As Jonny say, "Kevin Tailslides on the 5 Year Plan"

So my stories from Big Spring have really sucked this week. I can’t help it, when I fly bad it is hard to relate the disappointment so many times over in the daily blog. I haven’t been thinking efficiently in the air and it showed in my results. It’s a real shame because we came here ready to rock with a great set of new gear. A new 154 T2 and a new Rotor S for me. The glider has shown a superb climb advantage day after day and glide performance to match the best out there.

So yesterday I broke a couple personal rules and as Jonny said, “I Tailslid the 5 Year Plan.” (inside joke). Rule 1) I always fly with 2 chutes for that false sense of security it gives you when flying in rough conditions or when getting agro with the wing. Rule 2) I am not good enough to do loops more then one at a time. Rule 3) I don’t loop my comp gliders. Rule 4) Only play hard when really high. I busted two of those rules and it didn’t work out.

I made some early morning changes to my tips and raised my sprogs. Dustin towed me high to feel the wing out and have a little expression session. High speed glide into a perfect loop at about 3,500 agl. It went over so smooth, with such perfect pitch feel, so nice. Time to break a second rule….as I pulled in and dove for a second one without stopping. I dove the glider too hard, the pitch overloaded me about 8 inches on roll out and the glider rotated FAST. MY first impression was that the glider had washed out too much and blown all my energy and would never make it over the top. Based on a similar story I heard that happened to Brett Hazlett, I tried to abort the attempt with a strong pull in. Stuffing the bar the glider continued to fly straight up for a long time. The nose never pitched over, instead it ran out of airspeed in a perfect tailslide position. Several long moments of silence and the nose slowly rotated through and continued past straight vertical for one tumble. A brief hesitation and it did one more (I think) and settled intact, in an upside down flying position. It was flying so nice. The wing looked fine minus a few broken batten tips. I thought about trying to right the glider and fly out of it but thought there might have been a problem with the keel and didn’t want to risk getting hammered in additional rolls. The best option seemed to be the chutes. I chucked a Conar 18 out of a modified (enlarged) envelope deployment bag. It was a good throw and the lines shot out, one tug of the bridle and the canopy followed. Since the glider was flying upside down the canopy floated up and caught a couple lines on a few battens that were sticking out of past the trailing edge. Rather then use up time messing with that I carefully removed the second Conar 18 and threw it forward past the nose. That one also too a tug to get out of the bag but quickly opened clean. The glider flipped right side up and I cleared the tangled lines on the first chute. 2 good canopies and my wing intact the descent rate was steerable and slow. I turned into the strong wind and flared by pulling down on the keel. The downtubes broke when the glider touched down. I landed on my feet right behind the trailing edge of the glider. Leading edges, sprogs, crossbars, center section, were all fine. Downtubes broke when I landed and the keel seems to have been damage in the tumble when my harness hit the rear wires. One rear wire broke a few strands. The only damage to me was a bloody nose.

I blew it. I made a stupid mistake. I was an ass. It is pretty embarrassing letting down the folks that have been so generous and supportive. I had the best flying glider I have ever flown and I cracked it up. I hope I am not the only one to learn from my mistakes.

Kev