From the Oz Report:
Michael Grisham
MagentaBlueSky
Las Vegas
Posted: Fri Feb 2, 2007
After work instead of trying to fight the Los Angeles traffic I decide to stop by Dockweiller even though the wind is only 13 miles an hour and not soarable. As I park my car I see a compact car with the ladder rack and Oregon plates. Swapping out my work cloths in the parking lot for the more casual beach bum attire I ready myself for some flying fun.
Paul Thornbury has two students taking turns on the Condor as I approach the slope. The wind is only eight to ten coming straight in, perfect for the first day students. Paul and I exchange greetings. Paul says that Joe Greblo is here along with this “hang gliding aerodynamic theorist� from Oregon. Well in all these years of hang gliding I have never meet Joe so this is going to be a special day for me. Paul motions toward a 195 Falcon white with a red leading edge. Under the Falcon is a young man, in harness, hooked in with dark black wavy hair protruding from the helmet in conversation with a small-framed older man resembling Buddhist monk.
Bingo, it hits me. I am about to join in the melding of the new and the old of hang gliding theory and ideas. Before me is Steve Seibel and Joe Greblo. As I approach, these two are engaged in deep conversation about yaw, roll, and rudders on hang gliders. I introduce myself and join the conversation.
The afternoon is spent in an exchange of ideas and demonstrations, playing with the dynamic forces acting upon a hang glider.
Hanging Gliding Instructor Tammy Burcar shows up from Fly Away Hang Gliding in Santa Barbara and joins in.
I finally get in four flights just before sunset but the wind was just about nil.
Paul, Tammy, Steve, Joe, and I just can’t stop talking about the thing we love most as we watch the sunset in the ocean to the west and the full moon rise in the east.
A special day with special friends in the family of Hang Gliding.
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knumbknuts
Huntington Beach, CA
Fri Feb 2, 2007 5:10
Having only been to Dockweiler a few times, I've never met Joe, but his work in "Color of Night" is my second favorite part of that scene.
minor threadjack
Paul is a super-nice guy. I could, and did, make myself look like one step up the evolutionary chain from a lawn dart with some of my first "flights." Then, slogging the glider back up the sand, I looked like a cross between Homer Simpson and a monkey humping a football. But, Paul's enthusiasm, attention to detail, and generally nice spirit made it all as fun as it could be.
/minor threadjack
Though windsports is not my primary school, I really appreciate the work Joe has put into that place, especially getting it back open. Even on Santa Ana days, more often than not, the wind floats in over beautiful waves and up gentle dunes. It helped me keep continuity going chasing my H2 rating in winter months.
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Davis
Site Admin
Location: Godfrey's, Manilla, NSW, Oz
Fri Feb 2, 2007 5:31 pm
I expect to see some results here, soon?
Feet as rudders?
Landing then flaring?
Special Day At Dockweiller February 1, 2007
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SHGA Communications
- Posts: 106
- Joined: Sat Jul 15, 2006 11:20 am
- Location: Hang Gliding Capital of the World
Corrections:
1. The location of the eblast item "The view of Kagel from 12,000 away: oops!" is here:
http://shga.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=592
2. The distance between Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia, is approximately 7,500 miles, not 12,000.
3. Although 50 percent of Harvard Medical School graduates are in the bottom half of their class, that does not necessarily mean your doctor is stupid.
1. The location of the eblast item "The view of Kagel from 12,000 away: oops!" is here:
http://shga.com/forum/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=592
2. The distance between Los Angeles and Sydney, Australia, is approximately 7,500 miles, not 12,000.
3. Although 50 percent of Harvard Medical School graduates are in the bottom half of their class, that does not necessarily mean your doctor is stupid.
