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Photo Gallery From the 4th to the 11th of May 2003, the first event of the recently settled flight park "Aerotow.com" took place in Avila, Spain. The park is aimed at making flying easier for HG pilots, with aerotowed launches (by trike) that leave the gliders at 700 m over the ground, in a thermal, with a huge airfield to land (in case they come back), and a place to leave the gliders rigged for the following day. About 30 pilots, most of them from the UK, learned to take off by aerotow, and had the chance to demo some of the 7 'Atos' rigid gliders (class 5) brought by the guys from AIR (Germany). Also, 4 paraglider pilots went into an intensive training to convert their flying skills to hang gliders. Two of them, very experienced pilots, Bob Drury and Daniel Crespo were flying class 5 on the 3rd day of training, while the more 'normal' PG pilots, Graham Brading and Simone Simpson (the only woman in the experiment) learned to fly hanggies, but needed some more hours of training for the rigid wings, which they did not have due to the bad weather during half of the week. It was possible to fly only from thursday to sunday, enjoying beautiful conditions to compensate the failed first days. Here, some images taken during the event. (Click on the image to enlarge). *[Read a brief report of the experiment in FLYING WORLD] |
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Check out a a video of an aerotow take-off
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On
our arrival to the village we were welcome by the Guardia Civil (Spanish
police)...
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When
we arrived at the airfield everything seemed perfect: the sun was shining,
ploughs covered the field, and many gliders were on the air. Gustavo Elizalde
(SP), rigid wing pilot, and Claudia from Ojovolador takes their time to
make pics. The next day the rain would arrive...
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Judy
Leden (ex HG world champion) was Daniel
Crespo's full time instructor
for his conversion from paragliders to hang gliders.
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To have an idea of the level of the event at Aerotow.com: We had 7 brand new 'Atos' gliders (made by the German company AIR) for the pilots to demo them during the week. |
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3
days of bad weather but, as usual, after the storm we had the rainbow...
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Rigid
gliders, ready to go.
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Bob
Drury wastes no time: with the girls, Simone and Claudia.
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Aeronautic
engineer Felix Ruhle, "father" of the Atos, just before take-off.
What about a new helmet design, Felix?
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So,
we cannot fly? Well, let's dismantle an Atos!
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Felix
Ruhle, the 'guru' of rigid wings, teaching how to check the structure
of an Atos.
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Simone
Simpson, the only female paraglider pilot in the experiment, showed that
girls can fly HGs in 3 days too. The aerotow launch seems to be an easy
alternative for those who are not very strong to run with a HG on their
shoulders.
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The
'normal' PG pilots of the experiment: Simone and Graham learned to fly
hang gliders. They needed only a little more time to be ready for class
5, but the weather played a bad trick on the training program.
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Advanced
students of the Aerotow.com 'skills conversion' experiment: Daniel Crespo
and Bob Drury learned to fly HGs and take off by aerotow; and they both
flew class 5 gliders on the 3rd and 4th day of training.
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Graham
Brading, 'normal' PG pilot, did his first solo flight on a hang glider
on his 3rd day of training.
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Pupils
studying to be converted from paragliders to hang gliders.
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Pre-launch
check. Nobody leaves the ground without being carefully checked under
the strict safety rules of the BHPA.
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Felix
Ruhle and Chris Jones, listening to one of the briefings at the airfield
house club.
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Flying
over the valley of Avila in the trike.
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Daniel
Crespo, Matt Taggart and Simone Simpson, "working" in the kitchen
at Aerotow.com
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Judy
Leden and Jurgen, two of the "teachers"
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Instruction
in tandem
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Judy
prepares her pupil for his first SOLO flight, in the Tandem HG with ballast.
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And
there he goes!
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Intruder
among the hang gliders: a paraglider!
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Judy
and Daniel, during one of the instruction flights.
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Bob
Drury also received instruction in the tandem, from Mark
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Tandem
instruction over the (now) green valley of Avila.
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"Look
mum, I'm flying with Judy!"
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Spanish
pilots, smiling after a good day of flights: Jorge, Joan and Gus.
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Chis
Dawes was both instructor and tug pilot (he's Judy's husband). Here, in
the Dragon Fly talking to Bob and Matt before launching.
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Simone
making Felix smile...
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Evening
atmosphere at Aerotow.com. Felix gave us a very interesting speech about
the design and development of the Atos and their flying characteristics.
In
the image, Matt asks him a question.
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The
Spaniards (except Ali, who's an ex-pat Brit) payed full attention to the
lectures -all of them in English!
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Party
time! Matt, Daniel and Simone behind the bar.
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An
Ojovolador tatoo
on Matt's back
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Dani
and Matt
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All
the gliders rigged and waiting on the field. If it doesn't rain we
go!!
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Joan
gets ready for launch. He was one of the 4 Spanish HG pilots who got aerotow
rating during the week.
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After
a loud "All out!" he leaves...
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Busy
airfield at Aerotow.com
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Daniel, before his first flight in an Atos, with Felix Ruhle (who could still smile!) |
Daniel
gets ready to be aerotowed
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Daniel
Crespo (landed all well and with the Atos in one piece) and Claudia Riquelme:
the Ojovolador Team.
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The
Spanish guys having a beer in Piedrahita, while Avila
is under a storm!
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Graduated
HG pilot: Daniel, after 3 days of training.
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Bob
Drury with Jurgen, after his first flight in a rigid glider in tandem
(Atos, of course)
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Jorge,
just before take-off.
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The
launch marshall cheks Jorge with the help of Jesus (another Spanish pilot!)
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Matt
Taggart (ex PG competition pilot, and the man in charge of the kites section
of Ozone) was converted to class 5 last year.
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Pilot
ready to go in an Atos
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Matt,
with a post-flight grin
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Gus
and his Aeros Stalker (a russian machine), being towed
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This
is how an Atos tandem looks from the ground.
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Judy
teaches Daniel.
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Jesús
and his wife Tania, from Tarifa (south of Spain)
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Daniel,
Chris Dawes and Matt
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The
historic and picturesque city of Avila seen from the air. It is distant
only 10 km from the Aerotow.com airfield
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The
'big boss' at Aerotow.com, Mark Taggart
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