4/2/21 On The Hill

This is my second day out on the hill this week ,with Sunshine no less .
This time out another maiden - a 60" G.E.M.S F-1 Racer
With a all up weight of 56 oz I had been hoping for a bigger wind day but the forecast was only for 14 to 15mph ,at least I should be able to check out the balance and trim with a test glide to the valley floor.
Once on top I estimated the wind to be between 15 and 20 ,I had forgotten my back pack with all my gear and wind Gage {not too exited }
A left handed launch and she was off ,2 clicks of up and she was not losing any height,I found her very nimble and able fly figure 8's across the top of my hill which is only about 75' wide.
She showed no sign of tip stall ,when the lift ebbed you could feel her get a little sluggish and would drop the nose if you got too aggressive with the controls.
Even with the marginal wind she did some nice pumps and carried her energy well .
I flew her about 45 minutes,near the end of the flight a pair of Red Tail hawks joined me for all most 2 minutes ,all of us crisscrossing each other and the slope.
My flight ended when I got caught low on the hill as a thermal moved through .
I am looking forward to flying her on a bigger hill with some room to "turn and burn "
I have some trim and details to finish on the fuse..and a canopy .
A very good day