[Chris McKeon]

{WHEN A BETTER MOUSE TRAP IS DESIGNED, JOHN WILL DESIGN IT}

Bob You talk about how a Pilot comparing Herself, or Himself to other Pilots, I do not compare Myself to other Pilots nearly as much as You indicate. Sure, I have, as all of Us have

We have all observed Pilots, both Pilots who are Skillful Pilots, and those who are not Skillful. You have transposed what Compliments that I have lavished regarding My Predators exceptional handling characteristics. It's Phenomenal landing attributes. And it's Phenomenal Sink rate. Not as what they are. They are a testament to this great design that John Heiney came up with. I mean who knows? It has been Fourteen and a half years since I flew My Predator in the same thermal as another Glider. Maybe technology finally has passed the Predator By. I want to be absolutely clear with this reality. I was able to stay in the Air. Climb then go back on glide. Because of the fact that I was Flying My 158 Predator. It really does come down to that Fohn designed a: {Better Mouse Trap.

To cover ground XC on a given Day, where Two or More Gliders launch from the same Launch. when they both fly on a downwind Route. The Glider that can remain Airborne Flying the longest has an advantage over the Glider that struggles to work thermals when the Thermals are not too strong. Sure, glide is a major component when Flying XC. By the way, considering that My predator is saddled with dragging those lines and cables through the Air. It really does Cop a pretty good Glide.

I yearn to Fly to Fly again in the Worst Way. I mean I will be in Heaven, when I am able to stand on Launch, any Launch and launch a Glider, any Glider. For even if the Flight might only last seconds, and cover say 50 Feet, so what if I; {Whack} I will be happy, happy beyond words. Yes, a Flight like I just described will be both the greatest the greatest flight that I have ever had, it also it will be the greatest Flight that will ever Make.

[Chris McKeon]

Bob: I still remember how Felt after My harness straps became taught on My first ever Flight down in New Zealand during January of 1990. I mean it was a truly profound feeling. That first flight which provably covered less than Eighty feet in distance was simply amazing. I am so looking forward to when John is up here next Month, October. For I believe that I will feel very much the same. I feel. I must take head to My emotions here. But I {Feel Honored that I simply so blessed to even have the Chance to Break Free from this as John so witfully said: {Break Free from this Gravity Secured Penitentiary} tht We all reside in. Yes I ill just come out and say it. My very next flight, eill not only be Nt Grearest Flight. It will be the Greatest Flight that I will ever make! I imagine that My next Flight will be regarding Speed, will be at a Slow Air-Speed.

Isn't Flying Grand?

[Chris McKeon]

Speed, Speed, SPEED!

I have been thinking, thinking about Flying. Well because I imagine that I Have not Flown in 14 Years 9 Days and give or take a couple Hours. I guess it could be said that I have a Problem: I so desperately need to have an: {AIR GASSAM}. But I will continue be Oh so Patent and wait. There are a couple of things that I can, and I am doing both Physically: Practicing My Launch, and Mentally so a** to be a more Knowledgeable 158 Predator Pilot. I really must learn more about: {SPPEDS TO FLY}. Heck, I know that I tended to Fly too fast, while Flying XC, I saw it this way regarding the Conditions of the Airspace that was directly above launch, or was say 10, 20, 100, or 200 miles away from launch on a Given day, and in a given amount of time. I mean when You are Flying XC the chances that You will be able to remain Airborne weather You are directly above Launch or say twenty or Eighty Miles away are the same. regarding being able to simply stay in the Air: Ridge Soaring needs to be Discounted of Course. For we all know that if the prevailing wind on a given Day, is blowing direction to a ridge. You will be able to stay up in the Air.

OK this issue of Mine to learn More regarding: {Speeds to Fly By, is about Twenty Years too late By Me. But any sites that anyone has to post on the Subject of Speed management

[Chris McKeon]

OK, I am looking to become more informed as to How I could extend the mount of Ground that I could cover when Flying My Predator Cross Country. So this is a universal problem, Question THAT WE PILOTS TRY TO OVERCOME> This is First Off, how to remain Airborne. Being really Primarily because I Fly MY Beloved Predator 158. So now that I weigh 200 Pounds or Less. I believe My Predators Sink rate, as good as it was when I weighed Two or Three Pounds less than Three Hundred Pounds. I mean taking off a Hundred Pounds. The Gliders Sink rate should Be outstanding.

SPEED, SPEED AND XC>:

I look at speed as a: {GOOD THING}. I always upon getting low. I concentrated on finding Lift, a Thermal to get up so that I could repeat the Process of going back on Glide. There are indicators where I would head to in order to sniff around for lift. But finding Lift on a Given Day. Is like how flying in the Air above launch is more Dangerous than the Air above the Ground oh say Ten or Twenty miles away from Launch. The atmosphere's Condition is what it is for a given Day. Now Mid-Airs are Definite y are something that concerns Me more while flying a local site that is populated by numerous Gliders. My head was always on a Swival. But while Flying XC. I could relax a little bit Flying an XC Route versus Flying along a Ridge soaring cliff at a local Site.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Hi Chris,

The US Hawks site can be a little confusing because the "forum" is actually made up of many subforums and even subsubforums. Each subforum has a purpose, and all the topics in that subforum should generally fall within that purpose. Some subforums are explicit about this with "Forum rules" for that subforum. For example, we're now posting in a subforum titled "US Hawks Training Manual Project". You can see that name near the top of the page. This subforum also has the following rules:

Forum_Rules_Training_Manual.png (24.85 KiB) Viewed 1593 times

So all of the posts in all of the topics in this forum should "roughly" follow those rules. It's OK if things get a little off-topic from time to time. That's just part of our human nature, and it's usually not a problem. But the Training Manual subforum is a little different because we would like it to be somewhat like a real training manual. In other words, someone reading the "Speeds to Fly" topic (in the Training Manual) would expect to find posts teaching - in depth - about selecting speeds to fly in different conditions. Sadly, no one has written those posts yet. We have a few starts introducing the subject, but no one yet (including me) has dived into the details of writing a good explanation of that topic. So this topic is more or less waiting for someone (or multiple someones) to tackle that project. And when they do, it should read like a training manual and not a series of loosely related posts.

My point is that the Training Manual forums (and subforums) are not a good place for general posts. They're a place for people to either do actual writing or to at least make clear suggestions about what needs to go into a good training manual chapter on that topic.

You are certainly welcome to help write any section of the manual. For example, I've seen you do a lot of writing about helmets and about your Predator. Those would be good topics for you because you know them first hand. But the writing should be instructive. It should be designed to teach something that you know to someone else.

I was originally thinking that each section of the Training Manual forum would be the final chapters of the manual. But I now think that was too optimistic. I can see many of my own posts that would not be appropriate for the final versions. So there will probably be a consolidation that will take place to transform these posts into a more streamlined Training Manual. But even so, we want these posts to be helpful for the person doing the consolidation. So they should be "mostly" geared toward generating the final training manual and not be a distraction for whoever is consolidating them.

I hope that helps.

[DaveSchy]

April 23, 2010 Flying Scatchet Head in my XC, a south facing ridge on Whidbey Is.
It became obvious that a rain squall was approaching from the SW. At appx 1000ft ASL, D F flew past, motioned down, I gestured you first.
After he landed, the squall was about a quarter mile away, so I released VG, stuffed the bar and after about a minute found myself about 800ft Higher!
I said out loud "this isn't good" !
I had inadvertently flown into the convergence!!

At this point, I decided that I should try linked high banked turns to get to the beach lz. I came in hot, full VG and had a good landing. The rain hit less than 30 seconds later and the wind turned wnw.
My take away is that the decision to crank and bank, along with pulling for speed got me safely to the lz before getting blown away from the beach into Puget Sound! This flight lasted 34 minutes.

[DaveSchy]

I posted this story in speeds to fly, because as I was being vacuumed into the convergence. I mistakenly had left my VG at about half, which was my usual for ridge lift.
I erred by releasing my VG and just stuffing the bar for airspeed. I can't remember why that was my plan at that moment...
After I realized how much higher I was, that I had encountered rare convergence lift, and that landing quickly was going to save my bones, I pulled full VG and cranked and banked to 100ft.
Overshooting this LZ puts you in someones home, and undershooting puts you in 3 to 5ft of water.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Thanks for the additional information Dave. That helps explain the fit for this topic.

[Chris McKeon]

{I SLOWED DOWN, AND GOT STINKING HIGH}
{I
Flew Slowly while I in Convergence, Thermal Lift}

I like Everyone Else have Experimented with varying My Speed that I Flew when I have flown in different Conditions. I remember one Day at Mount Diablo. It was Blowing Quite Strong, as in the oh I do not really know how strong that it was when I launched off the Juniper Ridge Launch. Anyways as I was able to get above the Mountain fairly easily. As I thought that I was able to get about as High as I could get over the Mountain, I was around 4,500' MSL when I committed to leaving the Mountain. I headed in a Easterly direction. As I got Oh about, I am not so sure how far I was from the Mountain? But I experienced My Port Wing lifting. I turned into it. Then I was rewarded with strong lift. I Talked with a Pilot Friend of Mine Kevin D. Kevin and I came to the Conclusion that One: Being that it was a Strong Day. And Two: The Thermal that I had found coupled by that the Wind was being Split by the Mountain and thus was colliding into an opposing Wind Direction Thus this Convergence added to the Thermal Lift that was enabling Me to Climb. End Result: I topped Out at 8,200 feet. This is the Highest I have Ever gotten at Diabo. I slowed down for a Great Elevator ride to an Altitude that I had never Dreamed of while Flying around Mount Diablo.

Please take Note: I had been Launching and Flying from Mount Diablo for over Twenty Years. I had never been higher than I do not remember. But I will say that I Never got higher than 4.500 MSL at the Mountain. I do not remember the Highest I had ever been over Diablo which is about #3000' MSL High.

[Chris McKeon]

I have stated what that apparently if when a Pilot, {A Pilot| being Me in this case. I always thought and My thoughts regarding conditions tended to be brn to being true on a Givin XC Flying Day. What I mean is if Conditions. MY saying {Conditions}. I mean is that was Producing Thermals fairly well based on a Day of My Flying, OH let Me say that regarding an Area that was less than Two Hundred Miles away from where I had launched from. Conditions in the Air, along the way oof My Flying. The Aie-Mass remained fairly Constant. So Flying conditions for that Day, more important than where I was regarding where I had Flown on that Day. was what Time of Day that I was Flying compared to what the Time was when I had launched. Generally, I found that as the Sun got lower. the odds were that I would have had a harder time remaining Airborne.

Also: If a Pilot were to launch from a Launch. Then He or Her Were to get up and then head out on a XC route. Well, the flight was no more dangerous, or safe if the Pilot had remained Flying Close to where They had begun Their Flight.