Long Weekend Flying in Lumby

People stated rolling in Friday afternoon.
Louise and Brian went up Saddle and both managed about an hour in strong sharp lift.
By Saturday we had 10 campers at the Freedom Flight Park and there were  lots of other flyers around eager to soar but it wasnt so good at Coopers. Sunday there were some good flights around the course for anyone who was ready. Many went to Baldy for a flight back towards Lumby. Monday the window opened up early and some 25-30 flyers got good flights around the course. Some gliders were over launch shortly after 10am!

Peter Hamming corkscrewed his Freedom from launch to 8000' in under 10 minutes and it was good to see Tim Staal back at his old home base getting some good air again.

Anyone who waited too long got caught on launch in the normal wind switch at about 2pm. A good reminder to go when its good!

It was great to see and hear the energy around the fire again every night! Good official start to the season!

2010 Canadian National Hang Gliding Poster is Done

This is just HOT off the Press

A 11x17 full color poster will be given to all entrants of this event as a souvenir.

Over $10,000.00 in cash and Prizes

Please print off an 8.5 x 11 on your printer and post it at your local home, office, club house, pub or hanger.

Local awareness of these national events is good publicity for our sport.

For more info visit www.LumbyAirForce.com

If you would like a higher res version please let me know.

The Pilot is local Lumby Air Force Member Luc Mailloux launching his new Wills Wing T2C in prep for the 2010 nats.

Hope to see you at cloudbase in Lumby sometime in 2010.

Peace and Plenty of LIFT

Randy

www.RavenAviation.ca

May 15 is a good day at Coopers

The sun brings out the crowds today
Aprox 25 gliders fly.
Some several times.
9 hang gliders on launch.
I had a student do a high flight so I am close to last off for a test flight in a new Wills Wing U2.

a bit of work to get up as the wind has shifted to a northerly flow and the lower thermals are like bullets.
After reaching 6000 feet I am on course and finding no shortage of lift at all turn points.
The U2 has a very good sink rate, climbs well and tracks very well at high speed. Some minor low speed adjustments to make and this wing will be super sweet!

She is now ready for sale!

May 13 Soarable in Lumby again

12000 ' of altitude by Zedenek
Scott and Greg sky out too

May 12 Great Hang Gliding and Paragliding in Lumby

I get a 1.5 hour test flight on Peter Dessen's new U2 145. Sweet again

John McClintock races over 100km around the valley over 4.5 hours and up to 12000 feet!

Zeneck Urban zooms around for 2.5 hours.

Brian Saunier gets high and has fun too

Great day to break records

Test Flight New Wills Wing U2 145

Tuesday May 11, 3 new gliders arrive from Wills Wing

I choose a 145 U2 and get off Coopers later than usual.

The wind is coming over the back and thermalling up the front every once in a while

I head north off launch climbing and work my way up to 6500' over the valley and Saddle.

The U2 flys great. handles well, tracks well, thermals well and has a fantastic glide!

The sail is very clean.

After an hour of flying around the valley I land her easily on the runway at the Freedom Flight Park.

I am impressed!

She is for sale. Delivery after the Canadian National Hang Gliding Championships In June in Lumby www.LumbyAirForce.com

www.RavenAviation.ca

One month until the start of the Lumby Air Races and The Canadian National Hang Gliding Championships

Since mid May is usually the official start to the best flying in Lumby and we only have a month till our big events, I thought it would be fitting to start a blog.

I will post flying news whenever possible over the season ( Till mid Oct)....

Yesterday Coopers Launch in Lumby turned on and Luc and John
McClintock went to cloudbase (9800') and raced around the valley.

Peter Hamming has been working on the launch with a big excavator and loader and we can now comfortably set up over 100 gliders.

Most of the stumps are also gone  from the new south launch and the danger trees there are gone too.

Another Soarable Sunday

http://flylumby.blogspot.com/2010/04/april-25-2010-lumby-rocks.html

Luc Replaces Windsock on Coopers Launch Lumby BC Canada

Lumby Air Force Member Luc Mailloux makes a new windsock and replaces an old one on Coopers Hang Gliding and Paragliding Launch above Lumby BC Canada, Home of the 2010 Lumby Air Races June 11-13 and The 2010 Canadian National Hang Gliding Championships June 13-19

Test Flight on Jo Mckenna's new Freedom 190 Hang Glider

She showed up by truck from North Wing unscathed. Set up easy. I moved the kingpost to the forward position and she glided hands off.

Easy launcher. Freedoms are the easiest glider I have ever launched period!

Flys clean at trailing edge and tips at top speed 47 mph.

Very slow flyer with my weight at low end 20 mph. . I could not stall her only in a whip stall. and she broke clean.

She turns very flat. Light bar pressure in pitch. Felt pitch stable and a bit roll unstable which is normal for type.

Soared for close to an hour off Coopers up to 5k in blue thermals and light lift with red tail Hawks and Ravens : ) Weak day compared to yesterday.

Perfect for testing though.

Turns Easy Peasy

Nice slow approach

Perfect landing at target : )

She is a winner

You will love her Jo!

Flying into the future for FUN

These new lite trike flying machines are a whole lot of fun!

Basically motorized hang gliders.

Easy to fly, light, portable, slow flying, soar power off well, affordable and as safe as the nut behind the wheel : )

Learn to fly one today

www.RavenAviation.ca

The Lumby Air Force will meet this weekend to clean up Coopers Launch.

THE UNCONQUERABLE MIND

What stops us from following our dreams of wanting to learn to fly or anything else?

This little poem has a few clues : )

THE UNCONQUERABLE MIND

If you think you are beaten, you are;
If you think you dare not, you don't;
If you like to win, but think you can't,
It's almost a cinch you won't.

If you think you'll lose you've lost,
For out in the world you'll find,
Success begins with the person's will:
It's all in the state of the mind.

Think big, and your deeds will grow,
Think small and you fall behind,
Think that you can, and you will;
It's all in the state of the mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are;
You've got to think to rise;
You've got to be sure of yourself before,
You can ever win a prize.

Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster person.
But sooner or later, the one who wins
Is the person who thinks they can.

Bucket List

Andrew shows up today for his Trike/Motorized Hang Glider flight lesson and he is excited.

64 years young and its time to start knocking off bigger items out of his bucket list, he says.

He had a ride in an ultralight 10 years ago and thinks about it all the time. In fact he bought enough pieces over the past few years to build a trike and he bought a wing.

Before he flew it he thought he should have a lesson because he really knew nothing about flying. I told him that was a VERY good idea and he better let me look it over before he tries flying it.

He found the number for Raven Aviation, called and now he was here and ready to fly. We pulled the trike out of winter storage, ran it up, set up the wing, gave it all a good pre-flight inspection talked about our first introductory lesson and buckled him in.

We taxied down the freshly rolled grass taxiway to runway 36 and back tracked to 18 at the Freedom Flight Park.

We sat in the sun and went through the pre take off check list and then opened the throttle to full power.

300 feet down the runway we broke free of the grass and we were climbing like home sick angels in the cool 6 degree spring air. We flew over the town of Lumby and then over the hang glider launch on Saddle Mountain.

The thermals were lifting us higher. Within 2 minutes we were 2000 feet above the Flight Park and going through lessons one and two, shallow turns and straight flight.

After 30 minutes of practicing Andrew was getting it all real good and it was time to get back to terra firma and warm up. I demonstrated a couple of tight 360 turns so he could see how maneuverable the wing was. He was thrilled.

He could hardly wait to experience the landing though. We touched down on the bulls eye at 25 mph.

When we rolled up to the hanger he was very happy and looking forward to getting back for his next lesson.

I swear he looked 10 years younger after that flight. His smile was wide and he had a boyish kind of perma grin going on. An extra skip in his step. I am sure he will be thinking of that flight over and over until he makes it back. And so he should. Its another way to practice.

Flying is like a reminder for some people about what its like to really be free.

Especially when you wait 10 years between flights. Not sure I could have waited that long : )

Its all a great reminder for me too.

I feel blessed that I have chosen to do what I Love and I love what I do.

RauckOn

The Flying Season Starts Now In Lumby BC Canada

Hang Gliding is starting a bit early this year thanks to El Nino.

Many great events are planned for 2010.

HPAC and USHPA

Hang Gliding Instructor Certification Course June 4-7

Winch Tow Clinic June 8-9

Lumby Air Races June 11-13

Canadian National Hang Gliding Championships June 13-19

Fly In Music Festival July 23-25

More details at www.LumbyAirForce.com

Hang Gliding and Trike Flying Lessons at www.RavenAviation.ca

Full Immersion Lessons Available

Learn to Fly Solo with Confidence in a week or less!