Tater Hill

[mingram]

From what I've read higher performance and competition gliders are less stable and don't re-inflate as easily without pilot intervention like the lower class gliders. I have a lower class wing (DHV 1-2) that's certified to be quicker opening and easier to inflate. The newest DHV 1, or 1-2 gliders are much quicker to reinflate than they used to be without any pilot intervention.

Parachutal stalls, or deep stalls, are usually pilot induced unless maybe you're flying through rain. I assume higher performance wings could suffer from stalls more easily due to their smaller chord, but don't know for sure.

My wing was completely inflated before I stalled it. The turbulence did not cause any loss of pressure in this case. If it had I could have gotten into a spin. The pitching I experienced will happen in every class of paraglider, but will occur faster and more dramatically in a higher performance glider.

Once I stalled the wing there was less pressure to keep the wing inflated and my wing tips did start to deform, but the majority of the wing was still inflated. I was just fighting to keep the wing overhead.

Matt

[Ward Odenwald]

Thanks, I hope that the rest of your Tater hill fly'n is like yesterday's experience. I count 14-15 gliders not including yours. Ward

[mingram]

Tater was blown out today and then it rained a bit this afternoon. I got some rest. This afternoon we had an hour long Q&A with Kari Castle (who's kicking everyones asses, as expected), Mike Barber, and Chris Grantham. We talked instruments, racing, comp. point systems, glide ratios. Cool stuff.

My roommates came through with an old 3G iPhone today - same number as before. Tomorrow is looking good.

A photographer took some pics on Monday. Check out the sky in this one!
http://outdoorexpo.zenfolio.com/p370098177/e178a4e21

Matt

[mingram]

Thursday was cloudy but lifty! A few people braved the higher winds and cloud suck and flew for hours - top landing several times - kiting and getting lifted backwards - while the rest of the rookies sat and watched. Winds on launch required A's and C's to control. I have never practiced that technique so when I launched I pulled up my glider too quickly and had to hit the brakes which lifted me. I was flying backwards, but was in control so turned around and flew it. The task committee called a reasonable task that kept us in the valley, but it turns out the start window was too late. As soon as everyone was in the air all of the earlier lift came back down. It started raining gliders all over the entire valley - except for 2 or 3 people who escaped it to the south of the valley. Yaro escaped to the north and landed in Tennessee. Rich Gnar took advantage and followed the lift south and landed in Boone. The rest went back up for another try, but the day was gone. Really amazing to see that much lift and clouds just disappear. It wasn't even ridge soarable. Just about everyone got minimum points. We all took our second sledders. I used my altitude to practice a gentle spiral for the first time. Those G-forces build quick! I can't wait to do an SIV!

Hugh showed up in the LZ to see some of the gliders still coming down. After beer and flying talk we headed to downtown Boone with a group for more beer, flying talk, and food.

Friday was no flying. Wind was strong over the back and rain storms in the area. Instead we sat under the tent for our daily ground school with Kari Castle and Mike Barber. Mike talked about low saves. He stressed that the minimum height of low saves depend on a variety of factors including: currency of pilot skills, time on glider, familiarity with the site and landing zones, and conditions of the day, etc. My biggest mistake trying to make a low save earlier this week was not giving myself an out. I was focused on the save, because I've been able to pull them off before. In hindsight I hadn't checked my landing zones for power lines and when I found the lift I left my landing zone expecting to climb out. I hit really big lift - it was a 9000 ft. top of lift day. But my skills, knowledge of the the area, etc., didn't match the minimum altitude I would safely require to climb out, and I ended up crash landing. Mike also talked about searching techniques in generalized areas of lift - how you may want to circle in zero or -50 sink to stay in an area to see if something will lift off. And that if you're heading back to the ridge to stay alive, not flying the same line that you took out to the valley unless it was particularly lifty. You should be sampling the air to find the best lift lines.

This afternoon I practiced kiting with A's and C's in gusty wind and was amazed how much control it gives you. I need to kite more.

We're all crossing our fingers the 50% chance of storms on Saturday turns in our favor.

Matt