Yet Another Glider... Video?

[Mike Ash]

I took my glider up for a great flight on Saturday. The wind was blowing
enough to make the local ridge work very well, but was light enough at
the airport to keep the takeoff and landing sane.

I also carried a high-definition video camera mounted on my seat, so you
can see the whole thing! Well, I cut out many of the slow parts, so you
just get the good stuff. (I left *some* slow parts in, since that's part
of what soaring is all about....)

Anyway, check it out here: http://www.vimeo.com/2957154

For the full HD experience, make sure it says "HD is on" and then pop it
fullscreen. Or if you have a nice big screen and a nice fast internet
connection, hit the link at the bottom to get to my web site, then view
the 1920x1080 version.

Total flight time was a little over an hour. Could have been quite a bit
longer, but the pizza I had for lunch was starting to make its presence
known, and my feet were getting cold. Total cost for the flight was
$35.50. :)

[BT]

Mike.. you should have followed Ron.. he did over 400 miles on Saturday in
the ridges and thermals back east.
His flight can be downloaded from OLC.

BT

Post by Mike Ash
I took my glider up for a great flight on Saturday. The wind was blowing
enough to make the local ridge work very well, but was light enough at
the airport to keep the takeoff and landing sane.
I also carried a high-definition video camera mounted on my seat, so you
can see the whole thing! Well, I cut out many of the slow parts, so you
just get the good stuff. (I left *some* slow parts in, since that's part
of what soaring is all about....)
Anyway, check it out here: http://www.vimeo.com/2957154
For the full HD experience, make sure it says "HD is on" and then pop it
fullscreen. Or if you have a nice big screen and a nice fast internet
connection, hit the link at the bottom to get to my web site, then view
the 1920x1080 version.
Total flight time was a little over an hour. Could have been quite a bit
longer, but the pizza I had for lunch was starting to make its presence
known, and my feet were getting cold. Total cost for the flight was
$35.50. :)
--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

[Mike Ash]

Post by BT
Mike.. you should have followed Ron.. he did over 400 miles on Saturday in
the ridges and thermals back east.
His flight can be downloaded from OLC.

Spectacular. The ridge was working all day in N. VA too, but was snowed
in until later in the day. (My first attempt came frighteningly close to
VFR-into-IMC while still on tow....)

[BT]

Mike.. I finally had a chance to view the video. looks great!! I need to do
more video work.
Is it normal to get 10Knt climbs behind the Husky? I think that's what I
heard on the radio? Or where you in lift all the way up?

It appeared that the Sage Vario did not agree with or lagged behind the
Cambridge.

Did you upload the flight to OLC?
It looks like we are planning a Tonopah Safari for mid July.
BT

Post by Mike Ash

Post by BT
Mike.. you should have followed Ron.. he did over 400 miles on Saturday in
the ridges and thermals back east.
His flight can be downloaded from OLC.

Spectacular. The ridge was working all day in N. VA too, but was snowed
in until later in the day. (My first attempt came frighteningly close to
VFR-into-IMC while still on tow....)
--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

[Mike Ash]

Post by BT
Mike.. I finally had a chance to view the video. looks great!! I need to do
more video work.
Is it normal to get 10Knt climbs behind the Husky? I think that's what I
heard on the radio? Or where you in lift all the way up?
It appeared that the Sage Vario did not agree with or lagged behind the
Cambridge.
Did you upload the flight to OLC?
It looks like we are planning a Tonopah Safari for mid July.

Thanks! I'm very pleased at the result, considering that I spent under
$200 total for the camera, memory card, and mounting hardware. Certainly
it's not as high quality as you can get (Kempton Izuno's HD soaring blog
is the gold standard on that, IMO) but for the price it's fantastic.

It is a Husky, and it climbs quite well on tow, matching or exceeding
our 260HP Pawnee (although the Pawnee is saddled with a four-bladed
prop). 10kts is an awful lot, but it was a pretty cold day. Looking at
the video it appears that we averaged more of an 8kt climb on tow (about
4.5 minutes towing to 3600ft AGL) which is still great, but within the
realm of sanity at least. I don't think we were in lift at any point, if
we were it was awfully smooth. The whole tow was surprisingly smooth
given that we were on the back side of the ridge on a ridge day, usually
it just pounds us until we can get past it.

I didn't upload to OLC as my logger is being serviced and hasn't
returned yet. Once it's back I definitely want to figure out how to
extract the flights and upload them.

You got me reading people's stories of soaring at Tonopah now. I'm
jealous! Sounds like a lot of fun....

[BT]

Post by Mike Ash
You got me reading people's stories of soaring at Tonopah now. I'm
jealous! Sounds like a lot of fun....
--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

Flying at TPH is only half of it.. well.. ok... 3/4s of it.. the rest is the
evening dinners and hanger stories..
There I was... 17,500MSL and 100 miles from home... So I declared final
glide.. LOL

Well, close enough, 17,500 is 12,000 above the airport, 11,000 above pattern
and at 7miles per thousand that's 77 miles.. and the lift keeps going until
after sunset..

B

[BT]

We upped our Pawnee to 250HP from 235HP with an engine STC, put the lighter
weight prop per the TCDS.
We've got straight exhaust pipes, no muffler.. we are in the middle of the
desert with no residential areas.. no one cares. Towing the 2-33 or Grob 103
with 2 up on calm days.. 500-600fpm easy.. Towing a 1-26? 1100fpm easy.. Add
lift.. and summer tows are rodeo tows.

BT

Post by Mike Ash
It is a Husky, and it climbs quite well on tow, matching or exceeding
our 260HP Pawnee (although the Pawnee is saddled with a four-bladed
prop). 10kts is an awful lot, but it was a pretty cold day. Looking at
the video it appears that we averaged more of an 8kt climb on tow (about
4.5 minutes towing to 3600ft AGL) which is still great, but within the
realm of sanity at least. I don't think we were in lift at any point, if
we were it was awfully smooth. The whole tow was surprisingly smooth
given that we were on the back side of the ridge on a ridge day, usually
it just pounds us until we can get past it.

[Mike Ash]

Post by BT
We upped our Pawnee to 250HP from 235HP with an engine STC, put the lighter
weight prop per the TCDS.
We've got straight exhaust pipes, no muffler.. we are in the middle of the
desert with no residential areas.. no one cares. Towing the 2-33 or Grob 103
with 2 up on calm days.. 500-600fpm easy.. Towing a 1-26? 1100fpm easy.. Add
lift.. and summer tows are rodeo tows.

Sounds pretty nice. Maybe ours is 250HP, not 260? I know we got it
upgraded from 235 like yours, but oddly enough I'm bad with numbers like
that. Our performance varies widely depending on conditions. Towing a
fully-loaded Grob 103 on a hot summer day involves some nervous glances
at the treetops at the end of our 3000ft runway. Towing a single-seater
in the winter is vastly better. What do you know, glider pilots have to
worry about density altitude too....

Post by BT
Flying at TPH is only half of it.. well.. ok... 3/4s of it.. the rest is the
evening dinners and hanger stories..
There I was... 17,500MSL and 100 miles from home... So I declared final
glide.. LOL
Well, close enough, 17,500 is 12,000 above the airport, 11,000 above pattern
and at 7miles per thousand that's 77 miles.. and the lift keeps going until
after sunset..

Yeah, that's good stuff. I've had a couple of flights out of Minden like
that. Start final glide a couple dozen miles away, arrive over the
airport with more altitude than I usually ever attain in Virginia. Good
times.

[BT]

Density Altitude. 2833MSL, 105F, = 6277DA, 3500ft paved length, even on the
hottest days we can make 200ft AGL at the departure end.
Tonopah, 5500MSL, 80F, = 8027DA, a slow climb with a 180HP Super Cub, but
there is a house thermal in the gravel pit just off the south end of the
runway that is very long.
BT

Post by Mike Ash

Post by BT
We upped our Pawnee to 250HP from 235HP with an engine STC, put the lighter
weight prop per the TCDS.
We've got straight exhaust pipes, no muffler.. we are in the middle of the
desert with no residential areas.. no one cares. Towing the 2-33 or Grob 103
with 2 up on calm days.. 500-600fpm easy.. Towing a 1-26? 1100fpm easy.. Add
lift.. and summer tows are rodeo tows.

Sounds pretty nice. Maybe ours is 250HP, not 260? I know we got it
upgraded from 235 like yours, but oddly enough I'm bad with numbers like
that. Our performance varies widely depending on conditions. Towing a
fully-loaded Grob 103 on a hot summer day involves some nervous glances
at the treetops at the end of our 3000ft runway. Towing a single-seater
in the winter is vastly better. What do you know, glider pilots have to
worry about density altitude too....

Post by BT
Flying at TPH is only half of it.. well.. ok... 3/4s of it.. the rest is the
evening dinners and hanger stories..
There I was... 17,500MSL and 100 miles from home... So I declared final
glide.. LOL
Well, close enough, 17,500 is 12,000 above the airport, 11,000 above pattern
and at 7miles per thousand that's 77 miles.. and the lift keeps going until
after sunset..

Yeah, that's good stuff. I've had a couple of flights out of Minden like
that. Start final glide a couple dozen miles away, arrive over the
airport with more altitude than I usually ever attain in Virginia. Good
times.
--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon