Avax XC2 - Maneuvers over the water

Today I joined Kevin, from Eagle Paragliding, and Brad Gunnuscio at Lake San Antonio to feel out the "Dark Side" of the Avax XC2. I made three tows and was able to do all the normal maneuvers. Here's a quick rundown of the maneuvers accomplished and the behavior of the XC2. First let me say, I'm no skygod or test pilot. I'm just a guy who is upgrading from an Aspen2 to the Avax XC2. Prior to today's flights I had ONE flight of 2 hours duration on the Avax XC2.

1. Asymmetric collapse with riser released: Heading controllable and required one vigorous pump to remove tuck. No dive to control.

2. Asymmetric collapse with riser pulled to keep collapse in, allow to dive before wt. shift/control input: Glider turns 90 deg. and dives until control & wt. shift, then responds very quickly with accurate control - even allowing turn into the collapse. No tendency to stall or spin with brake application.

3. Same as (1)&(2) accelerated with 1/2 to full speed bar: Same outcome with just a bit more dive. Even with speed bar held, full control and turns into the collapse were easy.

4. Full Frontal collapse with risers released after collapse: Collapse was swift & complete, with quick, symmetrical recovery after a short "hover" and controllable surge.

5. Full Frontal collapse with risers released after collapse - Accelerated (3/4 bar)and released at collapse: Collapse was swift & complete. The wing has a "hesitation" or "hover" of 2-3 seconds before surging to regain flying speed. This hesitation can be exacerbated if the release of the speed-bar is delayed until the wing is in its retarding stage. The surge is controllable.

6. B-Line stalls: Are easy to apply and the wing breaks well from tip to tip, with good rate of descent.

7. Full Stalls: The wing stalls with deliberate action & with a lot of warning. You need to TRY to stall the wing. When it does go, it falls back farther than the Aspen 2 did (probably due to the additional trim speed.) The high aspect ratio of this wing is evident as it snakes around & attempts to recover. I used a 2-stage recovery that was straight forward & the surge was more dynamic than the Aspen 2, but completely controllable. The third stall recovery wasn't as smooth - it started to surge asymmetrically (due to incorrect inputs no doubt), so I restalled it and recovered normally.

I'm rapidly becoming a fan of the XC2. I think my reaction certainly can be attributed 50% to the "It's MY wing SO I LOVE IT Syndrome" but the remaining 50% of my opinion is that of a pilot who felt comfortably at home on the wing after less than 2 hours.

Tim

Avax XC2 Maiden Voyage

Today I flew my maiden voyage on the Avax XC2. I flew in thermic conditions for 1:45 and enjoyed the wing very much. The following notes are offered as a first impression only and are not meant to be interpreted as anything more than my personal impression. I will include the information I look for in a report. My experience with the AvaxXC2 is limited to this flight only and I won’t mention conditions I haven’t experienced.
My Background:
Most Recent Wings: Gradient Aspen2-28 (120 hrs) – Airwave Sport 2 (200 hrs) – Gin Bandit (40 hrs) – Edel Confidence (80 hrs)

I plan to attend an SIV clinic this week and will report on the festivities.

Gradient AVAX XC2 Flight Impressions

o The Wing came with a std. Gradient cinch bag for the wing and a nice rucksack of a newer design than my Aspen’s Rucksack. The new design is slimmer and taller with a storage pocket that can carry a full flight suit and coat. The top flap protects the helmet. I’m not sure if I’ll continue to use this new sack since my Ram Race Harness is a rather tight fit.

o The lines are thin, unsheathed Edelrid Aramid - 1.2mm to .5mm.

o The risers are standard Gradient riders thin but robust, with “snap” type brake handle stowage. The main difference is that there is only one speed-bar pully.

o Accelerator system.

o I used the same setup on my speedbar (a 3-step UP bar) as I use with the Aspen2 and found no adjustment to the system was necessary.

o The speedbar that came with the wing is a simple one bar with a tygon tubing covered loop. I will donate it to a new pilot.

o Much has been written about Gradient’s decision to use only one pulley in the speed system. I found the speed system to be the same resistance as the Aspen2 (which has 2 pulleys) and within acceptable strength requirements. I used it much of the day & had no fatigue issues.

o Brake toggles are Std. Gradient. They seem to be adjusted properly right from the dealer.

o Wing.

o Size 26 (85-105kg) Color Blue/Grey top with std. Gradient Blue under wing decoration. Weight during flight – 102Kg.

o 73 cells and 6.38 Aspect Ratio. Weight 5.4kg.

o Workmanship is excellent. The micro lines attach to the trailing edge with a doubler.

o The brakes attach with a with a loop of cord through a ring in the trailing edge – both are methods of attachment of the microlines that are not used on the Aspen 2











o Behavior.

o The Aspect Ratio of 6.38 makes this a bit of a handful to ground handle at first. I found the A&C (Mitsos) method to be slightly less effective due to a tendency for the wing to break & snake if I was heavy handed with the C’s. I expect this to be a temporary problem as I learn more about the wing.

o Launch is very Aspen-like. The wing comes up easily and can be stopped accurately with brakes or C’s. Directional control is good. No bad habits.

o Landing was very straightforward. The additional glide performance in short LZs will take some getting used to.

o Flight Handling

o This wing is a high aspect ratio wing with crisp handling. I found that the wing was very responsive and reassuring in its response to turbulence. In the 90 minutes I flew the Avax, I felt very comfortable in rough lift and maneuvering close to the terrain. In short, I would fly this wing anywhere that I’d fly the Aspen 2.

o When traversing the edges of strong thermals, I got a couple of small tip-tucks, very minor and quick to come out. The wing never moved out of the safe zone & was very responsive to my inputs.

o The wing WAS a bit more ‘twitchy’ than the Aspen 2, but I think much of this was due to my inputs rather than the wing. My habits were for the less responsive Aspen2 so I started the flight overcontrolling a bit.

o On the speed-bar the wing felt rock solid. Even more solid, on bar, than my Aspen2. I flew COMFORTABLY on full bar between thermals. It made my eyes water it was so fast (or were they tears of joy?) and the glide didn’t seem to degrade greatly with bar.

o Thermalling the Avax is a treat. It doesn’t retard when entering lift, it cuts into the thermal and goes where you tell it to. Banking up to stay in a small thermal is easy and attitude control when banked up is straightforward. When the lift is weak, I found the sink rate in flat, slow, turns to be excellent.

o I had only two very small tip tucks – I wouldn’t even call them collapses – and they came out by themselves. The wing is not prone to frontals or loose tips – I flew in many areas where there was shear and the Avax stayed pressurized at all times.

I have no performance estimates or reports of recovery from collapses at this point. But, the wing covers considerably more ground than my Aspen2 and scoots!
The Avax XC2 is an excellent ‘follow-on’ glider for an experienced pilot who regularly flies a modern DHV 2 wing like the Aspen 2. It has very good handling and is forgiving in turbulence.

Tim

NOTE: Additional info on XC2 at SIV HERE.

New Feature

I'm heading to Denver today for a 3-day session of simulator flying, lovingly referred to as "You Bet Your Job" by those of us that fly for a living. . . When I get back, if the UPS tracking system is to be believed, my Avax XC2 will be waiting for me.

You may have noticed (or not) a cool new feed I've placed on my blog. It's a nice daily feed of paragliding photos that are of good quality. Rod Bailey, a British pilot who (apparently) had some time on his hands & a dream, has put together a system that will allow those of us who like to look at purdy pictures of PG (like me) and allow charitable folks who take purdy pictures to upload them to the server that automatically resizes & serves them out. A good idea that only needs the grist of good photos to survive. Check out pPIC and upload your quality photos.

I hope to fly the Avax XC2 over the weekend & will report on it when I get something to report.

Tim

2008 Flying Events

I've been reinvigorated by the Australia trip. Even though I had a dismal result, (39th out of 65) I did get to goal & set a PR of 71 miles on the last task. The flying we had this Jan. & Feb. will jump-start my season. I think my Avax XC2 (arrives next week!) will give me the performance to score well if I make good decisions in the upcoming XC season. . .

I'll be flying the West Coast Paragliding Championships in Ruch, Oregon the week of June 8-14, 2008.

I'd LIKE to fly the Rat Race, also at Woodrat Mtn. in Ruch, Oregon the week of July 6-12, 2008; and the Chelan XC Open, in Chelan WA. July 28th-Aug 2nd. I don't have the time off yet for those comps.

I'm also planning to fly the U.S. Nationals in the Owens Valley Sept. 14-20.

In addition, I'll be flying as many of the Northern CA XC League (Jug comps) as I can this summer.

So here's the Calendar:

BAPA Comp March 29th and 30th Potato Hill
BAPA Comp April 12th and 13th Dunlap
Comp Clinic May 2nd and 3rd Competition Clinic in SBA
BAPA Comp May 17th and 18th to be Potato Hill
WCPC June 8-14 Ruch, OR
BAPA Comp June 21st and 22nd Dunlap
Rat Race July 6th-12th Ruch, OR
BAPA Comp July 19th and 20th Potato Hill
Chelan XC Open July 28th-Aug.3rd Chelan, WA
BAPA Comp August 9th and 10th Dunlap
BAPA Comp September 6th and 7th Potato Hill
U.S. Nationals Sept 14th - 20th Bishop, CA
BAPA Comp October 4th, 5th and 6th Owens Valley
SCXC Comp November 15th-16th Santa Barbara
SCXC Comp December 6th-7th Santa Barbara


Tim

Recap of the OZ trip

'Been back from Australia for a couple days now and I thought a recap was in order.

The trip started off with my complete PG rig & suitcase missing the flight to Sydney. This was a minor set-back & fortunately the Killarney weather wasn't flyable while David & I drove the 7 hour round-trip to Brisbane to pick up the bags.

The Killarney comp was well run & the air of "no worries" was a welcome feeling. David & I didn't fly our best early in the comp. I'm assuming that it was because we are coming off a few months of low air-time during the Northern hemisphere winter. . .

I was able to complete the last task of the competition 114k (71 miles) and felt much more comfortable flying the aussie conditions on that flight. The weather was more flat-land with low cloudbase than I fly usually in CA & OR. It was a great experience to watch the locals tear these conditions up.

Manilla was experiencing a stationary trough for much of the time we were in town, but we were able to get a few sledders and one XC flight. The countryside in both areas was beautiful & friendly, the people were welcoming & eager to give rides and generously offer a "shout" in the pubs.

In all I flew over 300 kilometers and 15 hours. I was able to set a PB at 71 miles and, most importantly, David & I discovered one of the best places to fly PG in the world. We made some great friends. We look forward to revisiting Australia.

It was a great trip but being home is great too.

Flying in Manilla

Click for larger Image

After three days in Manilla, with only a couple of very short flights, Dave and I had a treat today. The skies were dry & the winds calm when we woke. The forecast was for light winds and no overdevelopement until late afternoon. We launched arount 12:30 and both had nice climbs to cloudbase (low at only about 1200 meters) I enjoyed the flying near the clouds since we seldom get to do that in California.

I worked down the ridge until reaching just North of Manilla and went looking for some more lift. I got low in shadow & went for one of the few dry looking fields in the basin. I stayed with very light lift until it bloomed into a nice weak climb to 1200 meters & petered out. This gave me enough altitude to head up the main Manilla road. I ended up well West of the main road in the foothills & eventually landed in a nice field. I only covered 22 kilometers, but the 1:45 flight was fun.

My hike-out was 3.6 miles to the main road where, before I'd even set my bag down, I got a ride into town. Dave called my phone & said he'd pick me up in town. . .

We had another great meal at the RSL club in Manilla and were treated to the sunset in the photo above. We hope to get a good long flight in tomorrow since it will be our last chance before we drive to Sydney on Sunday.

Tim

Another Day in OZ

Yesterday Dave & I were able to get a short flight in at Mt. Borah. The weather continues to be quite unsettled & a trough promises to bring wet weather to the majority of Eastern Australia. At the moment, there are scattered showers, some with solid rain in Manilla. The forecast for this area is not encouraging. T-Storms with widespread showers are forecast for the next 4 days. I’ve checked the weather forecast for Bright (about 8-10 hours South of Manilla) and am encouraged that partly cloudy skies are forecast for Wed.-Thursday. The plan, as of now, is to head South to Bright in the morning.
So here we sit, with pilots from all over the world, in one of the best XC spots with our wings in the bag & a good book in hand. . .
I’ve found a few more photos from our time in Killarney to post - The first is a spectacular sunset display. The photo isn’t enhanced to make it look better – no need.

Click for larger image
The second is my dog friend Storm relaxing in his hammock. He was the kind of dog that was a clown when he wasn’t tearing stuff up.
I hope everybody is enjoying their adventures as much as David & I are.
Tim

Sittin' around in Manilla

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This morning the Killarney skies were overcast & drizzly. David & I decided to head South to Manilla, the site of last year’s worlds championship comp and Ewa’s famous CB tour. The drive took about four hours & we drove through many small towns with names like Barraba, Bingara, and Texas. The drive went quickly and as we proceeded South the weather got progressively more threatening looking. We saw kangaroos, wallabies, fox, and goannas and a host of tropical birds as we travelled the ranches along the road.
We pulled into the encampment at Manilla around 2pm. The weather was as you see it in the photo, above. The hill is obvious, with a couple of launches visible from the road. Manilla is Godfrey Wenness’ pet project. He’s spent many months and many $$ to turn this site into a world class flying site. Mt. Borah has four launches, all with Astroturf surfaces. The West launch and the East launch are as large, or larger than a basketball court. We drove to the top of the hill (the peak is 350 meters above the valley floor) and did a tour of the 4 launches. There are expansive setup areas adjacent to each launch. The launches, in some spots, are shallow but all look very good.

We have rented a cabin from Godfrey and enjoyed a great night’s sleep last night. Today (Mon.) is overcast with a forecast of rain & isolated T-Storms for the next few days. . . it appears the wx has finally caught up with us. We hope to get some flying here, this week, when the wx allows. Another option is to head to Newcastle & join up with James T. to fly some coastal sites.

Tim

Killarney - Day 8

We got to the hill at 11:30 & things were looking up. The wind was brisk & cloud base low. A 49k task was called but before ordered launch was started, the task was canceled due to rain showers on both sides of the hill.

We all flew anyway since the conditions improved as the morning progressed.

Craig Collins won the contest handily with 5739 points in 6 tasks. He was more than 1000 points ahead of 2nd place Mark Watts. Results are HERE

I ended up in 39th place. I really only flew one task well & got to goal so I didn't deserve to rank any higher that this in a contest of this caliber.

The contest has been very enjoyable. The Aussie farmers in the areas we flew always greeted us with a wave when we landed in their fields and the locals in town were friendly and glad to have us. The other pilots were helpful and a gregarious group who understand that the bottom line is winning, but having fun is paramount.

My special thanks goes out to James Ryrie & his daughter Hanna, who made the logistics of retrieval easy, and James Thompson who was there to offer advice when asked.

Dave & I are going to fly in Australia for another week, not sure where yet, I'll post any events of note.

Tim

Killarney - Day 7 - Task 6

Today was the best day of the comp. Not only was the weather looking perfect for a good task, with moderate winds from the East-SE, but the thermal activity was forecast to be 3-4 meters/sec. (600-700 fpm) and cloudbase was forecast to be 2200-2500 meters.

A 115 Kilometer task was called to a little farming town called Millmerrin with individual starts. Dave got in the air earlier than I did and decided to head over the back early. I launched about 20 minutes after Dave.

After launch I went right to cloudbase and waited for a few other gliders to join me so we could head over the back, on course. I pushed out, raring to get some Ks behind me, but a glider behind and left of me turned in a good climb so I backtracked to join him in a climb back to cloudbase. I was feeling very good & liked the conditions as we proceeded along course towards Warwick.

From the radio calls, I determined that James T. was about 6 k ahead of me and James R. was behind me about 5k. Dave was out there somewhere, but very quiet. I pushed on & soon Warwick was behind me & I was half way to goal. Today was a good day to get & stay high. The clouds were streeting nicely & I was able to fly for 2-3k without turning & gaining altitude. I spent more time on speedbar today than any prior task. When it began to look like I would make goal I got a little more conservative and worked some lift until I saw 6:1 glide to goal. I pushed full bar & flew the last 6k at 50-60kph but still arrived with 800meters of extra altitude.

Making goal, finally, was great. I flew well today & made some good decisions. I flew more conservatively (SLOW) than I needed to, but this assured goal & that was my priority. 114K (71 miles) is my personal best & my time was 3:17 for an average speed of 21+ mph.

James T. made goal about 40 minutes before I did. James R. (who was demoing a brand new Avax XC2 (like the one I'll be getting in mid-Feb.) went 22k. but had good things to say about the wing. David got low just past Warwick & went down there.

It's Sat. morning, the last day to fly, and it is much more overcast than yesterday. We expect a short task so the party will be well attended tonight.

Fly safe,
Tim

Killarney - Day 6 - Task 5

The weather improved today and a 76k task was called. The start would be a race start. Dave & I lanched as soon as we could by "pushing" to laiunch as soon as our priority would allow. We made it into the air 30 min. before start time. I went right to cloud base at 2000 meters and was ready when the gaggle went over the back at 12:30. I like race starts. . .

Dave had a tougher time & got low enough to land over the back but close enough to warrant a relaunch. Hanna did a great job of wisking him to the top for a relaunch before the launch closed.

Meanwhile James T., I, and James R., in that order, were flying West over Warwick & all having a good go of it. The lead gaggle was far ahead but occasionally there were crux points that slowed us all down. I made a low save & headed for the quarry where I joined another couple of gliders who were in the search mode. We moved around looking for anything & but eventually all of us dirted at 45 kilometers. James R. made it another 12k. and James T. made it to goal with a very nice flight.

Conditions today were more dependable & predictable - either that or I'm learning the local conditions. Dave had a rough day when he landed about 15k from launch on the second flight.

Goal was across from a nice country pub & there were many in goal, so in classic Aussie style, a party was had. . .

Results are here.

It's 6 am on Friday, and the day looks fantastic. Much drier than previously, but the fields should heat well today.

Tim

Killarney - Day 5

Click on image for larger view

No fly today, due to rain showers. We had a great lunch up on the Great Dividing Range at a great little bistro with a view of the canyons.

The forecast for the next couple of days is wet, but that's nothing new. We may get some more flying this week.

Tim

Killarney - Task 4

The weather in Killarney has been great. When it hasn't looked optimal at launch, it soon improves and good flying ensues. Today was the same. When we arrived at the East launch the winds were very gusty to 15kts. & cloudbase was low. As the morning progressed the conditions improved & a 115k dogleg task was called.

Dave & I decided to launch early and this was the correct decision as the lift was abundant and simply staying out of the clouds was an issue. We danced the dance until the lead gaggle decided to go over the back. I was in good position to go with the gaggle. I spread out & found a bad line that I corrected quickly, but some damage had been done as I was now 500' below & behind the leaders. I found some lift & stopped to work a 400'/min. thermal that the leaders had overflown & watched as they went on a long glide. Over the next 15 minutes,I made some poor decisions and ended up very low over a field. I got a good kick in the ass & thought, "OH BOY, LIFT!" then I noticed the sagebrush circling around me as I fought the turbulence & my thoughts changed to, "OH SHIT A DUST DEVIL!" I hung in there & soon I was 1000meters above the field in smoother lift. This encouraged me & I continued on to Warwick, but after 1:30 flight time, was on the ground.

Dave was able to continue on for another 10K before he landed on the other side of Warwick. Many made it to goal today. Dave & I are loving the flying but our frustration is high because the conditions look so good & we are having trouble reading the terrain & weather to extend our flights.

Overall Results can be found HERE

Daily results can be found HERE

Thanks to everybody who has wished us well. . .We are frustrated, but having a lot of fun. The people in Killarney are great & the event has been well run and very successful.

Tim

Killarney - Task 3

Today was a dry day compared to the previous two. The son was bright at dawn. We headed to coffee with James Ryrie, his daughter (and our retrieval driver) Hanna, James Thompson (the local expert)and his friend from Connecticut, LeAnne, Dave & me. Today looked like it might be big. Both Dave & I were ready for a good day of flying - neither of us felt very competent dealing with the weather & local topography. Today we hoped to accomplish a nice task.

The pilot meeting announced the leaders. Viv Williams, launching here, leads the women's and Phil Hystek leads the overall. My bad flight yesterday lowered me to 4th in the DHV2 cat & 39th overall.

At the top of the hill the feeling was one of anticipation. We all knew the day would be good. The wind would be a factor - so would the blue areas. The task was called early & long. A 139k (86 mile) downwind run. Dave & I decided to launch from the East launch again & launched fairly early. Most of those pilots who had launched were getting up so we hucked off. Right away we sunk to below ridge height, but we had lots of company so I wasn't worried. Soon the traffic was concentrated into such a small part of the ridge that there was a bit of jostling & yelling as we all struggled to stay in the air. After a protracted battle, Dave & I headed for the bombout. Our first bombout & relaunch. Our retrieval worked out great & we were on top with plenty of time to make a good start.

Relaunch into the now very brisk wind at launch was exciting but fine and we were soon high over launch Dave just 50' above in the same thermal. We headed over the back & soon found some lift that consolidated into a 2-3mps climb. At this point I lucked into a good line along a weak convergence & Dave, to my right about 100 meters, was in a lot of sink. By the time I found my next thermal at 1000'agl or so, Dave was struggling a few hundred ft. above the field. He had a great save & I headed out when I hit the 6500' altitude limit in protected airspace along the route.

Dave was far behind but fighting a good fight. I lost him when I began to get busy. I was working every bit of lift I encountered. The lowerI got, the stronger the wind seemed to get. I was circling in zero sink at times & drifting towards goal at 20-25 kilometers/hr.

By now James & James had landed & were watching Dave & I fly beyond there landing spots. Retrieval would be easy today. Dave had gotten up and caught me. I saw him just before I landed, he was 400meters (1/4 mile) closer to goal than I.

Today was pure fun. We had some good climbs and flew over beautiful country. We covered 25-30 miles today too. Rumor has it that there were 8-12 in goal.

Tomorrow looks good too.

Thanks to Brett Hardin for the photos of Day two.

Tim

Killarney - Task 2

Click image for Larger photo

Today looked like a great day at launch. The forecast was for over development to the South. As the photo shows, it did. This didn't affect the flight today though.

The task set was a simple downwind dash to Clifton 58 kilometers Northwest of the launch. Dave & I were far enough down the launch order that we decided to use the East launch to avoid the hold-up of the launch grid. It worked out very well as the cycles up the launch were perfect & we were able to setup and launch at the time we desired. I went first & found a nice thermal right over launch. Dave followed immediately.

We worked the same lift for about 15 minutes until I jumped to a better thermal & bumped the top-of-lift. I decided to head over the back with 3 or 4 others. We found some weak lift along the way but things weren't booming the way the sky indicated they should. I found some lift & the gaggle flocked to me for about 1500' of climb. When the lift faltered I headed off & was getting 7 to 1 glide with a groundspeed of 50 kilometers/hr. Unfortunately, the lift suddenly became sparse. I was with 2 others in a beautiful valley (called Emu Vale, we were to find out later) scratching to save ourselves. A Boom Sport (David from Italy) landed and watched me as I tried repeatedly to climb out. Once I was down to 700' above the field and found a bit-o-lift that allowed me the titillation of climbing to 900', but the drift in the 9 kt. wind was too much & I couldn't clear the ridge behind me. . . I landed 10 meters from Italy David.

Davis S., meanwhile, left the hill after me but was in better shape & made it farther down the courseline than I. It was a tough day & we didn't go as far as we wanted - but that's the challenge ;-)

The clouds were spectacular today. The CBs to the South merged into one and became a supercell that eventually dropped rain on the campground around 4:30. I am not understanding the micro climate here. I've been let down by conditions that seemed to be better than they were. I need to stay with a gaggle that knows what it's doing, but with the individual starts that we've had the first two tasks, it's been very hard to pick your gaggle.

The week is shaping into a good one, with conditions for tomorrow looking very good. I hope to make goal tomorrow.

Tailwinds,
Tim

Killarney - Task 1

The morning dawned very dewy and overcast with little appearant prospect of good flying. We had the pilot meeting at 8:30 & decided to meet at the top of the SE launch at around 10:30. When we arrived at launch, the cloud was at launch elevation with drippies falling. Patience paid off, though, and the weather improved. A short task was called that overflew our caravan park & then drove downwind to abeam Warwick for a total task of around 63km.

I launched around 1:30pm and flew down the ridge, scratching a bit until I connected with some good lift to cloud base. The area was really looking good at this point with abundant cumulus clouds and some streeting. I was right behind the lead gaggle of 15 and in a loose group of 6-8 gliders at various altitudes. At one point, the lead gaggle stalled in some rather weak lift & I stopped short of that gaggle to work some 3-400'/min. lift.

Soon I was at the height of the top guys in the lead gaggle & my lift was waning, so I took my chance to reenter the lead gaggle. I hit the gaggle about halfway up the stack but found nothing to warrant a circle. This was the end for me & many others. The whole gaggle went on glide & many of us never had a peep on out varios beyond that point. The wind in the valley was blowing at 10-13 kts. so the landing was fun but very uneventful.

Dave got caught in the launch order queue for about 15-20 minutes behind me & didn't have much company for his flight. He was able to hit the first turnpoint at the caravan park, but landed fairly close.

As always the locals were friendly & in good spirits (It is Australia Day) and we had a great debrief at the pub & a feed at the rec center. I've asked a few Aussies what the celebration at Australia Day is commemorating, and the best answer I get is that it's a chance for a three-day party. . .

I don't know the scoring yet - I hope to do better today. The weather looks like we may have more wind & a nice cumulus day.
(EDIT) I just got back from the pilot mtg. & I went 17km of a 63km task - not great but good enough for 25th place (3rd in the DHV 2 category). Only 9 made it to goal due to the scratchy conditions & strong valley winds along the courseline. Today looks good & I'm off to launch -

Fly safe -

Tim

News from Down Under - Day 1

Dave & I made it to Brisbane without a hitch - I did have to roust him out to the airport 2 hours early to catch a delayed 4 pm flight that actually left at 5:30, but all worked out fine. I OMCed to get on the flight (sat in the cockpit until all passengers were boarded). This created a bit of a SNAFU though. Because I wasn't considered a passenger anymore, they took my name off the boarding list & promptly took my bags off. I didn't realize the problem until we got to SYD.

It's the next day now & we are in Killarney. I'll drive to Brisbane today & hopefully my wing & suitcase will be there. The Wicked Camper is working out well so far. It's the bare essentials and we are in a caravan park that has showers and wifi. It's a nice setting in rural Australia. The town has one store & the required pub. The park dog is named storm.

Sleeping isn't bad in the campervan. The beds are adequate & Dave & I seem to coexist without too much undesired contact ;-) There is a rudimentary kitchen with storage & camp-sink.

The week is starting to look a bit wet. The competition begins Sat.(tomorrow)with T-storms forecast all week. The following week is forecast to have improved weather so we will get some flying in regardless.

More when I can -
Tim

Getting ready for Killarney

I'm headed for Killarney Australia with David S. on Tuesday night the 22nd of Jan. We will arrive in Sydney the morning of the 24th, then fly to Brisbane to pick up our "Wicked Camper" and then a couple hour drive to Killarney.

The competition starts on the 26th and runs through the 2nd of Feb. The weather has been very wet due to El Nina, but the week of the comp. looks good.

I'll be flying my Aspen2 in this competition since the Avax XC2 will not arrive until mid-Feb. I haven't flown much this winter, so it will be good to get into the air again. I'll be updating this blog a lot during the next two weeks.

The competition results will be posted at http://fly-killarney.com.au/comps/.

Wish us luck!

Tim

Paul MacCready talks about innovation

Here is a video I discovered while doing some surfing online.



http://www.ted.com/speakers/view/id/159





Tim

Happy New Year!

It's 2008, and I'm sitting in Narita on a 6-day trip to Japan & Thailand.

I find myself more inclined to ponder how things are going when I'm alone & away from home. This New Years is no different. I don't make New Years resolutions, but occasionally, I do assess and reflect. 2007 was a tough year for me in some ways. I found myself bitching about my job more than I like. The fact is that I've lost the dream. I'm now resigned to "get on with it" and just do the job. If you were one of my targets for a diatribe - I apologize & hope to not bore you with self-indulgent whining ever again.

This isn't the job it used to be but I'm good at it & it does allow me the time to pursue my passions and spend time with my family & friends. . . even if I'm not always at home when I'd like to be. . . I'm thankful to have the job I've aspired to have since I was 14 years old & started flying.

This New Years I'm very THANKFUL.

Thankful that I have a good woman who allows me to love her & returns the favor.
I aspire to be a kind, supportive mate.

Thankful that I have two great, grown daughters that have made me proud. They are the sum of their parent's parts, and better for it.
I aspire to be a good father to my adult kids.

Thankful for my friends. Friends provide a feedback loop that is reasonable and helpful. . . and sometimes they even buy the beer.
I aspire to be as good a friend to those I have.

Thankful for my passions. My life is filled with activities that occupy my time & fulfill my need to be challenged, enriched, and educated.
I aspire to improve my skills & expand my horizons. To take risks that will stretch me as a person without impinging on any of the above aspirations.

I hope you all have a great 2008!

Tim