Oz Report

Challenge to the Stanwell Park Hang Gliding and Paragliding Club

Open up closed and new sites for training on the coast (Curt s house in Coledale)

Remember the three legged stool:

It is my very strong impression that there are three major elements that make for a successful hang gliding community.  They are: 1) excellent local flying sites, 2) a strong hang gliding club that protects and supports those sites, 3) a dedicated, experienced, and insightful instructor who "feeds the bottom" bringing in new members for the club and community.

The Stanwell Park club now has a new dedicated, experienced, and innovative hang gliding instructor (http://www.warrenwindsports.com/) to compliment the existing long time Stanwell Park area instructors (http://www.hanggliding.com.au/training.htm and http://www.hangglideoz.com.au/tandems.html).  It is important that the club foster and encourage the development of new safety oriented students who will become members of their club, by supporting the instructors that graduate these students.  A big factor is securing local training sites on the coast (like those available to Tony Barton in Newcastle - http://www.air-sports.com.au/).

Curt is currently successfully instructing and putting competent students through, but look at what has been lost in the last few years:

Sandon Point, NE training site and dune gooning site
Mt.  Kierra, NE, thermaling and cross country site, used to have a great ramp
Apple Pie Shop, just north of Stanwell, the RC site, E winds, the best direction for Stanwell
"Sublime", Light S to E winds, a site 10 k from Stanwell, and that has been flown for 30 years.

Instructors can use the valuable assistance of club members (and the HGFA) in securing new sites and opening up sites that were closed in the past.  Highly visible sites near beaches are a great asset as they provide training as well as marketing of the sport to those already inclined to be outside and in search of fun.

Part of the HGFA's mission is to support the growth of the sport.  It can help this by actively working against any proposed site closures in the Illawara area.  It and the Stanwell Park club can work with the local councils (and the new Grand Pacific Drive folks - http://www.grandpacificdrive.com.au/, who are promoting hang gliding as an activity that can be engaged in along this route) to be sure that they are open to making sure that hang gliding instruction has a place at the appropriate beaches.

Bald Hill, Stanwell is an world-class site to fly, but there needs an active effort to preserve and open other sites in the area.  The HGFA should see and genuinely support this effort.

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New from Wills Wing - the T2C

Improvements and updates for the T2 (Wills Wing Factory, California)

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10648&start=15

For 2008, both the T2 and the T2C have a new adjustable sail anchor, and a more effective wand turn/trim adjustment mechanism.  The handling of both configurations is also indistinguishable.  The advantage of the T2C is at full VG, where the stiffer rear leading edges are more effective at controlling twist in the outboard area of the wing, and in combination with the sprog system, make the stability system about 40% stiffer so the sprogs can be adjusted lower.  Also, there is less distortion in the airframe and sail at high speed because the rear leading edges don't bend back.

http://www.willswing.com/dbase/inventory_hgs.asp?theModel=T2

Steve Pearson <Steve> writes:

The T2Cs are just working their way into production and the website info will be updated within a few days.  The email posted in the forum by Nick summarizes the changes.

The handling is more like the first demo T2 that you flew early last year but it has the performance advantage of a stiffer airframe.  If you are flying at full VG, the difference will be noticeable in side-by-side racing.  At slower speeds and VG settings, the performance difference is negligible.  I've also made a number of improvements to the sail cut and construction.

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Tentative 2009 Oz comp schedule

This is a tentative look at the Australian competition schedule for 2009 (Forbes airfield)

I've been working with the various Australian meet organizers coming up with a schedule for 2009.  It is important to get this done early as the Forbes Flatland competes with the Elvis festival in Parkes for accommodation in Forbes (20 km from Parkes).  In fact, as I have pointed out in an earlier article, pilots who are considering coming to Forbes in 2009, should book accommodation now (cancel later if you decide not to come).  For accommodations check here: http://forbes.local-e.nsw.gov.au/about/1180.html.

Forbes Flatlands: Practice day, January 2nd, 2009.  Contest days, January 3rd through 11th, nine competition days with one rest day.  http://moyes.com.au/forbes2008/ and later http://moyes.com.au/forbes2009

Bogong Cup: Practice day, January 13th, Contest days, January 14th through the 22nd, nine competition days, no scheduled rest day.  http://www.xcflight.com/7.html now and http://www.xcflight.com/8.html later.  Did I mention that we all got cool hydration packs (back packs) when we entered this meet in 2008?

Corryong Cup: January 4th through 11th.  This allows pilots to fly the Corryong Cup and then go to the Bogong Cup, if they desire to do so.  http://www.corryongcup.weblite.com.au

Discuss Comp schedule at the Oz Report forum   link»

Aeros gliders

Not just for Oleg any more. (Forbes airfield)

There are a lot of Aeros Combat's being flown here in Australia at the Forbes Flatlands and the Bogong Cup.  It used to be that pilots could attribute the success of the Aeros glider (the World Champion glider, after all) to the skill of the pilot (Oleg).  No longer.  Aeros glider are popular enough now that their results begin to resemble the results racked up by the Moyes pilots (although not quite here in the home of Moyes, Australia).

There were five Aeros Combats in the top twenty at the Forbes Flatlands.  The Russians, of course, fly the Aeros Combats, from the Ukraine (close enough to Russia).  As does Mario Alonzi and Laurent Thevenot (recognize the surname?) from France.

http://www.triptera.com.au/canungra/forbes2008/c1total.html

There were three Aeros Combats in the top ten at the Bogong Cup.  http://weshill.customer.netspace.net.au/bogong 2008 totals.html.

Aeros gliders have a reputation for gliding very well and very fast.  I imagine that they are one of the least expensive gliders these days, but I'm not sure of that.  Depends on the country and the exchange rates I suspect.  Wills Wing gliders are very reasonable in the US, for example.

For the story on the success of Moyes and how the Aeros story here fits in see: http://ozreport.com/11.168

Discuss Aeros at the Oz Report forum   link»

Chabre

A look at the site (in German) (Laragne Chabre,France)

Winfried Oswald <<Winfried.Oswald>> writes:

Regarding fly at Laragne, in one week, I got six flying days in a row with more than two hours thermal soaring on average.  Others were doing 200 km triangles.  The only grounded day was with some nasty cold turbulent northerly wind blowing down from the Mt.  Blanc Alps, locally called "Mistral".  That day however the air was unusually clear and bright.

I have taken some landscape snapshops from the launch area, that are published here http://www.abschweb.de/fleunde/windfried/chabre.htm (Sorry, text is in German.)

You can see the bomb out zones on the images: Top image (View to Northeast), the northerly dropout zone is in the river valley to the lower right.  Lowest picture (SSO view), the southern dropout zone is the apparently green patch in the woods, lower right margin of the image.  It is a good idea to consider knee protectors, as those two landing fields are stony.  The landing place besides the camping in Laragne is of golf course quality.

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Scorekeepers, download Flytec's/Brauniger's with Flychart

Use this free software (you don't need to register it) to download  6030's, 5030's, and Compeo's.

Flychart is a very nice piece of software and works well to download competitor's flights.  If you are having issues with CompeGPS or SeeYou, especially with USB ports and serial drivers, I suggest using Flychart.  You can download it here: http://flytec.com/Products/Software/FlyChart_452.htm.  Flychart can be used to download the track logs from Flytec 5020's, 5030's, 6030's and Brauniger Compeo's and Compeo+'s.

Don't store the flights in the database, but rather in the track log folder for the competition.

Discuss Downloading at the Oz Report forum   link»

OzGAP 2005 program/script minor update

You'll find a new ReadMe.txt file available

http://www.naviter.si/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,238/topic,2742.15

This just provides some additional documentation.  You can find out more about this easy to use GAP scoring program here: http://ozreport.com/11.100#1 and at the URL above.

Discuss Update at the Oz Report forum   link»

Forbes, this weekend

Friday, Saturday, Sunday (Forbes airfield)

We are headed six hours inland to Forbes for a three day flying weekend.  This (picture below) is why it is hard for Australians to leave the coast for the dry country.  Ninety five percent of Australians live within one hour of the beach.

Oz Report editor in the back of the sea kayak, coming back to shore.  Luckily finding only small waves at the particular moment.  Photo by Belinda Boulter.

Discuss Forbes at the Oz Report forum   link»