Anhand des Unfalles vom 11. Juli 2024 in der Region des Col de Vars, bei dem die Besatzung eines Nimbus 4 DM während zwei Tagen nicht gefunden werden konnte, zeigt dieses Video auf, wie vermisste Flugzeuge anhand der vorhandenen Flarm-Daten geortet werden könnten und wie man mit anderen Hilfsmitteln wie einem Tracker die Zeit, bis man gefunden wird, erheblich verkürzen kann. Quelle: ‚Youtube‚.
For the second day in a row, the weather Gods gave us a beautiful Morning Glory Cloud. This one was over land, went right down to the ground ( early on) and gave us 2.5 hrs flying on a beautiful smooth cloud. The Phoenix Motorglider performed beautifully, the perfect aircraft for this type of flying. Source: ‚Youtube‚.
TwinShark has officially received EASA certification, marking a significant milestone on the 60th anniversary of the first official flight of the iconic Libelle H 301.
„HPH is immensely proud to continue the rich tradition of Glasflügel and contribute to the gliding community by developing technically and technologically advanced gliders. The team is proud to offer cutting-edge aviation technology, combining a rich legacy with modern excellence. Discover the thrill of innovation with TwinShark, where history meets the future“! Source: ‚HpH sailplanes‚.
Airbus Perlan Mission II, the world’s first initiative to soar a pressurized, engineless glider into the highest areas of the stratosphere, is celebrating the close of its fifth flight testing season following eight years of history-making accomplishments in aerospace exploration, sustainability and innovation.
-> Video
An international team of aerospace experts led the Perlan 2 experimental sailplane to four world record-setting altitudes, including a top point of 76’124 feet on Sept. 2nd, 2018, above the Andes Mountains near El Calafate, Argentina. This achievement established a new world aviation altitude record for the highest subsonic flight in a winged, crewed aircraft. By doing so in a zero-emission aircraft, the team also demonstrated the remarkable potential of decarbonized aviation. Operated by Nevada nonprofit The Perlan Project, the two-seater Perlan 2 is flown by chief pilot Jim Payne together with pilots Tim Gardner, Miguel Itermendi, and Morgan Sandercock, who is also the program’s chief engineer.
The Perlan 2 glider is a uniquely well-suited atmospheric research platform, given its lack of emissions. Onboard instrumentation and experiments in its science bay collect data on stratospheric weather, radiation, air quality and other information that could help improve current climate change models.
The Perlan program and its partners have also researched every flight into conditions found at extreme altitudes that may impact aviation efficiency, flight safety and our planet’s weather. The wide range of scientific inquiries includes the use of:
This season, over a dozen experiments built by students participating in the Teachers in Space aerospace STEM program across the U.S. flew aboard the Perlan 2 and the initiative’s high-altitude Grob Egrett tow plane and high-altitude research aircraft, operated by AV Experts LLC, which tows the Perlan 2 off the ground to begin its flights.
About Airbus Perlan Mission II
Airbus Perlan Mission II is an initiative to fly an engineless glider to the edge of space, higher than any other winged aircraft that has operated in manned, level flight, to open up a world of discoveries related to high-altitude flight, weather and climate change. This historic endeavour is the culmination of decades of research and engineering innovation, and the work of a tireless international team of aviators and scientists who volunteer their time and expertise for the non-profit The Perlan Project. The initiative, based in Minden, Nevada, is supported by Airbus and a group of other sponsors that includes Dennis Tito, Weather Extreme Ltd., Raytheon (United Technologies), BRS Aerospace and Thales. Source: ‚PerlanProject‚.
He used to own 11 gliders in New Zealand, flew about 10.000 hours in a glider, and made one of the first big gliding movies. Interview / Video from Stefan Langer.
I started gliding through my family, and since solo I’ve been flying for 24 years now, amassing 3500hrs soaring experience. So many tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way, in this article I plan to share with you some random experiences and thoughts on them!
Clear your head
When it comes to going cross country, it really helps to have your head clear of any doubts, because then you are really able to focus on your flight and nothing else on the ground. Have you arranged a crew for the day? If not, then this should be done before you arrive at the airfield, but if that’s not possible, then on the day is okay, though get this out of the way early. You’ll also want to check the condition of the trailer, especially if it’s a club trailer. Finally, have you filled up the car with fuel? Friends don’t mind coming to pick you up from the field, but if they’ve got to put fuel in the car and chase down wing stands etc. before setting off, as you can imagine this isn’t ideal…
Build a new panel
This is always an exciting time, customising your panel. It took me three panels, hundreds of hours, & multiple gliders to get my panels perfectly aesthetically pleasing, and functioning exactly as I like. So don’t expect to get it right the first time, though what I would like to say is that it’s important to start building your panel around your favourite vario first, then moving to your flight computer, and finally with the legalities of ASI, altimeter, radio, etc. When thinking about where to place your chosen instruments, consider how you like to scan your instruments when cruising and climbing. If you can reduce your scan rate, this will improve safety and also your fatigue levels. When I race, because I’m right-eye dominant, I have my scan focused on the centre and right of my panel, with superfluous information located on the left side.
Outland on purpose!
The end of winter is approaching, you’ve been practising for your first summer of cross-country flying, though you’re a little nervous about your first real outlanding. You can feel that you are being too timid, that you are restricting yourself while flying because you are worried. These feelings are normal, I had them too. When you finally do your first outlanding, a huge relief comes over you, then you think, that wasn’t so bad, what was I worried about?! So what can you do to help yourself? Find someone else in your situation at your club and arrange a day that you help each other to fly the following exercise, then retrieve each other. First of all, read my previous outlanding articles (GET HIGH STAY HIGH, PADDOCK SELECTION, and OUTLANDINGS: DO’S AND DON’TS), then take a tow to 4000’agl and set off in a direction without thermalling & towards known fields. Don’t outland in the field where you did your outlanding check as this will defeat the purpose. By taking a 4000’ tow, you’ll be able to go through all the thoughts I describe in my previous articles. I hope you found some of these key small articles interesting and helpful, I enjoyed writing them for you. Source: ‚Adam Woolley in Wings & Wheels‚.
Developed and manufactured between 1976 and 2014, the SZD-50-3 PUCHACZ glider remains one of the primary training platforms for a broad variety of training programs. Allstar PZL Glider, Type Certificate Holder (TCH) for SZD-50-3 decided to develop the present program to extend the lifetime of PUCHACZ gliders and to meet the demands of the flying clubs. After the said program is implemented, the lifetime for the design may be extended to 12,000 flight hours.
This program relates to a detailed inspection of the airframe structure and systems specifying the maintenance procedures and defining required repairs and replacement of glider components to ensure their functionality and reliability.
The serial production of PUCHACZ has been stopped, but Allstar keeps all moulds and tools in stock, even to provide structural parts like fuselage and wings etc. Allstar PZL Glider continues to provide all spare parts for PUCHACZ over an extended lifetime. Pilots and clubs who would like to take advantage of the next higher level of performance are advised to have a look into the SZD-54-2 PERKOZ, the successor of PUCHACZ. The PERKOZ stands out due to its unique combination of excellent flight characteristics and its simple, safe handling in all conditions. This universal two-seater glider is available in two wing spans: for cross-country with a 20-meter wing span and with a 17,5-meter wing span for unlimited aerobatic manoeuvres as described in the Aresti Catalogue. PERKOZ – the “Dream Ship for Every Club”, according to Uli Schwenk, presents itself as an exceptional cost-efficient machine. Source: ‚SZD Allstar Website‚.