Oz Report
Volume 24, Number 98Friday, May 15 2020
Quest Air, Sheets airfield, Groveland, Florida, USA
https://OzReport.com
"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."
- In this issue:
The Almost Perfect Hang Gliding Shoes Rocky Mountain Convergence Cold Weather Flying Dunlap Flying - 2020
The Almost Perfect Hang Gliding Shoes
Thu, May 14 2020, 7:27:23 am CDTI fly using a racing harness, Wills Wing Covert. It has a small back end for your feet. There is not enough room there for my feet if I have on bulky shoes or boots. I most often fly barefoot in Florida, but not in Texas or Arizona. I've tried lots of different options. None of them worked out that well. Then I found these and gave them a try:
Water shoes. I purchased for $17.33.
I ordered size 10 although I normally wear 10.5. This was based on various comments from reviewers. The Spandex upper cloth expands to fit (tightly) around my EE wide feet. Still comfortable. There is a half inch between the end of my toes and the front end of the shoe. Quick and easy to put on.
Why almost perfect? I found that the tops of index toe and middle toe on my right foot were sore after one flight. After that I was sure to wiggle my toes a few times while in flight.
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Rocky Mountain Convergence
Thu, May 14 2020, 7:28:24 am CDTBelinda Boulter|video
https://chessintheair.com/climbing-into-the-boulder-convergence/
Climbing Into the Boulder Convergence
This past Saturday we had another textbook convergence line form above the foothills west of Boulder. Climbing into convergence was quite tricky – as it often is – but there are amazing rewards for those who can make it.
I was able to video tape my flight and since there were outstanding markers that showed exactly where the convergence formed, I thought I would put together some in-depth explanations for how to get there and how to follow the lift line once you’ve made it.
2 topics in this article: Belinda Boulter, video
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Cold Weather Flying
Thu, May 14 2020, 7:28:53 am CDTKrzysztof "Krys/Kris" Grzyb|Larry Bunner|PG
Larry Bunner writes:
This spring has been very good weather wise for hang gliding here in the Midwest. Multiple cold fronts passing through have resulted in extremely dry atmospheric conditions and therefore strong thermic days. The air has been so dry we have missed the typical cumulus development that helps us fly faster. Yesterday was another of those days with winds out of the west a t 10-15mph, sparse cumulus formation but strong lift.
Kris and I again braved the cold temperatures (20F) and opted to do a 100 mile (160km) triangle. We flew from Whitewater, WI southeast to Wilmot near the Illinois border and then west into the wind to Beloit, WI before returning to Whitewater. Our average climbs for the day were stronger than Saturday however the upwind leg was difficult and took us over 2 1/2 hours to complete.
Kris got the jump on me again and headed back toward Whitewater but then instead flew further to Fort Atkinson before coming back to land at Whitewater.
From Beloit I made it half way back before having to dig out of a soft area. Down to 2000' above the ground I found some weak lift that I slowly worked up to 2700'. I spotted a cloud shadow indicating a cumulus cloud, forming to the west of me and decided to leave the weak lift and flying 2 miles upwind to get under the cloud. I was rewarded with 400fpm and circled in the lift back up to 7000'.
The remainder of the flight back to the airport was uneventful and I landed at the field 6hrs and 5min after takeoff. Top of the lift was 8300'msl this day.
https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:lbunner/12.5.2020/15:54
https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-open/
Almost: https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/ranking-hg-national-teams/
https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/flights/detail:grzybk/2020-05-12/16:47
3 topics in this article: Krzysztof "Krys/Kris" Grzyb, Larry Bunner, PG
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Dunlap Flying - 2020
Thu, May 14 2020, 7:29:18 am CDTvideo
1 topic in this article: video
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