Cheers Gus! It certainly was a lot of fun to fly, and I'm really looking forward to next summer when I can settle in to flying it properly and hopefully take it XC in the Alpes.

I weighed all the various parts of the glider just before spray painting, and it came in at around 70-75kg (155-165lbs). I weigh in at 66kg (147lbs) the way my mother first clapped eyes on me, so probably under 150lbs when dressed for polite society! I'll have to dig out my notes to see what the painted weight is (not 100% sure I re-weighed it.)

I've just started work on Pilot Pod #2, which will be a composite monocoque construction using a carbon/nomex/kevlar sandwich for the hull and sills. This will eliminate all of the wooden parts (internal longerons, ribs, frames bulkheads and the heavy wooden floor/door) and make it more 'curvy'! I'll also loose the skins along the insides of the pod, exposing the control wires, levers and joystick for easy inspection, maintenance and modification. I'll keep the main foot-launch door, so it remains a Class 2/4 glider for regulatory purposes, but will modify the design significantly. I'm also shooting for a one-piece lexan canopy that will extend well forward of the rudder pedals - I found the forward bulkhead/frame at Sta 0.0" obscured my view a little. I may have to experiment with heat forming the lexan to help it conform to the compound curves. Pod #2 should be considerably lighter than the existing pod. I started working on the templates for the Pod #2 plug yesterday - it's good to be making stuff again!

All the best,

Phil.

Great, I usually say Wow when going up but if it is really a sharp bump "Ouch" . I loved the big grin, I guess that says it all. I calculated your tow speed and it seems to me you were close to the top design speed of the glider,...Will you do that again? Are you only going to fly in France on your holiday? I thought there was soaring in Britain (Ireland too?) but of course there is the problem of a slow enough tow. If it was cooking I would think a car tow might work.

Towing up behind a trike is a really pleasant ride - fast enough for precise and responsive control without any drama. Towing up behind the Icarus C35 ULM was a different experience - much faster response to lumps and bumps in the air, meaning I had to react quickly to stay on top of it. That said, the glider handling was precise and responsive - at no time did I have any concerns (well, not after riding through the thermal at the end of the runway) about the strength of the glider. The worst part of towing up at that speed was the rattling of the rear lexan farings, which were noisy to say the least! Remember, I didn't have the underside wing-to-pod faring strips installed, leaving a big gap for the wind to enter the pod behind the pilot. I expect the noise and rattling to all but disappear once they are installed. I'd have no qualms about towing up behind the C35 again.

I won't be flying the glider in Ireland this winter, until I have the air brakes working propery. My pull-rope to open the air brakes was not well positioned and made fine control almost impossible. I've just fixed that by installing an air brake lever that is much easier to operate and control. Launching in Ireland will be done using a bungee system (already built and tested using a Swift!) from our usual hang gliding launch sites. However, I will need a lot more landing practice with glide slope control using the air brakes so that I can reliably stop the glider in a defined spot on the airfield before I risk flying here. Fields in Ireland tend to be small and are always surrounded by either tall hedges, stone walls or trees! I don't want to scuff my paint job... or shorten the glider against a field wall!

With the solar farm at the end of the runway at Aspres generating a constant, monster thermal, car towing up into it is a definite possibility if I use a long enough rope to get a decent bit of height. I'm not sure the airfield manager would approve... but what the eye doesn't see...!

All the best,

Phil.

Phil Lardner wrote: Launching in Ireland will be done using a bungee system (already built and tested using a Swift!) from our usual hang gliding launch sites.

All the best,

Phil.

Is that then from a hill and do you have to have the wind into the slope for it to work? The bungee launch video you loaded was on flat ground. Got a picture of the hill setup?

Hi Don - I've just uploaded a quick compilation of Ken Hickey bungee launching from Mt. Leinster, Co. Carlow, Ireland, using our newly completed bungee system. Works a treat!

You don't need any wind to bungee launch off the side of a mountain - the bungee gets the glider up to flying speed in just a couple of seconds... though you may need a breeze to keep you up if there are no thermals! Cross wind launches are indeed possible (within reason!) though we haven't tried that yet.

Phil

Absolutely beautiful...