Above: Riker and BK wrench on the Boom BarBelow: We found a jar of 1980's vintage "Super Foaming Wing Wash" to use on Curt's Fledge.
Below: Looking at the Boom Bar over the top surface of a 1929 Primary Glider
Left to right: George Applebay, Riker, and BKLast Saturday I met Riker Davis and Brian Kurowski at the SWSM to finish assembling the Curt Graham exhibit. First we set up Curt's Fledge 2B and then gave it a good wash before we turned our attention to completing the static display of the Boom Bar flight trainer. The Boom Bar is a "captured flight" hang gliding simulator. It's also a pay out tow rig. Oh yeah, it's fully street legal too. Curt and Riker used to drive the Boom Bar to breakfast (sans glider, of course) before a long day of towing at the Hobbs Industrial Air Park.
1 comment:
Curt's hang glider airframe broke while he was doing aerobatics and he didn't get full deployment of his reserve before impact. The age of the frame and/or previous damage to the frame may have been contributing factors.
Lots of plumbers fly 10+ year old gliders. Since Curt's accident I've put a lot of thought into that. Wire braced tubular aluminum and/or carbon airframes are a very new development. We have no history to give us a clear idea of the service life of these airframes.
A big part of the problem is that a 10+ yer old HG can have close to 85% of the performance of the latest carbon-optioned topless racer. For many pilots that 15% doesn't justify relacing their HP2 or Xtralite.
I think that there will be an increase in HG accidents related to the in-flight failure of old airframes in the next few years.
Those accidents are all preventable.
We, as a group of pilots, need to get our friends that are flying these relics to update and upgrade their gear.
FRIENDS DON'T LET FRIENDS DIVE JUNK
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