Sylmar Hang Gliding Association

Its true that with airplanes, settting up a constant airspeed and sink and angle of attack is the gold standard for approaches. Get it right ten miles out and read a magazine down the ILS. But I don;t find that the lesson transfers to landing a hang glider in anything but sled-ride conditions. We ha...

When foilks plop down in the middle of the runway and dig the nose in, it can look fairly instantaneous. Wha' happened, the wind stopped? Sounds like a whuffo joke but essentially that is what happens. Drops you a couple feet and nothing left to flare with. Stay hot ín ground effect and in doesnt h...

Ah, but Dockweiler Beach in April--that's a fair test for 1 and all.

Hi David, In winter, for us, there's Avenue S, in Palmdale. It faces the north winds, good in waning Santa Anas. Kagel often works as a ridge but usually has thermals too ,so ridge flying technique discouraged. It's often cold at Ave S, and a club guide is ncessary to naviagte landowner issues. Huge...

I think Joe's talking mostly about turbulence-induced stalls. He says that with spring weather, weird and unpredictable stuff happens on final approach. Since we have no choice but to fly through this stuff in order to land, we need extra airspeed to ensure control. Every stuent learns that in class...

And Now For a Little Controversy by Me Me Staff Writer "High Times", the SHGA newsletter, went out of business today after 5 members muttered to themselves, "I'm paying for this with my dues?" Then it was back in business after 150 other active members declared the issue really f...

Consider Trex decking, indestructible wood substitute. I have it at home, extremely warm and natural to the touch, no paint, splinters, damage ever. http://www.trex.com/deckscapes/2003/deckdreams.asp This is stone color, but there are many color options now: http://www.trex.com/image/showcase/father...

Oh Jeez, wait a minute. I replied to Larry's last post, telling him he can delete it as long as nobody replies . [As long as nobody replies, there's an "X" next to the "edit" button. As soon as somebody replies, the "X"--which deletes the post instantly-- disappears.&qu...

Larry, The answer to the frustration may lie in the italics below: How do I edit or delete a post? Unless you are the board admin or forum moderator you can only edit or delete your own posts. You can edit a post (sometimes for only a limited time after it was made) by clicking the edit button for t...

Great work everybody, amazing achievement in very short time.

Personally, I like Option B the best. I wish the deck area on the left side provided shade, like the one on the right.

Very impressed by them all.

--Christian

Thanks! My daughter Drake was 13 then, now she's 17. I dont mind her getting older....

Want us to tear down the old gazebo while we're at it?

It would be a sure sign of progress.

And it would take 36 minutes.

It's good to think about it even if you never plan to do it. The first obligation in an aviation emergency is not to hurt anybody else. This means choosing the lifeguard stand to crash into instead of the sunbathers. In powered aircraft, the deal is you agree to die rather than kill. Really sobers p...

The charts certainly make your point. I've heard there isnt much thermal activity at SB. On these days, do conditions encourage thermals or is it lift from the sea breeze? What's the mechanics of the relationship between our northernly and their southerly winds? ARe they related to each other, in ci...

The up side of stainless steel wire is that it doesn’t corrode.The down side is that it doesn’t corrode! If you fly in the salty air of the coast, then having wires that are resistant to corrosion is a real plus. However, because they don’t corrode stainless wires may not display any visual c...

Ole'Chris is pulling your chain all the way from Australia, Jamie. He hasnt touched a Kagel tie-down in months. The veterans will tell you we all rely on tie-downs too much anyhow. They allow us to set up a lot of gliders close together on crowded days. Other sites dont even have them, so they're a ...

Keep a piece of light line in your harness pocket, use as tie-down, take it with you when you fly. The anchors are sound. As of Tuesday, only a few of our existing tie-downs were serviceable. Any of us can replace them anytime as a public service to each other. Cheap line is fine. Problem is the lin...

Don;t worry, I didnt invite them to dinner. Still, any guidance our SHGA FS committee wants to pass on would be useful for us members in dealing with the dirt bikers. If they're smart they'll organize and make a pitch for their track as the best way to confine off-road to one area. I admit I was int...

UPDATE, Feb. 14, 2007: We havent had all that much rain this winter so far, but the Kagel Ravine work is holding up well. With a few lessons. --Our pick and shovel "rolling dips" were pretty much obliterated by one light Forest Service grading recently, just before the rain (although the ...

Re-taped the streamer yesterday to the top of the "cooked pole." That pole, PVC over steel, is our symbol of conquest through invincibility. The other streamers at foot of launch and on western knoll are in good shape. The pole was gang-tagged, so is the concrete work for the Kagel ravine ...