New guy here, jes' call me Red.

[red]

Hey gang,

   Hope to learn a few things here, and maybe I can help out, now and then.  I was on the Yahoo FJ forum for a while, then came here.
   Been ridin' a while, had a few bikes, but never been rich.  This FJ1100 is the best I ever had.  Don't have a lot to say for myself.  Did some aircraft maintenance, car mechanic, some electronics, and still tinkering.  Kinda thin in the wallet, now, so there's not a lot left here, for mods, but I can have fun on what I got. 
   Been flying hang gliders for these last thirty-mumble years.  A guy's gotta do something for fun, and I sure can't dance . . .  Still cruising the skies, when I'm not on the road. 
http://www.xmission.com/~red/history/history.htm

Cheers,
Red

[keand3]

Hey Red, welcome!

Since your all ready are familiar with the comunity, theres no need for me to warn you of the moditus bug 

I all so see you are a fellow aviator  The only difference is that i fly with an engine.
Did some skydiving some tome ago, but got to my senses 

Cheers
Ken

[movenon]

Welcome to the group lots of good information and members here. Post some pictures when you can .
George

[rktmanfj]

Welcome, Red!   

[red]

Hey Red, welcome!
I all so see you are a fellow aviator  The only difference is that i fly with an engine.
Did some skydiving some tome ago, but got to my senses 
Cheers
Ken

Ken,
Skydiving?  "Oh, that's not flying, that's falling, with style!"  - Sheriff Woody, Toy Story.
Here at the base of the Rockies, a six-hour hang glider flight raises no eyebrows.  Going UP!  Bring yer oxygen!     
What do you fly?

Cheers,
Red

[keand3]

Nothing fancy,  just those common c172 and c210. Some pipers and a few others.
Mostly singel engien piston.

[aviationfred]

Welcome to the group Red. 

Fred

[yamaha fj rider]

Welcome Red, glad you joined us.

Kurt

[fj11.5]

Welcome mate, glad you could join the camp fire ,, 6 hours of hang gliding, sounds like fun, ,, wonder how many 1100,s we have with us now 

[red]

Welcome mate, glad you could join the camp fire ,, 6 hours of hang gliding, sounds like fun, ,, wonder how many 1100,s we have with us now   

FJ11.5,
Maybe we should start a sign-in log for the FJ1100s, so we will know.  I like to think I'm just another one of the FJ clan, really.          

You might get a kick out of this flyin' video.  This a flight made with a GPS/altimeter/recording unit.  It's about 2.4 hours of cruising the mountains, being shown in a four minute video.  Red and orange trails show the glider going up, blues and greens are just gliding, descending slowly.  A white dot tracks under the pilot, so you can see how far above the ground he is.  We circle in lift like the hawks, to climb out.  I have a decent old hang glider, but I do not have the expensive tracker unit, so this is another HG pilot, making an average fun afternoon flight.  You can click the Full-Screen button, lower right, for a sit-back view.  Some HG pilots fly for distance; I think the record now is over 500 miles, Texas to Kansas.  Me, I just fly for FUN.

Seeyou track - 3 - 24 - 08 -- Good day to miss work

Cheers,
Red

[ken65]

have to admit that was pretty interesting, do you wear a parachute or are they fairly safe

[poker007]

Welcome to the group Red ..This site rocks!!!!!!!!!!
MarkG

[Firehawk068]

Red, that is some interesting stuff! Welcome!

I always wondered, can you FEEL the lift of the thermals when you get in, so you know to keep spiraling up?

[FJmonkey]

Welcome Red, I like the color Red. Nice that you get fly two different ways. 

[red]

.
Thanks for the welcome, all.
Nice place you have, here.       

have to admit that was pretty interesting, do you wear a parachute or are they fairly safe

Ken65,

Yeah, fairly safe, but like a car or a bike, the driver's experience and skill will count for a lot.  They try to break these gliders with a truck, usually, and sometimes the front of the truck gets lifted.  If the glider passes the truck test, then they do the flight tests.  Everybody flies with a chest-pack parachute, besides.  Lotsa flyin' videos (adventures, not tracklogs) here:
http://www.hanggliding.org/videos.php

Red, that is some interesting stuff! Welcome!
I always wondered, can you FEEL the lift of the thermals when you get in, so you know to keep spiraling up?

Firehawk068,

Thanks.  You can feel the first surge of lift, sure, like when the elevator starts.  Then it's a steady climb, and you can't feel the lift, until it ends (same with elevators).  You can watch a nearby hilltop, though, and if you can see more scenery behind the hill than a minute ago, you are climbing.  Most HG pilots use a small gadget that beeps going up (variometer), to stay in lift.  The expensive vario models can also include GPS, altimeter, tracking, and even maps.  My old vario just beeps.  I have fun.

Welcome Red, I like the color Red.  Nice that you get fly two different ways.

FJmonkey,

True, that.  Riding is the flying that I do near the ground.  Everybody here knows how it is.  Humans can now fly in formation with eagles and hawks (same speeds, same glide ratios).  If the hawk can climb without flapping, then I can too.  We sometimes call this Personal Flight, because it's like having wings in your shoulders, not steering a vehicle across the sky (and I can't afford planes, period).  As long as I can have a good bike and decent wings, I'm a happy camper.          

Cheers,
Red