"Kim's Excellent Slope Flying Adventure"...The Video...Such as It Is...

Kim wrote:The Plan---Get good and chilled down in the HHR's airconditioning, jump out, slap the wings on the 3-meter B.O.T., chuck the thing off what barely qualifies as a "slope", get some flying practice in the tiny area of lift out on the windward side of one of the many levees surrounding where I live, get it back down without springing it's long wings, reverse the whole process, and jump back into the airconditioning right before having a heat-stroke.

The Flight---Forgot half the stuff I need to fly, rigged it all together anyway, found the wind at least ten degrees off square from the slope, launched anyway, and got in several minutes of white-knuckle slope flying with the B.O.T. very nearly dragging it's wingtip in the levee's tall grass half the time.  

I DID get several bursts of lift as traveling thermals crossed the levee, but there was no way I was gonna chase them to the backside, and had to be content with ridge-running.

I've flown here many times over the years, and the 2 Meter B.O.T. has logged a lot of time zipping back and forth in the company of assorted Zaggies, Razors, & Gentle Ladies.  Flying a two-channel, 9-foot sailplane in the lift over this bump of ground is totally another animal though.  I'd liken it to driving a semi-truck on an icy go-cart track.

As with most flying, Speed is Life, and in slope flying, speed is generated by trimming the sailplane nose-down, and flying it in the channel of lift that is generated when the wind encounters an abrupt rise of ground.  In low-lift conditions, it's a constant balancing act between keeping the speed you need, and NOT letting a wing drag and put you in the ground.  Lose too much speed...your rudder goes away...and you're swept over the hill!

It's best to have the wind hitting the slope dead-on, but you can still work it at a lesser angle...with a little more effort.

I wanted to set up more cameras, but it was just too blessed hot.  Gonna crunch down the video footage I DID get and will post it here if it looks like it's worth watching.

The good thing is that I at least found out the 3-meter bird would fly here with a chance of survival, and should do even better on a better day.







Without the engines, it's a very quiet sport, but some of the locals can STILL get a bit ticked-off !