Oz Report
topic: Kathryn O'Riordan (18 articles)
Dalby Big Air Hang Gliding 2014
Dalby Big Air HG 2014
Windy
(Dalby, Queensland, Australia)
Conrad Loten|Facebook|Grant Heaney|John Smith|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Jon Durand snr|Kathryn O'Riordan|Moyes Litespeed RX|Steve Blenkinsop|Tim Osborn
http://www.williamolive.com/dalby/2014/
Adam Stevens' driver help with retrieve:
Kathryn O'Riordan driving to goal:
Brodrick explains: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=718361818208119
Grant and Blinky at goal. Grant flew under the power lines to get there:
Task 5:
# | Name | Glider | Time | km/h | Dist. | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Steve Blenkinsop | Moyes Litespeed RX 3.5 | 02:38:45 | 32,6 | 86,24 | 971 |
2 | Grant Heaney | Moyes Litespeed RX 3.5 | 02:38:54 | 32,6 | 86,24 | 951 |
3 | Len Paton | Moyes Litespeed RX 4 | 85,01 | 807 | ||
4 | adam stevens | Moyes Litespeed RX 3.5 | 79,78 | 784 | ||
4 | John Smith | Moyes Litespeed RS 4 | 80,18 | 784 | ||
6 | Glen Mcfarlane | Moyes Litespeed RX 3.5 | 80,61 | 759 | ||
7 | Jon snr Durand | Moyes Litespeed RX4 | 76,05 | 729 | ||
8 | Trevor Purcell | Moyes Litespeed S 5 | 73,68 | 698 | ||
9 | Guy Hubbard | Moyes Litespeed RS 4 | 72,33 | 697 | ||
10 | Frank Chetcuti | Moyes Litespeed RS 3.5 | 71,02 | 666 |
Cumulative:
# | Name | Glider | Total |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Steve Blenkinsop | Moyes Litespeed RX 3.5 | 4235 |
2 | John Smith | Moyes Litespeed RS 4 | 4062 |
3 | Guy Hubbard | Moyes Litespeed RS 4 | 3883 |
4 | adam stevens | Moyes Litespeed RX 3.5 | 3754 |
5 | Grant Heaney | Moyes Litespeed RX 3.5 | 3683 |
6 | Conrad Loten | Moyes Litespeed RX 3.5 | 3626 |
7 | Len Paton | Moyes Litespeed RX 4 | 3437 |
8 | Glen Mcfarlane | Moyes Litespeed RX 3.5 | 3385 |
9 | Jon snr Durand | Moyes Litespeed RX4 | 3167 |
10 | Tim Osborn | Moyes Litespeed S 5 | 3097 |
10 topics in this article: Conrad Loten, Facebook, Grant Heaney, John Smith, Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr, Jon Durand snr, Kathryn O'Riordan, Moyes Litespeed RX, Steve Blenkinsop, Tim Osborn
Dalby Big Air HG 2014
Dalby Big Air HG 2014
Day one, a thunderstorm
(Dalby, Queensland, Australia)
Adam Parer|Cameron Tunbridge|Curt Warren|John Smith|Kathryn O'Riordan|Konrad Heilmann|Steve Blenkinsop|Tim Osborn|Wills Wing
Adam Parer|Cameron Tunbridge|Curt Warren|John Smith|Kathryn O'Riordan|Konrad Heilmann|Moyes Litespeed RX|Steve Blenkinsop|Tim Osborn|Wills Wing
Adam Parer|Cameron Tunbridge|Curt Warren|John Smith|Kathryn O'Riordan|Konrad Heilmann|Moyes Litespeed RX|Steve Blenkinsop|Tim Osborn|Wills Wing
http://www.williamolive.com/dalby/2014/
# | Name | Glider | Dist. | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Guy Hubbard | Moyes Litespeed RS 4 | 23,76 | 121 |
2 | Steve Blenkinsop | Moyes Litespeed RX 3.5 | 21,12 | 113 |
2 | Curt Warren | Moyes Litespeed RS4 | 21,13 | 113 |
2 | cameron tunbridge | airborne rev 14.5 | 21,14 | 113 |
2 | Konrad Heilmann | Moyes Litespeed S 5 | 21,08 | 113 |
2 | adam stevens | airbone rev 13.5 | 21,14 | 113 |
2 | Tim Osborne | wills wing u2 | 21,07 | 113 |
8 | Adam Parer | Moyes Litespeed RX 3.5 | 21,07 | 112 |
8 | John Smith | Moyes Litespeed S 5 | 21,04 | 112 |
10 | Frank Chetcuti | Moyes Litespeed RS 3.5 | 20,82 | 111 |
Task stopped due to a thunderstorm.
Kathryn O'Riordan took this shot after landing:
Adam Stevens gets this shot:
Day two, the ground is too wet for aerotowing.
Discuss "Dalby Big Air HG 2014" at the Oz Report forum link»
9 topics in this article: Adam Parer, Cameron Tunbridge, Curt Warren, John Smith, Kathryn O'Riordan, Konrad Heilmann, Steve Blenkinsop, Tim Osborn, Wills Wing
Forbes Flatlands, by the numbers »
Thu, Jan 2 2014, 2:56:21 pm EST
Forbes Flatlands, by the numbers
Something seems to be missing from the latest results
Akiko Suzuki|Attila Bertok|Cameron Tunbridge|Conrad Loten|Davis Straub|Enda Murphy|Filippo Oppici|Forbes Flatlands 2014|Jamie Shelden|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Jon Durand jnr|Jon Durand snr|Kathryn O'Riordan|Nick Purcell|Paris Williams|Phil Schroder|Rohan Taylor|Steve Blenkinsop|Trent Brown|Wills Wing|Wills Wing T2C
http://www.forbesflatlands.com/results.html
# | Name | Glider |
---|---|---|
1 | Jonny Durand | Moyes RX 3.5 |
2 | Paris Williams | Aeros Combat GT 13.2 |
3 | Michael Bilyk | Moyes RX 3.5 |
3 | Steve Blenkinsop | Moyes RX 3.5 |
5 | Filippo Oppici | Wills Wing T2C 144 |
6 | Adam Stevens | Moyes RX 3.5 |
7 | Jeff Robertson | Moyes RX 3.5 |
8 | Christian Voiblet | Wills Wing T2C 144 |
9 | Davis Straub | Moyes RX 3.5 |
10 | Conrad Loten | Moyes RX 3.5 |
11 | Rod Flockhart | Moyes RX 3.75 |
11 | Jonas Lobitz | Moyes RX 4 |
13 | Glen Mcfarlane | Moyes RX 3.5 |
14 | Cameron Tunbridge | Wills Wing T2C 154 |
15 | Rohan Taylor | Moyes RS |
16 | Anton Struganov | Moyes RX |
17 | Neil Petersen | Aeros Combat |
18 | Trent Brown | Moyes RX 3.5 |
19 | Yasuhiro Noma | Moyes RX 3.5 |
20 | Lukas Bader | Moyes RS |
20 | Guy Hubbard | Moyes RS 4 |
22 | Attila Bertok | Moyes RX 5 |
23 | Tony Giammichele | Moyes RS 3.5 |
24 | Andrew Luton | Airborne C4 |
25 | Ryosuke Hattori | Aeros Combat |
26 | Olav Olsen | Moyes RS |
27 | Mark Russell | Moyes RS4 |
28 | Kathryn O'Riordan | Moyes RX 3 |
29 | Phil Schroder | Airborne Rev |
30 | Victor Hare | Moyes RX 3.5 |
31 | Peter Lamont | Moyes S 5 |
32 | Len Paton | Moyes RS 4 |
33 | Maximilian Respondek | Moyes RS |
34 | Peter Ebeling | Wills Wing T2C 144 |
35 | Jon snr Durand | Moyes RS 3.5 |
36 | Gavin Myers | Moyes S5 |
36 | Enda Murphy | Moyes RX 3.5 |
38 | Nils Vesk | Moyes RX 3.5 |
39 | Dean Hervatin | Airborne Rev |
40 | Andrew Barnes | Moyes RS 3.5 |
41 | Adam Jones | Moyes S |
42 | Federico Martini | Moyes RX 3.5 |
43 | Akiko Suzuki | Icaro Laminar |
44 | Nick Purcell | Moyes RS 4 |
45 | Michael Tomlinson | |
46 | Patrick Collin | Moyes RS |
47 | Tony Masters | Moyes RX 3.5 |
48 | Mikhail Karmazin | Aeros Combat |
49 | Jamie Shelden | Wills Wing T2C 136 |
50 | Phil Seeley | Airborne C4 |
51 | Ai Fukutomi | Moyes RX 3 |
52 | Hadewych van Kempen | Moyes Litesport |
52 | Hanspeter Schütz | Moyes RX 3.5 |
21 topics in this article: Akiko Suzuki, Attila Bertok, Cameron Tunbridge, Conrad Loten, Davis Straub, Enda Murphy, Filippo Oppici, Forbes Flatlands 2014, Jamie Shelden, Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr, Jon Durand jnr, Jon Durand snr, Kathryn O'Riordan, Nick Purcell, Paris Williams, Phil Schroder, Rohan Taylor, Steve Blenkinsop, Trent Brown, Wills Wing, Wills Wing T2C
Forbes Flatlands, Task 3, day 3 »
Mon, Dec 30 2013, 8:03:21 am EST
Forbes Flatlands, Task 1, day 1
Attila suggests a change that makes the task easier
Attila Bertok|Cameron Tunbridge|Conrad Loten|Davis Straub|Enda Murphy|Filippo Oppici|Forbes Flatlands 2013|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Jon Durand jnr|Jon Durand snr|Kathryn O'Riordan|Nick Purcell|Paris Williams|Phil Schroder|Rohan Taylor|Steve Blenkinsop|Trent Brown|Wills Wing|Wills Wing T2C
The forecast was for lift better than the day before but not quite as good as the first day. We would be able to get to 8,000'. The winds would start light but build to 11 knots south west. Again no cu's.
The task committee called a dogleg to Tomingley (with a eleven kilometer cylinder) just to keep us on the mountain range and then to Yeoval, but there was some kind of hubbub about that so after a discussion with the Task Committee and input from Attila, they changed the goal to Wellington airfield. The course line would have taken us through Parkes airspace which is okay with our air band radios. (The Sport Class goal was straight o Yeoval right smack dab through the Parkes airspace and one pilot made it.)
Unlike day 2 there was plenty of lift right away and I climbed to 5,000' and a little later to almost 6,000'. The winds varied between four and twelve mph out of the south west.
We moved quickly to the northwest to get upwind of the course line and to the edge of the ten kilometer start cylinder. There were plenty of pilots around. The wind pushed us back toward the course line and Jonny, Attila, and Jon Snr took the 2:30 PM first start clock (which turned out not to do them any good at all). The rest of us waited for the 2:50 clock and a big gaggle took off then.
The lift varied between 400 and 500 fpm on average. Good cores that allowed one to put the glider up on a tip if there wasn't any interference from other gliders. There was a eleven mph tail wind, so the going was easy.
I was a bit lower than the top guys in the lead gaggle. Paris, Steve Blenkisop, Jonas and another pilot jumped ahead of the gaggle. Later I took off from lower down the gaggle following one higher pilot while the rest stayed behind. This got me into better lift quicker and when the gaggle caught me I was now relatively much higher.
We came to the ridge south of the Tomingley turnpoint plenty high and found good lift. Paris, etc. were high above us but we were climbing fast. We found good lift going over the ridge to the east and on the other side. Paris, Steve, and Jonas got flushed on the other side and watched us as we flew other them as they dug their way out of a small valley.
We continued to find good lift going east although I had to stop for 250 fpm before I went further into the next set of hills to get 500 fpm to 7,500'. There were pilots all around in various thermals getting up.
It was a nineteen kilometer glide to the ridge west of Wellington and the last obstacle before goal at the airfield. We were down to 1,700' AGL before four of us got into 200 fpm which was the last thermal needed to get to goal thirteen kilometers away. We had no problem making it in.
Plenty of pilots at goal, thirty five to be exact.
http://www.forbesflatlands.com/results.html
Task 3:
# | Name | Glider | SS | ES | Time | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Anton Struganov | Moyes RX | 14:50:00 | 17:30:09 | 02:40:09 | 952 |
2 | Lukas Bader | Moyes RS | 14:50:00 | 17:30:12 | 02:40:12 | 949 |
3 | Michael Bilyk | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:50:00 | 17:30:58 | 02:40:58 | 930 |
4 | Jonas Lobitz | Moyes RX 4 | 14:50:00 | 17:31:00 | 02:41:00 | 929 |
5 | Trent Brown | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:50:00 | 17:31:09 | 02:41:09 | 926 |
6 | Filippo Oppici | Wills Wing T2C | 14:50:00 | 17:31:32 | 02:41:32 | 919 |
7 | Christian Voiblet | Wills Wing T2C | 14:50:00 | 17:31:50 | 02:41:50 | 914 |
8 | Conrad Loten | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:50:00 | 17:32:02 | 02:42:02 | 911 |
9 | Attila Bertok | Moyes RX 5 | 14:30:00 | 17:19:43 | 02:49:43 | 901 |
10 | Jonny Durand | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:30:00 | 17:19:54 | 02:49:54 | 899 |
11 | Paris Williams | Aeros Combat GT | 14:50:00 | 17:35:13 | 02:45:13 | 868 |
12 | Glen Mcfarlane | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:50:00 | 17:35:40 | 02:45:40 | 863 |
13 | Steve Blenkinsop | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:50:00 | 17:36:21 | 02:46:21 | 855 |
14 | Davis Straub | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:50:00 | 17:39:17 | 02:49:17 | 823 |
15 | Yasuhiro Noma | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:30:00 | 17:28:01 | 02:58:01 | 811 |
16 | Enda Murphy | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:50:00 | 17:41:06 | 02:51:06 | 805 |
17 | Guy Hubbard | Moyes RS 4 | 14:30:00 | 17:29:25 | 02:59:25 | 798 |
18 | Jon snr Durand | Moyes RS 3.5 | 14:30:00 | 17:31:07 | 03:01:07 | 781 |
19 | Andrew Barnes | Moyes RS 3.5 | 14:50:00 | 17:45:04 | 02:55:04 | 769 |
19 | Nick Purcell | Moyes RS 4 | 14:30:00 | 17:32:29 | 03:02:29 | 769 |
21 | Gavin Myers | Moyes S5 | 14:30:00 | 17:33:26 | 03:03:26 | 761 |
21 | Adam Stevens | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:30:00 | 17:33:26 | 03:03:26 | 761 |
23 | Olav Olsen | Moyes RS | 14:30:00 | 17:34:53 | 03:04:53 | 748 |
24 | Rohan Taylor | Moyes RS | 14:30:00 | 17:35:57 | 03:05:57 | 739 |
25 | Phil Schroder | Airborne Rev | 14:30:00 | 17:39:41 | 03:09:41 | 708 |
26 | Federico Martini | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:50:00 | 17:54:41 | 03:04:41 | 695 |
27 | Tony Giammichele | Moyes RS 3.5 | 14:50:00 | 17:55:05 | 03:05:05 | 692 |
28 | Victor Hare | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:30:00 | 17:42:43 | 03:12:43 | 685 |
29 | Mark Russell | moyes RS4 | 14:30:00 | 17:43:52 | 03:13:52 | 677 |
30 | Andrew Luton | Airborne C4 | 14:50:00 | 17:57:39 | 03:07:39 | 675 |
31 | Geoff Robertson | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:30:00 | 17:48:54 | 03:18:54 | 642 |
32 | Neil Petersen | Aeros Combat | 14:50:00 | 18:12:47 | 03:22:47 | 588 |
33 | Kathryn O'Riordan | Moyes RX 3 | 14:30:00 | 18:05:04 | 03:35:04 | 547 |
34 | Nils Vesk | Moyes RX 3.5 | 14:30:00 | 18:12:56 | 03:42:56 | 509 |
35 | Cameron Tunbridge | Wills Wing T2C | 14:30:00 | 18:26:04 | 03:56:04 | 454 |
Cumulative:
1 | Michael Bilyk | USA | Moyes RX 3.5 | 2825 |
2 | Paris Williams | USA | Aeros Combat GT | 2763 |
3 | Conrad Loten | NZL | Moyes RX 3.5 | 2727 |
4 | Jonas Lobitz | NZL | Moyes RX 4 | 2714 |
5 | Anton Struganov | RUS | Moyes RX | 2690 |
6 | Steve Blenkinsop | AUS | Moyes RX 3.5 | 2651 |
7 | Glen Mcfarlane | AUS | Moyes RX 3.5 | 2648 |
8 | Trent Brown | AUS | Moyes RX 3.5 | 2625 |
9 | Lukas Bader | GER | Moyes RS | 2618 |
10 | Adam Stevens | AUS | Moyes RX 3.5 | 2506 |
11 | Yasuhiro Noma | JPN | Moyes RX 3.5 | 2410 |
12 | Guy Hubbard | AUS | Moyes RS 4 | 2378 |
13 | Jonny Durand | AUS | Moyes RX 3.5 | 2068 |
14 | Filippo Oppici | ITA | Wills Wing T2C | 2001 |
15 | Rohan Taylor | AUS | Moyes RS | 1971 |
16 | Christian Voiblet | SUI | Wills Wing T2C | 1970 |
17 | Gavin Myers | AUS | Moyes S5 | 1944 |
18 | Tony Giammichele | AUS | Moyes RS 3.5 | 1930 |
19 | Geoff Robertson | AUS | Moyes RX 3.5 | 1890 |
20 | Davis Straub | USA | Moyes RX 3.5 | 1877 |
21 | Attila Bertok | HUN | Moyes RX 5 | 1815 |
No Australians among the top five.
19 topics in this article: Attila Bertok, Cameron Tunbridge, Conrad Loten, Davis Straub, Enda Murphy, Filippo Oppici, Forbes Flatlands 2013, Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr, Jon Durand jnr, Jon Durand snr, Kathryn O'Riordan, Nick Purcell, Paris Williams, Phil Schroder, Rohan Taylor, Steve Blenkinsop, Trent Brown, Wills Wing, Wills Wing T2C
Pilots flocking into goal
Pilots flocking into goal
Many make the goal on the first day of the 2013 Worlds
Facebook|Kathryn O'Riordan
The first start window was 2:15 PM. Christian Voiblet was first into goal before 6 PM. Many pilots came in next, and started later. We'll know who the winner is later tonight perhaps.
Photo by Kathryn O'Riordan
2 topics in this article: Facebook, Kathryn O'Riordan
Get better soon, again
Kathryn makes the news
(Hall Australian Capital Territory, Australia)
Kathryn O'Riordan
http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/hangglider-injured-20121019-27x8p.html
A hang-glider pilot was in a stable condition in Canberra Hospital last night after she crashed near the ACT/NSW border.
ACT Ambulance officers found the 35-year-old woman near Hall where she was stabilised and moved to the hospital. She had suffered an upper arm fracture.
Kathryn O'Riordan «coretherapieskath» writes:
I don't know how to say this without sounding like a bloody idiot but it was me. I'm fine. It was on the news 30 minutes after it happened. Looks like the 000 girl loves to talk.
Broke my arm same place as last time. Almost exactly the same time as last year, in very similar circumstances. Coming in on final, thinking I had given myself plenty of paddock. Well turns out I didn't and came to a stop at Dave's glider. Tried to flare into it but my side wires caught his glider and spun me in.
10 weeks recovery. I've decided not to do Forbes.
Discuss "Get better soon, again" at the Oz Report forum link»
1 topic in this article: Kathryn O'Riordan
Dalby Competition
FS scoring
(Dalby Airport, Queensland, Australia)
competition|Curt Warren|Dalby Big Air 2012|Dave May|FS|Kathryn O'Riordan|scoring|William "Billo" Olive
http://www.warrenwindsports.com.au/blog/dave-may
http://www.warrenwindsports.
http://www.kathrynoriordan.com/2012/04/16/dalby-day-2-what-went-right/
http://www.williamolive.com/dalby/comp results.html
Day two results here.
Discuss "Dalby Competition" at the Oz Report forum link»
8 topics in this article: competition, Curt Warren, Dalby Big Air 2012, Dave May, FS, Kathryn O'Riordan, scoring, William "Billo" Olive
Dalby Competition
A short task called, then the sky opens up
(Dalby Airport, Queensland, Australia)
competition|Curt Warren|Dalby Big Air 2012|Dave May|Kathryn O'Riordan
http://www.warrenwindsports.com.au/blog/dave-may
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150664521284998.401046.560129997&type=1
http://xc.dhv.de/xc/modules/leonardo/index.php?name=leonardo&op=show_flight&flightID=319979
http://www.kathrynoriordan.com/2012/04/15/dalby-day-1-what-went-wrong/
http://www.soaringspot.com/dalby2012/results/flex/daily/day1.html
Discuss "Dalby Competition" at the Oz Report forum link»
5 topics in this article: competition, Curt Warren, Dalby Big Air 2012, Dave May, Kathryn O'Riordan
Big in Australia
Big Flights in Australia
New records, but not the overall Australian distance record
Curt Warren|Kathryn O'Riordan|record
Kathryn O'Riordan writes:
Curt Warren flew 340 kilometers, Dave May 300, and Alex Cuddy 270. Not quite what they were after but it was a blue day, cold and cloudbase of 6,000' feet max. I think they did well, especially Curt. He broke ACT (that's an Australian province where the central government is located) distance record (set by Dave May, a short time earlier) and also got his hill launching distance personal best. Seasons looking good!
Discuss "Big Flights in Australia" at the Oz Report forum link»
3 topics in this article: Curt Warren, Kathryn O'Riordan, record
Women With Wings
Women With Wings
It happened last week
Brian Webb|Kathryn O'Riordan|Oliver "Olli" Barthelmes|PG|photo|Tove Heaney|video|Warren Windsports
http://www.kathrynoriordan.com/2011/03/07/mellow-days/
http://www.kathrynoriordan.com/2011/03/10/women-with-wings-day-2-and-3-training-hard/
http://www.kathrynoriordan.com/2011/03/10/women-with-wings-random-photos/
http://www.kathrynoriordan.com/2011/03/12/women-with-wings-all-over-till-next-year/
Here McKerral writes:
Well, the votes are in: WWW2, held in Bright, Victoria, from 7th-11th March, was a great success. The aims of the event were to increase confidence, skills and to promote safe decision making in a fun, supportive, collaborative environment without the pressure of competition. Skill improvement increases confidence, but pilots lacking in confidence learn poorly; WWW2's rationale and structure were to increase confidence so that learning and skills (launch, landing, cross country technique) could more easily grow. Integral to this process was for each pilot to recognise, accept and trust her own individual journey in flying and to give her the confidence to resist the peer pressure and expectations (external and internal) that so often divert us in unproductive directions. Paraglider pilots flew (and flew away) from Mystic every day but one, while we hangies also had exhilarating thermaling flights to cloudbase at Buffalo and Tawonga Gap, plus multiple sleddies in silk at Mystic to practice those nil wind foot launches and landings.
The thermals all week were soft and pleasant due to the amount of moisture in the ground - and here in Australia everything is still so green - amazing for autumn! The views were breathtaking in this alpine region - tarns, waterfalls, massive rock faces, forests with tree ferns... glorious!
Forty six hang glider and paraglider pilots (just 8 hangies) attended, making it the biggest gathering of female free-flyers ever in Oz. Pilots from SA, Vic, ACT, NSW, Qld attended, plus visitors from NZ, Germany, Sweden and Switzerland, but our two Far North Queensland and Western Australian hangies who registered couldn't make it at the last minute because of travel costs, even though we had arranged gliders for them to borrow, to avoid the expense of transporting their own. Organisers of the next event should probably consider rejigging funding to make it easier for the most distant pilots to attend.
I haven't revisited the personal best list in detail yet but at least fifteen pilots, probably closer to twenty, had their very first inland/thermalling/and/or cross country flights. Many pilots are successfully hooked!
We publicised the availability of check flights beforehand and at least six pilots whose membership had lapsed rejoined/had check flights for this event after not flying for 18-48 months due to accidents or fear issues. Many more said the event had rekindled their joy of flying. The HGFA has made a profit on its investment!
Most of the Paraglider pilots had multiple flights on the four out of the five days that it was flyable, and many also flew an extra day before registration on Sunday. Every attending pilot flew. Even to us hangies, the improvement in paraglider flyinh technique was obvious comparing Monday and Friday on launch, so CASA should be very happy with the outcome of their funding too. In fact, there were huge across-the-board increases in both confidence and technique amongst the Restricted and Intermediate pilots especially.
Oli Barthelmes was an amazing mentor for the more advanced hang glider pilots, while Tony Barton was great for our newer ones; Tove Heaney polished up our landings and was an inspiration just by being herself. Tove arrived without a glider, rejoined the HGFA after a three year break on Monday morning, and flew six different gliders during the week, starting with our spare Fun 190 for a check flight to ease back into things; "I'll just go to the bombout," she said, and we all laughed, because of course after cranking it to cloudbase she immediately disappeared into the distance! I hear she flew a Litespeed3 when she got home the following weekend. Tove's BAAACCCKKK!!!!! Yay!
We had many workshops scheduled on the understanding that these would fit around flying; because we flew all day every day but one, a couple fell off the list, but the introductory airspace/ safety session, Dealing with Fear, Secret Women's Business and cross country theory workshops by Brian, Tony, Oli, Tove and Andrew all went ahead. Craig Collings gave an incredible workshop on mountain cross country flying, packed with information even for advanced pilots; John Chapman, president of the Northeast Victoria Hang Gliding Club, ran a parachute repack clinic. Lots of safety information gave everyone confidence.
We had asked pilots to bring video cameras, and passed them to drivers and partners to video launches and landings each day. Kathryn then separated the videos into paragliding and hang gliding, and we split into two groups to watch them on the non-flyable day. This proved not only fun (who doesn't like to watch themselves launching and landing?) But also invaluably instructional with instant feedback on technique from our instructors and mentors as we watched them together. The vids also allowed experienced pilots and instructors to identify line issues with a number of paragliders.
In other workshops, we learned about glider tuning from Oli, who tried to get Kathryn O'Riordan's Litesport flying more sweetly. Tove flew both Kathryn's wing and mine and the difference in handling was significant. They both have the same sail and carbon options, and soft tips. But at least Kathryn will now be confident of a nicely tuned wing for the Florida comps. She won't know herself in a glider that handles properly - watch out, competitors!
Day prizes at debriefs comprised Skypig, PB Star, Brown Trousers, Big Sista and Koala Awards ;-). This allowed us all to learn from each others' triumphs and mistakes in a fun and light-hearted way! WWW2 Trophies were: Flygrrl (by vote, to the pilot whom we all aspire to be: confident, skilled, intelligent, enthusiastic, positive, inspiring, supportive - basically someone who has their flying shit together): Sonja Fardell, who received a Go Pro helmet cam donated by Warren Windsports, Big Sista: Alex Bryse, Little Big Sista: Christa Texler, Peregrine Award (Most Improved hang glider pilot): Brigitte LaFontaine, Peregrine Award (Most Improved paraglider): GABRIELLE DAVIDSON, Eagle Award (Best personal best): Gia Arbuthnott, (who had never thermalled, who was in less than ideal equipment, and who had her first thermaling flight and cross country in one day).
Injuries were one broken arm (hang glider) and one corked thigh (paraglider). 100% launches nil-3 kts wind for us hangies, 100% landings in nil. Zero broken aluminum! But ironically if the aerofoil down tube had broken in what three of us witnessed as only a slightly high flare and what looked a minor whack for a petite pilot, the arm would not have. Of the paraglider pilots, about half were Restricted rated, many with little or no inland experience, and many with only a few hours logged, so Brian Webb's safety structure was highly effective. Accommodation in Bright was cheap. As a group event we got a significant discount at The Outdoor Inn. Camping AUSD$14/night, twin share cabins $19/night, single cabins $23/night (per head). Hot showers, a camp kitchen with fridges and all cookware and crockery, microwave, stoves, kettle etc: easy to prepare your own food, no need to bring anything, just buy supplies at the supermarket when you arrive - great for O/S pilots!
We employed three full-time drivers; one for the hangies and two for the paraglider pilots.
Moyes, Airborne, Ozone, Supair, Gradient, Brauniger, One Small Planet and many other flying-associated and local businesses donated prizes to our event. One of our pilots was a publicist and we had 4 or 5 radio interviews; I'll also be writing up the event for various magazines in the next few weeks. Check out Kathryn O Riordan's blog http://www.kathrynoriordan.com/ for pics and her take on the week.
Our budget was about $13,500 and we charged just $95/head registration for the week. We could keep the price so low because we won funding from the HGFA, CASA, and many state associations and clubs. 13 grand sounds a lot but we were paying evening meals for all instructors, drivers and mentors, as well as their fees and honoraria, plus travel and accommodation expenses where applicable, plus fuel, bus hire - it's terrifying how quickly the expenses climb! Our surplus after tense calculations over my spreadsheet gave us a slim $250, which will go towards the committee's accommodation expenses. The instructors were extremely generous in keeping their fees modest.
The committee will now go through the feedback questionnaires and fine tune the programme and format - there are always improvements to be made and a glance at the questionnaires raises some excellent suggestions - then bundle up everything (budget, templates, registration forms, handbooks etc) and make the package available to anyone anywhere in the world who wants to run a similar event. We hold copyright of the logo but will make it available upon request to anyone who is running a Women's only free-flying skills clinic (but not competition).
Despite a few naysayers who during the planning stages dismissed the value of funding our event, the information from the president of the Women in Sports Institute on attracting and retaining women in male-dominated sports has proven to be spot on. The format of WWW2 was highly effective in attracting female pilots to inland flying. Many new pilots enjoy flying cross country or tasks but are intimidated by competition environments; indeed, many pilots of both sexes never become interested in competition, but still want to improve their cross country flying. The supportive, collaborative and fun environment of a Skills Clinic provides a stepping stone in confidence and cross country skills for those who feel they are not yet ready for competition, or those who simply aren't interested in competition. With the inclusion of highly skilled mentors, there is also plenty for confident, Advanced-rated pilots to gain.
The committee would love to see more of these events around the world.
8 topics in this article: Brian Webb, Kathryn O'Riordan, Oliver "Olli" Barthelmes, PG, photo, Tove Heaney, video, Warren Windsports
Kathryn - face to face with a wedgie
Get the eagle in the photo
Facebook|Kathryn O'Riordan
Kathryn O'Riordan publishes on Facebook:
http://kathryn.typepad.com/kalog/2010/11/how-good-is-lake-george-.html
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2 topics in this article: Facebook, Kathryn O'Riordan
Moyes Malibu 166
Moyes Malibu 166
Kathryn reviews the new single surface glider from Moyes
(Moyes factory in Botany, Australia)
Kathryn O'Riordan|photo
Kathryn O'Riordan <kathryn> writes:
If you are going to create a product in an already saturated market, you will want to present something superior. Otherwise, what's the point?
This is why we waited so long for the Malibu 166!
We all know Moyes has been very successful designing high performance gliders. Recently they are having success with their new single surface glider, the Malibu 188. However, in many ways, a small single surface or beginner glider is harder to perfect - as I was told, you can't just make everything smaller and expect it to work just as well as the bigger version.
I have been one of the first to try out the "smaller version" (or mini-boo as I like to call it). I have been flying a Fun 160 for most of the last 2 years and liked it, so I was very interested to try another single surface glider to compare. The following are some thoughts on how the Malibu 166 feels to me; feels being the operative word because my technical knowledge is somewhat limited.
I invite the designer to perhaps supplement my thoughts with some of his experienced input regarding the construction and aerodynamics.
I have categorized this review into some common glider characteristics: setup, ground-handling, flying, thermaling, towing. Hope you find it useful.
Setup
As a somewhat independent girl one of the most important qualities for me is a glider I can carry, setup and launch by myself.
Carrying: At 23kg carrying the glider from the car the launch is easy. Even for a 54Kg girl.
Setup: In stronger winds on the coast, when it's not possible to set it up on the a-frame, you need to be able to lay the glider flat. Same goes when you want to take a rest. Like the Malibu 188, the 166 can be setup flat and left on the ground, nose pointing into the wind (with your harness on the nose) while you go for a swim or have some lunch. There is a little trick to standing the glider up again, you need to crawl in under the nose, push the crossbar up and let the a-frame swing under. Once you've done it a few times it's pretty easy.
Launch: The small a-frame (8cm shorter, but with standard speedbar) makes it very easy to launch. Why? I feel I can run harder in light winds. I am able to really get my shoulders in behind it as I run which keeps the nose down to build more speed. As I am only 5'6, in some gliders I feel like I am tripping over the a-frame, which can make launching look awkward and ungraceful, but it also makes it dangerous if you are not able to build up enough speed before take-off.
Pack-up: Whether packing the Malibu up on the uprights, or packing it flat I always start at the widest part of the wing and roll - this makes for a nice shapely roll that fits perfectly inside the Mylar of the leading edge. Putting the straps on it just a formality because when packed up correctly the Malibu looks like a perfectly formed cocoon. The under surface zips, when opened, help with the tidy folding.
Overall, let's say that I have been flying on my own with the 166 and have been able to setup and fly, land and pack up (without any help) in 15-20 knot winds. This is very encouraging for lighter pilots!
Ground-handling
Small a-frame: Above I referred to the small-frame. The first time I tried Malibu 166 out for size was at the Moyes factory recently. I noticed the small a-frame immediately. Finally someone has thought of us small-shouldered girls (and guys!). I thought it felt easy, light, and small. It somehow felt smaller than the Fun 160 even though the Malibu is 6 square feet bigger. It just felt balanced and even.
Ground-handling in gusty conditions: Saying that, the real test of ground-handling is not in the factory! So I took it out for a test spin in the Boneyard in Sydney, a small (tricky) coastal site. Even though the winds were strong and gusty, I felt like I was playing with a toy. I have some experience on the coast now, but I really feel like anyone could ground-handle this baby. It wasn't twitchy, nor did it turn too much to one side. It just seemed to ignore the gusts. Very smooth. Flying (or hovering) over the ground at 1 meter was stress-free and so much fun, so much so that my mind was not worried about handling, but more about how elegant could I make it look.
In the air I think Moyes really started to think about the Malibu glider design when he took to the dunes himself and had the experience of flying a novice glider again. He began to really understand what was needed for this type of glider.
Slow speeds: A novice pilot wants to feel safe, so the big test for me was the stall. How does it fly at slow speeds? How has he improved on the Fun? The slow stall speed of 22km/h (14m/h) was quite apparent. Pushing right out as far as I could the glider did not tip-stall one bit, not even in these gusty conditions. You push out - the glider catches the wind more and goes backward; it makes doing what we call the "whoop-dee-dooos" really fun (this is when you push out, then pull in and dive and push out again, so really it's like doing a backwards circle in the air with the glider). Being able to control a glider so much really makes you feel at ease with your surroundings, your thoughts and your place in nature, and I think for the first time I felt like I actually belonged in the air, just as much as any bird. Is it dangerous to feel too safe on a glider?
I was not the only one who loved flying it. Even Tony Armstrong flew it in Hill 60. He is a great pilot, but to see the big smile on his face as he was doing chandelle after chandelle, top landing with ease - he was transformed! He commented that he could not get over how well it flew at slow speeds. It was hard to get the glider back off him - you could see he had found his new toy!
Thermaling
My first thermaling experience with the Malibu 166 was in Honeysuckle launch at Tumut. I hooked into a thermal right off launch and stayed till cloudbase. Even though the lift was weak, being such an easy glider to handle it allowed me to really bank and stay put in the lift. In amongst the intermediate and performance gliders I managed to hold my own. In one flight I thermalled for ages tip-to-tip with a Swift and an Aeros combat. It was a very bitty and broken thermal - in, out, in, out. The Aeros decided to leave (because he had a bit of a sharp tip to one side and decided to find a better thermal), and the Swift eventually skied-out over me, but I have to say it was gratifying just to be able to say I was climbing just as well as they were. I think with more experience I may have even been able to keep up with the Swift ;)
Penetration
Floaters are not really made for going cross country, but most novices will try! I know I go cross country all the time, so I would like some performance. On my first flight inland with the Malibu 166 in Honeysuckle, I could feel straight away on my first glide that this little glider had better penetration than I was used to. I was able to make it across the valley without losing too much height. I remember last year in the Fun in roughly the same conditions (same cloudbase and wind strength/direction, flying about 40km/h - just over best glide) that I lost so much height I landed eventually at the bombout! This year I made it over Bald Hill and only 6kms from the Tumut airfield. This extra bit of scope gave me a bit more confidence to seek out thermals.
Aerotowing
It's nice to be able to tow without feeling like you want to pin off because your arms are killing you! I had a big smile on my face after the first tow in Tumut behind the trike. Definitely not as much bar pressure as the Fun. My arms were fine, I felt I could have towed forever. I remember feeling like this with the Malibu 188 in Forbes too. I thought to myself, "Ah, so this is what towing should feel like"! I can't be sure what speed I was going, maybe 60 km/h - it felt smooth with no fluttering.
The details
Sometimes it's the little things that make all the difference:
- You can choose to colour the whole glider (with the Fun the main colour is white with options only for coloured leading edges and a little bit of the under surface)
- The choice of coloured border on the top/bottom surfaces makes the glider appear great in photos
- Velcro to keep the dive sticks in place when packed up
- Small a-frame (did I mention that?)
- VG is an option, great for getting to that next dune
- Nose cone
- Bungee-less batten tips
What more can I say? Give it a go.
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2 topics in this article: Kathryn O'Riordan, photo
The USHPA Magazine article on Sport Class
The USHPA Magazine article on Sport Class
Written by yours truly
(USHPA headquarters, Colorado Springs, CO, USA)
Gerolf Heinrichs|Kathryn O'Riordan|PG|USHPA
You'll find the February issue of USHPA Hang Gliding and Paragliding Magazine (in PDF format) here (if the USHPA.aero web site is back after being down over the weekend). The Sport Class article starts out:
First of all, let's hear from Kathryn O'Riordan regarding flying in the Sport Class at the Airborne Gulgong Classic in November, 2009:
"For the last year and a half I have been involved in the competition scene, but not competing. My first taste of the comp scene was in Austria last year with Gerolf Heinrichs. I thought to myself, the only thing better than hanging out on a beautiful mountaintop in the sunshine would be if I was actually flying myself! I knew then that I wanted to be part of the action, not just an observer. Since then I have been to (but not flown in) comps in Australia, Florida, Austria and France and Spain. The 2009 Airborne Gulgong Classic was my first competition. Finally, I was part of the action!
"In Gulgong I flew an Airborne Fun 160 (the same glider that my friend Jorj was flying). It's a beginner glider, a dune-soaring glider. It is definitely not designed to tow or go cross country. But I feel safe in it, and I thought there was so much to learn about going cross country, that I didn't want to have to worry about handling a more advanced glider.
"Before the competition there were a few skills I was worried about and some that I knew I had. I was worried about towing behind a trike, but this ended up being drama free. Some tows were quite bumpy but nothing too scary. I was worried about bombing out, but this did not happen too much. I was worried about not finding 'the next thermal, but you know, even though I didn't make goal, I did find some thermals and managed to stay in the air over 2 hours on the days I flew.
"I was also a bit apprehensive about flying in gaggles, or at least thermaling with more than one person. I realized that I got a bit nervous whenever anyone flew too close. This is where my lack of confidence shows, and one area where I am determined to become confident in while I am still flying the Fun 160.
"Making decisions in the air is another area where my lack of experience shows. I realized that my decision to go downwind to find a thermal, as opposed to upwind was a very bad decision because it was so hard to punch back on course with the Fun.
"Overall it was huge learning experience. I could even see by the end of the competition how I took things like towing, using my GPS and landing out all in stride. There is really no better way to learn how to fly cross country than to enter a competition.
"Personally it gives me a focus. I would prefer to have a task set for me than to just fly around aimlessly because even if you do not make the goal, you will be able to measure your progress and feel like you have achieved something. And of course there is nothing like getting up there and just going somewhere new, flying over terrain, landing in some random farmer's field and getting fed a lovely roast dinner with the farmer and his wife while you wait for retrieve."
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4 topics in this article: Gerolf Heinrichs, Kathryn O'Riordan, PG, USHPA
Kathryn's stories of the Sport Class at the Forbes Flatlands
Kathryn's stories
Switching gliders
Forbes Flatlands 2010 Sport Class|Kathryn O'Riordan
A Malibu with a Zoom frame, heavy sail cloth, and a faired king post.
2 topics in this article: Forbes Flatlands 2010 Sport Class, Kathryn O'Riordan
The latest HGFA newsletter
The latest HGFA newsletter
With a story from Kathryn O'Riordan on flying Sport Class at Gulgong
Kathryn O'Riordan
http://hgfa.asn.au/~news/hgfa_2009-12-01.htm
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1 topic in this article: Kathryn O'Riordan
Kathryn Before and After
Evolving quickly
Curt Warren|Kathryn O'Riordan
This is my report from January, 2008 where I found Kathryn at the beach learning how to fly from Curt Warren. Now you've seen her win the Sport Class at Gulgong.
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2 topics in this article: Curt Warren, Kathryn O'Riordan
2009 Airborne Gulgong Classic »
Airborne Gulgong Classic
The meet ends after four tasks, windy the last two days
Airborne Gulgong Classic 2009|Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr|Timothy Ettridge|Kathryn O'Riordan
You can find the Soaring Spot Results here: http://soaringspot.com/gulgong_2009/results/
Timothy Ettridge «Timothy Ettridge» writes:
Winds blew out both yesterday and today's chance to fly so the competition ended with only four completed tasks. Kathryn edged out Jorj to win the Sport Class. Attila held his lead over Jonny (2nd) and Ollie (3rd) to hang on to another win.
Read about Kathryn's experience with the Sport Class at Gulgong here.
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4 topics in this article: Airborne Gulgong Classic 2009, Jon "Jonny" Durand jnr, Timothy Ettridge, Kathryn O'Riordan
Terry Spencer
accident|Christine Nidd|Cliff Whitney|Emily Mistick|Joseph Andrew "Terry" Spencer|Kathryn O'Riordan|Orlando Stephenson|Oz Report|Regina Glas|school|site
https://OzReport.com/toc.php?Ozv7n113.shtml#5
Susanna Spencer <sspencer@summit.net> writes:
I saw a message in the earlier Oz Report about my brother, indicating information about the memorial service would be forthcoming. Since I did not see that it appeared, I am attaching the piece we put in the papers.
The support of the hang gliding community has been wonderful
Joseph Andrew Spencer--known as Terry to his friends and Andy to his family--of Linden, Virginia, died April 24, 2003, following a hang-gliding accident in Orlando, Fla.
Mr. Spencer was 42 and was born in Kinetra, Morocco, on August 26, 1960, and grew up in several states and countries as the son of an Air Force officer. He worked as a farrier, shoeing horses at the Middleburg training track and the surrounding area. He attended James Monroe h.S. in Fredericksburg, VA, and the Eastern School of Farrier in Martinsville, VA.
Mr. Spencer is survived by his wife, Kathryn (Katy) of Linden; his mother Regina Spencer of Fredericksburg; sister Susanna Spencer of Fredericksburg and Culpeper; sister Melissa Spencer of Fairmont, NC; as well as a niece, Christine Barrow of Hutto, Texas; a niece, Charlotte Kelly of Camp Lajeune, North Carolina; and a nephew, Matthew Barrow of Lubbock, Texas. He was predeceased by his father, Joseph Whitney Spencer, and niece Emily Barrow.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, May 17 at 2:30 New Hope Bible Church, 80 N. Lake Ave., Front Royal.
The family asks those interested in making a donation in Mr. Spencer's name to please send them to The Nature Conservancy of Virginia, 490 Westfield Road; Charlottesville, VA 22901. Phone: (434) 295-6106. Web site: http://nature.org/wherewework/northamerica/states/virginia.
For more information, call Katy Spencer at 540-636-1187.
Discuss Terry and accidents at OzReport.com/forum/phpBB2
Discuss "Terry Spencer" at the Oz Report forum link»
11 topics in this article: accident, Christine Nidd, Cliff Whitney, Emily Mistick, Joseph Andrew "Terry" Spencer, Kathryn O'Riordan, Orlando Stephenson, Oz Report, Regina Glas, school, site