Sunday Funday Nov. 15, 2015 ?

[BigBird]

I don't want to hear anyone say that 60 feet high Dockweiler beach sand bluff flying is kid stuff. Congratulations to all who soared there yesterday and it was very much fun for me to watch and take photos and videos. I also had some very useful high wind ground handling experience under Greg's teaching and care and thanks to Bob for sharing his Falcon 195.

A good day was had by all

Links to videos to come later.

Frank Colver

It's 25' high going down, 60' coming back up .


Phil

[BigBird]

Enjoyed the pictures and video - very entertaining (5 stars!)

[Frank Colver]

I got the link to be able to be clicked on to open the video now.

Joe, I don't know if it would be much different if it was like You Tube and direct show in the posting. For one thing, by going the Vimeo route, you get a bigger screen view instead of a little rectangle.

I see in one of Bob's photos that my both feet were off the ground ( thought I remembered having both lift off at one point). So, it was incorrect for me to state that I didn't fly Sunday. I, in fact, micro glided (as per Joe's definition)!

Frank

[Bob Kuczewski]

It's 25' high going down, 60' coming back up .

Phil

Phil, we need you on the US Hawks Board of Directors!!!!!      Please let me know if you'd consider it.     

[JoeF]

In Windsports agreements with ATC (or embedded in the County site contract ?) is a constraint on the top altitude of flight to be ever not more than 60 ft.
I once questioned that as for meaning of ASL or AGL, etc. No answer. But the actual takeoff altitude above LZ sand level is around 25 ft; a bit more for ASL. I started a topic in our forum about the matter. The literature has the slope height at various numbers. A careful survey could be a fun thing to do. Geological or construction survey notes might also be on record in the government offices. But fairly easy trigonometric surveying actions could bring us good numbers; a level and some measured sticks with a calculator would do the job. Our flying is within 5 miles of LAX, so there are kiting FARs; but there is also the "shielding" of the near Hyperion exhaust towers that give some allowance for altitude flying. Greblo once was himself kited on the beach to a fair altitude during a ceremony opening the Hang Gliding Flight Park; I do not know what altitude ASL he reached in his manned kiting. [ ??? ]

My survey was by eye-ball leveling multiple steps of approx. 5 ft. 6 in incremental steps: Look level; identify a stone or weed on the slope; walk to that point; repeat looking level using help of horizon; identify another object on the slope; repeat ... until done; start out far in the LZ sand. When the steps are exhausted, then count the steps; multiply the increments of 5 ft 6 in and presto: a figure is obtained. This can be improved upon.

Article in Los Angeles Times in 1989: " a manageable 17-foot-high bluff for takeoffs and an abundance of soft sand to cushion landings." In the same article: "Under the second phase, county planners are to draft, in the next six months, a blueprint for the beach and parking lot," THAT blueprint in file might note the ASL of the parking lot; the HG launch pads are nearly at the same altitude ASL as the new bike path and parking lot asphalt level.

Found something:

Topo for the site.

Screen Shot 2015-11-18 at 12.02.52 PM.png (53.84 KiB) Viewed 7954 times

So, do the subtractions: 35-15=20 So, if one lands at the 15 ft ASL mark, then the launch pad to that point has a drop of 20 ft. The LZ has a slow sloping to the water. Fly far to a 10 ft ASL point in the LZ and thus experience a launch of 35-10=25 for a 25 ft. drop. Get to the water and know a 35 ft drop and the ire of Greg.

And clip from document:

Screen Shot 2015-11-18 at 12.40.48 PM.png (60.29 KiB) Viewed 7954 times

[Bill Cummings]

Oh Oh Oh, I got it!
Take a long piece of PVC, glue a bottle cap to one end with the cup part up, put beach sand in the bottle cap.
Stick the PVC in the beach sand with the bottle cap (filled with sand) 10 feet above the rest of the natural beach. Instantly you have a higher starting point from which to measure you altitude above the "Beach Sand."
Oh OH OH OH This is even better.
You have sand in your sneakers already. Right? Ground to unlimited, you're good to kite.
Don't let those silly rule makers limit you with their poor English.

[Bill Cummings]

I got the link to be able to be clicked on to open the video now.

Joe, I don't know if it would be much different if it was like You Tube and direct show in the posting. For one thing, by going the Vimeo route, you get a bigger screen view instead of a little rectangle.

I see in one of Bob's photos that my both feet were off the ground ( thought I remembered having both lift off at one point). So, it was incorrect for me to state that I didn't fly Sunday. I, in fact, micro glided (as per Joe's definition)!

Frank

Frank scroll to bottom right side of Youtube screen and click under blue arrow to expand to full screen.
(On live youtube screen of course-- not this one.)

Click to expand to full screen. Exit with Esc key..PNG (505.37 KiB) Viewed 7958 times

[Frank Colver]

That has never worked for me on this forum. I've tried that a great number of times.

[Bob Kuczewski]

That has never worked for me on this forum. I've tried that a great number of times.

The next time we're heading back from Dockweiler, I'll be happy to stop by and see if I can be of any help.   

[Bob Kuczewski]

Enjoyed the pictures and video - very entertaining (5 stars!)

Thanks Phil!!!

Thanks also for pointing out that batten flip. For some reason this *&#@ forum doesn't show TIFF images, so I didn't see what your sharp eye caught until just now:

batten_flipped_up.png (145.6 KiB) Viewed 7941 times

I used to be somewhat fearful of those battens popping up like that - thinking that it would surely be a problem in flight - but a number of us flew the Falcon all day without spotting it or noticing it. I know it wasn't flipped after it was preflighted, so that must have happened some time during our flying.

Phil, you've got an Eagle Eye     . . .     or maybe a "Hawk Eye"?