Oz Report

Flying with Amelia

(66+Tradewinds+Place+Kitchener,+ON+N2N+3G4)

Facebook|video

Ryan Wood «ryawood» writes:

My three year old girl Amelia had been asking over and over to go hang gliding this spring.  So I took her for her first (hang glider) tandem on Saturday and she was just chattering away happily the whole time pointing out all the things she could see and she was begging and pleading to fly again the next morning and to go "really, really high". Here is the video, I wish it would have captured her face better.

The video on Facebook here.

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Hairy Bats

wildlife|wildlife

http://www.abc.net.au/science/articles/2011/06/21/3246956.htm

The researchers then demonstrated that stimulation of the wing hairs, with brief puffs of air from different directions, led to stimulation of the sensory nerve cells at the base of the hairs.  This was distinct from tactile responses due to physical indentation of the skin in conditions of high level airflow.

Thanks to Kris.

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High Seas

video

Videos here.

Thanks to Dick.

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Photos all in one

photo|video

Video here. Should we invite this guy to the Worlds?

peterlangenhahn.com

«peter»

Thanks to Carlos.

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I am completely ashamed that I got Tullio kicked off the Italian team

(Sigillo,+Italy)

Tullio Gervasoni

As you are no doubt aware I published an article a few days ago that discussed the Italian team selection process.  I did this after Tullio Gervasoni had been selected to be on the Italian national team by Falvio Tebaldi.  The article came out of discussions that I had with Tullio at the Italian National Championships (as he states in his subsequent article) and was only published after he had been chosen for the team.

I had already written the article over a number of days and was eager to publish the article and felt that since he was already on the team that he could not be pulled off it. I was very wrong about that.  He could indeed be pulled off the team, and he was immediately pulled off the team right after the article was published.

I am so ashamed that my article has wrecked Tullio's chance of being on the team.  I have begged Flavio to reconsider, all to no avail at this point.  He is set to appoint another Italian pilot to the eighth slot.  I continue to beg Flavio not to do this.  I feel completely responsible for screwing Tullio over in my eagerness to publish an article.

I reframe from publishing many stories that I am told in confidence and not allowed to publish, so I know a lot more than I can share.

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The subjective criteria for choosing a pilot on the Italian team

(Sigillo,+Italy)

A pilot on the Italian team sends me his view of the criteria used to choose pilots beyond the first four (which use objective criteria):

To understand better the system you have to consider that normally the choice is for one pilot out of five or two out of six top.  Everything looks amplified this year because the pilots are four but don't forget that only two are going to score for the team.

The choice is pretty much discretional but there are some guide lines that the commissioner normally look at when it's time to decide.  Here in my experience and opinion the most important ones.

1- Complete the team in terms of flying characteristics

For example, our team in Laragne had three pilots potentially very fast and consistent.  To complete the team you needed to have consistent pilots to back up possible mistakes of the first three.  The key of that comp was to have the back up able to bring an average of 850 points when the team needed.  In order to do that the back up pilot must be consistent in the medium/high part of the daily score and also consider his personal result as a secondary target.

2- Recent results

Since part of the team is chosen looking at the previous year ranking that allow the commissioner to consider the hottest pilot on the field (for example, last year at the Europeans has been chosen the 2010 Italian Champion, Moroder, as sixth).

3- Past result in same area/condition

For example, Reichegger last year at the pre worlds has finished 15^th overall.  Fourth of the Italians in the field and he has history of very good result at the past comps in met Cucco.

4- Young pilots of potential future interest for the team

Especially when there are places available, like the seventh and eight pilots this year, that don't score for the team.  They can can get used with big comps without the pressure to affect the team with unfortunate bad results and be ready to help the team in the future.

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The World Record Encampment - Friday

A.I.R. ATOS VR|Lawrence "Pete" Lehmann|Mike Barber|Pete Lehmann|record|weather|World Record Encampment 2011

(Zapata, Texas, USA)

BJ Herring goes for a 260 mile (418 km) triangle in his ATOS VR. He started at around 11:30 AM with a sky full of beautiful cu's.

This shot is taken looking east from near the hangar at around 10:40 AM.

Pete Lehmann was going to fly south launching a little after noon.  Mike Barber was going to try out a Moyes Litespeed RS. He normally flies a Litespeed S. The Brazilians were just showing up around noon.

http://ozreport.com/txweather.php

B.J. was going very slowly.  Pete popped a weaklink at ten feet and landed on his belly on the payment, gouging his knee.  He went to the emergency room for that.  Three Brazilians (Eduardo, Paulo, and Alex) towed up between 2 PM and 2:30 PM into great lift and a cu filled sky.  They might try a 100 KM triangle.  Mike flew his test fight and came in and landed on his wheels on the pavement.

B.J. flew an out and return to the north.  He was getting 600 to 800 fpm lift later in the afternoon.

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The World Record Encampment - Saturday

(Zapata, Texas, USA)

record|World Record Encampment 2011

With the morning winds and the cu's forming before sunrise, the Zapata we know and appreciate returns.  I ride my bike out to the airport and still I'm the first pilot to get his glider positioned next to the runway at a little after nine.  It's a constant back and forth to get all the equipment out of the hangar, setup and ready to launch.

BJ Herring is off first a little after ten.  I'm next at 10:20. Mikey after me and then the Brazilians.

I tow east to 3,100' just above cloud base and then head northeast paralleling highway 16 toward Hebronville.  I want to get as east as possible to counteract the southeast wind and be able get around Laredo airspace.  BJ reported lift just below cloud base, but I didn't find any until I was down to 1,500'. It was weak and I was thinking that maybe I wanted to land close to the highway and not risk drifting into no man's land.

I stuck with the lift as I drifted northwest.  Mikey came over to me and got in the 100 fpm 200 feet above me. BJ was out front doing well.  Mikey and I climbed very slowly not finding any good cores drifting away from the paved road.

It continued this way for fifteen minutes until I didn't find the weak lift that Mikey did to my west.  I landed a mere ten kilometers out from Zapata.  Mikey got back up and continued north.

It took me four hours to get out from behind two locked gates with the very fortunate help of Chris who lived nearby.  Mikey got one hundred miles out.  BJ. stopped 165 miles out landing near Uvalde as the cu's ran out at the hill country and he wasn't going fast enough.  The Brazilian landed around Laredo and were all picked up by six.

Sunday looks like stronger winds and south southeast.  Nice cu's today, but not streeted up as the winds weren't that strong.  They build tomorrow.

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The World Record Encampment - Sunday

(Zapata, Texas, USA)

Lawrence "Pete" Lehmann|Mike Barber|Pete Lehmann|record|World Record Encampment 2011

http://wre500.blogspot.com/

It started off as a record day with the over running in place and strong winds, and nice cloud streets setting up with a south southeast (170 degree) wind.  After going down early yesterday I was set to go a little later, but the day was obviously much better much earlier.  BJ Herring in his ATOS was launched first into a wicked cross wind and found lift and a high cloud base not long after 10 AM. Mike Barber was next, then Pete Lehmann.  I launched around 10:50 a half hour later than the previous day and found much better lift and a higher cloud base at 3,700'. I was much further east and that would later make it much easier to get around the Laredo airspace, which with the south southeast wind wouldn't be too difficult to begin with.

After a difficult day of retrieves yesterday only Alex from the Brazilians was ready to go today.  He would launch quite a bit later after me.

I found lift averaging 100 to 200 fpm, sometimes less.  I often had to take what I could get to stay up and not risk landing behind locked gates.  I could hear the three pilots ahead of me doing well, so that was encouraging.  Alex's radio didn't work.

I got to the first crossing highway, San Ignacio highway, which was a relief but, of course, I was down to 1,000' AGL, so I had to work what was there and drift with the 21 mph winds to the north northwest.  I was way east of the normal course line, which felt great.

There were plenty of streets and even though I was flying a Northwing Freedom 179, a single surface glider, which does not go fast, I had to jump streets to stay with the lift.  I was down to 900' after one of the jumps and found 600 to 700 fpm for the first strong lift of the day.  I was out in the middle of nowhere, of course, but that got me over Interstate 35 and up highway 83.

Staying east of highway 83, which is our normal course line, I jumped from cu to cu as the streets weren't continuous, but they were there.  I was able to stay above 2,500' AGL and climb to 6,600' just past Catarina at around 100 miles out.  I was making over 45 km/hour.

Heading northwest taking the shortcut toward LA Pryor I flew over to a cloud street and worked it but could get over 5,500'. I went on glide but didn't find much under the next two cu's in the street.  I dove to the west to get under a good looking cloud but it didn't work either and I had to land east of Crystal City, 199.7 kilometers out.  The record I was trying for (mine) is 330 kilometers.

Mike and BJ were making record setting speeds for the first two hours.  They were going well over 40 mph.  But things slowed up in the hill country.  BJ landed 270 miles out.  Mike and Pete were about 200 miles out.  Alex who started way behind and never had radio contact landed at 250 miles out and BJ's driver picked him up.

Tomorrow, who knows?

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