[Bill Cummings]

60 Minutes just tonight told us everything is hack-able.
How about a phone app that receives the vibration hits from sensors that the border patrol monitors when Mexican Nationals are in the desert.

Some have to alert on thermals ripping through the desert. On a hot day it must be a real chore to tune out the false alerts that dispatch has to figure out. That App would light up on your smart phone either on a National (false positive in our case.) or a thermal to go to.

[reluctantsparrow]

a local pilot just let me know he bought a drone for a thousand bucks that you can lock onto an object with a follow command so that the drone will follow a pilot and take pictures of the pilot as the pilot is flying...automatically..I had no idea such things were available. Anyway...How about two or three of those drones, activated before takeoff, that automatically takeoff with the pilot and follow (or lead) from preset distances and locations. Maybe two way out in front of the pilot and a couple more a hundred yards out from each wing providing direct feedback to the pilot?
this would dramatically increase the search area for thermals for the pilot in command.
Theoretically you could have five or six of these drones fanned out looking for rising air as you fly and increase your thermal detection area dramatically.
I am not going to do this, but I guess it is within our current technological abilities.
If a pilot wanted to set a record or something imagine how much ground you could cover if your drones were out there finding all your thermals for you.

[reluctantsparrow]

only one drone per pilot. Drone is tied into our Gps and races out in front of our direction of travel at a level that is always within current glide angle of glider as being recorded by Gps,
two control buttons on our helmet. Search mode and standby mode.
When we are working a thermal we push the standby button and the drone follows our upward climb. As we exit the top of the thermal on course we hit the search mode button and the drone races out in front of us looking for thermals within the glide angle and course direction being recorded by gps....totally doable.
Built in safety features could include;
if contact is lost with retrieve crew by landing in area surrounded by hills the drone could hover over location and send out beacon to mark position for retrieve crew...that would be a third button on the helmet...mark position.....pretty high tech but from what I have heard of present technology all doable.
in case of emergency a fourth button on helmet could send out a distress signal.
Distress signal could have two levels of distress. Life threatening injury or non-life threatening injury.
Non-life threatening distress signal would indicate to retrieve crew.....dont stop for hamburgers, get here NOW!
Life threatening distress signal would tell retrieve crew to call 911 pronto.
All signals could be built in buttons on helmet.
This device could cut response times down considerably and save lives as well as greatly enhancing cross country abilities.

[eagle]

To follow or lead Me ~ or Custom fit , maybe for the Sparrow
Nixie A camera that comes with you everywhere... and can fly.
With a gesture, Nixie takes off, captures the moment, and comes right back.
See video: https://youtu.be/kfzqUsGMHE0

Nixie Drone.jpg (29.51 KiB) Viewed 9290 times

[reluctantsparrow]

With a gesture, Nixie takes off, captures the moment, and comes right back.

That is way cool.

[Craig Muhonen]

Starting in 1973, I watched in awe the many hang gliders fly over Telluride. Launching from gold hill they had two LZ's to choose from, one being town park in town. In 1988 I watched them do multiple loops and some fancy wing walking, before turning base to final, through some trees, and a touch down close to a target in town park. The damn birds had a hard time flying in that sink air, but these guys that day made it look easy. 31 years have passed, but the gliders have only gotten a touch better. I think your idea Frank of a "training glider" that new pilots can get a good feel for the air but also easily deal with it on the ground, will 100% help people (instructors included) enjoy the ground skimming aspect of flight and possibly/probably progress to a high performance wing and soar into the heavens. I think the next progression of soaring wings will be more "technical" in that the pilot will be able to " feel" his wing more quickly and he able to 'conform' each side of the wing instantly to the conditions he is encountering with his body and ears.
Paul McCreedy has done some wonderful work on how the million year old early "birds" accomplished the art of take off, gliding, and landing, leading with their "cannard" type head and neck to 'feel' the air before it got to its wing, which were actually it's arms just like ours. His study of our arms compared to their arms is remarkably similar. Their wings and bodies evolved for a million years, our young wings only for a couple a hundred.
As a new, but elderly, USHAWK living at above 8,000' since 1971 and not needing wings to get here, I have been a "landlubber", but I have enjoyed listening to you hawks talk to each other about stepping into the atmosphere and "paying attention to details". I also enjoy your talks and videos about your mentorship of young (and older) pilots. It may be the most important aspect of "learning how to fly". They are in good hands. Bravo

[Chris McKeon]

This little Story might cause some of to Chuckle, I hope that it does.



I remember one Day when I was flying at my local Mountain Site Mount Diablo. Well it was one of those Days when I chose not Fly XC, Primarily because I had no one with Me to retrieve Me if I flew XC. So I made about a half a dozen flights landing at the Lime Ridge L-Z. Well a Couple walked over to me after I had landed. The Man said to Me; "You know My Wife and I have been watching you Fly, and I said to my Wife"; "He fly's just like a Bird" I replied ;"No, I do not fly like a Bird. I fly better than a Bird. For I can fly without flapping" You can not Buy a moment like that.