Sylmar Hang Gliding Association

Well, my first Kagel flight in 2.5 years did not go quite as smoothly as planned. I did not connect my radio cables to my helmet thinking that I would have no problem hearing Greblo through the built in speaker, WRONG.
While setting up for my landing approach I was twisting my head down to hear the radio and as a result lost sight of the numbers in chunks not just frames. I did hear something about left as I was making right 360s. When I finally turned on down wind I was looking straight ahead for a while until I realized I better make a quick left to base and final as I was getting way too low. After a "holy shit" base/final I did manage to land more or less where intended on my feet.
My bad decision not to plug the damn radio in almost had dire consequences for myself and the club. Thankfully no dust devils or other nasties were present.
Thank you Joe for your patience and assistance and I will see you next week with full helmet radio communication and an approach to write home about.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCveh0hFqs4[/youtube]

I guess this should have posted to the safety section instead

I think you could have turned to base 6 seconds earlier than you did. The sun was low in the sky so conditions looked smooth enough for low approach. Measure your angle to the numbers every 2 seconds to allow more precision.

You almost landed on the new bike path. I can assure you it is Not smooth.

Exactly, base/final too low.

Here is a Olympic style grading of your video/flight:
launch was good +1
artistry was good +1 point
staging was good +1 point
first failure to turn to base -1 point
second failure to turn to base -2 points (some judges are more critical)
recognizing need for short base +1 point
excellent control during final +1 point
complex hand transition at trim +1
choosing mild conditions for first flight in 2.5 years +1
four letter word -1 point
excellent documentation of drought in stream bed +1

You did great and you look like you were having so much fun.

dhmartens wrote:Here is a Olympic style grading of your video/flight:
launch was good +1
artistry was good +1 point
staging was good +1 point
first failure to turn to base -1 point
second failure to turn to base -2 points (some judges are more critical)
recognizing need for short base +1 point
excellent control during final +1 point
complex hand transition at trim +1
choosing mild conditions for first flight in 2.5 years +1
four letter word -1 point
excellent documentation of drought in stream bed +1

You did great and you look like you were having so much fun.

I would expect no less than this breakdown form you!