Standing on my own two feet

After I got a few solo flights under my belt it was rather obvious that landing on wheels wasn't very practical. Whatever harness I was going to use - it wouldn't last too long. At Tanner-Hiller, I was constantly hitting asphalt part of the runway too, increasing the wear.

Anyway, I needed some foot launch/landing instruction. I bought a lesson at Morningside and off I went. Rhett called them up and asked them to give me a bit more advanced instructions as I already knew how to fly. That last part didn't materialize. I guess, they were too busy that day and I got bunched up with a group of first day students. For the whole day I got maybe 6 runs down 20' hill and very scarce instructions. Needless to say, I wasn't happy at all.

Next week, I went back to Tanner-Hiller. I got there early morning determined to land on my feet in calm morning air. Rhett towed me to 1000 feet so I could practice landings. And... I landed on my feet! It wasn't perfect but I did it. I was happy as a clam. I tried 2 more times before air got rough and I was gaining some confidence with my newly acquired skill.

To make things even more fun, on my third run air got warmed up enough for me to soar for a bit. I started picking up a spot to land as I noticed that I wasn't losing altitude (I had no vario). I bounced for 10 minutes at about 1000' AGL before losing whatever that bubble was and landing, again on my feet. Great day it was!

In need of flying gear

I was happy making some progress with my skills, but I still had no flying equipment of my own. I was set to buy a used Falcon (the same glider I was renting), but it wasn't easy to find.

I bought a new Icaro Skyrunner  helmet from some online PG store. Then I got a used High Energy harness with a parachute from Randy Brown. The only thing that remained was a glider. And then, in beginning of August I got that part resolved as well. Another pilot was leaving the sport and selling everything off. The glider had bent downtubes and a few scuffs on the leading edge from a tree landing, but otherwise it was in great shape. I also got a used and not very well working vario and a tow setup. I was all set.

Here it is - my new wing:

home

New to me glider is being thoroughly inspected.

Fixed, tested and ready for me to fly.

---

Foot launching is needed... Mountains are waiting.

For the next few weeks I was happily flying my own glider and adjusting to my new harness. Everything was great. Except one thing, everyone was going to different flying sites and I couldn't - I had almost zero of foot launching experience.

Back to Morningside I went. This time the experience was totally different. Guys at Morningside gave me a free lesson so we could forget about miscommunication thing a month earlier. And the whole day was a great workout and fun. I ran off a 30 feet hill once, then 50feet and 100, and then finished  the day with a few 150 flights. I was cleared to come out whenever I needed and practice off 150.  Awesome!

The next weekend I set a goal to work my way up to 250' hill. I launched 7 times off 150' hill, and I got permission to launch from 250'. Nick Caci was kind enough to help me with my first flights off that launch. He gave me some pointers to work on to improve my launching technique. Thanks Nick! Anyway, it was an awesome conclusion for a great day! I thought, I was beginning to like that hang gliding activity.

...

That was practically it for the rest of the season. I had a few more flights at Tanner-Hiller. Already in midday conditions, trying (unsuccessfully) to thermal. And then the cold weather rolled in, and my flying was over. I didn't have H2 rating yet, so I thought, I couldn't go to Wellfleet yet. Nor I felt comfortable doing that either. One thing that hang gliding forces on you is patience. You either have to grow it - or you quit before you learn anything.

The plan for the next year is to get my H2, launch off 450, fly Rutland, fly Wellfleet, practice, practice, practice.

Fun day of flying at TH in November!

Coming in for landing

Other side of hang gliding - you always meet some interesting people

Angry Bird

What's that bouncy thing over there?

After my first tandem flight I was at Tanner-Hiller every weekend, often coming for a Friday evening lessons as well. Learning to fly from aerotow one needs smooth conditions and weather might not cooperate, so I took every chance I could get.

It was a fun month and half. I logged 15 tandem flights and 5+ hours of air time, and was making pretty good progress. A couple of times Rhett towed us a mile high and I had some time to relax and enjoy the view. It started to sink in how different and wonderful experience of flying was. While you are up there, it is something else.

I also had a chance to work on my patience. A big aspect of hang gliding is hang-waiting. We depend on weather and weather doesn't always do what you want it to do. You cannot be mad at the weather... all you can do is wait. Sounds boring, but in reality is a welcomed change in pace from my normal life. A community of people around this sport makes it fun even when there is no flying.

Here is what my month looked like (I had plenty of time to practice my photography):

Tandem flight in calm air just before sunset.

Sunset landing. Nature is always ready to provide some incredible views.

Takeoff before sunset. Perfect conditions for learning.

Louie trains his dog.

Tandem takeoff

Local police gets curious about hang gliding as well.

After the rain. Dana Harris and Scott Burke discussing nuances of hang gliding.

Rhett landing after a tow.

Louie jumps on a pogo stick. Gotta do something between those lessons.

Everyone  is watching Louie's show.

Evening of flying

"Red Wolf"

---

Of course, very soon I discovered a very uncomfortable feeling of not being sure if I could make it back to the airport. No engine - almost no room for mistakes. I looked at other pilots that would fly cross-country or even flying far away and making it back as sky gods. It was incredible to me that people could do it in unpowered aircraft. To get to that level required more than just a physical skill of controlling a glider. It required understanding the sky, weather patterns, and much better observational skills. A lot of things to work on...

Anyway, at the end of June, Rhett and Louie declared that I was ready for a solo flight. We waited for winds to die down. Dan (another pilot) let me borrow a harness and I got into a Wills Wing Falcon 170 that Rhett had for rent.

As soon as tug started to pull, my mind started to throw fault codes and alarms "what the hell are you doing here and why?". But it was too late to stop. The launch proceeded to be very jittery at first because I transitioned from a big and heavy tandem glider. I was over controlling little Falcon.It didn't help that there was some patches of rough air up to 1000 feet. Eventually, I got it all under control and relaxed. The rest of the tow went ok all the way to 4K. All that practice was paying off.

After I released from the tug and played with controlling the glider a bit, another panic attack started to creep in - NO Louie next to me. I am responsible for landing this thing. No time to dwell on that as it was time to start my final approach. Very soon I realized that I started my approach with too much altitude and I might overshoot end of the runway (there was no way I could actually, but with my limited experience I didn't know that). Anyway, I got really nervous and pulled all the way. Falcon happily responded with speedy dive. It took me awhile to register that I had too much speed too close to the ground. I started to round out too late and bounced off the ground. Since I was landing on wheels, I was still prone so wheels and harness took most of the impact. Glider bounced up another 10 feet or so and I helped it by pushing out even more. Glider stalled, recovered, and we bounced again... then landed normally.

Everyone who was watching, was sure that something got either bent, or broken. Either on me, the glider, or both. Nothing was except for some scuffs on the harness (sorry Dan). I was lucky to be in one piece, but I had invaluable experience attached to that luck. I was eager for another try.

Rhett let me go for another flight, and this time it was perfect. I landed the way they taught me, with no drama. Now I needed to get me a glider and a harness. And I was yet to learn how to land on my feet or foot launch from a hill. I was not about to quit after all that effort. I was planning to fly for a bit longer!

Happy hang glider pilot after his first 2 solo flights. (photo courtesy of Marilyn)

To Fly, Or Not To Fly...

Some people have dreams about flying. They know they always wanted to fly, and when they discover hang gliding everything aligns perfectly.

I am not one of those people.

Sure, I played with toy airplanes, and even built and flown RC planes. I crashed and destroyed them all. I had no doubts that I would crash an aircraft if I to pilot it. Thus, no dreams about flying. Why am I in hang gliding then? There is no a simple answer to that question :-)

...

I was editing a few videos for my martial arts teacher, Randy Brown (randybrownmantisboxing.com). He is also a very experienced hang glider pilot. He is usually a rather reserved person but in his hang gliding videos he was all smiles and happiness. It got me really curious. And on his advice I went to try aerotowing with Rhett Radford at hangglidenewengland.com .

Hang Glide New England operates out of Tanner-Hiller airport in New Braintree, Massachusetts. It is a nice quiet area just a few miles from Quabbin reservoir.

Rhett. Ready to tow.

My first hang gliding flight/lesson wasn't all that exciting. I was too busy digesting all the information and couldn't fully enjoy flying experience. However, I resolved my main concern about being afraid of heights - no such thing in hang  gliding as you are hanging comfortably and not standing on a ledge.

My hang gliding instructor, Louie DiValentin, was great and explained every step along the way. Our takeoff was smooth and when we released from the tug, Louie let me to control the glider for a bit. The flight down was rather short (~10 minutes) to experience much of  controls or enjoy the view, and after Louie started doing wingovers I started getting airsick.

We landed smoothly and I asked myself if flying was for me. I couldn't really answer that question. The challenge was definitely there and to master that skill required more than just one short flight. I decided to get it all the way to my first solo flight and then decide. Boring, I know, I had no dreams of flying, remember? But I accepted the challenge.

....

Filling out the paperwork. I am now officially a hang gliding student .

Filling out the paperwork. I am now officially a hang gliding student .

---

Louie explains to me how those things fly.

---

Ready for takeoff...

---

High in the sky

---

Rhett talks to me after the flight

---

Here is a short video of takeoff and landing from that day:

Video

photos courtesy of Natalia K