I also agree with Ben in that Handlaunch is breathing new life into soaring. We
have seen it here in St. Louis. While there may not be many new members
produced from it yet it sure has rekindled excitement from many of the current
members. I, like Chris, go back to the beginnings of HLG. I built a Sunbird
when Dave's article came out and have been with it ever since. I designed some
old style HLG javelin type models and loved them. I have not participated much
since DLG came about mostly because I had other things I wanted to do but I'm
restarting again. I like the amount you get to fly, the simplicity of it all
and the contest format makes you think more than I have to in TD. "Do I launch
again and risk that 2 minute flight or do I walk away and see where the chips
fall?" for example.
What I would like to see, and I do not know how realistic it is, would be a
beginners class of handlaunch. Something where you do not need a $600 DLG
machine or a $400 used beater where you spend more time chasing wing de
laminations than flying. Something where you can learn flying and thermaling
skills and move your way into the big leagues. I do not know if it is wood
built ups on a mini high start or not. While that format is fun it is really
just all up, last down over and over. Maybe a 1 meter DLG class? I'm not bright
enough to figure it all out but I feel there needs to be something.
Mark Miller
Missing the NATS Greatly
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