PAPALOTES 2153 Issue 3 2009

M ay 17 - 2 0 2 0 0 9

KHK OBX

MAY 17 2009,

I was late to the closing ceremony and thought I

missed everything. Then I overheard some of the pilots talking about flying at the beach. It was overcast, rainy, and a gusty north west, so I thought they were joking. I heard someone ask who had a glider rack on their car, and playing along I spoke up and said I did.

In no time I was parked behind the shop tying down a glider. There was no way I wasn’t going to witness this.

We headed to a public beach access not too far away and we set up the falcon 195. It was wet and cold and soarable.

Lazer was the first to take off. slowly he bumped his way up the ridge and once we knew it could be done it was

p.1

on. TJ got some flights in. Then Brian and John. Johnny showed up and took a ride and showed us some true dune gooning moves. More pilots showed up and I can’t remember everyones names. I was just watching and learning (and taking pics and shivering). Everyone was pretty much just crabing north the only person who was doing down wind turns was Lazer. He was doing awesome. Lazer is the

p.2

Tug Pilot out at Currituck and all the experience shows.

He always seems stoked to be in the air. He was fun to watch especially when he zoomed by turning down wind.

p.3

MAY 18 2009,

Monday I went to the ICP clinic Paul Voight was giving and the weather was still wet with northwest wind. No one was planning on trying to fly the dune after and I need to pay rent and take care of paper work anyway. After I left the warehouse I thought I head over to the beach just to see if it were soarable. I caught a glimpse of a wing and sure enough there were some pilots at the hotels. Mark was flying the big new Moyes glider and Brian had his Pulse. TJ was taking turns on both. At first the wind was gusty and pretty cross from the north, but as the sunset it started to smooth out and even staighten up a little. Mark and p.4

TJ were getting to where they were soaring as high as the fifth floor.

The sky started to look beautiful and then my battery died. Again I was just watching and trying to

p.5

learn all I could before I took my glider to the beach. All the people in the hotels were out watching and taking photos. Some people were even getting into it, shooting and hooting when the made the gap over a boardwalk, and when they were making passes and getting higher. Brian was getting tons of flights in working on his H3. So as soon as he landed he was hiking back up to launch again.

Beach Flying isn’t prohibited or anything but it is usually kept on the “down lo”. Biggest rule is NO CRASHING.

p.3

MAY 19 2009,

Of course everyone at the ICP clinic found out about the Flying that happened the day before and we were all happy to finish early and head out to the beach. I loaded my glider and was ready to go.

We had a bigger group show up and Paul Voight and Jim Prahl even came. They had their own harnesses and I let them fly my Falcon. It may have been a little small for

them but they flew it very well. I probably flew 7 or eight times. For me Thats a lot of times to launch and land in one day. I’m starting to get used to launching that much or more now. For me and a few others it was the first time to ever fly at the beach. I learned some good tips from others and had a great time. I only tried a down wind turn once

and chickened out too soon, turned back and was headed out to sea, I came down with speed and did a POM slider right at the waters edge. I’m sure it looked cool but it wasn’t on purpose. It was getting darker and my lens was all wet and foggy, but I kept shooting. At about this time I realized, with such a mix of pilots, we were having a soaring “session”. Not

a comp, it wasn’t a Fly in. Some were locals but most weren’t, but nothing official or organized. We weren’t trying to pass anything off. We were just...Flying. Conditions were good (enough), we had gliders, and it was tons of fun.

Nicole from Quest had some of her first foot launching that night on the beach.

The next day,

MAY 20 2009, she got her Foot Launch and landing pass offs and had about 25 or more flights. Starting in the flats and then working her

way all the way to the top off Jockeys Ridge. We all did a little bit soaring that day too. I’ve been here about 3 weeks and have been flying almost everyday. I’m starting to really like the eaglets and Im so stoked to be flying with others. Especially because most of them are amazing YOUNG Pilots. Anytme the conditions get good were out pushing each other and keeping each other safe.

The greatest part of being here is getting the chance to teach people to Hang glide. Even if I’m dead tired, whenever I see some one catch on and feel the same Joy I get flying, I get super stoked. Every day I’m smilling and laughing like I was 10 years old and flying a kite for the fisrt time. Life is good.

-EM