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By red
#401492
Johnnybravo wrote: Sun Dec 10, 2017 3:16 amThere was a report/review by Dennis Pagan on the Dual Glider DOUBLE VISION published somewhere. Can someone please post me the link if possible. Thanks.
Johnnybravo,

If you (or a friend) has the USHPA magazine archive (or a tall stack of old issues), G. W. Meadows wrote a pilot's report on the Double Vision in the Jan 1992 issue. It would be fair to say that I have gotten old waiting to see the first negative comment about any new glider ever "reviewed" by USHPA, and I'm still waiting here . . . :twisted:

The mag had no reviews of the Double Vision written by Dennis Pagen. You might do better by emailing him, and asking him directly. I don't have his email address; I'm just a long-time fan, not actually a friend of his. I never flew the Vision, but by reputation, they were some of the best gliders of their day. If you have your eye on one, and nobody can tell you how old the cables are, you should plan on replacing the bottom cables, at least. Contact NorthWing for new PacAir cables. A sail-off inspection would be in order, also. Best wishes.
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By red
#401500
Johnnybravo wrote: Sun Dec 10, 2017 11:48 amCan the Magazine Archive be accessed 'on line'??
Johnnybravo,

I would doubt it. USHPA sells the digital archive in a small (41mm) USB flash drive for US$25.00 but I'm not sure about shipping costs to the UK.
https://ushpastore.com/collections/fron ... 9346102599

Somebody in the BHPA probably has one, though.
They may sell it to you. :wink:
https://www.bhpa.co.uk/
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By kukailimoku2
#401507
Do you have a specific question about the beastie? Maybe I can help.
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By Johnnybravo
#401511
Thanks, I recall G.W. Meadows recommended a minimum weight for Solo flying of the Double Vision. ie Solo pilot ballasted up to a minimum weight. I was trying to find out what the recommendation was?
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By kukailimoku2
#401512
The answer is a bit subjective, I had a blast with the original one hooking in at around 170, a friend of mine loved it at 210, some other pilots didn't like it solo even though they were considerably heavier. It's all about the glider's pitch pressure. The lighter the pilot, the lighter the bar pressure. Some pilots (me included) absolutely loved it because it made the handling effortless when compared to the big Dream, which flew like a truck. Others were uncomfortable with the lack of feedback.
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By kukailimoku2
#401515
Happy to help (I built the thing so got the inside scoop!).
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By kukailimoku2
#401517
Sounds right, I was gone by that production date but there was a husband and wife team and that was her name.

Who signed the test flight on the keel?
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By BubbleBoy
#401525
Like kukailimoku2, I worked at PacAir during the Double Vision Era, owned several and flew countless tandem (and solo) hours. If you are a pilot who needs pitch feedback to feel AOA (stall, etc.), then you won't want to fly it light. If you are an experienced pilot who flies the wing and not the pitch pressure, no worries -- I LOVED that wing solo and have many hundreds of hours on them doing just that (I clipped in about 180lbs, dripping wet).

JB
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By red
#401547
Johnnybravo,

This is generic "turning" advice for anybody planning to fly near or below the recommended weight range of any weight-shift hang glider. This is not to say that I recommend that choice, but this is as much help as I can give on turning, whether the pilot is light on the glider, or maybe the air just wants to put up a fight, one day. This technique can also help anybody flying when big air gets under one wing, but beware, the air can still overpower your best efforts, at times.

The trick is to initiate a turn with a sudden yaw, not just a bank. Right turn: With arms held at the normal cruising position, hold the left arm rigid, and pull the right corner of the control bar rearward, hard and fast. Your feet will swing out toward the right side wire, and you want to keep them there. Bring the rest of your weight to the right, then. Fly the turn normally, keeping the feet to the right. The left turn is the same process, holding the right arm rigid, but with everything going to the left side instead. If you are doing this turn to enter lift, keep the bar pulled in, as the nose tries to surge upward, entering the lift.

There are reasons why this "yaw" technique works. You out-mass the glider about three-to-one, so the hard and rapid twist of your body under the glider causes the glider to yaw toward the "feet" side in reaction. The glider enters a slight dive momentarily, dumping some of the unwanted lift, because you are also moving your weight forward a bit. Extra speed means extra control authority for the pilot, too. If the yaw is strong and fast enough, you can actually pull the inside wingtip rearward, which helps greatly when a wingtip is being lifted. The glider turns and enters that lift more nose-first, rather than getting dumped out in the opposite direction.

Now if you are light on the glider, chances are that you will need all available forward speed more often than the heavier pilots. Wind speeds may increase as altitude increases, or you may find a Venturi effect happening at the ends of a ridge, or when crossing a small valley in a ridge. Again, this "fast" technique applies to all HG pilots who need to:
* travel very fast for extended times,
* at a low drag profile,
* with fairly easy effort,
* turn slightly with precise control while at speed,
* fly with the basetube well to the rear, beyond the reach of their arms.
https://user.xmission.com/~red/fast.htm

Everything described here will need some practice, to nail down the technique, before you really need it. You will need some body-experience to get things right, not just head-knowledge.