Oz Report
Volume 15, Number 148Thursday, July 28 2011
Montecucco, Sigillo, Italy
https://OzReport.com
"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
- In this issue:
Installing the parachute in the ⁢Wills Wing Covert harness Best Flying Sites of the Alps 2011 World Championships - Day 9 CIVL President suffers a stroke 2011 World Championships - Day 10 US Paragliding Nationals in Red Rock 2011 World Championships - a slightly mitigated disaster
Installing the parachute in the ⁢Wills Wing Covert harness
Wed, Jul 27 2011, 9:50:10 am EDTWills Wing Covert harness
The purpose of this description is to detail the methods needed to properly install a parachute into your new Wills Wing Covert harness. Use the following description as a guide but if there are any questions regarding difficulty or specifics not covered below, please feel free to email me at «Shapiro».
Your new harness comes with a deployment bag(s) that is specific to the deployment system designed for the Covert. It is a LARA style bag with an embroidered “paddle” sewn to the handle of the bag. Although your Covert comes with a LARA style bag, it can successfully be used with most if not all of the common chutes used for the sport of Hang Gliding.
The first step toward installing your chute properly is to remove the Covert deployment bag from your new harness and to transfer your parachute into that Covert specific D-bag. This is made easier by laying your Covert with the inside of the harness facing down and the harness opened up so the chute handles are facing the ceiling. The harness should be in this position during the entire installation process as this position allows for the outer shell material to be very loose and easy to manipulate (see photo below). Now, to pull the d-bag out of the harness, you first pull the handle and paddle away from the main harness body, separating the Velcro and clearing the paddle from it’s two triangular shaped captures. Next, use your fingers to separate the (3) zippers that close bombay doors to expose the area where your chute will eventually be installed. Finish by pulling free the Covert d-bag. Set it aside.
1 topic in this article: Wills Wing Covert harness
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Best Flying Sites of the Alps
Wed, Jul 27 2011, 9:54:58 am EDTbook|Greg Hamerton|PG|photo
Greg Hamerton at Eternity Press «info» writes:
Eternity Press has just published Best Flying Sites of the Alps - The complete guidebook for hang glider and paraglider pilots (by Oliver Guenay). This guidebook presents the best flying sites in Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Italy, Switzerland and France, selected for their unique advantages. With many large-format photos, detailed maps and 300 pages of information, it unlocks the secrets of the whole Alps region.
Oliver Guenay's guidebooks of the Alps and the Mediterranean regions are established bestsellers in German. This is the first time his work is available in English, in an entirely new edition that offers comprehensive coverage of 110 sites with official launches, landings and GPS coordinates, expert guidance on flying, cross country routes, cautions and tips, accommodation, directions, contact details and useful info like alternative sporting and cultural activities in every area. Best Flying Sites of the Alps is available worldwide in hardcover and digital from www.bestflyingsites.com.
4 topics in this article: book, Greg Hamerton, PG, photo
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2011 World Championships - Day 9
Wed, Jul 27 2011, 10:10:42 am EDTRich Lovelace|weather|World Championships 2011
The local forecast called for rain around 2 PM. The sky was blue with some nice cu's in the early morning, but the sky continued to fill up during the early morning. At 9:30 AM as we drove up to the south launch at Montecucco, cirrus came in quickly from the west and soon all the ground was shaded and the sky was gray.
The task committee met at 11 AM after we had all set up and called a short task up and down the valley. One of the wind dummies was above the launch. The launching winds were switching between cross from the left and straight in. There were cu's under the cirrus. The sun would now and then be visible behind the gray sky.
The safety committee cancelled the task at the pilot briefing. The reasoning was the launch wasn't safe given the switching winds and that there would be unacceptable crowding near launch given the weak conditions. Immediately after the task was cancelled almost all the pilots launched. Launch conditions were safe and there was no crowding. Pilots found lift and worked up to cloud base a few thousand feet over launch.
By the time that we left (I was one of five that I saw who broke down), there was a light sprinkling. The rain continued to be light for an hour or so but got stronger by 3 PM.
Yesterday I was with Rich Lovelace at the Gubbio turnpoint. I saw the rain to the south south of the next turnpoint south of Gualdo Tedino. I hurried to get to it to stay out of the rain. I got a little rain as I left the turnpoint and headed for goal. Rich didn't rush like I did. When he got within 1.5 kilometers of the southern turnpoint it was a wall of rain. He couldn't see going further south and turned around and landed.
50% chance of thunderstorm tomorrow, 40% on Friday.
3 topics in this article: Rich Lovelace, weather, World Championships 2011
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CIVL President suffers a stroke
Wed, Jul 27 2011, 4:51:10 pm EDTCIVL|John Aldridge|PG
John Aldridge in the last few days has suffered a stroke and it would likely be the case that he would not continue as the CIVL President. We realize that this has been a difficult period for John and for the CIVL Bureau with the recent deaths of paraglider pilots at the World Championships. We appreciate the many years that John has devoted to our sports and we wish him the best.
3 topics in this article: CIVL, John Aldridge, PG
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2011 World Championships - Day 10
Thu, Jul 28 2011, 3:57:15 am EDTBlue Sky|weather|World Championships 2011
The local forecast calls for rain, 80% chance of a thunderstorm. Cloudy now. The meet leader meeting postponed until 11 AM. I see some blue sky.
3 topics in this article: Blue Sky, weather, World Championships 2011
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US Paragliding Nationals in Red Rock
Thu, Jul 28 2011, 5:00:35 am EDT(120 S Main St, Richfield, UT 84701, USA)
PG
http://www.flyxc.org/redrock.html
We went up to launch with high hopes but where shut down again by over development and rain. Tomorrow is looking better. Keeping our fingers crossed.
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/480310
1 topic in this article: PG
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2011 World Championships - a slightly mitigated disaster
Thu, Jul 28 2011, 5:41:59 am EDTweather
The local forecast calls for rain, 70% chance of a thunderstorm on Friday. It appears as though the meet will end with only two flying/tasking days out of the eleven possible flying days. Rain and wind stopped the other days.
Of course, this is not a disaster on the level of what affects the world, as we saw in Norway recently, but it is a personal disaster and a bad thing for the competition hang gliding community. Many pilots have spent vast sums to come and fly in this beautiful area and they have received little value for their expenditures. I'm estimating that it has cost me $3,500/flight. Combine this with my previous attempt at competition in Austria and Italy last month, and the hole in the pocket book looms very large.
I really enjoyed the wonderful and strange flying on the two days that we had tasks. It is very interesting to fly in tricky conditions that appeared not to be able to support hang gliders at all.
Of course, the competition was well organized, especially the registration. Thanks to Flavio and all those who worked with him. I enjoyed very much conversing with Stefano would was in charge of scoring. There is a new (and slightly updated) version of the scoring program, FS here: http://fs.fai.org/. GAP 2011 = GAP 2002.
1 topic in this article: weather
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