One aborted forward launch
Sled right launch and land. Nice landing
First extended ridge soaring flight. One aborted launch. Maintained or gained 50′ altitude. Flew formation with Britton in tandem. Big ears and released and pulled trimmers. Nice landing after flarely high
Reverse launch, approach & landing without direction in LZ
Reverse launch with landing in LZ
Reverse launch with landing in lower LZ, unguided because of radio issue
Reverse launch in stronger wind.
Launched straight into a thermal and hit 8016ft!
Bumpy air when flying into headwind
6893ft
Caught thermals over the valley
Flew Ridge to Ridge
launch
Weight shift
understanding how to burn off altitude
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
big ears
understanding how to burn off altitude
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
understanding how to burn off altitude
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
trim out/in
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
trim out/in
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
thermals
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
thermals
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
fig 8 turns
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
fig 8 turns
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
braking to spot land
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
thermals
braking to spot land
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
thermals
braking to spot land
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
braking to spot land
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
tip steer
braking to spot land
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
braking to spot land
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
braking to spot land
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
braking to spot land
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
small thermals
braking to spot land
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
small thermals
braking to spot land
spot landing
Potato hill P3 study weekend. 28 minutes, 12 km, +400 feet/min, 5026 feet, gain of 1644. Was the wind dummy, got lift right off. Had a bit of a collapse, then stabilized and climbed. Decided to get out of climb at 5026. Headed to LZ because I thought others wanted to see if landing was okay. Great flight. Could have stayed up forever, fine with decision to get down.
Potato hill P3 study weekend. evening sledder. Hands up for most of it, then ended up over lz by more than 2000 feet. Nice landing.
Potato hill P3 study weekend. morning sledder. small lift. Nice flight.
Potato hill P3 study weekend. morning “thermal sledder”, with Bill. Decided to stay safe, hit thermals only a little if we found them, but make it a sledder, bc we thought we were last pilots of the day. Also, LZ was described as bumpy, but it was not, making us short of the spot landing, but closer to the gate! All good.
0-4 mph, Variable wind direction, Sky was slowly getting covered with clouds.
Smooth launch using the forward launch. Big lift in wide areas. Flew out over the bowl. Some lift was organized into thermal columns and used thermal flying to gain altitude. At about 4700 feet the lift became turbulent. Saw someone start to get into cloud suck and into the mistys. Used big ears and speedbar to decend out of the major lift.
Max Alt 5082 Ft.
Landed in main LZ.
0-4 mph, Variable wind direction. 100% cloud cover.
Smooth launch using the forward launch. No lift, Sledder to LZ. Super smooth air all the way to the LZ.
Max Alt was at launch
Landed in main LZ.
0-6 mph, Variable wind direction but mostly from the East. Cumies popping up over Mt Snow and around the bowl. Smooth launch, reverse to forward. Lift right off launch which I flew through then caught another on the spine. Had a collapse in the right outside of the right side. Recovered on its own. Got half way to the LZ and caught another T over the road. Was able to get back above launch. Saw Lyndsey take a almost full frontal collapse.
She dropped about 20 feet and turned 90 degrees to the right in the recovery. Flew over LZ and did spirals down and landed in the LZ.
Max Alt 4850
Landed in main LZ.
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Mostly a sled run, but caught my first couple of thermals
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Mostly a sled run with a couple small thermal climbs
Sled run
First real thermal flight. Climbed 500′ above the launch site.
Sled run
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Ridge soaring
Ridge soaring
2 top land attemps
Big ears
Sledder
Sledder
Advance Alpha Wing
Forward Launch
Good Landing
No Wind Condition
Advance Alpha Wing
Forward Launch
Good Landing
No Wind Condition
Advance Alpha Wing
Reverse Launch
Good Landing
Weak Wind Condition
One-handed Stirring (Right and then left)
Soaring the south side of the butte and then caught a light thermal to keep me up. Flew with birds above and below me. Landed at Karns Meadow Park. Set up over the swamp, and then into the semi tight LZ.
Soared Nelson’s with Pat, Chris Moody, and Rich. Scraped down as I was soaring, landing hot facing North and in a ditch, glider caught on sagebrush. If start to sink out there again, head left into the big LZ towards the Wilson Canyon Trail.
Quick little flight off HS Butte did about three soaring passes and then went to the LZ.
Extended Sled Ride
Sunrise Soaring!
Sunrise Soaring!
Sunset Soaring!
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Magical sunset flight! Benched up and top landed! Even moved down the ridge to the end of the neighborhood. Had to use big ears for several minutes in order to get down even after sunset because the lift was so strong.
Amazing sunrise flight! Top landed and even tried to do some foot drags, some were successful, others..not!
Flying SLC in the Morning, and Jackson in the evening after work!
Weird bumpy ride SW winds, most likely flying in rotor from Crystal Butte; had to land near the lower launch.
Weird bumpy ride SW winds, most likely flying in rotor from Crystal Butte;overshot the LZ due to weird lift. Ended up landing right below it.
Correctly landed at the main LZ!
Epic evening flight! beautiful views of Jackson Hole and the Tetons. Lots of gliders out and was a good time! Landed as the winds were turning catabatic. Focus on when other pilots go to land. Got the LZ but next time go for top landing.
Couple passes and then out to LZ. 100th flight!!!
Forward launch. No wind landing.
Harness turns. No wind landing.
Rear riser turns. No wind landing.
Single hand turns. Low wind landing.
Big ears. Light wind landing.
Cross wind landing
heavy hands during flight
took base leg of landing wider to burn altitude to land on runway
medium wind launch. Flew right betweeen trees and rock pile. burned altitude by taking base leg wide and landed on the trail.
wonky launch got pulled to the right and had to shutdown wing.
good launch harness turns.
Rear riser turns
reverse launch. Harness turns, crabbing on final.
a little bit of lift flew towards lower houses then harness turned back to the fence line, landed into wind
radio wasnt turned up all the way hard to hear. Need to remember pre flight checks!
kited stable and good launch. harness turns. figure 8’s on base leg to burn altitude before landing near windsock.
Mini ridge soar.
Attempted to un-stow speedbar with foot but was unsuccessful.
sunset load! crabbed approach to landing.
reverse launch
Learned about cycles and watching the wind start at the bottom by looking at the weeds or brush or bushes.
launch and landed in main/ east landing area
crab flying noticing how much the harness inputs work
Harness turns then toggle turns
launching and run run run run!!!
first flight!
Launching, turning, maneuvering through traffic, landing in easy conditions.
Launching, turning, maneuvering through traffic, landing in easy conditions.
Launching, turning, maneuvering through traffic, landing in easy conditions.
Launching, turning, maneuvering through traffic, landing in easy conditions.
Launching, turning, maneuvering through traffic, landing in easy conditions.
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
Forward launch and land in no wind
Forward launch with one handed turns left and right.
Forward launch with Big Ears
Ridge soaring
2 top land attemps
Big ears
Sled ride
Bumpy thermals
light and scattered
4364ft
Sled run
First Flight
Reverse Launch
Adam Wing?
Reverse Launch
Adam Wing?
Reverse Launch
Adam Wing?
Reverse Launch
Channing
Channing
Channing
Channing
Blue Rock
Reverse Launch
Channing
Channing
Channing
Channing
Channing
Channing
Channing
Channing
First mtn flight with Chris.
First tow up. 90 degree turns and wing control. Take-off and landing timing. I nearly missed the take-off, getting my brakes down just before my wing overshot (this was the second attempt, after overshooting and not leaving the ground during the first attempt). On landing, I missed the timing for a good run. I got a step or two before stumbling to my knees. It was close. I feel confident I’ll be earlier on the brakes for both take-off and landing next flight. Control in the air was beautiful and smooth.
Sledder
Reverse Launch
Adam Wing – Very Low Altitude
Sledder
Reverse Launch
Adam Wing – Very Low Altitude
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
1st flight
forward launch
crosswind landing
forward launch
crosswind landing
forward launch
one handed steering
forward launch
reverse launch
plf
reverse launch
reverse launch
reverse launch
reverse launch
spot landing
forward launch
new launch/landing area
turbulence/poppy
Mini Hill
Mini Hill
Mini Hill
Mini Hill
Mini Hill
Mini Hill
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Tow Flight
Tow Flight: Tension Knot Left Wing Tip, Released From Tow, Popped Tension Knot Out By Pumping Left Control Line
Tow Flight: Redemption
sled ride
sled ride
sled ride
sled ride
Turn left, turn right.
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Launching, turning, maneuvering through traffic, squaring up into the wind, low turns.
Launching, turning, maneuvering through traffic, squaring up into the wind, spot landing.
Launching with more commitment, turning, maneuvering through traffic, soaring, fast landings, top landing.
Launching with more commitment, turning, maneuvering through traffic, soaring, fast landings, top landing.
Launching with more commitment, turning, maneuvering through traffic, soaring, fast landings.
Launching with more commitment, turning, maneuvering through traffic.
Launching, turning, soaring, landing.
Launching, turning, soaring, landing.
Launching, turning, soaring, landing.
Training Hill Flight.
Training Hill Flight.
Training Hill Flight.
Training Hill Flight.
Sledder
Reverse Launch
Adam Wing – Very Low Altitude
Sledder
Reverse Launch
Adam Wing – Very Low Altitude
Sledder
Reverse Launch
Adam Wing – Very Low Altitude
Benching, 360DEG turns, 720DEG turns, Big Ears, Speed bar, turns, soaring, asymmetric collapse, landing.
Forward facing lunch due to low wind. Joachim Roesler present at launch to instruct. Cairn at LZ to coach landing.
Reverse
Reverse
Reverse, 7-9 mph
Reverse, 7-9 mph
Reverse, rear riser 360, speedbar
Reverse, rear riser 360, speedbar + big ears, thermalling, traffic
Reverse, speedbar + big ears, thermalling, spot landing near the 2
Potato hill ROB training p1 weekend. great flight! Goal was to bust 6000 feet and make it to Snow MTN – did neither (max altitude 5433), but played forever is lots of thermals and really learned a lot. Used part speed bar bw thermals, tried to keep turns flat. Everyone had difficulty with the altitude, needing 6k before trying to head to Snow. Mike tried at 4200, bombed out. But at least I can see it in my sights!
Potato hill ROB training p1 weekend. sledder on saturday. Mike taught me cool pitch control exercise/practice. brake brake brake, hands up! let it swing forward, and stabilize, same again, then on third time let it swing forward with a good check! nice! like a swing set. I also practiced getting on c risers then bar. Found out my strap gets in the way with full bar and working on that.
Potato hill ROB training p1 weekend. launched a bit too early so thermals not well developed yet. struggled with staying in them
so close to terrain, using s turns and figure 8s. practiced more exercises. should have gone up again but didn’t even think about it since this was going my one flight.
Potato hill ROB training p1 weekend. last flight. group had big worries about the LZ starting to pop, and the winds higher. Launched, played in a few thermals for a short time, including one thermal I joined with John K. Rob nor Mike was going to fly, which I learned on the radio while flying. had to use big ears, practiced big ears, speed bar, and it was ROCKY! Decided on landing, due to gravity in Rob’s voice. Very proud of my landing, on my toes, even given popping lz, with p1’s watching (which I did not realize until after I landed).
Sledder
Forward Launch – Low Wind
Adam Wing
Practiced the following:
Rear riser turns – Big ears – Speed Bar (half and full) – one-handed flying – figure 8 – 360 turns
Sledder
Hybrid Launch – Medium Wind
Adam Wing
Practiced the following:
Rear riser turns – Big ears – Speed Bar (half and full) – Big ears with Speed bar – one-handed flying – no-handed flying – figure 8 – 360 turns
I hit two thermals – gained lift – did not stay in them
Sledder
Reverse Launch – around 10MPH Wind – Second Attempt Launch
Adam Wing
Practiced the following:
Rear riser turns – Big ears – one-handed flying – figure 8 – 360 turns
I hit two thermals – gained A LOT of lift – did not attempt to stay in them as Rob wanted us to land soon because the LZ was gusty and unstable
Sledder
Sledder/Thermal
First winch tow flight
Very low wind. Forward launch.
Very low winds forward launch flew along path. Did some air trimming of brush.
Slight breeze from southwest. Reverse launch. not much lift. sledder to landing on path.
3-4 mph wind from sw. Reverse launch. Harness turns. land on “runway”
slightly gusts 3-4mph. Reverse launch. sledder with no lift.
Wind from sw 5-6mph. Reverse launch. Got lift and followed trail towards runway. Got more lift and took base leg wide to left onto final in order to burn off altitude. landed 15 ft from Rob.
Wind from SW 5-6 mph. During kiting i didn’t catch tension knot in my lines. Mike advised me upon landing to be extremely vigilant checking while kiting.
Sat on launch 6 am waiting for Catabatic winds from the Southwest
(cool winds going down the ridge) to die down. launch is Northeast facing. Catabatic winds died down and ended up doing forward facing launch. Flew off launch and to the left to follow spine. could not deploy speed bar with foot so maintained stable heading placed both toggles in right hand and deployed speed bar with left hand and returned toggles to respective hands. Performed half and full speedbar. Performed 1 handed 90 degrees both right and left turns, twice each. Perfoemed big ears and then while in big ears, harness turns to both the left and the right. attempted to perform figure 8’s above holding area and got a tad confused. landed 20 ft past orange cones.
Winds still very light on launch. 1st Launch was forward attempt, ended up successful abortion.
winds picked up slightly to about 4 mph to allow for a successful reverse launch.
Flew off launch and followed flight path to the left over the spine and looked to find any lift.
Successfully deployed speed bar with my foot this time and performed both half and full speed bar.
Performed rear riser turns.
Performed big ears and speedbar.
Performed no handed turns.
Performed 1 handed turns.
Setting up landing I flew over barbwire fence and successfully performed figure 8’s to burn of altitude and landed near the (2) marker on the ground.
Reverse launch. Ran all the way off launch as Mike yelled at me, i mean coached me 😉 to do. Flew out for a couple of seconds and made my left hand turn towards the spine. Rob stayed off radio and allowed me to pick the skills i wanted to practice. I chose to deploy speed bar with my foot as i have been not successful up until last flight.
Speedbar deployment felt great.
performed big ears.
performed no handed turns.
performed 360 degree turn to right.
set up and performed 270 degree turn to left to start flying back to LZ.
winds picked up significantly and I was a little worried about not being able to make it back to the LZ.
I flew straight in towards windsock and landed just southwest of it on dirt road.
First Soaring Flight
First Flight After P2 Certification
Coached by Rob
Reverse Launch – around 10MPH Wind – Second Attempt Launch
Alpha Wing
Forward facing lunch due to low wind. Joachim Roesler present at launch to instruct.
Reverse launchJoachim Roesler present at launch to instruct.
launched mid launch with David Suder, Kenny. Scratched at start and Rob taught me how to make tear drops, come closer to the hill and terrain than prior, and saved my flight for me! He almost gave up because I was not the best student (confused about both teardrop and the proximity to the terrain). Landed on runway with a hop over a cardoon! Then went to the brewery.
Reverse launchJoachim Roesler present at launch to instruct.
Soar
Soar
Soar
had a great site overview by Mike McCook! Then launched Walker and FLEW THECWALL! Amazing. managed my altitude, used speedbar back from end, was y 6-7 into the wind without speedbar. Used lots of big ears and speed bar. Had a lovely landing to 1) get some nuts and 2) challenge myself to launch again because conditions were getting stronger. sooo happy to be flying there on my own! great landing – just I was seeing them do last year!
challenging launch as I hoped. Into the weeds at first (too much input from Greg who was suggesting I change my style – not a good idea). Then a beautiful launch. played in the bowl more, after a bit on the wall. Then landed! great flight!
sled ride
Motor flight. Kieger mt and beacon field
Motor flight. Flew to water tower then quarry then around Ava
Motor flight. Long flight. Killed and restarted motor in flight for first time. Flew low over kieger mt. A man and boy were on side by side. Flew right next to them they smiled and waved.
Britton had me launch first today. Had some lift but mostly a sledder. There was a bear cub in the LZ!
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Forward Launch
Forward Launch
Forward Launch
Briefly got above launch, then sledded down.
Forward launch, nearly did not clear bushes at end of launch runway. Landed safelyJoachim Roesler present at launch to instruct.
sled ride
sled ride
sled ride
sled ride
sled ride
sled ride
First mountain flight!
Second flight (2 flights this day)
Sled ride from Heavener SSE Launch. First time off that launch.
First ridge soar!
Was up 15 minutes. Winds picked up really strong. Lost radio contact with Britton. He waved me to the pasture. I used speed bar to get there. Landed upwind – butt landing, but landed safely.
First time to launch from Pano!
Sled run
Sled run
Sled ride
attempted ridge soar, but couldn’t get much
Extended sled ride
sled ride
sled ride
First long ridge soar. Had plenty of ridge lift. Would have stayed up much longer, but Negeen went into the trees so everyone landed to help her.
Pano Sledder
Pano Sledder
Pano Sledder
Buffalo Sledder
Buffalo Sledder
Buffalo Sledder
Buffalo Sledder
Buffalo Sledder
Pano Sledder
Pano extended sledder
Buffalo sledder
Buffalo sledder
Buffalo sledder
Buffalo sledder
Buffalo. First taste of a thermal.
Heavener sledder.
This was the night that me, Jason, and Mike Farney went to Heavener without Britton. It was our first flight without him present. We checked in with him once we got on site. We facetime called him while I kited the wing (to show him the winds). He approved. We launched.
Heavener sledder
Heavener sledder
Ridge Soar!
This was my first flight at the BMF 2020 July 4th Fly in.
Big Lesson: The lift band is AWAY from the launch site. Never get behind or even over the launch site. This was the flight that Morrie went down.
Buffalo Sledder. Trying out some mid day flying.
BMF 2020 July 4th Fly In
Buffalo mid day Sledder.
BMF 2020 July 4th Fly In
Pano Sledder
BMF 2020 July 4th Fly In
Pano Sledder
BMF 2020 July 4th Fly In
Pano Sledder
BMF 2020 July 4th Fly In
Pano Sledder
BMF 2020 July 4th Fly In
Pano Sledder
BMF 2020 July 4th Fly In
Pano Sledder
BMF 2020 July 4th Fly In
Pano Sledder
BMF 2020 July 4th Fly In
Pano Sledder
BMF 2020 July 4th Fly In
Short Sledder. Winds got too south and produced no lift
launch
Weight shift
braking to spot land
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
tip steering
spot landing
launch
Weight shift
landing at red line
spot landing
Sledder
Wind was starting to shift. Got one in before it started blowing over the back
Attempted Second Soaring Flight
Second Flight After P2 Certification
Coached by Mohamed
Reverse Launch – around 7MPH Wind
Alpha Wing
Sank Fast
Good Landing
Second Soaring Flight
Third Flight After P2 Certification
Coached by Mohamed
Reverse Launch – around 7MPH Wind
Alpha Wing
Left Turns were tough – Harness needs to be fixed
Rough Landing: Experimented with slowing down before full brake
Strong Wind Soaring
PPG
launch
basic manuvers
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
fly to 5-6k ft
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Light lift over LZ
wing overs
Sledder
wing overs
Sledder
wing overs
3256 ft
Just had a 10 day vacation so I was worried I would be rusty – Easy flight off the top of the hill. First time flying the calypso wing. It felt a bit softer and the brake lines were much longer compared to the nova wing. My landing was a bit too fast for comfort, but I landed on my feet with no issues. After flying I spent roughly 30 minutes working on ground handling (wing jumps, putting the wing on it’s side, slide). Ground handling is getting very comfortable and the rustiness faded away quickly.
Winds were East at Channing so we moved to Gateway.
Winds South. Spring conditions/switching.
10mph, windshifts of 60 degrees.
Worked on reverse kiting on a slope.
Became super frustrated, and overwhelmed-just trying to establish new muscle memory and process information and new movements- also dehydrated.
Did a couple attempts at launching, wind dropped.
3rd shot wind came back and I got a flight.
-remember to pack my wing for an easier hike
-Lost my temper today. Need to have realistic expectations, and not be so hard on myself.it's day two. I'm doing great.
sledder, first flight
sledder
sledder
sledder
sledder, first at pano nageen stuck in trees
sledder
sledder
sledder
sledder
sledder
sledder
sledder
first ridge soar
sledder, attempting thermals
sledder, attempting thermals
sledder, attempting thermals
sledder, attempting thermals
extended sledder, first time catching any real thermal lift
sledder
sledder
first motor flight, first motor out, 4k feet
sledder
sledder
sledder
sledder
sledder
sledder
Heavener Sledder
Heavener Sledder
Heavener Sledder
Heavener Sledder
Heavener extended Sledder
Heavener Sledder
Heavener Sledder
Heavener Sledder.
Of the 8 sledders I took today, I landed in the target circle 4 times.
Winds were East at Channing so we moved to Gateway.
Winds South. Spring conditions/switching.
10mph, windshifts of 60 degrees.
Worked on reverse kiting on a slope.
Became super frustrated, and overwhelmed-just trying to establish new muscle memory and process information and new movements- also dehydrated.
Did a couple attempts at launching, wind dropped.
3rd shot wind came back and I got a flight.
-remember to pack my wing for an easier hike
-Lost my temper today. Need to have realistic expectations, and not be so hard on myself.it's day two. I'm doing great.
sled ride
ridge soar
sled ride
sled ride
sled ride
sled ride
Easy south side flight with lots of kiting beforehand – Landed with no wind and overshot my landing by quite a bit. Need to practice landing.
Easy south side flight with over an hour of kiting beforehand – practiced jumps, keeping the wing up while forward, and glider control. Flew too close to the hill with pockets of sinking air and got too close to the ground for comfort as I was coming down the hill.
Forward Launch, basic flight plan, First solo flight from atop hill after four lower- and mid-hill flights.
Forward Launch, basic flight plan
Forward Launch, basic flight plan
Forward Launch, S turns
Forward Launch, S turn, Weight-Shift Turns
Break Steering
Forward Launch, S-Turns
Forward Launch, S-Turns
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch, S-Turns, (better, faster break wrap)
S-Turns
Basic Flight Plan, S-Turns
Basic Flight Plan, S-Turns
Basic Flight Plan, S-Turns
Basic Flight Plan, S-Turns
Rear Riser Turns
Speed Bar
Speed Bar
Bunny Ears
25% Asymmetrical Deflation
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Right Hand Control
Forward Launch
Basic Flight Plan and S-Turns
Basic Flight Plan and S-Turns
Basic Flight Plan and S-Turns
Basic Flight Plan and S-Turns
Basic Flight Plan and S-Turns
Landed 20 feet from Flag
S-Turns
S-Turns
S-Turns
Landed 10 feet from flag.
S-Turns
S-Turns
Landed 15 feet from flag
Basic Flight Plan
Basic Flight Plan
First flight in brand new Mojo 6!
Basic Flight Plan – Reverse Launch
Basic Flight Plan – Reverse Launch
S-Turns
Landed 5 feet from flag
S-Turns
S-Turns
S-Turns
Landed 10 feet from flag
S-Turns
S-Turns
S-Turns
S-Turns, Forward Launch
S-Turns, Reverse Launch
Landed 15 feet to flag
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch – Wonderful (“Mini-Cross Country”) Flight.
Reverse Launch
sled ride
sled ride
sled ride
Got a little thermal action…
pano sledder
pano sledder
First sledder at Hat creek. Easy flight. Landed in LZ1.
second sledder at Hat creek. Little bit later in the morning, more lifty… Landed in LZ1. Struggled to get down a bit, so Suder headed to LZ2 – better choice!
First sunset flight at hat Creek. 5200 feet max (launch at 4554), nice flight. landed at LZ2 – better of the landing zones. definitely need A/C method to launch.
second sunset flight at hat Creek. short flight as conditions were gusty until late. aborted first launch due to wing tip fold. It had been a nice lift. Second launch perfect.
last sledder, Suder did drone footage. Very little wind, no lift, headed to LZ1 nearly immediately. No wind in LZ, nice landing.
Sledder
Sledder
Caught one thermal
Sledder
Ridge lift
Wing overs
Ridge lift
Wing overs
First top landing!!
9th solo 1st reverse launch very nice, nice flight great thermals came in bit high used big ear landed a bit long. Good landing. best flight to date.
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Intro to Soaring
Intro to Soaring
10th solo, bumpy down wind and base. all is well, good landing.
Reverse launch. Landed safely. Joachim Roesler present at launch to instruct.
Reverse launch. Lots of lift. Landed in field 50yds short of LZ. Joachim Roesler present at launch to instruct.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
Bumpy Thermic Sledder
Bumpy Thermic Sledder
North side flight with bumpy air and tiny amounts of lift. Missed spot landing, as I was not clearly focused on landing.
North side flight with smooth but lifty air. Minor amounts of turbulence. Practiced turning & flying through traffic as well as focused on brake pressure. Landing was much better than previous flight, as it was easy to focus on landing – Top landing
North side flight with smooth but lifty air. Minor amounts of turbulence. Practiced turning; flying through traffic as well as focused on brake pressure. Landing was much better than previous flight, as it was easy to focus on landing – Bottom landing in sage brush
South side flight – Tested the Gin Calypso and really liked it. Flew with a brake wrap and a ton of kiting practice when the conditions became too much. Top landing was smooth and felt great, really starting to understand turning into the wind for landing.
Little ridge soar. Made a really nice high-ish winds launch.
Should have been able to stay up longer, but lost the lift band. Lift band was pretty narrow tonight. Once I slipped out of it towards the valley, I got too low and had to head down.
South side flight – Flew with a brake wrap in light conditions with a little soaring. Heavy and weird traffic. Practiced and nailed spot landings.
South side flight – Flew with a brake wrap in light conditions with a little soaring. Moderate traffic. Practiced and nailed spot landings.
South side flight – Flew with a brake wrap in very light conditions with no soaring. No traffic. Practiced and nailed spot landings.
South side flight – Flew with a brake wrap in very light conditions with no soaring. No traffic. Practiced and nailed spot landings.
11th solo noon, awesome thermals, very bumpy down wind and base. all is well, good landing.
12th solo, awesome thermals, little bumpy down wind and base. all is well, good landing.
North side soaring flight with P2 and new wing!
Reverse Launch
ridge soaring
ridge soaring
sled ride
ridge soaring
Fantastic! 1:22 ridge soar at Heavener SSE launch. Longest flight to date. Was with Reggie and Kurt. Reggie launched, Kurt assisted me to launch, then Kurt launched. About an hour into my flight, those two took off to land at the SW LZ, leaving me alone in the sky!
Mid day Sledder with Jason trying to hook thermals. Not much success with the thermals, but good flights, got a little bit of turbulence, so we got a chance to work on our bump tolerance. Did hook thermals a couple of times, but too close to the ridge so we left them for the valley.
Mid day Sledder with Jason
Mid day Sledder with Jason
Mid day Sledder with Jason
Sledder with Jason
flew with Rob, Suder, Mike. Fun flight, played with thermals. Not high enough to get to Snow mtn.
sunset sledder. Ended up with so much lift, almost like a glass off. Had to struggle to get down.
morning flight. Couldn’t get much lift
morning flight. frustrating. short flight, not accceptable. went back up for #2
Second of the days flights, not satisfied with first. Flew with lynsey and Joe. I could not work the thermals despite lynsey and joe getting up directly off of launch. Went down spine, tried to work the thermal off the road where pull out is. Tried to mentally map it, core was strong, edges soft (?). couldn’t stay in the core for long, but when I was it was strong. Kept thinking it was more upwind, and it was, until I lost it (repeatedly). had sufficient altitude to make circles (about which I am EXTREMELY cautious), and Thus, I thought, sufficient to make glide to LZ. Then I left the thermal and it was consistent sink (not violent, no clear edge). Got on bar, had sufficient time to choose three LZ’s and liked them all. Aware enough to look at how I would hike out too. Able to navigate to chosen area to land, after giving up first two LZ’s when I was able to fly longer. beautiful landing, beautiful spot, wing not caught in anything, put in sausage bag. Started hiking out (short hike), and Suder and David met me (sweet of them). Glad to learn that I was NOT AT ALL anxious, able to keep my head, made good decisions, able to plan out strategy, able to land in small place. Two things: 1) old phone died before flight, only had new vario only – not sure how this impacted the flight and 2) I had thought for a while that I had been too cautious with my limits on how I would flirt with scratching and thought maybe I would stretch it a tiny bit. Other’s do, and I remember Rob saying how I was “not scratching” when I thought I really, really was in Colombia. Lynsey gets low in the bowl to the right of launch and no one seems worried about her but me. Others flirt with the spine and get back up and few if any are worried about them. So, I questioned “Am I too conservative? Am I not challenging myself sufficiently?” Here is the answer: return to the more cautious approach. I may be missing the challenge, but I will have fewer land outs. No flirting with danger. I am glad it was Potato, where I had studied that terrain and possible land outs plenty of times prior. I got lucky.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
Forward launch in low wind. First attempt to launch resulted in landing in the bushes. Able to clear launch on second attempt
Reverse launch in medium wind. Ridge soared and able to gain approximate altitude of 3000ft based on vario reading of another pilot.
2.5 Hour Flight – New Flight record with very lifty air. Practiced 1 handed flying, no handed flying, speedbar, learned big ears on my glider, learned how to control glider from stabilios. Also learned a valuable lesson about glass-off and flying past sunset.
2.5 Hour Flight – New Flight record with very lifty air. Practiced 1 handed flying, no handed flying, speedbar, learned big ears on my glider, learned how to control glider from stabilios. Also learned a valuable lesson about glass-off and flying past sunset.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
Bumpy Thermic Sledder
Thermic Sledder
Soaring 😀
sledder, first day in thermic conditions without britton.
extended sledder, first day in thermic conditions without britton. 573 fpm thermal got out because getting blown too close to terrain.
sledder, first day in thermic conditions without britton.
sledder, first day in thermic conditions without britton.
sledder, first day in thermic conditions without britton.
extended sledder, thermaling with britton on the radio
extended sledder, thermaling with britton on the radio
sledder
some ridge soaring
some ridge soaring
sledder
13th solo, short flight forgot to turn on vario, all is well good launch and landing.
Thermal hunting with Britton’s coaching. Got some really good exposure. Learned a lot. Need more.
Mid day thermal hunting. No luck.
Just trying to get reps.
Just trying to get reps.
Just trying to get reps.
Trying to push the sun back up into the sky for one more rep before the end of the day.
Short Sled Ride
Soaring Flight through Traffic – Top Landing Practice
Soaring Flight through Traffic – Top Landing Practice and immediate launch
Soaring flight with sled ride down – Nice spot landing
Sledder
Soar and Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Forward launch with out incident
Reverse launch without incident. Able to ridge soar for about an hour then got pulled back behind ridge. Zoe instructed to use speed bar to help clear and fly towards valley. Unable to fly toward valley with sufficent altitude. Made emergency landing in clearing, swap in forest. Landed without injury and able to pull wing out of tree without assistance. Zoe able to locate me and lead me back to the trail and back to launch. Lesson learned not to fly behind ridge at low altitude in B wing.
Ridge Soaring Bates
Ridge Soaring Bates
Ridge Soaring Bates
Mountain flight
Soaring 😀 Very high Wind
practice thermaling with ridge soaring
sledder
ridge soaring
first solid thermaling flight. Height attained 3600, 2200′ gained above launch
ridge soaring. Flew the length of the ridge to the east approx 4 miles
short flight in morning after fog lifted. seemed strong up high, and when I launched I went straight up, no matter where I was. Stayed in front of ridge, did not even seek the ridge as i usually do. Used big ears (they were calm this time for some reason) to get down, then stayed low. Decided not to seek more lift. fun flight, but not what i was hoping for.
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Thermal hunting. No luck.
THERMALS!!
Found ’em! It was amazing.
Max altitude = 3885 ft
Height above takeoff = 2359 ft
Max lift = 601 fpm
Launched Heavener SSE, attempted to ridge soar to Arkansas state line and back. Sank out after 3.5 miles 🙁
Mission NOT accomplished. Something to shoot for next time.
Soaring perfect conditions
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
Attempted soar, hit immediate sink and landed
Tried to fly to Arkansas again. Had to turn back or I would have sunk out.
Best thing about this flight is that it was with Jason. Me, Jason, and Britton ridge soared for over an hour. This was Jason’s longest flight yet. He’s thrilled.
extended sledder, thermaling with britton in ear
First XC down Heavener SSE ridge, got about halfway to AR before sinking out on mild slope
Went down Heavener SSE ridge off of ridge lift then came back and soared by launch. Britton in air on tandem
North side soaring with lots of turbulence and lift. First tracked flight at 15 minutes – Was informed that wind sock was not moving over the radio and nailed my top landing and forward kiting.
North side soaring with lots of turbulence and lift. Easy 10 minute flight trying to catch lift and top land, barely made it.
South Side sled rides with scratching the ground.
South Side sled rides with scratching the ground.
South Side sled rides with scratching the ground.
South Side sled rides with scratching the ground. Really nailing the spot landings within 5 feet.
South Side soaring session. Catching great lift and exploring south side terrain. Top landings into the wind and jumping straight back out. Speedbar practice.
South Side soaring session. Catching great lift and exploring south side terrain. Top landings into the wind and jumping straight back out. Floating on top of the South Side.
Awesome conditions 😀
North side thermaling. Tried to bench but could not catch lift from the upper bench and landed on the slope.
North side thermaling. Attempt #2 to bench but could not catch lift from the upper bench and landed on the slope.
Launch from upper bench slope. Had a bad riser twist from launch and managed to untwist mid-air. Scary incident but landed safely.
North side soaring flight. Landed at the bottom with no issues.
Sled run
Sled run
Descent flight with a few climbing turns
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Sled run
Towing flights
Towing flights
Towing flights
Towing flights
Towing flights
Towing flights
Towing flights
Towing flight. Had several climbing turns.
Towing flights
Towing flights
(1/3) First flight. Got up in air for short moments but did not release brakes enough for sustained flight.
(2/3) Got in the air but again did not release brakes fully. Made decent climb in altitude but quickly lost forward momentum and floated down to surface. Need to keep hands raised up even more.
(3/3) Got in the air but again did not release brakes fully. Made decent climb in altitude but quickly lost forward momentum and floated down to surface. Need to keep hands raised up even more.
(1/3) Windier conditions than first day. Clean first launch but stayed in forward leaning position. Need to bring hands from behind to more relaxed shoulder press position.
(2/3) Clean launch and land. Got hands up in proper position with slight brake tension. Controlled flight to spotted landing. Turned and collapsed wing but rather aggressively.
(3/3) Clean launch and land. Got hands up in proper position with slight brake tension. Controlled flight to spotted landing. Turned and collapsed wing with more finesse and was able to land and bring down glider out of thick brush.
Reverse, soaring
Reverse
Reverse, spot landing
Reverse
Reverse, soaring, big ears w/turns + speedbar.
Top landing @ Walker
Reverse, soaring, spot landing
Reverse, soaring, spot landing
Reverse, soaring, spot landing
Towed up. 180 turns. There was some wind at tow height (300′). Instructor’s comments were that I was too exaggerated in my movements and I should focus on more fluidity.
Asymmetrical launch from the hill. I landed and turned too soon. The glider ended up 90 degrees/to the side.
Tandem flight with my instructor from Mt Burke during glass off conditions. I fly the glider at altitude.
Tow flight
Tow flight
Tow flight
14th solo, south wind/south launch, short flight forgot to turn on vario, all is well good south launch and south landing.
Forward launch
Reverse launch. Over shot LZ and landed in field with taller weeds next to LZ.
First mini XC flight. From North Side to Cherry (Lone Peak). Lots of practice flying. Need to invest in vario.
Pretty South and very foggy 😀
Pretty South and very foggy 😀
Reverse, south wind soaring, big ears turns, speed bar w/turns, 360
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Self supported
Sledder
Wing over into a bullseye landing
not aggressive enough launch. Headed right toward ridge but did not like my lift, headed back to get more lift, still didn’t like it. landed at upper area, tried to kite to local launch. but walked back up to walker instead.
somewhat better launch though Rob commented “you are a better kiter than that!” Got lift with Rob’s help “take heading on the ocean! don’t give up!” Had a great flight. Managed the fog ceiling and lift with speed bar and big ears and spending some time over the flat area before heading back to ridge. big ears were calm compared to usual. (Suder managed his with dynamic turns and going out over the ocean – need to try that, I was too nervous about heading out over the water). Waited for Rob to launch, but it was getting too strong and I figured he would not stay out long so I headed to start my landing. Then he said “Penguins to Funston! Follow me!”. I thought, no way, he is going to hate that fog and the winds are too strong. Few minutes later he said “Don’t like the fog and its too strong. Headed back.” Ha! I am so proud of myself to have made that decision! Anyway, landing was awesome, nice and soft, like I saw them do last year!
First off of training hill
Training hill
Training hill
First from the top. South side
Training hill
Training hill
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
15th solo, short flight forgot to turn on vario sound, all is well good launch and land.
May 2 Training hill with Jonathan
May 4 Tandem with Frank
May 6 Tandem with Tim First Solo after
2nd solo
3rd solo
4th solo side knee/butt land
5th solo good! landed short half of wing in berry bush, South wind
6th solo good!
7th solo good! high wind many glider
8th solo 1030 only student
9th solo 1st reverse launch very nice, nice flight great thermals came in bit high used big ear landed a bit long. Good landing. best flight to date.
10th solo, bumpy down wind and base. all is well, good landing.
11th solo noon, awesome thermals, very bumpy down wind and base. all is well, good landing.
12th solo, awesome thermals, little bumpy down wind and base. all is well, good landing.
13th solo, short flight forgot to turn on vario, all is well good launch and landing.
14th solo, south wind/south launch, short flight forgot to turn on vario, all is well good south launch and south landing.
15th solo, short flight forgot to turn on vario sound, all is well good launch and land.
Low cloudbase
Forward
Forward
Reverse
Forward Launch. Landed on my belly and chest because I didn’t flare.
Forward launch. Low to ground.
Forward launch. Needed more flare. Able to calmly set down wing in reverse.
Turns
Turns
Turns
Turns
Turns
Turns
Turns
Turns
Turns
Turns
Reverse, Mid launch, top land at Mid launch
Reverse, Mid launch
Reverse, Mid launch, spot landing
Self supported
Sledder
Wing overs
Self supported
Sledder
Wing overs
Flew to LMFP
Flew to sunset
Top landing
Light thermals over LZ
Sledder
Ridge lift with some thermal
Brandons first real flight
Flew into the sunset
Top landing
Top landing
Top landing
Top landing
Top landing
Glass off
Top landing
Sick thermal day!
Reverse, Mid launch
unflown
Fourth Flight After P2 Certification
Coached by Mohamed
Reverse Launch
Vivo
Rough Landing: Experimented with slowing down before full brake
Fifth Flight After P2 Certification
Reverse Launch
Vivo
Sixth Flight After P2 Certification
Reverse Launch
Vivo
16th solo at noon, active air, good launch, low on down wind landed 10ft short in swamp, all is well.
First tow flight. Under Had Robinson’s supervision. Was easy and uneventful. Good instructor.
Tow operations with Had Robinson.
Tow operations with Had Robinson.
Tow operations with Had Robinson. This time, Had asked me to pull big ears. I pulled the wrong A line and caused a frontal collapse. Wing recovered quickly and without incident. Was a good learning experience.
Tow operations with Had Robinson.
Tow operations with Had Robinson. Wind started picking up.
Tow operations with Had Robinson. We made this the last flight because it was getting too strong.
Me, Jason, Mike Farney, and Jiri (from California). This was the first flight I flew without confirming conditions with Britton. We assessed the conditions, and made the decision ourselves. At 6 pm, it was too strong, so we went to the training hill to get some work in. Then about 7, we headed back to the mountain and it had died down a bit. We carefully considered the site/conditions and made the decision to launch. I went first, and sunk out. Jason got 18 minutes on the ridge, and Mike got 24 minutes. It was a good evening.
unflown
Flew from a bit lower than top of hill. Made a few small turns/ corrections. Forward launch. Mark was assistant instructor.
Flew from a bit higher than first flight. Made a few small turns/ corrections. Forward launch. Mark was assistant instructor.
Flew from almost top of hill. Made a few small turns/ corrections. Forward launch. Mark was assistant instructor.
Forward launch, sled ride
Forward launch, sled ride
ridge soaring on SW ridge. good launch, good landing
Ridge lift light thermals in valley
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders
Sledders/Side hill landings
Sledders/Side hill landings
Sledders/Side hill landings
Sledders/Side hill landings
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
Training hill
Training hill
Training hill
Training hill
Top south side
Top south side
Top south side
Top south side
Walk down from Top south side
Walk down from Top south side
short tow. sinky air. I dropped very quickly after release
We stopped the tow because the line got snagged on the windsock. Uneventful landing.
I made a mistake during preflight. My left brake was not clear. It was wound up in the riser/lines. When I realized this I pulled the pin and landed with no brakes. In debrief, Had and I discussed rear riser controls and how I could have used that in this situation.
This flight was immediately after my tangled brake incident. Upon release from tow, I stowed my brakes and flew the rest of the flight using only rear riser controls. Also flared the landing using rear risers. Good learning experience.
mid launch – good launch, fun flight. Tried to stay out of fog layer, adjusted altitude with part bar, once big ears, and moving out in front. at about 950 feet headed over to THE OTHER SIDE of the road, got to the lower bushes. Decided I did not care where I would land, but headed towards the runway. Landed on steep part of hill, lovely landing, until I got wing down and gust came up and took me a bit further down the hill like 5 feet. all good. I am so excited I made it over there!
Sledder
Sledder/one hand steering/ big ears
Speedbar/ rear rise turns
New site – Long flight with lots of powerful thermals and practice in the air. Hike and fly launch, watching lolls for best launch timing.
New site – Long flight with lots of powerful thermals and practice in the air. Hike and fly launch, watching lolls for best launch timing. Top Landing
New site – Long flight with lots of powerful thermals and practice in the air. Flying in glass-off. Landing at the bottom LZ.
Midday launch on south side. Very powerful thermals and turbulent conditions. South landing was tricky with thermals at the LZ. Nearly hit a tree but landing was smooth in the end.
Evening flight on South Launch. Rescued friends glider from tree after going too far from the LZ.
Flying in inversion with little to no lift – Almost botched the landing while trying to scratch downwind.
Flying in inversion with little to no lift. First time flying with vario. Better landing.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
tow flight. Had moved the tow operation to the west side of the airport. This gives us more room to operate.
tow flight.
tow flight.
tow flight. First experience with a spiral dive. It was intense. The feeling when the G forces kicked in really got my attention. I came out of the maneuver too quickly and pitched a lot. Had says that is normal for a first time doing it.
tow flight. Spiral dive again. On this one, I got the wing tip a little below the horizon. Accelerated so quickly it kind of scared me a little bit. Had said I did a better job of coming out of the maneuver this time.
Reverse from North with a few turns.
Sledder from bluffs
Sledder with turns from bluffs
Reverse from Mid with some soaring
Reverse from Mid with some soaring
Reverse from Mid with some soaring
Reverse from Mid with some soaring
Reverse from North with some soaring
Reverse from North, attempt to fix harness issues
Reverse from North, attempt to fix harness issues
Tow flight
Tow flight
Tow flight
Tow flight
Tow flight
Tow flight
Tow flight
Tow flight
Tow flight
Top South side
Top South side
New site flying – Went deep into canyon (mistake), managed to get lift out.
Sled ride out – Forward launch on west launch.
Sled ride out – Forward launch on west launch.
West launch – practice finding thermals
Thermals in valley and ridge
Top landed
Thermals in valley and ridge
Top landed
Ridge lift
Top landing
Glass off
Top landing
Ridge soaring
Top landings
Rear Launch
Ridge Soared
Big Ears
Launched in East winds from Juice
Over inflated on launch from pulling As too much, but recovered
Rear Launch
Ridge Soared
Big Ears
Launched in East winds from Juice
Over inflated on launch from pulling As too much, but recovered
Evening sledder
Evening sledder
Evening ridge soar, went to SW launch and landed in the main LZ. beautiful conditions to soar but sunset time was fast approaching
and had to land.
No lift, sledder.
Weak thermals. Thearmelled with Justin Huffman.
Wonder winds. Pure magic. Shared the sky with at least 12 other pilots. Absolutely fantastic!
Tried to thermal, fell out of one and got below launch. Had to head to LZ and didn’t find a thermal on the way to LZ. Short flight on a day with great potential.
No lift. Sledder tow. Forward launch.
No lift. Sledder tow. Forward launch. Unlogged flight as iPhone was too hot and could not open the flyskyhy app.
No lift. Sledder tow. Forward launch. Flew with Lt. Dan, Tim Hood, Eric, Alex.
Fell out of the thermal. Had to land. Forward launch. Flew with Lt. Dan, Tim Hood, Eric, Alex.
Fantastic flight. Hooked into the thermal right after pin off. Pigged out for 1 hour in the thermals. Forward launch. Flew with Lt. Dan, Tim Hood, Eric, Alex.
South Side Flight, practicing kiting and ridge soaring. Nailing the spot landings within 5 feet.
South Side Flight, practicing kiting and ridge soaring. Nailing the spot landings within 5 feet.
South Side Flight, practicing kiting and ridge soaring. Nailing the spot landings within 5 feet.
South Side Flight, practicing kiting and ridge soaring. Nailing the spot landings within 5 feet.
Amazing & long north side flight in beautiful lift. Practicing 360s. Using speedbar when 0d out on the ridge, big ears for rapid descent, no hands flying, one hands flying.
Amazing & long north side flight in beautiful lift. Practicing 360s. Using speedbar when 0d out on the ridge, big ears for rapid descent, no hands flying, one hands flying.
Spot landings – forward launches
Spot landings – forward launches
Spot landings – forward launches
Spot landings – forward launches
Very South and Very Strong
First mountain launch with slightly tricky LZ, but not too bad. Sled ride with little lift.
Sledder
Sledder
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
North Side Flight with incredibly buoyant air. Lots of practice flying around. Starting to do mini wing overs and learning to ride thermals.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
Launch off bench in high winds. Ridge scratching – learned alot from Chris and Shane.
Full flight down to landing zone. Forward launch. S turns, stand up landing
Full flight down to landing zone. Forward launch. S turns, stand up landing
Reverse Launch, first time flying new wing
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch, got lifted before turning but flew out of it
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
Reverse Launch
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
landing
Turns
Turns
Turns
Turns
Turns
Turns
Turns
Reverse Launch.
Sled run from North Launch.
Reverse Launch.
Sled run from North Launch.
Reverse from north Launch.
Crossed the road to the Rookery.
17th solo at noon, active air, good launch, very short flight. Good landing.
18th solo at 1430, active air, good launch, good thermal. big ear down wind, base and final, okay landing.
19th solo at 1230, active air, trying new wing, good launch, good thermal. big ear down wind, base and final, okay landing.
Forward launch, sled ride
Reverse launch light lift conditions
ridge soar without britton
1st tow with had
tow with had
tow with had
tow with had
Pano attempted ridge soar. Dad fixing flat tire. No instructors
First time to Cloudbase. No instruction during the flight. 5700 ft up
Mild thermaling close to launch. no substanstial lift so went to land
Attempted ridge soar but no lift
7th Flight After P2 Certification
Reverse Launch
Rough Landing – Late Flaring – Got dragged for a bit
8th Flight After P2 Certification
Reverse Launch –> Too windy, so, upon Mike’s instructions, I launched by easing on the breaks and leaning backwards till the wing was up. Got plucked up a bit
About 4-5 passes above the ridge
Got lifted right after launch due to high winds
Good landing
Fantastic flight. Hooked into the only thermal present and didn’t find any thermal after that.
Forward launch, nil wind. Launch supervised by Had(Ley)
Flew with Lt Dan, Giri, Justin
Reverse launch, very light conditions. Tried scratching, but got below the launch and went to LZ. Soaring was possible but was achieved
by experienced pilots.
Flew with Had, Cole, Justin, Jason/Steve
Reverse launch, very light conditions. Westerly winds. Realized the vario was off right after launch. Tried to work a thermal without vario
but fell out of it.
First flight, Slight penguin slide on take off
better take off with right turn
better take off with right turn
slight left turn as wellas right with self managed flair timing
weight shifted left and right turn with radio silence
weight shifted left and right turn with radio silence
weight shifted left and right turn with radio silence
Short flight in 8-10mph to test harness.
Reverse launch from North
Reverse launch with sledder from North
Reverse launch with sledder from Mid
Reverse launch with sledder from North
Reverse launch with sledder in 10-12mph wind
Reverse launch from North in 8-12mph wind. First real soaring flight!
Thermal flight. Jason caught the same thermal and went to cloudbase. I fought at scratched just to stay up. I got 21 minutes of thermal time. I need a more efficient wing!
sledder at Pano
sledder at Pano
Hour and a half ridge soar
Hour and a half ridge soar
Reverse launch from Mid in 10mph, gusting 13mph wind. Got plucked, need to be ready for wing to come up fast and hit brakes before turning. Stayed up without having to soar!
sledder
sledder
sledder
Ridge soar at Pano. Longest flight to date. Flew with Jason. Glorious!
Good direction (wsw) but strong wind. About 14 gusting 18.
Good direction (wsw) winds picked up 16 gusting 18. Just a demo sledder for P2’s new to MR. Landed wing in small bush and got hole trailing edge 🙁
Good direction (wsw) winds picked up 16 gusting 18. Fog quite low, just above coyote launch. Noticed hole in wing and decided to land.
20th solo, 3pm active air trying out alpha4 25, short flight, R side land long near walk path.
Reverse launch started flying left and got into harness all the way, did some soaring and headed to main landing area.
Reverse Launch, sledder to main landing area.
Reverse Launch, sledder to runway.
Reverse Launch, kited for a bit. sledder to runway.
Reverse Launch, flew off hill to left along spine not much lift, landed in landing area.
Reverse Launch, flew off hill to left again along spine behind Tom. had a bit of lift and was able to try and climb. Performed 360. 1 handed turns to the left and right, and speed bar at half and at full and also big ears. landed in landing area but downwind as the winds shifted and i needed to pay closer attention to windsock.
Reverse Launch, and had to abort. Re set up and tried again and was successful. Flew the normal pattern to the left over the spine performed some slow 360’s to the right and to the left. Big ears.
landed just past the windsock.
Reverse launch. Ridge soared for a bit and landed in the far side landing area across the road.
Reverse launch light lift conditions
Turns.
Made premature launch while teh wing was not stable over head. Got dragged 20 feet to the left and on my seat. Should have aborted right away instead of trying to fly, by pulling right break.
Turns.
Turns.
Turns.
Turns.
21st solo, hiked up with Tom, cloudy mid day, long 2hr wait, good top area launch, short flight, good approach and landing.
Right lift/thermal
Glass off
Strong launch with good success
8-10 mph
2 top landings!
Hour and a half ridge soar
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Sledder
Ridge lift into thermal. Found thermal core but decided not to stay in it because I was close to the terrain
Flight From Mid launch at Blue Rock after Mike fixed my wing. Flight was quite bumpy, lots of lift but also lots of smoke and fog. Landed due to not being used to such bumpy conditions.
Launched from Jungle like always. Fog was very low, just below the top of the ridge. During flight, fog lowered to Coyote launch. Wind was WSW and strong. Very slow penetration. Flew with 5 Liters of water.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
landing
Several sledders this day…
Several sledders this day…
Several sledders this day…
Several sledders this day…
Several sledders this day…
Several sledders this day…
Good ridge soar. Strong wind take off. So proud of Jason’s decision to land earlier than he would have liked. He noticed his ground speed was -1mph, so he put on speed bar and radioed that he was going in to land. Superb judgment on his part. This flight was more active than other ridge soars I’ve done. There were some bumps. I was 300+ feet above launch. Was not worried about penetration as my trimmers were all the way in (slow). I had lots more speed available in trimmers and speed bar if I had needed it. Was a good almost hour flight.
bumpy ridge soar. Came down because I wasn’t penetrating well
22nd solo, good launch, short flight, good approach and tried new landing technique from Marc.
trip with Rob, flo, david lois, dennis, scott, mike, carolyn. Difficult flight but really fun, scratched a bit. But made in straight glide to L2. Fun!
Tandem ride as passenger. Did some piloting.
First Solo – Forward Tow Launch into light winds. incredible tow. pulled the tow line out of the winch, continued flying forward and attempted to drop line over the road. Have some harness issues. Couldn’t legs down to land on my feet. Landing was light and easy just couldn’t stand up.
9th Flight After P2 Certification
Reverse Launch – Mid Launch
First Decent Soaring Flight
Got lifted right after launch
Good landing
10th Flight After P2 Certification
Reverse Launch after two failed attempts
More of a sledder
Good landing
same as 1
5 sledders- setup glider, slight crosswind angle at launch, kiting till stable, turn and launch toward road, slight left then right into wind, some lift at final approach
same as 1
same as 1
Day 1 Paragliding. same as 1
Very strong wind and very south. Barely penetrating heading straight south. Got somewhat close to being blown into the ridge below coyote. Landed in bushes by the heart, ground was poppy and wind was switchy. Very short and unpleasant flight
sledder
sledder
sledder
sledder
sledder
short ridge soar
Turns.
Turns.
Turns.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
handling rough skies – head wind
landing
Perfect conditions today. Perfect west about 10mph or so.
Pilot got in the way and I sunk out. I was not able to get in the lift band. Landed on the beach 🙁
Just a sledder from Jungle to main LZ. Was getting dark and had just finished untangling lines
Top South side
Top South side
Top South side
3 Hour flight with Mohammad and Brian. Flight ended when wind shifted south and lift died. Managed to make it back to LZ but barely. Perfect conditions awesome flight
Just a sledder from Jungle to LZ (Intentional).
(1/2) Windier conditions at launch than expected. Forward launch had collapse in wing as it went overhead and pitch forward. Torpedo run saved the glider and was able to launch. Decent altitude. Made crabbing turns to kiting LZ.
(2/2) Still windier than usual conditions. Good forward launch. Less height at launch. Short and small crabbing turns to LZ at base of launch.
(1/4) Worked on reverse kiting and launch with Mike and put into practice with Galen. Kite got in air and was not fully under control before turning. Had to recover on forward run. Good flight to runway LZ.
(2/4) Brought wing up smooth and controlled. Turned and was able to make good launch. Good flight to runway LZ.
(3/4) Brought wing up smooth and controlled but less control once overhead. Turned and was able to make good launch still just needed more forward corrections. Good flight to runway LZ.
sweet flight! Hike up did not hurt knee. mid launch. twinge at launch in left leg. Got altitude, and used ridge and boated out, heaed across the road but then turned back. was sooo cold. waited for Rob to launch and then could only hold out another 20 minutes or so, had to land due to cold. Landed well, did not trust knees so although I landed on feet, I let myself go down to my butt right after. Have to strengthen knees and begin to trust them again.
day with MLNK, david and some penguins. Karen got her tandem with Mark! Beautiful day – sunny, gorgeous, great conditions, until it died. I launched at just when sink happened. Got wing up, twinge in left knee which is not fully healed, and then launched into sink. Tried to save it on left ridge, then headed for ice plants. Landed safely but wing in tall bush. ML and a pilot helped me get it out.
LAUNCHED FROM COYOTE! Mark helped coach me through it. I was so anxious. Lots of advanced pilots on the hill, and conditions were southy, light wind, most sinking out. Suder had just launched and sunk out quickly. I launched and turned left while launching as coaching, but did not like how low I was so I headed down to land. landed beautifully. BUT it was a SUCCESS! Just what I wanted. Turns out Suder literally ran through some bushes, scraped up his shin. After this a pilot crashed at top of the coyote ridge (was fine, but it was scary).
First flight in CO. Sledder
Low scratching but no real lift. Sledder. Slope land
Awesome thermaling in CO. Could’ve stayed Up longer but LZ called and said there was a dust devil
Awesome thermaling in CO. Could’ve stayed Up longer but LZ called and said there was a dust devil
Turns.
Turns.
Turns. Downwind landing with low wind speed.
Butter smooth air all the way down. Sledder with no lift but minimal sink
(4/4) Brought wing up smooth and controlled. Good control of wing overhead. Good, clean launch with good hand position and body position. Good flight to runway LZ.
(1/7) Almost zero wind for launches. Forward launch practices only. Brought A risers forward too powerfully and collapsed wing 1st try. On retry, wing pitched to left side, corrected and launched. Raised hands too quickly and shortened flight. Good landing at Runway LZ.
(2/7) Released a risers too early on first try. On retry, wing pitched to left side, corrected and launched. Too slow to get hands raised and kept slight brake pressure. Good landing at Runway LZ.
(3/7) Wing pitched to left side and aborted. Retry pitched to left side again. Launch carried wing and left towards tractor. Very poor launch. Good improv landing on side hill.
(4/7) Started adjusting to stand more to right to correct for wing pitching to left. Good launch with right side of wing coming up sooner but able to recover and have good launch. Hands in proper position at good time but rotated with thumbs down applying brake. Good landing at Runway LZ.
(5/7) Good launch with right side of wing still coming up sooner but able to recover better and have good shorter, smoother launch. Hands in proper position at right time. Good landing at Runway LZ.
(6/7) Good launch with relatively even wing rise. Hands in proper position at right time. Good landing at Runway LZ.
(7/7) Best launch and flight of the day. Good wing raise and body position throughout launch. Good hand position in air and good flight path to near solar panel area. Made landing uphill to lose altitude. Rob commented over radio he thought Galen was the pilot due to the flight path.
Short flight off main launch – Tried to bench and was too low
Launch from mid bench
Soaring flight – 0.5 mile forward kite to launch off non-standard part. Tried to bench again with no success. Need to stop scratching while traveling downwind – too dangerous.
Reverse launch from North, no problems soaring the ridge.
Reverse launch from North, no problems soaring the ridge.
Reverse launch from North, no problems soaring the ridge.
Reverse launch from Mid and no problems soaring.
Reverse launch from Mid, wind too strong higher up and had to hold big ears to get down, not fun!
Reverse launch from Walker, sunk out.
Reverse launch from Walker, sunk out.
Reverse launch from Walker, didn’t work left and had to bail at the beach
Reverse launch from Walker, past green monster and epicness!
2nd reverse launch from Walker, past green monster and more epicness!
Very strong but pulled off a great slow launch off cliff and ridge soared
Sledder to beach
Rear Launch
Was on the breaks too much coming up and I got lifted up prematurely and had a poor launch, but I recovered well
Ridge Soared
Big Ears
Landed on the beach with zero assistance
Rear Launch Manics 1st Time
Inflated really well, turned and had a good launch.
Ridge Soared
Big Ears
Landed at alternate LZ at Makapu’u
Soared witness protection building for first time
Rear Launch
Inflated really well, turned and had a good launch.
Ridge Soared
Big Ears
I got low and learned to work the notch really well
Rear Launch
I was on brakes to hard and got picked up. Stupid mistake that I keep making
Ridge Soared
Big Ears
11th Flight After P2 Certification
Reverse Launch
Good landing
Soaring Stables
Then Stables to MR & Back
Then Soaring Stables
12th Flight After P2 Certification
Reverse Launch
Good landing
Soaring MR
2 hours and 20 minutes
Used south launch.
Reverse launch
Forward launch, short flight, maintained good heading, “skydiver hands,” landed a bit short of the LZ in the fennel
Reverse launch, short flight, maintained good heading, softer hands, landed a bit short of the LZ in the fennel
Early morning sledder
Scratchy flight. Was in thermals multiple times but never really caught the core
High altitude sledder (from 9700′)
small thermaling flight to 11,000
high altitude sledder
high altitude forward launch and sledder
high altitude sledder
North side. First long Soar above launch
Scratchy flight. Was in thermals multiple times but never really caught the core
First xc to whitwell!
Ridge lift
Weak thermals in the valley
Weak thermals in the valley
Flew 30 miles! To Stevenson Alabama
Kelly leading the way
Search do t get stuck
Look for building clouds
Be patient
Soo many lessons learned
One of 9 flights for the day.
Reverse
Reverse launch
Reverse launch. Got good altitude and had a longer landing strip.
Rob has me do a randomly different flight path by adding in a left turn to the normal “descent and right turn landing”
I feel good about adapting while flying.
Reverse launch.
Flew with no radio input. No issues with confidence on path and landing in this familiar place.
Reverse launch.
Wing collapsed sideways because I brought it up too out of the wind on one edge. I should have corrected a lot earlier with a strong brake input.
Reverse launch.
Reverse launch.
Rear risers steering and flare for landing.
Hard landing, and probably bad for my knees.
Reverse launch.
Tandem with Mike McCook. Super fun. Longer flight time. Landing was hard but not bad at all.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
fog – had to cut short
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level clouds – rising fog
landing
COLORADO! Villa Grove! First of several short flights at the Rocky Mountain Swifts Labor Day Fly in. This was my first high altitude launch. 9,800′ at launch. Britton said the density altitude was more like 12,000′ I dunno. I had 7 total flights at Villa Grove, 3 forwards, 4 reverses. All my launches were strong and flawless. This comment applies to all the flights: I felt lift several times, but could never sustain it. So, all 7 flights were basically sledders of various lengths.
This turned out to be the last flight of the day. P2s were shut down after this one due to strengthening conditions. Evening glassoff never happened because of some over development that appeared on the scene. Good flight, but short. Could not sustain the lift I encountered.
Another morning sledder at Villa Grove, CO. On this flight, the landing was pretty rough. I was well short of the LZ, so I didn’t really have any good wind indicators. I landed cross (if not downwind). Regardless, it was a hard landing. I flared as hard as I could, hit the ground hard and tumbled into the cacti. Painful. Was worried I might have injured my shoulder on impact, but I’m fine.
Evening glass-off at Villa Grove. I kept waiting for the wonder wind to kick in. It never did. When I finally launched close to sunset, the entire valley was buoyant and butter smooth. I had a perfect feather light landing, which was an improvement (and redemption) after my hard botched landing the evening before.
Morning sledder. The day had not yet developed, so I did not expect to catch a thermal. I was right. That’s ok. It was a strong forward launch. Got it on video. Thanks, Mike Farney. Landed close to Jason, so that was good.
Extended sledder. Hit some lift, but again, could not keep it. Checking FlySkyHi later showed that it was not very strong lift. It felt strong in the air, but I guess I was fooled. Anyway, last flight of the trip. Great time with Jason and the BMF crew that made the trip.
Forward launch in no wind, turns
Forward launch in no wind, turns
Forward launch in no wind, turns, one hand flying
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
group fly
landing
Reverse launch in moderate wind, turns, land
Reverse launch in moderate wind, turns, land. Kite back up hill
Reverse launch from big hill, hands free turns, rear riser turns
Reverse launch from big hill, big ears, hands free turns, spot landing
Reverse launch from big hill, hands free turns, spot landing
Launched successfully on second attempt. Landed a little before sunset on the beach. Could have flown a little longer but was cold so landed a little early.
SIV tow #1. Asymmetric collapse, Frontal, Accelerated Frontal, B-Line stall.
SIV tow #2. Spirals, Deep Spirals, Weightshift wingovers, Wingovers.
SIV tow #3. Full Stall, Tailslide.
Flying with dennis and Suder. Only folks practically at MR. LAUNCHED FROM COYOTE! light conditions. Hard work, but got some height, not as much as suder. Didn’t trust left knee on landing.
LAUNCHED FROM COYOTE! light conditions. hit sink, made it to walkway that comes toward Walker from the lz, then kited up the path to lz! yeah!
SIV tow #4. Full Stall, Tailslide, Spin Appreciation turns, Wingovers.
SIV tow #5. Full Stall, Tailslide, Deep Spiral, Wingovers.
SIV tow #6. Lost visual of ground reference, short flight due to altitude. Full Stall, Tailslide, Wingovers, Pitch Oscillation.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
Speed bar
group fly
landing
Hike and fly from upper bench. Good lessons from Santa about keeping two parts of body downhill when scratching.
Early launch with incredibly long and smooth flight. Practicing maneuvers, thermals, and nailed spot landing in crowded conditions
Launching in 15mph winds and great lifty south side flight.
Launching in 15mph winds and great lifty south side flight.
Reverse launch from small hill, turns
Launch from big hill, speed bar, spot landing
Launch from big hill, hands free turns, spot landing
Launch from small hill, turns
got there late, launched from north after everyone out of the sky. good launch but did not have leg through leg stirrup. conditions were mixed so I just decided out of the sky. landed, chatted with Suder and Dennis and then had reserve packing session with Mike! A successful day!
Harness much better. took a dive into the corn and one on the gravel on launch. Good flight though
Actually thermaled up had a good flight. Landed cross to the road in the beans.
Attempted to use the speed bar but it was stuck. Need to work on my harness reserve, tow bridle, and speed bar.
Low forward launches, first solo flights into the wind with 180 degree turns. Kiting, forward and reverse launches. Maybe 10 flights total, 3-4 from top of hill.
Low forward launches, more forward flights. Practicing maneuvers including no hands turns, one handed steering, big ears, asymmetric 25% stall and correction. Maybe 5-6 low forward launches and 5-6 high reverse launches.
9 total flights, front and reverse inflations, asymmetric deflation, spot-landings, rear riser kiting
8 total flights, low hill hops, forward and reverse inflations, kiting
10 total flights, forward and reverse inflations, hands off flying, one-handed flying, weight-shift turns, big ears, asymmetric deflation, rear riser turns
9 launches and landings, all reverse. Rear riser kiting.
Low reverse launches on hillside (5-6), Normal flights (6-8). Kiting (rear risers, turns, etc.).
6 total flights, reverse inflations on a slope, spot landings
South side
South side
South side
South side
South side
South side
South side
South side/ speed bar
South side/ big ears
South side/ speed bar big ears
South side/ Big ears
Rear Launch
Winds were pretty light
I was on brakes to hard and got picked up. Stupid mistake that I keep making
Ridge Soared
Big Ears
Rear Launch
Winds were pretty light
Good launch
Sled Ride
Rear Launch
Winds were pretty light
Horrible Launch. Almost died
Sled Ride
New Harness, Waní Light. Not adjusted properly. Felt like it dug in on the sides.
Launch was good, but landing was not accurate.
Slid toward road as I was lining up for runway landing. Need to be comfortable turning further into uphill, and earlier.
Another semi-sloppy landing. Not sure what could have been done better, besides braking more evenly.
Waní Light
Waní Light
Good height. Really good speed for a bit, but every landing of the day was a bit dicy.
Waní Light
Good height.
Waní Light, which Mike helped me adjust. Worked much better from then on…
Failed full sledder. Landed out on top of small ridge below mid launch.
Waní Light
Very rough flight. Fine launch, but needed to head more toward middle of valley, and stay away from small ridge, as the wind was strongly blowing me toward it.
Flew over ridge below mid launch and had close calls all along the way. Nearly landing out about 4 times, but never touching the ground. Almost hit small rocks and plants.
Ended up doing a low launch top landing, as I was too far over the low launch hillside to penetrate into the downhill wind.
Landing and needed to take wraps, but hesitated and had to chase wing and brakes a bit to get it.
Waní Light
Launched okay, landed okay. Nothing special.
Overall a rough day, but very good experiences in slightly higher wind and thermic conditions.
Ridge Soaring from Mid
Ridge Soaring from North
6 total flights, forward inflations, weight-based turns, one-handed, big ears, rear riser turns, spot landings, overshot into shrub on first flight
8 total flights, reverse inflations, spot landings; kited in AM
Forward inflations from top of hill (6), and ground school in the afternoon. Practiced maneuvers again (1 handed turning, asymmetric deflation, big ears, rear riser turns)
Kiting in the AM (north wind), 8 flights (reverse inflations) in the afternoon. Somewhat bumpy air.
Epic 3 hour ridge/thermal flight
All ridge lift
Launch from North point, Realized after launch that left A riser was twisted adn as a result, 20% of right wing was wrapped and deflated. Landed safely using weight shifts.
Launch from North point, Soared for 5 minutes. Did not get altitude as did not stay close to the hill. Made several 180 turns near the hill before landing in the designated LZ.
Flew from top of small Blue rock hill. Was making strong run with forward launches on this day, but was not controlling brakes correctly while in torpedo position. Had two bad launches with head bang and rib bruising. Mike recommended practicing kiting before making more flights. Had good flights and landings at bottom of the hill near Rob.
Flew from top of small Blue rock hill. Was making strong run with forward launches on this day, but was not controlling brakes correctly while in torpedo position. Had two bad launches with head bang and rib bruising. Mike recommended practicing kiting before making more flights. Had good flights and landings at bottom of the hill near Rob.
Flew from top of small Blue rock hill. Was making strong run with forward launches on this day, but was not controlling brakes correctly while in torpedo position. Had two bad launches with head bang and rib bruising. Mike recommended practicing kiting before making more flights. Had good flights and landings at bottom of the hill near Rob.
Flew from top of small Blue rock hill. Was making strong run with forward launches on this day, but was not controlling brakes correctly while in torpedo position. Had two bad launches with head bang and rib bruising. Mike recommended practicing kiting before making more flights. Had good flights and landings at bottom of the hill near Rob.
Flew from top of small Blue rock hill. Was making strong run with forward launches on this day, but was not controlling brakes correctly while in torpedo position. Had two bad launches with head bang and rib bruising. Mike recommended practicing kiting before making more flights. Had good flights and landings at bottom of the hill near Rob.
Flew from top of small Blue Rock hill. Was making better effort at controlling brakes during run. Was a bit nervous due to wipeouts last flight day. Paused a bit too much before getting into torpedo position.
Flew from top of small Blue Rock hill. Was making better effort at controlling brakes during run. Did not make transition into torpedo position well, moved hands down too much. Need to curl arms to keep hands in same position for torpedo position. Winds got too strong and went kiting. Making a wall, reverse launches, rotating to front went well. Good day.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
foot drag
landing
early morning sledder. Tried to ridge/thermal but couldn’t get anything
thermal/ridge lift for 2 hours. most of the gaggle got flushed at the same time
all ridge lift. Came down because I wasn’t penetrating well
First flight of an absolutely EPIC weekend.
Ridge soared a bit, lost lift, headed to LZ, hooked a boomer up. Saved it and climbed to 269′ above launch. Great fun! Lost the lift, and couldn’t get it back. Great flight though!
Good flight. But TOO SHORT! 🙂
First flight
Long ridge soar. Got to fly a Rush 4. What a different experience. The glide ratio was amazing. Can’t wait for my Rush 5! Came down because I was COLD!
I remember having a really long time to decide on my landing strategy. I arrived at the LZ with lots of altitude and it took a long time to bleed off. Meant that I had a long time to plan my landing.
Got some lift close to the LZ, but not enough to get back up.
Got a big thermal to take me 699′ above takeoff.
Ridge soaring, lost the lift, headed to land but found a big thermal to get back up.
Ridge soar. This was the flight that resulted in a close call.
While soaring with the mountain on my right (so I had the right of way), I did not see another pilot approaching me head on at a similar altitude. By the time I noticed this, we were very close and closing fast. My torso was at the same altitude as his wing. I quickly popped the brakes to gain a few feet of altitude. This maneuver caused me to avoid a disastrous collision, but my feet and the bottom of my harness did make contact with the other pilot’s wing as I passed over him.
29th solo, low wind, good launch, short flight, good approach and landing.
ridge/thermal soaring. low save at LZ back to top of the ridge
ridge soaring glass off
Light wind.
First forward launch first aborted because I forgot how to use “A” risers in forward.
Second perfect. No issues
Light wind.
Reverse launch at top of hill, for higher wind.
Light wind. Reverse launch. Smooth landing, but could have flared a second layer for even more accurate timing.
Soaring attempt. Too much uneven pressure on turns dropped me out of lift band.
Landed past LZ and a little bit toward wind sock.
Soaring flight. Too much uneven pressure on turns at first, but corrected and had a few good turns.
Really bad landing.
Misjudged height while heading toward landing, and decided to do an S turn to lose it. Turned left (facing the road) too far and got going downwind. On the turn I lost all my altitude and had to land super fast. Couldn’t flare enough to make it soft.
Fell and scraped arms and slid on chest.
Didn’t pay enough attention to wind quadrants, and direction for landing.
Launch from Baby Blue.
Launch from Big hill. Skills practised: Speed bar, turning with big ears
Launch from Big hill. Skills practised: 360 turns, side hill landing
Launch from North point. Lng sledder
Launch from North point. Soared
Launch from North point. Soared
Harness fitting and reserve ground school in the AM. Too cross for flying in the afternoon — kited instead.
Harness adjustment in the AM and 3 flights. Too windy/gusty in the afternoon so kited instead.
3 total flights, forward inflations with light crosswind, spot landings; kited in PM
Launch from North point. Soared
Launch from baby Blue hill. Warm up flight
Launch from Blue rock midpoint. Turns, maximising flight time
Launch from Blue rock top. Turns, speed bar, spot landing
Launch from Blue rock top. Turns, spot landing
flight 1/6 of day 2
flight 2/6 of day 2, bottom scraper, sat too quickly in the harness
flight 3/6 of day 2, did not do a proper preflight, right leg strap not fastened. Too much bouncing under the wing.
flight 4/6 of day 2, good launch, torpedo position, leaning forward, good landing.
flight 5/6 of day 2, good launch, torpedo position, leaning forward, good landing. Long on the final and almost ran out of runway.
flight 6/6 of day 2, good launch, torpedo position, leaning forward, good landing. call it a day
Ridge Soaring from North
Practice launch from Coyote with long sledder. Wind was pushing 12 gust and about the limit of my control with As and Cs. Had to kill and reset once.
Wind cross all day, did reserve setup in the AM and kited in the afternoon.
Low reverse launch practice on slope in the AM, 3 flights in the afternoon, then kiting.
3 flights from east launch and 1 flight from normal launch. Ridge soaring at Bates in the afternoon. 2 beach landings.
Kiting practice in N and NE wind.
2 flights at Bates, 2nd with >10 legs along the ridge. Both beach landings.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
foot drag
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
foot drag
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
foot drag
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
foot drag
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
foot drag
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
low level flight
foot drag
landing
thermalling at Heavener. Got 1100 over launch but had to come down because we had no shuttle and papa Arnold sunk out
absolute sinkhole of a sled ride. Couldn’t have been less lift
attempted thermalling. Wrapped around to SW LZ for the first time
Ridge soar. got 571 over launch and hit up to 482 fpm of lift at max. Wrapped around to SW LZ
Reverse launch in mid to light wind.
Launch was okay, but shaky. Not smooth as it should be. Got out into the middle too quickly and lost my altitude. Landed on the small ridge right below and to the left of launch.
Reverse launch in mid to light wind.
Launch was not great. Took 1 abort, but eventually I got into it and made it down. Brake handle was wrapped around risers because risers were attached with gates to the inside.
Very rough and discouraging day because everything seemed like it wasn’t working right.
Reverse launch in mid to light wind.
1 abort after frontal collapse due to not checking the wing before turning. Apparently a habit for the day.
Took a rest and just sat it out for a while.
Took 3 more attempts, each messed up because I overcompensated for the frontal collapse by checking too much on the way up. My wing didn’t even get above my head.
Almost cried at landing because everything just seemed so hard for no reason today. Really discouraged that such a simple flight took so much to get right.
Tried to find some mid day lift. No luck.
Scott Scallion let me try his buzz Z6. I was overweight on it, but was still hopeful that this more efficient wing would help me find lift. No luck. Other pilots had difficulty on this flight as well.
Evening ridge soar on Scott’s Buzz Z6.
Had plenty of lift. I tried skirting around the point to the SW LZ, and this cost me significant altitude. I headed back to the SSE launch, and was able to recover the lift and continue the flight.
30th solo, good upper N Launch, not feeling it, good approach and landing.
31st solo, good Launch, short flight, good approach and landing.
launched late due to fear of having to hike up from beach with bum knee. Launch with whistle and yell. Flew ridge to the south. Busy, fun. But ended up sinking out after Rob, near stairs to the North.
southy, but more west than prior day. Launched and flew the south ridge near the golf course with Rob and Lynsey. fun! had to scratch a bit, but ended up top landing – not on my feet, but this was my first time! fun to fly!
great day! launched and flew south ridge then headed over to the mansions where I had more space. Really pretty – mansions, surfers, birds. Really nice! top landed, again, not on my feet, but fun!
kind of scary – went back and forth on whether to launch. Really nervous about flying over the power lines, so glad when they were behind me! Played in some thermals (max altitude was 2956 feet), headed for LZ which seemed long ways a way, landed in lower Parma, on feet with uphill landing! flew with John Rocca and Lynsey!
glad to launch. Shorter flight but took a different path – down ridge, over to monestary ridge, and then to the upper parma. Landed in complicated lz, threaded the needle with the trees. on feet and kited too!
Reverse launch in mid to light wind. Landed in the normal LZ
Reverse launch in medium wind. Felt quite a bit of lift halfway down which seemed thermic.
Reverse launch. Was going to be sidehill practice with Rob. The strap hit my radio volume button so I landed out without practicing.
Kites up most of the hill.
Easy flights overall today.
First time doing one-handed flying.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
landing
Just a sledder from Jungle to LZ (Intentional). Wind was quite south but went there just intending on kiting.
Forward launch.
Easy sledder. Tipped sideways on the wing a bit, and held the “A” lines too long.
Forward launch. Highest spot on the hill.
Basic sledder. Seemed good. A little cross wind caused me to have to run sideways on the hill. Ended up crossing over the rocks in the middle of the valley. Worked out fine. Landed down at the end of the runway.
Forward launch. Highest spot on the hill.
Attempted big ears, but I didn’t hold long enough. Immediately called off big ears and did no handed flying. Super good feeling.
Had lots of oscillations that weren’t from strong inputs. Rob decided that it could be because of hand tension.
Landed down at the end of the runway.
Forward launch. Highest spot on the hill.
Fully did big ears. Didn’t feel anything different than normal speed.
Fixed oscillations by be extra gentle and a little more flowy with my hands. Relaxed a bit.
Landed down at the end of the runway.
Soar
Top land Mid launch
First Big Soar
Introduction to Ed Levin
Launch from Blue rock top. Turns, spot landing
Forward launch in zero wind from Blue rock top. Turns, spot landing
Forward launch in zero wind from Blue rock top. Turns, spot landing
Forward launch in zero wind from Blue rock top. Turns, Landed downwind in slow wind
Reverse launch from North with landing on the strip. Winds around 9 at launch and took light brakes to prevent sinking. Getting better feel of weight shifting and keeping my turns light and controlling pitch.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
speed bar
landing
Forward launch in zero wind from Blue rock top. Turns, Landed downwind in slow wind
Forward launch in zero wind from Blue rock top. Spot landing
Hybrid launch in low wind from Blue rock top. Spot landing
Hybrid launch in low wind from Blue rock top. Crossed the chasm to bay blue hill, landing at the base of the hill.
Hybrid launch in low wind from Blue rock top. Crossed the chasm to bay blue hill, landing at the base of the hill.
Reverse launch in low wind from Blue rock top.
Reverse launch in low wind from Blue rock top.
Reverse launch in low wind from Blue rock top.
Reverse launch in low wind from Blue rock top. Landed at Baby blue rock
Mountain flight
Mountain flight
Mountain flight
Mountain flight
Mountain flight
Boulder
Boulder
Boulder
flight 1/6 of day 3, good launch, torpedo position, leaning forward, good landing.
flight 2/6 of day 3, good launch, torpedo position, leaning forward, good landing. Early flare, kept hands at position, recovered and flared. 5 landings within 25′.
flight 3/6 of day 3, good launch, torpedo position, leaning forward, good landing.
flight 4/6 of day 3, good launch, torpedo position, leaning forward, good landing.
flight 5/6 of day 3, Upper launch, good launch, torpedo position, leaning forward, good landing. 5 landings within 25′.
flight 6/6 of day 3, Upper launch, good launch, torpedo position, leaning forward, good landing. Rear riser turns. Need to time the flare better.
preflight review, conditions, 5 forward launches.
tow with had
tow with had
tow with had
tow with had
tow launch
tow launch
tow launch
Forward launch in no wind from Baby Bule Rock. Take off was not good as I sat in the hardness too soon.
Forward launch in no wind from Baby Bule Rock.
Forward launch in no wind from Bule Rock top. Spot Landing
Forward launch in no wind from Bule Rock top. Spot Landing
Forward launch in no wind from Bule Rock top. Turns with Big ears.
1st Flight on Tequila 4, good launch some bumpy air, short flight North L approach good landing.
Forward Launch. Attempted and aborted, reset and tried again. Normal sledder.
Forward sledder, no big oscillations.
Flare timing could use work.
More steady flare later on.
Forward launch, Big Ears.
First letting off was too quick. Stay steady on brake release. I didn’t compensate the turn with my weight.
Forward launch. Full speed bar. Went into 180° turn before final. Felt okay, but it’s very hard to not shift weight while searching for speed bar. Velcro keeper came undone for speed system line.
Forward launch. Zero wind. Had to run most of the way down, but normal sledder.
Smooth forward. Low wind. Big ears felt good. Did big ears turns.
Use horizon more.
New launch site. Forward. Launched a little low in between hillsides and rocks. High speed off the bat. Big ears. Did weight shift turns. Good height. Had to go far left to burn it off. Normal LZ. Tried a spot landing next to Rob. Got close, but turned at the end because I was afraid of hitting him. Stumbled to my knee.
Forward, further back so I was off the ground before the little valley. Speed Bar. Need to keep my heading better while using it. Still had tons of height. Far left to burn it off, did 3x 180° turns. Need to keep them a little flatter! Got a little unstable after those turns, but stabilized and landed fine.
Launch was via towing. Right turn and landed down wind. Little to no wind
Launch was via towing. left turn and landed down wind. Little to no wind
Forward launch in no wind from Bule Rock top. Turns with Big ears.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
speed bar
landing
Sledders at channing West with other penguins. Fun hangout day. Pretty smokey and about 2mph of wind.
Sledders at channing West with other penguins. Fun hangout day. Pretty smokey and about 2mph of wind.
Reverse launch from North with landing on the strip. Winds around 9 at launch and took light brakes to prevent sinking.
Forward launch in almost no wind from top of Channing
Winds pretty much straight west about 9mph. Launched from Walker and cut straight to the left and there was close to zero lift so I sank out.
Winds pretty much straight west about 9mph. Launched from Walker and went straight towards bowl on the right side just before Green Monster. Lots of lift there and had long smooth flight with Brian, Lynsey and Mohamad
big ears
half speed bar
half speed bar
no handed flying
180 degree turns
spot landing
spot landing
big ears
smooth airspeed control
soaring flight
riser turns
weight shift turns
strong wind reverse launch
forward launch
judge distance from ridge and traffic
judge distance from ridge and traffic
forward launch
tight kiting
full speed bar
figure eights
10 min ridge soaring flight
13th Flight After P2 Certification
Reverse Launch
Good landing
14th Flight After P2 Certification
Forward Launch
Good landing
15th Flight After P2 Certification
Reverse Launch
Good landing
16th Flight After P2 Certification
Forward Launch
Good landing
17th Flight After P2 Certification
Forward Launch
Good landing
18th Flight After P2 Certification
Forward Launch
Good landing
19th Flight After P2 Certification
Forward Launch
Good landing
1st Flight at Monroe – Learning to fly thermals and high wind/steep launch off North launch.
Parker Ridge Sled Ride. 10 min flight – Forward launching
Monroe North launch. Top landing in very strong winds. Landing on speed bar. Took off speed bar before touching down and had a scary incident with dropping too quickly
Monroe North launch. Flying turbulent conditions until an amazing glass off. 12000′ altitude flying.
Poverty Ridge soaring session. Forward launch sled ride
Poverty Ridge soaring session. Forward launch sled ride
Monroe – Catching thermals to 13000′ and learning to fly the gaggle.
Cove flight. Thermaling up to 12000′. Accidently landed downwind due to confusing conditions.
South side soaring session
flew with rob, galen, suder. Rob snuck up on me at ridge, to teach me to have head swiveled more. I saw him before I turned. Nice flight. followed rob across road after I saw he was getting ift in valley, then I landed on the other side of the road. learned have to move more toward Colombus parkway to head to castles, just to avoid rotor from the rest of ridge. Rob says heading back is downwind so I can worry about that less.
finally launched. was quite south all day, no wind then toomuch wind. finally launched alone from walker. got lots of height and Rob said “follow me!”. I followed speedy gonzales down the ridge, unable to keep up. Ended up as follows:
Although exhausted, I had a rather sleepless night. I kept visualizing the flight over and over. I kept asking myself “could I really have narrowed my mind all the way down to only seeking lift?”. I mean its not like me, and I have plenty of evidence that I have been thinking several steps forward, so why did I NOT this time? How did I get that far in to Screwed-ville?
Then I saw it. (I checked google maps this morning to be sure). Coming south from the stables, there is that big field. On the edge of that field there are these poles, like telephone poles, and with some thing on tope voltage-y looking. I was trying to see if there were wires between them, so that I could think about what would happen if I got too close. At the same time I am trying to stay close enough to that ridge to see if I could get lift. Then, when the line of poles ended and I looked up ahead of me, then I knew then that I had screwed myself.
While reviewing this at ungodly-a.m., I then recalled Rob’s comment about blue rock and how I was oblivious to him until I went to turn. Again, looking to my left (where the ridge was, trying to keep my eye on “the thing that can hurt you”).
So, two things learned, 1) apparently I have a tendency to look to the ridge too much, and 2) (and this isn’t new for me, just seen here in a different situation) – when focus on something too much I tend to lose sight of other things (this is seen in other flights when I watch whether someone is launching okay, or on the radio needing something, or looking too close to the ground/object/or if I have to adjust something etc). I need to keep head on a swivel more, and always keep looking several steps ahead, being especially aware when my focus is pulled somewhere.
I had an old supervisor in grad school who would start each supervision session (past client session) with “What did you do well?” I try to keep that focus in my current life, starting with “well” before I go to “poorly”. This can even go for, “What did you do well after you screwed yourself so badly?” So, I looked quickly for my landing spot and tried to position myself and get there before I was forced there, did not get anxious, got out of my harness quickly when wing started fluttering and filling. (By the way, that was also planned – 1) I am faster at my buckles then my caribiners, and 2) the weight of the harness might have helped to prevent the wing from taking off down the slope).
Anyway, I am truly thankful to Rob, and glad all went better than it could have. I am also glad to have really felt ROTOR (as safely as could be).
Take away:
think twice before following Rob when on the Cure!
turn back even if you think he has a plan – I am the pilot in command
head for beach if I can land safely, its better than searching for lift.
LOOK TWO TO THREE steps ahead all the time, and be careful of too much focus.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
speed bar
landing
scratchy ridge soar. Just me and Mike flying
Pro launch (reverse)
Pro launch (reverse), ran downhill to fly
Forward launch
flight 1/2 of day 4. New gear, BGD Magic and MCC Viceversa.
flight 2/2 of day 4. New gear, BGD Magic and MCC Viceversa.
flight 1/3 of day 5. Post first kiting lesson. Try complete right turns.
flight 2/3 of day 5. Post first kiting lesson. Try complete right turns.
flight 3/3 of day 5. Post first kiting lesson. Try complete right turns.
flight 1/2 of day 6. first reverse launch, struggles with heading into wind, too much left brake and not wind enough correction.
flight 2/2 of day 6. second reverse launch, struggles with heading into wind, too much left brake and not wind enough correction.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
speed bar
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
speed bar
landing
flight 1/3 of day 7. baby bluerock. forward launch.
flight 2/3 of day 7. mid launch bluerock. forward launch. riser, harness turns. shallow final low turn.
flight 3/3 of day 7. mid launch bluerock. forward launch. riser, harness turns. good final and landing
2 flights, 1 off training hill, forward launch, second a reverse launch off north launch with 1 360.
3 flights, 2 with 360s, 1 forward, 1 reverse off top, 1 reverse off 3/4 launch
3 flights, 2 with 360s, one forward off top, 1 reverse off top, 1 reverse off 3/4
Wind with South component. Flew too far north and had a difficult time finding lift. Made it to LZ but was a close call. Learned the importance of considering wind direction when calculating ability to make LZ.
tow launch
tow launch, minor thermal hunt
tow launch sledder
short ridge soar flight
short ridge soar flight
Smooth air, no bumps
Smooth air, used speed bar
Got a few bumps. Thermals small and close to the ground. Speed bar and big ears.
I made 10 launches today. Working with Gaylen. Made improvements as the day went on. Still having difficulty with forward launch getting hands into correct position while moving into torpedo position without applying brakes. All forward launches today. Last landing a bit off the mark.
I made 10 launches today. Working with Gaylen. Made improvements as the day went on. Still having difficulty with forward launch getting hands into correct position while moving into torpedo position without applying brakes. All forward launches today. Last landing a bit off the mark.
I made 10 launches today. Working with Gaylen. Made improvements as the day went on. Still having difficulty with forward launch getting hands into correct position while moving into torpedo position without applying brakes. All forward launches today. Last landing a bit off the mark.
I made 10 launches today. Working with Gaylen. Made improvements as the day went on. Still having difficulty with forward launch getting hands into correct position while moving into torpedo position without applying brakes. All forward launches today. Last landing a bit off the mark.
I made 10 launches today. Working with Gaylen. Made improvements as the day went on. Still having difficulty with forward launch getting hands into correct position while moving into torpedo position without applying brakes. All forward launches today. Last landing a bit off the mark.
I made 10 launches today. Working with Gaylen. Made improvements as the day went on. Still having difficulty with forward launch getting hands into correct position while moving into torpedo position without applying brakes. All forward launches today. Last landing a bit off the mark.
I made 10 launches today. Working with Gaylen. Made improvements as the day went on. Still having difficulty with forward launch getting hands into correct position while moving into torpedo position without applying brakes. All forward launches today. Last landing a bit off the mark.
Forward launch in no wind from Bule Rock top. Turns with Big ears.
I made 10 launches today. Working with Gaylen. Made improvements as the day went on. Still having difficulty with forward launch getting hands into correct position while moving into torpedo position without applying brakes. All forward launches today. Last landing a bit off the mark.
I made 10 launches today. Working with Gaylen. Made improvements as the day went on. Still having difficulty with forward launch getting hands into correct position while moving into torpedo position without applying brakes. All forward launches today. Last landing a bit off the mark.
I made 10 launches today. Working with Gaylen. Made improvements as the day went on. Still having difficulty with forward launch getting hands into correct position while moving into torpedo position without applying brakes. All forward launches today. Last landing a bit off the mark.
I made 10 launches today. Working with Gaylen. Made improvements as the day went on. Still having difficulty with forward launch getting hands into correct position while moving into torpedo position without applying brakes. All forward launches today. Last landing a bit off the mark.
Working with Mike today. Made 3 flights, then wind picked up too much. Made my first reverse launches. Reverse launches went well. Prefer these to forward launches. Stronger wind was helpful. Landings went well. Same gentle right turn to landing. Used new harness. Did kiting at bottom of hill, then went to park. Getting better at kiting.
Working with Mike today. Made 3 flights, then wind picked up too much. Made my first reverse launches. Reverse launches went well. Prefer these to forward launches. Stronger wind was helpful. Landings went well. Same gentle right turn to landing. Used new harness. Did kiting at bottom of hill, then went to park. Getting better at kiting.
Working with Mike today. Made 3 flights, then wind picked up too much. Made my first reverse launches. Reverse launches went well. Prefer these to forward launches. Stronger wind was helpful. Landings went well. Same gentle right turn to landing. Used new harness. Did kiting at bottom of hill, then went to park. Getting better at kiting.
South side of Tiger Mountain. Very strange air and sketchy landing due to shifting winds.
Forward launch
Reverse launch
Reverse launch
First P2 Mountain Flight
Mountain Flight
Mountain Flight
Mountain Flight
Mountain Flight
First Burke Mountain Flight
Victor Figueroa 25th Tandem T3 Sign Off Flight
Victor Figueroa 25th Tandem T3 Sign Off Flight
Forward launch in no wind from Bule Rock top. Turns with Big ears.
HIgh wind launch from Bule Rock North. Dropped the radio during launch. Gained height quickly. Started getting swept back over the ridge. Used full speed bar to lose height and land.
Forward launch from Bule Rock top. Speed bar 3 times during flight.
Forward launch from Bule Rock top. Big ears.
Forward launch from Bule Rock top.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
speed bar
landing
New site for me. Reverse launch. Sled ride, with some S turns to lose altitude. Flared early, held it instead of letting up, then finished slowly enough to be gentle.
Reverse launch. Practiced rear riser steering. Felt good, but put too much input for what was needed.
Reverse launch which felt perfect. Kept running as needed, and things were smooth. Tried speed bar with rear riser turns. Couldn’t reach speed bar properly. Couldn’t hear radio.
Highest wind launch I’ve done.
One failed inflation. Asymmetric. Reset and waited for a lull in the wind. Brought up the wing with “A” and “C” risers. Didn’t check the wing, which caused a partial forward collapse, which I didn’t notice and kept running through. It inflated and I got lifted super high really quick. Highest flight, and funnest flight I’ve ever done. Galen was scared because of how out of control the wing was when I turned to takeoff. Really work on checking the wing before turning, everytime.
Check the wing.
Check the wing.
Check the wing.
Also looked up at the wing on the first attempt. Bad. Don’t do that.
Did some little S turns to lose altitude quite quickly, without much forward motion. Flight was super lifty overall.
Forward. Full speed bar, with rear riser steering. Little shaky, but not bad.
Forward. One handed flying. Little too strong of input moving left. Right turn was very slow. Perhaps need to weight shift from a different angle.
Need to get the feel of weight shift compensation for turns.
Forward. Big ears attempt. Lost heading after switching to big ears. Didn’t compensate with my shifting at first, then over corrected and lost some control. Barely got speed bar out and had to drop it and go to normal flying. Heading went almost 90º off of my original heading. Not cool. Headed over The Rookery main launch rock pile, heading far left, then turned right into our normal flight path.
Landed fine. Partial flare a little earlier than normal, and it felt better actually…
Reverse from Walker, overcast but smooth air. Landed short after losing lift on final.
Reverse from North, landing at far LZ, needed to flair much more.
Reverse from Channing, sledder at sunset
nice smooth glass off conditions without incident.
quick sledder from above north. wind very light.
9 flights, low launch site. Galen instructor just me and Ken , students
No wind. All forward launches. Running down hill. Learned to fly straight first ten right turn to land instead of one continuous right turn starting from launch. One aborted launch, then relaunch. This entry covers 9 sledders. Total flights logged with Penguins: 14
Reverse with a few thermal turns
Stick on right wing caused glider to pull right hard right after launch. Hard to fly straight and did sledder to LZ.
Side Hill Landings + Floating
Side Hill Landings + Floating
Side Hill Landings + Floating
FIRST TIME launching Elk! was supposed to be a mini xc with Ben, but conditions did not allow. Did not get the height of others, but struggled out of a scratch in scrappy thermals to get a 46 minute flight out of a sledder. max altitude 4242. Worked the thermals hard. hands numb by the time I landed. Need to not grip so tightly. Proud of self. decided not to fly again, as conditions would not be pleasant – and they weren’t.
Great fun at potato. Nice to see that it survived the fires. Worked the thermals and had fun! 9 km, max altitude 3573.
fantastic second flight at potato. Really weight shifted into the thermals as suggested by Bill and wow! max altitude 4311. followed Suder over to snow, but only to bottom, can’t call it tagging snow. Gotta fly more thermals!!
Side Hill Landings + Floating
Side Hill Landings + Floating
Side Hill Landings + Floating
Fun flight at Blanchard, getting a feel for the site. Easy launch & easy landing.
Blanchard sled ride with minimal lift.
BJ Flight. No wind reverse launch – inflate and go! Tricky landing zone (small & boxed in). Need to get comfortable with pulling big ears to reduce glide at landing.
Blanchard thermal flight. Starting to get comfortable thermalling over trees. Lots of lift to play with.
Blanchard thermal flight. Lots of lift and managed to get over Blanchard Mountain. Top landed on North launch – Sketchy!
Training Hill #1
Training Hill #2
Training Hill #3
Training Hill #4
Training Hill #5
Training Hill #6
Training Hill #7
Intro, setup, turns,
Intro, setup, turns, big ears, asymmetrical turns.
Side Hill Landings + Floating
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Sled ride to beach due to light conditions.
Good tow on east road. Very cold, hands in extreme pain, need better gloves. Couldn’t get feet on speed bar, did big ears. Harness is uncomfortable need to readjust.
Good tow on east road. Towed on Marcs rig. Used Marcs gloves, much better. Did get on speed bar. Did both speed bar and big ears at the same time. Working on spot landing.
Good tow on east road. Towed on Marcs rig. Big ears on one side attempting to control glider with just weight shift did not work very well required some opposite break to keep glider flying straight.
First take-off + flared landing
Forwards takeoffs + flared landings
Forwards takeoffs + left and right turns
Forwards takeoffs + left and right turns
Forwards takeoffs + left and right turns + sitting in the harness
Forwards takeoffs + left and right turns + brake wraps
Forwards takeoffs + left and right turns + sitting in the harness
Forwards takeoffs + left and right turns + brake wraps
Forwards takeoffs + body weight shift turns – no hands
Forwards takeoffs + body weight shift turns – no hands
Reverse takeoffs + left and right turns + brake wraps
Reverse takeoffs + left and right turns + one hand flying
Reverse takeoffs + left and right turns + rear riser turns
Reverse takeoffs + left and right turns + rear riser turns
Reverse takeoffs + right hand side asymmetric deflation – balance flying the glider straight with my body weight
Reverse takeoffs + big ears (both sides)
Reverse takeoffs + Speedbar system
Reverse takeoffs + 90 degree turns + landing on a target
Reverse takeoffs + 90 degree turns + landing on a target
Reverse takeoffs + 90 degree turns + landing on a target
Reverse takeoffs + 90 degree turns
Reverse takeoffs + 180 degree turns
Reverse takeoffs + 180 degree rear riser turns
Reverse takeoffs + body weight turns no hands
Reverse takeoffs + big ears both sides
Reverse takeoffs +landing on a target
Reverse takeoffs + bodyshifting turns
Reverse takeoffs + bodyshifting turns
Reverse takeoffs + one hand flying
Reverse takeoffs + body shifting
Tow launch. 360 and 180 degree turns performed.
Tow launch. Speed bar with weight shift turning and C risers to control
Tow launch. Big ears performed.
Tow launch. 90 turns performed.
Great fun flight. I MADE IT TO SNOW! Went right off of launch and climbed the thermals behind launch. hit 4900 once and told myself if I hit it again I would head to potato. Headed there at 4928. Got to third knob, but then felt I was too lose to terrain and wasn’t sure how to bench up. Headed to LZ, having met my goal. learned a lot about thermals and had a lot of fun!
Training Hill #8
Training Hill #9
Training Hill #10
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #11
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #12
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #13
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #14
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #14
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #16
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #17
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #18
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #19
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #20
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #21
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #22
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #23
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #24
Reverse Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #25
Reverse Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #26
Reverse Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #27
Reverse Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #28
Reverse Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #29
Reverse Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
flight 1/3 of day 8. First reverse launch at new site, good launch and landing.
flight 2/3 of day 8. second reverse launch at new site, good launch and landing. landed long but stayed patient.
flight 3/3 of day 8. third reverse launch at new site, good launch and landing. landed long but stayed patient. S turns.
33rd flt Halloween good upper take off calm conditions weak thermos good flt good landing.
34 flt Halloween good take off wind picked up, getting dark near parked into head wind, used big ears to loose alt, good landing.
35 flt Noon Flight, South Launch Bumpy take off, near miss on tree, short flight good south landing.
5 flights at Bantry with Joel. Started at Gateway but Joel decided Bantry would be better (shorter? more flights?) less than 8 mph winds. steep hill. I was kiting and stepped back and lost my footing was suddenly airborne. flying reverse for a few seconds. twisted the in the wrong direction (full twist). saw barbed wire fence that I was heading toward, didn’t panic and safely cleared it, then full untwist before landing safely – not worried, didn’t panic, went ok. after that 4 more sledders, some with wind for a bit of lift. all good flares and soft landings. one landing made right turn and downwind, fast landing. ok but remember to save flare until the end (counterintuitively) go fast and flare harder and more abruptly to lose the most speed at the end
5 flights at Gateway Park with Gaelen. practically no wind to occasional wind for kiting with occasional puffs for a bit of lift before landing.
all decent landings. remember to do folded towel position to ensure no brakes at takeoff.
Side Hill Landings + Floating
Sledder
Sidehills & Floating
Floating + Sledder with spot landing
Floating + Sledder with spot landing
Mostly sledder with spot landing on #2
A few thermals with spot landing on #2
short ridge soar flight, got too wet for safety
short flight, not enough lift to soar, wind dies
Great fun flight. gusty at launch, had to wait for it to calm. Ridge soared with some thermals. Flew with dennis and Suder, then kited with Oleg.
very light. tried, but ended up with a sledder, 2 low passes.
Tons of lift while it lasted. Walker in 10mph straight up
Wind got light, launched from Coyote perfectly but not enough to pass the ridge.
Wind 8-9, launched from low launch of Viagra, good turns but winds got light and traffic was tough to manage with narrow lift band
Sunset sledder from Viagra with spot landing at the landing strip, Istvan watching.
Just an intentional sledder since it was my first time at Potato Hill. Very Smooth nearly no wind. Did a forward launch and there was zero thermal activity.
My very first attempt at a thermal flight! Managed to get a 2 hour flight and made it over to snow mountain. Took a 50% collapse on the east side of Potato Hill and it spun me around 180 degrees within a second. It mostly fixed itself but required me to pump the left break (Left side collapsed) to get the tip of the wing inflated. Overall an awesome flight! https://ayvri.com/scene/3560pl3l5e/ckgptlj2000013b6bsholew2j
Training Hill #30
Reverse Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #31
Forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #32
Forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #33
Forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #34
Forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #35
Forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #36
Forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #37
Forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #38
Forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill #39
Forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 40
Forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 4
reverse Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 42
reverse Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 43
forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 44
forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 45
forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 46
forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 47
forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 48
forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 49
forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 50
reverse Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 51
forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
Training Hill 52
forward Launch
I “Took a Wrap” with Controls. This improved my landing control.
South side
South side
South side
South side
South side
South side
South side
North side
First Top landing
Reverse launch on second attempt. North wind, landed short of LZ in corn field.
Reverse launch
Reverse launch. Able to do some minimal thermaling.
ridge soar after training day. lot of East in the wind. Wrapped around and landed in SW LZ. First flight on new wing
ridge soar
Flew out, turned right to trees, then left and landed
Flew out, turned right to trees, then left and landed
Flew out, turned right to trees, then left and landed
Flew out, turned right to trees, then left and landed
Flew out, turned right to trees, then left and landed
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area and landed
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area and landed
Reverse launch. Able to do some minimal thermaling.
Reverse launch, light wind.
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
climbing turns
speed bar
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
landing
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
landing
ran into rotor
PPG
launch
basic maneuvers
landing
xc – short
Forward inflation, winds on launch were out of the North, 3-5mph gusts to 10mph. The air was a little turbulent, due to a shear layer at about 2000ft-AGL, max height of flight was 1600ft-AGL. Need to fly with warmer gloves. My landing wasn’t perfect missed the landing zone just slightly but was able to kite the wing back to the road and lay it down.
High tow, S-turns, 360 Turns (both directions)
Coached three students with Brian, on launches. Then took a short but lovely flight. Got cold, and sun was setting, so came down. landed on runway.
15 flights at Gateway Park with Mike. 8-12 mph.
reverse and forward kiting practice in medium strong wind. something really clicked today, connecting kiting control with flying control. 3 longer flights to lower landing zone. then 12 more crosswind flights that had a much shorter return hike. 3 shorter crowsswind flights, then longer crosswind flights lower to the ground but staying aloft with several 180 degree turns, sometimes flying partially back up hill toward launch area. all soft landings with asymetric brake pull to even out crosswind landing. on all 12 crosswind flights, I landed, turned around without dropping wing and reverse kited while walking back uphill. learned that if things get squirrely while forward kiting, I need to immediately turn around a gain control in reverse kiting position. one handed steering while kiting
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area and landed
Very light winds and downwinds
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area and landed
Very light winds and downwinds
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area and landed
Very light winds and downwinds
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area and landed
Very light winds and downwinds
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area and landed
Very light winds and downwinds
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area, landed
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area, landed
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area, landed
Landings getting better
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area, landed
Landings getting better, perfect landing
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area, landed
Landings getting better, perfect landing
Flew out over road to the left, turned right to the trees, turned left, lined up with landing area, landed
Landings getting better, perfect landing
First flight on my new Ozone Rush 5!
Was a short sledder, but definitely stayed up longer than a sledder on my Roadster 3. Glide ratio was WAAAY better. Can’t wait to spend more time under this wing!
Forward inflation, winds on launch were out of the North, 3-5mph. The air was very smooth, max height of flight was 2011ft-AGL. During decent, pulled stabilo line on both sides, then pulled big ears and performed some 360 turns in both directions while in big ears. Missed the landing zone but was able to kite the wing back to the road and lay it down, misunderstood instructions for the approach and started the base leg earlier than I had planned.
High tow, S-turns, 360 Turns (both directions), big ears, stabilo pull
North with southy wind, too light and trashy, spot landing on the strip
Sledder with side hills on Baby Bluerock
Intro day
Learned the parts of a glider and harness.
The 3 safety checks: buckets of the harness, bucket of the helmet, and clean V while holding the brakes.
Practiced kiting.
Winds were not favorable for flight.
Day 2
Reviewed rules to flying: Perform safety checks, have a flight plan and follow the plan.
Two short flights: maybe about 15-20 seconds in the air. Made it down half the hill and terrible landing. I landed on my feet and rolled on both flights.
Wind picked up and was hard to handle.
Need to pay more attention to hand positioning.
Practicing more wing handling.
Getting used to picking up to 45 degrees and gently landing wing.
Tried to practice more kiting and reverse kiting.
Hard to maintain wing over head for more than 30 seconds.
Day 3
All three forward launches
Joel
1st fail to commit and wing went overhead
2nd got flight in about 20-25 seconds. Almost dipped and hit the ground. Landing could be better. Sat back on my butt, but I didn’t roll and hit the ground the time.
Mike
PreFlight
Found that the risers weren’t matching. Make sure the lines to speed bar are facing down to the ground
Galen
3rd
About half the distance down the hill cause winds picked up. I didn’t run towards the wind so flight path changed. Still landed in the same spot as second flight. Good flair with soft landing on my feet.
Need to commit to the run more. Work on torpedo position more.
Need to stop getting tangled with lines for preflight.
Don’t disconnect risers from harness.
First Flights At Channing East! Oleg, Chris Proctor, and another penguin were there. Conditions were relatively strong and by the end there was a base wind of about 16mph.
First Flights At Channing East! Oleg, Chris Proctor, and another penguin were there. Conditions were relatively strong and by the end there was a base wind of about 16mph.
First Flights At Channing East! Oleg, Chris Proctor, and another penguin were there. Conditions were relatively strong and by the end there was a base wind of about 16mph.
First Flights At Channing East! Oleg, Chris Proctor, and another penguin were there. Conditions were relatively strong and by the end there was a base wind of about 16mph.
First Flights At Channing East! Oleg, Chris Proctor, and another penguin were there. Conditions were relatively strong and by the end there was a base wind of about 16mph.
First Flights At Channing East! Oleg, Chris Proctor, and another penguin were there. Conditions were relatively strong and by the end there was a base wind of about 16mph.
First Flights At Channing East! Oleg, Chris Proctor, and another penguin were there. Conditions were relatively strong and by the end there was a base wind of about 16mph.
Waited 3 hours for a small window of wind or thermal, had perfect launch, flew out, got my heading, kicked back in harness, took my wrap, flew back over rc, made several s turns and a great downwind landing, felt like I flared a little early but Dexter said that was a perfect downwind landing
Waited 3 hours for a small window of wind or thermal, had perfect launch, flew out, got my heading, kicked back in harness, took my wrap, , then noticed my brake line was wrapped around another line, had to get it wrapped back over, flew back over rc, made several s turns and a great downwind landing, felt like I flared a little early but Dexter said that was a perfect downwind landing
Day 4
All three forward launches at the wind sock.
Mentioned to Mike my commit to run issue.
1st flight was good. Caught that my left side speedbar line was caught in leg loop so I fixed that. Landing still rougher than I wanted it to be. Before my first flight, the launch was not optimal. Mike pointed out my backwards arm position was too low and I need to raise them slightly higher. The adjustment helped with all flights for the day.
2nd flight was a perfect soft two foot landing! Not sure how to repeat this yet. I think it is technique for flair timing and body positioning.
3rd flight was fine as well, but landing still rough feet position is behind body causing the rough landing. I did not flair enough and hold causing the rough landing on my legs. Definitely felt more impact on this landing than the 1st one.
All three flights, I brought the wing down with the leading edge to the ground and trailing edge facing up.
PreFlight checks first time forgot to mention #4.
After repetition, I got the R1234STARVE down.
No issues with tangled lines for this lesson.
Top of the hill first flight.
On launch, my left A riser slipped out of my hand first and I released the right A riser a few seconds afterwards. I did not get the signal from Mike to drop the As so I did this on my own. No issues but experienced a slight lift. I did feel my arms naturally easing up towards the pulleys. Did my left turn to cut altitude and then straighten out. I was out of Mike’s line of sight so Galen coached me for the right turn and final approach. I believe I target fixed a bit on the prickly cactus like plant. I flared and butt slid into the plant.
2nd launch was fine. This flight was to try to turn with the D risers. Looking away from flight direction to find the D riser was pretty natural. I tried to pull them down slowly, but I did not pull hard enough to make a left turn. Mike debriefing on this was I needed 3-4inches of pull. Or my right arm might have gone up causing me not to turn. Aborted this technique and returned to using just the brakes to complete the flight. I attempted to do a running landing, but still leg position was behind my body, which is still a rough landing.
Preflight checks are good. Be sure the V is clean down the pulley. Make sure the lines to the Speedbar/stirrup is not caught in leg loops.
After reviewing the video from Allister, my torpedo form needs more work. I am not leaning down as much as I think I am. My small steps are not helping with this. I need to take bigger committing steps.
The steepness of the hill also made it easier to launch and run.
I am not confident at all for a reverse launch at this steepness.
Be careful for gear placement on ground. The weight of the wing will not prevent it from rolling down the hill.
Need to work on better torpedo form, landing form/positioning of body during final approach, and try to turn with D risers.
Need to work on reverse launches.
Tip from Mike on reading thermals with the sun heating up the environment. Touch the rocks on the ground, if they are room temperature then it is good conditions without thermals. Once the rocks are hotter than room temperature and heating up, there will be thermals.
Self wind assessment of today at wind socks area feel perfect for me. At the top of the hill, the winds felt strong to me, but Mike said it was fine there was no gusts, or choppy turbulence. During the 2nd launch, I definitely felt the winds picking up more, but it was fine and felt like the first flight except my turn path was later with no input in D risers.
Called it a day after the second long flight.
Sledder with side hills on Baby Bluerock
Forward inflation, winds on launch were out of the North, 3-5mph. The air was a little bouncy on the way up, max height of flight was 2440ft-AGL. During decent performed some tighter 360 turns in both directions, did surge control (purposely induced by me), also did aggressive s-turns to get a feel for my wing in more dynamic maneuvers. Missed the landing zone, instructions for the approach started the base leg earlier than I had planned since I looked lower than I was.
High tow, S-turns, 360 Turns (both directions), big ears, stabilo pull
Great day of flying, perfect conditions, soft landing, used a new wing, I think it was called a miso
Great day of flying, perfect conditions, soft landing, used a new wing, I think it was called a miso
Great day of flying, perfect conditions, soft landing, used a new wing, I think it was called a miso
I looked up to find the single a riser to use big ears the next flight
Great day of flying, perfect conditions, soft landing, used a new wing, I think it was called a miso
I used big ears for the first time
Great day of flying, perfect conditions, soft landing, used a new wing, I think it was called a miso
I really liked this wing
Great day of flying, light winds, landing good
Great day of flying, light winds, landed downwind
Using a different wind today, I think ozone 5, not sure I like it, harder to land softly
Great day of flying, light winds, landed downwind
Using a different wing today, I think ozone 5, not sure I like it, harder to land softly
Great day of flying, light winds, landed downwind
Using a different wing today, I think ozone 5, not sure I like it, harder to land softly
I tried a reverse launch a couple times and didn’t work out.
Great day of flying, light winds, landed downwind
Using a different wing today, I think ozone 5, not sure I like it, harder to land softly
Made my first reverse launch in light winds, wasn’t easy
First flight of the thermal and xc clinic. Scrappy, fizzy thermals and there was no way to gaggle well. But, we made something out of nothing and got a long flight in. It was fun! Landed upper parma, on butt, softly.
Last flight of the Eagle xc and thermal clinic. EPIC! Such fun, and hard work. Stayed up the longest! Almost whole flight was circles. Learned a lot! (see journal). Followed Marty almost entire time. Lynsey was with me too. Most others had two flights. But I was patient and worked hard. At the end was so tired and hungry that I was not making good decisions and had to land. Need to get power bars within reach better. Able to drink but did not have to use diaper.
sledder on training hill. horrible landing. need to practice flaring.
sledder on training hill. good landing. need to practice flaring.
sledder on training hill. forgot my leg strap, hung out of seat whole flight. need to practice flaring.
sledder on training hill. bad landing. need to practice flaring.
Quick flight.
Reverse launch
7 flights at Blue Rock with Mike. 0-4kts.
3 flights from upper launch – speed bar, rear riser turns, big ears, one handed flying
4 flights from lower launch focusing on spot landings 2 within 10 ft, 2 within 3 ft, one short big ears
1st Mountain Flt. reverse launch turn and run,run,run
My first launch from Ferns, I had a beautiful flight, flew to the right and turned and went down road to echos, made a 360 to the right and 360 to the left, the s turns down the Mountian to ez and had a beautiful landing
Had a good launch, had a downwind landing, landed a bit hard and hurt my right Thigh muscle. Dexter said I was landing to far back and needed to land in take off position or torpedo post and get ready to run. Landed and wing keep going and pulled me over
Day 5
Met at Joel’s house to get into a suspension rig.
Practiced turns with hard lean ins, which is popping butt cheek popping up.
Practiced turning with no hands holding a praying position.
Practiced half speed bar and full speed bar technique. Lift foot high towards crotch and turn foot at an angle.
Make sure the position of the speed bar and not let it pop pass toes.
Feeling how little input is needed turning with the D risers.
Holding both brakes in one hand to perform turns, which is you move hands in the opposition direction you want to turn. (pull left and learn right to turn right). This is used to radio in or fix something with the other hand.
How to pull reserve, which is reach down to knees and go for the handle.
Oleg tips for preflight:
#4 make sure the corners are out on the wing and none of the lines are kinked or running on top of each other.
T always setup and make sure you turn left from reverse launch.
Checking the Vs for brakes: follow from carabiner to make sure the webbing is flat and trace to pulley to look for the Vs.
Build a wall using the wind. Use the higher side to inflate the lower side. Holding As in left hand and brakes in right to manipulate the wing for inflation. For brakes grab bottom and then top. Can also pull on the stiletto line to get wing tips to come out.
Mike tips holding onto the As is lean forward and then lean plus one step back for wall building.
Always recite R1234STARVE out loud. Do a radio check asking if you can be heard and receive confirmation.
Talked about wind speed, air speed, and ground speed.
***Need to research more about stalling***
Also need to sign up for pilot license USHA and pass P1.
Need to get on the weekly Zoom.
4 flights
All reverse launches. Getting the wing up and launching was not too bad after my first mistake in flight 1.
Flight 1 wing went up fine, but I had target fixation and literally ran in a straight line up against the hill instead of downhill. Landed halfway down due to this mistake. Landed in the tall branches, but landed on my feet surprisingly.
Flight 2-4 were fine. Mike helped me adjust to aim myself down the hill.
Practiced turns all with brakes for all 3 flights down.
Landing 2 was great with a running landing.
Landing 3-4 were not great at all. 3rd was rough on the legs and not soft. 4th was a butt slide that Oleg got video of. Flared too early on that one and was still in my harness too long.
3rd flight I landed down pass the LZ cause I got some lift. I landed past the LZ in the little dip.
Definitely need to work on my landing timing with the flairs. Get out of the harness earlier to anticipate the landing to get that running landing.
Want to work on my kiting. I want to be able to move the wing to the left or right and still have a nice wall built after movement.
Repeat flight one.
Improved take off
-stearin
-landing
Introduced paragliding
Safety, equipment and
-take off
-stearin
-landing
-take off
-stearin
-landing
Higher altitude Longer flight
-take off
-stearin
-landing
2nd Mountain flt
3nd Mountain flt and did two passes ridge soaring.
4nd Mountain flt