Ridge Soaring the Massanutten

Hang Gliding - Hang Glider pilots play hard at an ocean ridge soaring site in La Jolla, California (Torrey Pines glider port)

Short video showing take-off from Spion Kopp hang gliding site near Aireys Inlet on the Great Ocean Road in Victoria, Australia. Camera Hang Glider is Moyes Sonic 165 and other gliders featured are Moyes Lightspeeds. All pilots are members of the Dynasoarers hang gliding club, Jason, Jan and Rob. The last few seconds of the video show the camera glider fly into wake turbulence and slip toward the ridge. Very scary!

.. a taste, this is not in Canada, of course, but it is where Eastern Canadians go in early spring and late fall. A 6 hour drive from Toronto, and you can extend the season a week or two. Tows are available from two local pilots any time of any day. But, it is a place to be flown cautiously, and you should take some specific training or work up progressively with someone who knows the conditions. You need not fly the ridges, thermals are abundant, strong and high, and wave frequently lets you rise above cloud base directly over many 'Ontario familiar' farm fields. Mifflin County Airport is located in a valley allowing choice of both sides of two ridges (when the winds cooperate) without getting out of gliding range of the airport most days. The 'house thermal' is the rock fall in the gap at Lewistown. At the top of Jack's Mtn the road has a parking spot for hang gliders to launch, and for people to watch gliders working the ridge. You need not fly at ridge levels, you have the same (but lighter) effects to many hundreds of feet above. A great place to visit!

Don Burns and I just finished installing a Hang Glide!! flight simulator at the Fantasy of Flight Museum. http://www.andesengineering.com/Products/HangGlide/ This installation brings to four the number of major aviation museums where you can see and enjoy these marvelous flight simulators. Besides the Fantasy of Flight Museum our simulators can now be seen at Museum of Flight in Seattle, the Anderson-Abruzzo, Albuquerque International Balloon Museum, and the Oshkosh Air Venture Museum. The Fantasy of Flight Museum, between Tampa and Orlando, is one of the coolest aviation museums I have seen. The owner, Kermit Weeks (another south Florida Palmetto High School graduate like me!), flies most of the scores of antiques and warbirds in his collection. Kermit also has done a fair bit of hang gliding both solo and tandem with Malcolm at Wallaby. Kermit and a couple of his friends had fun competing with each other on the hang gliding simulator after we got it up and running. Not surprisingly for such an accomplished pilot, Kermit flew the simulator like a champ. When they finished, Kermit walked out to the tarmac and took his friend up in what may be the only operational two seat P-40 Warhawk (of Flying Tigers fame). What a life! When in central Florida this is a museum not to be missed. It is only 15 miles from Wallaby Ranch. When it's blown out for hang gliding go fly the Hang Glide!! simulator. During the week we were in Florida working at the museum we stayed at the Wallaby Ranch. Malcolm Jones treated us like royalty although I suspect he treats everyone that way! I never found time to fly but I will definitely go back. There seems to be absolutely everything a pilot could wish for and I can't imagine a better place to vacation for a hang glider pilot. Malcolm and Lori are the most gracious host and hostess and Don and I thank them for taking such good care of us. You will recall seeing a very early version some years ago of Hang Glide!! at the Soaring Convention in Ontario, CA however the differences between that one and the current version are night and day. HangGlide!! is an interactive, full-scale, first person flight simulator, built for entertainment and training. Participants experience flight and control that resembles closely that of a real hang glider. By use of multiple, large, synchronized displays, HangGlide!! convincingly immerses the user in the virtual world. Participants are given the task to land their hang glider as close as possible to a bulls-eye target. For assistance, a second glider flies ahead of the participant's glider, leading the way. The experience teaches fundamental weight shift control skills as used by real hang-gliders, and glide management. Glide management involves choosing a flight path that takes into account the hang-glider's glide slope (amount of units of distance flown forward for every unit of descent), and choosing turn points that will put the pilot directly on the bulls-eye when it comes time to land. The visual database is of an actual hang-gliding flying site named Ed Levin Park, in Milpitas, California. Takeoff positions and landing site are the same positions on the terrain, complete with tree obstacles, fences and all visual cues of the actual flying site. The flight dynamics model used to control the hang glider is the result of years of development and research. At its base is a rigid-body dynamics package. Forces are applied to the rigid body which are derived from static load and stability testing data taken during glider certification processes. The hang glider can be looped, if the pilot is skilled enough! The flight simulator is designed primarily for high-traffic participation as would be found in a flight museum or location based entertainment venue. The unit has a single button control to initiate each participant's experience and can be left largely unattended. Flights last about 90 seconds with a 20 second interim stage, replaying the previous participant's landing and landing score, which allows time for the next participant in line to get in place for their flight.

SeeYou is very popular PC software used by glider pilots around the world. This is 1 of 47 short training videos by Paul Remde of Cumulus Soaring, Inc. You can view them all at low resolution, or buy the full resolution versions on 2 CDs at http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/traini...

ETA: The eta is an Open Class two-seater flapped self-launching glider manufactured by ETA Aircraft. It is the highest performing glider in existence.Three etas have been manufactured to date. The second prototype was extensively damaged in 2003 during the spin tests required for the type certification. Both pilots parachuted to safety. The prototype was repaired and the tests completed successfully.The glider will be produced by hand in a small series, at a rate of about three per year.Eta is an example of a current trend in glider development in which private pilots initiate the development of new open class gliders. Currently, the private development of the Concordia sailplane promises a further elevation of lift-drag (l/D) ratio of several points.

Perfect for power pilots who want to discover the joy of soaring--or for beginning glider students--this new video shows you "what you should know" about flying gliders. Bob Wander, noted glider instructor and best-selling author, joins the Sporty's Academy team to take you into the cockpit of several training gliders. With exciting in-flight footage, you'll see all the maneuvers from inside and outside the aircraft, and you'll ride along for a self-powered launch, an aero-tow and a winch launch. Also covers aerodynamics, stalls, spins, speed-to-fly, spirals, all training maneuvers, soaring weather (including ridge, wave, convergence and thermal soaring) and much more. State of the art 3D graphics and animations are used throughout to explain complicated subjects. This comprehensive program will prepare you for your FAA glider checkride and beyond.

Pocket PCs are commonly used by glider pilots to run soaring flight software. This series of training videos gives many tips to help glider pilots get the most out of their Pocket PCs. By Paul Remde of Cumulus Soaring, Inc. You can purchase the full resolution version of this training at http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/training.htm

Full glider flight in a K-21 glider including the aerotow, shot from outside the glider at Adrian Soaring Club. Starts with rope hookup, takeoff behind the Piper Pawnee, shots while on aerotow, air-to-air of the Pawnee flying by, soaring, steep turns, thermalling, and then landing at Lenawee County Airport (ADG) Adrian Michigan http://www.localhangar.com/adriansoaringclub

Pocket PCs are commonly used by glider pilots to run soaring flight software. This series of training videos gives many tips to help glider pilots get the most out of their Pocket PCs. By Paul Remde of Cumulus Soaring, Inc. You can purchase the full resolution version of this training at http://www.cumulus-soaring.com/traini...