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Jorgen
Captain
Gender: Male
Location: Lund, Sweden
Registered: Apr 2007
Status: Offline
Posts: 833
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Posted Saturday, April 14, 2012 @ 05:39 PM
Hi Fournieteers,
I just got back from a little workout with the bicycle, or at least that was the excuse. Since the airstrip is a convenient 25 min ride away I suddenly found myself there and decided to take XST out for a little spin. It was a little late in the afternoon- I took off at around 5.30 pm local. I had the GoPro on the headband, these are screencaptures since I haven't got a clue yet how to edit a film out of the videoclips yet.
After take off I found this aerostat just a couple of minutes away. Baloonists like Skane, the southern region of Sweden since it's all flat farmland, you can land everywhere. They waved cheerily so I think they appreciated my tight turn around them, I waggled my wings as I sped on. There still were some nice looking cumulus clouds so I found some lift just downwind of the City, heated by pavement and buildings. I climbed with engine at 2200 rpm (giving a simulated zero sink on XST).
After climbing for a while I decided to move towards som nice looking cumuluses further inland. Pickning up speed I did a couple of rolls and loops because as you all know these are things that Fourniers do Recovering from a loop I went straight into a nice thermal at the beginning of a cloudstreet that was still active.
May the 4's be with you/ Jörgen
[Edit by Jorgen on Saturday, April 14, 2012 @ 05:52 PM]
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Jorgen
Captain
Gender: Male
Location: Lund, Sweden
Registered: Apr 2007
Status: Offline
Posts: 833
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Posted Saturday, April 14, 2012 @ 05:58 PM
Some Red Kite's and seagulls shared the fun with me and helped me map the lift, that was slowly dying out and the weakening thermals wobbled a little in their path upward, tilted by the southwesterly wind.
I spent some 20 minutes soaring, but the day was closing in and I airstarted without complications, the engine was still pretty warm. Note that I start pulling the starter handle at or slightly below 100 mph. You loose around 500 ft for an airstart.
May the 4's be with you/ Jörgen
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Jorgen
Captain
Gender: Male
Location: Lund, Sweden
Registered: Apr 2007
Status: Offline
Posts: 833
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Posted Saturday, April 14, 2012 @ 06:04 PM
As i spluttered homewards I saw a large bird soaring. At first I thought I finally had managed to catch cranes, but they rarely migrate solo and usually pass earlier in the day to reach lake Hornborga some 300 kilometers north before twilight. When I turned after him he curved with me, eyeballing me just as much as I was eyeballing him. It was a Stork, also a migrating bird of the same size and migratory route as the cranes but extinct in Sweden. Efforts are beeing made to reimplant a Stork population again, and I was just above their reservation located near the Flyinge Royal Horse Breeding station along the Kävlinge river to the left in the picture. The GoPro wide-angle lens makes everything look very distant, but I can assure you it was a close encounter, I could see him turn his head to get a better view of me. We studied each other from the opposite ends of our Lufbery circle, maybe five or six laps and I had to strain against the G's to keep up with his tight turn. I was the one that gave in, setting course for home and graciously acknowledging him his realm, rocking my wings.
Halfway home I bumped into my Baloonist buddies again who had lust landed and were struggling to get the canopy under control. They were pulling the top of the baloon 90 degrees from the wind direction, I think they were concerned the baloon might get caught in the trees at the edge of the landing field. They were not more concerned than to wave cheerily again as I made three or four laps around them. I flew a low level path home to a smooth landing and as usual had to sit in the cockpit for a while to catch up with all impressions- all this happened during one thirty-five minute flight! A further bonus was that as the day calmed, the substantial tailwind on the bikeride to the strip had calmed to a discreet headwind going home.
Merci beaucoup pour tous, René!
May the 4's be with you/ Jörgen
[Edit by Jorgen on Saturday, April 14, 2012 @ 06:48 PM]
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Collin
General
Gender: Male
Location: McMinnville. Oregon
Registered: Oct 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 711
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Posted Monday, April 16, 2012 @ 03:40 PM
Great pictures Thanks for sharing them.
Collin
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Jorgen
Captain
Gender: Male
Location: Lund, Sweden
Registered: Apr 2007
Status: Offline
Posts: 833
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Posted Monday, April 16, 2012 @ 06:11 PM
Thanks Collin,
and thanks for your excellent work on Bob's Rectimo so he can go up there on similar adventures!
May the 4's be with you/ Jörgen
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jb92563
Second Lieutenant
Gender: Male
Location: Lake Elsinore, CA, USA
Registered: Mar 2007
Status: Offline
Posts: 583
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Posted Tuesday, April 17, 2012 @ 03:29 PM
Jorgen,
Thanks for that great picture story of your flight.
I enjoy reading and seeing your adventures captured and it reminds me of how fortunate we are to have a aircraft
that can cruise gracefully in harmony with nature and the wild life and also tumble through the air with aerobatics
to the hearts content.
I'm also looking forward to seeing Bob and Dans RF4D's at the Minden, NV fly-in this year.
I emailed with Don, who is the new owner of Sammy Masons RF4D and sounds like he would try to make next years Fly-in since he still has to get his Glider rating and motor glider endorsement (He is a power pilot) and time is just too short for him to make this years fly-in.
He does sound eager though to join in the fun, which will be great.
-------------------- Ray
RF4D #4057 N-1771 Rectimo 1400cc
http://picasaweb.google.com/jb92563/FournierRF4D
http://www.touringmotorgliders.org
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Jorgen
Captain
Gender: Male
Location: Lund, Sweden
Registered: Apr 2007
Status: Offline
Posts: 833
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Posted Tuesday, April 17, 2012 @ 05:30 PM
Thanks Ray,
I agree it's a privilege to be a Fournieteer, and shared fun is doubled fun. I hope Bob and Dan will share their flying impressions also, it actually is fun to try and capture your flights on film and re-live them again in your living room recliner. I almost prefer the re-run when it comes to my iceboating sessions- at least it's a lot less cold!
I'm glad to hear Sam's 4 has found a good home, I hope Sam will keep us posted on his continued aviating career.
May the 4's be with you/ Jörgen
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Collin
General
Gender: Male
Location: McMinnville. Oregon
Registered: Oct 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 711
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Posted Tuesday, April 17, 2012 @ 07:54 PM
Hi Ray,
Is Sam's RF4 staying in California?
Collin
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D. Porter
Sergeant First Class
Gender: Male
Location: Ventura, CA
Registered: Apr 2012
Status: Offline
Posts: 84
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Posted Wednesday, April 18, 2012 @ 00:54 AM
Hi guys
I should introduce myself as the soon to be new owner of Sam's RF4. Only moving a few hundred feet from his hangar to my rented hangar, staying at SZP.
In my excitement to finally be getting an RF4D I overlooked the need for a glider rating to legally pilot it, so that's next on the agenda now that a hangar is secured. Looks like my best options for a speedy add on rating are Estrella (Phoenix), Sheble (near Laughlin), or Skylark North (Tehachapi). They all say 4-5 consecutive days including the check ride, so I'm going to decide this week and get it done by mid-May. I think I can handle the self-launch endorsement locally, but if not, there's a Stemme at Warner Springs.
Anyway, hope we can meet in the future. Minden this year is possible but might be better if I at least fly the RF4 before committing! Oh, and I won't be posting any Youtube videos like Sam's for awhile.
Don
[Edit by D. Porter on Wednesday, April 18, 2012 @ 12:53 PM]
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Jorgen
Captain
Gender: Male
Location: Lund, Sweden
Registered: Apr 2007
Status: Offline
Posts: 833
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Posted Wednesday, April 18, 2012 @ 04:24 AM
Don,
wellcome among the ranks of Fournieteers! I say there is no other Aeromount in which you can have more fun. I'm a glider pilot first so I really like the gliding side of flying the 4. I'm sure you'll enjoy gliding just as much as you'll enjoy your 4 and I'm also glad to hear "the Zipper" stays at Santa Paula where Fournier history is strong. Best Regards to the Mason's (I still think they'll regret selling) and congratulations!
May the 4's be with you/ Jörgen
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Bob Grimstead
Captain
Gender: Male
Location: Perth, Western Australia or West Sussex, England
Registered: Dec 2006
Status: Offline
Posts: 2027
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Posted Thursday, April 19, 2012 @ 06:40 AM
Hello Don,
Welcome to the extended Fournier family.
You have a great airplane in the Zipper, and I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as we all do ours.
Jorgen, getting back to this thread's proper topic, thank you very much for your illustrated flight history.
It will spur me on to getting my red one back into the air asap (with luck, this weekend).
Let's hope we all have a great summer of Fournicating.
Yours, Bob
-------------------- Flying and displaying Fournier RF4Ds VH-HDO and G-AWGN, building replica RF6B G-RFGB and custodian of RF6B prototype F-BPXV
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