June's Adventures

I've been nauseatingly busy this June. I've worked more this month than any previous in my flying career. As such I've had to make my few days off count. Here's a quick collection of my adventures (not including my previous post of flying Wolcott).

Point of the Mountain

I was able to stay an extra day in Salt Lake after some work training to fly The Point with Jeff. I also met David Aldrich who was there filming for his movie Dreaming Awake. It will surely be the best hang gliding movie in history and bring the world of our sport into view of the general public the same way The Collective did so for mountain biking.

It has been years since I have flown the North Side of the Point of the Mountain. It has since been transformed into a state park which has green grass set up areas, rubber glider tie down pads, proper BLM style restrooms, and a visitor plaque explaining that a geographical miracle it is to free flight pilots.

State Park = Plaques and Green Grass

Luckily all of the development didn't touch the perfectly sloped hillside that combined with The Great Salt Lake's gentle sea breeze create perfect soaring conditions. My timing was poor and I missed a thermal cycle that took everyone up to the upper bench. I was pissed when I landed after a short scratching flight, but in hindsight it was a great flight and reminder that flying organically is never a "gimme".

The Upper Bench

My Short Scratching Flight

Elitch Gardens

After a morning session on the South Side I had to rush back to Colorado. It was Jo's birthday and we decided to do something different, i.e. normal, and go to Elitch Gardens (the local amusement park). It was good fun and the contrast of hang gliding in the morning to riding roller coasters in the evening was notable. One of the reasons that I hang glide and safely tolerate its associated risk is the seeking of a higher level of fulfillment and reward than can be satisfied otherwise. Roller coaster enthusiasts were an interesting study to me because they seek a similar feeling with no risk or sacrifice to make it happen. It made me wonder if it was really valid (it's not). That said, the first "click, click, click" riddled climb to the top of the roller coaster blew away my elitist dare-devil snobbery as I screamed like a school girl all the way to the bottom. It was good fun!

Flying Wolcott

The following week I was able to score another smooth glass-off flight at Wolcott. The conditions were lighter than earlier in the month, but that only made it more rewarding. Boating around at 12,000 feet in Colorado's early evening air is a quintessential summer hang gliding experience. If you read my blog, you've seen the flying pics, but have you seen the sheep? On the way up to launch we drove through a flock of sheep herded by cowboys and the happiest dogs in Colorado.

Wolcott Sheep

The Happiest Dog in Colorado

Silky Smooth Air

Morning Cook at Lookout

I also managed a couple "morning cook" flights off Lookout. The trick is to get off late enough to find soarable thermals, but early enough to beat the inevitable monsoonal thunderstorm. My buddy Roland came out and took a few pics as I gave the onlookers on the side of Lookout Mountain Road a show of the T2C's slow and high speed performance.

From the Air

Rainbow's and Fire's

With all the flying and roller coaster riding I still managed to take in the odd rainbow and enjoy an evening deck fire.

Mountain Flying Season Opener at Wolcott

Quite a few Colorado pilots have been flying the mountains for over a month, but work kept me in the flatlands until last week. I met up with OB for an evening flight at Wolcott. The launch is located near the end of a ridge that runs west from Red Mountain then curves around to the south. The high peaks of Mt. Powell and the Gore Range tower to the northeast. Vail and Beaver Creek are to the southeast, Eagle airport is one valley to the west. I met Jeff, Lauri, and Weston in the late afternoon and we rallied up the ridge. At launch strong southwest winds were a concern, but our T2C's had plenty of performance to handle the wind.

Wildflowers

Launch and LZ Below

The Phoenix

Weston Admiring My Wing

I can't imagine what it must look like to him,

it would have blown my mind at that age.

I launched first in moderate ridge lift. After a few launch passes I flew out over the LZ just to make sure we could get down. I've been pinned up at 14,000' at other mountain sites on strong days and had to wait until sunset to get down. There was a little rotor off of Bellyache Ridge, but getting down wouldn't be a problem. Jeff and I flew a solid two hours exploring the upper ridge, crossing the valley, and working the terrain to the west. The air was chunky enough to cause a little underlying anxiety, but I was confident that the T2C's high speed envelope would keep me out of trouble.

Testing the Air

The LZ

Arrow Head & Beaver Creek

Jeff Over Launch

From Behind

The mountains were covered by lush green grass, wild flowers, and light snow on the peaks. Heavy snowmelt had swelled the Eagle River into a violent, muddy monster that merged with the Colorado River just downstream from the LZ. The evening sun set off a melody of colors that sharply contrasted the deep blues of the thin atmosphere. Wolcott isn't the most scenic mountain site in Colorado, but the late spring colors were a joy to behold. I topped out just under 13,000' and landed after the clouds started looking too ominous for my comfort. Jeff landed shortly afterwards and we celebrated the first mountain flight of the year. It was my longest flight since Florida and his first since last year!

Go Pro Vid of My Flight

(double click to view full screen)

Ominous Clouds

Looking Down on a Gulfsteam Jet Going into Eagle

Jeff Setting Up his Approach

Stoked

Sunset

Airtime 2:03

The E30

My first BMW was a 1987 325is that I bought sight-unseen from a shirtless man with a mullet. How did I know he was a shirtless man with a mullet if it was sight-unseen? In the auction he had a picture of himself standing proudly next to the car, mullet flowing in the wind. Needless to say, buying a car from a shirtless man with a mullet was a mistake. Even though the brakes didn't work and it leaked gas onto the exhaust with every right turn it gave me 15,000 miles before I declared it unsafe. It's linear torque curve, connected feel, and rear wheel drive hooked me on BMW. That lead to the M Coupe and the 2004 Sport Wagon. Like all marques, with each new generation BMW's became heavier, complicated, and more disconnected. I was dismayed that BMW was loosing it's way (not that I could afford an new one anyway). Last summer we needed money for our wedding and decided to sell the Sport Wagon. With it I decided to sell my daily driver Honda Civic and go back to the BMW with the qualities that defined the Ultimate Driving Machine - The E30.

E30 is BMW code for the second generation 3 series, made from 1984 to 1992. The 325 model features an inline 6 cylinder engine, rear wheel drive, and a driver oriented cockpit. Its boxy body provides excellent visibility and retro style in today's world. It's lightweight and has many features that were decades ahead their time. The ergonomics are perfect; the steering, shifter, closely spaced pedals for heel-toe shifting, switches - everything fits like a glove. It'll cruise on rails well into triple digit speeds, but gets close to 30mpg if driven conservatively.

The BMW E30

My search began on Craig's List. My budget was $2900, what I sold the Civic for. I found an '89 325i with 195,000 miles with enough cash left over to address some problems. The seller had rebuilt the head, replaced all of the cooling rubber, install a high performance coil, injectors, and ignition wires. It was pretty clean, but still in much need of work. The good: plastic bumpers, manual, rebuilt head, clean paint, projector headlights, mechanically inclined previous owner. The bad: soft brake pedal, overheating, erratic idle, Check Engine light, multiple warnings in overhead check panel, Brake Lining light, missing front lip, cracked driver's seat, jammed sunroof, "i" trim instead of sporty "is" trim, whinny diff, bottle cap wheels, pealing clear coat on the roof, sloppy shifter, faded emblems, cracked bumper trim, gas leak and smell, and many other things.

The E30 When I Got It

My goal for the car is a clean daily driver. I also wanted to add a few tasteful options that improved the sporty look and feel. This bringing it up to "is" trim, which included a limited slip diff, lip and trunk spoilers, sportier wheels, and suspension. My rules were everything needed to be as close to OEM and time period as possible, but cheap. The great thing about E30's are parts can be sourced for pennies on the dollar if you know where to look and keep a watch on Craig's List. Here's my build progress from last September until now.

Stainless Steel Brake Lines and New (Used) Master Cylinder

(didn't fix the soft brake pedal)

New Fuel Filter and Lines

(the dry rotted ones were leaking)

Replace Throttle Body Gaskets and Vacuum Lines

(didn't fix the erratic idle)

New Throttle Position Switch

(the old one was filled with gasoline)

Reposition Air Flow Meter Brush to Fresh Part of Electrode Strip

(didn't fix the erratic idle)

New Idle Control Valve

(didn't fix erratic idle)

New Grounding Strap

(didn't fix erratic idle)

New ECU Coolant Temp Sensor

(finally fixed erratic idle!!)

New Crank Position Sensor

(a broken wire clip caused the fan belt to saw through sensor wire leaving me stranded)

Replace Whinny Diff with Limited Slip Diff, New Seals & Gasket

(every car should have an LSD and it's quieter)

Replace Fan Clutch

(fixed the Overheating)

Rebuilt Drive Shaft

(bad U-Joint)

New Flex Disc

(old one was badly cracked)

New Transmission Output Shaft Seal and Shift Selector Seal

(old ones leaked transmission fluid like a civ)

Rebuilt Shift Bushings, Z3 1.9 Short Shifter

(the old shifter felt like a spoon in a bowl of spaghetti)

Repaint and Install Junkyard Sourced "is" Trunk Lid Spoiler

("is" trim upgrade, it caught on fire while I was repainting it)

Repaint and Install Junkyard Sourced Rear Bumper Trim

(the old trim was cracked)

New (Used) Emblems

Color-Matched Tinted Glass Mirrors

("is" trim upgrade, old ones were faded)

Install Euro-spec "Smiley" Projector Headlights w/ Yellow Laminx

(euro look and performance)

Repaint Front Valence, Front Bumper, Install New "is" Front Lip, & Splitter

(front splitter was missing completely, "is" trim upgrade)

Replace 4 Spoke Steering Wheel with M Tech I Steering Wheel

(smaller diameter, "is" trim upgrade)

Cover Cracked Dash w/ Suede Cover

(more cracks than the Grand Canyon)

Replace Mirror with Map Light Mirror

(OEM luxury option)

Used OEM E21 Cloth Recaro Sport Seat

(original driver's seat was cracked)

Replace Stock Shifter with Leather Illuminated M Coupe Shifter & Suede ///M Stitched Boots

(had it laying around)

Homemade Cup Holder

(constructed from PVC pipe couplings)

BBS RGR 17" Wheels & New Dunlop Rubber

(my favorite wheel of all time, bought the tires new for $300 from sketchy Ukrainians behind Safeway)

Replace Stock Suspension w/ H&R Sport Springs, Drop Hats, Bilstein Sport Shocks, Shock Mounts

(old suspension was worn out, ride height too high)

Replace All Four Wheels Bearings, Rebuild Brake Calipers, Used Master Cylinder #2, New Pads and Front Rotors

(trying to fix soft brake pedal, noisy wheel bearing - didn't fix the soft pedal)

Z3 2.7 Lock to Lock Steering Rack & Modified Steering Linkage

(the old lock exploded, raining power steering fluid down my neck. 2.7 lock to lock = much quicker steering)

Replace Control Arms, M3 Offset Bushings, Tie Rods, Sway Bar Links, Sway Bar Bushings

(the old stuff bushings were trashed)

Replace Subframe and Trailing Arm Bushings

(the old ones were worn out)

Replace Rear Axles with JunkYard Sourced Ones

(the old ones were bad)

If you are still reading, that's enough. There's more that I have missed, but you get the point. I had no idea how much work it would take to bring it back to life, but it was worth it. With the new wheel bearings I get close to 30mpg and will get significantly more with a taller final drive. Every drive home from work is a joy. The world is my race track, but the car is so slow I can enjoy challenging myself responsibly. It's a momentum car that rewards good lines and little or no braking, which suits it because the brakes don't work that great anyway! With snow tires it does great in the snow. I took it into the mountains a few times this winter snowboarding.

Fun in the Snow

Photoshoot

I'm pretty sure I could make my money back or even squeeze a profit if I ever sold it. I've found a few notes on my windshield asking me if I want to sell. The deficiency list includes the persistent soft brake pedal, jammed sunroof, pealing clear coat, installing the other Recaro sport seat, non-functioning A/C, crappy stereo, and a few oil leaks. I plan on getting as many miles as possible out of the stock M20 motor as possible, then swapping in a late 90's M3 S52 motor.