I took up a monitoring position 4.3 miles from the Mag. Rim. (Matt's Mt.) launch. Leaving the black top road and taking a county road SW for about half of a mile. This position, 144º heading from launch, gives a line of sight and also permitting radio reception. Even though the LZ is only one mile away from launch radio reception is blocked by the mountain we soar. I was on station at 10:00 am and Buzz Nelson checked in on the radio but then had to wait until 11:44 to launch his PG. We had full overcast and where I was the wind was 170º @ 5 to 7 mph. At 11:50 Buzz went out of sight at the bottom of the ridge so I headed toward the mountain on the blacktop and picked him up for the drive back up to get his car at the fence.
Mag Rim Launch.JPG (47.75 KiB) Viewed 7115 times
It was a good thing I had my dad's good binoculars along since Buzz was what we call Pasteurize. (Beyond what your eyes can see.)
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017: Bill Cummings and I headed up to Matt's Mountain (Mag Rim) about 11:00 today. Conditions looked lovely - cumulus clouds dotting a blue sky, pleasant temperatures, light breezes. The breezes, though, turned to real winds just before Bill launched in his Wills Wing Sport 2 about 2:15 pm MDT. He had a turbulent launch, a turbulent flight, and the same sort of landing - after only 16 minutes, which is something of an event for Bill. He's usually up for an hour or more. We got some video, I hope, and I'm sure that Bill will post it if it came out. I decided not to fly, after my good friend had demonstrated what I'd be stepping into. We were packed up and back in Las Cruces by 4:30. Maybe next Wednesday (or next weekend) we can try again. Still, any flight you walked away from has to be a good one... -Robin
RobinHastings wrote:WEDNESDAY, APRIL 12, 2017: Bill Cummings and I headed up to Matt's Mountain (Mag Rim) about 11:00 today. Conditions looked lovely - cumulus clouds dotting a blue sky, pleasant temperatures, light breezes. The breezes, though, turned to real winds just before Bill launched in his Wills Wing Sport 2 about 2:15 pm MDT. He had a turbulent launch, a turbulent flight, and the same sort of landing - after only 16 minutes, which is something of an event for Bill. He's usually up for an hour or more. We got some video, I hope, and I'm sure that Bill will post it if it came out. I decided not to fly, after my good friend had demonstrated what I'd be stepping into. We were packed up and back in Las Cruces by 4:30. Maybe next Wednesday (or next weekend) we can try again. Still, any flight you walked away from has to be a good one... -Robin
That was a wild ride, Bill! I'm glad your landing was so good (and the takeoff was without incident). Every time, we learn something about that site. -Robin
In the "old days", when we didn't have rib battens in the glider's sail, conditions like those would cause sudden sail inversions. These would make very loud bangs! Talk about thinking the glider was coming apart!
Now it's time for a relaxing flight day at Dockweiler Beach CA.
MONDAY, MAY 1, 2017: Bill Cummings and I went out to Matt's Mountain today. Conditions looked pretty favorable. Winds were from the south, then southwest by the time Bill was ready to launch. They tended to be pretty light, until a thermal would blast through, then they'd be too strong. He flew in my U2-160, checking it out to see if there was some reason that I seem to be high-siding it on turns. Bill took off at 13:48 MDT by my watch, and immediately went up, making several passes across the ridge and getting up several hundred feet. The prevailing winds were actually pretty light - his best lift came in thermals, and he got up close to 1,000 feet over launch in one. Bill felt that the winds up high were more westerly than southwest, which contributed to a good deal of turbulence. He headed out to the LZ after about 20 minutes of rock n' roll, and then hit a thermal about 10 feet off the deck on final approach. Fortunately, being Bill, he handled it with aplomb, and brought my glider in to a pretty decent finish. "No aluminum was injured in the making of this flight." Was there any reason for my turning as I do? Not that he could sense - it flew perfectly, considering the turbulence. He finished up with close to a half hour of airtime, and even MORE experience with this very interesting site of ours. I can hardly wait for the video... -Robin
RobinHastings wrote:MONDAY, MAY 1, 2017: Bill Cummings and I went out to Matt's Mountain today. Conditions looked pretty favorable. Winds were from the south, then southwest by the time Bill was ready to launch. They tended to be pretty light, until a thermal would blast through, then they'd be too strong. He flew in my U2-160, checking it out to see if there was some reason that I seem to be high-siding it on turns. Bill took off at 13:48 MDT by my watch, and immediately went up, making several passes across the ridge and getting up several hundred feet. The prevailing winds were actually pretty light - his best lift came in thermals, and he got up close to 1,000 feet over launch in one. Bill felt that the winds up high were more westerly than southwest, which contributed to a good deal of turbulence. He headed out to the LZ after about 20 minutes of rock n' roll, and then hit a thermal about 10 feet off the deck on final approach. Fortunately, being Bill, he handled it with aplomb, and brought my glider in to a pretty decent finish. "No aluminum was injured in the making of this flight." Was there any reason for my turning as I do? Not that he could sense - it flew perfectly, considering the turbulence. He finished up with close to a half hour of airtime, and even MORE experience with this very interesting site of ours. I can hardly wait for the video... -Robin
Yes, that was worth waiting for. A dramatic clip to start my Tuesday morning with! And what the weekend brings, who can say? I think it will be flyable, though. -Robin
Bill, that wasn't a crash. You planted the bar level and let the nose pivot forward. Textbook for turbulent LZ landings. Also, again, good speed to maintain control in the expected ground turbulence, and then bleed off the energy to drop down in your chosen soft spot. This is a good example of how the hang glider protects the pilot in turbulent landings. No surprises. No damage. Whack: the wonderful sound of energy being harmlessly dissipated by the aircraft - instead of by the pilot!
