Flytec Race and Rally - Travel Day

Jo sent me to bed last night with a special good luck kiss and off to sleep I went. Fighting what was left of a nasty cold, I woke up 3 hours later and rushed to the airport in torrential rain. The odds were stacked against me with 3 bags to check, full flights, and nothing but my mediocre seniority number to get me to Florida. I got the last seat to Atlanta, a middle seat in the last row between a fat lady and a private pilot, but at least I got on! When I arrived in Ft. Meyers my bags were all waiting for me. I can think of no better omen for the trip ahead. Now I'm just camping out, taking advantage of free wifi at the airport until everyone's done flying for the day and can make the run to pick me up.

Too Much ___!

Why Do They Always Do This After I Get Off?

Actually it's Tradition for Someone's Last Flight

Another Good Omen, at the Airport No Less!

Fast forward 5 hours later and Jim Yocum and crew picked me up on the way back from their last flying day of the Rob Kells Memorial Meet. We stopped on the way to La Belle for dinner then Jim and I split a room at the La Belle Inn. A real bed to sleep in! This comp has been nothing but pleasant surprises so far. Tomorrow I'll meet up with everyone at the Florida Ridge and get my glider sorted with the help of the Wills Wing boys. It's a good thing I only got 3 hours of sleep last night or I'd be up all night with excitement!

Lookout to Boulder in April

Last Sunday was a particularly epic soaring day along the front range. I was working, of course, but the fellas had some great runs to the north. Sam Crater is a local hot shot paraglider pilot and excellent photographer. Here is his account of his XC flight from Lookout Mountain, in Golden, to Boulder. It's a pretty easy flight to do, but it has always eluded me. One of my first goals when I get back from Florida is to follow his route!

It was a southy and a little too strong for us PGs at midday, and not all that lifty. Sometime after 2:00, we started getting lighter NE cycles, and hangies started going up, and Andy and Muzzi got off in some of the first good cycles. I launched around 2:30, and struggled to find a good strong thermal for a while; while there was no particularly big turbulence, the air was very twitchy and I kept very busy keeping my wing under control. After a while I got in a good thermal with Andy, and we climbed to 10.5k or so and took off north. Andy outclimbed me in this thermal, setting a very upsetting precedent for the whole flight.

We met up with Mike Jobin and Mark Denzel north of the highway department, struggled there together for a long time, then got up and had an easy glide to Ralston Butte where we also all had to struggle. Andy and I got the best thermal out finally, and we split up again. Meanwhile Ed arrived from back behind the hill and I think joined up with Mike and Mark.

From here Andy and I had a fairly easy flight, and at the Flatirons Andy came down a bit so I could get pictures of him. Mike, Ed, and Mark had a harder time of it, with only Mike making it all the way to North Boulder. At North Boulder we met Muzzi, who had beat us all to goal flying solo ahead of us, and Arnaud and James who had launched at Boulder and were completing 4 hour (!) flights of their own. Mike arrived, and we all flew a lapse at Boulder.

It was a great day, and our friend Benzie made it perfect by picking everyone up and giving us a ride back after a nice dinner at Protos.

Andy and mike where wet me up, near the first cut in the hogback

Mike, with Arvada Res

Andy. The view of the divide was more beautiful than my camera could quite capture

Andy over Ralston Res

Andy approaching Ralston Butte

Andy working light lift at the summit of Ralston Butte. This is an odd view; that rock in the background is actually the very top of the massive SW facing wall that rock climbers call Coors Crag.

Eldorado Canyon

Andy over Bear peak, with the numbered flatirons to the left

This one has the pointy Third Flatiron in the background

More Andy

First, Second, and Third Flatirons, L to R

Looking south, with Eldorado Canyon and South Boulder Peak. I personally love this one

Andy over Upper Flagstaff Road

The Flatirons again, from the north now

Andy, showing both his office and his house

Muzzi, Arnaud and James greeting us

Muzzi and James

CU, downtown Boulder, and old North Boulder in a long view

This development chased us all the way to Boulder; we were just at the edge of its shadow the whole way, and at times we left lift early to keep moving ahead of it. After we arrived, however, it stalled, letting us have a perfect lapse flight, some of the easiest flying I've done this year.

Great Job Guys!!!

The Phoenix Multisport Air Force

My slowly healing knee is probably going to keep me from mountain bike racing in 2010. I'm happy to just ride my bike this year and focus my competitive energy in hang gliding. For those that don't know, hang gliding competitions are generally cross-country races along a predetermined route called a task to a goal. They take place over multiple days similar to a bike stage race. Pilots use thermals to climb and then glide along the task towards goal. Depending on the weather, airspace, and location each day's route could be anywhere from 50 to 200 kilometers. The first one across the finish line gets the most points for the day and total points decide the winners over the meet.

Skill is the first requirement to be competitive, but more so than cycling, equipment is also crucial. An efficient setup allows for a better glide ratio, higher speeds, and a shorter time between thermals. I've always had 2 or 3 generation old hand-me-down gliders and harnesses. They have all been great for recreational flying, but not fast and clean comp machines. Last year at Santa Cruz Flats (you can find in under the Hang Gliding label) on my old Talon I would watch other pilots easily gap me on glide. My new glider will be able to hang with the best, but I've still got plenty of room to grow in the skill area.

I've also got a new purpose flying as a Phoenix Multisport sponsored athlete, in what I'm calling the Phoenix Multisport Air Force. Hang gliding is one of the purest and natural forms of flight. Every time I hang glide it’s a realization of my most vivid dreams of flight. My hope is that, through hang gliding, I can inspire others within the Phoenix Multisport community that with a sober lifestyle it is possible to pursue their dreams.

The Phoenix Will Fly!

My next comp, the Flytec Race and Rally, is less than a week away. It starts inland of Ft. Meyers, Florida and finishes somewhere in Georgia depending on where the tasks take us. My new wing is a Wills Wing Talon T2C sporting Phoenix Multisport colors. It's also going to sport the Phoenix logo and name on the upper surface and leading edges. The possible design options for this were endless. I took a basic mock up to Kris, Phoenix's graphic designer, and he designed me some trick options to choose from. Ultimately performance, handling, and cost considerations decided on a simpler, but still trick graphic. The logo in top is basically an $800.00, 8-foot diameter bumper sticker. Ever try to put a bumper sticker on and have it stick to itself? It's going to be stressful applying it in the Florida heat. I'm only going to get one chance to get it right!

Bob Bailey's Video of the Flytec Rally Last Year

You can see an uncropped version Here

Possible Phoenix Multisport Glider Logo's

All Graphics Courtesy of Kris Henry at Black Cap Studios, www.blackcastudio.com

The Final Design

Getting everything in order for Florida has been a huge logistical challenge. The new glider and decals are there and Jeff is letting me borrow his old harness. I test flew Jeff’s harness on the Falcon (a beginner glider) to test my hang position, angle, and ability to flare. My new helmet is stuck in customs and probably not going to make it in time. I can use my old one if it doesn't make it. The only remaining obstacle is getting myself there and the constant lack of money. To solve the latter I have been selling every piece of outdoor, biking, hang gliding equipment and car parts I own that aren’t tied down. Last weekend I loaded up my old Talon and vario and drove to southeastern Colorado to meet it's buyer, who drove up from Austin. I was sad to see it go, it served me well.

Test Flying Jeff's Harness on the Falcon

The Only One that Stayed Up!

Road Trip to Deliver the Talon to its New Owner

All that’s left it so get myself to Florida in time to apply the decals and get a few practice flights on the new glider. It's going to be hectic, but such is life. My goals for the comp are to get dialed on the glider, learn from the best some of the best pilots in the world, and hopefully make goal a few times. The level of support I've received throughout this process has been amazing. Phoenix Multisport has bent over backwards along with Steve and Mike at Wills Wing, Jeff O’Brien, Jeff Shapiro, and Mark Winchinmer to get me and my gear sorted. Hopefully I can return their investments by inspiring the community Phoenix serves and getting some positive exposure for Wills Wing and hang gliding in the process.

Spring is Here

Spring has been slow to coming, but it's here. I had to take last week off the bike, but this week I got to enjoy carving a few single track turns.

Hang Glider Rack in 1 Hour

I'm in the process of selling every single piece of extraneous equipment I own right now to fund an upcoming comp (post to follow soon). I sold my Talon to a guy from Austin and agreed to meet him in Lamar, CO, about 4 hours away. That's an 8 hour drive and after driving 60 hours in 4 days last month I wanted to do this drive in comfort and make "good time". That required finding a way to to haul my glider on Jo's Touring (aka wagon). The solution was simple, here's how:

Hang Glider Rack in 1 Hour

Ingredients:

1 BMW Touring with Roof Rack
1 12' Extension Ladder
3 6' Pipe Wrap Pads
4 U Bolt Connectors
1 Roll Gorilla Tape

Installation:

1. Move rack cross bars as far apart as possible.

2. Separate ladder into 2 pieces.

3. Cut padding into 14" sections.

4. Wrap padding over rungs

5. Cover seams with tape.

6. Bolt ladder to crossbars

Done! It took me 58 minutes from start to finish. I tested it out with the Falcon 225 which is about 3 feet longer than the Talon. It worked great and even at triple digit speeds it wasn't terribly loud.