aussief3b
Jun 21, 2009, 12:14 AM
Set out this morning to the Buzzards Flying Field with a goal in mind to get my Level 4 one hour thermal duration flight done. Forecast for extremely hot conditions (96 degrees,) but only small chance of storms in the afternoon. Looked like the perfect day for the job. After the club meeting ended my son Jamie launched to get his Level 2 - 15 minute duration out of the way. Some 30 minutes later I got him to come down so I could attempt my much longer task. (More on Jamie later.)
With my witnesses Raed Alezzawi and Chris manley lined up to time the flight I launched the Sharon about 11:50. 6 minutes later I was setting up my landing approach. :( Where did all the lift go? Clearly not where I just flew! :rolleyes: I launched again immediately and once again 5 minutes later I finally gave up on some small bubbles of lift and landed for another try. :mad: My son Jamie said "Why don't you try downwind Dad?" (He actually said that the previous flight and I didn't go there.) I took his advice and scouted downwind straight off the launch and hit lift immediately. :D As I climbed out I walked back to the shade tents and took a seat out of the sun and that is where I stayed for the next 60 minutes. One of the tough things with hot days is the combination of sweat and sunscreen running into your eyes. 9 minutes into the flight Jamie had to use a towel on my right eye as it stung and watered. Bit of a panic for a while but a couple of hits with the towel had her fixed and I could see with both eyes again. Lift was abundant once the Sharon was up there. And up there she was with most of this flight spent flying around under each passing cloud at about 1500+ feet. As people were leaving they had to pack up my tent so they lifted it off me and replaced it with another. The Sharon is not really the best plane to be flying at such heights because I find it very hard to judge it's attitude and often times it can be flying much faster than it needs to be. I think these task attempts would be much easier with a forgiving flier like my SuperAva but I love flying the Sharon so she was the ship I chose for the task. 60 minutes is a long time but when lift is abundant there is little stress - just a need for constant vigilance for 60 minutes.
As I reached 55 minutes we all went out in the field for the landing and Jamie took a few photos as I brought her home with the clock a little over 61 minutes since launch. I must thank Raed and Chris Hanley for their help and being witnesses. It is truly exciting to have specific goals to reach with the LSF program and it makes every flying day one to plan for and look forward to. I need one more 1 hour TD (or a 4 hour slope) to complete Level 4 and I will begin the final journey. Maybe tomorrow would be a good day for another 1 hour. :D
As I have been racing through these LSF tasks my son Jamie has been watching, timing contests for me, watching others fly and learning to fly himself. He 1st learned to fly in March with a little electric, flew a sailplane off a winch launch with a "donated" Tellipsoar for the 1st time on May 2nd. Flew his 1st full house ship (an old beater ICON) on May 16th and is working on Level 2 of the LSF a month later.
Last week he was just 3 points behind me in 6th place in an Unlimited contest with 15 starters. :eek: Today he completed his LSF 2 TD requirements (except his slope) and now just needs 4 contests to move on to Level 3. He needed 5 landings within 1.5m today and a 15 minute TD flight. He accomplished all of them. I am so proud of his efforts. He is doing what is necessary to become a pilot - and fast! 2 weeks ago I taught him to drive the winch on his own, so he no longer needs me to help him launch. He immediately practiced landings with 23 launches and timed precision spot landings. :eek: Today with witnesses available (Kosta and Don Grisham - Thankyou) Jamie benefited from that practice and got his 5 landings from 10 attempts. :D Not bad for someone who had never even flown any plane before March. I hope his efforts inspire other glider guiders in Florida and all over to join the fun and use the LSF program to also become more accomplished pilots.
Gordon
With my witnesses Raed Alezzawi and Chris manley lined up to time the flight I launched the Sharon about 11:50. 6 minutes later I was setting up my landing approach. :( Where did all the lift go? Clearly not where I just flew! :rolleyes: I launched again immediately and once again 5 minutes later I finally gave up on some small bubbles of lift and landed for another try. :mad: My son Jamie said "Why don't you try downwind Dad?" (He actually said that the previous flight and I didn't go there.) I took his advice and scouted downwind straight off the launch and hit lift immediately. :D As I climbed out I walked back to the shade tents and took a seat out of the sun and that is where I stayed for the next 60 minutes. One of the tough things with hot days is the combination of sweat and sunscreen running into your eyes. 9 minutes into the flight Jamie had to use a towel on my right eye as it stung and watered. Bit of a panic for a while but a couple of hits with the towel had her fixed and I could see with both eyes again. Lift was abundant once the Sharon was up there. And up there she was with most of this flight spent flying around under each passing cloud at about 1500+ feet. As people were leaving they had to pack up my tent so they lifted it off me and replaced it with another. The Sharon is not really the best plane to be flying at such heights because I find it very hard to judge it's attitude and often times it can be flying much faster than it needs to be. I think these task attempts would be much easier with a forgiving flier like my SuperAva but I love flying the Sharon so she was the ship I chose for the task. 60 minutes is a long time but when lift is abundant there is little stress - just a need for constant vigilance for 60 minutes.
As I reached 55 minutes we all went out in the field for the landing and Jamie took a few photos as I brought her home with the clock a little over 61 minutes since launch. I must thank Raed and Chris Hanley for their help and being witnesses. It is truly exciting to have specific goals to reach with the LSF program and it makes every flying day one to plan for and look forward to. I need one more 1 hour TD (or a 4 hour slope) to complete Level 4 and I will begin the final journey. Maybe tomorrow would be a good day for another 1 hour. :D
As I have been racing through these LSF tasks my son Jamie has been watching, timing contests for me, watching others fly and learning to fly himself. He 1st learned to fly in March with a little electric, flew a sailplane off a winch launch with a "donated" Tellipsoar for the 1st time on May 2nd. Flew his 1st full house ship (an old beater ICON) on May 16th and is working on Level 2 of the LSF a month later.
Last week he was just 3 points behind me in 6th place in an Unlimited contest with 15 starters. :eek: Today he completed his LSF 2 TD requirements (except his slope) and now just needs 4 contests to move on to Level 3. He needed 5 landings within 1.5m today and a 15 minute TD flight. He accomplished all of them. I am so proud of his efforts. He is doing what is necessary to become a pilot - and fast! 2 weeks ago I taught him to drive the winch on his own, so he no longer needs me to help him launch. He immediately practiced landings with 23 launches and timed precision spot landings. :eek: Today with witnesses available (Kosta and Don Grisham - Thankyou) Jamie benefited from that practice and got his 5 landings from 10 attempts. :D Not bad for someone who had never even flown any plane before March. I hope his efforts inspire other glider guiders in Florida and all over to join the fun and use the LSF program to also become more accomplished pilots.
Gordon