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  • in reply to: Concertina Bag Reccos #9279

    Don’t know if you saw mine, but I have the Ozone light-weight clip version (vs. zipper). It makes my packing life 100% easier, keeps the glider neat when stowed away, and opening it up on launch is no problem. I think the zippers are more prone to break, more expensive, plus there’s the added danger of accidentally getting the glider caught in the zipper. 😓

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    in reply to: New Driver Available! #9278

    Awesome! I saw Tim and Gene trying to fix the mower last Sunday and asked if they’d be able to clean up the overshoot LZ for the students. I’m happy and super grateful they got on that right away. Wohoo!😍

    in reply to: Dust Devils are Fun #9179

    If anyone here has a passing interest in dust devils or wind gusts…

    Uhh that’s meee!!! 😆😜 Seriously though, that’s a crazy spike! I hope I never get caught in something like that. 4:00PM would seem like a ‘safeish’ time to land, but obviously sometimes not so! Terrifying.

     

    in reply to: New Driver Available! #9141

    It’s nice to see you so enthusiastic! 😁 Might be good to start a new thread for this project, so it doesn’t get lost here. Also try posting it here for more exposure: https://www.facebook.com/groups/marshall.crestline/

    in reply to: New Driver Available! #9119

    That’s super exciting! Congrats again! I’m sure you’ll have loads of fun out there. PLUS, you’ll probably get to go fly in Brazil! Looks like such a beautiful place. Looking forward to seeing you out there in the air when you’re ready! 😊🙌🤙

    in reply to: PG Landed Out – June 7, 2020 #9003

    The Crestline guys often land out by Hwy. 18 on a round dirt patch that’s behind a chain link fence when they get too low to land elsewhere. Not sure if we’re talking about the same area, but late afternoon yesterday I was headed down Hwy. 18 and saw a PG pilot with his wing bunched up, getting ready to go over the fence. I stopped on the turn-out, would have offered him a ride back up, but I was heading down the hill first. I asked him if he had a ride, and he seemed like he was going to find a way back up, so I left.

    in reply to: “Landing” field safety #8936

    @ Jana Pivkova I think you should read what, “John Benario” had to say,(again): — “The page mentions that because of two pilot to pilot lawsuits the RRG is going to run a loss this year, and warns of long term viability because of suits like these. One of the suits being about” “a collision between a kiting glider and a glider coming in to land.

    We are not disagreeing on this topic. All of us are advocating for safety and mutual respect. We all want to be able to land safely, wherever that may have to be. That means talking to people who seem not to know any better, and asking them politely to get away from an active landing area. Next time you’re sitting at the LZ watching people kite and you see a problem brewing, please get up and nicely go remind the pilot on the ground to clear the runway. We all need to pitch in to keep everyone safe & happy.

    Jana wrote:“Do we then fine hang gliders who can’t land in their own part of the field? Or just paragliders kiting their wing too close to the line”? Seriously? You Really said that?? You honestly think that kiting a PG is more important, than a pilot attempting to Land their glider,(PG or HG)?? Before you answer; re-read what John Benario had to say, above. Do Ya get it now? Because i believe the usage permit that CSS has for their club members ability to fly; i think it’s contingent upon an insurance policy, being in place? What are ya gonna do, when it’s gone? Or maybe you haven’t thought it? If something isn’t done promptly; it is an accident waiting to happen, and another lawsuit, just waiting to take the RRG under. I already have a plan in place, if that happens, and i’m still gonna get to soar gliders legally; what are you going to do?

    I believe it was you who began talking about drawing lines onto the grass, fining people and calling the cops for crossing lines. I was merely pointing out the fact that your suggestion was unrealistic and ineffective. I think it’s obvious to most people who read my post, that I ask everyone to keep an eye out and respect each other’s space, especially pilots who are landing. Doesn’t matter what you’re flying.

    We need and welcome the newbies, their presence will keep the club going for years to come, but that means there’s a potential element of danger. We can mitigate that danger by working together to educate those who (for whatever reason) missed that part of the lesson. None of us want more incidents or accidents, which means we need everyone to be proactive when we see a potential problem developing.

    in reply to: “Landing” field safety #8921

    Fining people for crossing the line seems unrealistic, since the whole field should be open to anyone who needs to use it (unless it’s a busy afternoon with a lot of incoming traffic). Do we then fine hang gliders who can’t land in their own part of the field? Or just paragliders kiting their wing too close to the line? Who would volunteer to stand there and fine people all day for doing that? Calling the police? No way.

    We have hundreds (if not thousands) of landings at AJX every year without incident. Hang gliders and paragliders are able to share the area quite well, especially when two skilled & aware pilots are coming in at the same time. It’s very rare that anyone needs to use the extra space to land whatever they’re flying, and most people with good training are able to have a good landing just in front of mid-field.

    Personally I’ve only really seen a couple of visiting pilots needing to go all the way to the SW corner, or overshoot. That was usually in the morning, or at noon when there wasn’t much head wind. When there’s not much wind, the conditions for kiting are poor anyway. I don’t know what goes on during the weekdays, but on weekends when I’m there, it all seems to work out OK.

    I’ve had a visiting hang glider pilot walk right in front of me carrying his wing across the PG section without looking around first. I was over the grass making my final approach, and I had a choice; I could either land on top of his glider into the wind, or go land elsewhere and run it out. I ran it out. I didn’t go lose my s**t on him, I figured he made a mistake and someone else already said something to him about it. So everyone, please try to be civil.

    We don’t need fines, we don’t need to call the police, we don’t need raging. We need good communication skills. As they say, it takes a village. If you see someone doing something wrong, walk up to them, smile, introduce yourself and say “Hi, how you doin’? Just wanted to let you know that there’s people landing behind/in front of you, so you’ll need to ball up your wing and take it over to the shade structure to clear the landing area as soon as you can. Thanks a bunch and happy flying!” Not only will the person be more likely to comply, but they won’t walk away feeling hurt or angry, more likely to be spiteful. They’ll even want to come back to AJX and maybe pass the info onto their flying friends. Just my $0.02.

    in reply to: First Flight in Lake Elsinore #8864

    I hooked up with an instructor there and spent Last Saturday on the training hill. Then hopped off Marshall on Sunday and again yesterday. While far from perfect, my landings are precisely where I intend, due to my history.
    I’m in no rush to fly Elsinore as Crestline is a great fit for now. Down the road, when I’m looking for something new, I’ll check it out. There’s so much to explore around Crestline. No doubt it will keep me busy for some time.

    Just a reminder that Crestline is a P3 launch. If you’re a P2, you’ll still need your instructor present when launching Crestline. 🙂

    in reply to: “Landing” field safety #8863

    Well-said Jonathan, and others. Let’s be considerate of each other and do a better job of sharing our LZ.

    I recently put together a paraglider/hang glider approach diagram that I hope will help people stay a little safer. I had guidance from Stephen, Dan & Jordan. Keep in mind that this diagram should not make anyone feel like they’re entitled to the marked space, or that everyone must adhere to it at all times. I know that the wind direction & other conditions can change depending on what time of day people are landing, and (as Jordan mentioned to me) that some paraglider pilots like to make their approach over the parking lot. I also understand that not everyone will have perfect approaches and might need additional landing area, even if that means cutting into the kiting area. We should all keep an eye out and make space when necessary.

    AJXTopViewParagliderHangGliderApproach2

    AJXLZ_Diagram4

    Paragliding instructors do ask students to watch for incoming traffic and stay out of the hang glider landing area when kiting. These are brand new people probably on their first or second day lesson, and everything is so new to them. They’re in the process of learning so many new things! Sometimes they are full of adrenaline, preoccupied with a challenging task, and they forget that they should be watching for pilots coming in. The instructors keep an eye out as much as possible and ask their students to put their wings down or move when they see someone setting up an approach overhead, but once in a while a student might get dragged past the cone at the wrong time, or the hang glider needs more space than might be anticipated by those on the ground.

    If you see someone in the wrong place at the wrong time, don’t hesitate to go up to them and let them know they need to move. Please be nice about it. Let’s keep a positive, friendly atmosphere for visitors and newcomers whenever possible. We all make mistakes and nobody enjoys getting raged on. It might be a new visiting pilot, or a student practicing kiting without an instructor present who may not be aware, or has forgotten where they’re supposed to be. It happens! Nobody is perfect. 😉 Driving instructors ask us not to speed or tailgate when we’re working on our drivers license, but many of us still end up doing these things (not always on purpose) once we’re out of their sight. Humans! We’re imperfect! 😳😅

     

    in reply to: First Flight in Lake Elsinore #8689

    Thanks Ken! It was a fun day! I hope to do it again sometime. A change of scenery and a new challenge is always interesting. 🤩

    Mitch, thanks for providing the info. 😊👍

    in reply to: Website Weather Sorry For the Delay #8525

    Big THANK YOU! to all of you for taking the time to work on this. It’s awesome that we have members who not only know how to do this stuff, but actually volunteer their time & efforts to get it done. 😁💗

    in reply to: Beautiful Saturday – 5-9-2020 #8424

    Nice! Lol.

    in reply to: Sunday 10 May 2020 Mom’s Day #8389

    That was awesome!!! 😄 I wish I got it on video, but I figured you had your GoPro going.

    The other person was my dad. He dropped me off on Marshall so I could get a flight in. 😁 I had a lot of fun yesterday! It was better than the day before. 👌 Actually got a few hundred feet above launch even after 6:00!

    in reply to: Beautiful Saturday – 5-9-2020 #8375

    Nice time lapse & pics! That topography map with a black widow(?) makes me think of some Indiana Jones adventure flick. 😄

    I launched at 5:39 from Marshall (kind of late) and couldn’t stay up longer than 35 minutes. Oh well! Still nice to get a flight in though. 😊