The Oz Report

Local Flying

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It looked like the middle of July here today in the Carson Valley.  The soarcast (http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/reno/javapg/soaring/index.shtml) was for 1,400 fpm and 88 degrees on the ground (at 4,700' MSL).  It was 101 in Sacramento today.  The clouds started forming over the Sierras and the Whites at 9 AM.  I got in four instructional flights in the morning and then went looking for Dan Buchanan.

He wasn't there soon enough (a tiny bit later he got a flight in a Nimbus) and the Nutty Professor showed up skipping out from working on the Yak (Russian WWII fighters being built new) in Carson City.  We took off in the GROB 103.

It was light at first and Nick had to get us up, but then we climbed right out to 12,500' MSL.  There wasn't any oxygen in the sailplane so I kept us at a low altitude, but there really was no reason to turn as the cloud streets were lined up and you just flew under them.

Everyone left work early and there were sailplanes all over the sky soon after we got up. Many flew down to the Owens Valley and back.  The winds were light out of the south and west and it was easy to fly down the ridge on the mountains over Lake Tahoe down to Heavenly Valley.  Nick was just incredulous that the clouds were lined up over the east most ridge on the Sierras and here this novice could just fly the glider straight down the ridge and find 1000 fpm.

Yes, it was a record temperature in Sacramento for October 1^st, so I guess I can't expect this every day this month.  None the less I look forward to another month of great fun in the Carson Valley.

ATOS Rumors

This section is reserved for just total wild rumors.  No fact checking what so ever (as though the rest of the Oz Report has an editor for its editor).

Philipp Aeberli <paeberli> writes:

Last weekend in St Hilaire (France) bad weather allowed designers of rigid wings to spend some time together maybe discussing the future evolution of rigid wing hang gliders.  Here are Felix Rühle from A.I.R and Oleg Skirko from Aeros.

Apparently the ATOS with the cage is flying in Italy.  You might remember that I published a picture of this unfinished ATOS a while back (http://OzReport.com/Ozv4n194.htm). I sure would like a report on how it is going.

It apparently has thick tip wands similar to those found on the Guggenmas ESC (uses the ESC tip wands as a retrofit) and revised carbon sleeves at the end of the leading edges.

Demo Daze in Flagstaff, Arizona

Chad O.  Koester <cokoester> writes:

Demo Daze in Flagstaff, Arizona Oct 12-14: www.soaring-solutions.com/DemoDaze/DemoDaze.html

Ultralight sailplanes

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Just up the performance ladder a bit from Class 0 you'll find under the aegis of the FAI the ultralight sailplanes that weigh just a bit more than the Carbon Dragon. These are the non foot launchable gliders that are most like our hang gliders and they live in a completely different world.

Check out the World Records at: http://records.fai.org/gliding/current.asp?id1=DU&id2=1 ultralight glider records.  You'll notice the name of Gary Osoba.  He's spent quite a few years getting world records in a very light glider – the Woodstock.

But, there are now a lot of other people who want to get records in this class (less than 220 kg – 485 lbs.) at http://records.fai.org/gliding/pending.asp. There is a whole new crew of folks who are challenging Gary's hegemony.

Kolie Lombard <kolie> sends in this message from the web site for the Silent sailplane:

It isn't often that one gets to see a 12-meter sailplane launch from a hillside. Usually, that kind of activity is reserved for hang-gliders.  This summer, though, a Silent sailplane crew in Italy was wondering just how much effort it would take, to get its Silent into the air.

On August 4th and 5th, tree slope launches of the Silent light glider were performed from Mount Cucco-Sigillo near Perugia, Italy.  The only external assistance came from a single crewmember who provided an initial push to get the sailplane rolling.  The launch occurred effortlessly, much to the amazement of the numerous hang-glider and glider pilots who were impressed of the event.

The Silent series of sailplanes are constructed with modern composites, have 12-meter wingspans, L/D is 31, max speed mph 125 and are produced by Alisport of Cremella, Italy.  (The sailplanes can be also aero-towed or ground launched by traditional means.) Self-launch versions, both gasoline and electric motors, are available.  The non-powered sailplane meets the FAI Class D for gliders having a maximum take-off weight of 220 kilograms (485 pounds) or less.

http://www.alisport.com/

I've mentioned Seeyou, the wonderful flight planning and flight display software. Well the developers are ultralight sailplane pilots.  Check out http://www.seeyou.ws/apis4wr.shtml  and http://www.albastar.si/.  One of the developers set four ultralight world records on one day in an APIS WR.  WR for world record?

I'll have more to say about the new version of Seeyou soon.

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