Lauren and I really miss flying and partying with all our friends at the Highland Fly-in. Hope you guys are all getting hypoxia while you're flying and sand in your gliders when you land. Soaring conditions have pretty much sucked since our return home about 10 days back but this weekend was great. We flew until we were tired yesterday with climbs to over 5,400 agl and then did pretty much the same today. Only difference was yesterday was kinda gnarly and rough with a few good wire slaps and today was baby butt smooth. I should have tried a nice big XC but it's so friggin' hot on the ground, I can't face the possibility that I might land out and cook while I'm waiting for a pick-up. There's also the ever present chance of afternoon T-storms we have down here in the summer. It's pouring right now just an hour or so after I landed. Wouldn't be much fun sitting outside right now waiting for a ride!
Anyway, we miss you guys already and can't wait to get back up there.
See ya,
Paul
6/24 Florida report
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
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Lauren Tjaden
- Posts: 371
- Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2005 6:27 pm
We really had a great time on our trip north, like Paul said. I like to fly, but it's the people that make the days truly memorable; we have so many friends that are special to us in MD and VA - Bruce and Tom and Daniel and Marc and Adam and Sunny and PK, Linda and Pete and John S and Heather and Matthew and Karen and all the rest of you.
I bought a 9 M Pulse while I was at Highland. She has her birthday on her keel -- 1992! But she has maybe only 20 hours under her wings, so she is almost new, and her sail is really crisp. I wanted a fun, easy glider in addition to my Litespeed, and I was trying to pursue that last year when I bought the 170 Falcon. I hated that glider, though. It was too big for me and had ZERO glide. This is much more the ticket. This thing is light and fun and perfect for the dunes and beach flying, which I want to learn how to do this year. The only bad thing about the new glider is that she is REALLY bright orange. I get comments about how I would be safe in deer hunting season flying her and how other pilots need to have their sunglasses on around her. I am sure they are really just jealous that we stand out so much.
Anyhow I have flown the piss out of her the last week, and yesterday she was all I wanted in the air. I was going weightless and my wires were slapping but I was too scared too land whenever I saw the carnage in the LZ (just some broken battens and the like, it turned out, but someone didn't move their glider for 5 minutes after they whacked, so I got worried they were hurt and spiraled down though I got back up when they finally moved) and also whenever I got hit with another nasty little shot of lift. I was wondering why I even fly yesterday, though you could stay up as long as you liked. It was scary and hurt my arms, back and neck, and I just wanted DOWN.
Today was really cool, soft sweet lift and pretty little C's and vultures arcing in lazy circles. I flew twice, once early at 11 AM, where the day was especially beautiful. When the glider shuddered in turbulence, it didn’t shake me loose from the base tube, and I had time to think about how glorious it was.
Talking about new gliders, Paul is buying Sunny's Combat. I keep laughing about it, since I tried the Pulse on the same day and conditions were so smooth that I thought it was much easier than it was. I think the Talon is sold so I hope Paul is not surprised too much when he gets a hold of that bitch.
The Combat seems to have a better glide and climb than the Talon; anyhow, we shall soon see. As they say, if you are having trouble, throw money at the problem! Actually, my Litespeed is terrific, but not the best on glide, mainly because she is little. Gerolf (he's the designer of the Litespeeds) told me the RS is much better on glide but everyone who flies one says they are lots harder to handle, and I feel like my pretty Litespeed is enough for me. The Russian women fly Combats and they do really well, but I feel I am challenged enough right now with the fairly tame topless I have. I should have my present glider trashed in another year or two and then I can decide what will be good to move into.
Anyhow I am jammin' hard trying to learn but actually having lots of fun, too. I want to get to be a TEN on my landings and approaches so I can use the lift to the best of its potential.
Fly safe I AM SO JEALOUS that you are there.
Lauren
I bought a 9 M Pulse while I was at Highland. She has her birthday on her keel -- 1992! But she has maybe only 20 hours under her wings, so she is almost new, and her sail is really crisp. I wanted a fun, easy glider in addition to my Litespeed, and I was trying to pursue that last year when I bought the 170 Falcon. I hated that glider, though. It was too big for me and had ZERO glide. This is much more the ticket. This thing is light and fun and perfect for the dunes and beach flying, which I want to learn how to do this year. The only bad thing about the new glider is that she is REALLY bright orange. I get comments about how I would be safe in deer hunting season flying her and how other pilots need to have their sunglasses on around her. I am sure they are really just jealous that we stand out so much.
Anyhow I have flown the piss out of her the last week, and yesterday she was all I wanted in the air. I was going weightless and my wires were slapping but I was too scared too land whenever I saw the carnage in the LZ (just some broken battens and the like, it turned out, but someone didn't move their glider for 5 minutes after they whacked, so I got worried they were hurt and spiraled down though I got back up when they finally moved) and also whenever I got hit with another nasty little shot of lift. I was wondering why I even fly yesterday, though you could stay up as long as you liked. It was scary and hurt my arms, back and neck, and I just wanted DOWN.
Today was really cool, soft sweet lift and pretty little C's and vultures arcing in lazy circles. I flew twice, once early at 11 AM, where the day was especially beautiful. When the glider shuddered in turbulence, it didn’t shake me loose from the base tube, and I had time to think about how glorious it was.
Talking about new gliders, Paul is buying Sunny's Combat. I keep laughing about it, since I tried the Pulse on the same day and conditions were so smooth that I thought it was much easier than it was. I think the Talon is sold so I hope Paul is not surprised too much when he gets a hold of that bitch.
The Combat seems to have a better glide and climb than the Talon; anyhow, we shall soon see. As they say, if you are having trouble, throw money at the problem! Actually, my Litespeed is terrific, but not the best on glide, mainly because she is little. Gerolf (he's the designer of the Litespeeds) told me the RS is much better on glide but everyone who flies one says they are lots harder to handle, and I feel like my pretty Litespeed is enough for me. The Russian women fly Combats and they do really well, but I feel I am challenged enough right now with the fairly tame topless I have. I should have my present glider trashed in another year or two and then I can decide what will be good to move into.
Anyhow I am jammin' hard trying to learn but actually having lots of fun, too. I want to get to be a TEN on my landings and approaches so I can use the lift to the best of its potential.
Fly safe I AM SO JEALOUS that you are there.
Lauren
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John Simon
- Posts: 300
- Joined: Fri Feb 11, 2005 12:33 pm
Pulse
You are gonna have fun on that Pulse! I really want to go to Cape Cod this year and fly the dunes, they have a fly-in in October (Halloween I think). I don't have a great glider for this but may try anyway, they are 100' dunes so it should be a bit easier. I also would like to learn to properly dune fly, but I thinks it's not so easy because the weather must be just right. Let us all know how it goes, I'm jealous.
Have Fun,
John
Have Fun,
John