Category: Uncategorized

Afternoon Delight …a quickie

LMike Mike and Bob were tearing it up with a cross country from Venice to Placida but I missed the launch due to another commitment.  Late in the afternoon I talked to Mike Lange and heard that the west winds were throwing it inland.  It looked bad over the Harbor so I opted to stay home.  At 6 pm it looked flyable to the west so I decided to run out to Shell Creek.  

I took my time setting up because the wind was just at the edge of my comfort zone, (8 to10), coming across the runway from the West.  About 20 minutes before sunset it was down by half and I launched clean from the east.  Once the wing was overhead and stable I raised my hands and tried to use as light a touch as possible.  The roll out was a little longer than the Eden but when it decided to fly the EZ jumped into the air.  after a couple of seconds I turned south to avoid rotor from the tree line on the west end of the runway.

The sunset wasn’t very exciting, because it was clear skies over the harbor. (It was probably perfect where the guys were) but….at 500 feet I could see that a Boomer was just to the east and moving my way.  There was rain and occasional lighting.  The air was good, the only bumps I felt were probably my own prop wash but I didn’t feel like pushing it.  After about 15 minutes of watching the storm I turned into the wind and landed.  Surprisingly the clouds had moved rapidly while I was in the air, now it was over the patch.  Within minutesof landing, the wind shifted 180* and started sucking into the coming storm.  The rain however, never showed and when I was pulling out the winds were only moderately gusty.  I could have probably stayed up a while longer and it would have been no big deal but I was glad to have avoided the drama.
Another good day….
Drifto  had a good one on Facebook today.  He’s dealing with the surge in his flight suit prior to finishing a maneuver…

Back in the Sky #824 Shell Creek

I took a couple of weeks off, to give my body some time to recover.  The knee hasn’t been right since the incident and will probably need surgery.  The shoulder is doing better and I’m hopeful to treat it with PT.  I did drive out to the field one day last week and aborted when the wind was blowing directly across the runway and things didn’t feel just right.

This morning…..
The A Assists worked fine and I didn’t suffer any shoulder pain.  The field was slow due to several days of rain and tall grass and the  wheels were a bit narrow, so the rollout was was a but sluggish.  Once up, it took a few seconds flying at “inches off the ground” before I started to get a good climb.   Later I trimmed to full closed and was able to get 300fpm but on launch I was glad to have motored to the far end of the field to gain runway.
Landing at full closed was nice and slow without incident.
I’m a little stiff and sore but on the way back.  It’s all good.

Another No Fly Day

I was sore all over this morning but after spending the whole day repairing the rig, I wasn’t about to miss flying with the guys.  It’s Mike Lange’s birthday and Ty and Mike Otten showed up to celebrate with him.

Long story short.
I dislocated my shoulder during inflation and aborted the flight.  I knew I had a sore shoulder but it appears that I might have damaged the rotator cuff.  Major bummer!  At the very least I’m going to have to reinstall the A Assists.
Nuff Said….

821… 823

Two flights last Thursday and another this morning.  No drama, other than Mike braking the netting tensioner on his cage. It did go into his prop taking out a chunk, but he was able to nurse it back to the LZ.  I’ve been working on getting as much ground speed as possible before lifting off. This morning the roll out was good.  I didn’t touch the brakes until after the front wheel left the ground and then only very lightly.  The climb was dramatic.  The last two flights I landed with the trimmers completely closed. It works ok and I’m coming in darn slow but the brakes feel mushy.  I’m going to try it alternating between neutral and closed and see what the sweet spot is.

I’m keeping the rig at Shell Creek in the Airport Managers hanger while Marc is using the truck.  

It’s nice to drive out to the field in the MR-2.  It saves loading and unloading the truck.  I pull up to the hanger, pull on my flight suit and go.  On the other hand I’m limited to Shell Creek Airport.

SCA 819 & 820

Two short flights.  The first flight was cut short when I discovered that the brake line was wrapped around the risers.  It was not something that could be sorted out, without landing.  I made a slow 180* turn and set down.  The second flight was about 25 minutes and shortened by virga and rain approaching.  After landing I watched it build … dissipate and build again.  I could have probably stayed up without incident and never felt anything on the surface but ….

The brake line is another matter.  I checked the brakes and all lines before and after clip in but the wrap was well beyond the risers.  I should have caught it when laying out the wing and will have to be more careful in the future.  If I ever have an opportunity to replace lines I will certainly change the color of the black ones.  They are hard to see and it’s easy to miss a fouled line.
During the run out I discovered that I was using too much brake pressure.  It didn’t seem like that much but after centering the wing I consciously put my hands all the way up and felt the wing accelerate and move forward.  I let the trike roll and pick up speed for another 30 feet and then when I touched the brakes, it rotated immediately.  Perhaps that explains the long take off runs I’ve been experiencing.

Last week I spotted a lonely little lenticular cloud below a bunch of circulnumbus.  I don’t know what caused it but it was worth taking a shot.

Flight #818 Placida

Dawn had an early flight so I got up with her and was at the LZ a few minutes after 0600.  It was almost a no wind take off right down the undeveloped cul de sac I was using for a runway. Although the winds were right I didn’t want to cross the Gaspirilla Causway alone so I contented myself with a good tour on the mainland side of Gaspirilla.

The air was good with the occasional bump.  Lots of activity this morning.  While returning to the LZ I felt a strange vibration.  The motor seemed fine but it was something new and therefore … Not good.  
The landing was fine with a nice float, it was all good except that I had to jump a swell and ended up banging the front caster down when the rear wheels touched against the rise at the far end.  That jolt was probably just enough to open up the broken weld on the top vertical spar of the cage.  Mike Lange was planning to be gone over the weekend so I took it into Gregs automotive who took it in for the quick fix.  
Update…. Greg’s welder John, was trained by my good friend John Fetz

Flight #817 SCA

After a particularly difficult night where sleep was elusive and disturbed I awoke at 0600 to clear and calm conditions.  I pulled on my shorts and left the house immediately.   Perhaps the clerk at Circle K could tell I needed it, because she didn’t charge me for the coffee.  

Arriving at the field, I discovered the same old mistake rearing its ugly head. After my last flight, I had bagged the wing out in the field and motored back to the truck killing the engine with the throttle kill switch and… as has happened so many times before, I left the key in the ignition, draining the battery.  If there is one thing I would change about the Falcon, its the keyed ignition.  I would much prefer a start button that toggles on or off … Anything to keep me from repeating this bone headed blunder.
For two seconds I considered returning to the house and going to back to bed…. Sometimes your just not meant to fly.  But the sun was starting to rise and conditions were perfect so I unloaded the rig, laid out the wing and jump started the Paramotor.  
Take off was a little sloppy because I got on the breaks a bit to soon and had to milk it in order to climb out and away from the airstrip… but once up … It was magic.
I climbed to 1000 feet and flew over by the radio tower.  A couple of days ago I had a start, when I couldn’t locate it even though I knew it was close by.  My head was on a swivel until I finally spotted it an knew I wasn’t going to skewer myself 800 feet above the surface.  This morning the anti collision lights were on and it was easy to spot.  I’m not sure what the problem was but I’m not going to venture into the area until I’ve got it pegged.
I did experience an unusual kink and it’s one that the manual mentions.  When you get a particular trim and trust, the wing will start to oscillate.  It’s not dramatic just a gentle persistent rocking.  I don’t think it’s anything to worry about because it doesn’t keep building to greater and greater swings.  If I change the thrust, it settles down and the same, if I change the trim.  I’m going to watch and see if I can induce it with different trim setting.  It’s torque related I’m sure.
For the first time in months, the air close to the surface was relatively smooth.  There was a light breeze  from the South so I descended toward the North end of the field, closed the trimmers and enjoyed a long slow run back toward the tower.  I didn’t have my GPS with me and so I don’t have exact speed measurements but it was classic low and slow.  I was starting to feel better about things.
After and hour  and fifteen I returned to the field a new man.


815 & 816 SCA

These were two morning flights at SCA.  That’s four mornings in a row!  Have not done that for awhile.

No drama.

Yesterday evening I went out to Placida to meet up with some new guys.  The wind was gusty and since I’d had some good flying in the morning …. I passed.  But I did get some nice shots.

Letter to Terry

I wrote this up for Terry 


Hi Terry,

It’s a nice wing it might be a bit too EZ for some guys but I have no complaints.  It is absolutely the easiest launching wing I’ve ever flown.  I’ve heard lots of wings discribed as coming up straight and “locking in ” overhead but this one really does.  I’ve tried to get it to overshoot and it just doesn’t.  I did away with the A assists after the first couple of flights and am amazed at how little pressure is required on the A’s to get a clean inflation.  
I’d recommend it for a beginner …but there are some rules.  Like, set the trimmers for launch, which is not full closed.  I’d tell em to fly in that setting for the first several flights and don’t touch the trimmers.  They could close them for landing but it flares and slows down just fine in the launch mode.  The tip  stearing is nice and light and you can bring it around pretty damn fast.  Some guys may brand it as a beginner wing and  then assume that it will be boring to fly but I’ve enjoyed it.  Without using a speed bar I’ve noticed about 8 mph difference from full closed to full open and I can slow it down another 5 mph with some brake.  I don’t think I’ve come close to stall speed yet and I’m not likely to but APCO  claims that full speed with speed bar is 3 times stall speed.  Climb rate is 300 fpm at 3600rpm.  I was expecting a little better glide and I will check it again but it does decend faster than the Eden 3.  I’m guessing 400fpm.  
APCO also says that you can fly with both the tip steer and brake toggles but I think I would have to have longer tip steering lines to do it because the tip steering engages well before the brakes.  This morning I tried landing with both and ended up releasing the tips before touch down because the tips were too sensitive and not in perfect balance with the brakes.  So, I’m working the tips to stay straight but not able to flare deep and even.  Tomorrow I’ll see what it’s like to “carve it up” at altitude with both toggles.
I’ve got probably 10 hours and about the same number of launches so there is still plenty to learn and I’ll let you know it’s “kinks” when I find them.
I’d love to get with somebody like Chris Santacroce and have him talk me through some maneuvers to see how far you can push it but it’s not likely I’ll get that opportunity so for now I’ll just say I’m happy flying the wing, well inside it’s design parameters.
Later
JoeO
(Not proof read, for your reading pleasure)

814 SCA

,It rained heavily last night and the LZ was soaking wet.  There was a light breeze from the least but it was just a couple of miles an hour so I chose to launch downwind.  The wing inflated fine, perhaps a bit slower, but cleanly.   I lifted off with 3/4 throttle and suspect that there have been other launches that I would have done better if I’d used more power on the take-off run.  I’d used a couple of inches of brake to launch and the trike flew about  3 feet above the surface until I mashed the throttle and feathered the brakes.  The climb out was dramatic.

There was a distinct thermal layer at 400 ft and the wind shifted from East to North.

This morning I experimented using brake and tip steering together and decided that it didn’t add anything to control so it’s best to use one or the other.  I also intentionally flew through my own wake in Reflex and without.  The difference was obvious.
I dropped down to do some low and slow and spotted what I think we’re Great Sand Hill Cranes, they were huge!  I was able to scare them up for a short flight but lost them in the neighboring jungle.
There was no activity at Punta Gorda Airport so I took advantage of the clear air to fly out to the Walmart distribution facility and back following the peace river.