kasper Posted May 3, 2016 Posted May 3, 2016 Completely different experience in the air - eg flying a drifter is a three axis and lovely light on the controls etc but in a weighshift you 'feel' you are flying the wing ... hard to explain but its just not the same connection to the feeling of flight in the drifter as I get in the weightshifts ... but do not get me wrong - I LOVE the drifter and it is the most fun and bang for the $$ in the open rag and tube ultralights I have flown
boleropilot Posted May 3, 2016 Posted May 3, 2016 yeah m8, I get what you are saying - man do I miss paragliding....
rankamateur Posted May 3, 2016 Posted May 3, 2016 flying a drifter is a three axis and lovely light on the controls etc but in a weighshift you 'feel' you are flying the wing ... hard to explain but its just not the same connection to the feeling of flight in the drifter as I get in the weightshifts So it like the difference between riding in a sail boat and riding a sailboard. On the sailboard you are part of the machine and you can't just go along for the ride....so when the weather gets rough you just have to tough it out!
kasper Posted May 3, 2016 Posted May 3, 2016 So it like the difference between riding in a sail boat and riding a sailboard. On the sailboard you are part of the machine and you can't just go along for the ride....so when the weather gets rough you just have to tough it out! Good analogy Yep, you are flying the weightshift and it is an extension of your body ... no free rides so to speak
kasper Posted May 3, 2016 Posted May 3, 2016 yeah m8, I get what you are saying - man do I miss paragliding.... I almost miss skydiving ... but my problem was I much preferred canopy work and 'flying' the wing than plummeting towards the ground for a minute then rushing to get back on the ground to do it again. And if my knees hold out (and I lose a few (or lot) of pounds) I might get back into hanggliding for retirement
facthunter Posted May 3, 2016 Posted May 3, 2016 The difference is the need for the effect of gravity. Essential for control of weightshift. Not required for three axis. A 3 axis is controllable in negative "G" situations. I would argue that enables you to be more a part of the machine, and operate it as an extension of yourself, with much more freedom. Nev
boleropilot Posted May 3, 2016 Posted May 3, 2016 I almost miss skydiving ... but my problem was I much preferred canopy work and 'flying' the wing than plummeting towards the ground for a minute then rushing to get back on the ground to do it again.And if my knees hold out (and I lose a few (or lot) of pounds) I might get back into hanggliding for retirement that's EXACTLY why I gave up the big days at the gliding club, pushing gliders around all day for the end result of 30 minutes of instruction - gotta be a part of the club scene, can't just turn up for a flight - I get that but man it's a pain I always thought the best part of skydiving was being under canopy, so when I discovered paragliding I was over the moon - until that damn mountain got in the bloody way!!!!!!! right leg 'snapped' betwixt knee and ankle, top section buried itself into the ground - twas a hard hit - fractures are simple to fix (ask Barry Sheene) - my damn ankles give me hell every day BUT - I will never forget sharing a thermal with a huge wedgetailed eagle (friendly, thank the lord) or being at 5,000 feet, relaxing in my armchair - wild stuff, guys... BP PS doing my BFR and some XC work with Peter at Gympie tomorrow.... 1
benjam Posted May 4, 2016 Author Posted May 4, 2016 [quote= PS doing my BFR and some XC work with Peter at Gympie tomorrow.... Hey Bp. Have Fun. Dont break it. I want it on Saturday.
boleropilot Posted May 4, 2016 Posted May 4, 2016 what, you starting your training already? keen, I like that - but then again, what's not to like when you strap on a Drifter btw, any further thoughts on the strutter you were looking at? I'll do my best with the Gympie machine m8 but can't promise anything, haven't flown for about a year...mind you, I do got 200 hours up so I should remember some of it...hang on let me think - ah yes, it's coming back to me - stick forward, trees get bigger, stick back, trees get smaller - yep, I'm on it m8..... cheers BP
benjam Posted May 5, 2016 Author Posted May 5, 2016 Thanks for the poling tips. Trees smaller, trees bigger. Got it. Nothing new on the purchase front. Might wait until I have a bit of time in it first before making the decision. Also have to ensure there will be an accessible and affordable hangar available. The iron is in the fire, though.
M61A1 Posted May 6, 2016 Posted May 6, 2016 Go easy on the "stick back- trees get smaller" thingy.....they do for a short while, but if you hold it back too much, the trees will get bigger again, and possible rotate around you. It can be a little disconcerting when you get thrown forward in the harness (pilot fwd of centre of mass) with not much in front of you. 1
benjam Posted May 6, 2016 Author Posted May 6, 2016 No worries. I will ensure the trees don't get too big. Cheers.
boleropilot Posted May 28, 2016 Posted May 28, 2016 g'day again Ben - haven't heard from you for a couple of weeks so thought I'd say g'day - saw your post on maintenance, big difference betwixt 912s and those scary lil 2 strokes in that respect RAAus have changed the rules since I did my course (2008) so now you don't get automatic L1 qualification with your licence - not sure what the process is now but no doubt it will mean more exams and more little letters on your licence the Big Deal with maintenance is the club environment - at my club (the famous Talking Tigers) all I have to do is say something like "got a tiny problem with X - can you take a peek for me Grummy?" and within about one minute there will be 4 very experienced aviators swarming over my Drifter, looking for anything else that might not be ticketyboo - my expectation is that all clubs would be the same as soon as the spanner set comes out, they're like flies to a honeypot mate - any chance to potter about with a hairyplane (including advice) is what we all love to do... enough on that subject - how's the training going? and on that subject, Peter tells me you have a little experience with things that fly, which of course makes me blush about me giving you advice... 1
benjam Posted May 29, 2016 Author Posted May 29, 2016 Hi there BP, It is steady as she goes re the training. I am back there on Tuesday coming for for more circuits. Solo last Thursday. What a hoot! Advice about aviation matters is always welcome. You never know what tidbit of someone else's experience is going to come back to you at a critical moment and help you out. I have only 4.0 hours of taildragger time now (in the drifter), and bugger all OCTA currency so I am am bit slow off the mark. I am also expecting the 582 motor to stop/cut out every time I put the power to full. Peter has been great. Not much gets past him. I am getting the impression about the sport pilot community that every one is happy to help and advise when questions are asked. And that certainly is part of the appeal for me. It seems that the ADL drifter might be in need of a new engine and gear box imminently, so I am still in two minds. Anyway, the drifter in ADL is still for sale, I am still on my student licence and my ducks, while on the move, are not yet in a row. Good to hear from you, Cheers, Ben
boleropilot Posted May 29, 2016 Posted May 29, 2016 g'day Ben - solo must have been a hoot alright - congratulations! by now you must be getting the idea that there is nothing in the aviation world like a Drifter - so exposed, so out there, so scary (to many), so brilliantly simple yet so bloody robust - sometimes I think you could whack one of these little puppies down just about anywhere if you needed to - have you had a crack at sideslipping yet? on the wall of my study I have a framed cover of Sport Pilot magazine November 2012 - in the photo I am sideslipping into Boonah airfield, I am looking off to my right (where the aircraft is going) but the nose is pointing way off to the left - my 'turn and slip indicator' (6 inch piece of red wool attached to the bottom of the windscreen) is laying flat against the 'screen to the left, showing clearly that the aircraft is going quite sideways at that point... one of my most prized possessions, that little framed pic cheers for now m8, keep in touch, looking forward to seeing you at Boonah one of these days (get Peter to include Boonah into one of your navex exercises on the third Sunday of any month, for visit + lunch) BP
benjam Posted May 31, 2016 Author Posted May 31, 2016 Well I will have to check that photo out. Sounds like a good one. I will endeavour to make it to Boonah one of these days. I will let you know when I am aiming to get there. Cheers
boleropilot Posted May 31, 2016 Posted May 31, 2016 scanned it - hope it comes out ok...pic taken (unfortunately) a week before I fitted a new windscreen... BP 2
benjam Posted June 1, 2016 Author Posted June 1, 2016 Thanks Dave. Very impressive! Looked like a nice day for flying. Cheers, Ben
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