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By Dave Saffold
In Santa Barbara, where we may - well - be spoiled rotten, fun - quiet flying cannot be ignored anymore. The more people get out and around, the more they see folks a glidin' 'n float'n - above the mountains and town, over the cliffs and sea, and around the hills, parks, and fields. As flyers who understand the need to fly, and the desire to try it (after seeing that it can be done safely) we know that we inspire people to try it, whether we want to or not. Fortunately, we are blessed with a local training hill, recently magnanimously saved, located on the beautiful; Elings Park Preserve, which is one of the premier learning sites in the world. Sending the flight desirous out to the hill places them in the midst of not only a wide open California Preserve, but also the company of other, generally early stage flyers. These beginners always under the careful watch and direction of flight instructors who understand the beginners needs and who sincerely take joy in helping new flyers realize their dream safely. Elings Park is a dream come true for thousands, perhaps millions! The learning situation at Eling's Park is established now at a high level. In my opinion, it can only be slightly improved. One thing that may be fun and valuable, is a radio control glider preparation course. In this way, students can actually do a great deal of learning to fly from "outside" of their new flying situation, from the un-confusing perspective of relaxed non-motion. I had never flown a RC glider when I taught some experienced RC flyers (Scott, Rolan, and Sean Angel, Aaron Fredrickson, and others) to Hang Glide and was Blown-away at how all they really needed to know was how to put on the harness. They really just pick up the glider and fly it!! Another improvement that I think is possible would be a cable - retrieve - winch that would allow a flyer to attach any glider to a pulley with some kind of attachment, on a cable stretching back to the top of the hill which would then be pulled back to the top of the hill quickly. (in 10 seconds say) for rapid fire action of hang 2's and up. The cable line could be quickly un-tentioned and on the ground during all flying, but could be raised tightened, and set for retrieval, in seconds. As the flyer with the most climbs up this hill ever (6,000 and counting), and in one day (22 with a 38 pound glider), I look forward to "racing my glider" back up. If anyone needs a workout, they can always wrestle their glider back up. Learning gliders will get safer with even surer tracking and even surer-stopping flairs. Video tapes can be used more for education, flight log use or backing-up (proof), and because of the greater success, greater fun! The tandem situation locally is great! Many flyers now able to thrill and educate "non-flyers" and other flyers. Rich McCandless and I made the first local tandem flight, down the Elings Main Hill in 1974. I remember how our weight made the glider "lumber like an elephant". Now gliders are specifically made for the task. I remember flying tandem with my brother Rich, at Elings, on a garden-plastic sheet sail! In the spring of 1985, a record of three tandems flew at once at Wilcox on Frame (hang) gliders. My brother had become friends with supermodel, and local girl, Kathy Ireland, and they had a great flight on Riches Moyes Maxi. I flew around and kept an eye on them (ha ha). Mike Harrington took his sister up on a sensor 510, and Woody Woods also took up a girl. Tom King, Chad Bastian, Robert Brown, Tom Truax and others have lifted scores of thrilled passengers up and away for "day-making" flights of fancy and beauty. Jeff Gritsch recently celebrated his best friend and wife Irena's birthday (and his too!) by flying with her on her first flight ever, all the way to More Mesa and back! Jeff took me up at the cliff for my first tandem there ever. It was so trippy (and dreamlike) to, for the first time, look past my hands with nothing in them, at the familiar scenery. Like I said, the local tandem situation is great! |