The thermals are strong and unless you are training 4 or more hours a day for the comp most people don’t launch till after 4 in the afternoon when the air is calmer. Afternoons are turbulent with 12 ups (meters not feet!) not uncommon at this time of year so why struggle. The next few days are devoted to hanging out with the worlds best accro pilots and perfecting wingovers with the 80/20 weight shift /brake method given to me a few days previously by Alex. The trick is to swing as radically as is sensible out of the harness hands up on the dive maximising the lean at the bottom and following through, something like the timing you did on the swings when you were a kid. Hold this weight shifted position applying only enough brake at the 5 oclock still on the dive to keep the wing open plus a little more on the side of the turn. Too much brake especially on the dive kills the gliders energy. This method soon builds enough energy to send you looping upsidedown over the top of your wing with max g and lovely tight lines and of course is great fun. With the right timing the results compared to what I have been getting previously are spectacular. I go to bed happy as Larry the apprentice Jedi and get ready for full stalls which are next on the agenda with deep stalls for good measure.
No comments:
Post a Comment