We drove in last night after dark and even though the sea breeze and the sound of pounding surf wakened me to the fact that we were finally at the coast, I was really looking forward to seeing the ocean. I woke up and walked out onto the beach to see that this place is exactly what Dustin and O'brien had described, paradise.



After a briefing, we piled into a few trucks and drove the short road to the lower launch. It was blowing on shore (a little from the south) and felt strong on launch. The launch is well manicured but there was some tall bushes that caused for a little mechanical turbulence. Launch was sporty and I ended up getting off in a bit of a turn. Never out of hand but it kept me on my toes before climbing out in smooth lift over launch. I began my flight with a little tour about 2/3rds of the way to the southern turn point with John Hesch before we both pushed out and played around at base for a few turns.


John Hesch

After pushing a little harder on the way back, Davis, John, OB and I had a go at the north cliffs. After a nice glide over the town of Canoa, the cliff band starts and turns N NW into the ocean. The cliffs drop into the sea for a ways until you reach long and remote beach. The clouds started forming right on the coast line and we surfed up into and eventually above the clouds at the northern point of the cliffs. Racing back and taking pictures of my shadow in the clouds below was something I will remember for a lifetime or more.




Davis Straub


OB

I spent the rest of the day making runs up and down the course line with Dustin, Jeff and others trying to figure out altitudes and strategy at the turn points. It was cool flying fast with the boys but you could tell, no one was really going for it yet. There were sections of the ridge that we would go hard but....no one has all their lead in.......or do they? It's a fun game. it will be very interesting when it's on.




Looking back at some of the course line

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Well, I have been having some issues getting on line for some reason, coupled with getting settled and have yet to get a blog post together so sorry for the consolidation.
I arrived at the airport (thanks Steve) with plenty of time and it turned out to be a good thing because it turned into a bit of an effort to convince the folks at the counter that the glider would indeed fit on the plane. It's so funny, the process of traveling with a glider is so much less about the rules and regulations and much more about your people skills. I was lucky to be at a counter by myself talking to a nice woman while (unknown to me) Craig, Alex and John were 5 counters down having difficulties, struggling with what looked like an unhappy woman. Only when a handler came down and told the woman helping me that they are "turning down" gliders and mine would also not be going on the plane did I realize there might be an issue. In the end, it turned out to be no issue at all and I paid my fees and took my wing to the TSA door. Turns out that in the confusion, we basically all paid different amounts. Crazy.
We had a nice flight and arrived into a press filled airport, doing interviews for the local news and trying to get organized after checking through customs. It's amazing how well the local pilots are taking care of us. They picked up 10 pilots and 11 gliders, drove us to our hotel (that they had arranged for us) and have made the transition into their beautiful country as easy as it could be.
A couple of great flying days have followed. Jeff and others are doing a great job documenting so hopefully I am not being too redundant with my photos. Instead I wanted to write a little about the flying here.


We have had the option to either foot launch from a very well manicured launch site or to aero tow from the LZ behind a trike owned by Raul. The conditions are overcast and it would seem that the flying would not be that good but it is just the opposite. The air is so nice and the thermals are smooth. We climb over a variety of terrain ranging from equatorial forest to shrimp fields and rivers to full on city.


Yesterday, we all drove up the hill to launch from the mountain. Raul launched first and found a climb over the LZ. Jeff and I decided to launch next. My plan was to run off the hill 5 seconds after OB so that we could work together to find lift. After he got into the air, I walked up and said clear. One of the local Para pilots must not have heard me because 3 steps into it, I heard a loud bonk and felt the glider yaw a bit. The Montana pilot in me kicked in and I powered through it and got off the hill, no worries. I actually felt bad that I kinda clobbered the guy in the back of the head;-) We had launched into light conditions and right away, it seemed like the lift was lee side. We both scratched hard but ended up in the LZ in less than 20 minutes which stung a bit so when we could get a tow back into the air about 40 mins later, we were both keen.
Our second flight ended up being one to remember, we got up above launch and started to get to know the area a little better. We flew together locally and only ventured up the range short distances, taking turns strafing launch and making skimming tree top runs occasionally ringing up tip to tip. One particular climb, Jeff and I were turning tight and he later told me that he was staring at my top surface the whole time which ended up making hem feel a tad air sick. I just kept him in a spot where I couldn't see him through my sail, spinning round and round knowing that he was less than 100 feet away on the other side of my wing. We climbed like that for so long, I started to doubt whether he was still there or not and would look around a little only to see a sliver of him pop out from my leading edge quite close. It was really fun and we ended up climbing in "glass off" like conditions almost to cloud base where we hooked up with a gaggle of black vultures. I took a couple of photos of Jeff flying with the gang of birds but the images turned out blurry. It's really too bad because it was one of those moments that would have been magic to capture. There was 6-8 vultures and Jeff's bright wing all turning in a tight circle and it really encompassed what I feel when I'm climbing in a hang glider. I got to within 10 feet of vultures several times and was satiated by the end of the flight which turned out to be almost 2.5 hours. We had a nice dinner with the group and crashed out after a couple of "big days". Two more days here in Guayaquil and then off to the coast for the ridge race.

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Ever since we have decided to go "full on" with getting a premium harness done and available to pilots internationally, I have been sleeping and waking, eating and drinking harness design. I'm at the stage where every element of the harness; textile choices, manufacturing methods and construction sequence to create efficiency is constantly running through my head and are being defined and refined almost daily. It's been a cool process and has been yet another opportunity to meet and develop relationships with people from around the world related to "gear manufacturing". I have to say, it has been a great and educational experience working with and seeing the results of Steve's (Pearson) level of skill and experience. Working with him and seeing what he can do (and the resource he can provide) has not only made for a solid foundation for the success of this project but has been a constant class room for me to educate myself about the process and numerous people involved in developing the latest in hang gliding equipment. I'm certainly thankful.



With all of this dominating my life lately, climbing in the home "cave" and running have provided a relaxing shift in focus. I have been into running distance for the solitude that it provides. I can think clearly when alone and miles away, with the cold, crisp air filling my lungs. I went for a moderate run the other evening and was running home just after dark. Something caught my eye and I recognized it as a Great Horned Owl. It landed in the flexible, top branches of a tree just off the gravel road and the tree bent and swayed under the massive bird's weight. I ran slowly, breathing through my nose, past it and as I said out loud "hey brother" the bird cocked it's head, blinked it's large yellow eyes and hooted at me. I ran away into the darkening evening smiling.



This reminded me of something. It reminded me of the days that followed Hawkeye's death at King Mountain. As Lisa V played her tribute to him on her trumpet during the closing ceremonies, a Great Horned Owl landed in the tree overlooking the pavilion and watched us all in the sun filled morning. When her song was done it flew off. That was, for me, a moment in time that had impact. I tumbled and had a hour of "difficulty" the following year which cemented a few things in my life as defining lessons and as a reminder that our lives are strewn with opportunity and inspiration. Inspiration comes from all directions if you pay attention. It comes from everything and everyone and most importantly, it comes from deep within.



There have been people in my life that have inspired me. Inspired me to be better, to try harder, to be more tolerant of the difficulties and occasional suffering necessary to accomplish grand things. The world around us.... watching a huge, semi trailer sized piece of ice break off and fall silently to the slopes below while high on a route. The sun setting over the horizon while flying a tandem with the "newest" of passengers. The energy gained by sitting in fresh, green grass early in the morning. Listening to the unbelievable silence while sitting in the snow watching silver dollar sized flakes fall to the mountains slopes. These things inspire.







What remembering Chris's death and the retrospection that came from it, accompanied by the satisfying experience of returning from a 20 mile run that night did for me was to remind me of those important moments of realization and personal enlightenment. Inspiration and the ability to inspire is inside you. We all have a daily opportunity. The opportunity is different for each of us but can be equally categorized as the opportunity to make the choice to be happy.....to live life in a way that feels positive and positively effects those around us. Be inspired by your friends, teachers, the physical world and all that's in it but remember to be inspired by your own dreams and aspirations. Live each day with the recognition that along with inevitable change, there is inevitable opportunity. Today maybe your day. Go!

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Flux Capacitor units all require 21 Jigawatts. Everyone knows that. Most also know that the only way to generate 21 Jigawatts is to harness a bolt of lightning. So, I've spent the last 4 days building a trick, new lightning rod for the top of my house to effectively operate my new Flux Capacitor.



This morning, the weather was particularly bad (or good in my case) and the lightning rod did it's job. After a full charge, I was able to use the stored energy to weld a zipper and a very abrasion resistant cover film onto a textile that I'm going to try for the next prototype's outer skin.



I wanted to "mock up" something similar to what my application requires, just to test how strong the bond is and how the zipper end finishes. It was evident that problems with the terminated zipper ends at the parachute handle (for example) are quite solved with these materials and this method of attachment. The bond has tested to be extremely strong and provides an ideal, seamless connection of the textiles, making for an aerodynamic and clean finish. I'm stoked with the result. The layout is far from figured out but the process is effective and really cool;-)



Thanks to friend and pilot, Richard Siberell, for helping me get tooled up properly to building harnesses. He has spent many years doing prototype work for companies like Patagonia and is responsible for many of the clean and well built products that we all drool over in the local gear shop.

Stay tuned

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After a bad experience 15 years ago, my wife Kara has expressed interest in experiencing hang gliding again (even if just on the training hill). Steve was gracious enough to build her a beautiful Condor 225 to train on and although it showed up here (thanks to Peter and Karl) a few days ago, we haven't had the weather or the time to set it up until last night.
It's unbelievable how far the design of hang gliders have come since those days before the Falcon and Condor. Her new glider has the control frame and weight of a 140 Falcon and lifts off your shoulders, literally, in 3 steps. I can't tell you how cool it was to see Kara, after so many years of being intimidated, running with a beaming smile while "flying" the Condor across the yard. It was a beautiful site and I'm really looking forward to getting her out to the training hill. We plan to go very slow and to take it one step at a time, but the combination of her enthusiasm and the flight characteristics of "the perfect training hill glider" will make her experience a success one way or another.


Kara's new sweety


You can see our cat, Lestat, is obviously excited about it;-)


She was running like a champ


I couldn't help but to take a run or two with it and found myself laughing. It still amazes me how efficient these wings are!

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When I started waking up and going to sleep thinking about harness design and construction, I figured it was time to re define the lower level of my house.



Working long days sewing made me realize every insufficiency in the space that I was using and how efficiency is directly proportional to how organized your work area is.



Things that are important were apparent. Wide open, clean spaces, a table that allowed large pieces of fabric to flow easily, a place to hang finished products, good lighting and music are essential.




All coupled with a computer to work on design alteration and customer service while surrounded by photos of flying makes for a nice place to throw thread.




The newest carbon back plate is curing, sliders are being anodized and it's my #1 goal to have the next proto done to race in while running the costal ridge with "the boys" in Canoa. Hopefully, that goal will be realized and photos will follow.
Stay tuned

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Since my arrival back to Missoula it's been a whirl wind. Although we had a full schedule over my weekend in LA, it was fun packed, progressive and motivating. The motivation continued when I got home and I have been going pretty full on. Between research and spending free time ripping apart and organizing what will be a much larger space for my shop I've fit a few hours of sleep into before and after 12 hour shifts in the ICU. Yesterday, when I got off work, the sky looked inviting and knowing that I always feel more relaxed after a fly I decided to grab the T2C and go up the hill for a hop.



The direction was wrong and the lift was broken, in-cohesive and tough to gain altitude in......perfect. Sentinel has a way of delivering no matter if it's easy or difficult and it didn't disappoint. I spent an hour scratching with the occasional bullet to 7000'. The lift was strong and ratty but going up 800-1000 fpm in the strong ones but only 150 and broken in everything else. I kept strafing launch yelling down at the guys still on the hill that it felt like lee side and sure enough, it started blowing over the back, trapping the others. I felt lucky to spend the afternoon off the ground and the balance gained in my head was measurable. Not really an escape, more like a short vacation;-)

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Here is a short video from my last flight on the new proto sail. It was sweet, for sure.


At loose rope, the glider was very nimble, switching from tip to tip easily and predictably. I felt like I could put it up on a tip with little effort yet it didn't want to wrap in and would stay quite stable, even at a high bank angle. It also took no effort to fly at full VG fast and straight. Even with the sprogs turned down to a comp setting, this glider would exit spins with a comfortable predictability. I believe Dustin is going to race on this one in AZ. I have a strong feeling after flying it that he is going to like it.

All in all, it was a fun packed couple of days in So Cal hanging with O'Brien and the WW crew. Thanks Guys!

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Because of recent developments in the harness project, I decided to fly to LA for a visit to Wills Wing. I was lucky because the chosen weekend happened to be the same weekend that the annual fly in at Andy Jackson air park was to take place. It was certain that progress and fun was on the menu.



I arrived on Thursday night and got snatched in front of a busy LAX baggage claim by Jeffrey. We drove back to Steve's house and had a nice evening catching up and talking about the future. I was stoked to see Steve and Jeff hang in the harness and knew that a brainstorm session would follow. I had prepared a list of known changes and wanted to add to it. I was also really looking forward to seeing Mike, Linda, Peter and all of the familiar faces at Wills Wing. Eva, Rick, Bill, Paul, etc., they are all so experienced and proficient at what they do but to actually see them building gliders and harnesses is the only way to appreciate what it takes to make a product that performs as well as Wills Wing products do out of the box.


Eva building a customer Z-5

We had a good session and excitement was in the air. The next steps toward getting the race harness to production are fairly clear and after a meeting with Steve and Mike, we are swiftly moving ahead toward a projected date to achieve production status by Spring '10.



Later that night, we all were graciously invited to a friends house for a Beatles rock party. Owen Morse is a professional juggler who is one of the most positive people I have ever met. His energy is contagious and his family was unbelievably generous. Owen's wife, Dorli, laid out a beautiful spread that we feasted on after racing around on Segways in front of their house. With full stomaches, it was Beatles songs on the menu for desert and we all took turn doing our best impressions of John, Paul, George and Ringo which, was obviously laughable. I had never played a game like this before and let me tell you, it was an experience to say the least.

After a little work at the factory the next morning, routing a new VG configuration on the latest prototype, we packed up and headed to Andy Jackson for a fly. I was stoked to see what looked like more than a hundred pilots had shown up for the fly in. We arrived on top of the Crestline launch and punched off in a stiff breeze. Owen gave Jeff, Mike and I a tour to the east followed by a little harder push to Cajon pass and back. We spent a little more than 2 hours in the air playing with other gliders, birds and bag wings. I REALLY like the new sail cut and material. For what ever reason, the roll response is very fast yet it retains a nice and predictable roll rate. It was a pleasure to fly and I couldn't stop smiling.





The rest of the afternoon/ evening was spent talking with friends, some that I haven't seen for a fairly long time. I was stoked when Mike showed that he is still one of the most skilled pilots around by winning the spot landing contest. I have only had the pleasure to fly with him a couple of times but when we were pushing down the range together earlier in the day, I felt lucky.

The evening was capped when OB came in 3-4 feet over the LZ kiosk at over 60 mph and then pasted a perfect landing close to the spot. Everyone laughed and clapped. Pretty inspiring. Hang gliding IS like dreaming awake. Even when your a spectator.

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I was stoked to see the cover of this months issue of Sky Wings.



Seeing that photo brought back good memories of Marble Canyon, trying to throw down with O'Brien and the KAVU boys.
If you've never been to the head waters of the Grand Canyon, it's a place that holds magic. Stay tuned for the premier of the Elements film. Hopefully it will help to show the public how lucky we are to get to fly hang gliders (not to mention the other amazing footage that Seth has collected on his adventures). Can't wait to see it on the big screen;-)

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