Sometimes the best of flying doesn't always involve a lot of airtime...I've learned that over the years of my hang-gliding career. This past weekend was an example of how much fun hang-gliding really is for me.
Saturday, we all made the call to give Ed Levin a try. Most of the pilots were heading up to the top, but a few of us wanted to give the 600-foot launch a try, then see if we could work our way up the hillside with the others. In other words, we'd earn our soaring flight rather than just drive to the top to give it a go. Well, as Brian stated at launch while we were setting up, "I bet 50% of us will make it up today." Those weren't his exact words, but he was pretty much right. Of the five pilots who gave the 600 a go, 2 were able to get up and stay up. I was not one of those pilots to get up and stay up on Saturday; but, I'm going to give this type of flying a little more attention in the future, especially during the upcoming months when Ed Levin can deliver some really good conditions.
Sunday, Halloween, we all chose to go to Tam. Over a dozen pilots showed up and we all were spread between A, B, and C launches. Conditions were post frontal, and the flying looked favorable...
Brian, Wayne and Phil Ray made a go for A launch while Gerry, Ben, and I thought B launch would work...the Berkeley crowd headed for C launch. Brian, Wayne, and Phil were off first at A launch. It was fun to see them work their way along the ridge in front of us, getting what they could. Wayne seemed to be maintaining pretty well. Gerry launched next, then Ben, then me...We were a bit late in the day and may have missed out on the better conditions, but that was OK.
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There is a type of landing called a "beat up" in hang-gliding where the pilot gathers a lot of speed, then swoops down on the downwind portion of the landing pattern, gets within a few feet of the ground, then eases the bar out for a nice 180-degree turn back on final for a landing. When peformed well, it is a fun landing approach, and even more fun when a flying buddy has a camera to catch the action. When peformed poorly, a lot can go wrong really quick. I've been laying awake at night for the last 6 months thinking of ways to do this maneuver. It really is all about energy retention and gaining enough altitude at the end of the swoop (beat-up) to make the 180-degree turn back to final. It is really important to have 110% confidence in your equipment and what that equipment will do for you with you at the controls. A topless, high-performance glider is a key ingredient. Anyway, I decided Sunday was the day to go for it. How many videos can I watch of others doing a "beat-up" before I have to try it myself? Flying buddy and ACP extraordinaire, Brian Foster, caught the action HERE...
After the flying and hanging out at Stinson, we headed to the Mountain House along the road back down the Mill Valley...this is a really cool pub / restaurant which is just pretentious enough to make it humorous, but fun at the same time. No doubt, ACP's will be heading back to the Mountain House to impress the "locals"...
Winter flying season is here!