t_andrews

Do I detect some anti-shake post processing in this clip Andy? If so, please do tell what was used. Nicely done either way.

I'm afraid the successful flights in video were almost 20mins so are served up via facebook. A few of you can see them there. Here are the fails and aborts. Do consider: 1) no one broke ANYTHING all weekend (even exhaust bolts that backed out stayed put due to wire tying) 2) We knew we were launching in rotor as it's river valley with prevailing 90 degree winds 3) these were worth it in the end Hopefully a yearly labor day weekend event after my first time. Enjoy [youtubevideo] [/youtubevideo]Watch via youtube http://www.youtube.com/user/zorackthegrate To see larger view in HD.

The f-36 is the new name for the solo210. http://www.recpower.com/hirth.htm Hirth is now the manufacturer. At least in North America. Didn't the FB monster switch to the F-33? http://recpower.com/f33.htm Or was it an MZ34? http://www.compactradialengines.com/mz34.html The old monster used to have a tuned pipe f-36 no? http://recpower.com/f36.htm

Rocketman Revo inspired riser mod as bantered about herein. Source webbing from an advance Epsilon 4 stock riser. To my surprise the split-A pullied ears kit was velcro'd on! It doesn't get any easier to retrofit to Fusion Risers. I've yet to load the lines with this installed, and wonder how well the pulley will settle on the line or if coincidental measurements work perfectly. These thumbloops should hang back out of the way of speedbar pulley right where one would want them - I hope. Pix link to larger versions: Edit: Measures 49.5cm from one end to bottom of pulley. 2.5cm of velcro fastening on the end. Edit2: Advance still has these available and quoted 30 Euro for a set plus shipping. Will snap a photo when next I inflate with these on to see how the fitment is. Comments welcome. Installed and flying @ takeoff trim:

Snippet of soaring Point Prim PEI, chasing an HG (I let him get away to keep my altitude...) In Neutral trim, a spoiled air toplanding was a vertical elevator ride down from 100 over launch. Sweet thing these trimmers. You're right Vince about video as review. It's part of why I try to capture what I can, to learn from.

Just back from Swine Flew 09 in New Brunswick Canada. Got a short test flight on headcam. For your viewing pleasure. -T

For those with a flytec vario, the HG model: of their windspeed sensor should suffice on a comfort bar and long as it's as far out in the airstream as possible. Even on a free flight setup the dangly version is a liability. I don't fly with mine often, but when I did it jived with the gps mounted on the nose of WJ comfort bars.

It even geotags the snaps you take and... https://buy.garmin.com/shop/shop.do?pID ... featureTab measure how exciting the flight is empirically, wirelessly. One day the old 76cs will give way for wireless in flight data comms. Wonder how rf friendly that is?

The story I heard sounded just like that; everything was cool until wing started taking load, then motor started getting light and climbing up armpits, notifying pilot there was a woopsy about to happen. Power down, face pinken to prove they're alive and aware of the luck that nothing was damaged. Tell story, embellish, repeat. That tandem looked underpowered and in light conditions. I've had a free flight tandem pilot tell me that it doesn't matter what you tell your passenger, their feet will do exactly what they want to do despite their head knowing better. "Run, run run" can mean meh, toddle along or sprint for your life. I think this pilot got mixed up with some toddling passenger and still managed to get them airborn.

Seemed like all the active flying stopped with this fellow's motor. I saw two very reachable grass fields that a spot lander might pick rather than beeline for earth. The sound of lines sliding on wire insulation? worse than nails on a challkboard. I suppose we are just looking at a video snapshot of this pilots learning experience. At least I hope so. When you don't practice parts of flying, even the birds can have a rough go. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zGEbVxr0mk&NR=1

Tip steering in general is very much like two line kite steering (foil or ILE) in that it biases the width of lift on one side. The suggestion to use but one of the three stabilos lends it back to the realm of differential braking. I would hazard a guess that the roll rate is not the same? I would expect the latter (single trailing stabilo/brake) to be more efficient a turn and trade roll rate and height (and grins) for the single feather adjustment of a lone stabilo. There is likely a spot too where speed and depth of input matches them up. Perhaps just another variation in the readily exploitable adjustability of reflex wings.

Has anyone simply put a harken pully on the Stabilo line while leaving it connected as it normally is in the Maillion? Sewn in some neodymium keepers maybe? Half the deflection a quarter the effort... How much travel does one *really* need for wingtip input? Sleeve the whole dealio in neoprene to keep lines out of corners. Ball or ring on the swivel. Although well thought out (paramania kit), it seems a bit of busy riser for the result.

There are a few tuned pipes out there for the 210, but the FB version will drop the torque peak a few hundred rpm and increase HP to 18-20 @ peak. If you have an intake silencer subtract HP/TQ as well as db. With a matched redrive/prop you can extract 120+ lbs thrust from a 210 which is the real world usable figure anyway I reckon. 210 is now the hirth f-36 as I understand it (and these are the folks who provided FB with tuned pipes at least at one point): http://www.recpower.com/f36.htm

I just noticed "Pitch stability exiting accelerated flight" in: http://flight.manual.free.fr/tests/para ... -26_uk.pdf See #5 and # 21 "accelerated ears" The test criteria say the trims are closed - so full slow, and they tested speedbar. This jives with the manual. Results from #11 are also interesting, although I wonder why the lighter loading didn't go parachutal. From my experience the Fusion has no real stall hard point at all (requiring some comfort in knowing where one's hands are and when it happens).

12Mpx. Takes AAs and offers 1:10min @ 640x480 video or 30min @ 720P (firmware limitation for 2Gb). Video: 720P 640x480 (This one was converted and sped up, but 640x480 is what it is) Photos (res @ 9Mpx but resized to 1Mb by photobucket): Panoramas (camera stitched) Sunset shot This cam ran 175$ CAD often on sale for 149$. It shoots some sweet video if it's stabilized by a head or mono/tripod. Kodak support warrant mention too as I had a flash fail and a self induced lcd crack that were both dealt with quickly and with to my door delivery of the repair/refurb camera. I have no qualms about suggesting this camera to others as the 720P video is a bonus feature that sold me aside from the incredible pix it takes in the hands of a photo luddite such as the author of this review.

"Maintain flight level in 2000 for half a minute" watch video for fuel tank size. And aerofoil size. Mad as a box of frogs on a cast iron stove I reckon. As we say on PEI Simon: Give'er wa. I have a friend up the road working on a pto PPC that's turbine based. It will be so very thirsty and loud that it will be exquisitely uncomfortable to be around for too long. I'm looking forward to it. And yours. Hey, make it a jetbelt News would pass you around a bit for sure.

Here is a similar commercial version: http://spectrumled.com/fixtures.htm Scroll down to: Flash Tube Technology Super Bright Strobe Light Kits These are Xenon flashers embedded in acrylic, I have 30 hours on the flashers to date. The circuit board wasn't built to handle vibes, and I went through a couple sorting it out, but if the flash frequency is set (dial on box) and then the box filled with silicone it holds up well for hours of vibes now (issue was cap vibrating off circuit board). Cage separation was a concern for me as well during travel, so I fitted some RC three wire connectors for a quick connect and left the wiring tied to the cage. Considering the voltage, it's best they're turned off for a bit before disconnecting leads... Cheap easy solution folks. I just have them flash behind me as I want those folks seeing me before I can see them. You can't lose for 6$. I've run them on a 9v battery before.

Good point Dave. This is one that we all usually get away with until something large enough to add a little awe in the mix makes it a pre-flight check. I once flew around with a big sandstone beach rock middle-wing trailing edge until someone showed me a photo taken mid flight and the offender became shadow obvious. At least a pound it was. Easy to miss when being chased around by airborn bloodsuckers and sweaty from a flightsuit. Picked it up from a beach landing and took it home and stored it until next flight. Good thing they didn't come flying out on inflation eh? Also glad it wasn't a grasshopper or cricket. Damn mandibles. No more hitchikers, part of the post flight and pretrip now. Fine bit of advice.

That looks like the "where is that sandbar?" design. I have a friend who buys from them. They live in the shallow parts of the bay and don't charge a thing for the dynamic redesign. You don't even have to slow down! It's automatic! Richard/Norbert: Do you have any thrust or Db numbers? My Advance winglet was indeed a bad example for function as it is more of a brand stamp, but the intent/goal of the winglet is to extract/redirect the energy from the tip vortices after all, so it makes sense that those little sonic booms getting changed into a thrust vector adds something, or extracts something in trade off for noise, as the design model may determine. A draft excluder is probably as apt an analogy as any. It would get expensive tearing off a jet's winglet's after a crossed up landing. Top or bottom it's going to chop the wingwash vortice in half right?

What sort of Data are you collating Norman? I can't offer much more than subjective opinion, and admit even that is biased toward what I've flown and the limited conditions for those. I would suggest that any wing a pilot can adjust in flight is an extension to that pilot's toolset, but that adjustability found in powergliders is neither fully recognized nor appreciated yet in the free flight community. I cannot fairly compare my Fusion 29 with the Epsilon4 as the E4 has fixed geometry save speedbar AOA changes, and the Fusion has Risers that move like the world famous tides in the bay of Fundy. From my limited experience with the Fusion, on full slow trim it is as lifty as the E4 (with a couple more meters of fabric @31), but at the same time does not store energy as efficiently. It will roll a little faster, probably due to a shorter span, but also bleeds height faster for the same bank angle. All slow trim observations, where one would expect to free fly the Fusion. I haven't cored with it, so can't comment. Also as caveat, the Fusion benefits from 6 years of global PG development the E4 didn't have. You're right on with the compromise, as a faster roll rate is preferred when you've got a throttle to compensate with height loss. I will say I haven't had the E4 out of the bag since I first inflated the Fusion...

Do you have facility to measure static thrust as well? Nice seeing your sound level post - it would be even more fabulous (read: that was fabulous) to correlate prop manufacturer size and type. So many variables... I've only seen one prop with the tip winglets so far (I got to massage it with some bicarbonate and superglue), and I think the center of winglet lift was canted somewhere ahead of center of prop rotation. I will assume by virtue of that prop having a winglet at all that it was engineered for a specific rpm to soundly and directly interact with and redirect the forces normally wasted as wingtip (proptip) vortice and therefor supersonic noise. It makes sense that they are quieter and make more thrust than a similarly pitched smae diameter prop and that's the goal of the winglets, er wingtiplets, er, thingies on the end of the prop. I think in general they are a fabulous idea and would retrofit my current prop with stick ons in a second if I expected they would stay put for any length of time. The winglets on an Advance Paraglider, modern jet, all do the same thing. Imagine the curl seen here, getting put to use rather then getting left behind the wing, then use your mind to chop that wing in half and spin it I secretly think they ideal prop would be a mixture of scimtar (a la macro) and wingtiplet, but with the wingtiplet integrated into a larger proportion of the outer portion of the prop disc. Even in my imagination though, that is prohibitively expensive...

Tested mass is generally max mass placarded for tested size. That is, free flight max rated mass. At least from any EN tests or DHV test reports I've seen. Top speeds, for the most part, are a function of marketing until real data gets collected. Fusion size "X" @ xxxkg = xxkm/hr for example While a 105kg payload on a fusion 29 in testing might run 60km/hr full bar free flight, cage drag (for same all up mass) will change that. I'm interested in Pascy's response, but bet a pint on free flight max mass tested speeds only - at least in certification.

One item I discovered absolutely invaluable to me early on free flying to keep a speedbar out of the way until it's needed is a retrofit of "line keepers". These are the spring loaded plastic rigs that generally you find around lines on a draw string based cinch flytrap, winter boots at the top, or the bottom of an all weather coat or tent bag. One of these on each line just behind the last grommet before your speedbar will keep it up out of the way for launch and not hinder the use of it at all. Your points are certainly all valid Simon, I've found that trimmer range is all that's been needed to adjust to conditions so far. I did find myself wondering though if I could use bar to smooth out gusts in ridge lift as trimmers are not particularly suited for such a transient condition and could cause more problems if used as such. The video above doesn't show me sitting on one riser to keep from going back into the trees. That happened more than once in that flight. When the manual came out, another pilot suggested that the trimmer graphics take precedent over the manual which contradicts that and says it's ok for all trim ranges. Certainly fine advice as it errs on the side of caution, but I was hoping someone (perhaps a rare bird) that uses the fusion in free flight has tried it with or without success. The wing is touted as a dual purpose wing, and while ripping between thermals can easily happen with trims alone, in ridge lift the bar becomes the tool of choice to deal with variations of short duration as the reference is close proximity to snaggables when it's needed. With sufficient height, one can trade speed for height via trims. As I understand it, the AOA adjustment inherent in speedbar application introduces instability by the nature of it's function (@ slow trim or on a standard paraglider). My question is merely whether the Fusion remains *AS* stable at slow trim when speedbar is applied as the manual suggests. I would expect in turbulence the risk of a frontal increases proportionally with speedbar application (again: slow trim only) like any Paraglider as it would be trimmed as one. Actual observation of my Fusion vs my Advance Epsilon4 wing suggests that the Fusion goes beyond the trim setting (stock, line length established, unchangeable) of a standard glider toward where a standard glider would be in min-sink brake application. At least this is how it flies relative to my previous FF wing. At neutral or takeoff trim, it flies much the same - well, except for that roll rate... edit: btw thanks Whitters, the Revo is not far off the Fusion and a frontal "luff" such as you describe suggests the manual may need a tweak - was the left the unloaded side of your torque steer?

I've seen a video as well, and it was distributed without context. Pilot yanked slow trim while on bar, supposedly intentionally, subsequent frontal, loss of 50-75 alt and 180-270, return to regular flight, riser untwist, exit stage right. One persons nasty is another's day of test flying. Um.... here.. (Do read the comments to dispel some of the myth please) : In this case, manual says safe for all trim settings, trimmers do not. It is the conflict for which I'm asking for personal experiences. Anyone? I added the suggestion that maybe it was an excerpt from the action GT manual as I've seen typos previously which suggested manual re-edited for other wings which makes sense anyway (except typos). Wheel right here. No need reinvent wheel. I really didn't mean to point to a dead horse for more flogging. Sorry. Page 9 is what I was referring to: http://flyparamania.com/downloads/FUSION_manual.pdf If I find myself with height to try it in ridge lift, I certainly will, but this wing has been out for some time and would like to learn from others. I'm pretty sure it's just a matter of those who have done it seeing this to report their experiences. Here's a thirty minute flight jammed into ten - Kind of like Simon's time lapse fusion ride, but with the stuff in between. @ 7:20 I switch to takeoff trim from full slow. Was a nice calm flight for the most part, but x3 looks zippy - careful making judgments on sped up video. There is absolutely no speedbar used in the making of this video, but who doesn't like more flying videos?

Has anyone tried Speedbar on slow trim as the manual suggests is possible? (Maybe a leftover from the GT manual??) I know the trimmer visuals disagree, but I don't know that flicking a trimmer buckle is efficient (or timely) as a speedbar when dealing with gust factor in dynamic lift. I haven't yet had the height to try it - anyone else? I know reflex profiles add stability at speed, which I assume is why the manual and everyone seem to say give'er all the bar you want when on fast trim. Makes sense. If one is in light ridge lift (free flying) however and dealing with gusts, fast trim means sinking out and while I know you can adjust trim toward neutral and recreate some of the flaps with brake input, it is less efficient to fly this way (higher sink rate) and gusts can put you over the back. I know the safe answer - not what I'm asking. Input welcome on which is true - trimmer visuals or manual.