Tanner-Hiller
Start of 2015 flying season was really slow for me. And by slow, I mean, I haven't flown since December. First, it was the weather, then it was a new job, and then just me not really wanting to fly my Falcon anymore. I got that crispy new Sport2 sitting in my garage. That was what I wanted to fly. But I wanted to take it to a training hill first... common sense and all.
And yet, finally, flying season opened up. May 1st was an opening day at Morningside, and Rhett (Hang Glide New England) was also at Tanner-Hiller preparing for Sunday's tandems.
May 1st was forecasted as a complete overcast with possible rain. But I didn't care. I was going to Tanner-Hiller airport on Friday with my new Sport2. Evening tow in calm air sounded like a good idea.
I got there around 1PM. Rhett and I had a lunch at Clover Hill Country Store and I started to assemble my glider. I always take my time even with Falcon, and Sport2 requires more time. Some things, like curved wingtips, are really tricky to set up for an untrained individual.
Nick Caci also came to get ready for tandem operation. He flies Sport2. He gave me a lot of good advice on assembling and breaking down this glider. Thank you, Nick!
By 5:30PM, my glider was all setup for a tow. Nick test flown it for me to make sure I wouldn't get any surprises. Now it was my turn.
Rhett made me to put a fin on the glider to make sure I handled the tow on a new glider well. Safety first. And here I was on the cart, under my new and very colorful wing... thinking... - "What the hell am I doing here? Am I sure I need this at all?". I took a few deep breaths, recalled how much fun it was when I was flying high in the sky, and yes, I was sure, slightly anxious and excited, but sure.
Rhett made me to put a fin on the glider to make sure I handled the tow on a new glider well. Safety first. And here I was on the cart, under my new and very colorful wing... thinking... - "What the hell am I doing here? Am I sure I need this at all?". I took a few deep breaths, recalled how much fun it was when I was flying high in the sky, and yes, I was sure, slightly anxious and excited, but sure.
The tow was pretty uneventful. It was like riding a bike. My body remembered what to do. Towing my new Sporty was not harder than a Falcon. It was slightly different from my experience at Wallaby Ranch last year, though. There was more bar pressure and I had to work harder to keep glider behind the plane.
As the rest of the flight was concerned - it was a nice evening sledder in the gloomy skies. I experimented with VG, made a few turns, took a couple of glides, and I was ready to land. I setup my DBF approach, turned on the final... and realized I was still way too high. I made a few S-turns trying to lose the altitude. Nick on the ground was waving, trying to convey something to me. Later he explained, he was trying show me that I needed a couple of 360 turns there. That's how high I was. Out of practice... yes.
As the rest of the flight was concerned - it was a nice evening sledder in the gloomy skies. I experimented with VG, made a few turns, took a couple of glides, and I was ready to land. I setup my DBF approach, turned on the final... and realized I was still way too high. I made a few S-turns trying to lose the altitude. Nick on the ground was waving, trying to convey something to me. Later he explained, he was trying show me that I needed a couple of 360 turns there. That's how high I was. Out of practice... yes.
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| Coming in for landing |
I saw that I was going long no matter what, so I accepted that, made a last S-turn and set the course on the final. I was a bit surprised when glider didn't want to point its nose straight. It felt like I was fighting turbulence that, I knew, wasn't there. Then I remembered - adverse yaw. All gliders exhibit this, but on Falcon it is barely noticeable. Eventually, glider dampened oscillation, and I landed well. This glider is so much easier to land (except for all that extra glide).
Overall I was happy - new glider worked well. I still remembered how to tow, fly and land. Perfect. Training hill and aerotow without fin was my plan for tomorrow. The weather was supposed be perfect, too.
Morningside
Natalia and I got to Morningside around 10am. By the time my glider was ready, conditions were very switchy, and no one wanted to fly. I definitely wanted something much easier to launch and land in. With the new glider I was worrying about a couple of things - how easy is it to launch in no wind, and how to land close enough to the bullseye.
Around 4pm things slowed down enough that I decided to give it a try. Josh gave me a ride to the top, and stayed with me to watch me launch. I took my time watching cycles. Thermals were still going through, and I wanted something more benign.
After sitting there for 10 minutes or so, off I went. Amazingly, Sport2 was super easy to launch. Even though I popped the nose a bit, recovery was quick, and the glider responded happily to my inputs. One thing less to worry about.
A spot landing, on the other hand, needed a lot of adjustment. I was landing from the south, and even though I made a turn on the other side of the pond, yet, I was still too high to hit the bullseye. Good thing there was a whole other field on the other side of the ditch. I landed well, but the field was super wet. Oh well, it's just water... um, I mean, mud.
After sitting there for 10 minutes or so, off I went. Amazingly, Sport2 was super easy to launch. Even though I popped the nose a bit, recovery was quick, and the glider responded happily to my inputs. One thing less to worry about.
A spot landing, on the other hand, needed a lot of adjustment. I was landing from the south, and even though I made a turn on the other side of the pond, yet, I was still too high to hit the bullseye. Good thing there was a whole other field on the other side of the ditch. I landed well, but the field was super wet. Oh well, it's just water... um, I mean, mud.
An hour later, I went for a tow with Eric. No fin on the glider this time. Eric flies a faster tug, and I had to work harder to stay in position. I PIOed a couple of times, but recovered fast enough not to worry about a need for premature release. The flight was pretty good, too. I caught a weak thermal, and played with it for a few minutes. So far so good. I really enjoyed that glider.
For the landing I picked the airstip. I started setting up too high yet again, and noticed that steamers in the field were not showing the direction I wanted to land in. Since I still had plenty of altitude, I made a 360 above them, and at that point streamers were showing 90 degrees. So I proceeded with my original plan. When I was in the ground effect, I could see that I was landing downwind. Oh well, I was late with my flare, got pushed by downwind, and dropped the basebar, somewhat gently, on the ground. Good thing I had wheels. No damage done. At least, with all that circling, I landed close to the target.
...
We spent the rest of the evening socializing, and then went for a late dinner to Common Man Restaurant, where I took a few pictures of a nice sunset over the river. A fine conclusion to a nice day.
- Common Man Restaurant, Claremont, NH
The next day I took another flight off 450'. Early in the morning, with no wind at all. This time I launched well, no problems. All felt great. Landing was from the north, and I allowed myself more room for the approach, so I wouldn't run into hard objects like other gliders or cars. I overcompensated, however, and barely made it over the ditch.
That was it as far as flying was concerned. I was considering to tow again, but the skies looked scary, and radar didn't look promising. Some other time... I hope.
Overall, very easy and relaxing weekend. I put a lot of my worries to rest about me not be able to handle this new glider. I really enjoyed a few short flights I already got on it. Sorry Falcon, you were good to me for a few years, but it's time for you to move on :-)
Here are a few photos from this weekend.
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