[pirkebojan]

take off on 470m:
43 06' 27,09" N
22 34' 50,42" E


landing on 435m :
43 06' 32,14" N
22 34' 59,84" E


is this good for absolute beginners?

[fakeDecoy]

I'm no instructor, but as a H0 I would have hit every one of those bushes in sight within 6 flights.

[obxskywalker]

decoy's right along with the tall grass and rocks scattered about. i think you too many obstacles for a good beginner hill or a lot of work ahead of you if this is your only option. hard to tell by this picture but it seems as though it might be a little too shallow. cut the grass, get rid of all the obstacles and you have a good little hill. good luck

[woodysr2]

Hard to say from the pic but it looks a little shallow for a good training hillthat combined with the grass bushes etc. probably not

[pirkebojan]

i will cut bushes and grass

[red]

Pirkebojan,

No, sorry. From the Longitude and Latitude, you will have a 7,5 to 1 (seven and a half to one) glide angle from launch to landing. Even expert pilots would have trouble on this slope, because a beginner glider would fly very close to the ground there.

Good winds can make this place better, but you would need a steeper hill for a beginner. Flat ground at the bottom is very helpful, too. Landing on a shallow slope is very difficult. The glider always wants to fly farther than the pilot.

[hiflioz]

Pirke, good luck with finding another training hill, one WITHOUT ROCKS. Rocks are not only obstacles that might trip you up on launch , but more importantly a muffed landing (which every beginner can and will do) can turn from a few grass stains on the knees to a trip to hospital when combined with the presence of just one medium-sized rock.

Big training wheels will cover for a multitude of little learning mistakes, but remember you'll come to a dead stop even with wheels if the grass is long, or the ground very soft, uneven or rocky. Mowing as you plan can help, but only if the ground itself is not the problem.

[pirkebojan]

ok thnks for advice .

can someone look on Google earth around my town what is terrain is good for beginners to go to see ?

my place is town Pirot on

43 10' 11,87" N
22 36' 09,98" E

thnks

[pirkebojan]

someone look?

[Imaposer]

It's hard to pick a site from google earth since a set of eyeballs on the ground will tell so much more. Your 35m altitude is pretty good but the slope looks too shallow. Ideally you want a hill of around 25m or greater height, about a 2:1 or 3:1 slope, and a nice smooth flat area at the bottom. You want it steep enough so that you can launch but shallow enough so that if the student blows the launch they can roll slowly and safely down the hill. The face of the hill, the landing area, and a large area to either side of the intended flight path should be clear of all obstacles (rocks, bushes, etc.) and the grass should be kept relatively short.

A perfect training hill would be a round knob of about 25-35m high, a 2:1 to 3:1 slope all around and surrounded by a clear flat field on all sides. This would allow for launching regardless of the wind direction and open many more training opportunities.

Good luck in your search.

[pirkebojan]

ok thnks
this is hill from down
if i do some wood and bush and grass cuter work i can make something here ?

[jjcote]

Something like this would be a good slope:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=pirot,+serbia&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=38.502405,93.164063&ie=UTF8&ll=43.24718,22.575499&spn=0.004329,0.011373&t=h&z=17

although as others said, there's no way for us to know without seeing it -- we can't tell about the vegetation, and in the case of that one, I don't know if it flattens out at all at the bottom before you reach the trees.

[Dawson]

pirkebojan,

Firstly, in answer to your question, it is almost impossible for us to pick an ideal spot from Google Earth, the resolution is not high enough for us to see what the ground is really like, and the altitude representation is not accurate enough at times to relly tell the gradient of a hill. The best move is for you to consider the suggestions that others have made here, regarding gradient, ground condition prevailing winds etc, then go looking for somewhere. When you find something that you think might be suitable, take lots of photos and post them here.

I have just had a look through your posts here in an effort to try to understand your current hang gliding experience. I'm not sure, but I suspect that you have not yet flown a hang glider. I also get the impression that you are looking for a suitable training hill so that you can try to teach yourself how to fly.

If I am correct in my assumption, then I applaud your passionate desire to fly, all of us here have a thourough understanding of and respect for that feeling, but I wonder why you are planning on self-teaching, and why you don't go to an experienced instructor to learn?

Are there no HG instructors in Serbia? If not, then before self-teaching, please consider doing some research on the training facilities in the countries near to you. There are pilots here on these forums from Italy, Switzerland, France, UK. There may also be hang glider pilots from other closer countries to you who could offer suggestions of someone who could train you. Once you have some experience, then you'll have a better ability to pick the apropriate hills for you to fly from. From looking in Google Earth at the area near your town, I'd guess that you are lucky in that there will be many, many good launch sites near by.

If I've read this wrong, then please understand that I intend no dis-respect, and wish you the best with your efforts to learn to fly.

Regards,

Dawson

[hiflioz]

Pirke, I second Dawson's comments, above, but in the meantime check out this vid from a recent post by Judy about LMFP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmX_CBas1lg

From about 1 minute in, you'll see lots of learning pilots on the training hill; you'll also see very clearly what you need and why (and also why Dawson suggests instruction if it's at all possible for your situation!).

Otherwise, the vid might also help you to recognise a hill that will work in your area, you might even find a better slope!

BTW, I learned on coastal sand dunes that were shorter and steeper than the slope in the vid... with lovely soft sand! My first medium glide was from a 50 ft dune, my first high glide from a 175 ft dune.

[pirkebojan]

thnks all for time you have for me
will be in touch

[pirkebojan]

hi
i have some work on terrain.
here is 4 pictures:
-first two i cut bushes only
-second two i mow grass on terrain and only see cut off bushes (later i move this bushes out of terrain )

i need more work here ?
thnks

[blindrodie]

Hey don't give up!

What about finding a spot in the lower parts of the mountains in the distance?

[mooncricket]

edit: nevermind that was an old post.

[red]

Pirkebojan,

You should know: landing while you are still flying down a gentle slope is very challenging. It would be far better, to find a slope with flat ground at the bottom, where you can land with less worry. I know, once you try to land on a slope, you will understand the difficulty. It looks easy. Even an expert pilot will have trouble, when landing on a gentle downhill slope. The glider will want to keep flying, but slowly. Any gust of wind will cause a problem, then.

On a flat field, the glider can fly fast while landing, then land, with a very short time of slow flying. Slow flying is risky. Wind gusts can cause the wing to lift, or stall then, when the pilot has no extra speed to maintain control. On a slope, the time when the glider flies slowly is much longer, and so the risk is greater.

A smooth and steady wind will be a great help, when it is blowing up this hill. Gusty winds, and no wind, will cause problems. Wind which blows across the hill (a cross-wind) will be very difficult, for a new pilot. Set up tissue-paper streamers on very thin poles on the hill. You want one streamer at the top of the hill (close to the launching point), one streamer at the middle of the hill, and one streamer at the bottom of the hill. The wind on all streamers should be good, not cross-wind or still air, on each streamer, before you launch. You may find these good winds in the early mornings only, or in the late evenings only. This situation may change with the seasons, too. Mid-day will always be the worst conditions, for a beginner. Lift will be stronger in mid-day. Strong lift on a shallow slope is a very dangerous combination, even for the expert pilot.

In the photo "IMG_0216.jpg" I see two or three small bushes which need to be struck by lightning. They are at the bottom of the slope, near the cultivated field. I do not know if you can glide that far, but these bushes can cause turbulence in the wind, as you fly closer to them.

This is not a great place to fly. Good, smooth winds can make this hill a possible beginner's hill, but still, I encourage you to find a better place, with a slightly steeper slope, and a flat field at the bottom.

Use wheels on the glider. Flying pictures or videos (especially while launching and landing) will help you to learn faster. I hope, all that I write is easy to understand. Please do not risk a misunderstanding, here. Have others read this information, to be certain that our understanding is good.

Best wishes.

[pirkebojan]

i understand you very well but i cant find proper hill
i was looking for all my holiday for 30 days:(
i dint find noting good for beginners hill:(
here we have good high start about 1000m but i dont now to fly yet:(
i am in stock for now:(
i need good terrain good instructor and and one good week to learn basic:(
but i dont have noting for now:(