Art and Aviation

Bike Ride

2011-04-20T13:40:00.003-04:00

Recently Dustin and I cleared trees going up the mountain behind my house and started making a trail. Should be real nice after it gets worn down a bit.

Flight 2-12-2011 - Rising Fawn

2011-02-13T12:16:00.004-05:00

Nice flying here at Lookout yesterday. Scott and I blazed down to Rising Fawn crossing high over Cloudland Canyon. The air was relatively smooth with nice fat thermals to carry us up. I think I averaged 500fpm on most. We topped out about 4,000+ and the visibility was unlimited. I love the days when I can see Big Frog and the Appalachians so clearly.

My new camera mount worked out well with my heavier Nikon camera. I was a bit nervous about hanging 3lbs 6 feet off the nose, but with the counter-balance it flew nicely. I even managed to keep the camera off the ground on landing :). I set the timer to shoot every 30 seconds and came up with a few shots that I liked.

You still there?

2011-01-27T19:32:00.002-05:00

Wow, almost forgot I had this blogger thing. For all of you who wake up every morning first thing to check to see if I have posted something new, I'm sorry. Hopefully your world is not too dark yet.

I have had a great time since Halloween. The holidays were nice and we even had 4 to 5 inches of snow falling on Christmas Day. 2011 has been kind so far and except for the cold, I couldn't ask for any more. I have been getting flights off the mountain lately but it seems it's just to keep the rust off. No good thermals and cold fingers take some of the fun out for me these days. I did get my new WW Covert harness and that has kept the flying excitment up a bit. I'll get some pics up soon.

I recently took all of my footage of landings and compiled them into a video that I posted on you-tube. Check it out below.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T21:02:00.000-04:00

Art and Aviation

2010-09-13T01:05:00.003-04:00

I thought I would put up a little post about some "art and aviation" that I have been doing lately. The first picture is of a quick sculpture I did out of ambrosia maple and purple heart. I was going for a feather.This next one is just something abstract that I came up with as I went. I had a general idea but nothing more. After it's completion, I decided it looks like a rocket blasting off. As I was chopping wood last winter I noticed a piece had a nice curve in it. Somehow I saw the middle section of a body so I started shaping with the chain saw. Then I used chisels to make finer cuts. My wife made fun of me saying most people would make a bear or something, but I carved out a butt.

Speaking of my lovely wife. I was recently reminded of a piece that I drew of her just weeks after we first met. I sat and sketched it in my van while I waited for her to get out of class one day. She is even more beautiful now.

And now for a little aviation. I have had some great flights lately but this one I actually had a camera along for the ride. It was a nice smooth evening right before sunset. Enjoy!

I made goal!!!

2010-07-25T21:35:00.003-04:00

I had one of my favorite flights the other day. For years now I have wanted to fly from Lookout and land at my Papaw's house in Ooltewah. I think it's about 40 miles so the distance isn't that great but the course line proves to be quite difficult by either going around the Chattanooga airspace or daring to go straight over with enough altitude.

Once I got up and started over the back, the day looked like it was turning on to be great with clouds everywhere. I found another climb over the Chickamauga Battlefield and reached base again but then had a tough decision to make. There were no clouds along my planned route but there was a decent street going straight over the Chattanooga airport. To stay legal I would have to stay above 4,700 ft. MSL to miss the airspace restrictions. Also going this way there were little options to land if things didn't work out. After some consideration, I went for it; you only live once!

The cloud street turned out to be working pretty well as I crossed over staying between 4,800 and 6,500ft. It was surreal watching a couple of ASA jets coming in to land under me. After reaching the end of this street I glided out into the blue hoping I was staying in a good line. Upon reaching the mall I was getting low and nervous with very few options to land. I scoped out the big parking lots at Home Depot and Lowes from 1,000ft but knew this would test my skill. I considered heading over to the new Volkswagon Plant but it didn't look real inviting. Looking ahead I saw a small patch of grass in front of the US Express trucking place off of I-75. I figured obstacles there would be more predictable so pushed forward. As I studied the power lines and slope of the terrain I grew more and more nervous knowing that this would need to be performed perfectly. Finally, at 700 ft I stumbled into some light lift and started cranking it up. Wow, was I relieved!

I took this thermal back up to 5,500ft and headed out past the city limits and into the area that I grew up around. Cruising comfortably now I took time to just soak it all up. I flew over my high school. Then I noticed some of the hiking and biking trails that I spent hours on. I followed these and flew right over my old house and many memories flooded my mind. This part of the flight was simply awesome. Everywhere I looked I recognized something and it would remind me of some part of my childhood.

I saw the lake up ahead and knew I had my Papaw's house on glide easy. As I arrived overhead I still had 2,500 ft so I started big lazy circles watching the yard for movement. This brought back memories as well. When I was 16 I would rent a Cessna and fly around solo building time for my private license. This usually included going over there house and messing with the throttle to get them to come out. As soon as they came out in the yard and waved I would rock my wings and go on my way.

After circling for about 10 minutes with nobody coming out, I decided it was time to land. Housing development in Ooltewah has exploded so landing options weren't as great as I had thought. Still, I found a nice golf course just a half mile from Papaw's front yard and brought it in straight down one of the fairways for a soft landing. After getting over to his house and eating my Memaw's good cooking I took a quick shower and waited for Scott to show up with my truck. Thanks for picking me up man, definitely a huge favor. Scott is one COOOL dude!!!!

Anyway, I wish I had a camera with me on the trip. It was the best seat in the house on a nice scenic tour over the area I have spent most of the last 31 years. Chattanooga is a beautiful place, especially from the air.

Wills Wing Demo Days

2010-07-06T09:48:00.005-04:00

We had a great 4th of July weekend here at Lookout Mountain Flight Park. Steve and Mike from Wills Wing came out bringing their hot new wings for pilots to fly. These guys are terrific answering all the questions anyone had as well as helping pilots out with their current wings. I admire their quest to travel the country mixing with pilots and getting feedback on the wings they design, as well as just supporting the sport overall. It makes me proud to fly Wills Wing gliders and am sure that's why they are performing/flying so well.

The weather turned out to be great. Even though it was SE over the back, many pilots used the tugs to get pulled up. There were clouds and I reached base each day at around 6,000ft. Climbs were averaging 3-4hundred up.

Saturday night we had a catered dinner with a local band from Birmingham. They sounded great and went well with the out-of-control firework displays. Good stuff!

Come out and join us next year!

Road trip video

2010-07-01T08:39:00.002-04:00

Here it is. I have finally put together a video of the trip. Check it out!

Camping/Flying/Road Trip

2010-06-16T01:59:00.009-04:00

Scott and I left for a hang-gliding/camping road trip across the country last Wednesday. We soared over Mt. Nebo in Arkansas on Thursday, then drove non-stop to Denver where I got to over 10,000 ft launching off of Lookout Mtn. in Golden on Friday. Saturday we drove up to Dinosaur, CO and after finding launch and setting up camp, we spent the next two days camping and waiting on good weather. After a coin toss, Scott won the chance to fly first. He had an awesome flight and I drove down to pick him up(it takes an hour to get down to the LZ). After getting back to launch, it started rain/sleet/hailing and we had to wait it out in the car for 2 hours. Finally the weather cleared as we started a fire for dinner and the sky opened up for a great view of the stars with the milky way visible from horizon to horizon. Simply breathtaking. Monday the rain finally moved out and I launched around 1:30pm. Everything worked out great and I flew for over an hour above the most beautiful terrain I have ever seen. After landing we drove to Draper, Utah where we set up camp on the South Side at the Point of the Mountain.

After some advice from Jeff O'brien, I set my alarm for 4:30am and woke up to steady south winds and set up my glider. I launched in the smooth pre-dawn air and flew around watching the sun-rise over Salt Lake city. The wind picked up a little so the paragliders didn't show up and I had the ridge to myself most of the time. This place is an aerial playground. You can definitely let the monkey play a little. After packing up we left for California. We are planning on getting to the coast tomorrow and visiting Fort Funston for a hop. Then we are heading down to Big Sur in hopes that the fog doesn't come in. Finally, we are scheduled to fly Yosemite this weekend. Obviously I am very excited about that one. So I have left a lot of the great details out including near golfball sized hail that hit us in Golden, CO after my flight, the tornado that developed 3/4 mile behind launch at Dinosaur (I have video I can upload later), and the batten that I broke on my wing. (Thank you Wills Wing for overnighting me a new one!!) I hope to share some of these things on other posts. Scott and I are using our cameras and I hope to put together a video of the trip on the way home so stay tuned. In the mean time, here is a small sample of the adventure. Check out the short clip below.

Thank you

2010-06-04T13:26:00.005-04:00

My Papaw (that's my grandfather to all you non-southerners) introduced me to aviation by teaching me to fly rc planes many years ago. Flying has been a part of his life for something like 70 years starting with model planes, moving on to owning a Cessna 172, and then spending 20+ years flying the Pawnee tug and sailplanes. Currently he has more rc aircraft than he has room for and flies them regularly.

While growing up, I spent many weekends out at the gliderport while he towed. These are fond memories of fishing in the pond, helping move gliders around, flying my rc plane, and occationally climbing up to cloudbase in a sailplane with him getting a few pointers on how to stay in the thermal. That is when my eyes starting studying the sky and is why I continue to chase clouds today. Thank you Papaw for this wonderful passion!

Recently he gave me a new Funtana 125 rc plane to build and fly. I slapped a Saito 150 on the front which gave it unlimited vertical performance. I only have about 10 or 15 flights on it but I am loving it. I decided to put the GoPro camera on it and built a nice mount to fit over the tail looking forward getting almost the entire plane in view. But, that was going to need a huge amount of weight on the nose for balance so I decided to mount it on the canopy instead. It turned out OK. While doing spins the oil from the exhaust came up and around the wing which caused the camera lense to get fuzzy. Still, I think it's fun to watch. Check out the video below!

2010-05-12T22:20:00.003-04:00

Well, the Rally has ended. Due to the lack of internet service I was unable to keep up with the daily reports. All in all, it was a relaxing comp. The weather was uncooperative with light lift and too much wind on most of the days. I think we had 4 flyable days out of 7. Still, I had a great time and enjoyed seeing everyone.
I think my favorite and best day was day 5. It was about a 75 mile task to the north to land at an airport. Inside the start circle I joined a gaggle of maybe 25-30 gliders and made it to the top for a good position to start. I continued to stay with this group for a while until they eventually pulled ahead one glide or so. A half hour later I noticed them up ahead circling but not gaining too quickly so I went to the east to look for lift over a small town. This turned out to be a great decision as I climbed fast and was able to catch up with the lead gaggle arriving 500ft over them.

This bird (osprey?) snagged a fish right out of the pond at Quest and took it up into the tree to have its lunch. That's the fish under it's left foot.

This was the day for big gaggle flying. Every time we stopped to turn, it was crowded and my neck became stiff for all the straining to see where they were. Towards the end of the flight I was on glide and about 12km from goal with only two gliders in front of me. With the airport in sight we just needed one more thermal. Everyone stopped to turn in a light one but I got impatient. I thought that there had to be a better one so I went off to find it. Soon I found myself landing at an intersection in a neighborhood just before a stop-sign and I watched the other patient pilots fly right over me and into goal. I had landed a couple miles short. Even though I didn't make it, this was an incredibly fun flight that I won't forget.

So, I made it back home and back to family, work, and play. I've been busy working all last week but it's good cause the weather hasn't been that great for flying. We went and picked out a new bat for Isaiah and have been working on his hitting. So far his team is undefeated. GO SUNDEVILS!!!! Life is good.

Day 3 task cancelled

2010-04-28T09:06:00.002-04:00

The winds were only slightly lighter than the day before and no cummies were developing. Lucas and I decided to go early so we went to the launch line 2nd and 3rd in position. Once in the air I soon realized that this was going to be a tough day. There was a low inversion at about 2,500ft that we could not get through. The lift was sharp and small, being blown almost straight back to the way we needed to go. I flew for about 45minutes just trying to inch my way out of the start circle.

After a while I noticed that half of the gliders on the ground had stopped towing and others in the air were going in to land. I wondered if they were calling the day so decided to go back to the field. My landing was fine in the turbulence but I watched some interesting landings happen after. Finally the task was cancelled at 1:59pm. So a debate decided that most/half of the pilots wanted to stay here at Quest instead of driving north into Georgia. I wanted to go to GA since I am hoping we will be able to fly to Tennessee this week. Thursday should be blowing SE so maybe that will be possible.

I shoved my glider under a tree and set camp back up. Afterwards I mostly sat around the pond and the rope swing. Later I cruised around with my camera and found Ollie playing with his new bow and I gave it a shot. Turns out I am kind of a natural.

I love this place and have had a good time even though we aren't flying enough. But, I hope we can get to a new place today. After all this is a Rally isn't it?

Day 2 cancelled

2010-04-27T11:21:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was quite windy out of the west and was very turbulent. OB and Davis launched while the clouds formed overhead. Since I was near the back of the staging line again, I suited up and walked to the front of the line. Getting on the cart a few pilots came over to inform me that the safety committee was thinking of cancelling the day. I decided to wait a minute. After about five minutes the decision was made - it was too rough.
So it turned out to be a relaxing day out by the pond in the tree stand. Authentic Mexican food for lunch made for a great change from the daily peanut butter and banana sandwich. Looks like today will be much lighter winds so a task of 87km is called. After that we will head to Moultrie, GA for tommorrow.

Day 1 - 67km

2010-04-26T10:02:00.003-04:00

Day 1 started out with low clouds and high winds. As the day progressed, the base rose to maybe 4,000 but started out around 2,000. The task was straight downwind to an airport just northwest of lake Okeechobee. I launched late in the launch line but found a decent climb off of tow. I found cloudbase at 3,100 and started on my way.

The thermals I found near the swamp/lake kept drifting over and I had to leave early every time since I was not comfortable in the spotty lift. This eventually put me down just past a small town. I made it about halfway to goal.

Sure was fun getting back into the air again here in Florida. After Dale picked me and Lucas up, we drove up to Quest to sit through the storms that were approaching. Pizza and downloads were followed by a game of poker. Believe it or not, I won the the game at around 1:30am. After that I went to my tent to find that the rain had made a lake inside. So I put my sleeping bag in the hangar and tried to sleep there until the mosquitos ran me out. Then I went to Lucas's car and laid the seat back. Needless to say I have not slept well. Now the weather has cleared and they say we are going to fly today.

Flytec Race and Rally 2010

2010-04-25T07:58:00.003-04:00

Florida or bust!

Lucas, Dale and I left for the Flytec Rally Race on Friday. We decided to take Lucas's little Honda Fit and after a few hours of building we had created a nice strong rack. This took longer than expected though and we left 4 hours later than we had hoped. Anyway, we made it to Ocala, FL and got a hotel. The next morning we finished the drive in about 4.5 hours. Now here we are at the beautiful Florida Ridge ready to do some hang gliding.It is a big turn out this year with maybe 50 competing pilots. Wills Wing has shown up in force as I look around and see many pilots setting up their new T2C's - what a beautiful glider.

Today looks a bit windy and base maybe not so high so we'll see if they call a task. I think we will try and go to Quest so that we can get behind this fast moving front. This is gonna be a fun week!

Pyramid Onion

2010-04-20T03:22:00.004-04:00

I realize that I have had more aviation related posts here and am lacking on the art side. So here is a pic of something I made a few months back. I call it the pyramid onion. I intended for it to come to a nice sharp point at the top of the pyramid, but a mistake on the saw made that impossible. So, I took some of the scraps and carved the curved pieces to stick on the top. I think it turned out OK. Like Bob Ross used to say, "there are no mistakes, just happy accidents". It's hard to tell from the picture, but this piece is about 40" tall.

XC to Fort Payne, AL

2010-04-03T09:03:00.004-04:00

Ok, ok, I didnt realize I had so many eager followers of the blog and I'm sorry I have let all of you down - all two of you.

I have been flying a lot the past few days since it's been sunny with warm temps. On Tuesday, I launched off of lookout with teh intentions of flying with James on a XC flight towards the south. I launched and found a good climb in front of the bandit launch. As I centered it and circled up James came under me. He either couldn't get it or gave up to look somewhere else as I climbed up to 6k by myself. After topping out behind launch, I had to decide if I should wait on him or go alone. He looked like he was struggling on the ridge with a few other gliders. Maybe I'm rude, maybe selfish, but I went on glide to the south by myself. Sorry James!

That glide took me over Cloudland Canyon and all the way over no-man's land to the Rising Fawn launch where I was back down to ridge level where I finally found another climb. After gaining a few hundred feet, I noticed a mature bald eagle climbing up from below. 7 or 8 turns later he was closing the gap and had almost caught up to me. As he reached my altitude I lost sight of him for a moment. Then I saw him off my left wing coming towards my nose. 50ft before impact he rolled inverted, stuck is huge yellow talons out at me, and dove away to the South. It was a beautiful interaction.

I found a couple more decent climbs on my way down the ridge and also spotted my bald headed friend again gliding out into the valley. I fell into an area of heavy sink and changed my line to try and avoid it. Soon I was picking places to land. I settled on a nice field with no cattle and had a soft landing just north of Fort Payne, AL.

So I flew about 28 miles. A good little XC flight and the first one for me this year. Sure was fun! Sorry, no pictures.

Work, Dream, Work

2010-03-16T23:25:00.003-04:00

I am very fortunate to live where I can fly down a mountain, land in my yard, and continue on with my day. Sometimes I have to pinch myself. I remember one day last summer I was working in the shop blowing glass all morning. Around 1:00pm I went to launch and set up. By 1:45 I was in the air and climbing fast towards a nice, flat bottomed cloud. I timed my climb perfectly so that I reached the edge of the cloud and popped out of the side just as I whited out. The temperature was a lot cooler up there than it was down in my shop and I made a point to appreciate it. The long glide back down gave me a chance to enjoy the beautiful scenery this valley has to offer. Finally, I had a great landing back at my house where I went back to work. - total flight time was about 30 minutes.

As I started back on the torch things seemed surreal. Did that really happen? Was I really playing with a cloud 10 minutes ago at 6,000ft? I had just experienced man's oldest dream in the purest form and then casually went back to where I left off. Like I said..... I had to pinch myself...

So I put the Gopro camera on my helmet the other day to see how it worked. Check out the video below. It's not of the flight mentioned above, but it is a sledder down to land at my house. Sorry if you(Ashley) think it's boring.

2010-03-09T15:11:00.005-05:00

Recently I sat down and wasted time watching stuff on You Tube. I went through a bunch of videos and have selected a few to share on the blog here - to waste your time as well. Enjoy!

Here is a de Havilland Beaver on floats attempting a take-off.

And another attempt at a landing/take-off.

2010-03-05T23:04:00.004-05:00

I strapped the go-pro camera on my RC again yesterday. The conditions were way better with more wind and a nice sunny sky. Everyone put up a good fight with some strong hits every now and then. Mike hit me into the trees once, I took Bob's wing down by slicing off his control horn, and Scott ended up flying himself into the trees halfway down the mountain. We are having way too much fun with pieces of foam and packing tape.

Check out this video. I like it better than the first one and the crashes/landings at the end are fun to watch.

Snowmanster

2010-03-02T22:45:00.002-05:00

We had more snow here at Lookout again today. It started this morning and quit around 2:00 leaving 2-3 inches in the field. James, Scott, Ron, Roxy, Sara, and I started pushing around clumps of snow until they got huge. Then we piled them up and created this big, friendly monster. He even has a little mini-me friend on his shoulder. We are making bets as to how long he will last this week. I know that if it's warm and launchable, someone is gonna try to knock that top hat off during landing.

I call her "Woody"

2010-03-01T21:59:00.005-05:00

I just got the little hero wide camera the other day and have been anxious to try it out. I hope the still pics it takes will be sharp enough. It has an auto feature that shoots a pic every 2 or 5 seconds. I think that will come in handy for shots like wingovers where timing is everything; and I won't have to push any buttons.

Anyway, yesterday I found a chance to use it on top of my Battlebeast- a 6ft wingspan terror in the sky. It has slain many o' wings, and is feared by all.

The lift was very light so Bob and I had to work for altitude to play with. Not wanting to lose the camera, we opted out of combat and tried some formation flying instead. The lift finally ended and we were both forced to either land on the ramp, or go for the walk of shame. Check it out.

Bored?

2010-02-23T01:27:00.002-05:00

A couple of weeks ago it snowed a bit and we got out to play in it. For the first time ever, we mixed aviation and snowboarding here at the flightpark. Check out the short video of the fun.

Speaking of the snow, check out this weather man freaking out on TV while giving the weather report. It may be time for a vacation.

And while we are looking at videos, check out this illusion.

I thought this was a cool shot. and this one too.

Here is Alex Trebek laughing at a contestant on Jeopardy.

Thanks to Scott for turning me on to wimp.com. Good stuff! He is one cool dude.

High Speed Pass

2010-02-16T09:42:00.001-05:00

Scott took this video of me landing the other day. Sure was fun!

Yea mon

2010-02-12T21:28:00.006-05:00

Last week, Ashley and I dropped the kids with Grandma and headed down to Jamaica to visit with Jesse. It was great to see him, not to mention getting away from the cold and enjoying sunrise swims in the ocean. This was my first time out of the country so experiencing the culture was my favorite part. We stayed with a family near Treasure Beach on the south part of the island, away from all the tourist attractions. Most of the population in this area are rasta "bredren". Even though I don't consider myself a rastafarian, I do embrace their beliefs and had great connections with so many.
One day, I was sitting on the porch sketching on a pad and a guy called Kingcheck came by selling fruit. He saw my sketch and asked if I could draw him. I chuckled and told him that I could try, but I usually don't draw people. Our accents made conversation difficult so we mostly sat while I sketched. After about 1o minutes I showed him the picture and he requested that I draw in the shoulders and add his name. I think he liked it. He walked over to his cart and pulled out a bag of peanuts and handed them to me. We each said thanks and he went on his way. I remember a really good feeling over me, and then I realized that now I really do work for peanuts.

Lookout! Snow and Ice

2010-02-03T23:31:00.002-05:00

We had a few inches of snow last week here in north Georgia. The clouds finally moved out on Sunday (my birthday) so I went for a nice sledder over the ice covered trees.

Getting cold feet

2010-01-28T13:29:00.003-05:00

I flew again yesterday and was able to hold on to a thermal that took me 1,400 over launch. Dean is back and flying again and climbed up with me. After getting a little cold I decided to trade my hard earned altitude for a bit of high speed fun. Buzzing by launch and then zig zagging my way down the mountain just over the trees was exhilarating. Down near the LZ I decided to do a run across the puddle. Jesse and Pablo were down there inviting me with cameras.

What an awesome flight! The air was so smooth which made for nice, predictable maneuvering. I love days like this. Check out the short video of the landing.

Flight on 1-19-10 (cows and pigs)

2010-01-21T22:41:00.004-05:00

Tuesday was quite warm - 61 degrees -and I got excited about flying. Lucas and I went up to the Bandit launch setting up in a moderate SW cross but there were decent cycles. I launched first and found some lift just south of the ramp. The wind chopped it up but it was workable. I was excited as this was my first thermal in a long while; couple months maybe.

I got over the ridge after a bit then Lucas launched joining me. After working 15-20 minutes we had gained about 700 ft over launch and I went out in the valley. I guess the excitement of working that thermal overtook me and I found myself flying towards Trenton with the intention of going for a little XC flight. (from 700 over :)) After hitting a thin, useless piece of lift over the high school I picked the field across the highway to land in.

After landing, 3 or 4 police cars started whizzing around getting ready to intercept me as I walked toward the fence. The excitement built as more people stopped to ask if I was OK and if I had crashed. I assured them that I was fine as I began breaking down my glider.The landowner was really friendly and told me the cattle and 1 bull in the field might be curious about me; soon they were sniffing my glider and harness looking for my snack bar inside. After a while Bob and Scott showed up to get my glider and me out of the mud and back home.

It's funny how sometimes a 3 mile XC flight can be one of those that will stick in your head forever. Hang gliding life is incredible!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-03T22:01:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year everyone. John C, Scott, James(staples) and I decided to brave the below freezing temps for a good old New Years Day flight. Scott, James and I took off towards the point in Chattanooga. Solid ridge lift made getting there and back a breeze. It was a lot of fun and I can't think if any better way to bring in a new decade than by a cold, scenic cross-county flight with my buds. Check out the flight in the video below. The LZ got a little switchy on us while landing, but everyone pulled it off with style.

More from the vault

2009-12-23T21:39:00.004-05:00

My "anonymous" buddy Scott complained a bit about the fact that I don't post enough on the ole' blog. So, I decided to put up some more pics from the vault. The first one is of Scott and was taken just after his first successful paraglider tree landing. Be sure and check out his new blog at http://paint2fly.blogspot.com/Having fun with the shutter speed and a keychain light.The hard part is over...This is probably the grossest tatt I've ever seen (not mine)A shot from the new bird. Lift-off of a new rocket with my oldest son.Running under low, thick clouds on my way to the point in Chattanooga.Poor feller....

Come to a Comp!

2009-12-20T22:40:00.003-05:00

I have posted a link to the U.S. competitions and dates to the right of this posts, check it out. To me, a hang gliding comp is the ultimate adventure. Flying XC over beautiful, foreign landscapes and then getting a ride back to your hotel is something else. Meeting the best pilots in the country/world and getting to fly with them is invaluable and can teach you more in one week than in a whole year of regular flying. I was very intimidated by comps before I attended my first one but if you are a decent spot lander, can aerotow well, and can keep your wits about you, you will do fine and fly safe. Most places I have flown in competition have more/larger cross-country LZ's than my local sites do. If you like XC flying, this is for you.

Let me know if you are interested in going with me, the more the merrier. Most of them are adding a sport class category. Here are a few shots I have taken during some competitions.
Lake in west Texas

Waiting for a tug in south Florida

Enjoying the view in southern Arizona

Chasing Jeff Obrien towards a nice storm in Texas.

Oil rigs in Texas

The Latest Scultpures

2009-11-30T23:07:00.003-05:00

This flower grew to about 16 inches tall. I believe the stand is cherry and the petals are made of African Padauk. The center is blown glass. This piece started because I noticed the grain in the ambrosia maple looked like clouds. So I grooved out a piece of mahogany and put in cherry inlay. The border is made of zebrawood. Then I carved a couple of hanggliders out of mahogany and brushed on a gloss finish. I still don't feel like it is finished and may try to add a mountain range along the horizon line. What's hang gliding without mountains? All of my pieces are for sale. If you are interested, my email is hangwait@gmail.com. Custom orders are available.

New Wing

2009-11-22T00:27:00.003-05:00

My new T2C arrived this week and it is beautiful. I took a sledder down off of the bandit launch Wednesday morning for the first flight. Everything went great and this is by far the best handling/perfoming glider I have ever flown. The roll response is immediate, unlike other toplesses that may take a few moments to respond to input.

Thursday I went back to the top around 1:30pm for another flight. There were light winds and a nice crowd on launch, maybe 8 - 10 gliders. I launched first and found a decent wintertime thermal that, once above the ridge, turned on quite nicely and took me 2,400 over launch. Then I cruised out into the valley to play with the VG and test the speed range of the new beast.

After playing a while I went back to find Lucas, Carl, Scott, and others in the air. Twirling around low in a thermal with Scott sure was fun. It reminded me of other "good ole days". After about an hour I was ready to land and headed down to the LZ. Landing the T2C was just as predictable as flying it. Again, the roll response stays good all the way through the stall. Here is a shot of me just breaking the horizon. Thanks to Lucas for taking these pictures. I plan on mounting a camera soon so keep looking. I found this picture yesterday on the web. It's me landing on Terry's T2. I believe Scott took it and think it's great, windsock and all.

T2 144 For Sale

2009-11-11T00:08:00.003-05:00

This is a GREAT flying glider! Previously owned and well cared for by Terry Presley, it is now on loan to me while I wait on my new wing to arrive from Wills Wing. It is in excellent shape with 50-75 hours on it. The sail is still "crispy" when you roll it up. Asking price is $4,000 o.b.o. Leave a comment if you are interested. Thanks.

2009-11-03T23:14:00.001-05:00

Flying 10-28-2009

2009-10-29T08:45:00.004-04:00

I have been working on a new airplane lately and just finished it the other night. With no wind yesterday morning I decided to have the test flight. It flew great. The only adjustment needed was to dial down the expo on the elevator as it was way too touchy in the middle. It was designed for a 125 sized engine but I squeezed in a Saito 150 so the vertical performance is endless. I was able to hover it at about 1/3 throttle. Thanks to Scott for helping out. Here he is trying to cut his finger off.After wiping down the plane and getting it back home, I ate some lunch and went to set up Terry's glider for a flight. I am flying this wing as a loner until my new T2C arrives from Wills Wing. It should get here in about 2 more weeks and I can't wait.

I mounted my Nikon camera to a boom on my downtube and tried to capture the beauty of the fall leaves here at the flightpark. On the first flight I set up the camera, tested it, then took off for a 30+ minute flight taking a lot of pictures only to land and realize that the camera had turned itself off and I had NONE. I messed with the settings until I figured out the problem and then towed back up. This time the flight was quite a bit shorter but at least the camera worked.

It's hard to tell but I don't think the leaves have peaked here yet. I plan on flying again today and I want to try a mount on the wing where the side-wire goes in.

Back to Work

2009-10-14T23:17:00.003-04:00

I have been busy this week carving and sanding wood in the shop. The past two weeks of hang gliding served as an inspiration I guess and I have been shaping some wings. The raffle that helped me get to Arizona was a great success. Big thanks to everyone who helped out. Congrats to James on winning the sculpture. A lot of people had kind words to say about my art and I even scored a few orders that I have almost filled. So my new plan is to make some hang-gliding sculptures and advertise here and on the Oz Report. Four of them are getting stain right now and I have ideas for others.

This one is about 1 foot tall. It is made of canarywood, mahogony, purple heart, and walnut.

This one is about 15 inches tall and is made of mahogony and ambrosia maple.

Tommorrow I start the rigid wing.....

Team Challenge 2009

2009-10-05T09:51:00.003-04:00

I got back from Arizona and went straight up to Henson Gap for the annual Team Challenge Competition. This is a very unique comp and is priceless for the average pilot learning to go XC. It is also a great introduction into hang-gliding competition.

When I pulled in the drive at launch, there was a group of 10-15 pilots walking around with their GPS's simulating a route. Terrific mentors like Dennis Pagen, Mike Barber, Ollie Gregory, Tom Lanning, and more shared their knowledge and filled the heads of the hungry pilots. Aside from the GPS course, there were seminars on weather, thermaling, XC flying, launching, landing, and much more.

I missed the first couple of days but understand pilots had great flights on Sunday with many "C" pilots in goal. Tuesday was blown out but then Wednesday was launchable. Light lift made things difficult. I found a climb over the 111 overlook that took me to 1,500ft over launch. I was a "free flyer" during the week and found it a nice change of pace from my previous week's racing in AZ.

Thursday the wind was forecast S to SW so we decided to go to Whitwell to launch. I wanted to launch early because I was afraid of the winds going more SW later; not good for Whitwell. Soon after launch and heading north, I found an ugly, broken climb that finally turned on over the ridge. This took me up to about 2,000ft over launch where I could cruise around. Turns out that thermal stayed there all day. Anytime I got low from searching around, I would run back there and get up again. It's fun when it's predictable. Some competitors made it down the valley and some went to land at the church. Overall, everyone had great landings. Nice job Fly-n-Bryon for making goal!

The next two days were called for weather. Friday it rained a bit and Saturday was blown out. Saturday night we had a party with DJ, karaoke, BBQ dinner, beer, awards, and tons of fun. Ricker came through with amazing help from sponsers and had many prizes to give out. Nobody left empty handed.

So, another good Team Challenge went down. It's hard to believe that these work so well, especially with no meet director. It takes many people and a lot of time to get things ready for the week, but I really appreciate Ollie Gregory and the tremendous amount of volunteer work he does for the comp. He is clearly the grease in the works.

Day 7 AZ Flats

2009-09-27T10:20:00.003-04:00

With light and variable winds they called for a 60 mile triangle landing back at the resort. I set up my glider and staged in a good spot near the front of the line. Once off of tow, I found a weak but steady climb up to the main gaggle and loitered for about 10 minutes. Getting really thirsty I reached for my camelback but couldn't find it. I flew away from the gaggle for clearance and tried to figure out what was wrong. I soon realized it was probably down in my harness and that I would have to land to sort it out. It was still 15 or 20 minutes before the first start and with the weak conditions I figured nobody would take it; so I spiraled down quickly.

On the ground again I sorted out the problem and towed back up. Somewhere in that 10 minutes conditions turned on and most people took the first start. This left Trevor and me working up together with Lucas coming back to join us.

Just before the first turnpoint I found a climb that eventually turned on and I took it up to over 10,300ft. I didn't really need to go that high but I wanted to take the T2 over 10k just one more time. Making the turnpoint was easy after that. Just after the turnpoint I met back up with Lucas, Ricker, and Trevor. This was the first time the "Lookout boys" were flying together. It was fun.

We separtated on that glide until it was just Lucas and I. We were on courseline and were going good when our driver came over the radio and warned us to avoid an airport that had busy skydiving traffic. It was right in front of me within glide. I looked up to see the jump plane gaining altitude above us. Not sure what to do, I veared to the east to go around it. Getting low now we were in trouble. Lucas stayed more west of me and I headed over to a prison complex hoping there would be some heat coming off.

I arrived with about 1,000ft and found a very small, broken climb. For about 10 minutes I struggled over the prison watching people in the yard playing basketball. I kept thinking of the irony. I am free like a bird, and they are caged in the desert, but we still wanted the same thing; to climb away from this place.

After fighting for a while I was slowly losing altitude. I realized I only had a few more minutes of flight and this was the last one on my wing. So, I stuffed the bar, gained good speed, then let it out for a huge wingover. Afterwards I set up an approach and landed next to the road. It was an awesome final flight.

Day 6

2009-09-26T01:31:00.002-04:00

It was a triangle task of 56 miles. I had to take two tows to get going and everyone had already left but near the edge of the start circle I found a huge climb; 800fpm on the averager. After gliding toward the 1st turnpoint a few miles I found another great climb averaging 1000fpm. With both of these climbs I was able to catch up with other pilots and things were going well.

Working with Ben and Bruce, we clipped the turnpoint and headed off to the second. This is where things slowed down. We couldn't find any climbs that were solid and they were averaging 200fpm. It was frustrating and my hips and shoulders were getting sore. We limped along to the 2nd turnpoint and finally found a decent climb. They left and I stayed until I hit 6,500ft. After tagging the turnpoint I turned towards goal with 18 miles to go.

I found my last climb of the day just 11 miles to goal. It was about 350fpm. My final glide computer started telling me I had goal made but I didn't trust it as I could see the hotel off in the distance, and it looked too far. So I kept climbing until I had 1000 feet of insurance. Eventually, the climb started fizzling out and I felt that I could make it, so off I went. On glide my numbers immediately started dropping and I knew I was in trouble. I stretched the glide as best as I could and ended up landing 1 mile short.

So tommorrow will be the last time I fly my T2. It is leaving this meet with someone else and I am getting a new T2C. I am so excited but also hate to see this one go. It has taken me on numerous adventures and we have spent hundreds of hours in the air together. Maybe that's why she wouldn't glide on in to goal with me today; so that I would have to set up, fly, then break down one more time. I look forward to it.

Don't be a Cowboy

2009-09-25T01:17:00.003-04:00

Today a mostly downwind task of 45 miles was called. I sat patiently on the ground waiting to launch so that I wouldn't have to battle the wind staying out of the start cylinder. This strategy paid off perfectly as I topped out at the edge of the circle just 5 minutes before the second start. I left at 7,000ft and at 1:45:40. A PERFECT start.

Then I made a big mistake. Following 4 or 5 other gliders, we made our way to the turnpoint. As we got lower and lower I saw a small dust devil off to our right. No one else went for it but I couldn't resist so off I went, all by my gambling self. After getting close, the dusty dissappeared and I found nothing. Looking back for the others, I saw them climbing over a small mountain. I tried to make it back to them but landed just short, extrememly dissappointed with myself.

I have had this lesson many, many times before but for some reason I can't discipline myself against it. DONT BE A COWBOY!!!! I am not smarter than everyone else. I need to hang with the pack, especially on blue days. With no clouds I am basically running blind.

I just threw away any chances at a decent finish in this meet. Alot of people (22) made goal today. I sure hope that this lesson will be the one that sticks. It sure does sting right now.
It's all good though. Tommorrow is a fresh new day and I am still doing what I love. Maybe now I can relax and just fly my glider.

Wind Too Windy

2009-09-23T22:21:00.003-04:00

We awoke today to more strong wind. Still, I went through the motions with my Cheerios and a banana and then off to the pilots meeting. They didn't waste much time today telling us that the day would be cancelled and hoped tommorow would be better.At first, I looked up an ATV rental place in Phoenix and found a few folks who wanted to go. But after some thought about logistics, money, etc., we decided to stay local and entertain ourselves by going to a movie; Ingloriuos Bastards. - great movie of you like Quentin Tarantino's style.After that I went around with the camera looking for shots. Then, we decided to hold a paper airplane competition. We had a beatiful launch site on top of the 10 story hotel roof.
I sure hope the winds relax enough for us to fly tommorrow. I've had my fill of ground based entertainment around here.

Wind Wrong Way

2009-09-22T23:07:00.004-04:00

The safety committee decided to cancel the task today around 12:30pm due to the wind. It wasn't so much the velocity but the direction. We would have had to take off over the trees on the golf course.
So we had a nice relaxing day off from flying. Most people scattered to do different things in town. We went to Pizza Hut for lunch and then sat around the hotel taking it easy. It finally felt like a vacation.

The hotel was still empty at sunset.

AZ Flats day 2

2009-09-22T11:45:00.003-04:00

For me, the day started out OK. I launched early again and quickly got up to about 6,000ft with a group of pilots. We were waiting around for the 1st start but the wind was blowing us out of the start circle so I decided to go back up wind to find another climb. I went to some gliders over the hotel but their climb was diminishing. Searching around I found nothing and was back on the ground for a re-light.

Now the whole area was in a flush cycle and lots of pilots were having to tow back up. I was unable to stick on the second tow and had to re-light yet again. I tried not to get frustrated. Launch closed at 2:15 and I barely made the window, being the last person to tow for the day. Finally, the tug pilot found a climb for me and I was out of there.

I found a few pilots near the 1st turnpoint to fly with. We made that one pretty easily but going to the second turnpoint proved to be quite difficult on account of a stiff crosswind. I lucked out and found a climb to 9,000ft and then went on glide to the second. After tagging the turnpoint, I dove into the big mountains to get a climb where I saw some gliders turning. I was right up against the mountain that I admired yesterday. Climbing up and over the peak was incredible. That climb took me over 9,500ft and I headed toward the 3rd turnpoint. I saw some gliders turning up ahead but realized I couldn't make it to them. Looking off my right wing, I noticed a decent sized dust devil tearing up the ground so I dove towards it. By now I was down to 1,200ft and desparate. It was a rough start when I found it but I held on.

This climb was taking me over what I thought was an airport but I noticed no terminals, and few hangars, just lots of big 747's and a runway. I later found out it is a 747 boneyard. They fly in but can never check out! I wish I had a picture but I was really busy getting out of there.

That climb got me back up to 7,500ft with 12 miles to goal. My instruments told me I had goal by 2,200ft so I left feeling good. On that glide my numbers steadily decreased and I was getting nervous. The air was not as bouyant as I had hoped and I still couldn't see the small RC airport goal. Finally I found it and arrived about 400ft over. PHEW!!

So it turns out I had a great flight after a frustrating beginning. Since the last start was 1:45 and my last tow started at 2:15 I had a huge penalty on my time. I actually ran the course pretty quickly but it doesn't show that in the results. I'm just glad I wasn't sitting in the hotel watching a movie or something.

1st Day

2009-09-21T02:10:00.003-04:00

The first day of the Flats Race called for a 69 mile task with three turnpoints ending back at the hotel. The forecast called for blue skies and lift averaging 700fpm though I feel it was quite less than that.

I wanted to launch early so I wouldn't get caught in line with all my gear on in the desert heat. After getting up, I found myself fighting for lift in a gaggle of about 30 gliders. The lift was spotty and light and took a lot of patience to make it work.

Halfway to the first turnpoint I found a good core away from the big gaggle. They left theirs about 6,200 but I was climbing really well. Should I go with them or take the climb higher? I decided to stay. I left around 8,000 and caught up to everyone at the turnpoint with more altitude. I felt great having made the right decision. Then we were off to the second.

The second turnpoint was near a huge, gnarly mountain. I had one of those "magical" moments and had to snap a picture. It's a bit crooked but I was busy in a thermal. These mountains look so much less forgiving than the ones I fly around back home.

I struggled a bit in that thermal and ended up losing everyone. After getting up to about 8,400ft I left for the 3rd turnpoint. I could see the gaggle there in front turning in something. I arrived a bit lower than them and was unable to find the lift. After hitting the turnpoint I went on glide all the way to the ground. I didn't score all that well but I had a great flight none the less. Arizona is beautiful from the air.

Santa Cruz Flats Race

2009-09-20T11:49:00.004-04:00

We finally arrived here in Casa Grande, Arizona late on Friday night. The drive wasn't so bad on the first day, but the second seemed to drag a little. I think it was about 30 hours or so.

This place is nice. A towering hotel with pool, lounge, restaurant, and golf course with lush green grass surrounded by miles of desert. It's an oasis and I still can't figure out why they built it here, but I like it. They just finished paving a runway next to the driving range for us to take-off on.
Here is some pictures from outside our room.

I'm eager to get into the air and have a look around. The weather seems to be nice today with light winds and cloudbase around 12,000ft. Stay tuned for updates!

Santa Cruz Raffle

2009-09-02T23:40:00.002-04:00

Hi, my name is Eric and I am addicted to competition hang-gliding.

I have signed up for the Santa Cruz Flats Race in Arizona starting September 20th and am trying to raise gas money for the trip. Hang gliding comps take a lot of time and money. It's the money I am short of. So, I am having a raffle at the Labor Day party here at Lookout this weekend.

For just $2.00, you get a ticket and a chance at winning great hanggliding art from yours truly.

For $5.00, you get THREE tickets!

For $10.00, you get SEVEN tickets and a huge handshake!!!

Puzzled?

Hope to see everyone at the party. Thanks for your help!

Spot Landing Comp at Big Spring

2009-08-19T12:24:00.003-04:00

Since I was participating in the spot landing contest, I couldn't get any footage of the action. Ricker, on the other hand, put one camera on the ground and then took still shots with another. He gave me the video clips to put together so here it is - the "cactus cam".

And then, I had a bit of a controversial landing. "was the landing over?" For the landing to count, you have to be on your feet and only the wingtips or keel can touch. Basebar and nose disqualifies you. I felt my landing was over and I was repositioning to get off the field. Anyway, I was 4th so it didn't matter. Spot landing was alot of fun. Check out the footage below.

Day 7 - final and best day

2009-08-17T12:22:00.002-04:00

The task for the final day was a 105 mile dogleg to the north and then east. It was difficult to get to base around the airport but clouds were looking good on course so I decided yet again to leave early and by myself. I got to base and left the start circle only 9 minutes before the first start so the penalty wouldn't be too severe, especially for my game.

I caught up to a good street which put me up to over 10,500ft and then raced along just under the base for a while. I found good climbs along the way and stayed high. Around 50 miles out I noticed the lead pack catching up. Jeff O'brien came my way as the others took a line more to the west. I topped out on a climb to 10,800ft and went on glide as OB climb up right behind me. A few minutes later, out of nowhere, he passed just feet over my glider diving in front of me. The bright colors of his glider, just feet in front of me, was really startling and was a lot of fun. It's funny how he can just play with me that way and keep kicking butt. I guess that's why he's on the world team.

So now we were gliding together and storms to our west continued to move in. We got low on that glide, maybe 4,500ft (1,500agl), then found a good climb back up. I was getting nervous about the two storms ahead because the turnpoint was in between them. I used hand gestures to communicate my concerns to OB and he just gave me an A-OK signal and motioned to move on. So we did. At the turnpoint we joined the rest of the lead gaggle in light to maintaining lift. I didn't see any future in this light stuff so I went to tag the turnpoint and glide out for a landing before the storms got worse. I had had a great week and didn't want to push it on the last day.

So it turns out that I flew 71 miles and everyone else kept dropping soon after. Nobody made goal. I came in 8th for the day, my best in this meet. I ended up in 16th overall and am really happy about it. I flew 464 miles out of 651. Not bad for a weeks worth of flying. Texas never dissappoints a hang glider pilot.

Here is a picture of the storms heading to the turnpoint. That's OB in the center.

Day 6 - I'm famous

2009-08-15T00:05:00.004-04:00

Today they called for a 105 mile task with 1 turnpoint at Lamesa. Thick mid-level clouds threatened to shade everything so I decided to launch early and get as far as I could before it did. This meant I was going to ignore the start times and get moving on course. When I launched cu's were forming to the east and I headed that way even though it took me way east of courseline. I made good time all by myself and eventually got near Lamesa but was 10 miles east of it. By now everything was shaded and I stretched my glide towards the town. There was a small spot of sunshine on the ground and I headed for it. 6 miles from the turnpoint and at 600ft I found some lift. I took it up to 6,500ft until it got weak, then headed to the turnpoint. After I got it I turned north towards goal only to glide all the way to the ground. Turns out I should have waited a bit cause the high clouds were clearing and everything started heating up. So, I went 70 miles out of 105.

Here is a picture from the flight. Notice how dark and shaded everything was.
Then, after I landed, notice how sunny it was.I ended up landing on a dirt road that was access to the oil fields. This turned out to be a retrieve nightmare. Not only was it difficult for my driver to find me, a huge storm developed and eventually started dumping hard rain on me. I stood in the pooring rain trying to protect all of my electronic equipment for over 2 hours waiting for them to find me. Here is a little vid of the approaching storm.

Now the cool part. After we got back and I got dry cloths on, we headed to Cowboys restaurant for some grub. When I walked in there was a newspaper dispensor next to the door with a picture of me flying my glider on the front page! I plopped in 50 cents and took one.

Day 5- from 300ft to goal

2009-08-14T00:14:00.005-04:00

At first the task was a 105 miler to the WNW with 3 turnpoints. But before launch they changed it to the exact same task as yesterday, 85 miles with 2 turnpoints. I guess they felt that coming back into the wind over the un-friendly oil fields was a bit too dangerous.

The cu's didn't form until late again but we were all eventually in the air and fighting for a space in the gaggles. There must have been some confusion between pilots as to which direction to turn today in the start circle. It was a right turn day but half the pilots were turning left, and the other going right. This made a huge mess and was quite stressful trying to get up in the cramped lift.

I started following a group of guys to the north of courseline under some clouds but looking ahead I didn't think it was a good call. So, I decided to go solo across a huge blue area towards more clouds south of courseline. This was a big gamble that almost didn't pay off as I had to work hard to get back up over there. But, once at cloudbase again I could play connect the clouds and I was on my way.

I flew most of the flight by myself only getting with some other people near the second turnpoint. The sky by this point was getting blue and we were having to search hard for lift. I tagged the turnpoint and headed north towards goal. This is where things got exciting.

I got down to about 300 feet and was about to land when I saw some birds circling. I went to them and found small, punchy lift. I held on to it for dear flight and did many turns trying to get back up. A Litespeed came in even lower than me and tried to do the same but wasn't making much progress. I was concentrating so hard I could only glance at him occationally. I looked and saw him at 150ft, then again at 100ft, then I looked again just in time to see him crashing hard into a fence and going over. As I circled I watched for movement but nothing happened for a few minutes. I kept trying to decide if I should go land to help or keep climbing. Finally, a car pulled in and I figured they could give assistance. It turns out he knocked himself out for a bit and couldn't remember the last seconds of his landing(crash). He broke the carbon basetube, downtube and put a fencepost through the sail. He was OK except for a few scratches.

Anyway, this climb finally became organized enough for me to get back up to 9,000ft although it took over 30 minutes. This allowed me to float the 16 miles into goal. Maybe 10 or 15 pilots made goal today. Fun day with a challenging ending.

Day 4

2009-08-13T02:00:00.003-04:00

Today they decided on a task of about 85 miles with two turnpoints. High cirrus was already overhead in the morning making me wonder how good the day would be. But, early in the afternoon they were spreading apart and a few lone cu's were forming.

I made sure to get a good spot in the staging line since I got burned yesterday by launching late and then the task was called. (I could whine a little here but I'll spare you). So today I launched about tenth in line and found a steady, though not strong climb with all the top guys. I watched them like a hawk and was able to stay with them as we left for a good start. About 8 or 10 of us continued on towards the first turnpoint when the usa team began pulling away. Eventually I was on my own but making good time, staying high.

Soon after the turnpoint, 38 miles into the flight, I caught up to some gliders and realized one was Jeff O'brien. Had I caught up to him?! I was really excited. Talking to him later he said he messed up and got stuck low. So it's not that I was fast, I just didn't make any mistakes. Anyway, I'll take it. At the second turnpoint, I caught up with Davis and Shapiro. We hit the turnpoint and then took a good climb. I soon lost sight of Shapiro but held on to Davis. Now just 15 miles from goal, we took a climb until he left. I was about 500 feet lower than him and should have spun up a little more but decided to go with him. This was my critical error for the day. He arrived at goal with a couple hundred feet and I landed a bit short. Looking at the airport I could see I wasn't going to make it, so I veered east to shoot under a cloudstreet hoping for ONE more climb but I couldn't find it and landed 2 or 3 miles short.

Tough lesson today. I have never been so close to finishing with the top guys before and I blew it because of a few hundred feet. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and I still had a spectacular flight.

Here is a picture I took while on course of the oil fields below.
Here is some video clips that I put together of my flight and my deserted LZ.

Day 3, storms and spiders

2009-08-11T23:37:00.004-04:00

As we brought our gliders out to the staging line the clouds were forming quickly to our east. Most of us were worried about over-developement and wanted to get in the air quickly in case the task was called. I was stuck near the back of the line again and waited 30-40 minutes for a tow. Once in the air I found a good climb and was on my way.

While on course I noticed rain showers behind me at the airport and a few scattered east of me. No big deal and I kept pushing on. Then, I started watching a large storm up ahead right on courseline. I decided I could keep going and would just keep an eye on it. Coming up on the town of Lamesa the storm continued to grow and then I noticed a HUGE gust front kicking up thick dust, completely engulfing the town. I was at 8,500ft and could see the dust line for miles to the north and south. Just then I heard over the radio that the task had been called. Having never been in this situation before I got quite nervous and wasn't sure what to do. The only thing I could think of was to run from it. I pointed straight west and pulled the speed on.

I don't think I have ever felt so small before. I ran for 10 or 15 miles looking back at this huge, very defined, wall of wind chasing me. Up ahead I saw the only house around and aimed to land there in case I needed any assistance. I arrived with about 500ft and to my surprise, the trees were calm and not blowing. I circled down and had a nice landing in their crop and carried my glider to the road. Looking east I could see the dust coming. I turned my glider around and un-hooked. 2-3 minutes later the gustfront hit.

Before I got close to the storm I had the camera out. Here is a little clip.

Before the flight I found this "little" dude walking around at the airport. Look, he was waving at me.

Day 2 at Big Spring

2009-08-10T23:52:00.002-04:00

Today turned out to be a great flying day with plenty of strong lift making clouds everywhere. The task was an 86 miler with two turnpoints. The wind seemed less than forcasted so staying on or near courseline was no problem. I found some incredible climbs with one of them 1100 on the averager. It took me 2hr and 54min to run the course. I tried not to waste time in weak lift and flew hard between climbs.

The most fun I had was the final leg into goal. We were 16 miles out and headed into a giant blue hole. I found a light climb, maybe 100fpm, in the middle of it. Sunny Venesky, who had been with me most of the flight, joined me here also. This climb finally faded so I headed straight into the wind off course towards a thin, wispy cloud a mile or two away. I found the up and started climbing. Sunny and another glider soon joined me. I was on top of the stack but my GPS wouldn't say the glide ratio to goal. So, I kept looking for the airport wondering if I could leave for it. Finally, one of the gliders pulled away and started for goal. I pulled on full vg and the race was on! With about 6 miles to go and a bit of altitude advantage, I pulled in and put the ground speed at 70+ beating them by about 10 seconds. Nice picture from coudbase, about 9,500ft here

Here is the airport we are flying from. How many runways can you count? Also, if you look real hard, you can see the staging line and a couple of gliders ready to launch. It's a big place.

Big Spring, TX - Day 1

2009-08-09T23:22:00.003-04:00

We are here in west Texas again for a week of hang gliding competition. Ricker, James, and I drove out together joining pilots from all over the country to find out who is the best pilot in the USA. You just can't beat the atmosphere around here. The town of Big Spring really goes all out to welcome us and make us feel special. Last night they had a BBQ dinner at the community center complete with a band.

Below is a picture of the centerpiece at our dinner table; colorful isn't it?

Day 1 came with a bit of wind at 15-20 out of the South. The task comittee decided on a task of 102 miles with 1 turnpoint making it a dogleg. Clouds were in the forecast but turned out there were very few. I think about 10 pilots made it into goal. I landed a half mile short of the turnpoint for a flight of 60 miles. I'm not sure where others made it.

The winds should be letting up as the week goes on. We shall see. Here is a picture of my LZ today next to the oil rigs. Notice the lonely cloud behind the glider, that was my last climb.

Flying 7-20-09

2009-07-21T09:17:00.002-04:00

Ricker and I had a fun flight yesterday. We knew we were launching late for a good XC but decided to go anyway. We found base around 6K and headed over the back of Lookout. I have only been this way a few times so I was enjoying the rare scenery.

We landed at Berry College in Rome, GA in a huge university cow pasture. Ricker had a camera and got some pics. Maybe he'll send some to post.

Airtime about 2hours
45 miles

Head in the Clouds

2009-07-09T11:46:00.003-04:00

The other day I noticed low, puffy clouds starting to form early in the day. I did a few chores and decided to go for a flight. I went and asked Dave to tow me high above the soft monsters so I could get some pictures.

It turned out to be one of those really special days in the air. Thinking I was going for a short hop, I left my vario on the ground. The glide back down to cloudbase was calm and relaxing. Then, below cloud base, I noticed the air was active and I started playing with the lift going back up. It was so effortless and the scenery was breath-taking. I glided around the entire valley at or above cloudbase, with only the sound of the wind. I was glad my vario, and it's sometimes annoying beeps, were on the ground.

It would have been a great XC day but the base was so low. Maybe 2000 over launch. Well, I put together a little video from the flight. Enjoy!

Hang Gliding Pics

2009-07-05T22:00:00.004-04:00

I was going through the old vault today and found some pictures I thought I should bring back. Maybe more to come....

This means WAR!

2009-07-02T21:49:00.005-04:00

It's the fourth of July, and it's almost time to try and blow up my friends again. This will be the third or fourth year in a row.

In years past the towboys at the north end of the field put cardboard armor around there golf cart with little peep holes cut out to see through, and larger holes to shoot out of. They get ready and do a "drive by" attacking us at our "base", a huge Ford Econoline.

They come by with their little rockets and think they're having fun until they see a fuse sparkling down into the barrel of a homemade bazooka mortar launcher aimed just in front of their path. Who's laughing NOW!

We made the bazookas out of pvc pipe, tape, paint, and the desire to do stupid stuff. I know it seems dangerous, but we do put a "little" thought into safety.
As you can see in this picture, the side of my launcher blew apart when the round failed to leave the barrel, blowing up in my hands. But, since I had lined the back of the tube with aluminum from a beer can, the blast was directed away from me. See.......Safety!!
Check out the picture below up close and you can see our Econoline under assault.

Well, we have just recieved information that the higher ups around here aren't so keen on the whole war thing. Says it's too dry or something.... Maybe we'll just have a roman candle duel. Light it and then 15 paces. However it goes, I think we'll have a good time. It's nice to sit back and watch fireworks also.

For Sale

2009-06-26T22:47:00.004-04:00

Anybody want a Jeep? I am trying to sell my 1989 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. It's a great truck but I just don't drive it enough. Here are a few pics.

Woodshop

2009-06-04T22:17:00.004-04:00

It's been a while, but I am getting back into the woodshop. I found some scraps of mahogony, walnut, maple, and ambrosia wormwood maple and decided to put them together.

Here is an end-grain cutting board made of mahogony and maple. I still have some sanding to do before I oil it. The oil should really bring out the mahogony.

This board is maple and walnut with thin mahogony strips.

And finally, I started a chess board out of the ambrosia maple and mahogony. It will have a thin border of zebrawood around the edges. I plan on making the chess pieces out of glass. This should keep me busy for a while.

Cow Tipping

2009-06-02T23:02:00.002-04:00

Check out this video of a Tigermoth bi-plane having to make an emergency landing after his engine failed on take-off. Must be hard to see over the nose of that thing.

The rain has stopped!

2009-05-31T10:59:00.003-04:00

We have finally got some good weather for a change. Friday Lucas and I went for a leisurely stroll down to the point at Lookout. Nice smooth ridge lift and a couple decent climbs took us there and back. The NW winds also made the LZ quite switchy.

On Saturday we decided to go to Hensen Gap and try making it back to Lookout. The forcast was better than it turned out. People sank out for most of the day getting only small, light thermals and minimal ridge lift. But, late in the afternoon, someone flipped the switch and it was blowing in nicely. I launched and went up immediately. Ollie, James, Miller, and I headed south along the ridge. Lucas was soon in the air and catching up. The rigid boys made it to Inman's point and were awarded with a slow climb drifting over Sand Mtn. When Lucas and I got to Inman's, there was only blue sky and little ridge lift. We loitered for about 30-40 minutes at treetop level waiting for a ticket out. Finally, we decided to take our chances in the valley only to find nothing and landed. I picked this field because I could land uphill and into the wind, but didn't realize how high the grass was. I had a nice flare and settled down into waist or chest high grass. It was a real chore walking out to the gate.Here is Lucas getting down to the gate. The grass was actually shorter here than where we landed!

Ollie, Steve Lee, and Miller ended up at Lookout and James landed on top of Sand Mtn. Great flying guys!

Grateful Dad goes sailing

2009-05-21T09:29:00.004-04:00

We were finally able to try out the sailboat the other day. It was supposed to blow 10-15 ENE but when we got to the lake it was pretty calm. This was nice because it allowed us time to paddle out a couple hundred yards, raise the sails, and try to figure out what we were doing. Small gusts would come by every now and then and would get us all excited and moving. After about an hour the wind started blowing more consistantly around 10 mph and we were having a blast.

It was nice to see all that hard work and time paying off on the water. I thought she handled quite nicely. I feel like I could handle the whole thing by myself next time so I should be able to take Isaiah . I know he will love it.( even though he said sailboats are slow and boring)

Check out the short vid of the maiden voyage.

Rally Round-up

2009-05-10T08:10:00.003-04:00

I haven't had internet connection for a few days so I couldn't update. Friday we had a 76 mile triangle task. Actually, it was more like two out and returns. We headed south into the wind for 22 miles, back north for 36 miles right over Quest, and finally south again 18 more with goal at the airport. It was a fun task with very nice climbs and clouds everywhere.

Saturday the task was a bit more difficult. An out and return of 91 miles I think. I had a good start, being able to fly with the big gaggle and figuring out their secrets. I learned how to make better decisions and where I have been wasting time. I was able to hold on to them most of the way to the turnpoint, but then got low and had to spend time just surviving. The western sea-breeze came in and made everything ugly. I ended up landing just short of the turnpoint in the middle of a horse racetrack.

So it turns out it was a good decision to head south to finish the comp. I guess it was raining at Lookout everyday, and we had two wonderful days of flying here. Florida is amazing.(for flying anyway). Jeff Obrien took third, Zippy second, and Glen Volk first.

This comp was definately an awesome adventure. It was cool staying in a different town almost every night, and seeing the southeast from high above in my little wing. I hope they try this again next year.

Back to Quest

2009-05-08T09:43:00.003-04:00

The Rally made it to Americus, GA. and then was stopped by nasty weather to the north. We had a pilots meeting and held discussion on what to do. The majority wanted to go where the flying would be good so everyone headed back down south to Quest. I was on the fence about heading home to Lookout, or going back south. I miss my family very much, and I hate back-tracking. But Ashley (my wife) warned me that I could regret not finishing the meet so here I am in Florida. She's so good for me!

The weather report for today looks spectacular. I imagine with the light winds we will try for a triangle task. We'll see...

2009-05-05T23:29:00.002-04:00

Lucas got too excited and spilled his O.J. this morning.

After the clean-up we enjoyed a nice buffet style breakfast at the little restaurant in Williston. They did a great job accomodating all of us. After breakfast we headed out to the airport to fly.

I have got to get a new harness. After flying these two comps back to back I realize that my harness just does not fit. I have been getting sore, but today it was unbearable. It's like when you wear shoes that don't fit and you get some blisters. Then, you keep putting them on and walk for miles every day in them. After about 20 miles today I just simply gave up and circled down to land at an airport. At the time I thought I was making the right decision, but I spent the rest of the day angry at myself for giving up. Hopefully I will heal enough to be somewhat comfortable tommorrow. I will be looking for a new one when I get home.

I'm not sure how most people did on the 144 mile task, but I think quite a few made it about half way. A front moving south shut everything down.

Rally Race - Day 2

2009-05-05T08:52:00.004-04:00

The task was set to go to Williston, FL., 67 miles miles to the north. It all started when I found a nice soft climb off of tow and climbed straight to base. Making my way over to the start circle edge I was joined by OB and Lucas. We all chose to take the 2:00 start.

I left out first and passed the next climb I needed. Lucas called me back when he found it so I ran back to catch up. I wanted to take it all the way up so I was left behind as I climbed.

I was by myself most of the flight except for when Kevin Carter passed me. Over the town of Ocala I found a couple very nice climbs and soon found myself catching up with Lucas and 3 others. The sea breeze came in from the west and started shutting everything down. All 4 or 5 of us found ourselves low over this town with few landing options when we hooked a decent thermal to get us out. But since the winds had changed to more westerly, it was hard to make any progress.

Tom Lanning, Lucas, and I finally landed in the nicest field you have ever seen. It was finely manicured and even had fences around the trees. Soon after landing a woman driving a Mercedes wearing big diamonds came and informed us we were not invited or welcome, and that we needed to leave immediately. We apologized and broke down quickly.

There is the field behind the fence.

We ended up landing 15 or so miles short of goal. Nobody made it today as the sea-breaze shot us down. Lucas and I did pretty good getting in 8th and 9th for the day. It was a fun flight. It is pretty cool to see the vegetation changing as we head north. There are more flowers here than in south Florida. Today is supposed to be 144 miles, we'll see....

Here is a short clip over the town of Ocala.

128 miles!

2009-05-04T12:08:00.002-04:00

The first day of the Flytec Race and Rally started off with a bang. 128 mile task straight to Quest. The conditions were great with cloudbase around 6,300 and good solid climbs. I made a new personal best record for distance with this flight. It took almost 41/2 hours to complete and I was quite sore when I landed.

It all started with a weak-link break at 400 feet out of the field. As I turned around to land and relight, I noticed I was in a good thermal. In just a few moments I was climbing through 1,500 feet and on my way. The start circle gaggle flying was intimidating but I executed a perfect start. Right at cloudbase, at the tip of the circle, and leaving a few seconds after 1:00pm.

Some highlights of the flight were a bald eagle thermaling with me, a close encounter with a turbo-prop airliner( I could see the co-pilot looking out the window at me), and I also heard a jet pass over me in the clouds but never saw it. Florida seems to have some fairly busy airspace, especially around Orlando.

I landed just before 5:00pm and felt like I had been beaten with a 2x4. I had to lay on the couch for a while. Quest hooked it up for everyone with a great assortment of snacks and 2 kegs of cold beer. I have some pics from the flight and will try to put them up later. For now, I have to go get ready for another flight to the north. 67 miles nearer to the Florida/Georgia border.

Final Task

2009-05-02T12:13:00.004-04:00

It's lonely when you land short. But, at least the scenery is nice.

Task 4 was another long one, 102 miles, with 4 turnpoints. I found a good climb off of my first tow and hooked up with some other gliders. I was busy climbing and decided to wait for the 2nd start clock which made me loiter for about 10 minutes. I actually did quite nice as I left the start circle 45 seconds after 2:15. This is something I am trying to master, and has never been easy.

At the first turnpoint I was high and saw three other gliders coming so I decided to wait on them. Turns out Lucas was with them so for the first time this meet we were able to fly together. We all had a good climb and I was on top. At 6,300 feet we decided to glide towards the 2nd turnpoint. I left first. I had a good line as I was only sinking at 200 fpm until I got close to the turnpoint when the air got roudy. I knew there was a good climb nearby, so I started searching for the lift. I was sinking like a rock and starting to worry. Looking back to find the others, I saw that they had found it about a 1/2 mile back and to the north. Now at 1,000 feet I didn't have the altitude to get back to them and I turned downwind with my fingers crossed. I found nothing and landed in a huge field beside the road, extremely upset with myself.

After I cooled down, I realized just how lucky I really am. If this wasn't a competition, I would have considered this a pretty good flight. I am lucky to be doing exactly what I want to be doing, flying around the country like a bird.

The comp is over and Dustin Martin came in first, Andre Wolf in second, and Johnny Durand in third. Now we rest for a day and start the rally race back to Tennessee tommorrow.

Task 3

2009-04-30T23:33:00.004-04:00

It was another long task today. 90 miles. My flight started with some frustration since it took four tows to stick in the air. After I got to cloudbase, I realized I would be doing this task all alone. This made my day much more difficult. The climbs today were quite nasty also. They did not seem as organized as yesterday. I made the first turnpoint with relative ease, but getting to the second tested my patience. Crawling low over unfriendly terrain had me on my toes and taking every climb that I could find. I made the second turnpoint just South of Arcadia and headed north only to hit steady sink. After a short glide I had to land in a pasture next to the highway. As I broke the glider down I noticed all the clouds going away and knew I wouldn't have made it much further anyway. So, I made it 56 out of 90 miles and was surprised I made it that far. Sitting in the field waiting for Dale, my driver, was quite peaceful.

Lucas made goal today although it took almost 5 hours. He should do well in this comp because he has been consistant. Way to go man!

Redemption

2009-04-29T23:26:00.004-04:00

Day 5, Task 2. They decided to give us an 86 mile task today with one turnpoint. I launched near the back of the line but had a good tow up to a gaggle. Long story short, I had an AWESOME flight. I made goal and not too far behind the leaders I think. I came in with Jeff Shapiro and Ben Dunn, but I'm not sure which start time they took. I'll have to wait until tommorrow to see the results. I'm glad I had this flight since I was pretty bummed about yesterday's flight. It was great conditions with my averager on some climbs stuck on 900 fpm.

There was a bit of confusion on where exactly goal was and I just landed where I saw other gliders. Turns out the land owner did not appreciate us there and made us hike our gear out about 1/2 mile under one fence and over another gate. At least he didn't call the police?

Here is a clip of some in flight footage I shot while on glide. Looking forward to tommorrow.

Finally Flying!

2009-04-28T23:02:00.002-04:00

After three days of too much wind, we were able to call a task and go fly it. Even though the strong east wind tore apart the thermals, many pilots made it into goal. I was not so fortunate. A series of wrong decisions or maybe bad luck forced me to the ground just 13 miles out. This was my worst performance ever in my short competition experience. Oh well, I have learned a bit more now and hopefully will do better tommorrow. Until then...

Dune Goons

2009-04-27T11:49:00.002-04:00

It has been blown out here for the last couple of days here at the ridge. Saturday Lucas and I played a round of golf to pass the time. On Sunday the safety committee decided it was also too windy so a group of us went out to the Atlantic to soar an abandoned hotel on the beach. We were launched by 3 or 4 pilots pulling on a rope to hoist us up into the air. This is the first time I have tried this and it was simply amazing. This is what hang gliding is all about. We were able to get maybe 60 feet into the air, pin off of the tow, and then glide over into the lift band next to the hotel soaring as long as we pleased. It was hard not to be selfish as others wanted their turn. The view was great. We are having fun despite the comp weather setbacks.

Here is a short vid of the fun.

Tandem Terror

2009-04-24T23:04:00.003-04:00

I found this picture of a tandem flight last summer. It is of me and a very excited/terrified passenger coming in for a landing. She was by far the most difficult passenger I have ever taken up. I had scratches on my chest and arms from her nails clenching so tight and she never stopped screaming. She told me she had never been on an airplane and thought this would be a good way to introduce herself to flying. I don't think she was impressed since she has never returned for lessons. Oh well, flying isn't for everyone.

Well, I am here in Florida now for two weeks of competition. More to come!

This one's for you, Mom.

2009-04-20T13:27:00.004-04:00

This post is for my family. It is a short movie showing off my wonderful little boys. Feel free to watch, but it may be boring if you aren't related.

Fly-in 2009

2009-04-18T10:18:00.005-04:00

I decided to try and host a fly-in type thing a long time ago, but never was motivated enough. Early in the week I saw that it might be light NE winds on Thursday and made the call. This meant we could launch off of the bandit launch in light cross or calm wind, and be landing slightly up-hill and into the wind. PERFECT!

So Tuesday I started mowing a design in the field beside my house. I was inspired by the guy who does this in Ellenville, NY. Even though my design is far less complicated than his, it took all day. First, I marked it all out with a pole, string, and marker paint. Then I went around on the riding mower. And finally, coming back with the weed-wacker in the small areas.

The weather turned out to be right on, couldn't be better. We had a Spot landing contest in which Mark Fink won. The actual spot was the small ringed circle in the center, marked with a paper plate. This made it a bit confusing on final but that's the fun. Everyone had good landings, well, OK, at least nobody broke anything.

Stocked coolers and hot dogs were waiting for us, and we made a huge bon-fire to get us into the evening. Check out the short video. I Wish I had used the camera more around the fire, but then I guess we could have looked like a bunch of idiots.

Glider needs new home!

2009-04-05T21:01:00.007-04:00

I guess it's time we went our separate ways. We don't seem to "hang" out anymore. I've met someone new (T2).

I am selling my Airwave Concept 149. I flew it for a long while but need to sell because it is just sitting around. Great flying glider. The performance is similar to a U2. Asking $800, but I am negotiable. Check out the pics, there is a patch on the left wing. Other than that it is in great shape.

Nice winglets Here is the blemishLeading edge is in great shape. Bag in good shape, new from Gunnison Gliders, heavy duty fabric. Also has a bag to keep the winglets.
Nose cone removed

Nice Pic

2009-03-31T21:23:00.002-04:00

I thought this was a nice picture of the pond and barn behind my house. Nice time of year here in Georgia.

Grateful Dad

2009-03-20T23:29:00.007-04:00

Last summer my friend Scott said his father had a sailboat he would like to get out of his yard. I goofed around and never went to get it. 6 months later he called and said that for $66 bucks he would put new tires and bearings on the trailer and bring it to me. How could I say no!

So it began in early September. I wanted to try and restore the boat before winter, but I ran out of time. All of the wood was rotten, and I decided a fresh coat of paint couldn't hurt. I bought a bunch of Mahogany from a local supplier and went to town in my new woodshop. I spent hours sanding and painting on the hull, finding a new respect for people who do this professionally. Of course, it took longer than expected.

Now, the first day of Spring, I am FINISHED! Well, almost, maybe,... I don't think it will ever be perfect, but it is going to sail soon. This weekend I hope.

Sunset - Moonrise

2009-03-11T10:04:00.001-04:00

I'm ready for Spring!

2009-03-05T12:31:00.004-05:00

I noticed these Crocus(spelling?) yesterday as we worked in the garden getting ready for Spring. So, this morning I put up the tripod and set the picture interval at 5:00 minutes. Makes me happy because for some reason this winter has seemed so long.

I also found this tucked away in my computer. Winter really isn't great for flying so we must amuse and challenge ourselves in different ways. My buddy Ron said a skim over the long puddle wasn't possible, but I felt it was and gave it a try. Glad I didn't splash down cause the temp. was a bit chilly.("Nobody.....calls me chicken....") (Back to the Future...remember?)

Down under-the influence

2009-02-25T17:24:00.000-05:00

I helped a friend cut down a tree and found this nice curved branch. After some shaping and sanding, I used my soldering iron to burn some designs on it. A bit of stain then made it darker and I was finished. I don't know if it will fly, may try later. Goodaye-mate.

Escape into the "loony bin"

2009-02-24T13:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I had a fun flight. I made yet another camera mount and wanted to try it out. The wind was straight in at 10mph or so, and I decided to go down the ridge toward Chattanooga. Just when I had reached the city the weather changed and I lost all lift. Looking for a place to land, I found a huge field across the river at the Mental Health Hospital (loony bin). I made a good landing and was greeted by security. They thought I should be admitted. A fun little adventure to start the week.

There is the hospital.
Talking to the "man".

More pics

2009-02-21T10:10:00.000-05:00

Well I made some adjustments and it allowed more scenery to go into the shot. The top one is of the launch ramp at Lookout Mountain Flight Park. The bottom is of my home town, Chattanooga, TN.

Snapshot

2009-02-18T12:08:00.000-05:00

I've been experimenting with a new camera mount. I think it is nice but needs some tweeking. Maybe a fisheye lense.

Pigging-out

2009-02-17T13:29:00.000-05:00

My wife took these pics. A couple of visitors stopped by to munch on our pecans on Valentine's Day. We didn't mind sharing. They ate for a while and then moved on. I don't know where they came from.

Wood and Glass

2009-02-12T22:44:00.001-05:00

I have been blowing glass for about 5 years now. I have no formal training, just a lot of "trial and error". The best part about glass is the endless possibilities. I have only dusted the surface and look forward to unlocking more and better effects.

Last fall I built an addition onto my studio and turned it into a wood-working shop. Over the winter I have accumulated more and more tools to use. I hope to put glass and wood together to make unique and interesting pieces of art. Check out a few of the pieces here.

Looping cause I'm 30

2009-02-12T22:02:00.000-05:00

The weather was perfect on my birthday so I decided to go for a flight. I launched off of the mountain first, and then towed back up to about 6,500 ft. I did some nice wingovers and felt like I could take it over the top. I guess it was a little off, maybe 178-179 degrees? Whatever, I'll take it! After landing we had our annual chili cook-off. Cold brew and friends finished the night and made a great birthday to remember.

Hello there?

2009-02-11T23:45:00.000-05:00

Hi, my name is Eric Donaldson. I thought I should try to create a blog and here it is. I am an artist with a passion for hang-gliding. Maybe a post or two will be interesting. Thanks.

Art and Aviation

Bike Ride

Flight 2-12-2011 - Rising Fawn

You still there?

Happy Halloween!

Art and Aviation

I made goal!!!

Wills Wing Demo Days

Road trip video

Camping/Flying/Road Trip

Thank you

Day 3 task cancelled

Day 2 cancelled

Day 1 - 67km

Flytec Race and Rally 2010

Pyramid Onion

XC to Fort Payne, AL

Work, Dream, Work

Snowmanster

I call her "Woody"

Bored?

High Speed Pass

Yea mon

Lookout! Snow and Ice

Getting cold feet

Flight on 1-19-10 (cows and pigs)

Happy New Year!

More from the vault

Come to a Comp!

The Latest Scultpures

New Wing

T2 144 For Sale

Flying 10-28-2009

Back to Work

Team Challenge 2009

Day 7 AZ Flats

Day 6

Don't be a Cowboy

Wind Too Windy

Wind Wrong Way

AZ Flats day 2

1st Day

Santa Cruz Flats Race

Santa Cruz Raffle

Spot Landing Comp at Big Spring

Day 7 - final and best day

Day 6 - I'm famous

Day 5- from 300ft to goal

Day 4

Day 3, storms and spiders

Day 2 at Big Spring

Big Spring, TX - Day 1

Flying 7-20-09

Head in the Clouds

Hang Gliding Pics

This means WAR!

***For Sale***

Woodshop

Cow Tipping

The rain has stopped!

Grateful Dad goes sailing

Rally Round-up

Back to Quest

Rally Race - Day 2

128 miles!

Final Task

Task 3

Redemption

Finally Flying!

Dune Goons

Tandem Terror

This one's for you, Mom.

Fly-in 2009

Glider needs new home!

Nice Pic

Grateful Dad

Sunset - Moonrise

I'm ready for Spring!

Down under-the influence

Escape into the "loony bin"

For Sale