Winglets for the Epic

Stay tuned... the Epic flies with its new winglets on December 28, 2009. A report will follow.

Soaring in the Alps....

You just gotta see this cool video.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eO6GJLDqnYY

New pictures added....

If you look at the slideshow on the right you'll see the Pik-20 getting a new paint job just before I sent it to a new home in Kansas.

Catchup (not ketchup) Time

I can tell there's not a lot of activity on my blog because no one is reminding me to keep it updated. I have been pretty slow, but finally decided to at least write a few things and post some pictures.

The above picture was taken in August (I told you I was slow) just after York Zentner and I finished a 4 plus hour flight at the contest in Logan, Utah. It was my first cross country flight and it was a lot of fun. We didn't set any records but we made it to 16,000 feet and finished the course.

Wow! What a video!!!!!

Bruno does it again. Check out http://phoebus.vassel.com/ and click on the video "Ridge Run North of Logan, Utah". Stunning!

"G" does not stand for glider...

This is a replica of the wings worn by glider pilots of World War II. One pilot of that era remarked, "The G doesn't stand for glider, it stands for guts." Considering the plywood contraptions they flew, and the conditions which they flew in, I would say that he is most certainly correct!

People say the darndest things:

I have been asked many times by the curious and unknowing, "How can you land a plane without an engine?" For the life of me, I can't understand how to land a plane with one.

I have also been asked "Why don't you wear a parachute?" It's not required I replied. But what if you crash? Then I guess I don't need it, do I?

One day I hope to fly powered planes. During my training it would be my supreme joy to cut short my pattern, kill the engine, and perform an unpowered slip to landing, all just to see if my instructor raises an eyebrow.

Tail Mount Camera...

Check out my friend flying his glider with a camera mounted on the tail. http://phoebus.vassel.com/

Greenbird...Part aeroplane, part sailboat, part Formula One car

http://www.greenbird.co.uk/

March 29, 2009 With a wind speed of just 30mph (48kmh), British engineer Richard Jenkins has set a new land speed record for a wind-powered vehicle at blistering 126.1mph. Driving the Ecotricity sponsored all carbon fiber land yacht Greenbird across the Ivanpah dry lake bed on the Nevada / California border Jenkins eclipsed the previous benchmark set a decade ago by American Bob Schumacher by almost 10 mph. It also continued a the rivalry between Britain and the United States for setting speed records that dates to the 1920s, when Sir Malcolm Campbell set several records on land and sea.
The Greenbird team were on stand-by in September 2008 at Lake Lefroy in Western Australia but were unable to run due to unseasonal rain. Jenkins has been chasing his dream of setting the record for 10 years and Greenbird is the fifth version of of the land yacht Jenkins originally called Windjet but renamed in a nod to Bluebird, the record-setting racers Britain's Donal Campbell drove in the 1950s and '60s.
The Greenbird is a 600 kg carbon fiber composite vehicle that uses wind (and nothing else) for power. The only steel in the vehicle is the wheel bearings and bearings used to make the vehicle steerable. The land yacht is a very high performance sailboat that uses a solid wing, rather than a sail, to generate movement. The aerodynamic design and light weight allows the vehicle to achieve speeds three to five times faster than the wind speed thanks to a phenomenon known as ‘apparent wind’.
For an example of apparent wind, imagine you are riding your bicycle on a completely calm day with no wind. You can feel wind on your face and it feels stronger as you pedal faster. That is because as you move forward, the motion creates its own wind. Now imagine you are riding your bicycle but there is a strong breeze coming at you from the right. This natural wind is called "true wind". When you add this side wind to the cycle ride, the wind the rider feels is now somewhere between the true wind (from the side) and the man made wind (from ahead). This resultant wind is know as the ‘apparent wind’ and will have a speed and apparent wind angle, measured from the direction of travel to the apparent wind angle.
Iron Duck, the previous record holder driven by American Bob Schumacher was a similar design and the record was set at the same location. The primary difference between the two is that where Greenbird is all carbon fiber the Iron Duck was steel framed with foam and fibreglass fairings.
Richard Jenkins also has an ice version of the Greenbird so the next challenge is to settle the debate about whether traveling on ice or land will be faster.
Paul Evans

Lenticular...

For a sailplane pilot, there is nothing more beautiful than a lenticular cloud. These beauties form as the west wind races over the Wasatch Front. They beckon me to the skies. But alas, my plane sits in a snow covered trailer, and the tow plane won't come out of it's hanger for a week or so. Ho hum. I'm stuck on the ground.

A New Favorite Saying...

If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem.

Lake Effect Snow

Once in a while, when conditions are just right, we get a good storm that really dumps on us. Today was one of those days, 14 inches of wet snow. We've had a few good storms lately and in the past week we got 32 inches. Global warming? I think not. (click on picture to see a larger version)

Flying in the dead of winter...

I got to experience a soaring simulator called Condor. My friend, Bruno, has been talking up this program for a year or so. Now I know why. Not only is it quite a bit like flying my own plane, I was able to fly along with other pilots...online. Very cool.

It's been a long time...

...since I've shot a large caliber hunting rifle. Okay, I know there are bigger calibers but a .30-06 is big for me. 12 shots and 12 holes, all from 100 yards. It's a start. On the drive home I was wondering when I've shot last. About four years ago I shot about 30 rounds of .22. Fourteen years ago I borrowed a .243 from a friend; one shot and I brought a deer home. Twenty-seven years ago I bought a Remington .308 and only shot it a few times. So you see, I have very little experience. Must shoot more.

1 Jan 2009

The New Year has finally arrived. And what do have to look forward to? " Obama-tics". On a brighter note there is quiche in the oven and black eyed peas in the crock pot. I think I'll go sight in my rifle. It's going to be a good day.