Oz Report

Blue Sky Wills Wing Scooter Tow Clinics

(This topic is in: <- May 4 May 3 May 2 May 1 Apr.30 -> )

Towing a grain sack (Blue Sky, Virginia)

Dan Guido <daniel.guido> (Susquehanna Flight Park, Cooperstown, NY) writes:

I think Dean Slocum's comments as read in the Oz Report (http://ozreport.com/1177598095) really sums it up.  Just would like to add that I have been teaching hang gliding for some time now and have never got first timers into the air so quick, easy and safe.  Having tethered some in winds at air shows or on beaches, I know the way to get people excited is to get them in the air with the least amount of effort and scooter towing does just that. 

The combination of the low pressure tow and the Wills Wing Condor make for a very low speed effortless flight.  I described it to a friend, as a farm boy would, that I could tow a grain sack into the air with no wind.  You may laugh, but I can see someone using something like the trikeasoarus and towing the handicap, just a thought for some one like Matt Taber. 

I have been giving this much thought since my return as to how I can incorporate scooter towing into my training packages and I'm not sure how, but I will.  Our "club" is a great bunch of people and a few guys want to see this work as well. 

One member, Dave St Pierre, has donated a 110 four stroke scooter and another, Earl Porter who was at the clinic, is going to put it all together.  I will keep you posted as to our progress.  Anyone in the North East that would like to check it out once we are up and running is welcome to do so. 

I would like to suggest to anyone thinking of or are currently instructing that they look into scooter towing.  What you have is a portable flight park at a minimal expense.  We need at least one hundred new operations across the nation using this simple method of welcoming people to our great sport.  We will all benefit. 

Hats off to Wills Wing for looking into the future, as always, and sponsoring the clinics.  Steve Wendt for his time and endless energy and to the Wallaby Ranch for hosting a fun week.

Discuss Scooter tow at the Oz Report forum

The 2007 World Record Encampment

Going to Zapata to float down wind (Zapata, Texas)

Do you have a dream of flying effortlessly in buoyant air floating softly as you drift quickly over the country side below you?  Would you like to fly further than you have ever flown before?  If this describes you, you might consider joining us in Zapata, Texas for the World Record Encampment.  We'll be there between July 7th and August 1st.  You can come for as short as a week or as long as the full encampment.

You'll need to contact <me> soon to register.  If we have sufficient interest (and we can expand the resources to handle up to twenty pilots if need be) we can go earlier (in June).  Normally we have a few dedicated pilots who want to go for world records (and the most world records have been set in Zapata), and we just cater to them.

This year, pilots who are coming to the Worlds in Big Spring (which starts August 7th) may want to think about coming to Zapata first.  They'll can get more aerotow experience and they'll get to go for long flights.

You need to come prepared to Zapata and to be self sufficient.  We provide tows.  We provide a venue.  We provide a hangar where you can set up your hang glider the night before.  The cost is $200/week plus $25/tow. 

We all hang out at the Lake Front Lodge which is a funky RV Park (with a good pool) just outside Zapata with cheap cheap cheap motel rooms (and air conditioning).  We go over to the Zapata airfield which is just a few miles out of town when it looks good for long flights and try to get up around 9:30 AM (while it is still cool).  The winds can be strong, but they are smooth.

You'll need to provide your own retrieval.  There are roads out there, even in the first 35 miles, but you'll have to ask the person at the gate (there are people at the gates because there is a lot of natural gas drilling), for permission to go after someone if they have gone down early.  There is a new north south gravel road just to our east which helps.  After that you just follow the main highways.

Right now Dustin Martin, Pete Lehmann, Andre Wolf and I are going.  Wills Wing is sponsoring Dustin and another pilot.  I'll see if any other manufacturer wants to sponsor a pilot or two down there. 

You can find out more here: http://ozreport.com/wre.php

On August second or third the tugs head north to Leakey for the National Fly-In, the warm up for Big Spring.  They might be able to tow you up in the morning for one last try, if the weather looks good.  The French team is planning to be in Leakey.

Discuss WRE at the Oz Report forum

Wings fold at launch

The side wire on the right side gives way. (Mt. Barkan, Israel)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJV_t4L92pE

Discuss Folding wings at the Oz Report forum

Interesting gliders from the past

Strange birds

http://www.delta-club-82.com/bible/bizarre.php?langue=en Thanks to Ultrasport.

Discuss Interesting glider at the Oz Report forum

Electrical regeneration

Using the prop to charge your battery after you go on glide. (Santa Paula, California)

The article.  (Thanks to Bruce)

Motor gliding is seeing increasing popularity in Europe, but regenerative gliding requires heavy battery power that draws energy from the air from the propeller and stores it for later use.

Discuss Regeneration at the Oz Report forum

2007 Austrian Nationals, Day 3, the final day

The best weather in twenty years (Graz, Austria)

http://www.black-attack.at/airbericht.php?nr=10 

Mag.  Markus Harpf <harpf> writes:

After a rain shower in the night, we had clouds covering Austria.  Most of the pilots thought, that we would have a rest day.  But this year is very different, because it's very sunny and hot.  Lower Austria has the best flying conditions in twenty years in springtime.  The earth is dry, and we had a north wind.  So we had very good conditions for flying a final task.  The task master for the flex wings was Gerolf and he did a good job - sixty four km cat's cradle.  The rigid wings pilots wanted a bigger task and decided to try eighty five km.

For the flex wings Robert Reisinger was first into goal, no rigid wing pilot made more than the one turnpoint.

Discuss Aus Nats, Day 3 at the Oz Report forum

Quest Air - flying over Wallaby

(This topic is in: May 2 May 1 Mar.23 Mar.22 --> )

Checking to make sure everything is okay (Quest Air)

We received a message earlier today that a pilot was unable to get a hold of Wallaby Ranch.  Just to be sure things were still operational down there we headed south to a turnpoint at I4 and highway 27.  Yup, there seemed to be seven gliders tied up on the ground and about six pilots flying over Wallaby as we flew by.  The phone company seems to be disrupting things.

The great weather continues in Florida with 6,000' cloud bases, light easterly winds, cu's marking the lift.  It would have been nice (and maybe boring) to have all this nice weather during the competitions.  We did have one day like this.

Discuss Quest Air at the Oz Report forum

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