SITE RECORD BROKEN!!!

[Rick Masters]

After the Iron Curtain fell in the 1980s, I invited one of my hang gliding penpal friends from Czechoslavokia to spend the summer with me in the USA.
Without access to aluminum tubing, I was amazed to discover that these incredible free-flight enthusiasts had used lengths of steel pipe and spent weeks drilling hundreds or maybe thousands of little holes to lighten each section.
The sails were plastic and these heavy homebuilt gliders would actually get off the ground and fly if one could run fast enough.
So for the next Dockweiler Ironman, I've asked Frantisek to bring one of these old gliders over for BobK to make 100+ launches with!
This will be the first true "Dockweiler Ironman."
I'm sure BobK is up to it.
I sure as hell am not.    

[wingspan33]

HGs with steel tubing? Yikes!

Yea, maybe Bob could be a real Dockweiler Ironman!

But the big question would be, after he launches, would he soar, or just BE sore?

[Frank Colver]

Back in the day, here in SoCal, there was a guy who built two Rogallos out of galv steel conduit and poly plastic. I actually saw him fly those.

He maintained that he had spent a total of $15 building the pair. I never figured out why he didn't just build one for $7.50.

FC

[Bob Kuczewski]

He maintained that he had spent a total of $15 building the pair. I never figured out why he didn't just build one for $7.50.

Murphy's Law Insurance: As soon as you buy a spare down tube ... you'll never bend one again.

[Bob Kuczewski]

.... from Josh

Hey Joe

I flew down the beach 200 times and carried the glider back up each time. Andy flew 125 times and carried up 125 times. We have a record of the exact time of each launch and even gopro footage of most of the flights.

Thanks,

Josh

Also from Josh via Joe:

JoshAndyDockweilerRecord.jpg (207.11 KiB) Viewed 3225 times

Moderator's Note added on June 26, 2021:
  The following post was made by Bob Kuczewski to the
  "Dockweiler RHG Diary" topic on June 21, 2021 at 10:46 pm:

I made 201 flights at Dockweiler today.

I could not have done it without the kindness and support from Joe and Angela - two of the best people I've ever known.

[Bill Cummings]

Do we need to feed you record setters in bed
while you recover? Maybe we should get someone
bedside to hold your phone and read this to you.

[Bob Kuczewski]

Here's the tally sheet:

Flight_Count_2021_06_21.png (1.19 MiB) Viewed 3214 times

[Bob Kuczewski]

Do we need to feed you record setters in bed
while you recover? Maybe we should get someone
bedside to hold your phone and read this to you.

It took me 2 days to recover. I spent most of yesterday resting up at Joe's and speaking to the San Diego City Council via call-in. It wasn't until this morning that I reviewed the count posted above.

About halfway through the day, my quads started cramping. I worked through it.

Thanks to Angela and Joe for their careful record keeping!

[JoeF]

Yes!
What a day and effort! True champion: Bob.
Congratulations on the new world-record for the Dockweiler site!

On the tally sheet there are some little line drawings on some of the flights; those drawings indicate the soaring path Bob took in the indicated flight. Angela and I recorded "G" for good flight upon direct observation of the top take off and field landing; every flight was observed by at least one official; many spectators also observed many of the flights. Marks in the field were more than met for every single flight; there were neither bungles nor shorts. The wind was super for play day, but a bit strong for highest-possible flight count; the wind tease brought on those soaring flights! All flights were landed in the far field. F141 drawing shows an extended soaring flight; we thought for sure that that flight was going to be the last one; officials exclaimed, "He's not coming down!"

In some of Bob's rests, I flew the same wing; my count was 20 ... and that did it for me for the day. Bob did more than10 times what I did in count. His: 201 take offs, 201 glides/soars, 201 landings, 201 carrybacks-climbs. Thus: 804 energy-grabbing segments of hang gliding!
78-64= 14 years difference????

Record setters must pay three or more times the going parking-lot fee. Bob paid just over three times the required parking-lot fee. Fees go to clean the beach. Official Angela cleaned the beach big time (seven bags of trash) and received none of the fees.

[Bob Kuczewski]

On the tally sheet there are some little line drawings on some of the flights; those drawings indicate the soaring path Bob took in the indicated flight.

Most_Soaring_Flights.png (183.74 KiB) Viewed 3199 times

Thanks Joe!! Your hand-written record keeping is an added treasure to the day.