[Bob Kuczewski]

330 square Feet, 330 SQUARE Feet1 Can You say; That Glider must be a climb Monster. My friend Doug P once worked a Thermal with one ...

I would NOT recommend flying a Condor 330 in thermal conditions for at least 2 reasons:

• limited roll control authority
• limited structural strength

The Condor 330 was designed for smooth conditions only.

[Chris McKeon]

I know, I Know Bob. I know how limited that Bird seems to Be. But can You imagine taking a Condor up to some Mountain and launching it! I bet it would climb like an Home Sick Angle!

[Chris McKeon]

Almost all of You know By now that I experienced a Super Pounding 12 Years ago Four Months ago last Thursday. As much AS much as I think about Flying, trust Me I think about Flying almost constantly. But what I think about even more than Flying, is to Work, but i am a licensed contractor and if one is a Contractor and can not Drive His Truck. You are dead in the water. I was talking to one of My Contractor Friends who lives over in Concord California. Well Richard told Me that it is Maddening. He like other of our Contractor Friends says that He nor the other Contractors can get Guys who will do simple basic Labor. Richard told Me that They do not want to Work. But they will stand around with signs begging for Money. The people complain of not having a Home. But they do not complain about not having opportunities to Work.

My Doctor told Me; "That if I went one Year without having a Grand Mall Seizure. Sign on for getting My Drivers License Back." Yes I can see it now. I will be driving to a Job, I will be Working. I will be Happy.

Go Figure.

[Chris McKeon]

Hello, Good Morning everyone:

Well even though I am not doing to Fly Today. I want to in the worst way. You see Pilot-X is doing other things today. Being that I am not allowed to drive My Truck, I had My licensed rendered Null and Void. Due to My having been in a Coma for Three Months. So it is almost like being a Pilot up on a good Mountain Launch, looking up to the Sky that is filled with large cumulonimbus Clouds that all have Dark Flat bottoms. saying to Himself or to Herself: I can not Fly xC Today Because I do not have a Driver. I say almost, because We al know that when the Sky's Conditions dictates to You to take advantage of the Conditions that the Day Provides. You step up to Launch. You Launch and You begin exploring, Going XC Driver be Dammed.

[Chris McKeon]

{THE GLIFER MAKES THE XC PILOT}

OK, here a couple of Flying thoughts that I have. Maybe some of You might lend Me a good Comment or Two?

Up at the Sonoma Wings HG Club in Santa Rosa. They had a couple of Gals Who would offer to Drive for a Pilot if that Pilot would need retrieval. Well these Women served a real need. Donna would call Herself a Driver-5, and Yes I would say that Donna was ever Bit a Driver-5.

Is there a Club Driver, or Drivers down there in San Diego?

What VARIO-GPS is "THE UNIT". The GPS that maybe I should consider getting? I believe that these current Days as of late. I believe that the Pilots GPS can talk to the Drivers unit in the Chase vehicle. Trust Ne it can cause a long old Day, when You Launch from a Site in California, and You happen to land in Nevada. And I did not know that I had left the State. Not knowing where One is at a Given time upon landing really does suck! So having the XC Pilots Vario being able to let Your driver know where You are, this capability would be great.

HAS TOPLESS GLIDER'S FINALLY FULLFILED THE EXPITATIONS. IF SO, BY HOW MUCH IN THE LAST 12 YEARS?

Has technology gotten better regarding Topless Gliders in the last 12 Years. Will it be I along with My Predator loaded on top of the Drivers rig. Who will be driven to where there Topless Glider had Landed when We had been Flying X-C that Day? Instead of just about always the case before when I got hurt 12 Years ago? {The case was The Driver who had picked up a Topless Glider AND Pilot, A Far better Pilot than I by The way, on My last XC Journey} Well the Driver having picked up the Topes Glider the way, then they drove onward to then pick Me up.

Don't get the wrong impression about Me. I am maybe a little better than an average XC Pilot. But I fly a Much better than average Glider XC. Can You say 158 Predator?

[Chris McKeon]

Being that I have not Flown an HG in Twelve Years and Four Months. Well I got to thinking about HG Gear. What are Pilots using when Flying XC? Are there some new Radio GPS set-ups that Your Varo-GPS can rely Your position to Your Driver. Is that correct? What are You Guys using when You are Flying XC?

Forgibe My ignorance to what is currently available, But I have not flown in 12 Years.

[Chris McKeon]

Look I realize that The Flight that I make at the Beach will upon the surface appear as a nothing little Bunny hop at the Beach. Well I am not kidding Myself as to the fact that my flying a little short hop may not come off as a grand Flight to anyone who were to look at what i will do, looking at my leaving the ground, Flying for oh I do not know maybe a hundred yards or so, I will not climb to Cloud Base. I will not race along under a Cloud street. Yes om the face of it, the raw nut's and Bolts of My Flight, No it will seem like a little Bunny hop, that it will be. But to Me this little for raw up[ into the air, to Me this will be an Epic flight!

[Chris McKeon]

Look I realize that The Flight that I make at the Beach will upon the surface appear as a nothing little Bunny hop at the Beach. Well I am not kidding Myself as to the fact that my flying a little short hop may not come off as a grand Flight to anyone who were to look at what i will do, looking at my leaving the ground, Flying for oh I do not know maybe a hundred yards or so, I will not climb to Cloud Base. I will not race along under a Cloud street. Yes om the face of it, the raw nut's and Bolts of My Flight, No it will seem like a little Bunny hop, that it will be. But to Me this little for raw up[ into the air, to Me this will be an Epic flight!

[Frank Colver]

Chris, I may be the only one (probably not) who fully understands how that short flight will be the best flight of your life and i have said that very thing to you in the past.

I know, because I experienced it in 2015 when I flew at Dockweiler for the first time after many, many, years away from hang gliding. True, I hadn't had the traumatic reason for not flying that you have but never the less, I had been restricted by family commitments to quit hang gliding in 1979. I know the euphotic feeling of running into the air again after so many years. Even though you may only get 15 feet above the ground your real height will be in your head and it will reach the stratosphere.

I've attached a photo of that 1st flight. I thank Joe Greblo for always encouraging me to return to Dockweiler and fly again (that's him below). Now he's encouraging me to fly my Alpha 235 at Ave S, which is a 1440' launch near Palmdale, CA. Who knows? Maybe.

I hope that 1st flight day comes for you soon,
Frank

[Chris McKeon]

"NO MORE SLACKER SIT-UPS I"


So Frank. Yes I have had some "Issues" with achieving My first flight since My last Flight March 28th 2010. Well by far the most significant factor regarding My getting My Body back up and functioning. Yes I did a Pound that almost did Me in. But I have recovered. In fact even though when I do Push-ups. I do a set of 100 Push-ups. I am trying to get to where I am able to do each sit-up with better control, smoothness, using good form. The first time I was able to do One Hundred Push-Ups. I have to admit. I did drop onto my Knees in order to do some of the Sit-ups. But all in All I can now do the Sit-ups wile not trembling, displaying how badly My muscles would be trembling. I aim to be able to do One Hundred Push-Ups with My Back straight, I aim to do them with-out needing to drop onto My Knees. Besides doing Sit-Ups off your knees is how a Slacker does Sit Ups.

When I tried to fly that Great Big Circus Tent Sized Condor Three Thirty over at the training Hill over in Benicia. Well it was blowing about Ten Miles an Hour, crossing from the left. Worse than that was the wind was a little Gusty. Let Me tell You something; When You are strapped into a Three Hundred Thirty Square foot Glider. A "little Gust" is a "LOT OF A GUST" So I elected to break down. Yes "GOOD JUDGEMENT" ended My chance to have My first Flight in Twelve Years!