600' continues...

Out at Ed Levin today with Barry, Ali, and Andrea to work on flaring and spots. Barry dropped me at the 600' and proceeded to head down and work with the A-team while I had a lovely time putting the glider together, walking it out to launch, and self-launching the West facing launch in dead wind. I have discovered that I am perfectly at peace with solitude (read: okay with being alone and self-launching), as people can sometimes be distracting. Well, actually, not the people, the 'incessant chattering' that sometimes accompanies people. :)

Launch itself was uneventful and fine - ran hard, kept looking at my target et voila, flying. 70 degree turn to the left, 90 degree turn to the right to head over the 300 while continually looking back at the windsock in the LZ. I have been kicking out of my harness on my downwind leg, going 1 hand up (right), one hand down on my base and final as I have much more authority and come in faster. I like. The roundout is lovely and smooth (way smoother than the Falcon 1). I got my hands up, mini-flared and landed on my feet.

I had lovely photographic opportunities but to my dismay discovered that the battery in my little point and shoot was dead. Heh...funny...had to laugh as I'm usually pretty good about THAT.

2nd flight was sweet. Took off from the South facing launch for the first time as all to date had been from the West launch. Light breeze, 1-3 mph. Landed in the spot, took a few steps. Interestingly enough, it was the only video out of my 4 flights I didn't get. Hmmm....but trust me, there were plenty of people who witnessed. Including Barry himself.

3rd & 4th flight - both cross wind launches. One from the North (3mph, 50 cross), one from the South (3 mph, 45 cross). Flying part great. Landing part close, but not quite. Definitely have the timing, just don't have the 'going ape-sh*^ on crack' as Mark likes to call it, or the 'pretend you're a gymnast' as Eric likes to call it, or the 'just punch the mother - fu*%@r!' as Chie liked to say. Or was that Ryan?

Great day. Alas, no pictures. :)

Flight Log:

4 off the 600'.