CHassan's blog :: First real flight this year.

First real flight this year.

Mon Jul 11, 2011 10:16 am

I made it to the field around noonish. Set up and waited for about another hour.
Finally I went for it. Launch was clean as far as I could tell. The air was a bit textured, and soon 900+ was showing on the averager. My tug pilot made a circle in lift, and I questioned releasing, but I hesitated. Frank (my tug pilot) spoke to me using the power of the force.....errr.. 2 meter. Told me he didn't think it would get any better. We dropped out of the lift, and another circle back and we found nothing. The vario was now struggling to show more than 200fpm climb. I wanted off in lift, so I mentioned towing over Darbyville in search of it. We did, but there still was no lift.
I think it took me longer to get down than it did to get up. I worked a little bit of lift on the way down, but it fell apart and I settled in to join the others in thinking we had another day that looked decent, but stunk.

A little before 4 Mike P decided he needed to fly his Millennium. Other than a quick oscillation coming of the ground, it looked like it was flying pretty smooth. John, A, Larry B, and I were ready to go now. I won the race to suit up, and launched.
Frank again towed me into lift. This time I got off just under 2k. Thought maybe I didn't know how to center a thermal, because try as I might I netted a loss of altitude for the first few minutes. Eventually either I or the thermal got our s*** together and I climbed up to where Mike P was. I think Larry came in under and worked his way up.

Larry headed out towards 5 points. Since that was cross wind, I didn't think he was going on his first glide of an XC flight, and I opted to head back towards the field. I searched and searched and was under 1000'. I saw Frank pulling John, and started the slightest hint of a 360. I thought he might be turning to come back around for lift lift and made a bee line for them. At 600 foot a hit a steady beep. It broke up little between 800 and 1000, but turned nice and steady up to 2500. Broke up again around 3k and then gradually dropped of between 4 and 5k. (I don't think I broke 5k, but it might have been close.)

After that it was just a matter of finding a little bubble, and then finding the core, or you could just look for one of the 6 mor 7 other gliders in the air.

I eventually made a mistake and left lift to early. The other guys hung on a little longer as I headed towards 5points. I was almost there, but worried about making it back. I was not finding anything and have already had to land there a couple other times. I headed a little farther south and watched the other guys head past 5 points. John called on the radio to say he had lift north of 5points, but I was past the point of going looking for it.

I very slowly worked my way down over Darbyville. I didn't see the others to go pimp off of, and couldn't find my own lift. I came in with too much VG and sped across the ground stirring up grasshoppers and the like. My flair was a bit early and slow, so I zoomed up and came smashing down in a bone jarring, but non-whack,non-damaging landing. Not happy with it, but the joy of the flight could not be tarnished.

Matt D came in after, followed by JD, Larry B and Mike C. JD did a touch and go, but ran it out. Mike C did a touch and go with his impression of a pro wrestler doing a pile driver from the top rope. A scrape, but glider and pilot were otherwise fine. Larry had to run, but kept it up. John A came creeping in behind us us and replayed Mike C's landing with a resounding thud. We haven't had much flying time, let alone landing practice this year. First time any one has had to land in no-wind conditions and other than Matt D's I don't think I saw anyone NOT struggle. Mike P doesn't count, he has wheels on his crate.

Final tally, I had just over 2:30 in the air. a few pilots had that much time in just 1 flight.

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blindrodie
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Joined: 06 Dec 2006
Posts: 3762
Location: Roeland Park, KS

Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2011 1:02 pm Post subject:

Good to read. So who is George Hassan? Your Pop?

Took a bunch of shots of GH at Enjoy Field during the MWC's

Jim

CHassan
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Joined: 27 Jul 2006
Posts: 4594
Location: Ohio
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Posted: Tue Jul 12, 2011 4:14 am Post subject:

Yep Geo is my pops.

McCollyt

Joined: 11 Jul 2011
Posts: 0
Location: Idaho

Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 3:17 am Post subject:

Sounds like you had a great time. I'm a beginning pilot too. My kids and I are working on our H1 and having a blast. We have a terrific instructor from Spokane, WA. Can't wait to get the experience under my belt and keep moving up the mountain.
Tom

CHassan
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Joined: 27 Jul 2006
Posts: 4594
Location: Ohio
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Posted: Sat Jul 16, 2011 8:55 pm Post subject:

Flying with family is a bonus to an already wonderful feeling. I'm hoping my brother eventually takes up hang gliding too.

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