Chase Cam Test 2 Vance Brand 616 ...617

Taking off the tail fins has helped but it still shakes.  Next I'll try a tail like a kite

Chase Cam 1 Vance Brand ....613 ...614 ... 615

The video speaks for itself. First chase cam flight in moderately bumpy air.

Repair Day

I visited Mike Bennett this afternoon and he kindly welded up my cage.  It was damaged so long ago that I can't remember exactly how it broke.  Probably the last flight out of Chatfield.  Anyway it has been splinted with a brass rod , zip ties and duck tape for a long time.  After the welding we looked at the chase cam and Mike spotted a deflection on the fins inside the bottle which was probably causing the swinging motion.  His suggestion was to take the fins off completely.
Mike is building some very light cages to mate up with Leon Wacker frames for the "Drift Innovation PPG Team" .  Drift is sponsoring them in a big way having purchased 4 wings and providing drift cameras.

Chase Camera Test #612 Vance Brand

Flash Gordon Chase Cam

It was blowing 8 to 10 when I got to the field.  The heavy snow from Monday had melted making it a little muddy but I thought it was doable.  I tied a bridal to the C lines in the middle of the right side of the wing.  The camera would come up and swing into the lines every time.  It was hard to tell if I had enough tether to get the camera flying in the right spot without going into the prop, but it looked right.

The launch was a mess.  The wind, that had been blowing hard, came down dramatically.   I set up the wing and took great care to prevent the camera from crossing any lines.  Well, ... while I was setting up, the wind shifted. I wasn't aware of it because, (like a dummy), I'd put up the wind sock by the truck instead of out where I could see it from the trike.  Needless to say the wing came up hard to the left and I had to abort.  I reset in nil wind.and blew it again because the wind had come up from the wrong direction just as I started my run.  This happened one more time before the wind settled down and I was able to get up.
I could see that the camera was flying off my right shoulder but I could also see that it was swinging left. and right.  The are was mixing and bumpy so maybe that was it.

When I got home and viewed the video the camera was positioned well but the swing was not acceptable.
Maybe Mike will have an idea when I visit him on Sat.

610 & 611 Vance Brand

Two Good Flights. 
The airfield was unnaturally quiet and I wondered if it was because the moron in charge had flown Air force One into Buckley for an anti-gun function with the Governor.  I'll have to admit that I hadn't checked for TFRs, but I didn't even know the president was in the area, until I heard it on the radio, on the way out to the field.  I unloaded the rig but didn't set up because  I was sure there was an FAA guy waiting in the shadows to bust me.  Like I was a threat to anybody with a contraption made out of Home Depot leftovers. After an hour of kiting the wing and playing with the dog a plane rolled out and I figured the flight restriction had been lifted.
The flights were uneventful which is a good thing.   The air was a bit unstable so I stayed close to the patch.  There were dark clouds with virga over the foothills and the wind was being pulled toward the storms.  I figured I could stay up as long as the activity stayed to the west and the winds were consistent from the East.
The highlight of the day was doing low and slow passes by the truck to amuse the puppy.

Stupid is as stupid does

Well..... Our favorite poster boy for mental illness has done it again.  Just two days after a video showing Dell having a mid-air with a student while attempting a "cage stand", another surfaces of Dell chasing a bird of prey for 7 minutes, kicking the frightened animal in flight.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5Eepa_TfFE

It sure lit up the big list.  Over 70 messages in less than two days.

Sure enough it was taken down by Dell who claimed copyright infringement.  Go figure ?  He is claiming rights to the video which will convict him.  An admission of guilt?  His aide says no, he filed the copyright infringement in the hope the true author will come forward to protest him pulling the video.

I will defer to Jeff Goin who spoke to the media.  His blog post summarizes the case well including in interview on Salt Lake TV.

 http://footflyer.com/Misc/Dell_Schanze_WPPGA/2013-Utah-Hawk/2013_Dell_Shanze_Animal_Cruelty.htm   

Here are links to Jeff's articles about Dell.

See also www.PPGTruth.com.

See also www.FlatTopParamotors.com

See also Dell Schanze, How to Deal With A Narcissist.

See also Dell Schanze, How to REALLY Muck It Up

See also Dell Schanze's Original Scam "Organization" WPSDA

See also Dell Schanze's New Low, a fake "Organization" to sell gear: WPPGA World Powered Paragliding Association

See also Dell Schanze Gets Entire Oregon Beach Closed to Paramotoring

See also Dell Schanze Gets San Diego's Imperial Beach closed to all Ultralights

See also Dell Schanze causes midair crash