FOOTLAUNCH
l Happy
New Year l
l to my reader l
Next
meeting Jan 14th at the Plume
Parachute Repack – February
We are still planning a club chute repacking session
in February, date/time/venue TBA. Also a PG ground-handling clinic in conjunction
with Robin at Airtopia is still planned for spring ’04 ready for the new
season. Come along and brush up on your essential skills.
Early December brought some Easterlies and the chance
for a cold hop if you were brave enough. The lack of thermals can make it a bit
tame on the ridge, and sometimes the temptation is to chuck a few hoolies just
to relieve the boredom. On 7th Dec it was a nice E'ly after a cold front went
through. PGs on Pandy were doing the ridge run easily in the fresh breeze and
one pilot started chucking in big wing-overs at 100' above. After a
particularly enthusiastic one the wing partially folded and suffered a big
cravat, rapidly followed by a spiral and he chucked his reserve. At 100' there
wasn't much time for it to open, but luckily it did and he walked away with
bruises!
Meanwhile on the Malverns the moderate wind made it a good day for Stiffies (fnrrr, fnrr) but another PG had a lucky escape, being blown backwards over the ridge with resulting collapses almost to the deck. Good job the wing inflated before the ground intervened.
Moral of the story: If you see someone doing
aerobatics low down get your camera out quick and prepare to call an ambulance.
Oh, and come along to the repack (TBA) so if it happens to you then your
reserve will open quicker. TC
Club trip to Piedrahita?
Several people have asked me if the Malvern Club is going to organise
another trip to Piedrahita.
Well the answer is yes if enough people are interested. Last time we
went in the first week of September and I think the next one should be the
same, unless anybody else thinks otherwise.
Stephen and Puri have not produced their booking calendar for next year
yet. But we need to be ready with names who want to go by the end of December
to ensure that we get the week we want and also flights at a reasonable price.
Stephen and Puri collect you from the airport provide bed-and-breakfast
for the week and 4 evening meals, guide and provide retrievers. Last year they
charged 450 Euros and at the moment flights from
For more information about Piedrahita go to http://www.flypiedrahita.com/ on the Web.
if you're interested contact me.
01684 572723 or email bigcloud@bryanhindle.free-online.co.uk
Malvern Members - who's who in the club.
Ken
Shail, club president;
>
58
> Member since:
I attended a very early meeting of the
Malvern Hang Gliding club in March 1976 at which the safety officer gave
everyone a stern lecture on the subject. His leg was in plaster after a flying impact
with the ground at Swinyard.
> Occupation:
Electronics Engineer and Company
Director.
http://www.sparc-systems.co.uk/
http://checkweigh.co.uk/
> Domestic stuff:
I don't do much domestic stuff. My wife
cooks much better than me.
We have 3 Boys all in their 20s and much more sensible
and clever than me. Is this a
recommendation? - Ed.
We live within a stones-throw of the Three
Counties landing field.
Landings are also possible in fields adjacent to the
house subject to prior consultation.
Cups of teas and cake afterwards can be arranged.
> Previous lives/jobs:
I am not sure if I am reincarnate
although my older brother claims that I was originally a frog.
I have been doing this job for 29 years since I
started my company in 1974 in my garage.
They say that the first 10 years are the hardest. My
experience is that the following 20 are just as hard!
I did provide the instrumentation for the original
BHGA hang glider test rig which was built on a Citroen Estate car. Subsequently
a similar operation on the MK2 test rig which was trailer-mounted. It was a
memorably day at Long Marston airfield when we proved that a model HG on which
a member of our club had been killed was indeed divergent.
My factory once had the honour of hosting the world's
first and only indoor hang-gliding distance competition.
> Flying career:
Hang Gliders 1976 to present
Microlights 1982 to 1984
Aeroplanes 1988 to present
Hang Gliding and power twins are almost at
the opposite ends of the spectrum:
I enjoy HG for the comradeship, open-air, challenge
and general winding-up that occurs.
I enjoy power flying for the technical challenge and
being able to cover large distances quickly and flying in a much wider weather
envelope.
> Current wing(s):
An old Multicolour Rumour 1.
A Yellow Twin Comanche that you might have
seen around!
> Best flight: (on a H.G)
7,000 feet above Merthyr in wave. (Still
the Gypsies managed to spit at me.)
The hard bit was being able to loose height.
Eventually top-landed at dusk in nil wind.
> Best crash (in detail please):
On a H.G., hospitalisation in 1978 due
to Selsley Common coming up and hitting me.
Very shortly after taking off I was blown backwards in 30+MPH winds. The rotor then deposited me smartly
on the ground. (P.S. I have already had the broken
upright award for that one so don't get any ideas).
You could also look at http://www.shail.co.uk/page4/page4.htm for an interesting
ground-loop.
> Other interests:
Computing, programming, electronics,
music, more flying and lighting bonfires in the garden.
> If you were reincarnated, what would you like to come back as?
Its got to be a Condor (I hope that’s not a typo! – Ed), or
maybe a certain other member of our club who lives on Kettle Sings and doesn't
have to work?
Garmin Geko 301 GPS review
The Garmin Geko 301 is a basic GPS aimed at outdoor
pursuits, with electronic compass and barometric altimeter in addition to all
the usual GPS functions, plus PC interconnection. The Geko is about the size of
a modern mobile phone, in a compact waterproof case with integral antenna so no
sticky out bits to break off. The small weight and size of the 301 means you
can easily velcro it to a riser and the front mounted buttons are easily
accessed. It uses 2x AAA batteries with battery life quoted as up to 10hrs with
alkalines. Using high capacity 800mAh NiMh cells gives 6-8hrs when sitting on
my desk, which is just about enough for a day’s flying provided you only switch
on at take-off.
The Geko 301 has a PC connector for loading waypoints
and tracks etc, but it doesn't have the ability to load maps. The GPS is
WAAS/EGNOS enabled which means additional signals from geostationary satellites
are used to increase the accuracy to <10’. However, the system is still
testing and not due to be fully operational until spring. Until then you get
either normal 15'-30' accuracy depending on the available satellites. The
10,000 point track log is user configurable for storing by distance or time so
should easily last through longer flights.
The Geko 301 also has an electronic compass and
barometric altimeter. This means it gives a stable altitude and vertical speed
with 1' resolution and so you can use it to work light lift when the vario has
gone quiet. The unit also gives readouts of actual glide-angle and required
glide-angle to a waypoint. Altitude is always given as height above sea-level
though; you cannot zero it to take-off as it will auto-calibrate back. When
hiking the barometric altimeter will work in narrow canyons/forests when
satellite lock is lost and you can also have a 12hr pressure trend graph,
useful for predicting weather. The electronic compass means you can use it to
take bearings etc. when stationary, and it switches to GPS derived direction
when you start moving.
Pros:
- Small
size and weight
- Good
storage capacity for waypoints, routes and tracks
- <10’
accuracy (with EGNOS)
- Simple
operation
- Configuarable
tracklog
- Stable
altimeter
- Glide
angle readout
Cons:
- Small
screen
- Small
buttons difficult with gloves
- No
mapping
- Short
battery life
The 301 is priced around £200 on the internet.
ADVERTS
Aeros Xtreme Hangliding Harness. As new. Would suit 6ft Medium build.
Please Email Frank on Sammi@Lawstroud.freeserve.co.ukOr Telephone 07775817845 or 01453 791479
Trekking Ritmo 41 XL 90-120 kg. Sail in
excellent condition with new lines (fitted in 1999 but only test flown
for two hours since) ACPUL 12 A's. Would make a good paramotor wing or 1st time
stable learner wing.
I am the only owner and know it's been looked after from new, flies great
on a hill and winch launches easily (it's a really steady forgiving wing, I've
used it for years without a reserve)
Open to sensible offers telephone me and we can organise a test flight view
of the wing
Phil Cooper tel 07947
824370 email:PHILCOOPERALICE@aol.com
Freex
Spear Large, Blue 20 hours, DHV 2
Freex Spear
Medium, Blue 70 hours, DHV 2
Offers
invited on both.
Ian Clague
0771 472 0583
Harley Sirocco (Large, 92kg-120kg)
Acpul 12A rated, c/w harness; £250 ono
Dennis 07876 492406
AIRTOPIA
New Gradient Aspen
Airwave Sport is the best DHV1/2
Vol Libre magazine makes the Gradient Aspen its glider of the year….the best DHV2 glider available today, an incredible achievement considering the quality of some other DHV 2 gliders that are also available. After being in production for some time the Airwave Sport is still the best DHV ½……
Call for a copy of the translation….
We believe the DHV 1/2 Gradient Golden will also be a class beater. We have demo gliders available now…
!
Second hand canopies
Edel Atlas small fab condition 65-80kg £600.00
Trekking
Sunbeam very clean 95-110kg £875.00
Firebird
Ignition excellent low
airtime 75-95kg
£825.00
Nova
X Act Very Low
airtime 85-105kg
£900.00
Nova
X Act plenty
life left 85-105kg £450.00
Nova
Xyon Large Good
105-125 kg
offers
Edel
Sabre xLarge
Fair 100-120kg offers
The New Stuff
Canopies
from Ozone, Gin, Gradient and Airwave, demo’s available, part exchange a
possibility!
Call Robin tel 01453
827202
Mobile 07973 844449
www.airtopia.com robin@airtopia.com
We
are very easy to find, just off junction 13 of the M5, check out the map on the
web site…..