US Hawks Hang Gliding Association

City of Los Angeles Hyperion Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) is our direct eastern neighbor (after the bike path, parking lot, and street). The WWTP is distinct from the natural gas-fired steam energy-production plant where the tall towers exist. This topic thread invites getting to know our HG neighbor. Who knows what might such neighbor means to hang glidng at Dockweiler now and in the future. Study, ask questions, explore.

What happens when the wind is going offshore from the east to the west where hang gliding occurs? Is the air affected? What studies and standards are in place for the air flow from the WWTP? Look at the aerial phot and the interesting macro design just east of our flying site.


For a long time, I have had a vision: Have a sloped roof over all those circle things AND over the beach road; have that full large roof be a slope playground for ground-effect gliding to the beach, even for landing into the water with effective water-friend hang gliders (realizing that thre are many reasons why extant hang gliders should avoid landing in the ocean). In any case, a huge park space could be over the waste-water activity ... in the vision.

[ ] Is there thermal effect or downdraft effect over those waste-water treatment vats just east of our Dockweiler flight training site?
If there is a thermal-bubble effect occurring, then how is such affecting what we experience at the launch? Are there variations occurring in our experienced "wind" because of the open vats across the street downwind? If so, what are the precise dynamics? How might the question be studied? What is the average temperature of the fluid in those tanks? What aerial measures have been taken and reported, if any?

First blush is my guess: I guess the work of secondary treatment, etc. is generating lighter air to trigger some thermals which in turn would gobble and suck air up our launch site. Now to test this guess? You next ...

Maybe a start:
http://www.csun.edu/scied/3-field%20study/hyperion/
http://denr.sd.gov/hyperionaqmain.aspx
http://www.ascelasection.org/media/cent ... photos.pdf Neat photo from 1925. Key document!

Use Mr. Bubbles or Dawn dish washing detergent and water 50/50 mix and a little Glycerin for better bubble life. Also different size hoops for different size bubbles.
http://on.aol.com/video/how-to-make-giant-soap-bubbles-518380561

billcummings wrote:Use Mr. Bubbles or Dawn dish washing detergent and water 50/50 mix and a little Glycerin for better bubble life. Also different size hoops for different size bubbles.
http://on.aol.com/video/how-to-make-giant-soap-bubbles-518380561

So, longer-lasting bubble could be your suggestion for testing the possible thermal activity over the treatment vats! My toy bubbles disappear too soon and drop too soon. I'd like to follow up on your formula. Binocular study of the bubbles downwind could possibly reveal wanted data.

With your good lead, BillC, here is a lead to anothr formula
http://sciencebob.com/the-ultimate-bubble-solution/

Additionally, I am thinking of making and releasing bubbles at altitude (not from ground) from a long-tether kite-system platform. If the bubbles fall ordinarily, then perhaps no thermal. But if the bubbles rise especially noticeably, then that would be interesting. And then notice this over some intervals of time to see the constancy of flow behavior.

Would a tiny bit of the soap bubbles dropping into the vats bother the bacteria used in the treatment plant? Maybe the experiment would need to be approved by chemical engineers of the operation. What grace could the experiment give to the public besides our hang gliding wind flows?

Maybe the potential therms could be detective by other wind-reading methods.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_profiler
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SODAR

Maybe a long kited line with scores of tell tales on the tether could profile what is happening. Skilled kiting to keep the line below the near tower heights will be needed.

At Sylmar at the Markus S. service on June 14, 2015, I suggested a movement to put continued energy into gaining ever better visibility of wind.

What grace could the experiment give to the public besides our hang gliding wind flows?

The public would learn where not to purchase a house. (Down wind of a sewage treatment plant.)

I have always wanted to make a remote activated, 12 Volt, solar charged and battery powered bubble maker and install three units, spread out, down in front of the 7,000’ msl, cliff launch at Alamogordo, NM (USA).

Parts would come from vehicles at junk yards.

I would want three separate frequencies for remote key less entry for door locks for each of the three separate bubble making units.

Three small 12 Volt fans.
Three windshield wiper motors, with shortened wiper arms.
Three reservoirs to hold, soap, water, and Glycerin solution. (for making bubbles.)

Once a pilot with glider is on the ramp I would press the door remote button to start the door unlock mechanism.

Instead of unlocking a door it would start the windshield wiper motor that would open the lid of the reservoir and with each push of the unlock button would step the windshield wiper motor up in speeds of the intermittent wiper relay.

The shorter wiper arm would dip a wand into the reservoir solution and raise the wand up in front of the 12 volt fan and produce bubbles.

After the pilot launches I would hit the lock button on the remote(s) to turn off and save the bubble solution until the next pilot takes position on the launch ramp.
All I need is someone to get off the keyboard (other than me) and use my open source idea. Have at it or refine and simplify this concept.