Meet i (pronounced “India”), or N824T, our Schempp-Hirth Mini-Nimbus HS-7. Since construction in 1978, India has had several notable owners. Here are the ones I know about: N824T was imported into the United States by Graham Thomson, who by that time had gotten pretty good at that sort of thing. I’m told Thomson was the first to import a […]
Tag Archive for soaring
Decaffeinated Camera Mounting Systems
by Bill Elliott •
In between waiting for good weather and tows, I thought I’d try to invent something. (Not a decapitated rubber duck.) The GoPro HERO series cameras are much beloved by pilots everywhere. After purchase, most new owners work out ways of tacking the things to the outsides of their planes so they can shoot their own version […]
July, and epilogue
by Bill Elliott •
It’s been ten days since the end of the Nationals, and a little over a week since I stumbled out of Mike’s van at Grove City and drove myself back home. In that time, I’ve managed to shake off the bug-eyed wandering prophet’s stare that I had going for a few days—oh, you think, these […]
Day 2 Report
by Bill Elliott •
June 26, 2012 We experienced gusty turbulent conditions on Tuesday at the WSPA annual seminar at Chilhowee Gliderport in Benton TN. The temperatures were a few degrees cooler than the previous day, which made it easier to be at the flight line all day. The ridge, plus a few thermals, starting working for us mid-afternoon. …
Cross USA nonstop
by Bill Elliott •
Check the SPOT/APRS links, folks. Looks like we’re set to make this cross-USA trip a nonstop run (except for gas stops, and a trailer tire that went flat just west of Evanston, WY). Hours ago: Now: PS: Special thanks to Big-O Tires of Evanston, WY for getting us back on the road so quickly. Also: […]
Day 9 update delayed…
by Bill Elliott •
…since we’re driving home! Please stay tuned—day 9 was a blast!
Day 9 at Minden
by Bill Elliott •
Gridding up: it’s the final day of the 2012 US Open Class Nationals. For the first time in the contest, our task took us north: This modified assigned task (c.f. Day 0) had numerous turnpoints, many of them intended to steer pilots east around Reno and its busy Class C airspace. After heading up and […]
Day 8 at Minden
by Bill Elliott •
Off again into the blue, blue skies over Minden. What a great photo—thanks, Stewart! Unfortunately, this photo also shows the moment when JOY was experiencing some of the best lift it would see all day… Contest weathermancers Doug Armstrong and Stewart Tattersall put a bargain on the table: if temperatures could rise enough for thermals to […]
Day 5 at Minden
by Bill Elliott •
Day 5 (remember, we’re counting from 0 on this blog; it’s the sixth day of racing). It got windy, but that didn’t keep us out of the air, or these birds for that matter (you may have to click to see them). We spotted those guys northbound while flying south to Desert Creek Peak at […]
Awesome final glide photo
by Bill Elliott •
Check out Rick Indrebo final gliding into the finish after the fifth day’s task! We ended at the same time, from roughly the same direction, so we went in side-by-side. I shot this photo, which you should click to view full-size: All contest flights end with a final glide. Somewhere out on the task, you […]
