The first pilot meeting was at the pool last night.
We went looking for the UFC fight last night and found a midway. It was a very American experiance.
The task comittee decided on a 115km down wind zig-zag. I'll let you know how I do.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Meetings and Americana
The first pilot meeting was at the pool last night.
We went looking for the UFC fight last night and found a midway. It was a very American experiance.
The task comittee decided on a 115km down wind zig-zag. I'll let you know how I do.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Getting in the groove.
Took the new toy for a little test ride today. Not very many pilots flew today as it was a little breezy but I had a good tow, good flight of about 30 minutes, took some pix and had a rather uneventful landing. A little later I borrowed a dirt bike and took a rip in the desert. What a great day, I LOVE MY LIFE!
I LOVE WESTJET!!!!
Whenever I can I will always fly WestJet. They have taken me and my glider to LA, Orlando x2, Phoenix x2, and Kelowna. No Other airline supports what we do so much. I'm not being paid for this but I just wanted to say that these guys rock. Here's why.
Dave (in the picture below) was waiting for us when we got there. He had arranged for customs to come out and inspect our gliders and then we carried them down to the baggage claim area and they were loaded out through the over sized baggage claim to a waiting cart. He was great! Thanx Dave.
They made sure our gliders made it onto the plane and put all 4 into the tail. ( and they were put on top!
The ticketing agent gave us the whole front row (6 seats for us 4) and the flight attendants were a ton of fun. When I said I was bored they had me serving the other guest water and later I also helped collecting garbage. Thanx for the fun Susan and Jody.
Changes.
Life feels normal again. :) After a tough year with a ton of changes in my personal life everything seems to have returned to normal.
I am now at the first big competition of the year. The Santa cruze Flats Race at the Fransico Grand resort 45 minutes south of Phoenix Arizona. It is great to be here sharing my pasion with good friends that have it as well. This is good for my soul.
As the weather wasn't the greatest in Calgary I packed up the Moyes litesped RS4 in my condo. Moyes has always been good to me and I tthank them for the use of this carbon weapon for this comp.
"are they going to fit on the plane???!!?"
My sweet loner glider getting on the plane. You can see by the weather that this is a great time to be heading to the desert!
Home sweet home for the next 10 days. ( my 5 year old has a bigger bed! LOL)
Hang gliding paradise.
The flying circus has arived with everyone unpacking and setting up their wings. We have pilots from all over the world and tugs from all over the US.
I am now at the first big competition of the year. The Santa cruze Flats Race at the Fransico Grand resort 45 minutes south of Phoenix Arizona. It is great to be here sharing my pasion with good friends that have it as well. This is good for my soul.
As the weather wasn't the greatest in Calgary I packed up the Moyes litesped RS4 in my condo. Moyes has always been good to me and I tthank them for the use of this carbon weapon for this comp.
"are they going to fit on the plane???!!?"
My sweet loner glider getting on the plane. You can see by the weather that this is a great time to be heading to the desert!
Home sweet home for the next 10 days. ( my 5 year old has a bigger bed! LOL)
Hang gliding paradise.
The flying circus has arived with everyone unpacking and setting up their wings. We have pilots from all over the world and tugs from all over the US.
Thursday, August 16, 2007
About time!
In goal with Ross.
173 km in 2:33 = 70 km/hr
I love fast days. As I mentioned before I am aggressive and impatient and on days like this that gets rewarded and not punished. I made a move in the start gate that could have screwed me but instead it worked just like I had hoped and made for a relaxing time. I headed quite north by myself to a cloud that was working under the high cloud that was moving in from the south. I figured that I could just hang there for the 45 minutes till the start and just turn and drift right to the course line. I got to base and stayed there with one other pilot and it worked out just as I planned. I was high, right at the edge of the start circle and right on the course line for the first start. There where now 7 of us heading out and I couldn't see any other of the 100 pilots any were in the haze. We pushed hard under working clouds and after 30 km we started to pick up more pilots. It went by so fast glide at 80 - 90 km/hr stop in strong thermals, leave when they slowed down and glide fast. Jumping from cloud to cloud. I skipped a few weak climbs and got lower than some but was usually rewarded with a strong climb down low. I love flying fast, it really felt like a race and not a game of survival. The survival game is very important and a good test of skill but for me I love racing as it rewards my style. In order to become a complete well rounded pilot I definetly need to work on making better decisions on the soft days. It is hard to want to practice that after such a fun fast day.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
I was winning until I landed short.
I love hearing stories that start like this..... lol
I got into the launch line 2 minutes after it opened and then I got to stand there for a looooong time. Everyone in front of me in the staging got in line so I didn't get to a tow until 18 minutes before the first clock. A little front was moving through with a east west line of high cloud that really softened things up. Most of the pilots headed down wind of the front towards the only cu's but when I towed up I was in no position to even try this so I headed west towards some sun and the upwind edge of the start circle. I got close but with only 2 minutes until the first start I was way too low to even think about starting and I was again completely alone so I decided to take the next 20 minutes to climb and hopefully get some friends. I got all of the altitude I needed but.... sob, sniff no friends. The cloud line was moving north and a little street right towards the first turn point was forming up in front of me. I had heard on the radio that both Mark and Berrnie had taken the first clock with most of the other pilots. I was hoping that I could hook up with some of the slower pilots at the turn point if I could get there soon enough. I crossed the start line just a few seconds after the second start and headed on a rough and bumpy glide under the street toward the first tp. Alone the whole way I stayed pretty high until 5 km out where I had to stop in some weak stuff that turned on at 1600m and got me back to 1900m and into the turn point. I looked around and didn't see a soul. I had heard that both Jon and Mark had landed already. I thought I was behind the main gaggle. I glided north, found another climb when I heard Brett say that he just got the tp. I was 15 km ahead of Brett. This is when I really screwed up. Instead of finding out their position and the position of anyone else I pressed on asuming I had to go. The problem was that I was now chasing down the front and all of the lift was shutting down under it. I could have and should have slowed right down, hung out in anything I could find and waited. Instead I glided on course and eventually landed 67 km from the 2nd tp.
Here is the bitch....
20 minuts after I landed the lead gaggle few over my head.
I had started 20 minutes behind them but had gotten 20 minutes in front of them in 65 km. They were definatly on the wrong side of the front as they had to go down wind to find lift and then cross wind under the front in really weak conditions to the first tp. As I was up wind, in the sun with lift I was able to make up all of my lost time and then some. I just read on David Glovers face book that no one had made goal. Brett, Berrnie and Ross had gotten close to the second tp. Great job guys!
I got into the launch line 2 minutes after it opened and then I got to stand there for a looooong time. Everyone in front of me in the staging got in line so I didn't get to a tow until 18 minutes before the first clock. A little front was moving through with a east west line of high cloud that really softened things up. Most of the pilots headed down wind of the front towards the only cu's but when I towed up I was in no position to even try this so I headed west towards some sun and the upwind edge of the start circle. I got close but with only 2 minutes until the first start I was way too low to even think about starting and I was again completely alone so I decided to take the next 20 minutes to climb and hopefully get some friends. I got all of the altitude I needed but.... sob, sniff no friends. The cloud line was moving north and a little street right towards the first turn point was forming up in front of me. I had heard on the radio that both Mark and Berrnie had taken the first clock with most of the other pilots. I was hoping that I could hook up with some of the slower pilots at the turn point if I could get there soon enough. I crossed the start line just a few seconds after the second start and headed on a rough and bumpy glide under the street toward the first tp. Alone the whole way I stayed pretty high until 5 km out where I had to stop in some weak stuff that turned on at 1600m and got me back to 1900m and into the turn point. I looked around and didn't see a soul. I had heard that both Jon and Mark had landed already. I thought I was behind the main gaggle. I glided north, found another climb when I heard Brett say that he just got the tp. I was 15 km ahead of Brett. This is when I really screwed up. Instead of finding out their position and the position of anyone else I pressed on asuming I had to go. The problem was that I was now chasing down the front and all of the lift was shutting down under it. I could have and should have slowed right down, hung out in anything I could find and waited. Instead I glided on course and eventually landed 67 km from the 2nd tp.
Here is the bitch....
20 minuts after I landed the lead gaggle few over my head.
I had started 20 minutes behind them but had gotten 20 minutes in front of them in 65 km. They were definatly on the wrong side of the front as they had to go down wind to find lift and then cross wind under the front in really weak conditions to the first tp. As I was up wind, in the sun with lift I was able to make up all of my lost time and then some. I just read on David Glovers face book that no one had made goal. Brett, Berrnie and Ross had gotten close to the second tp. Great job guys!
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