Mon 23 03 09

[helimed01]

Mon 23 03 09 (13.45)

Foggy start to this morning which cleared to reveal blue sky by 10.00. Dave had a couple of hours of forward launch practice before the wind increased to allow reverse launching.

What a difference a day makes. I left Dave alone to practice and he was doing really well. Getting the wing up turning and holding it steady above his head facing into wind and turning again to continue holding the wing overhead before bringing the wing down under control.

Dave spent until 13.00 ground handling practice with only a couple of short breaks. He is really working hard. This afternoon I will intoduce an imitation throttle for Dave to hold whilst ground handling which will add a bit more difficulty.

Tonight I hope to take Dave through the motor, pre flight checks, hang positions, starting procedure etc. Also allow Dave to walk around the field with the motor on his back at different revs to allow him to experience the sensation of the running motor and what happens regarding torque sensations and recession.

Simons Trainee (Eddie) flew today. We were all watching and feeling the anxiety that Eddie was no doubt feeling. The wing came up awkwardly on his first attemt but he aborted the take off attempt using the technique was instructed to do. Second go was good, he made a good committed run at full power and was off the ground. He flew a few circuits before making a nice controlled landing.

Pete B's trainee (Ken Togood) was also ready to fly this morning having had previous flight experience. His wing came up a little off to one side and some slight over correction caused a bit of a zig zag run, just as the wing settled and started to lift Ken off the ground he lifted his legs a little early and fell over. Luckily the only damage was his pride. Ken spent the rest of the morning consolidating his error and practicing ground handling ready for another attempt tonight.

To be continued.