US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

Sunday the 16th, 2011 Last day of flying for Packsaddle before it closes for Deer Assassination and the hunts come out to kill these poor creatures with guns, which I am not in favor of, but well, hell what can I do? Since I have been a pilot I have learned to appreciate life a little more than I use to and here in the last month doing my best not to eat anything that has a face on it.

There was lots of pilots in the area Mark More, Danny Jones, Jeffo, Mark Carlton, Tom and other hang glider pilots that I didn't know or don't remember their names and paraglider pilots that I didn't know.

The time is about 6:35 p.m. give or take, the wind was blowing SSE 15mph, or so, I took note from a 50 ft. pole someone had on their truck, the wind at the LZ was coming from the West while all the other wind socks were down.

The sky was filled with paragliders, I did not bother to count them, and other hang gliders were flying the area as well.

I was the last hang glider to launch from Packsaddle on the date stated above. I had my anxiety attack as always before I launch, Jeffo was telling me to relax a bit, as he always does.

I did my HOOK IN and tested to make sure that I was HOOKED IN 4 times before launch.... So, I know I am HOOKED IN the glider I could feel it pulling on me, the wind was blowing, as I stepped up to the Platform, I stood there for about 10 minutes, I was having trouble blanching the glider level in that wind, Jeff was instructing me on how to hold the glider in that type of wind, finally after a few tries, I got it.

I felt as if the ramp was sucking me into it, it felt like a vacuum cleaner, I was telling Jeffo don't let go, the damn ramp is sucking me in, do worry he said, it is just the glider wanting to fly just relax, I will not move till you say clear and I won't let you go, or launch into bad wind....

He was right, finally a real good cycle of wind came into the launch area he felt it, and I felt it too... It was time to go, I knew It, the glider was ready to fly and so was I.

I started the run, ( No walk, jog, run this time it was run,) which only took me two or 3 steps and the glider was climbing like an elevator from hell, I saw Jeffo below me get real small real quick, I pulled for speed not letting the nose pop, keeping the glider flying moved out a bit, and headed way West of Pac... I saw the Paragliders flying around in the center where the lift was at, I did not want to get in their way, so I kept flying West, trying to burn off some altitude and get ready for my landing on the second field, in front of Pac straight South in front on the Mountain.
I was not going to land South this time, I made my way East and worked my glider WSW.

I made one big, big (S) turn in front of Pac. I some how lost track of time and space. I don't know how high I was, nor how fast I was going, neither the time I stayed up.

Flying way west of the mountain, musta been a while up flying, I could hear Jeffo on the radio, come back, come back, I think I was heading for California, I flew back to the front of the mountain as I was told and then to the East of the mountain and then started to sink out. I set up my approach for the second field WSW.

From above I could see that the wind socks on the main field were all hanging down wards, and needed some Viagra, there was no wind blowing at the main LZ. I took note that the 50 ft. flag pole had wind blowing into it from the WSW, so I set my goal to land there. I knew where the gradent was now it was under 50ft.

I was flying in that direction of the second field coming in WSW, I noticed the fence was there, waiting for me to F*** up. I was wondering if I was going to make it over, everybody else at the LZ were wondering the same thing, as they watched me coming in like a Jumbo Jet heading for a landing.

I remembered a little trick that Jeffo taught me about fences coming at me, and fences passing under me, So I knew that I was going to make it over but still that thought Am I really was still there, I flew over the fence and had enoguh speed for ground effect there was no wind at the LZ, the glider came in on wheels and a good landing it was. If there would had been wind I may have not made it over, maybe.

I was later told by pilots that I cleared that fence by a few feet, I was still shaken up a bit, but recovered soon after that, and a good flight it was, this was my second flight off Pac. and maybe the last flight of the year for me, I don't know yet If I can find somewhere else to fly I may go for that... I just keep forgetting to land on my feet and I know I can do it, becuase I have done it before... Some consider landing on wheels a crash. So, I guess I crashed cause I brought the glider down on the wheels

Your friend AL Hernandez

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Good description of your flight Al!!!

Tad will be glad to hear that you were in constant fear of launching unhooked and that you rolled it in on your wheels. There's nothing wrong with doing that, and I wouldn't consider it a crash as long as you were landing in a field where you knew it was safe. Lots of tandem pilots land on their wheels intentionally because it removes one more variable from the equation.

I'm glad you've got Jeff there with you helping to keep you safe. It takes a while to learn to evaluate conditions and know when it's safe and when it's not. Ground handling a hang glider in strong winds takes a lot of practice, so work on that when you can at launch. I remember Joe Greblo asking us to stand there ground handling for a considerable time before he'd let us launch. He wanted to be sure that we were controlling the glider ... and not the other way around!!

Good job Al, and Good job Jeff!!   

Great job Al And in heavy traffic. Way to work the ridge.

Be sure to complete your pilot proficiency paperwork. Do it!

,
Sam

I did my HOOK IN and tested to make sure that I was HOOKED IN

Well done Al. You just made my day.

Thanks.... Jeffo will be gone here soon heading for the big M and maybe a few months before he returns, so I don't know what is going to happen in my flying for the next few months... I realy hate to lose my skills that I learned all ready and start all over again

How far are you from Leakey Texas? I hear there's some flying there from time to time.

about an hour or so

Tad will be glad to hear that you were in constant fear of launching unhooked...

Nah.

1. Tad doesn't want people to be in CONSTANT fear of launching unhooked - zero to two, maybe five seconds prior to launch is just fine.

2. Sounds to me like Al stopped being in fear of launching unhooked ten minutes prior to launch just before he got onto the ramp.

So, I know I am HOOKED IN the glider...

Just like everybody who's ever wound up dangling from the basetube and/or crushed on the rocks. Each and every one of them KNEW he was hooked in.

Conversely...

Nobody who knew or suspected he WASN'T hooked in - JUST PRIOR TO LAUNCH - has EVER wound up dangling from the basetube and/or crushed on the rocks.

But... When you give people the freedom to ignore the rules and do and teach whatever they feel like it's always gonna be a race to the bottom - literally in just about all of these cases.

Tad,

You've convinced me more than ever that you have a pathological need to argue for no good reason. Al stated:

    "So, I know I am HOOKED IN the glider I could feel it pulling on me"

Isn't that what you preach? He feels the pull, so he knows he's hooked in? Oh wait, he's not stupidly lying to himself saying he's not hooked in when the physical evidence is telling him otherwise.

Tad, you're not satisfied being the "hook in police". Now you want to be the thought police.   

Yeah Bob, but go back and read WHEN he said he could feel it pulling and the couple of paragraphs worth of activities between that point and his leaving the ramp.

There are LOTS of people who felt the suspension pulling at the back of the ramp ten minutes before they launched who ended up having really bad afternoons. That's why the rating requirement reads:

With each flight, demonstrates a method of establishing that the pilot is hooked in JUST PRIOR TO LAUNCH.

(Can somebody count the words in that sentence and get back to me? I get eighteen. Maybe there's something about the last four that makes them invisible to normal, well adjusted, happy people.)