Releases

[Tad Eareckson]

Didn't do my homework thoroughly enough. Earlier today I searched my files for references of Richard Thorp and was a bit surprised to find him to be one of about 98 individuals registered and activated for Kite Strings. u$hPa 79628, Houston area, registered 2012/11/28 18:59:55 UTC, never subsequently logged in.

Leaves me a bit more ticked off to not be credited as the individual first recognizing Bobby's moronic bent pin piece o' crap for what it was, publicly declaring it so, implementing the sane alternative.

http://www.chgpa.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2871
speed link

JD Guillemette - 2008/02/07 12:51:57 UTC

For these same reasons, It just bothers me when people try to "improve" upon Bobby Bailey's designs ... simply put, the designs are at the maximum of efficiency and safety. So I'm right back to where I was. I see no problem in the way things are currently done and creating overly complicated mouth actuated releases is just a waste of time.

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=822
US Hawks Hook-In Verification Poll

Bob Kuczewski - 2011/11/04 15:17:15 UTC

You've had a platform here to make a pretty good case, and I think I'd prefer a straight pin myself. However, I do feel that the BIG DEAL you make about the differences is somewhat overblown.

"Two plus two equals FOUR!"
"Well that's YOUR opinion.

Gawd how I despise about 99 percent of the individuals infesting this sport.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.kitestrings.org/post9666.html#p9666

Tad Eareckson - 2016/10/01 04:19:40 UTC

That's the best information we're ever gonna get on what popped him off course (tow) - motherfucker. Any comment?

(Releases - previous page.)

WRONG - as Brian pointed out to me 2016/10/03 16:26:59 UTC. The best information we're ever gonna get on the 2016/05/21 Jeff Bohl was, of course:

http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=47939
The "how" of loosing Jeff
Christopher LeFay - 2016/05/22 18:21:11 UTC

deleted by Davis without a word from him or a condemnation from any of his Dedicated Sycophants (including Christopher) but rescued and preserved for all to see by Yours Truly at:
http://www.kitestrings.org/post9418.html#p9418

[<BS>]

Nice save of Christopher's post. Its having been deleted is a testament to its value.

[Tad Eareckson]

- Lucky catch. But thanks anyway.

- Goddam right. Always pay the most attention to the stuff they don't want you to see and/or aren't saying.

- I'd KILL to get a copy of this one:

http://ozreport.com/10.115
Jim Rooney

Davis Straub - 2006/06/03 14:31:57 UTC

Walk and talking, but not running (Highland Aerosports)

Jim's back at Highland Aerosports from New Zealand after his stay in the hospital there after not hooking in when he was doing a tandem at Queenstown and falling fifty feet after the glider smacked into power lines (the passenger was okay with minor burns). There is lots of material on Jim in the Oz Report and on the Oz Report forum. Do a little searching if you want to check it out.

I've put a video of Jim's crash (he spent the thirteen seconds of the flight trying to climb up into the control frame) up on the Oz Report Radio web server and it should be available soon.

Jim seems like a reasonable representation of himself here, no longer walking with a cane. Sure makes you feel good about the human body's capability to be repaired and repair itself. Bo Hagewood is another example of this - he is doing much much better. Makes me feel that Jim Lamb will come back better than ever.

Doubt it was ever actually made available though. If it had been I'd think we'd have seen at least some fragments floating around the web. Guess we just hafta settle for:

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P.S. Fuck Bo Hagewood and the horse he rode in on too.

[Tad Eareckson]

Jump to next post:
http://www.kitestrings.org/post9730.html#p9730

Another great - and very sad - smoking gun video that I'd downloaded within 24 hours of its posting - 2012/05/08 - and pretty much totally forgotten about. Prequel to 2012/10/03 Bob Buxton:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2oeb0nNIKs
Bob Buxton accident
http://www.kitestrings.org/post5902.html#p5902

two days shy of five months later; same payout rig, spotter, guy with hat, launch area; different pickup (unless it was painted).

Give that above link another skim - I've just amended it with an additional seven stills from the truck camera footage and a 25 stills sequence from a camera at launch.

This video... Think I'll waste some bandwidth and dump the whole archive in this post and comment on the sequences within in subsequent ones.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SemB6QMR1c
Bob Buxton HG Launch

PGseanB - 2012/05/08

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SemB6QMR1c


The Sling Machine Tow Platform Lauches ANY HangGlider....

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Jump to top:
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[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SemB6QMR1c
Bob Buxton HG Launch

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Uvex helmet. Ubiquitous in the early Nineties. Light, full face, keeps your head from freezing, nice for wiring in a radio headset, idiot ear cutouts - we were all going to stall and die if we couldn't hear lotsa wind noise all the time. Got mine at Hyner 1992/05/23, patched over the idiot ear cutouts, flew it the rest of my career.

This is NOT the helmet you wanna be wearing for pile-driving in headfirst the way Bob did and my call is that Bob WOULD have survived in much better shape with a REAL helmet but it's still moronic to discuss helmets with respect to an incident involving an easily reachable release, misrouted bridle, driver and spotter asleep at the switch.

Let's just note that if ever there were an incident calling for a discussion about helmets this would be the one. And nobody in any of the mutual masturbation societies has ever breathed a word.

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Hydraulic tension gauge and regulator for monitoring and controlling towline pressure. Keep a careful eye on it at all times 'cause if the towline pressure is smooth and reasonably constant it's a no brainer that glider's doing OK.

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Catch the abrupt change in...

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...camera tilt?

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Any thoughts on...

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...why? The towline snagging on the sage...

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...was a significant factor in the acceleration of the lockout and...

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...severity of the impact.

Yes. NOW...

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...would be a good time to have a hook knife poised to enable the spotter to fix whatever's going on back there.

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[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SemB6QMR1c
Bob Buxton HG Launch

This works a lot better flipping through the stills as a slideshow or, better yet, watching the freakin' video but the following eleven shots, taken every tenth frame, illustrate a surge cycle - with the glider describing a counterclockwise oval motion against the background. Pretty much continuous throughout the climb, makes one a bit queasy watching it on the freakin' video, something to do with the brake and disk I'm pretty sure - but I can't recall or figure out what.

Use the end of the keel as your reference point:

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Couldn't resist capturing the sequence (had to go back, major pain), may be useful for something somewhere down the road.

[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SemB6QMR1c
Bob Buxton HG Launch

These fifteen frames cover the easy reach, pull, inconvenience mush, recovery...

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And of course this is in glassy air at a couple grand at a low tow angle with light tension and absolutely nothing going on. And of course the reason Bob doesn't immediately abort this mostly lethal bridle-over-the-bar situation...

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...is because he simply fails to appreciate the precariousness of his situation and foolishly elects to try to fly his way out of it. Right, Boychick?

Note that when one's flying an easily reachable release one makes the easy reach, pulls, resumes flying the glider, pulls in, and waits for the glider to start flying again. Whereas with a release that DOESN'T stink on ice...

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[Tad Eareckson]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SemB6QMR1c
Bob Buxton HG Launch

Horizon match:

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Phoenix...

http://www.ushawks.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1157
Accident information please.

Bill Cummings - 2012/10/04 22:21:40 UTC

I got a call a few minutes ago and was told a pilot by the name of Bob Buxton had an accident while PL towing near Phoenix.

...area.

Further search:

http://azhpa.org/forums/topic/bob-buxton-updated-1-28-13/
Topic: Bob Buxton (Updated 1-28-13)

Scott Buxton (I SOAR AZ) - 2012/10/04 01:49

My dad Bob Buxton was involved in a hang gliding accident towing in Rainbow Valley today. I don't know much details about the accident, so I can't really give details on what happened. I do want to update everyone on his condition. He was air-vac to St Joseph's Hospital and is in ICU. He has bleeding on the brain and is responding to small commands such as lifting 2 fingers and wiggling his toes. They are planning on doing another cat scan of his brain at 7:30pm. He is sedated and incubated to help keep him calm because he is confused and combative. We are now waiting for the second cat scan to be done and determine if the bleeding has stopped or has worsened. I will keep everyone informed as much as possible of his condition. My family and I appreciate all your thoughts and prayers.

623-210-7990

Rainbow Valley.

Funny little curvy intersection at dry streambed / draw...

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Plus:

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to now make things REAL easy.

33°11'11.67" N 112°22'31.03" W
West Patterson Road
South Bullard Avenue

That's where we're flying from and landing at on the evening of 2012/05/05. And on the fateful 2012/10/03 launch we're flying from the other end of the road (length - 3.84 miles)...

33°11'20.30" N 112°26'38.39" W
West Patterson Road
South Rainbow Valley Road

...straight true East, early afternoon, light north cross:

014-04221
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3806/13745948525_5582fa1a40_o.png


(Note dust drift.)

DAMN, I've wanted to know that location for a long time.

http://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7076/14029723565_5434f03cf0_o.png

---
P.S. - 2016/10/21 18:55:00 UTC

This is NOT:

46-32829
http://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5791/30354000351_58fe52058c_o.png


(as I'd originally stupidly thought) a curve in the road. Fisheye lens effect.

[TheFjordflier]

I'm not much into towing, but was looking at this video from Germany.
What kind of release is this pilot using? Never seen it before.

http://vimeo.com/130790687
Bad Turbulence
Thomas - 2015/06/15 19:38 UTC
14.06.2015. Germany, Eifel-Area at Winds of 28-35 km/h and lots of Thermals and Turbulences.
I was surprised by the strength of the Turbulences and lost control for a moment.

Stills:
http://www.kitestrings.org/post9749.html#p9749