Tuesday was a nice day and I was stuck indoors without a window to the world to look out, unless you consider Facebook a window to the world. I checked the local forecast for soaring from my hang gliding club’s website (WhitewaterHangGlidingClub.com) and saw that the conditions were okay.
Nonetheless, it was a nice day and I was stuck inside. I wanted to go flying, like everyday, and new that by the time I got out of work, drove to the airport, and assembled my glider that I would probably get only two aero tow flights in. Worse than that both flights would most likely be sled runs too. Then I remembered – our aero tow provider is closed on Tuesdays! Flying tonight wasn’t looking good…
As the morning moved on the bug to fly was getting stronger and stronger and I was really wishing that I had my FLPHG training done with because then I could just run out to the airport and launch using my Mosquito. As my head started to get the gears turning I remembered that my scooter tow instructor (Rich Cizauskas) mentioned that he would be available this week to practice some spot landings. I sent Rich a text message to see if he would be available. He was, and better yet, he was interested in flying too.
So the plans were set – get out of work, drive 35 miles to the airport, assemble the gliders, and take turns launching each other from the cart using the scooter – what a hoot this was going to be!
The plans didn’t exactly happen the way we were hoping.
Rich beat me to the airport and almost had his glider set up by the time I got there. I got to the airport about 5:30, sunsets at 8:30, only three hours to play and the scooter is still sitting in the shed.
I quickly got out of my truck and seeing that Rich almost had his glider assembled asked if we were both going to use his glider? He laughed and just said “I don’t think so, I don’t think that either one of us would be happy tonight if I allowed that!” So, I ran over to my storage tube, brought my glider over to the staging area, and proceeded to assemble it.
Being relatively new to the sport of hang gliding I tend to take my time putting things together (and breaking them down). I want to make sure that I don’t miss anything, and like always, I check everything so this usually takes me some time.
While I assembled my glider, performed a safety check on the glider and harness, attaching my release and vario, Rich setup the scooter - about 45 minutes later I was setting my glider on the cart.
Rich and I decided that we would tow my glider down to the end of the field first, he would take the first flight and check everything - he is so nice to take that first flight and make sure I’m safe! Then, we I would take a flight followed by us grabbing his high performance glider and bringing that down to the end of the runway. Hopefully we will both get a few flights in. There is still about two hours of daylight left…
Getting my glider down to the end of the runway, Rich was preparing to launch from my glider. As he started to get into my harness he made a joke about getting sick in it and asked if that was okay – I responded only if I can return the favor with his harness!
This is when all the fun really starts, I’ll try to be brief …
Rich is hooked into my glider with my harness and notices that the tow point is wrong for scooter towing, we need a new line and need to attach it to the glider. Hahaha – this proved to be a challenge for two highly intellectual guys and finally about 15 minutes later we were set. We talk for about 5 minutes on hand signals and discuss how the tow should go – preferably without incident!
I drive down to the scooter (half way down the runway) , start the scooter, and straaaaaaiiin my eyes to see the hand signals that Rich was giving. OK, got it, tension. Next watching for the “Go, go, go” OK, got it too – give it gas! Annnnd nothing! The tow line broke! Ugh! Yell back at Rich “the line broke, hold on I’ll re-tie it!”
Having fixed the line we were ready to start all over… straaaaaaiiin my eyes to see the hand signals that Rich was giving. OK, got it, tension. Next watching for the “Go, go, go” OK, got it too – give it gas!
Hey, Rich is air born! Yippee!
Rich lands a perfect 9.997 (there was a small step, and I got it on film)
My turn!
Get the cart, take glider back down to the end of the runway. Get into the harness, hook in, do hang check, and attach the tow line. Wait! Where is the weak link? No weak link, we now need a weak link – Ugh, okay so we go get a weak link and I start all over!
Get into the harness, hook in, do hang check, and attach the tow line.
Rich takes his turn down by the scooter. I can only imagine he was straining his eyes to see my hand signals too. I finally gave up on the hand signals and just yelled at him to go, go, go!
I rolled maybe 30 feet in the cart and was air born! I towed to about 350’ and when my vario quit beeping I released! Ahhh, finally I am flying, free, looking for a thermal – at 350’. No dice, time to land. I of course land a perfect 7.599 hang 4 type landing on the spot – no kidding, ask Rich!
Okay, now it’s Rich’s turn, again.
Did I tell you that the line broke on his first launch? Well it did, and it did again on this launch too. Not once, but twice the line broke on Rich. The first time it broke Mark Furst came strolling up. We talked and got the line fixed and yelled back at Rich to get ready.
So once again we start the whole process over, but this time there are two us looking down the runway at Rich…
Straaaaaaiiining our eyes to see the hand signals that Rich was giving I finally asked Mark, do you see him moving? Any movement means go, go go. Mark said “yep, there’s movement” – I gunned it! Line broke, again!
<sigh> Okay lets re-tie this thing again. Got it, line fixed, yell down at Rich to get ready!
I climb on top of the scooter, turn the key, foot on the break, hand on the hand break, push the start button, and NOTHING! The battery died! There is no juice in the battery, the scooter is dead!
Mark and I climb into the golf cart to tell Rich what has happened…
Want to know more or how the story ends?
Come back tomorrow for the rest of the story and for a video of us telling Rich what happened. The look on his face was priceless!