SIV flights report

[ceram...@gmail.com]

Stan and I went down and up to some place in southern Oregon called Lost Creek Lake for an SIV course with Brad Gunnuscio.  

We had decent enough weather the first day for a few tows and two days of solid sunny conditions complete with scantily clad beach goers.  The other 6 participants had come from all overt the states and Canada and we ranged from novice to experienced with talent and creativity smattered about.  

My hope for the course was to gain confidence at the margins of my ability and feel out this old wing (which was unanimously, save for Stan, laughed at during orientation).  Despite the chuckles, the original aspen flew like a champ and came out of stalls and deflations with ease, having mild surges and a small number of mild full stall induced cravats.  Fun wing for sure.  I opted to huck my reserve on the last flight which alone was worth every penny.  I was left with the following thoughts: a) two is better than one, b) two is better than one.

Stan had some killer flights and had to fight to foul his 1-2 wing up.  By the third day it was apparent that something in Stan clicked, or slipped, or combusted and caused him to achieve Jedi status.  It was really sweet to watch that internal expansiveness as shit fell into place. Anything to add Stan?

Beware there are two Canadians on the loose in Oregon hitting up many sights on their way north.  Solid dude, Cornell and Charlie.

  

--
--
Ryan

[Stan Mordensky]

Ryan pretty much summed it up, though I'm not sure about the Jedi stuff - unless mind tricks were involved.

I find myself returning to the videos every few hours trying to re-analyze everything we did because, well, it was all so valuable. My favorite by far was the full stalls, but who doesn't love a good spiral? More importantly, I learned my wing's pre-stall behavior and what the toggles feel like before fecal matter hits the fan. I know I still have a ways to go with wing-overs, so I know I'll be finding my way back to an SIV clinic in the future.

I never threw my reserve like some hooligans, instead opting to do one more flight and practice stalls in the late-afternoon of the third day. I do, however, agree with Ryan's sentiments - 2 reserves > 1. Ryan did a great job chucking that reserve, dealing with the unexpected, taking a chill bath all while keeping that wide grin on his face the whole time. And that's not even talking about his other flights.

TL, DR: SIV clinic = worth it. Take one if you have not already.

And watch out for those Canadians - robots in disguise.

Stan

--
Stan Mordensky | M.S. Candidate | University of Oregon |
Eugene, OR 97403-1272 | (301)-639-8619 | stan...@uoregon.edu |