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Spitfire
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Joined: 11 Oct 2010
Posts: 251
Location: Los Angeles
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 Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 3:58 pm Post subject: Re: Novice looking for critique |
 #21 |
| shane wrote: |
Below is a link of a mountain launch I had at Blossom Valley this weekend. I've only got a few hours and am looking for advice on my flight.
Things done right, wrong, areas for improvement, etc...
I'm currently working on feeling for lift when I turn and working on smoothing out my turns.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhrFaoh2WlU&feature=youtu.be
Thanks! |
About the launch: You seemed pretty far from the end of the slope (but this could be best for that site, it just seems far from the edge).
Also, why did your wire not wait for you to shout clear? Waiting that long on launch could result in a gust turtling you. Again OK if conditions are really smooth. |
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michael170
1 thumbs up
Joined: 25 Mar 2012
Posts: 143
Location: norcal
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Paul H
2 thumbs up
Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 2183
Location: Reno, NV
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:08 pm Post subject: Re: Novice looking for critique |
#23 |
| Spitfire wrote: |
| shane wrote: |
Below is a link of a mountain launch I had at Blossom Valley this weekend. I've only got a few hours and am looking for advice on my flight.
Things done right, wrong, areas for improvement, etc...
I'm currently working on feeling for lift when I turn and working on smoothing out my turns.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhrFaoh2WlU&feature=youtu.be
Thanks! |
About the launch: You seemed pretty far from the end of the slope (but this could be best for that site, it just seems far from the edge).
Also, why did your wire not wait for you to shout clear? Waiting that long on launch could result in a gust turtling you. Again OK if conditions are really smooth. |
That launch is steeper than it looks in the video.
Why would you think he needed someone on the nose after he was ready to go? He wasn't on launch for long at all. Too much dependence on wire help is a bad habit.
_________________
Paul H
U2 160 USHPA # 51178 KE7VOG
H4, FL, AT, PL, FSL, RLF, TUR, X-C, CL, AWCL, 360, HA,
USN ret. A & P mechanic |
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Spitfire
3 thumbs up
Joined: 11 Oct 2010
Posts: 251
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:16 pm Post subject: Re: Novice looking for critique |
#24 |
| Paul H wrote: |
That launch is steeper than it looks in the video.
Why would you think he needed someone on the nose after he was ready to go? He wasn't on launch for long at all. Too much dependence on wire help is a bad habit. |
I've been taught that "ready to go" means you say clear, the wire assist moves away asap and says clear and then you launch. No waiting where a gust could lift or turtle you. |
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Paul H
2 thumbs up
Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 2183
Location: Reno, NV
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:20 pm Post subject: Re: Novice looking for critique |
#25 |
| Spitfire wrote: |
| Paul H wrote: |
That launch is steeper than it looks in the video.
Why would you think he needed someone on the nose after he was ready to go? He wasn't on launch for long at all. Too much dependence on wire help is a bad habit. |
I've been taught that "ready to go" means you say clear, the wire assist moves away asap and says clear and then you launch. No waiting where a gust could lift or turtle you. |
Does that mean you always have someone on your wires? Why would you need someone on your nose wire when the conditions don't require it? If you can't launch wihout wire help when it's not needed then you should think about improving your skills. Wire help is an assist, not a crutch.
_________________
Paul H
U2 160 USHPA # 51178 KE7VOG
H4, FL, AT, PL, FSL, RLF, TUR, X-C, CL, AWCL, 360, HA,
USN ret. A & P mechanic |
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Spitfire
3 thumbs up
Joined: 11 Oct 2010
Posts: 251
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:27 pm Post subject: Re: Novice looking for critique |
#26 |
| Paul H wrote: |
Does that mean you always have someone on your wires? Why would you need someone on your nose wire when the conditions don't require it? If you can't launch wihout wire help when it's not needed then you should think about improving your skills. Wire help is an assist, not a crutch. |
I'm not sure where you're going with this, seeing as I agree with you. I originally posted:
| Spitfire wrote: |
| Also, why did your wire not wait for you to shout clear? Waiting that long on launch could result in a gust turtling you. Again OK if conditions are really smooth. |
I may have not been explicit but my point was it's OK to wait (and by implication not have a wire assist) if conditions are smooth. Given that he had a wire assist to start with, I assumed it was gusty and therefore he shouldn't wait too long with no assist before launching. |
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Paul H
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Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 2183
Location: Reno, NV
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:35 pm Post subject: Re: Novice looking for critique |
#27 |
| Spitfire wrote: |
| Paul H wrote: |
Does that mean you always have someone on your wires? Why would you need someone on your nose wire when the conditions don't require it? If you can't launch wihout wire help when it's not needed then you should think about improving your skills. Wire help is an assist, not a crutch. |
I'm not sure where you're going with this, seeing as I agree with you. I originally posted:
| Spitfire wrote: |
| Also, why did your wire not wait for you to shout clear? Waiting that long on launch could result in a gust turtling you. Again OK if conditions are really smooth. |
I may have not been explicit but my point was it's OK to wait (and by implication not have a wire assist) if conditions are smooth. Given that he had a wire assist to start with, I assumed it was gusty and therefore he shouldn't wait too long with no assist before launching. |
You did see him getting a hang check, right? Perhaps that's why she was on the nose and not because of any gusty conditions. You know what they say about assuming things.
_________________
Paul H
U2 160 USHPA # 51178 KE7VOG
H4, FL, AT, PL, FSL, RLF, TUR, X-C, CL, AWCL, 360, HA,
USN ret. A & P mechanic |
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Spitfire
3 thumbs up
Joined: 11 Oct 2010
Posts: 251
Location: Los Angeles
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:40 pm Post subject: Re: Novice looking for critique |
#28 |
| Paul H wrote: |
You did see him getting a hang check, right? Perhaps that's why she was on the nose and not because of any gusty conditions. You know what they say about assuming things. |
No ass being made here. Let me make this clearer for you
| Spitfire wrote: |
| Also, why did your wire not wait for you to shout clear? Waiting that long on launch could result in a gust turtling you. Again OK if conditions are really smooth. |
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fly,surf,&ski
3 thumbs up
Joined: 12 Jun 2009
Posts: 1093
Location: Torrey Pines
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:45 pm Post subject: Re: Novice looking for critique |
#29 |
| Spitfire wrote: |
| OK if conditions are really smooth. |
John Heiney launching a fairly new H2 in the evening at Blossam. Trust me conditions were smooth......
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Last edited by fly,surf,&ski on Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:48 pm; edited 2 times in total |
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Paul H
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Joined: 13 May 2008
Posts: 2183
Location: Reno, NV
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 6:46 pm Post subject: Re: Novice looking for critique |
#30 |
| Spitfire wrote: |
| Paul H wrote: |
You did see him getting a hang check, right? Perhaps that's why she was on the nose and not because of any gusty conditions. You know what they say about assuming things. |
No ass being made here. Let me make this clearer for you
| Spitfire wrote: |
| Also, why did your wire not wait for you to shout clear? Waiting that long on launch could result in a gust turtling you. Again OK if conditions are really smooth. |
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Actually, you are assuming that she was there for something other than a hang check. Why would he need to shout "clear" if he didn't need to? Just because he's a low time pilot and looking for some critique doesn't mean he doesn't know what he's doing. Keep in mind that a video only shows part of what's going on. We don't see what he was doing before hand or know what kind of briefing he gave his assistant.
_________________
Paul H
U2 160 USHPA # 51178 KE7VOG
H4, FL, AT, PL, FSL, RLF, TUR, X-C, CL, AWCL, 360, HA,
USN ret. A & P mechanic |
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kjj3dan
3 thumbs up
Joined: 11 Jun 2009
Posts: 47
Location: LakeTahoe,Nv.
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| Posted: Tue Jul 03, 2012 7:23 pm Post subject: |
#31 |
| Huh? Don't shout clear you say? |
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shane
3 thumbs up
Joined: 29 Apr 2012
Posts: 67
Location: Where we park
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| Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:28 am Post subject: Re: Novice looking for critique |
#32 |
| michael170 wrote: |
| What does this guy do before starting his launch run that you didn't do ? |
I would say the point you're likely trying to make is the lift check, which I normally do, however I also normally do a hang check in the setup area. Having just completed a hang check I was confident I was hooked in.
None-the-less, a good habit to be in regardless. Thanks  |
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michael170
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Joined: 25 Mar 2012
Posts: 143
Location: norcal
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| Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 5:50 pm Post subject: |
#33 |
| How many folks have launched unhooked that were NOT confident they were hooked in ? |
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relate2
3 thumbs up
Joined: 17 Jul 2007
Posts: 3391
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2012 6:23 pm Post subject: |
#34 |
| michael170 wrote: |
| How many folks have launched unhooked that were NOT confident they were hooked in ? |
Ah the old confident I was hooked in fallacy. So many people in our sport dead because of this. 
_________________
Sonic 165
Lightsport 3
Malibu 188
My youtube channel
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shane
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Joined: 29 Apr 2012
Posts: 67
Location: Where we park
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| Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 6:44 am Post subject: |
#35 |
Not to beat a dead horse here because I agree that doing a lift check out of habit is a great idea. But the moment after you do a lift check you are "confident you're hooked in" at which point you launch.
Every single launch the pilot must do something to verify his confidence that he's hooked in, having done a full hook in check 20 sec prior to launch I had this confidence just as one would if they had completed a lift check 20 seconds prior.
However, one can never have too much certainty with regard to being hooked in. I will endeavour to always do a lift check in the future, if nothing else to reinforce the habit. |
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michael170
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Joined: 25 Mar 2012
Posts: 143
Location: norcal
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| Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 11:38 am Post subject: |
#36 |
Shane,
You just made my day. Thanks. |
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relate2
3 thumbs up
Joined: 17 Jul 2007
Posts: 3391
Location: Australia
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| Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:12 pm Post subject: |
#37 |
| shane wrote: |
I will endeavour to always do a lift check in the future, if nothing else to reinforce the habit. |
Shane you said you only have a few hours up, pilots who have had 27 years up in this sport who always did a hang check before launching have launched unhooked.
The flaw in relying on your memory, is memory is flawed, especially at the critical time of launching when so much is going on.
Here is one scenario where your method will and has fallen down for so many pilots.
You are at launch, you have done your lift check, just as you go to launch something happens (you choose what happens, camera not turned on, forgot water bottle etc etc etc) that requires you to unhook. You come back to your glider pick it up, you have the memory of doing a lift check and BAM you have just loaded the gun that will kill you.
You are a new American pilot, have you even heard of or been told of the Aussie method. In Australia pilots do not walk around in their harnesses. They attach their harnesses to their glider during set-up and do not unhook the harness until they are in the landing area packing up. A pretty simple technique that does not rely on memory at the most critical time of launching.
In the above scenario of forgetting something, Aussie pilots climb out of their harness and fix/do whatever they have forgotten, they never un-hook as I said until they land and are packing up.
Now I will more than likely get a few posts from people trying to justify their American method and how at their site it is impossible to carry their glider to launch with the glider attached, etc, etc, etc.
I have only been flying for 8 years and I just get tired of coming to my home here on the org reading time and time again about another pilot dead because they launched un-hooked.
Fly high fly safe Shane.
_________________
Sonic 165
Lightsport 3
Malibu 188
My youtube channel
http://www.youtube.com/user/relate2#p/u |
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