tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20110414.post3284252858647831291..comments2023-09-28T09:00:44.681-10:00Comments on Wind Lines: The Crown JewelUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20110414.post-19506555903701747102012-01-19T22:31:15.273-10:002012-01-19T22:31:15.273-10:00That wing on the front caption is awesome.
Nice s...That wing on the front caption is awesome.<br /><br />Nice shot Flystrong. Its only January and he's filling the calendar already.Thomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07508629374134042936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20110414.post-57983596878651497402012-01-18T11:06:15.385-10:002012-01-18T11:06:15.385-10:00Being gone for a while now and finally spending so...Being gone for a while now and finally spending some time reading this little article brought great memories. Great flight video and images. Good to see everyone standing up on the launch and giving helping hands. And congrats on that flight in a mini wing Alex.bfalkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10708716842769245305noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20110414.post-6144157548525349432012-01-18T08:15:20.583-10:002012-01-18T08:15:20.583-10:00Alex,
Hands down your best article this year! :P I...Alex,<br />Hands down your best article this year! :P I always like reading your articles, your wry wit and detailed writing was savored while sipping a Chai Latte. Wish there was more to read!<br /><br />I was hoping to fly one of the 3 days and even spent some deliberate kiting time at Sandy's in preparation on Saturday. I could shoulda woulda launched, but just weighed the factors and engaged the "better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air, than be in the air wishing you were on the ground" clause. Last thing I'd want to do is pooch the site for other more able pilots to fly. (As most of us know I'm conservative to an extreme until I feel comfortable...my current spiral addiction not withstanding)<br /><br />Thanks for sharing the stoke, always glad to come and bring water or help on launches to learn and observe. Every day I learned something new without getting my feet off the ground or getting muh girl Roxy wet/slashed/trashed! :)<br /><br />Thanks for always writing such awesome articles.<br /><br />=-) SharkySharkyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06078376589294032571noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20110414.post-52278625850328628462012-01-18T03:04:11.291-10:002012-01-18T03:04:11.291-10:00Alex,
I couldn't sleep again, I am posting thi...Alex,<br />I couldn't sleep again, I am posting this at 2:49 am after reading this possibly one of your best writes ever.<br /><br />I know I bitched about getting this read and heard you were getting writers block, wow. This one was worth it.<br /><br />I abstained from flying the first day, not liking the Westerly launch and the fact that we agreed that it was a P3.5-P4 launch that day.<br /><br />But Monday was great. I had fun in the lumpy air, had my best launch and beach landing ever on this site.<br /><br />I hope we all treat this like a gem and keep our cool there as much as possible. It would be a shame to loose it.<br /><br />I sent you some pics that you might be able to add in.<br /><br />http://www.flickr.com/photos/sidehillthom/sets/72157628925008519/show/Thomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07508629374134042936noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20110414.post-9559935451176383732012-01-18T02:04:03.711-10:002012-01-18T02:04:03.711-10:00I didn't realize that's what happened to y...I didn't realize that's what happened to you, Brent. By no coincidence, that's the same mistake that put the other two pilots in the water on the same day. And both of them are way more experienced than you, so it's not just a beginner's problem. Making last minute corrections is a hard instinct to override. A last minute 360 is a classic error that we see time and again at all our sites, and the result is never pretty. Glad you all paid such a cheap price for that lesson! Imagine if you tried that in a field of boulders, or over an old lava flow. Welcome to the club of those who are continuing to learn from our close calls.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06249789335111913420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20110414.post-20562634089614849842012-01-17T23:44:54.839-10:002012-01-17T23:44:54.839-10:00Thank you Alex and Duck for coming down to the bea...Thank you Alex and Duck for coming down to the beach to check on me and help pull my wing out of the water. Thanks B-Ray for carrying my helmet up the hill.<br /> Students and low airtime pilots be aware of a phenomenon called target fixation. I had picked out where I wanted to land and when I got flushed unexpectedly I made a bad decision to execute a low level 360 in order to get back to my targeted landing spot. In fact, I executed a low level 180 and a high speed down wind crash into the shoreline. A bruised ego and a sprained ankle were the result. Jim(1I) and JeffMc both had cautioned me in their own ways. Jim..."Dude your not ready to fly this site" and JeffMc posting about it being a "tricky" site. You were right and I was lucky. Someone said as a new pilot you start off with two cups. One is full of luck and the other is empty of experience. The goal is to fill up the cup of experience before the cup of luck runs out. I gained some valuable experience but my cup of luck is not quite as full.<br /> Thanks for the article Alex. Always look forward to your stories.<br /><br />Aloha BrentAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20110414.post-62481951915891711802012-01-17T17:19:06.755-10:002012-01-17T17:19:06.755-10:00Yeah, Paula, no offense to the campers at Kahana a...Yeah, Paula, no offense to the campers at Kahana and the BBQ families at Makapuu, but the people-watching opportunities at Diamond Head are just more rewarding in some way. <br /><br />It's true that the site is fairly difficult compared to our other sites. We try to make the flying look easy when we're out there but it's definitely a site best suited for more advanced pilots, and on some days only the most advanced. <br /><br />We generally don't worry too much about the statutes aligned against us, because the way most statutes work is that they aren't enforced unless there are actual problems happening. And we do a pretty good job of not causing problems most of the time. Thanks again for your great blog post.Alexhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06249789335111913420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20110414.post-52883206184601873092012-01-17T16:53:48.886-10:002012-01-17T16:53:48.886-10:00Really? You guys look at the beach bathing beautie...Really? You guys look at the beach bathing beauties, surfers, and athletes parading by? REALLY? LOL. <br /><br />I had no idea how precarious it actually is at Diamond Head, let alone the statutes determined to bring you guys down. <br /><br />I do not remember seeing paragliders when I was growing up in N.J., but I left there a long time ago.Paulahttp://lavagal.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20110414.post-33855462614523389832012-01-17T16:26:00.575-10:002012-01-17T16:26:00.575-10:00Thanks for the write up. Makes being in New Jersey...Thanks for the write up. Makes being in New Jersey even worse. Hope to be able to fly soon. Seems like the flying gets good when I leave town. I'll let you know when I am leaving again so you can get your gear ready. Have fun and be safe.Kevinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09850908736632776002noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20110414.post-5947156696112258602012-01-17T16:13:46.474-10:002012-01-17T16:13:46.474-10:00Alex,
- great story!
- I felt privleged to get val...Alex,<br />- great story!<br />- I felt privleged to get valuable local coaching, to fly DH, and most of all to be Don's wingman as we cruised near the DH crest on Monday at sunset<br />- I have some pics of you, JeffMc, Woody, and Don that I need to share and possibly inbed <br />- my thanks to all, looking forward to another week of HI PG flying!!!!!!Bernienoreply@blogger.com