LIFT     November 2011
...grows during month from your sent lift notes
Lift@UpperWindPower.com

BarretinaHyperLite        (aka Barretina HyperLite)   20 Nov 2011  
> See priors.
        The experiments with a modified wing in "HyperLite" continue.
This prototype was prepared in the workshop STRIP-AIR.

We have made some small glides (ground skimming). The inflation is incredibly easy, even with zero wind. The glide and speed is normal for a 4.5 aspect ratio
wing. The brakes are very soft, but quickly change the trajectory. We are
working on a new leading edge to get more pressure on it.

We have not been able to experience the reaction to the reopenings.
To do this, we think of a skilled pilot testing it at a SIV center.

I think this concept has a future, especially for mountains wings, and even for ground handling in schools (especially for the easy inflation with light winds and less effort required for handling).

The plans of the BarretinaHyperLite prototype are still inside the computer, but soon will come out of it!
I inform you of new developments!
~~ Pere                      Click to enlarge >>      

Pere,      The nature and time comparisons of closings and reopenings
--relative to what pilots are knowing in full double-surface Jalbert-wing evolutes--
will affect what occurs in low-altitude incidents.
Such will affect risk management.        Lift,     ~~ Joe

Hi Joe and Bill,
I've now scanned all of the slides that I had of the first time my Skysail was flown with parallel bars (you've seen the one of me ground skimming and of Richard Miller watching me putting it together). This was at the "water tank hill" near Vista.

I was surprised to see two shots of Richard Miller flying it. I absolutely did not remember that he had ever flown my wing even though we often got together with it. I think what made the difference this time was the conversion to parallel bars. A tiny voice in the recesses of my memory now tell me that he felt more comfortable with this new configuration.

I'm surprised that I had forgotten this occasion. Looking at the photos I see that we all took a turn flying the wing, that day, with the new parallel bars. My son Matt and his friend Ernest Feher also are shown in some photos flying it.

Attached is another "classic" photo (reduced size) of the inspirational master trying out my version of his inspiration. I believe it is Ernest that is giving him the helpful shove.

Frank Colver

BTW - I've now scanned my slides of the 3rd Otto Meet (Escape Country) and the 3rd Montgomery Meet (San Diego backcountry). Sure brings back memories of some very good times!

PS: One proof of the fact that this was the first day with the parallel bars is that I don't have a swing seat under the bars. We are truly hanging by our arm pits (like the pioneers of old). These were short ground skimming test flights, but wearing no helmets was not a wise move, even then.

[[PPS:  November 5th, was the 40th anniversary of the day I started construction of my Colver Skysail (Nov 5, 1971). Most of the work was done in my driveway, with my cat, Linus, always wanting to be in the middle of the action.]]

Flight from Ed Levin in Milpitas

On November 9, 1980, I made my first and only flight from Ed Levin in Milpitas on a single-surface Seagull 10-meter copy known as a Spectra Zodiac. At that time, I had launched from Cuesta Ridge in San Luis Obispo 43 times; from Plowshare in the Cuyama Valley once; from Paiute in Owens Valley 4 times; from Coyote in Owens Valley once; from Ray Dean’s Hill in Owens Valley 4 times; from Horseshoe Meadows in Owens Valley once; from the cliffs at Montana De Oro State Park 8 times; from Plaskett Ridge in Big Sur 5 times and from Guadalupe Dunes countless times.
 
I caught a ride up to the high launch with a bunch of Wings of Rogallo members. I was superbly confident in my ability to safely self-launch so I assisted the other pilots on the hill in the gusty 20 mph wind. As the last few launched, it became apparent that the wind was beginning to cross from the right. Down the ridge in that direction was a spur that protruded from the ridge. It was obvious to me that the spur would be generating turbulence but the others had given it a wide berth and flown away successfully – but all had lost altitude rapidly heading straight out to the landing zone. The driver was gone. I was alone on the mountain. I carried my glider to launch and performed a hang check.
 
I was hoping that I could also get a fast flight to the landing area. Out in front, the sky was hazy. Judging from the flights of the others, there was no lift. The wind was gusty but coming straight in, so I assumed my flight would be similar to the last pilot’s. I shouldered the Zodiac, leveled the wings and brought the hang strap tight. I brought the nose down to neutral pitch and began to run. Although the slope of the hill rolled off steeply, I was surprised to find that on my fourth step, the glider would not lift. After two more, at my maximum running speed and feeling the wing beginning to pull ahead, I pushed out a bit and forced a takeoff.
 
The launched seemed okay but at 30 feet, I hit tremendous lift. I immediately pulled the bar to my knees to keep up my speed in case I got dumped – and then, about half way between takeoff and the spur, I got dumped. I had almost made it over the spur. I thought, at the moment, that I had been sucked into the top of the rotor but in retrospect, considering the rounded contour of the ridgetop and the strong lift at launch, it was probably a wave eddy and I had fallen into the trough.
 
My glide deteriorated dramatically and the turbulence increased. The top of the spur rose above my horizon and I immediately realized I would have to land on it – it would be far too dangerous to try to fly close along side it in the rough, unpredictable air. I knew it would be dicey but if I could pull it off, I might be able to walk up to the top of the spur and launch off the other side. But as I bled off speed to prepare to flare on the sloping hillside, the left wing dropped and the glider rolled to the left. I was too close to try to recover – it would only result in a faster impact if I shifted to the right – so I threw my weight to the left, began a slip the short distance to the ground and planted my left wingtip into the soft hillside. The leading edge absorbed the brunt of the impact. As the nose pivoted around, I pushed out to trap whatever cushion of air I could capture. I hit the ground with my body flat, bouncing off the base tube on the dirt. The nose followed through the arc without much force and I was down.
 
I quickly unhooked, picked up the glider and carried it up to the ridge road (which I assume was Monument Trail). I knew a lot of pilots would be watching and I wanted them to know I was okay. The only damage was a bent deflexor bolt and slightly bowed downtubes, which I straightened.
 
I did a hang check on the road. Everything looked and felt good. At this point, the side of the road fell away like a cliff so the launch into smoother but still bumpy air was a cinch. I came into the landing zone on a low approach and made a perfect spot landing.
 
I wanted to recount this flight to you, Joe, because this is likely the same location and the same type of air encountered by the paraglider who was killed at Ed Levin. I doubt that I could have survived that flight on a paraglider. The airframe saved my life.
 
It is difficult for me to imagine a greater fool than a man who would launch a parachute into conditions that threaten that type of turbulence. The airframe kept my airfoil flying and absorbed most of the force of impact when I crashed. The airframe not only saved my life – but it made the rest of my life possible. Education, marriage, children, a career… a fruitful, rich life. So many paraglider pilots have given this up – for what?
I will never understand it.
 
Rick Masters
Mythology of the Airframe
http://www.cometclones.com/mythology2011.htm

 Sunshine!

Frank Colver points to some spectacular news:
Ultralight metallic microlattice.
I remember in an old Low & Slow you were thinking about humans drifting across the earth on huge thistledown-like devices. Well, this development is not exactly that, but I thought you would find it interesting. It may have applications for some very light flying structures in the future.

• Hang Gliding 1979-BC
• Early example of hang gliding frame towing.
• Single-tether kite hang glider of gyro-wing type ( gyro paraglider)
  The default term used is the broader class: hang glider; but within that class, since it is of gliding kite type of hang glider, then "paraglider" may be applied to the device

Vulture downs paraglider!

 

Is there a psychologist
in sport paragliding?
---summarizes a complaining expression by a PG pilot in the UK who hates that paragliders are gliding kites and that the PDMC is being studied and even believed by some.  
Nov. 2011      ~~ED.  

 ~~LIFT archive index~~

The most seriously deluded participants of any sport are clearly the paraglider pilots who enter thermal turbulence without any structural support for their wing. Of this deluded segment, the most outspoken are the British, who seem to believe that because thermal turbulence is so gentle in their part of the world, it must be the same everywhere else. This false conclusion appears to explain the relatively low numbers of fatalities in their island vs. the high numbers of British deaths and injuries in distant venues where real thermal turbulence exists.

Rick Masters
Nov 3, 2011

        ParaglidingUnlimited/message/11 
Mr. Guy Joseph of Spain  

e-volo

Moyes Malibu

1.                                 Lois Preston

2. http://www.pprune.org/private-flying/467634-glider-crash-ashbourne.html

3. v

4. v

Adjustments from July 23, 2011:
1. Time for more things is on.
2. Have not joined any further org; I kept my free life membership in WPGA as it specially embraces that paragliders may be made with any wing of any solidity and upholds that paragliders are gliding kites.
3. Note that "3." was not exclusive; I continue developments on non-airframed glider devices also.
4. Did not renew.
I keep a habit of growing daily. Richard Miller, one of my flight instructors died, author of Without Visible Means of Support, 1967.   Bruce Carmichael was one of my aerodynamics instructors, as was Irv Culver. I have flown hang gliders and paragliders of 0-line, 1-line, 2-line, and high-multi-line. I am adjoined to each of the 67 member activity sectors and contribute regularly into them; the Giuseppe sector is included.

[b]ON TOPIC:[/b] Part of this single-tether thread could explore a 1000 m tether for a ladder paraglider with payload pod being a rigid flying wing of 10 m span using RC to control ladder flight dynamics? What advantages could there be having that 1000 m tether?
 

• In 1986, helping a friend: http://articles.latimes.com/1986-01-19/sports/sp-1497_1_hang-gliding
• Barrel roll
• Cousin and comment
• http://tinyurl.com/DanRacanelliHANGGLIDER

Sweet Spot   for particular missions.
There are hundreds of varied missions.

Jaybird Landing

Win a copy of the new Plasma Cutting Handbook!            (hang glider pioneer)

Flytec Race & Rally 2010

Amazing Flight over the clouds from Athens FLPHG team.

Batteries

Point of the Mountain SITE INTRO
by Ryan Voight

Hang gliding in Slovenia (Late October)

A Glimpse of Hang Gliding

Step Into AIR

Dreaming Awake Teaser Trailer

Want to learn to land?Watch this dude!

• Hanggliding Worldcup 1975

Free as a bird.
Frei wie en vogel.
Libres comme l'air.

Lost Icons

What and who is WPGA? World ParaGliding Association
It has power and homebuilt activity sectors.

Answer:
It is a seed start open for growth by the guy who founded Self-Soar Association and the first USHGliderA.
No officers or elections yet.
Public domain, open source, no copyright, open for anyone to develop, no products, no sales.
Carries an international Waiver for anyone to modify as wanted anywhere on earth.
Has a set of benefits that is growing.
Membership is free for life. No dues.
LIFT monthly ezine.
No sale of advertising space to any entity.
Features paraglider as a mechanical gliding-kite system with openness to any wing known to aviation for membering the wing set of a paraglider. Essentially, paraglider has a tether set and a resistive set; wing alone does not make paraglider.
The power homebuilt activity sector is open for growth from anyone. When power is off: gliding kite = paraglider.
Is not stuck on limp-canopy solutions to "paraglider" systems. Any rigidity or solidity may answer "paraglider" machine.
Faces more than sport: art, service, industry, commerce, hobby, science, travel ... use of paraglider.
Tether is key, from one to many. The kite hang gliders that use one tether to its payloaded pilot that grabs airframed wing is a paraglider of one tether, even though language defaults such to "hang glider." Paragliders are a proper subset of mechanical hang gliders. Paragliders need not have humans onboard. Paragliders may be any size from tiny (less than size of human hand) to very huge to the limits of material science. Paragliding is the use of a paraglider in these terms.
You may want to contribute to the growth of WPGA; send your notes and images!

Lift,
JoeF

http://www.energykitesystems.net/WPGA/images/GlidingKites/1828SingleTetherFreeFlightParaglidng.jpg 
Historic seed for gliding kite paraglider! 1828c

A leading poster:

Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 5:41 am    Post subject: RE: Exactly one-string paraglider       by        J.B.
Um, Joe, ...,that is a picture of what is called a kite. ....  [[ED:  Yes, it is a gliding kite, that is what paragliders are! Gliding kites. You got it!   Wing, tether, resistive set is kite; when in glide the gliding kite may be called many things: gliding kite, kite (that is gliding: the whole of it: wing, tether, resistive mooring), glider, paraglider, .. Wing alone does not kite make.  (Recall that FAI came in late in the defining game on paraglider; FAI does not rule the mechanics involved; they serve sport competition needs and only part of that.) ]].

[[Legend: Kite has sets w, t, r. Same for gliding kites (paragliders). Set w may have many wing elements. Set t may have one or more tether elements. Resistive set r may be complex or simple, even winged. Control systems may vary. ]]

Hi Joe,                           Sun, Nov 13, 2011
Not sure how the development has gone to date but the idea of a multi-wing PG has interested me for some years. Higher aspect ratio can be achieved using less rigging so it should be efficient. It should also add to the stability helping prevent canopy collapse which would be a good safety feature. 
Tony

Spoof PhotoShop artistic images are in a couple of places on the Internet; such is suggestive.  Closer is the high jumps made with multiple-wing stack power-kites in minor gliders. Seemingly yet to be are serious experiments with aggregate-stability stacked wings tethered for manned flight. The Rogallo patents featured multiple-wing stacks; and a later Rogallo patent at the NASA paraglider era featured a biplane paraglider drawing. Just what experiments have been made in the modelers' world on this matter is not on the desk yet.   Aggregate stability is of high interest in the kite energy world.  We will see some sport paragliders exploring multiple winged paragliders (gliding kites).  Maybe such has occurred already. Knowing the full picture on this realm will be most interesting.  Launching, landing, flying ... various control means.     JpF

Set into gliding we get ladder or stack paraglider for the 1948 Rogallo situation.

Here is a tethered pilot; the two wings are one below and one above the resistive set (pilot); click image for fuller 2009 LIFT story.     This single-line paraglider is biplane, but a hybrid of sort.  Others will explore stacked limp-canopy wings and variously stiffened canopy wings.     JpF

Nov. 15, 2011

 

In 2011, Tony sketches ram-air canopy for biplane joined-wing paraglider concept: http://energykitesystems.net/hgh/printice/biPG001Prentice.jpg     [[  For most of our coverage of Tony Prentice:   http://tinyurl.com/TonyPrenticeLIFT ]]

• Paraglider confirmed fatality: Nov. 13, 2011, incident.
  • http://www.contracostatimes.com/california/ci_19329518  
    Condolences to family and friends of  Everett A. Greel III, 51, of San Jose, California, USA.
  • http://www.hanggliding.org/viewtopic.php?t=23928    
  • Prior HG exp.  Then PG.   "Chip" Greel.
  • Northern California Cross Country Pilot's Group     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SFBAPAXC/
  • v
  • v
  • v

    Nil wind cliff launch, no run, no ramp: aile delta falaise

Help stop strip mining near Sylmar Flight Park:

Thursday, November 17th 7:00 PM
St.  Didacus Church, Room 1
14337 Astoria Street
Sylmar 91342

• http://theoreticalken.com/2008/06/29/how-i-tie-my-shoelaces/

• Animated knots by Grog

http://www.wingsofrogallo.org/board/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1055

Mark Stull

November 17, 2011: "It's a sad day here in San Angelo, Mark Stull died on his first test flight of his new design."
 

Rigging an A-I-R ATOS V hang glider

          [[Candidates for Safe-Splat™ system ]] [[Fold-away Safe Spat. Fold and position prior to landing.]]

• Blown launch

• Hang Gliding Accident

• Bonk!

Swift no wind landing

SkyBike
Consider riding up the tethers of kite systems or of gliding-kite systems (paragliders).     AWE4832

Two things: I have had a habit since 1970 to back the maligned in hang gliding (easily understood as including all of paragliding) and to lift hidden or forgotten technology, no matter the nature of the technology. Being simply myself in that forum and staying polite brings the reaction you see. Such all is also a fire that has a way of bringing out creative new clear thoughts; I did not deeply see my fetal kite self until the effort to reach these guys--such is now a deep life-changing realization that will affect me positively the rest of my life (I sent my friend Dave Santos a copy of the fetal kite graphic and text of that post; he is paramount wise receiver of such musings and he answered "wondrous musing"--and I know that he will never forget the meditation involved the rest of his life); the World ParaGliding Association run only began to blossom as a result of dealing with the narrow culture that persists in the PGForum; hence we now have ParaGliding Unlimited in contrast to the very limited sector; discovering just what I am about is helped by being carved to pieces; there is ever a grain of truth even in mocking statements, however full of error a mock might be. The contradictions in the slams cause me to look more carefully; I have a thanksgiving for each little challenge. And I am challenged to go beyond the aside mocking into a path of loving the posters despite the negative rain of jabs and distractions.

Rick and I believe that the negative treatment of Brett Snellgrove in that forum added to Brett's challenges that brought on Brett's suicide. Is there a way to input some helpful message to some of those most in need in the forum; there are some leading offenders?  Maybe just the fetal kite will play a role. The first responder after fetal-kite post exactly slams with huge contradiction; he goes to "anything" when the message is distinct and different: only when the arrangement is "gliding kite" does "paraglider" appear. The fetal kite was said even in his clipped quote to be not a paraglider. Such deep non-seeing might one day be corrected inside that responder; and then he might advance in humility for himself and find himself as having been a fetal kite, a potential preparation for his flight interest in paragliding.

The karma system in the forum forces a limit of about six lines of type just one post per day for one who has negative karma. I am so limited and try to respect each poster by saying something to their effort; my imperfect effort on that brings on some laconic phrases that could be best understood only by those carefully trying to make sense of the whole discussion; but, of course, a handful of posters are simply set to be part of a mob mockery feast. Yet this thread and its posts may well last for scores of years or more in the searchable literature of human culture; so the radiance of the errors and possible gems involved will also last for a very long time; researchers will find fetal kite, gliding-kite equals paraglider, PDMC, etc. The posts will have a life far beyond the immediate.

Will the topic thread become a mirror for the posters and perhaps one day give posters a chance to see themselves in new light? Just to what extent will they go to remain gang bangers and miss the good of those they bang?  The energy could be spent directly to develop the topic.  Paul Wahl, successful author in Popular Science, taught me to post just what is positive; he helped to get the free-flight message out to the world in a big way in early 1970s.

So, there are several dimensions to my perseverance. The actual topic is appropriate to the stated goals of the forum, even as many in the forum do not see the matter as such. "Paragliders of exactly one tether" is technically included in the forum's focus, but most will not readily see such. My seeing is a result of a training that is extensive; I reach to post the best gems of my life of meditation over free-flight. The PGForum has more viewers than any other paragliding forum in the world; so the forum posts sit in the most viewed place. So, the message is broached in the most viewed forum. Sincere thinkers will see through the mocking and spend some assets on the richness that :"single-tether paragliding" may bring.

There are several branches to single-tether paragliding:
1. One branch of paragliding is huge and is not seen generally as paragliding! That branch is the framed-kite hang gliders using a single short tether; the bat shit of the PGForum; when a person finally realizes, if they do, that the framed-kite hang gliders are framed paragliders, then an opening will occur that might save their lives from the kind of paraglider they are using that have no airframe and that meet the hurt of the PDMC.

2. Then another branch is not used yet in sport, as no one has developed it except slightly in scientific paragliding: where below the bridle point is one tether and the wing is controlled by radio control in various ways; such branch is fully strange to the PGForum, but the message now is there for the careful; that branch has a potential big effect in aviation; perhaps someone will do scientific papers to advance that branch, but at least I put the core of that branch in the most-viewed sport arena forum.  Yet the topic is closer to their doings than they know. The "cage" paraglider system is a start toward this branch; one poster saw such and I responded positively; the Cage has one tether below a frame at the bridle point; so such is a start. Getting the message of this branch out into the most-viewed forum is no little feat, but one sure to bring on the disruptive mocking that one sees.

3. Then the third branch has to do with the vast potential of extant kite technology folding over into paragliding for a huge untapped aviation sector that will have a sport following some day. In this third branch are "any kite system" modified to have a falling anchor to result in a gliding kite, thus paraglider. The "any kite" is cause for this branch, as huge multi-winged complexes can be kites; and such can be with a falling mooring to result in gliding kite, thus paraglider. This branch is little known. The tension of the posting has helped me uncover historical foundations toward what I have known in sketch and brief since 1970. A gliding kite may also be soared in several ways. Such soaring sustains flight for a longer time. The practical and sport implications of this branch could grow to be huge in sport and industry. In kite energy we have had a small club of about 10 or so persons that have been advancing soaring gliding-kite systems (thus paragliders). Our attention on this tech is not at all in the attention of the sport paragliders of the PGForum and so is easily seen as "not what we do". I understand that presenting tease toward such matter is inviting the label of "troll".

Partly I am following the wisdom of one of the world's greatest aeronautical engineers: Dr. Paul MacCready. He opined that it is not important who came up with a gem idea, but that the gem idea be found, shared, savored, and made present in builds; I paraphrase. I am learning to go down in flames for the sake of the idea; it is OK to be personally nothing, if such lets an idea be present for the sincere to consider. And just maybe the insincere will have the idea in his garden subconscious that will play one day to form some new growth. Forget the messenger, but remember the message. 

        => The fetal kite will not easily be erased from the consciousness of viewers.
        => The "gliding-kite is paraglider" holds power to bring on huge changes in aviation.
        => The "single-tether paraglider" branch is very fertile for gliding and dynamic soaring.
        => That a paraglider (type of kite, the gliding-kite type) is a compound: wing set w, tether set t, and resistive set r
              (w,t,r)  is a summary that will allow creative extension for paragliding and its sport's sector, as well.
        => That a paraglider need not be stuck on soft canopy, but rather being open to any wing known to aviation brings paragliding unlimited.

Thank you, Shane,  for your questions.
Lift,
Joe

Madrax.wmv
????????

• Types of wind helicities in mild-wind conditions?

• Types of wind helicities in nill-wind conditions?

• Types of wind helicities in high-wind conditions?

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turbulence

•  

A 5-Rev Spin in 3 Views   by NMErider

"Hornet" - Lithuanian Children's Double Glider! (Lithuania)
primary gliders

Flintstone Glider