GoPro Hero3 Firmware update

I've had a lot of troubles using the WiFi remote on the GoPro camera's. One month ago, a new firmware version was released. It took me quite some time to get it all working today, but both cameras seem to react nicely to the WiFi remote now. Turned them on and off multiple times and the camera's kept getting connected. So let's hope it works just as well on the glider next time too...

Quite a shame it didn't work 2 days ago. The colours with splendid from above, with the blossoming rapeseed and the bright green grass. Next time though...

Maiden flight with the Moyes Litespeed RX4

I couldn't wait to test-fly my new RX4 and yesterday provided a brief good-weather-intermezzo, so even if I a had to back in time for a games night with friends, I just had to go and test it. The weather was predicted to be overcast until midday but was promised to be very nice afterwards. And indeed, it turned out to be that way. Rigging was done under a clearly unstable, but still overcast sky:

To my surprise, not even a single other Belgian hang glider pilot showed up. The forecast was good, where were they? Whatever, William (a PG pilot and our tug pilot, what a combination ;-) ) and I had a good time in the sun (which appeared from 13h30) and I had the chance to fly my first thermals with the RX.

And what a pleasure that was! Quite a low ceiling, but very enjoyable flying. Both in terms of the weather and in terms of the glider. I had to land after an hour already, because I needed to go... But I had a huge smile on my face :-) Look at that:

I love the way the colours turned out (they combine my curved tip Spyder colours with the red-striped Combat past), I absolutely love the handling of the RX4 and I had a great day out. One to remember!

Come on Covert, make it back across the pond, I need you!

Flying over Flanders

Last Sunday was a special flying day for me. My first flight over Flanders, my home region. A winch towing club, de Hoekse Vliegers, just North of Flanders, in the Netherlands, already invited me a couple of months ago and now it finally worked out. I set myself a 100 km out-and-return task Hoek - Tielt - Hoek because conditions were predicted to be pretty good, although the sky was grey when I arrived in Hoek. At 11 o'clock, things started to clear out and the sky looked very nice by the time I was set up.

Egbert was a super friendly host and Jan did a great job on the winch. I was towed up just before 1 P.M. with cloud base still pretty low at 800 m. Here's a quick video mashup of the towing action:

The first thermal only took me to 700m and it took me a while to reach cloud base for the first time, but I was on my way and really enjoying the flight. I was surprised to find out that the thermals were pretty turbulent, because the clouds looked nice and there was almost no wind. So I expected nice smooth circles, but the reality was that quite some work was needed.

Didn't spoil the fun though, the view over Aalter, seeing my home town Ghent in one side and the Belgian coast on the other side, was great. Sadly no option to land at the beach, because this is Belgium after all, it's just one big CTR/TMA with a just few spots available to free flyers...

Anyway, I needed a low save at my turnpoint, but after that the flying conditions improved dramatically and I just cruised back to Terneuzen. I was pretty cold after those 4 hours and loved the sun on the towing field. And it was time for a cloud-cooled Red Bull which had gone along for the ride. First 100 km out and return in Flanders on the first attempt. Good fun!

Here's the tracklog:

Long time ago already...

I notice I haven't posted anything since Australia... So it's still ok to post the last view I had of Forbes airfield. Stunning, right?

Bye bye Australia, hope to see you again!

19th HG Worlds - Day 10 - Task 9

A 240 km task was set, starting a little earlier than the previous days (1:50 PM). The day was beautiful with cumi's and associated strong lift everywhere. Cirrus caused some shading for a 20 km stretch near the second turnpoint, but other than that you couldn't have asked for more. This was the Australian weather we came for! It finally happened :-)

Unlike yesterday, there was plenty of time for launching today. I had time to reach and optimal starting point and there was some true racing going on for the first 140 km. 80 - 90 km/h glides between 4 - 5 m/s thermals. It felt good to be racing with the leaders, haven't done enough of that this championship.

I lost some time at the edge of the cirrus band, where things got slower and I missed a thermal that seemed to shoot Christian Ciech into the sky. Than I took a wrong course line under a dying cloud, but saw Primoz or Paris again at the 3rd turnpoint. They made it in and I should have as well, but I feared the day was dying and wasn't patient enough. I landed at 6 PM and saw gliders flying over my head for the next hour. 213 km out of 240 is not bad, but it is only good enough for 51st place. Such is the level at this World Championship.

17 made goal, but most remarkably, not Manfred, missing goal by 5 km. This significantly reduces his lead over Alex Ploner, now down to 15 points. The winner scores close to 1000 points a day, so the battle for victory is extremely tight between these two. It's going to happen today!

19th HG Worlds - Day 9 - Task 8

Finally a less windy day and a 192 km triangle was set. Rest day for the drivers as the task committee put it. No Belgian has ever flown a 192 km triangle, so I was pretty keen to make goal ;-) The task committee wanted to make it a race (single start gate), but they did include later start gates for those unlucky with launching.

Because I'm quite far down in the standings and launching was slow yesterday due to the turning winds, I was launched 25 minutes before the start gate opened. It was 9 km from Forbes and I was going to be hard to get to the start in time. I found a good thermal 3 km behind the start gate and when I flew back to start, I was 5 km behind the others and had a height deficit. Not good, when everybody takes the first start.

Initially, I raced hard and started catching up with pilots. After 40 km, I raced for a field which had 5 dusties, sacrificing a lot of height, but the resulting thermal by far wasn't as spectacular as expected and I had to take the relatively slow climb now. No chance of catching up with the leaders anymore.

It was good flying, but I had to make all the decisions. A bunch of pilots followed me, but they never went out into the blue. So, I took the risks and got low and slow on 2 more occasions. 15 km from goal, the day faded and I had to be extremely patient in a thermal that drifted more than it went up to avoid an outlanding.

Anyway, I made sure I could get to goal and enjoyed the evening colors:

As expected, lots of people were already in goal, as gaggle flying does pay off on those blue days. It took me 5,5 hours and the leaders were an hour faster than I was.

Biggest triangle flown by a Belgian :-)

I enjoyed flying it a lot.

19th HG Worlds - Day 8 - Task 7 - Over and out

A 200+ km task and I only managed 30 km. I guess the next worlds are in 2 years time...