Oz Report

Help rebuild the ramp at Henson's GAP

"Purchase" one board at a time. (Henson s Gap ramp, TN)

http://www.treetoppers.org/

oliver gregory <olliettt1955> sends:

The Tennessee Tree Toppers are beginning a fund raising project to revamp the famous Radial Ramp at our Henson's Gap site which was originally built way back in 1986.  It was carefully designed to promote smooth air flow and ease of launch with LOTS of vertical dive room.  It is still beautiful, but getting old!  The ramp had a decking face lift many years ago, but the time has come for a major makeover of this hang gliding icon.

The radial section of the ramp is supported by wooden trusses.  These will soon need replacement and the planking is quite weather worn though solid for the time being.  The initiator of this effort is our fellow Tree Topper Jim Lamb of A-I-R USA.  Jim was one of our great team leaders during the 2007 Team Challenge.  During a pleasant dinner out one night, several Tree Toppers were talking about how much the TTT club meant to the hang gliding community and lamenting about how tight our funds are for just keeping up with the basics.  We were hoping the Team Challenge would help our bottom line which it did to the tune of a little over $1000 net profit.  The TTT net profit for the year of 2007 was just a little over $3000, half of which goes, according to our bylaws, into our LZ fund for purchase of a landing field at our Whitwell site.

Anyway, Jim wisely reminded us of our responsibility to maintain what we have.  He strongly suggested we focus on fixing up the ramp to tip top condition with any funds we could raise.  Then he generously offered to match our fund raising efforts!  What a guy!

Early bids for replacing the wooden radial trusses with steel beams and new concrete foundations comes to around $15,000!  The steel beams under the flat part of the ramp are still in good shape.  We have yet to get estimates for the cost of replacing the decking, but expect that to be in the several thousand dollar range.  A TTT board committee is being created to supervise this important project.  At this point, we would like your help to promote our "Revamp the Ramp" fund raiser kickoff.

We are CALLING ALL TREE TOPPERS and all who love hang gliding to help by donating to our REVAMP THE RAMP fund.  We have been selling "Planks" and have many generous donors so far including Mike Nash for 10 of the $100 planks and Steve Kroop of Flytec for 6 of the $100 planks.  Many others have donated items and pledged their efforts to make this work, but we have a very long way to go.

If you would like to help with this great project at the "Hang Gliding Capitol of the East", please check out our website at www.treetoppers.org for information on how to donate.  We hope to raise enough funds to complete the project before Team Challenge 2008 which starts September 28th.

Thanks for all your help with this.  I'll attach a photo or two that would be nice to include in this announcement.  Again, we at the Tennessee Tree Toppers thank you for all the help in promoting this and want to thank all those who have contributed already and all those who pledge donations or efforts toward this necessary project.  The original Wooden Radial Ramp at Henson's is one of the most recognizable hang gliding symbols in the country.  Let's preserve it!

Discuss Rebuild Ramp at the Oz Report forum   link»

The red glider

The Moyes Litespeed RS 4 went through some transformations (Moyes factory in Botany, Australia)

http://ozreport.com/12.002#0

Was it the sail area (the span) after all?

Steve Moyes flew the red Moyes RS 4 at the Canungra Classic and he loved it (he seemed to agree when I mentioned it to him and this is Curt Warren's story).  Then Curt Warren borrowed the glider for a couple of days of flying at the Gulgong Classic.  But before he got it Steve replaced the carbon in board leading edges with aluminum ones.  He didn't test fly it afterwards.  Steve didn't make any adjustments to it.

Curt got the glider and fell down the first day.  He didn't like the glider at all.  The next morning after speaking with Steve, Curt made some changes.  It still flew horrible and he flew it as fast as he could and got to goal first, as he couldn't stand flying it.  Curt made some changes recommended by Steve Moyes the next morning, but Curt didn't have a chance to fly the glider that day.

I got the glider a few weeks later for the Race and Rally.  Still no changes since Curt made his last adjustments.  I didn't know any better and flew the glider.  It was flying me.  It was hard to turn.  I reported on it at the URL above.

I delivered the glider to Steve at Forbes.  He flew the glider for two days, didn't like how it flew, and adjusted the glider.  He liked it after that.

So maybe my experience with the glider is not all that applicable.  And maybe an RS 4 is a good size for me also.

Discuss Red glider at the Oz Report forum   link»

Sooky La La

As heard at the Anapurna winery in Mt. Beauty at breakfast the day after the Bogong Cup .

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Sooky+La+La

A sooky, sad little person who feels the need to whinge about a recent event.

Discuss Sooky La La at the Oz Report forum   link»

Go faster

(This topic is in: May 2 Jan.31 )

Steve was wondering just how fast Attila and Balasz were flying (Forbes airfield)

Steve Moyes was flying 80 km/h between thermals at the Forbes Flatlands and he noticed that Balasz and Attila were pulling away from him.  He spoke with Balasz and asked him how fast he was flying.  Balasz said 90 to 100 km/h.  I noticed this also when I was flying with Balasz.

Discuss Faster at the Oz Report forum   link»

Moyes Matrix Race harness - multiple hang straps

(This topic is in: Jan.31 May 23'07 )

You can exchange hang straps (Moyes factory in Botany, Australia)

Bernard Winkelmann <bernard> writes:

I believe the new Moyes Matrix Race harnesses come with a replaceable hang strap that is no longer sewn in.  This now affords you the ability to have a direct connect when you fly a Moyes glider and a DHV length hang strap for when you switch off.  You might even be able to convince Moyes to make you a WW length hang strap.

This has been confirmed by Vicki at Moyes and I will publish a follow up article with pictures.

Discuss Matrix harness at the Oz Report forum   link»