[Chris McKeon]

"PERSONAL GOALS OF MINE$"

Ok here's the Deal, My Seal; I realize that I must have realistic Goals. FLYING: I only want to get to, when Flying My Predator as Good as John Heiney Fly's His One Forty Two Predator when He is Flying His Predator. Yes as Good as will be sufficient.

Playing My Guitar

I really only need to be as good as Angus Young is Playing His Gibson SG. I really do not want to be better than Angus. Just being as Good as Angus. I also want to ne as John is at Aerobatics. Yes I like the sound of; AS GOOD AS. Speaking of Flying My Predator. Now that I will be on the light Side regarding being a One Fifty Eight Predator Pilot. I really want to push Myself to fly a Predator further than a Predator ever has been Flown. Yes now I lshall be known as; "THE PHOENIX GUY IN THE SKY". I really want to take advantage of My so much lower weight status. On My last Flight Twelve Years ago, I was 298Lbs. Then I went on the pound Diet. don't Laugh, I lost a little over a Hundred Pounds using the Pound Diet. This just short of Six Foot Four Predator Pilots Goal Is to keep loosing about Eleven more weight until I weigh 185 Pounds.

Well first things first. I sure hope to Fly that Great big Three Thirty Condor.






I can just see it. My first Flight in 12 Years, and I will whack that big Bird. The shame, I never Whack!

[Chris McKeon]

For Me, this whole Pounding experience, Then The Road Back to normalcy has and will I do not doubt will be a real eye opener. i think of just about everything relating to my Flying and My Pounding. Take Pounding for instance; Pounding is something that I do not do. Well this pounding that I took , a pounding that by all accounts should have ended My Life. Has Slowly been put into My Memory. Yet as far as I have come. I still need to Press-On and do More recovering. Believe it or not My Flying George's Condor will Be a Huge Step upward. I know, I know a WW 330 Condor is simply a huge Circus Tent sized training Glider that was Designed and Built By Wills-Wing, a Glider For raw Rookie's. I just marvel that there is a real possibility that I just might Have My first Flight in Twelve Years

SPORTS; SIMALARITIES.

I think it is cool that there are Generalities regarding Different Sports. Take H-G for example, It Seems we all know each other. Then there is the Equestrian field. MY Mother was chosen for the Olympic Team in 1953. My Mother knew so Many People. My Sister was a great Hunter-Jumper rider. One competitor that Kathleen rode against Suzie Hutchison, Bob/'s Girl-Friend Knows Suzie. I asked My Mother if Suzie was as good a rider as My Sister Kathleen? My Mother told Me that She was not sure, but that Suzie might have been better than Kathleen. If that is true, Suzie must be one Good Rider. This good Words, complimentary talk, I just love.

[Chris McKeon]

"AN SLIGHTLY ABOVE AVERAGE PILOT, FLYING A SUPEREOR GLIDER"


In just possibly Four or Five More Days, I will Fly once again. I will be Flying A Condor. I do not know How well I will Fly. It will Be Twelve Years, Four Months, Five or Six Days since My last Flight. Heck I have no idea How I will Do. Maybe what John said will be True; "Do not worry, You will not have forgotten How to Whack" John has always been like having a Shot of confidence injected into one of My Veins. A couple of Months ago John and I were talking. We were talking about all things Predator. What else should we talk about? I just want to make it Clear: I feel that the Predator 158 is the greatest Hang Glider ever conceived by anyone. I remember Driving up to launch with a Couple Topless Glider Pilots. Who would be Chiding Me. Giving Me advice regarding what Glider I chose to Fly. By the way I was Flying My One Fifty Eight Altair Predator! . Well on the way up top launch, or while we were setting up our Gliders. One or more of The Pilots who were going to Fly from the Same, Launch, on the same day. They would say to Me; How I should think about getting a Topless Glider. I would say; Why? Then I would have to listen to one of the old tired old statements; Because of the superior Performance that a Topless Glider would offer You." I would reply; " My Predator has More than enough Performance". Never did I have to listen to these comments after a day of Flying. Such as We would be sitting down at a Restaurant to Eat. No then I did not have to listen to this Baseless Banter regarding the Superiority of Their {SUPER SHIPS}. I am no Super Pilot. But I do indeed do Fly a Super Glider. Because here is another Point that I think bears being restated. The 158 Predator truly does have a superior as site. The 158 Predator has an incredible ability to Climb! FOR IF One IS Flying Cross Country. Yes You have left the comforting Safety of having the Mountain's below You. For all you need to do is you merely have to say Rip a Down-Wind Up-Hill landing, I-E [Fly on the Wall Landing]. Turn Your Glider around, take a rest if you so desire. then simply turn Your Glider around, and launch because Your Glider is pointing into the Wind. But if You Sink out over the Flats, and have to land. Your day of Flying is almost surly over.

you really can't argue with success, predator!


.

[JoeF]

Stay out of the gullies ..
Fly-on-the-wall landings

[Chris McKeon]

Ok, I thought I would see if anyone wants to talk about some XC Flying Possibilities. This aspect of Flying, Flying XC has not gone over very Well. I do not know Why? I mean the Way I see it, Flying is Flying. Heck it is just like it is when landing Down-Wind up-Hill. So when the Glider is Flying, It makes no difference to hte Glider none at weather or not the glider is being Flown up and down the very same Coast-Cliff line. Or if the Glider is being Flown Cross Country. The same Goers for landing a Glider. The Glider has no idea if the LZ is Your Home LZ or You are landing Forty Miles away.

I use the same Skill-Set to determine The wind Direction weather UII am Flying XC, or if I am Flying at a Home Site.

I see it this way; FLYING IS FLYING. One more thing Mary Ann would fly a Predator 142. Ginger would Fly a Para-Glider.

[Chris McKeon]

OK, please forgive Me for this subtle Diversion here:

I am not really staying On-Track, The subject says; Flying XC Question. Heck I am not writing about Flying XC. Hell I think that The odds of My being able to Fly that Great Big Condor are almost Nil. For as I remember it, Flying XC Means Flying a Distance that Cannot be Flown to on a straight Glide. Or is Flying XC when one does Down at Your Home L-Z? Either which way one determines what constitutes Cross-Country Flight. I do not think that I will Be Flying XC when I actually do Fly George's Condor. It will almost surely be an incredibly short little Hop. But while it will be True that this going ro be an little Hop, hardly what one would call a Flight. But for Me, it will be an epic event! Heck it has been Twelve Years, Four Months, Six Days Since My Last Flight.

Two thoughts Regarding X. X You know not allowing Your real Name to be mentioned By any of Us, is a little bit Odd. Heck X We all know who You are. I mean wo are You trying to hide from anyways? Also X I so hope that We go Fly this weekend. For I need to change Mt situation. My situation being that I gave the Greatest, Best performing King-Posted HG ever made out in My Garage, Yet I do not Fly! That Great Glider is an Altair Predator 158. I simply love My Predator.

[Bob Kuczewski]

OK, please forgive Me for this subtle Diversion here:

I am not really staying On-Track ...

Topics can wander just like conversations. However, we do have a number of conventions to keep topics organized and readable. For example, whoever starts a topic is encouraged to make suggestions to keep posts on-topic. In the Blog forum that can be enforced by the person starting the topic.

We also have a convention that the "Hello U.S. Hawks!" topic is for introductions by new members. It's intended to allow for short introductory conversations, but any extended discussions should be started as separate topics.

Since you started this topic, Chris, please feel free to take it in any direction you like.

[Chris McKeon]

I have a Question; Why do some Pilots wo tend to Shun the Idea of doing a {Fly on the Wall Landing] Take Mount Diablo for example. there is an L-Z up on Mount Diablo. It is The Juniper Ridge LZ. Juniper Ridge is a Bail-out L-Z for Pilots who choose not to Fly an X-C route on any particular Day. Well there are a number of Bail-Out L-Z's around the Mountain. But lewt's look art the case of last I knew. That would be Twelve Years ago. No Pilot had ever whacked when Landing at Juniper Ridge. Yes, Down-Wind Up-Hill LZ's really do Work. But other Pilots would rather land at one of the Bail-outs and then need to thumb s ride back up the Hill so that they could then do would be to drive down the mountain so as to be able to retrieve Their Glider. Go Figure?

Note to Bob. Bob please put this post in into the appropriate post,, thanks Bob.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Note to Bob. Bob please put this post in into the appropriate post,, thanks Bob.

OK. I moved it to the XC topic since Fly On The Wall landings are probably handy when flying XC.

[Chris McKeon]

Ok, I just want to say first that what I am about to Type might rub Bob, or heck I do not know? Possibly what i will say is going to run someone wrong. So if anything that i say rubs or ofends anyone i apologize up front for My being crass, insensitive, ignorant, crude or rude. I come on this site merely to see what other Pilots are Thinking about regarding Flying. Other Pilots thoughts on Flying, I like enjoy reading about Flying. It Matters not if the Flying is at a Home Site simply running up and down, back and forth along the same piece of Dirt over and over, back and forth until the Pilot decides that enough of that was enough Flying for that Day. Consequently, if another Pilots feels the desire to fly off on an XC joint, that is great also. Because just as I feel about landing one's Glider at a spot that is not Your Home L-Z. Flying is Flying. Landing on t\he Ground that happens to be the Ground where Your Home L-Z is located at. Ground is Ground. the Ground at Your Home LZ is no more, nor is the Ground at Your Home LZ anymore safe than The Ground that one might land upon any safer at one local than another local. Flying, is Flying, just as landing is landing. We are so blessed to be able to Fly.

OK I have seen Pilots Who had a Case of "I am HERO XC PILOT" I remember one Day oh I do not remember when it was but it was oh around twenty Years ago. Well this visiting Pilot to the Site, Was asked by one of the regular Pilots; "So How Long Did You Get". Meaning' How long did You Fly here at the Home Site? Well the visiting Self Important Hot-Rod XC Pilot simply scoffed at the local Pilot. he turned his back on the local Pilot and walked away. That was rude in My opinion. I mean Pilot hot Rod say it as below Himself. I Mean Come-On! Heck He just as You are Flying. Yes You were both enjoying the awesome reality of being able to enjoy your Freedom, You were both enjoying Free Flight. So self appointed Hot-Rod Pilot Get over Yourself.