Friday 3 February 2012

Valle Super Final - Task 8

A grueling task of 120km was set. Starting 13km from B23 north east of launch back to la Pila with 50km out and return past Llana to the east and ending on B43 and Torres plus goal. I think UliP won it and handful couldn't finish after ESS.

The start was really lovely with most of the field soaring up against the clouds well above base. The lead changed half a dozen times during the day and no surprises seeing 40 or more pilots rocking home within minutes of one another.

NEWSFLASH: It was my turn for a blow-out today pushing full bar on the tree line in the lee of Maguey (stupid move I know... there are limits to what you can get these things to do it seems). The glider dived forward about 30deg and pretty much stopped flying in what looked like stall configuration with the wing tips forward and the glider concertina with slight flapping. The weird thing is it went straight to stable stall above my head without the usual flop-behind-your-head maneuver. I was on the B's all the time and I knew I was too low for my reserve so I just released the B lines with the intention of spinning into the trees if it didn't work but the glider continued flying on course without much pitch at all turning an 'Oh my gosh(substitute any appropriate profanity)' moment into an 'Oh Wow' Occasion.

OPINION: I know it's premature to celebrate the stability of this wing, but if this is the future of EN D then we can all give a huge sigh of collective relief and look forward to this new class of EN D wing. I still prefer to fly my R11 in competition, but if the lunacy of FAI/CIVL bureaucratic bumbling continues and the IP6 proves to be as benign as I am thinking it is, then everyone will benefit.

I would only hold my breath a little longer while we wait for the SIV junkies to test the stall recovery, but this glider is starting to shape up as superior to old school EN D kit in every aspect worth a mention including safety. For those of you who think I'm full of BS consider that I flew the Peak 2 in similar race conditions a month ago in Porterville with the same willful disdain pushing the speed bar in anger all day whilst hanging onto the B/C lines through the turbulence and I took MANY MORE HITS on that wing.

PS. For the cynics out there you should know I paid full price for my IP6.

6 comments:

Dansk paragliding said...

Hey Puppy this is very interesting; how does your observation match the seemingly large number of reserve throws we have seen so far? And couldn't you "just" have been lucky this time? How about the other wings; is the EnZo as "benign"? I hold your opinion in high esteem, but the rest of the "evidence" doesn't seem to support this view? Also, because you can remain chilled in a hairy situation doesn't mean your average Joe will - what would happen if the pilot hit the brakes hard in the situation you describe, like most surely would?
Glad you walked (flew) away from it :-) and thanks for keeping us updated,

Mads S

Pete (aka Sneaky) said...

Hey Andre -

Glad you got through that one ok...! And nice flying all round - well done!

With my tongue firmly in my cheek, I would venture to point out that you are the epitome of the positive thinker, and that you have always been highly enthusiastic about whatever your current wing has been (from your old Swing Cirrus onwards, through various Boomers, Macs and Ozones etc). So yours has invariably been by far the safest and best performing wing on the market :-) And actually, in your supremely talented hands it was normally true. Just saying...

AndreR said...

I love you guys -:)

To Mads: the Niviuks are not falling out of the sky and I did say hold your breath until people better qualified than I throw them around a little... Precisely because two events do not represent evidence as in the R11 twin tragedies.

There is so much negative energy around this debate. Wouldn't it be cool if I'm right and the manufacturers can make better EN D wings? Is UP even going to try?

AndreR said...

To Pete: you remember that Swing!!?? Best wing I ever had! Send photos of baby please.

Brett Zaenglein said...

Oh Oliver!

Anonymous said...

Oh Joanna!