First Mountain Flights at Dunlap - Thanks Easter Bunny!

Dunlap, Easter 2011 from Dan H on Vimeo.

Flight log: Aircurls - 3 flights, Ali - 3 flights?, clayble - 2 (hours?), cleanpants (xx hours?)

Flatland creativity

You know what? Everything is possible if you have friends... after over a year of owning my own glider without seeing any opportunity to even try it out, I was pretty discouraged and sort of ready to give up trying to fly in Sweden. Especially last week - until about 1/5th of the Swedish hang gliding community became involved and determined to get me into the air during the annual meeting of the Swedish hang gliding club in Örebro.

The problem with flat land flying is that there's so many different ways of getting in the air - and for each of them you need a separate license. In the general anticipation before last weekends fly-in in Örebro, I somehow managed to repress the knowledge that I actually did not have a license for ground towing yet, only aerotowing. I also managed to "forget" that I still hadn't flown my glider and that I therefore had no idea how it would behave in towing, flying and landing. So on thursday evening I got a call from one of the guys in the Stockholm club when HE remembered my lack of license and he carefully proposed the possibility that I would not be able to fly this weekend. That's it, I thought, if I can't fly this weekend, I'll give up. They must have understod this, cause the guy who called me started calling around and organizing an instructor who could teach me ground towing, another German girl in the club started calling around an organizing an early departure for the weekend so that we would be able to be on the field very early on saturday morning in case the weather would be good enough for towing lessons and I was just trying to keep up the pace and fit in somehow.

We did get away on friday night, we did get up early saturday morning, the instructor was there - but the wind was far too strong. Well, another instructor showed up and in lack of flying conditions, we just set up the glider, they tied a string to it's nose and let me fly on the spot. Whohoo! My first experience of my own glider. After eight months of flying abstinence, that was quite exciting. And actually really instructive!

Anyways, no-one flew that day. Instead we piled ourselves into a meeting room and discussed the near future of our club. Especially the fact that there's only 114 left of us, numbers falling rapidly!

After a short night, we girls got up at 5am on sunday, drove out to the field again and started setting up our gliders until our instructors arrived a little later. I got some practice pulls without glider, a lot of introductory talk and practice in preparation for my very first quad-tow at about 8:30am. By then, the wind had picked up again and it was just in time that I was able to start before it got to strong and thermally.

Six flights later, I finally got an ok feel for my glider and managed to land on my feet. I got to fly a few minutes of very week thermals, I got to practice flying fast and slow, turning and stalling, crash-landed twice and collected a considerable amount of bruises and sore muscels. I didn't feel anything during the day of course - my adrenaline level was far too high and I was just jumping around the field in flight-induced ecstasy. This morning I woke up in pain, wishing I could stay in bed forever. But who really cares if the reward is being able to fly? And from now on being able to fly in Sweden - whichever way they come up with for getting in the air, whichever place they go to, whatever the conditions as long as they are flyable. I finally have all the licenses there are in Sweden (except for tandem and instructor), I know my wing (at least a little bit), and I know most of the active pilots... I'm eternally grateful for the supportiveness of the hang gliding community! Must be something special with those weird types with wings... :)

We just look that good

What can I say?

Source: Flickr UCB photostream

O happy day!

I've always liked Sweden, but today I like my second home country a little more than other days: A little more than 1000 dollars just magically fell down from heaven dedicated only to hang gliding! Or I guess I should say they appeared out of the ground as a thermal propelling me into heaven... =)

That's what you get for being one out of (my wild guess) 3-10 female hang gliding pilots in the country, having friends who know the system, and write a letter telling the people in charge how desperate I am to fly. Now it's definitely time to get some air under those wings!!! Whohooooo! =)

Yes...No...Yes...No...YES!

Last Sunday a handful of us headed down to EL for what conceivably should have been an excellent soaring day. And it was...just not for us. :-( Winds were S, SE 9-18, averaging 10-12 for our first flight, which, given the conditions, we were lucky to get at all. We started to set up...then were told to put our bags back on....then we watched conditions for awhile (looked good) and were told to set up....then conditions changed...and we were told to pack up....THEN...we were told to set up. I hustled to set up as quickly as possible to get off the hill before a) my instructor decided it was too strong (15 and above), b) before the wind direction changed, and c) before I changed my mind after the tennis volley that had just occurred.

Suffice it to say that the sport of hang gliding involves a 'hurry up and wait' and a 'hurry up and hurry up' mentality which at times is just fine, but other times is incredibly frustrating. Bottom line is take the time you need to get your glider set up and pre-flighted, and more importantly take the time to get 'yourself' set up.

My launch was fairly straightforward. I should have run harder and pulled in more as my nose popped slightly after reviewing the video. Flight itself was uneventful, headed to the 600' and over to the dead tree to do a figure 8 approach and landed heading into the S12mph winds. Would have liked a better landing - my jeans ended up with some souvenir mud.

Oh...and I got my 1750' sign off. :)

Flight Log: 1 flight each off the 1750' (aircurls, cleanpants, cookie girl)

Fan-tam-stic

A long overdue post.. Late February storms brought some great days at Tam, and some snow. The road was closed the better part of a mile back from launch so we had to hike in. A gaggle of pilots flew 1-2 hours, getting up to 3400' or so max. I did just over an hour, mostly above launch and a little south of it.

End of the line for the cars. Threw a few snowballs before hiking in.

Had a little fun with iMovie.

sundays the way they should be

Airwise Saturday was better, but as the forecast routinely fooled us all, the bay's usual aerial suspects were trying to ridge soar or ridge scrape Sled Heaven. While some of that was actually happening, the gaggle created some traffic and kept a consistent crowd of landing spectators, scrutinizers? You know how it is, trying to put out your best landing ....

So the milestones! Ali got his 1st and 2nd flights off the 600 ft, after doing driving duty, thanks! And congrats on a swanky landing.

Clayble had more success putting down the ultrasport, and apparently he lands better while doing challenging traffic avoidance maneuvers. Unusual south-bound light crosswind approach to avoid an oblivious bag ... well done.

Aircurls banged out flights 5 and 6 for the weekend! 1 to go for a sign-off ...   0 to go for a first mountain flight. Looking good in the air and on camera.

Other things you don't normally see on a Sunday are three coyotes, and an aerial loop.


Flight Log: 
Ali (first 2 flights from the 600 ft - congrats!);
aircurls (flights 6 and 7 from the top!);
clayble - 2 flights, 1750;
cookie girl - 2 flights, 1750;

Tired.....and Happy

That's what 4 flights off the top will do to you in 1 day.

More to come shortly. Am just so so tired.


Ed Levin 02.12.2011 from Dan H on Vimeo.


Flight Log:
4 flights 1750'

1750' - Flight #1 - Woot!

Flight 20 something all told. But those were in a panty a long time ago. :)

Saturday, January 22 - a gaggle of us went down to EL and it was blowing over the back pretty strongly. We decided the 600' seemed reasonable, but upon setting up in incredibly switchy conditions, and attempting to turn my glider such that I could pre-flight it with the tail a quarter into the wind, the wind had switched yet again. My glider decided it wanted to fly a bit before I was geared up and hooked in. Brian raced over to help and neutralize it, whilst his pilotless glider decided to make a run for it. I raced over to rescue that one and straight out of a movie, Anthony appears on the horizon running to our aid. Brilliant. I broke down as quickly as I could. Brian followed shortly thereafter. Fast forward to Sunday.

Sunday, January 23 - wasn't sure I wanted a repeat of Saturday so was torn between going to a cafe to get my requisite mocha and work, or get my requisite mocha and head to EL. While in line at the cafe I looked outside and it was such a beautiful day...and it was the weekend...and why should I be working anyway?? I quickly decided to make the trek to EL and wasn't disappointed. Chris Valley sponsored me off the top, as he was there in preparation for the upcoming speed gliding event, and Daniel and Anthony joined as well.

We arrived at the top and I quickly set up as the winds were perfect. W at 3-4mph. Went over to launch and ironically had a hard time picking a target as everything was so vast and I was so high (ha!). Finally settled on something way off in the distance and off I went. Uneventful launch although I should have pulled in a bit more - watch your pitch! Satisfying to not have to immediately think about my landing approach while I cruised along the ridge with light bumps here and there, enjoyed watching the red tails and turkey vultures, and fought the irresistible urge to turn every time I felt the least bit of lift (must follow flight plan).

Landing approach was fine, winds minimal (W 1-3mph), pulled in, landed just past the hang 4 spot on my feet, by the ditch. Karl provided celebratory wine which we all enjoyed in the LZ. Big grin on face.

Flight Log:

1 flight off 1750'