OCTOBER 11 2020
Back to the big slope today with the EPP Fusion - I finally managed to coordinate a session with my flying buddy/mentor/trainer 'Jono' and it was forecasting a sedate 31 kph (17 knots) but it ended up blowing 60 Kph (32 knots) - Yikes!
We took a few planes, but it was blowing too hard for anything that wouldn't bounce on landing so we only flew the Fusion - I had also promised my son Xander (nearly seven) a little spin on the buddy box, and I was keen to have the buddy box available for me so Jono could help me with my landings - luckily we did as the four landing attempts I did needed Jono to salvage when I bungled it in the turbulence - we were pushing it with today's wind and my skills!
We added some ballast and ended up with an AUW of 1.1kgs (1.3m wing) - Jono handled the launches given the wind strength today, but I got to fly and managed a half dozen flights - It was awesome - In summary, the flying was my best too date, both in technique and time in the air - I was proud to feel comfortable with the downwind turns and had fun with some loops and rolls - the sim time has really paid off!
I also got to fly Jono's Fusion which flew a tad smoother than mine - Jono is a really great teacher - I learned to climb and turn today rather my habit of turning and losing height - it was a simple case of yank and bank (nose up and turn) rather than a bank and yank!
I need to sift through the videos to find the one with Xander flying - he even did a loop (inadvertently)!
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