(nice job Marc) 8-)
At 08:47 PM 8/27/2004, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
So it was windy and hot at the louisville field, Marc Gellart calls this morning and says he's coming my way"get the winch tuned up!'.
We get out there at about 5pm and its blowing and steamy.
LSF 2 is two 15mins and 10, 5' landings....6 were done yesterday and one of the 15's was done Sunday during a 2 hour (okay so it was stupid easy air).
Tonite the 15 min was tougher, first it starts with Marc doing a speed run over my head and tangles in the tree I'm near. It tumbles down to a height just out of reach standing on my truck top. Then an ice cream truck pulls up, chimes a roaring. Inside is a 6' + kid who pulls the big van under the plane, hops on top and lifts it out. Only a ding way out on a wing tip...he made his biggest tip of his life and Marc was back on the line immediately.
Then I put up the Picless Pike and hop into a fast moving piece of air. It ain't great but its working. I stayed with it till I could barely make out the Pike and had to head back. It was bad coming home into that head wind and alternating sink in and puffs of lift.
Still needed 6 mins...I hook some of those puffs for minor pieces of altitude and big losses in distance for getting home. Nothin but woods under the plane. I make it back but now I am at the level of the wires between the field and plane, as in low wires and three of them with small tree tops mixed in...a definite barrier. March watching at this point and sweating from more than the humidity. But just as I got to the wires with a full minute left, 50' of altitude, a nice puff of lift came thru and the Pike came alive, I just pushed into it and rode it up wind of the landing air as the clock talked down the seconds, no problem and about a 90.
So all you aspiring L5's who need qualified witnesses better be nice to me. L2 is in the bag.
Gordy
Mid Am or bust.
Downers Grove, IL
Member of the Chicago SOAR club, AMA 592537 LSF 7560 Level IV
ICQ: 6997780 AIM: InventorJim R/C Soaring blog at www.jimbacus.net
