Strange glider

Fledge · Post by **Fledge** » Wed Sep 09, 2015 9:32 pm

Anyone know what this glider is?
Who is the pilot?

mario · Post by **mario** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 3:50 am

That glider looks loopy!!!
I know who you are because my brother Carlos flew with you for years!
I'm sure there are others in the club that will remember you.
Does this mean you are still flying?!?
Mario

gregangsten · Post by **gregangsten** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 8:53 am

Your clue:

Steve90266 · Post by **Steve90266** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 9:29 am

This almost looks like one of those strange Eipperformance gliders.

Fledge · Post by **Fledge** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:51 am

mario wrote:That glider looks loopy!!!
I know who you are because my brother Carlos flew with you for years!
I'm sure there are others in the club that will remember you.
Does this mean you are still flying?!?
Mario

Mario, yup, still flying. The photo is me (this past weekend) just after landing at Sandturn, near the Big Horn mountains in Wyoming. Can you believe this wing is 36 years old? I purchased it in late 1979 for $1200 and the price did not include cover bags ($55 extra). The glider is 100% stock, no modifications. No damage over the years, and only minor wear and tear on the sail. If a hang glider manufacturer was to start making these again, I'd be the first to buy one even if it only gets a 10:1 glide. This thing is a flying go-cart. I love it.

Steve90266 · Post by **Steve90266** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:55 am

Who was the manufacturer?

Fledge · Post by **Fledge** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 11:06 am

The manufacturer was Manta. The glider is a Fledge 2A. It has 142 squares and weighs about 55 pounds assembled. Manta now makes landsailers.

mario · Post by **mario** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 3:17 pm

Harry,
Great to see you and your ol' Fledge are flying!
I recently took Carlos' Aolus out for a test flight at Crestline. Someone there by the name of Crazy..... had a Fledge 2 that he was going over to prepare for flight again. I was impressed with the weight and the size of the control frame for comfort. I believe that a modern version of the Fledge would be popular as there has been some trade off between performance and handling in modern gliders.
My first real training was on your older seagull III in NorCal!
It would be great to fly with you one day. Maybe Colorado next year?!?

greblo · Post by **greblo** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 4:34 pm

I don't see where you've been properly introduced. Everyone say hi to Harry Martin; very famous pilot, originally from Sylmar, big big contributor to the SHGA, artist, cartoonist, author and of course really nice guy.

You've seen lots of his cartoons in HGM, Oz Report, and almost every other HG periodical

Fledge · Post by **Fledge** » Thu Sep 10, 2015 7:18 pm

mario wrote:
It would be great to fly with you one day. Maybe Colorado next year?!?

Mario, I'm planning a trip to Colorado next summer for a week of flying. Our paths may cross.

Lynn McLaughlin · Post by **Lynn McLaughlin** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 7:02 am

Harry, What a delight to see you're around and still flying. It's been many years since we crossed paths. SHGA remains a huge fan of yours and I still see your t-shirts on our pilots. Hoping to see you again some time soon...

Fledge · Post by **Fledge** » Fri Sep 11, 2015 7:13 am

Hi Lynn,

Thanks for the kind words. I'm thinking I may come out to fly Kagel when cabin fever takes over. Flying in Wyoming is a winter challenge. My sons are nearly grown and so I'm having more time for travel these days.

Sylmar Hang Gliding Association

Strange glider

Strange glider

Who 'dat?

Strange glider

Strange glider