Hang gliding and smartphone use

Zero to 5000ft in 3 steps! With any type of flight, you must record your times and locations to update your license. With all the flight log programs, you’ll have to look at each one and see which one you’d like to use. One of the ones I use is very basic, but it allows you to connect to your existing Palm address book to check in your fellow passengers. The really cool feature of these programs is that it allows you to see all the flights you’ve taken from a particular location, or all the flights you’ve had in the last year where you went over 10,000 feet. It also allows you to analyze where you seem to be having your best flights from. (This way, if you’re feeling down, just go back to where you’re still having your best flights, and you’ll almost certainly have a great day)! Most of these programs are for private pilots and beyond flight registration. But they work great for hang gliding, paragliding, or any other type of sport flying. The last time I was PIC (Pilot In Command) of a powered aircraft was a C172 in 1987, this was the year I discovered Hang Gliding, and I have never looked back!

The time of each flight is important. Clock programs usually have a stopwatch feature, which will allow you to count up or down depending on what you want. Some of the flight log programs also have this feature. With flight log programs, when you stop the watch, it automatically adds it to the flight log. You can always edit it later if you let the time run out too much.

Another nice thing about using clock programs is that you should be able to time more than one thing at a time. Most clock programs will allow you to name your timers. This will allow you to time yourself along with 3 or 4 of your fellow fliers. You can even set all timers to start simultaneously. So after naming them, just one click and they all start. The only problem with this is that you almost have to land first in order to stop your friends’ timers. I’ve dropped my smartphone several times, but that’s only about 4-5 feet max, and so far, it has survived every drop. I don’t think any smartphone is meant to survive a 7,000 foot drop. (I haven’t tried this yet)! I also don’t suggest you try it. I have an amused and not confused feeling that he won’t make it.

The ParaPhone: I have tried to design a small parachute for my Smartphone. But I haven’t had the guts to try it yet. I guess I’m just chicken! I would also need a beacon of some kind to locate the phone in the middle of the woods, or wherever it lands after leaving the comfort of my Hang Glider harness. More on this later: watch http://www.robertlett.com for updates.

Most pilots use ham radios to communicate with each other. I’m just waiting for the day when my Smartphone incorporates at least the 2 meter and 7 cm Amatuer bands. And a 1 KHz to 1 GHz scanner would be nice too! I’m still waiting.

The flight logs will also contain any notes you want to take about another pilot. With mine, I keep radio information on every pilot I fly with. Some use HAM radio and others use Hang Gliding specific radios that are in the 151MHz band. This way I know which radio to take with me so I can be on the same frequency.

Some of the more advanced flight decks with built-in GPS will provide full flight history for the last 10 flights. This data is easily sent to your computer for future use. With programs like DocsToGo or MiniCalc/Chart, you can graphically view all of your past flights from one particular site. The software generates a comma-delimited file that can be imported into a spreadsheet program. As long as your spreadsheet program has charting capabilities, you can view charts created from previous flights. Which is good for getting a graphical chart of average flight times, site altitude, flight path and distance. Now when you travel, you simply go to the next location and your flying tendencies are right there in the palm of your hand along with everyone you met at that location. And all the contact information you may need.

These GPS flight deck units will generally have the following display capabilities:

wind speed

direction of the wind

Time of the day

flight time

ground speed

Speed ​​difference between TAS and ground speed

Altitude above the destination

Distance to destination

Wearing

clue

Address for the best climbing nearby

room temperature

Altimeter 2 (relative)

Altimeter 3 (accumulated altitude)

Barometric pressure (HPa/in Hg)

Glide rate (through the air, over the ground, to waypoint)

You can consult them at: http://www.flytec.com

I’ve been to some new places that I planned to skip. And he had to go online and search for contacts to apply for permissions from the site. He would simply do this while sitting by the fire at camp the night before he showed up. Then when I was approaching the new site just give them a call and get all the info I need. When I arrived at the site, everyone was ready to receive me. He knew what frequencies they used. What were their procedures and where to register. And, of course, sign a waiver if necessary. (Do people always worry about you crashing or something)? Usually before I go to bed and go camping the night before, I email ahead of time to my contact list on the original site, just to let them know I might be a few days behind. (Something about this sport makes people paranoid when you don’t call when plans change. I have no idea why! Somebody I didn’t even know scolded me for not talking to them.)

This document is copyrighted by Infinite Data. You have permission to copy this document in its entirety and to make duplicates. You cannot change, add or edit anything within the document. Thanks for your help.