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By JohnB
#204305
The video shows a virtually unstallable glider. I think an Airborne Fun or WW Falcon. We use them for training at our school. A full flare will bring the airspeed to zero, therefore you can land downwind if you can run at the windspeed.
Upslope landings are advisable when winds are light and variable. Approach to any landing should always be made with extra airspeed.
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By gasdive
#204404
JohnB wrote:The video shows a virtually unstallable glider. I think an Airborne Fun or WW Falcon. We use them for training at our school. A full flare will bring the airspeed to zero, therefore you can land downwind if you can run at the windspeed.
Upslope landings are advisable when winds are light and variable. Approach to any landing should always be made with extra airspeed.
Sorry "Huh?" wasn't very helpful was it...

I don't know what you mean by "unstallable glider". Some of the Rutan designs are unstallable, which means they can never be flown below stall speed. A full flare is a full stall... So I don't understand your statement "A full flare will bring the airspeed to zero" when combined with "unstallable glider". You go on to say " therefore you can land downwind if you can run at the windspeed." but I don't see anyone running anywhere in that video.

So basically you've left me completely confused. Can you say it differently so I get it?

Cheers Jason =:)
#401964
I know nobody has posted in years on this Fly On The Wall thread, but I have some thoughts since I'm learning to do these right now:

I pull in enough so that I can be coasting uphill with enough time to decide when to flare.

The flare window is shorter uphill because gravity is slowing me down faster than just air drag on level ground. I was surprised to discover this for myself, but going faster gives me more time to see the flare window coming and makes the landing easier to negotiate.

Right now I am practicing on a 30 degree slope in wind that is less than 10 mph uphill on the slope. I started off landing near the bottom on shallower slope. I find it's actually easier landing on a steeper slope than the shallower slope at the bottom, I think because gravity is slowing me down faster on the steeper slope. To land on the 30 degree slope, I'm pulling the bar in to my waist for my dive, about the fastest I have pulled in on final anytime landing in very turbulent air to get down to flat ground with good control.

I think the speed only needs to be there right before the round out to start the trip back up the hill. When flying straight and level I sometimes pull the bar in to dive 30 feet and have fun coasting back up 25 feet. It’s the same idea.

I think the minimum speed needed in any case is enough speed to begin travelling parallel to the terrain uphill. At minimum speed, you would have to flare at that moment you round out, but you would be travelling parallel to the terrain and if you failed to flare at that moment at least you wouldn’t get hurt from any downward impact and would likely be just fine with a good set of wheels or very fast feet.

To date, watching my last landing videos, I think I need to improve the following points:

1. I need to leave the control bar in time to safely be holding both down tubes before rounding out. It would be very bad to miss reaching for a down tube while rounding out on an uphill slope.

2. When flaring, I need to keep my legs back until the flare has slowed me down to walking speed. I’m fighting my own flare by pulling my legs forward too soon. I think rounding out a foot or two higher would make it easier to keep my feet back until I’ve nearly completed flaring.

Anyone caring to comment is welcome to correct me on anything. As another post said, there doesn't seem to be [enough] educational material available for these Fly On The Wall landings. Thank you in advance and also to my instructor and others who have offered their insight and advice thus far.
#401966
I for one simply just love to execute a Down-Wind Up-Hill landing. Oh how I yearn for the Day when I return to flying my Beloved Predator 158. For once again I will load my Glider onto my Trucks nicely padded Rack, then I will head up to my local Northern California S-F East-Bay Area Mountain site of Mount Diablo.

It was up on Mount Diablo that one Day I ripped off 17 flights in One Day. Landing Down-Wind Up-Hill enables One to have the time to enjoy many flights in one day.

In Fact: AS far as I know. The Juniper Ridge L-Z is Whack Free since the L-Z was first Pioneered oh about 15 or so years ago. There has never been a (WHACK) at the Juniper Ridge L-Z.

Yes-Yes-YES I love Down-Wind Up-Hill Landings!
#401967
This is my very first Fly On The Wall landing, at Diablo, Roadrunner71's favorite place.

I experienced the same thing, pull in hard to get speed, and as gravity and the hill slow me down, quickly flare before the wing stalls. I should practice this more often. After landing here, the entire world opened up and I'm not too worry about going XC anymore. Looks tricky and intimidating, but it's really not.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nxAxZlEO1cs

Pedro
#401968
I did some (slight) downwind (slight) uphill landings today. Maybe 2-5 MPH, 5 degree slope. Two worked out fine, one I dropped the bar after running out the landing for a slight whack, and one I flared, but the glider came down hard on me and I ended up in the dirt with a scraped knee. It's a good technique to practice if you've got an opportunity.

10MPH and 30 degree slope sounds really intense to me. Both those numbers are big in this context. Even if you stop the glider with a full flare, you'll have 10MPH wind pushing the glider down on you. Kevin, if you're having success with landings like that, I think you're doing really well!

Roadrunner, your spirit is admirable! Good luck with your healing and I hope to fly with you some day.

Push out, /jd
#401982
Thanks everyone for the flying interest and encouragement!

I don't seem to be able to edit my post above so I'm adding video here.

This video is from 13 Jan, 2018, at Point of the Mountain, Utah. Three of the five landings are fly on the walls. I left the additional footage in to help give better perspective on the hill layout and wind speed. The hill isn't nice and green like some of the places you guys are flying, but it sure is a great place to practice!

In this video when landing uphill, I think I need to get both my hands on the down tubes before rounding out, and to flare much better by rounding out slightly higher and staying more horizontal during the flare to keep my weight further back while pushing the control bar further forward. In the mean time, the wheels are saving me.

https://youtu.be/mOQyYYnCADI
#401992
This thread got me digging for a flight I did in my second year of flying, in Virginia (Dickeys Ridge, a site inside the Shenandoah National Park no less).
The plan was to fly out and land in a nice field, however we sunk out and had to land in a sketchy spot in the valley below. I watched closely what the experienced pilot before me did and pretty much copied it. I had a clear picture in my mind how this should work, fly-on-the-wall seems straight forward enough, but having to actually do one in a spot I haven't even seen from the ground...was a bit intimidating to say the least! The wind was light (luckily so), the hill was steep (much more than perceivable on the video), short, with a fence at the bottom...and if I overshot the top I would of been toast! :| Of course, once it was done it totally felt like "well, that was easy!"... :rofl:
I know I could pull this off should I need to do it again, but would I choose to land there again? NO.

https://youtu.be/3fsn_7eEqCA
#402009
OK, I have a better video now of a practice Fly On The Wall Landing at Point of the Mountain from Jan 17, 2018.

I've decided I'm okay rounding out level with the terrain going uphill and then reaching from the base bar to the other down tube to finish flaring. I want that extra push authority while that hill is coming up fast at me!

The first half is video from the glider. The second half is video from the ground. (Thanks, Morgan!)

The wind is about 10 mph uphill.

https://youtu.be/1aZuXEGfrlE
#402084
I am not Flying my Hang Glider Currently. But I so will relish my Next Flight on my Beloved Predator. Well regarding Down - Wind, Up -Hill Landings. I used to so enjoy pulling the Bar in while I was om Finale. I used to so enjoy zooming up the Hill, I would attempt to have a very good feel for the Bar Pressure. As the pressure lessened . I would wait right until the Bar had no more pressure. I would then do a strong, Full Extension Flare. It was such a great feeling to experience when I as I did the Flair, really extending my Arms. I really enjoyed feeling the Harness lines Load-Up. It was so much fun.


Well Guys, Thanks for barring with my melancholy statement regarding Down - Wind Up - Hill Landings.

Good- By Chris. CCMCK@GOLDSTATE.NET 925-497-1059.