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J Fritsche
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Joined: 21 Mar 2010
Posts: 474
Location: Lompoc, CA ("central coast")
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 Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 12:06 pm Post subject: |
 #21 |
Depending on the quality of instruction and the training hill, and the luck you have with getting the ideal wind, you could be a very solid H1 after those five lessons, or you could be ready to say, "Screw this." You mentioned having to work a lot.....if your work forces you to have long periods of time pass between lessons, that is not a good thing.
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Saturn 147, Predator 142 |
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6Dasher
Joined: 17 Jun 2012
Posts: 31
Location: northern california
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| Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 12:37 pm Post subject: |
#22 |
| J Fritsche wrote: |
| Depending on the quality of instruction and the training hill, and the luck you have with getting the ideal wind, you could be a very solid H1 after those five lessons, or you could be ready to say, "Screw this." You mentioned having to work a lot.....if your work forces you to have long periods of time pass between lessons, that is not a good thing. |
| J Fritsche wrote: |
I've heard a million people state how awesome HGing must be and how they'd love to do it. After learning the amount of money, effort, and time involved, a few of those people have taken a lesson. A very few of those who have taken a lesson immediately knew that it was something they just had to do and ultimately became solid solo pilots. You sound like one of the few that will do whatever it takes to do this thing.
Be forewarned that learning to fly via foot-launched training hill instruction in the western US is probably the longest, hardest, most frustrating, most physically demanding, and most expensive way to learn.
Really get out there and meet and drive for the flying community around you. You'll learn a lot and get a lot of guidance and mentoring that will benefit you greatly once you get to H2, and you'll get leads on used equipment.
Now go for it! Good luck! |
why is the hill training so much more difficult and expensive???? i thought it looked pretty easy on the videos ive seen...?!?!
yes work could be a problem for me but only during the work week. i could book weekends but he was more than a month out and i want to get going on this now so i opted for weekdays. i talked to him about my schedule and he seemed flexible and able to work with me if work gets in the way.
sac hang gliding has one review on yelp, he got 4 stars out of 5 in which the reviewer described discontinuing lessons because "the road out to the place is long and winding" and there is cow blank in the field that he instructs in. it seems there is no limit, people will complain about anything. lol it will take more than a winding road and some cow crap to stop my lessons. Are you kidding me???? this is to learn to fly like an eagle, i would gladly pay more and drive a lot further if it is even half as good as it looks.
obviously my goal is not to glide down bunny hills, but no doubt this is the type of sport that requires a slow progression for safety reasons. A mistake can take your life. I have had my share share of spills over the years believe me when i tell you. I also have a very close personal friend that was paralyzed from the waist down while snowboarding with me. safety and lessons is very important...but i want to be up in the air. had i have known more about hang gliding i would have gotten into this long ago...i'm 100% positive of this. |
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andylongvq
3 thumbs up
Joined: 24 May 2011
Posts: 465
Location: California
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| Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 1:37 pm Post subject: |
#23 |
| 6Dasher wrote: |
| no doubt this is the type of sport that requires a slow progression for safety reasons. I also have a very close personal friend that was paralyzed from the waist down while snowboarding with me. safety and lessons is very important |
I'm very glad to hear you express this. Because many people who do the kind of sports you mentioned in a previous post really don't understand just how big a price you will pay if you f*&^ up when hang gliding.
I've done several lifetimes worth of extreme skiing in Montana, balls out windsurfing in storms, kayaking, etc. And in those sports, as you know, you can take absolutely mind blowing wrecks and simply get up, walk away, maybe be sore as hell for the next week then be fine.
Not so with hang gliding. You're basically a bag of jello out there with very little protection and if you mess up, that can be the end of you.
Anyway, as someone who has been hang gliding a long time, just wanted to give it to you straight. Again, I'm happy to hear that you understand how serious an activity it is that you are about to engage in. Approach it like you would if you found yourself having to learn how to fly an F-16... with no previous flying experience.
Ok... on a lighter note, here's some of the flying we've been doing not far from your area. West of Red Bluff (near Stonyford) in the northern Sacramento Valley. Flying cross country.
https://vimeo.com/27559189
Welcome! Your life is about to change forever. 
- Andy |
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Jason
3 thumbs up
Joined: 02 Jan 2007
Posts: 7530
Location: Stapleton, Colorado
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| Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 5:20 pm Post subject: |
#24 |
welcome, you'll have a lot of fun
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TSA, DHS, NDAA and SOPA Seig Heil! |
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J Fritsche
3 thumbs up
Joined: 21 Mar 2010
Posts: 474
Location: Lompoc, CA ("central coast")
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| Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:51 pm Post subject: |
#25 |
6Dasher, to answer your question about hill training: If it's a nice hill and you have a steady, light headwind, and you are in a small class, it should be fairly easy and you'll get a bunch of flights in.
BUT...
If the wind is too strong or cross, you'll never get off the ground. If it's too light or switchy, launching and landing both get trickier, and you don't want "tricky" when you're just getting started. Too light isn't an issue if your instructor has a Condor in his quiver. Carrying the glider back up the hill is tiring, and I assume Sacramento is pretty toasty this time of year. You're going to get hot and tired. If you have to share the hill with a bunch of other students and instructors, waiting around for your turn may get old. Plenty of students have said "Screw this" after experiencing too much of the possible negatives I mentioned above. A good instructor won't charge you for a lesson that is ruined by bad weather, but you'll still waste a lot of time.
Learning via scooter towing and tandem aerotowing reduces or eliminates those negatives. You "get a clue" faster. As a CA pilot, you'd still have to learn how to hill launch eventually, but you could learn that a lot faster after "getting a clue" by getting airborne with the other methods.
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Saturn 147, Predator 142 |
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J ball
3 thumbs up
Joined: 07 Feb 2010
Posts: 416
Location: Cool CA
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| Posted: Sun Jun 17, 2012 8:40 pm Post subject: |
#26 |
Welcome! And good luck! Ya, it's gonna be friggen hot out there with George this time of year. Push to meet up later in the afternoon. Early prob won't wrk with George.. And he does use scooter towing as well so you will be able to get some airtime quickly if you pick it up at a good pace. Pm me with your # and I'll call ya next time we fly. Flew slide (mt rose ski resort, just south of Reno) sat and Coloma today. 
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H4.1
1 pimped out T2C 136, WV tenax
Pulse 10m, Z5 |
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timmay
2 thumbs up
Joined: 31 May 2011
Posts: 99
Location: Boston MA
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| Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 9:49 am Post subject: |
#27 |
welcome to our world!!!!!!!!!!
dont be discourage by the lessons and the pain in your arms and the logging of the glider up the practice hill. once you have the fever, there's no stopping you.
everybody can say the right things about hang gliding. but the only thing that really matters is demonstrating them in the air.
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glider: 2001 Aeros Target 18
harness: WW Z3 with Quantum 330
my ambition:
- to get a fensterwalder and do long hikes and fly down
- to get a mosquito NRG and be independent |
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dievhart
2 thumbs up
Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Posts: 1430
Location: Santa Cruz, CA (Fort Funston)
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| Posted: Mon Jun 18, 2012 10:46 am Post subject: |
#28 |
Welcome to our addiction....try your best to go slow.
Make sure you mount a video cam on your keel so you can review your mistakes.
What could we do different to find more people like you?
Hang-Flying does sound better than Gliding
Diev
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Diev Hart
T2C 154, Lightspeed 4, Super Sport 153,
SL200, U2 160, Predator 142
FL, CL, FSL, AWCL, RLF, AT, TFL, TUR, XC, MNTR
http://www.dievhart.com/hangglide.html
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/hgphotos/
http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=25414 (HG.org Camera Mounts) |
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6Dasher
Joined: 17 Jun 2012
Posts: 31
Location: northern california
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| Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:54 am Post subject: |
#29 |
hey j ball.
I see you are in cool. im in loomis, not too far away. i'll send you a PM |
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6Dasher
Joined: 17 Jun 2012
Posts: 31
Location: northern california
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| Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:08 am Post subject: |
#30 |
| dievhart wrote: |
Welcome to our addiction....try your best to go slow.
Make sure you mount a video cam on your keel so you can review your mistakes.
What could we do different to find more people like you?
Hang-Flying does sound better than Gliding
Diev |
I think the world thinks of hang gliding as what you do on a bunny hill...or at best maybe like a 5 - 10 minute glide or something...kinda like skydiving...you jump out, you fall, you pull your parachute, and you land. the whole experience is fast. There is no serenity. There is no coasting at high altitude for hours. The difference between that perception and reality is that you guys are actually flying. Not like in a wing suit or something like that, you actually have the abilty to gain altitude. I believe that is is the general publics view of this sport/activity, is that it is more of just slowly coasting down. that was my perception. obviously i havent done it yet (first lesson tomarrow!!!) but it really appears to be flying in the truest sense of the word and without any motorized help. The kite is like an extension of yourself, exactly the same way a snowboard becomes an extension of yourself when you snowboard. you get a feel for for it and react to it accordingly depending on the way it is reacting to the environment. |
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6Dasher
Joined: 17 Jun 2012
Posts: 31
Location: northern california
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| Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:20 am Post subject: |
#31 |
| Also what is VG? i see people talk about having their vg on or 3/4 on or off or whatever and i havent been able to figure out what it is. thanks |
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red
3 thumbs up
Joined: 13 Aug 2007
Posts: 2728
Location: Utah, USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sol III
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| Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:12 am Post subject: New to this... and Wow! |
#32 |
| 6Dasher wrote: |
| Also what is VG? i see people talk about having their vg on or 3/4 on or off or whatever and i havent been able to figure out what it is. thanks |
6Dasher,
VG is Variable Geometry. The crossbars fold forward when you close the wings, and rearward as you open them. Steel cables are connected to stop that action, for flight. A rope and pulley system can pull the crossbars further rearward in flight, spreading the wings open more, and making the sail tighter on the frame. This is the high-speed mode, and turning will be stiff. At full-slack, the limiting cables keep the crossbars in position for flying, but the sail is relaxed, and handling (turning) is easier. On some glider designs, pulling VG on will cause the glider to fly faster, hands off, than the normal cruising speed is, hands off. Naturally, you pull full VG for a flat, fast glide in straight lines sometimes, maybe half VG for thermalling, and less VG for launch and landing. Comparing this to sailboats, flying at full VG is like sailing close-hauled. Like a sailboat sail when close-hauled, the glider sail will stall more abruptly (not good for landing, usually) at full VG.
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Cheers,
........Red.........................
Pssst! New pilot? Free advice, maybe worth the price,
http://www.xmission.com/~red/
H4, Moyes X2, Falcon Tandem, HES Tracer, Quantum |
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6Dasher
Joined: 17 Jun 2012
Posts: 31
Location: northern california
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| Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 1:22 pm Post subject: |
#33 |
| So is variable geometry something that all gliders are typically equipped with? |
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Darbbb
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Joined: 11 Feb 2009
Posts: 843
Location: Western Maryland
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ChattaroyMan
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Joined: 01 Nov 2009
Posts: 1787
Location: Chattaroy, WA -USA
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| Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 3:43 pm Post subject: |
#35 |
Welcome! If you don't already have one - get a GoPro camera and a decent mounting bracket. Watching just what you do during your instruction is invaluable.
Enjoying the learning process. Even if you have to sit under a glider and watch the wind all day - builds flying character! Ditto on getting out with other local pilots. Just being around the sport allows you to soak up a wealth of hang knowledge. You pay your dues and you get a face that hurts from smiling so much!
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U2 160 • Chattaroy, WA - USA |
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red
3 thumbs up
Joined: 13 Aug 2007
Posts: 2728
Location: Utah, USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sol III
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| Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 4:39 pm Post subject: New to this... and Wow! |
#36 |
| 6Dasher wrote: |
| So is variable geometry something that all gliders are typically equipped with? |
6Dasher,
Most beginner-intermediate class gliders are fixed in the frame geometry. That's fine for the new pilot, or for just having fun. Intermediate-advanced gliders usually have a VG system. VG is just one more level of complexity that won't mean much, until you start covering miles in XC (cross-country) flying.
_________________
Cheers,
........Red.........................
Pssst! New pilot? Free advice, maybe worth the price,
http://www.xmission.com/~red/
H4, Moyes X2, Falcon Tandem, HES Tracer, Quantum |
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flybop
3 thumbs up
Joined: 02 Apr 2010
Posts: 644
Location: Livingston, Montana
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| Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 5:05 pm Post subject: |
#37 |
Dasher, your prior vision of hang gliding seems to be very accurate. My friends and casual aquaintainences all seem to be really surprised when I tell them that a hang glider pilot can fly, soar, for hours and go xc for over 100 miles.
Having more in our community like you will only help us get the realality of hang gliding to more people. Welcome aboard!
Also, I (we) are looking forward to seeing and hearing about your lessons.
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What a beautiful day! Let's go jump off a mountain!!!
H3 FL, CL, RLF, FSL, TUR |
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6Dasher
Joined: 17 Jun 2012
Posts: 31
Location: northern california
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| Posted: Tue Jun 19, 2012 8:06 pm Post subject: |
#38 |
thanks, that is a helpful link |
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6Dasher
Joined: 17 Jun 2012
Posts: 31
Location: northern california
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| Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 6:14 pm Post subject: |
#39 |
got my first lesson under my belt!!!!!! it was bad ass. all i did are some weak bunny hill flights but even that was fun... i didnt even mind towing the glider back up.
probably i will try to do one lesson a week if possible i think till i get comfortable. i think id like to get lessons till the point where the instructor comfortable with taking me on a mountain launch, then from there i could go off on my own. from what i understand he likes to do several lessons on the bunny hill, then moves up to the falcon from the condor. after he feels you are comfortable with the bunny hill then he does some tows with a winch.
here is a video....sorry i know its weak but it was my very first ever flight on the condor. i did sever more after this that were way better but i didnt have anyone film any of them other than my first.
my last flight i had a little too much speed and when i flared the glider went up instead of landing..ooops... it was a ton of fun though.
CLICK TO PLAY VIDEO
sorry im not real up to par on posting videos |
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Jason
3 thumbs up
Joined: 02 Jan 2007
Posts: 7530
Location: Stapleton, Colorado
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| Posted: Thu Jun 21, 2012 7:08 pm Post subject: |
#40 |
wow, that looks a lot easier then my first flight on a falcon 1 170
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TSA, DHS, NDAA and SOPA Seig Heil! |
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