Sloping Off - September 2002

News From The Andes
Overseas report filed by Oliver Kirkwood

Oliver has flown a Zagi from the Andes! 
 
The site was rock-rugged and shrubby, with  retrievals from landing out more than 20m away looking more than difficult. The breeze was notionally South East on a South West facing bit of Mount Pochoco, our local mountain! A condor wheeled another 1000m overhead.  The top of the mountain was in light cloud; allegedly 3 hours climb away/up.
 
Throw one, and I struggled to get in trim before the Zagi wobbled into a bush 10m below; Zagi Correx does not like suitcases. Cathy slithers to the plane and makes a retrieval, she is much more nimble than me, and she needed to get away from the wasps.

The second chuck went straight(er) and the Zagi managed a couple of laps before falling like a leaf in tremendous sink. Nose down and turn into the hillside with as much upward swoop as possible (too much - a belly flop into the bushes below).

Now Oliver's wobbling.  Next chuck and there's positive lift and I fly the Zagi out of the slope and stay up - a bit. Time to stop being foolish and accept that it is not a good idea to persist without slope lift.  I continue being foolish.  I tell myself that the thermal is there when all is calm.  Hot and cold breezes confound the waiting game.

Best flight was probably less than 3 minutes, but I consider mission accomplished -  my first flight from the Andes.
 
And still foolish:- Walking down I felt the breeze come up.  We were in front of a large eucalyptus tree - 30m high, top of tree a little below launch; but of course, I was going to fly short of that and climb above it.  Launch - smack into tree.  The plane wedged 20m above the ground.  We found enough poles to tie together and managed to prod the Zagi down (before my shorts fell down - I had to use my belt to join the poles). 

The natives went so far as to climb to the last wedging.  Drama over, we walked home to our cottage - 20 mins downhill - so the slope may tempt me again. 
 
I am now flying a park flyer - GWS Tiggy.  Ok but not what we slopers wow to.
 
The picture shows me launching from Mount Pochoco, North East of Santiago.  And where I fly the Tiger moth. There is another site but this one is walking distance from my house.
 
Regards to all.

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