Oz Report

Tin Cup

(This topic is in: <-- Apr.17 Apr.16 Apr.15 Apr.14 Apr.11 Apr.10 Apr.9 --> )

Who is responsible for all this innovation? (Cathedral City, CA, USA)

Our series of articles on hang glider prices have now led to a discussion about innovation and who was the innovator.  Steve Pearson from Wills Wing has responded to a claim from Moyes: "...we were the ones to introduce carbon tubing and new Mylar alternatives,..." with claims of his own as well as a look at history.

I hope that out of this back and forth we can gain a clearer picture of all the great innovations that underlie the hang gliders that we are privileged to fly today.  While I realize there is a bit of a rivalry here, but I'm focusing on getting the information out and trying to resolve the issues not stir up resentments.

No one has done this before.  The Oz Report is out ahead looking at the deep history of hang gliding and what makes these machine so unique and interesting.  I hope that Oz Report readers appreciate our efforts.  And, of course, show their appreciation through their support of our efforts.

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Discuss Tin Cup at the Oz Report forum   link»

Jonny Durand on gliding to the horizon

Let's look at the results (Beechmont, QLD, Australia)

jon durand <jonnyjnr80> writes:

I have been reading your discussion on glider prices and performance and could not help but make some comments myself.

First, I just want to make a few comments on the letters that have already been published from Moyes and Wills Wing.  I think there are some misinterpretations from the letter Moyes sent to you, as Steve Pearson pointed out.  I believe the comment about Moyes being the first ones to use carbon tubing is not correct, but it is true that Moyes kept developing and using carbon tubing whilst other manufacturers were avoiding it because of cost and lack of performance gain.  Over the past five years, Moyes have invested significant amounts of research and development into perfecting the carbon components for the Litespeed, and now just recently other manufacturers are starting to offer more carbon components.

Wills Wing did develop the pre preg base bar and A frame which were fitted to many different gliders, including Litespeeds.  Steve Pearson has done many great things for the development of the sport, just like Gerolf, Oleg and Manfred have done over the years.  It would be fair to say that without all of these guys we would not be where we are today.

I don't want to get too much into that side of things but I will say that when you are going to purchase your next glider there are many things to look at.

I have been around hang gliding most of my life and have seen the performance and safety of hang gliders improving every year since I was nine years old.  The gliders we're flying today have so much performance that sometimes it can be hard to see the difference between the different manufacturers, but that does not mean there is none.

Obviously everyone wants to have the best glider, whether it is for winning a competition, obtaining a personal best in a cross country flight, or simply just having a fun fly.  The most important thing is to be on a glider that is comfortable for you in all aspects, regardless of the advertised performance that you may hear or read about.  I know many top pilots who have very different flying styles and not every model suits every pilot.  This is why Moyes, unlike most manufacturers, produces seven different sizes of their high performance glider to suit every flying style and weight, so that you can get that confidence to succeed.

This is why there are nine of the top ten and sixteen of the top twenty pilots in the world flying Moyes gliders (http://civlrankings.fai.org/?a=326&ladder_id=1).  All of these pilots have found a Moyes glider to suit their flying style and meet their performance expectations.  Now you just have to decide whether you think you're one of these pilots who want what they're looking for or would rather save money and hope that what you read or hear is not false advertising.

I noticed in the recent Wills Wing ad that the T2 can glide beyond the horizon.  I know I mentioned earlier that our performance these days is great but, please, if there is really a hang glider out there that can glide beyond the horizon, I want to fly it.  Until then, I will stick with Moyes.

Discuss Durand at the Oz Report forum   link»

Vertex/Yaesu VX 150 2m radio

This is the radio I use (Cathedral City, CA, USA)

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/1324

The VX-150 is not the smallest, lightest, most powerful or even prettiest radio on the market; but it has to be one of the most rugged.  My VX-150 is about 4 years old and has been dropped, rained on, thrown in the car and buried in a rucksack.  It still keeps going.  I think that it was one the best purchases I ever made and is excellent value for money.

http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/ht/3187.html

Vertex

$117.95 (Comes with two batteries.)

I have had a problem with the ear piece/PTT connector on the side of my radio after four or five years.  I had to tape the "adapter" to the side of the radio to keep it going.  I've since given this radio to my wife to replace the VX-5R, and ordered a new VX 150.

I very strongly suggest ordering the special version of the Motocomm PTT/system from Flytec USA, which comes with the special small button and no need for an adapter.  The model for the Vertex 150 is actually close to MC- 558 (I believe).  Steve Kroop at Flytec USA can help you get the right model that was developed specifically for hang gliding.

I also have a couple of higher capacity batteries that require an external universal charger.  This charger is such a hassle that I rarely use it any more and just use the 700 mah batteries (FNB 68) that come standard.  They seem to last plenty long enough.

Discuss Vertex 150 at the Oz Report forum   link»

Motocomm

(This topic is in: Apr.14 Jul.28'06 Mar.28'02 Mar.27'02 --> )

Get these to go with your radio (Indian Harbor Beach, FL)

Steve Kroop <info> writes:

These kits come in several configurations to accommodate different radios, open face and full face helmets.  The speaker/microphone harness has 2 ultra-thin speakers and microphone.  The image above shows the large PTT switch, however, the kits that we stock have the compact finger PTT and a longer 50" lead so the coiled extension is not necessary.  This thankfully eliminates the coil and a set of connectors.  They are easy to install and come with helpful accessories to make installation easy and professional looking.

The kit comes complete with.:

1pc Speaker/Microphone Headset for Full-Face Helmets (pictured) and open face (not pictured)
1pc Push-To-Talk (PTT) Switch with 50" lead (not pictured)
1pc 3-Way Interface Cable (pictured)
1pc Coiled PTT Extension Cable (pictured)
All Installation Accessories (not pictured)
MotoComm headsets

We stock kit configurations for Yaesu and Icom, open and full-face helmets.  Sets for other radios are available upon request.  For more information : <info>

Flytec has a Motocomm headset specifically designed for hang glider pilots.  These are the least expensive and the best headsets available.  I've used mine for years.  I couldn't be happier.  They are so inexpensive that you can order a couple to always have a spare on hand.

Discuss Motocomm at the Oz Report forum   link»

Rechargeable batteries

Getting the right charger

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/001078.html

In general you want the "hybrid" or "pre-charged" varieties, and should ignore ridiculous claims about capacity.

Most bundled battery chargers are junk.  Given the inherent compromises of charging, you need something smart.  That's why I ended up tossing my generic "rapid" chargers in favor of the majestic, glorious, and surprisingly inexpensive La Crosse Technology BC-900 AlphaPower battery charger.

Discuss Batteries at the Oz Report forum   link»

Solar Chargers

A little green energy

http://www.greenbatteries.com/coexfl5fsoch.html

http://www.greenbatteries.com/solarproducts.html

Discuss Solar at the Oz Report forum   link»

Is anyone going outside?

Where are all the people (hint: in front of some screen or other)? (Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, AZ)

http://egan.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/the-ghosts-of-casa-grande/index.html

Casa Grande was the nation’s first archaeological preserve, an earth-colored fortress of wonder set aside in 1892.  For years, visitors flocked to this desert monument, as much a part of the culture of our land as anything built by bewigged colonists in Massachusetts.  But like most other units of the national park system, Casa Grande Ruins National Monument has been a lonely place of late.  Last year, only 76,854 people came here — the lowest number of visitors in 47 years.  Over the last decade, the number of people who come to Casa Grande has declined by 50 percent.

We'll be flying over this Monument start the weekend after next.

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/105/7/2295

 After 50 years of steady increase, per capita visits to U.S.  National Parks have declined since 1987.  To evaluate whether we are seeing a fundamental shift away from people's interest in nature, we tested for similar longitudinal declines in 16 time series representing four classes of nature participation variables: (i) visitation to various types of public lands in the U.S.  and National Parks in Japan and Spain, (ii) number of various types of U.S.  game licenses issued, (iii) indicators of time spent camping, and (iv) indicators of time spent backpacking or hiking.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695257954,00.html

In the last two decades, park visits, permits for camping or fishing and other data show a fundamental, pervasive shift away from outdoor activities, the Bryn Mawr ecologist concludes in a study published recently in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

National parks are still popular, to be sure.  Last year, 275 million people visited them.  But adjusting for population increases, Zaradic says attendance is 70 million short of a 1987 peak.

Overall, participation in outdoor activities has declined 18 percent to 25 percent, according to the study by Zaradic and co-author Oliver R.W.  Pergams, a University of Illinois conservation geneticist.

They link the decline to a term they coined, videophilia, that is, doing stuff indoors in front of a screen — watching TV, sitting at computers, playing Xbox — instead of taking a hike.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-trice_11feb11,1,5963743.column

If you love outdoor activities, apparently you're in a minority.  That's according to Oliver Pergams, a conservation biologist and visiting professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Participation in nature activities is down a whopping 18 percent to 25 percent since peak levels.  Doesn't that bum you out?  It bums me out.

This is Pergams' third paper on this subject.  The first, published in 2004, looked at the rate at which Americans were visiting U.S.  national parks.  Back then, Pergams and fellow researchers found that the per capita visits to national parks have declined since 1987.  But between 1939 (the earliest year data were available) and 1987 there was a steady increase in visits.

Discuss Outside at the Oz Report forum   link»