I admired Bruce yesterday. As you have read in my blog, he flew most of the short, difficult and slow race alone. Here is his story…
Tag Archive for sailplanes
Spring 2014 Issue of VSA’s “Bungee Cord”
by Bill Elliott •
Flying the FES-equipped Silent 2 Electro
by Bill Elliott •
A while back, I had read that a nearly 700 lb (315 Kg) sailplane equipped with an all-electric FES (Front Electric Self-launching) system had demonstrated serious climb rates (around 400 fpm, or 2 m/s) as well as multiple launches on a single charge; and I remember thinking at the time: “This is the future: All the advantages of self-launching and self-retrieving without any of the drawbacks of retractable pylon-mounted propellers or IC (Internal Combustion) engines.”
Having Fun in the DuckHawk 15m Sailplane
by Bill Elliott •
In early September, I had a fantastic day of flying at Blairstown Airport, the culmination of which was having the opportunity to fly Windward Performance’s new DuckHawk. I had just flown the club Grob Twin Astir with my brother, promptly falling out and not exactly having one of my best landings in it.
Video – Flight of the Archaeopteryx
by Bill Elliott •
Schleicher’s ASG 32—A New Entry in the 20 meter Class
by Bill Elliott •
Six-Seat Sailplane Concept Seeks Crowd-Funding
by Rand Baldwin •
Richard Glassock, an Australian glider pilot and designer, has just announced a crowd-funding project for his ground-breaking and breath-taking six-seat sailplane design. Contributions will be accepted beginning March 27, 2013 (21 hours from now as I write). He has engaged Pozible as a vehicle for crowd-funding and has set a goal of A$5,000,000 in 90 days.
Pilot from Freedom’s Wings Places First at Wurtsboro Contest (R2N)
by Bill Elliott •
Dateline Wurtsboro, NY, 26 June 2012: It may not be a monumental achievement in the grand scheme of things, but it will hopefully be significant with respect to the soaring community, particularly in the U.S.: At the Region 2 North soaring competition in Wurtsboro, NY, a pilot from Freedom’s Wings ( www.freedomswings.org ) placed first in the…
Day 1 Report
by Bill Elliott •
The Women Soaring Pilots Association’s annual seminar got off to a great start Monday at the Chilhowee Gliderport in Benton, Tennessee. Twenty-eight pilots and several non-flying supporters have gathered for five days of flying and friendship. Monday dawned hot and sunny, and cu’s were popping by lunchtime. Morning flights were short, but provided good training…