My Hazard Wing

Crack of dawn, Saturday, August 13.  I’ve switched from my slow (Gibbogear Butterfly) wing (cruises at about 60 kph without head or tail wind) to my intermediate (Pipistrel Hazard) wing (cruises at about 80 kph without head or tail wind).

It doesn’t look different but it’s a different flying animal.  You’ll be surprised how much more area you can cover with a slightly higher cruising speed.  I did not bring a camera on this flight as I wanted to re-familiarize myself with my intermediate wing, which requires more active handling during flights.  I also did not bring my GPS (global positioning system for navigation) as the sky was quite clear and I had no intention of flying beyond a 30 kilometer radius.

Take-off took a little longer than my slow wing (as expected) and was nice and smooth.  I did not feel like I was gaining altitude quickly enough, so I kept the engine at about 5,000 RPM for a few minutes.  I then tapered to between 4,600 to 4,700 RPM until I felt pretty cold.  Without my GPS, it appeared I was climbing slowly even at 4,600 RPM, so I settled at 4,500 RPM, probably at an altitude of nearly 1,000 meters.  I visited Rosales, Pangasinan to look for another lake (besides Lake Paitan) that was supposed to be nearby.  Meandered through the river along Rosales—no such lake.  Visibility was terrific as I could see Lingayen Gulf—roughly 30 kilometers from Rosales as the crow flies.

My intermediate wing, rightly or wrongly, settles comfortably at the front aluminum post of the trike in the absence of any pilot intervention.  During calm flying conditions (as in most of my flight this morning), I can actually take photographs using a camera on my wrist mount.  I’m really excited to get this going.  Just haven’t gotten around to buying a decent compact digital camera for my wrist mount.  Details, details!

I flew the rest of the way home at around 4,300 RPM leisurely loosing altitude until a smooth landing.