• Schedule of Events
  
• Weekend Update
  
• Safety Tips
  

UPCOMING WEEKEND AVAILABILITY:

Until June we will be posting the "upcoming" weekend operations. Because of the inconsistent weather and forecasts, and other projects and events we participate in, we will be doing this a week at a time. Please confirm via email or phone call (Contact Us Page) if you would like to come and fly or schedule any type of instruction or discovery flights.

April 6-7

The circus is coming to the Hearne Municipal Airport this weekend. With the parade of animals (there will literally be elephants walking down the taxiway) and potential traffic of circus goers we will not be operating this weekend.

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2002 Schedule of Events:

April 8-30

AAS is off to Florida again for Sun N' Fun, The Wallaby U.S. Nationals, and The FlyTec Championships.

May

To be determined and announced on a weekly basis.

June

Our official flying season begins. Make plans to spend your flying vacation with us to enjoy the most "user-friendly" XC potential anywhere in the state of Texas, as well as the best place to set triangle records, personal best, first-time thermal flights or just to have a good time. Come and enjoy our southern hospitality!

Weekend Update:

The stories and achievements that follow will provide a log of AAS activities at the Airpark. We hope that combined with the Schedule of Events, pilots will be able to have an idea of the kind of flying that is available during the time of our scheduled events throughout the year. We will post a write-up of the weekly flying activities and we will include pilot accounts of their flying when available. The write-ups are dated and begin with the most current.
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March 23, 2002

The past month has brought lots of high winds and rain, limiting the amount of flying that we've been able to do. Finally today we had somewhat of a break. The winds were southerly 10-15 mph on the ground and blowing 25 mph aloft. Chris Zimmerman, Mike Degtoff, Dennis Dornfest, Robin Hamilton, Chico Palmer and Carl Boddie all came out for whatever airtime action there might be. Jim Neff was visiting the Houston area from Canada and brought his Ghostbuster to Hearne hoping for some soaring as well. While everyone was setting up Robin declared it a "100-mile day". Mike D. was the first to launch around 1:30 pm. He towed up to 3000' and within no time he was out of sight of the airport. Mike landed 3 hours, 45 minutes and 124 miles later! Mike's personal story is included later on in this write-up (keep reading!). Chris Zimmerman, who was borrowing Mike's Stealth, launched just after Mike, but was soon back on the ground because of a bad right turn in the glider. After some adjusting he launched again, but landed again and later discovered it was due to improper assembly of the glider. Dennis Dornfest's first tow ended shortly after a weak-link break, but his second tow to 3000' gave him an enjoyable flight over half an hour. Even though Robin knew it was a 100-mile day, he had a very special engagement taking place later that day (like his son Alexander's 1st birthday party!!!), so he called his own task, which was to land back at the airport. Robin launched, soon disappeared for about an hour and was magically back at the airport just like he planned. It is amazing to watch the "control" Robin has with his flying. Jim Neff launched on his Ghostbuster and enjoyed over an hour of the Texas skies, also landing back at the airport. Dennis was kind enough to loan Carl Boddie his glider for a flight (since his own wouldn't fit on top of his vehicle due to Jim Neff's glider taking up so much room...and we certainly appreciate Carl's sacrifice so that we could see Jim :-) Carl enjoyed a tow up to 4000' and frolicked on his old Sensor that he sold to Dennis...it was a special moment. Chico was ready to give chase to Degtoff and Zimmerman, if needed, and also helped out on the ground. Since Zimmerman wasn't able to "get away" he ended up chasing his good buddy Mike. All these great and fun flights wouldn't have been possible without John "the bomb" towing everyone up to altitude. It turned out to be a great day for hang gliding and it's still just March!

***Degtoff's Personal Account of his 124-miler on March 23:

Spring officially began this week while I was at work driving my computer. With every keystroke, I wished I were outside riding the breeze to destinations unknown. My flying this year had so far been limited to three outing and sleds rides had been the norm. Little did I realize that the winter doldrums were about to end in a big way. I LOVE surprises!!

The forecast for Saturday, March 23rd indicated a high probability of strong winds increasing throughout the day. CZ and I hoped we could get to Hearne and launch before they picked up too much. Southerly at 10-20mph-Yuck!! As we drove east, the southerly winds hammered the truck, making us think we'd be grounded for sure. What dummies we are we thought. We were also interested in looking at the RC models that were to be zooming around over the airport at a yearly Radio Control event that draws model pilots from all over. The model jets with operational jet turbines have to be seen, heard, and smelled to be truly appreciated. Even if we did not get to fly, seeing the RC show and visiting with the other visiting HG pilots was draw enough to justify the drive out.

The wind didn't seem too bad as we began to set up. We observed 10-15mph with an occasional stronger gust blowing through. Steve and John got a tug going and Gaye was ready with the rope and cart assistance. John had reported winds aloft at 25 mph so CZ and I made arrangements with Chico to give chase should we get "blown" away from the airport. Robin was heard to comment, "It's a 100-mile day!" Heck, I thought, I'd be happy to get to the Mexia Airport goal CZ and I discussed that was the a little over 50 miles to the north.

While I was on the cart getting ready to launch, I felt real rusty and jokingly said to Gaye I hoped I remembered how to do all this. I think the wind bothers me more than it used too. It sure felt good to be out dusting off the winter cobwebs though. The wind was almost strong enough to pick me up a little as I lay there under my Stalker waiting for the gust to subside a bit. With a wave of her arm, Gaye at my wingtip sent the signal to John to drag me on my way into the sky.

Considering how windy it was, launch was quite smooth until we climbed through 800 feet agl. The vario went from 500 to 900 fpm and for half a second I thought about releasing and going for it. However, the thought of a model jet racing by and hitting me kept me on the towrope to get further upwind. The rest of the tow was fairly smooth until we began to encounter some bumps about 3000' so off I went.

A line of thin clouds had set up to the west and blue sky dominated the area over Hearne to the east so it was an easy decision to head west over the plowed farmland. A few bumpy teasers made me turn in search of lift, but no core could be found so I raced downwind to the next cloud. 400 fpm down, 500 fpm down, 700 fpm down and then I hear CZ releasing at 1000' over the airport and climbing. Bummville was quickly entering my thoughts as I had strayed too far from the airport (to avoid all the RC activity) to make it back. A buzzard below me made a turn and at 1000' a butterfly off my wing pointed me to a small, snaky, tightly wound core that really began to turn on. 100fpm up, 300fpm, 500fpm, and then 800fpm quickly brought a smile. Oh yeah!! Now this is way I go hang-gliding. This is what life is about. Climbing out is so sweet!!! This best/strongest thermal of the day carried me to 2500agl and I was soon over Calvert. My downwind groundspeeds hit 70 mph and each turn in lift carried me across the ground. Meanwhile, back at the airport, CZ had experienced a turn (later we discovered it was due to improper assembly), landed, re-launched, and landed again. By this time I had reached the huge coal quarry north of Calvert and was then beaming towards Bremond. The air was quite rough at times and the thermals were broken up due to the windy conditions. The short thermal columns kept me between 2000-3000 feet most of the flight. About an hour-and-a half into the flight I was able to climb to my highest altitude about 4700 agl but I could never reach cloud base. After crossing hi-way 14 at Bremond, the strong wind drift kept me off to the west. I was soon between Kosse and Lake Marlin and over an old quarry filled with water. It was every shade of green imaginable and I wondered if it might be stocked with bass or catfish. I wasn't low enough to see any fish, but the thought reminded me of seeing sharks off a bodysurfing beach while I'd glide for hours off Makapuu in Hawaii.

Before I realized it, I had passed the Mexia airport, which was too far off to my east to fly over. Scratch that goal. However, with the miles quickly racing by, I soon informed CZ on the radio of my intentions of continuing the flight until I had hit 100 miles. I've always set as a goal to get at least one 100 miler a year. The cold began to get to me a little, as all I had put on was a flannel shirt with my speed sleeves over it, but I'd only allow sink to put me on the ground now.

The beauty of flying from the Hearne area is the availability of landing fields. This area is perfect for the novice XC pilot to begin their XC odysseys. At the same time, it's a wonderful XC site for experienced pilots as it offers many low stress XC routes and the potential for wonderful low saves.

After taking a little detour around a huge lake, I soon set my sights on the Ennis airport. We had flown there during the LSC Nationals and it was 103 miles form Hearne. By now CZ was in my truck and cruising through Corsicana. He was game for pushing further north and said to keep going. I knew the cement jungle of Dallas (and it's airspace restrictions) would eventually block my route. The Ennis dump put off a wonderful 100 fpm methane thermal as I drifted down the middle of IH-45 at 2000agl. It was a blast keeping up with the traffic as the wind line was straight down the road.

Three hours and forty-five minutes after launch I landed 124 miles from Hearne. Now that's the way I like to start the season. While not a record, it does rank as one of my longest XC flights ever and I think anytime any of us get to make a flight like this, it's just amazing. We should never take any of these wonderful things for granted.

Thank you Steve, Gaye & John for allowing me the opportunity to have yet another fantastic flight. Chris, thanks for the chase-you still owe me!!

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February 16-17, 2002

Another nice weekend offered a few local pilots some airtime. Saturday's conditions seemed a little better than Sunday, with the winds from the NW. Curtis Graczyk was able to enjoy a flight of 1 hour and 15 minutes. His first 2 tows were only sled runs and he was about to fold up his glider for the day but decided on one more tow...which turned out to be a very good decision. Dennis Dornfest also got lucky on his 3rd tow and enjoyed about 45 minutes. Both Dennis and Curtis found some nice light lift just SE of the airport. John "the bomb" was able to get about 45 minutes on his 1st tow, working light lift over the northern end of the airport. On Sunday the winds switched around blowing from the south with a high cloud cover. Martin Mitter took a couple of sled runs since there was no lift to be found. John "the bomb" took a late sled run flight as well. Burnzie did some dual work with RR in our Dragonfly working on low passes along the main runway and some landings...all of which were very nice. Good work RR! John Listi and Aaron Klime, the owners of the famous "Texas Trike" were also here all weekend and both got several hours of flying...as well as helped us to set up our brand new "Streak" wing. It was a fun weekend and we're looking forward to more. _______________________________________________________________________________

Jan. 23-24, 2002

The weather finally offered some nice conditions and several local pilots came out to shake the dust off of their wings and get some airtime. Mik Peters, who hadn't flown since the Regionals flew his Eagle and enjoyed a couple of nice flights. Dennis Dornfest, Curtis Graczyk, Mike Degtoff, RR (who flew Mick's Eagle for about 1/2 an hour), and John Krueger who flew both Chris Zimmerman's "Talon" and Degtoff's Stalker all enjoyed some flights. Steve did a check ride with Mike Degtoff in our trike, then jumped out and let Mike fly around for the rest of the afternoon. We also worked with a new pilot who learned to fly at Lookout. After several tandems, George Innis soloed the Falcon 225 Sat. evening (2 flights). In between Sat. activities Steve was able to catch a flight in a local's refurbished and beautiful Stearman! On Sun. Chris Zimmerman and Mike Degtoff flew for over an hour (CZ flew for 50 min. to be exact, but Degtoff was over an hour). The lift was light, but definitely there and their gliders seemed to be in a perpetual turn. John Krueger flew our Falcon 195 a couple of times, while MD and CZ took turns flying the trike, preparing to do some towing using John as their "test dummy" (I mean pilot ;-). Late in the day Mike towed John in CZ's Talon, then CZ towed John again. MD and CZ are both working on their ATP sign-offs and plan to be ready for some "yanking" when the flying season starts. At the end of the day George finished up with several more solo flights in the 195, with his last tow going to 3,000' for a beautiful sunset flight, ending with a very sweet 2-step landing. It was a fun weekend and we're hoping for more nice weather during these next few months. _______________________________________________________________________________

Dec. 14, 2001

We got a call from our good friend Mike Owens informing us about the arrival of Bob Bullock, from South Carolina, with his new "Kalypso" water trike. Burnzie was very impressed with the quality and design that Bob has created using Krucker floats (designed for trikes) along with the Butterfly wing by GibboGear, and the Hotprop from Kiev. The trike has a very nice, heavy-duty frame with electric retractable wheels (also has a manual backup) that made for an easy taxi to the water's edge and back out again without ever getting out of the trike (much less getting wet!). Burnzie was able to demo the trike out at Lake Travis, taking several solo flights as well as a few dual flights (with our good buddy Johnny Burkett and a very interested on-looker). The trike has a 503 engine, which easily lifted Burnzie and the passenger up off the water. The set-up was minimal with the folding wing design and the “state-of-the-art” retractable gear made the process of getting the trike in and out of the water seemless. The winter conditions didn’t allow for more flying through the weekend, but we did get to enjoy Bob’s company for a couple of days along with Johnny's southern hospitality. Check out the Kalypso's website from our Links page under Manufacturers. The Kalypso is an exciting new amphibious trike! _______________________________________________________________________________

Oct. - Dec., 2001

We have taken the majority of this time away from the flightpark to work on other projects. We did some intermittent trike instruction as conditions allowed. _______________________________________________________________________________

Sept. 28-29, 2001

The Region 11 Regionals took place this weekend. The Houston Hang Gliding Association organized the event and we provided the tugs. I will update this event soon...so be sure and check back. _______________________________________________________________________________

Aug. 19, 2001

The morning started out with everyone moving slow... The majority of the comp pilots were packing up and heading back home and the morning brought some light rain. Bobby Bailey stuck around to work on our DFs, and there's nothing like the actual designer working on your equipment. The skies cleared later in the day and we did some flying. Bo Hagewood helped us out with some tandem work and we were able to get Danny Hewey his AT sign-off. Rod Brown was doing the towing in our Anteres trike. Late in the day Rod towed up Danny for one of his solo flights and I had walked out to retrieve the dolly. As I was walking it back I heard an engine idling along and turned around to see what it was. There was a trike taxiing down the runway with a strobe light on top and my first thought was "how in the hell did Rod get that light on top of our wing"...then I realized it wasn't our trike ;-) Omar Contreras and Yelitza Mendoza, both from Venezuela, Island of Margarita, had just landed in Hearne, Texas while on their way back home from a cross-country journey which started in Ven. They had flown up through the islands, along the east coast of the US, over to Oshkosh, WI (for the big ultralight show), and back down through the states. They were actually on their way down to Brownsville, cruising at 12,000', when they saw that Hearne had an airport and decided to lower their altitude to check it out. They almost flew on past when they saw a trike towing a hang glider. They landed around 6 pm in a beautiful Air Creation with a 912 which had been autographed by the famous Francis Rogallo during their stop over at Kitty Hawk, NC. They were working on a documentary of their journey and had about 40 hours of footage. They stayed in Hearne for a couple of days and did more filming, mounting cameras on our DFs, trike and various helmet-cams. Omar used our Falcon 195 for some shooting and our good buddy and local pilot Richard Bodine became their main point man. Richard helped with the various setups, flew with the helmet-cam, and shuttled them back and forth to their motel and restaurants. It was truly amazing to see what came out of that trike, i.e., cameras, notebooks, duffle bags, laptops and much more and then to watch it get packed back in very methodically. Naturally "checklists" were a main feature. Omar and Yelitza had all the bells and whistles on their trike, including an electronic "jukebox" with hundreds of CDs downloaded and categorized for their listening pleasure while cruising at 12,000'. You should visit their website www.bluexpedition.com for more detailed accounts of their past and current events. They are an incredible couple and we really enjoyed working with them. _______________________________________________________________________________

Aug. 11-18, 2001

This was the week of the US Lone Star Nationals. This was our second successful meet in 2 years, with another 7 straight days of flying. When it was all flown and scored, the 85 pilots in Classes I and II flew a distance equivalent to around the world. The flying at the LSC (Lone Star Championships 2000) meet was marvelous. This year it was superb while at the same time challenging because of condition changes on course. A whopping 127-mile task straight downwind was called on the first day. The wind was blowing briskly, so only a downwind run was feasible. As it developed, pilots ran in groups, and solo, across the flat landscape, buoyed by great lift, guided by reliable clouds and carried along by a nice tailwind. The scores showed 34 pilots in goal (17 Class I and 17 Class II). Many more said they would have made it except for the thunderstorm that set up near goal that spewed out a hindering headwind. The early birds got the goal. The winner for the day in Class I was Paris Williams, with Sugarman coming in 2nd, Sandy Dittmar (VEN) 3rd, Carlos Bessa 4th and Bo Hagewood 5th. Robin Hamilton (GBR and flying a Swift) was the Class II winner for the day, with Davis Straub 2nd, Mark Poustinchian 3rd, Johann Posch (AUT) 4th, and Bruce Barmakian 5th. The next day was a 70-mile triangle won by Gerolf Heinrichs (AUT) in Class I, with Paris 2nd, Glen Volk 3rd, Jim Lee 4th, and Conrad Loten (AUS) 5th. Class II winner was Robin, with Brian Porter (flying the other Swift) 2nd, Mark Poustinchian 3rd, Jim Yocum 4th, and Heiner Biesel 5th. The third day was a mere 53 miles (85 kms) in a straight line to dodge weather and provide a rest. Gerolf again won this round with Paris in 2nd, Jim Lee 3rd, Bo Hagewood 4th, and Brett Hazlett (CAN) 5th. Class II winner Robin...again, Brian 2nd (those darn Swifts), Bruce Barmakian 3rd, Davis Straub 4th, and Johann Posch 5th. The next day finally exhibited the light winds we are accustomed to in Texas, so naturally we flew triangular. It was a 66-mile (106-km) course that was completed by 47 pilots. Class I winner for the day was Bo Hagewood, with Chris Zimmerman 2nd, David Giles 3rd, Glen Volk 4th and Conrad Loten 5th. Class II was Robin 1st, Brian 2nd, Bruce Barmakian 3rd, Davis Straub 4th and Johann 5th. It was the fifth day that really showed the testosterone of the task committee along with the optimism of the Meet Director, Steve Burns. A 104-mile (166-km) triangle with a 30-mile (48-km) headwind final leg was called. Class II went clockwise on the course with Class I going the opposite way. The pilots launched efficiently, for all knew that their battle was against the clock. The lift was good and the first two legs went by in textbook fashion—climb and glide to connect the dots from cloud to cloud. Then, when the corner was turned at the last turn point, things slowed down. Both the progress in glide and the climb rates became anemic. The goal crew waited patiently for the first finishers, spied a couple specks on the horizon and saw some rigid wings eeking out distance. Naturally it was the two Swifts piloted by Robin and Brian. Then more (portable) rigid wings arrived with Davis Struab coming in 3rd, Mark Poustinchian 4th, and Bruce Barmakian 5th...but no flexies yet. Finally, a glider that grew in size until it was discernible as being the Talon of Bo Hagewood. Then there was silence in the skies for about an additional half an hour. It was six o’clock and the day was getting blue. At goal we could see a few gliders appear on the horizon, then slowly disappear as the gravity of the situation overcame them. Finally a few more stragglers limped in. They succeeded in the weak air by resorting to a desperate strategy: they swung wide to the west to reach the evening cloud street that sets up in the Brazos river valley. Terry Presley was 2nd at goal, followed by Glen Volk, Sandy Dittmar and Jerz Rossignol. Only 7 flex wings made goal while 9 rigids came home. On the Sixth day a 55-mile (88-km) out and back was called. Thunderstorms were threatening and the chosen route was the best hope for a valid round. The storm moved in from the north, but the early leavers or fast pilots crossed goal in good shape. The rigid class was led by the two Swifts, Robin and Brian (naturally), with Straub 3rd, Mark Poustinchian 4th and Jim Yocum 5th. Gerolf won Class I for the day with Brett Hazlett 2nd, Jim Lee 3rd, Jerz Rossignol 4th, and Sandy Dittmar 5th. The final day a task of a 58-mile (93-km) dogleg east, then south was chosen to take advantage of ground not dampened by yesterday’s shower. The last leg was about 33 miles into a south headwind. Unfortunately, at launch the wind shifted to the north. This shift resulted in some confusion and delay as we turned the operation around, but we realized we had called a task with an easy downwind goal. As we were sorting things out, a few rigid wings launched. It was decided to move the start gates back to provide better conditions, so a tug piloted by Bobby Bailey, the Dragonfly designer, was sent up with a big sign announcing the new times to the airborne pilots. Finally things were sorted out and the pilots were off. Out on course things got tough. Lift was weak after the first turn point and pilots had to cross a big blue hole. Mark Bolt made goal on his own to win the day with Brett Hazlett 2nd, Paris Williams 3rd, Terry Presley 4th and Chris Zimmerman 5th. The blow-by-blow account by Sandy Dittmar of the last 15 miles covered by this gaggle, getting low and fanning out like vultures to find lift, held us spellbound. It is these types of experiences that are the rewards of competition. In Class II, Robin Hamilton won handily followed by Brian Porter. Bruce Barmakian was the first non-Swift pilot, but coming in 3rd followed by Russell Brown 4th and Johann Posch 5th. So the top ten winners in Class I were Paris Williams 1st, Gerolf Heinrichs 2nd, Jerz Rossignol 3rd, Brett Hazlett 4th, Jim Lee 5th, Glen Volk 6th, Conrad Loten 7th, Chris Zimmerman 8th, Sugarman 9th, and Mark Bolt 10th. Class II winners were Robin Hamilton 1st, Brian Porter 2nd (also the National Champion), Bruce Barmakian 3rd, Davis Straub 4th, Johann Posch 5th, Jim Yocum 6th, Mark Poustinchian 7th, Russell Brown 8th, Ron Gleason 9th, and Jim Zeiset 10th. There were only 3 pilots that made goal everyday...Jerz Rossignal, Bruce Barmakian, and Russell Brown. One other significant mention is that the LSN was Jim Lee's "100th" competition...and he keeps on ticking. It was a very fun week! _______________________________________________________________________________

Aug. 4, 2001

Today's conditions were good. Good enough for Mike Degtoff to fly from the Hearne Airport to Packsaddle Mountain's LZ! Packsaddle is the only footlaunch site in Texas and is located west of Austin. Several competition pilots had arrived at our flightpark early to prepare for the US Lone Star Nationals. With easterly winds, there were several pilots that called an out and return task from Hearne to Navasota and back. No one made it all the way back to the airport, but there were several good flights, most making it back to Bryan or just short of the airport. Davis Straub made an incredible save from about 300' after his weak link broke during his tow out. It looked as though he was heading back to the launching area, but found a small thermal just east of the airport towards the north end. He casually circled, and quite quickly gained enough altitude to get away...it was fun to watch. Chris Zimmerman and Degtoff had decided to fly downwind, with Chris making it home to his backyard (in Georgetown, just north of Austin...for a third time I believe) and Degtoff flew over his house in Round Rock, but decided to push on westerly, making it to Pack's LZ, around 110 miles. Mike holds the "First Pilot to Pack" record! _______________________________________________________________________________

July 31, 2001

AAS had committed to a $500 cash prize for the first HG pilot to cross the Oklahoma border (202 miles) from Hearne. This challenge was presented almost a year before and Chris Zimmerman had come the closest with a flight of 175 miles several weeks earlier. However, today four pilots flew over 200 miles from Hearne. Paris Williams (flex-wing), Bo Hagewood (flex-wing), Mark Poustanchian (rigid-wing) and Chris Zimmerman (flex-wing) were the first pilots to cross the Oklahoma border. Paris was the very first one across landing out at about 204 miles. Mark (who initially was ahead of Paris) had veered off to the west a little taking longer to actually reach the border. Paris crossed the border at 4:50 pm and Mark crossed at 5:10 pm and continued on to fly 243 miles. Mark actually flew 245, but turned around to land in better terrain (instead of trees and creeks). Bo landed shortly after Paris at 204 miles also. Chris had launched 1.5 hours behind Paris, Bo, and Mark, and after realizing they all had reached the border before him, decided to fly PAST the border and at least set the new "flex" wing record at 212 miles out. Even though he didn't collect the prize money, he did set a new Hearne record. Paris Williams was the "official" winner and after being handed the cash went to the mountains of Colorado to refocus his energy in preparation for the US Lone Star Nationals (which ended up being a worthwhile trip since he won 1st place and became the US National Champion). _______________________________________________________________________________

July 16-18, 2001

On Mon. Steve Wood, the youngster among the Florida crew, flew his personal best landing out at 100 miles! Way to go Steve. Launch was between 1 and 2 pm. On Tues. Prior was king for the day flying 104 miles, launching about 1:30 pm. Chris Zimmerman joined the crew and was towed to 1300' after everyone else. However it wasn't enough and he landed back after 20 min. of struggle at 1000' to 1300'. After landing back at the launch area, Steve towed him back up to 2000' over Hearne. Cloud base was at 4500 and the wind was showing 15 to 25. Prior was west of everyone and Tiki was east of Marlin and going strong. Steve Wood landed out 13 miles or so, and Tiki ended up with 50+. Zimmerman flew over both and continued on trying to catch up with Prior. After radio contact Zimmerman learned that Prior was on the west side of Lake Waco. The clouds continued to be geat and CZ was high, over 5000'. With Prior's support he flew around the north side of Waco and then straight west. They flew up the west side of Lake Whitney. Prior was a litle ahead and landed at 104 miles and CZ picked a spot that was 100 miles from Hearne. He circled at 3000' for awhile and hit lift again at 1300', landing at just before 7 pm. It was no suprise to hear about the new world records that were set in Zapata on the same day. _______________________________________________________________________________

July 14-15, 2001

This was to be the weekend for Burnzie's birthday bash, put with a full schedule of events ahead of us and the Nationals approaching we called a "work weekend". We had a wonderful turnout of pilots ready and willing to tackle several different projects and progress was acheived. Thanks to all who showed up and helped out. It was a fun time that evening to share some of the awesome sausage that RR brought from Lockhart and cold beverages that were chipped in by all attending. _______________________________________________________________________________

July 9-13, 2001

The Florida crew along with an occasional Texas pilot or two flew everyday this week. Flights ranged from 65 miles on down to 12 miles. Each day seemed to offer great flying, but it had to attempted at just the right time of day. We pushed back the launch time a little more everyday, until between 1:30 and 2:30 seemed to be the ticket for getting away from Hearne. _______________________________________________________________________________

July 7-8, 2001

The flying season is beginning to really kick in!!! The weekend had excellent "hot" weather and there were lots of great flights recorded. Chris Zimmerman broke the flexwing record at Hearne with an amazing flight of 175 miles! He launched around 12:00 and landed in Wolf, Texas around 7:00. He outflew the entire Florida contingent by some 150 miles and had to rely on his good buddy MD to come to his rescue. Actually, it was just payback since Chris had "loaned" Mike his truck on Saturday so that Mike could get home after his flight to Corsicana, Texas. Way to go Mike and Chris! Thanks also to Kent Robinson for delivering CZ's truck to Mike on his way back to Dallas. Way to go Kent! Robin Hamilton would have "shattered" the rigid world record for the 100 kilometer out and return except for one small detail. He declared his task to the north (Marlin) and back. When he got in the air (2:30) conditions were bad to the north, but booming to the south. So he flew 50 kilometers "upwind" and then back to Hearne in 1 hr 40 min. The current record time is close to 3 hrs. While Robin is "recouping" from shoulder surgery and can't fly hang gliders for a while, we are certainly excited to see what is possible in Texas with someone of his ability flying one of the fastest rigids in the world! _______________________________________________________________________________

July 1-2, 2001

We saw the likes of RR Rodriguez, John "the bomb" Krueger (both in the tug and his hang glider), Jim Taulman, Richard Bodine, Mick Peters, Mark Edwards, Michael Williams, Duane McCune, Pete Hammer, Tre Groeschel, Kent Robinson, Chico Palmer, Dewayne Sinclair, Mickey Brady, Chris Zimmerman, Mike Degtoff, and the Florida contingent, Tiki Mashy, Prior Powers, Ken Allen and Steve Wood over the weekend. Several of these pilots had personal bests...longest soaring flights, first time to cloudbase, etc. It's feeling good to see lots of gliders over Hearne...some heading out and some soaring about. _______________________________________________________________________________

June 2001

Still lots of rain (the airport looks like a golf course...expect for the stickers and cactus!). Several good weekends that we'll report on soon. The most exciting flight was at the end of the month when Mark Poustinchian (Florida pilot) stopped by on his way to Zapata and casually flew 184 out of Hearne. He launched at 12 noon and landed just NE of Abilene at 7 pm. Mark was flying an Atos...way to go Mark! _______________________________________________________________________________

May 2001

Still windy and unseasonable (lots of moisture), but we still had some good weekends with the local pilots. _______________________________________________________________________________

April 2001

We traveled to Florida for both the Flytec Championships and Wallaby Open hang gliding comps. We took one of our Dragonfly's and Steve was a tug pilot and Gaye helped out with ground crewing. It was a fun adventure and we "really" enjoyed being at someone else's flightpark. :-) More later... _______________________________________________________________________________

March 31-April 1, 2001

Well, it seems that occasionally good things can happen to those who don't pay attention to the "weather forecast". Saturday was just that sort of day. With the forecast looking "iffy" at best, Degtoff, Zimmerman, Bob Cummings, Jim Taulman, Dave Morton, Carl Boddie and Mark Carter all showed up at the airport to get in whatever flying they could. It turned out to be one of the best flying days we have seen this year. The day turned out to be somewhat "magical". Most pilots didn't get above 3,000'. A few went to 4,000', but everyone enjoyed some of the "smoothest" soaring we have seen in awhile. With light NW winds, a line of instability set up along Hwy. 6. Once at cloudbase it was easy to stay up and scoot north towards Calvert. Some pilots logged 3 hours! After John "the bomb" had towed up all the solo pilots, Burnzie towed him up late (4 pm), and he was able to stay up for over an hour. It was soarable until 6 pm! While everyone enjoyed the evening air, Burnzie finished installation of a new engine on our original D-fly. It was good to see him "frolicking" with this "newly thrusted" aircraft. We expect many hours of work from this new 582. We enjoyed a very entertaining evening at Bob's Steakhouse in Cameron after all the flying!!! _______________________________________________________________________________

March 25, 2001

Sun. started out cold and very overcast, but as the morning continued the skies began to clear some and the winds became lighter. A handful of pilots showed up in hopes of getting a little airtime. Michael Williams had recently retrofited his comp glider with the WW carbon-based control frame, and he was ready to give it a go. He seemed pleased with it, and was able to enjoy several extended flights working good lift along side Chris Zimmerman. One flight was over an hour at 3,000'+. RR joined them on his Mil (and is now giving some serious thought to competing at the Nationals!). Jim Taulman got a few more aero tows under his belt on his HP AT, after soloing just over a month ago. Dave Morton took a second flight after watching Michael and Chris soar around the airport maintaining good altitude. Chris finished up his day doing a few tandems with Paul Berry, and John "the bomb" wrapped things up working with RR in the DF. Burnzie flew his trike around taking pictures of all the cool jets that were participating in the airshow. It was a nice afternoon... _______________________________________________________________________________

March 19-22, 2001

After another weekend of rain, John Listi and Aaron Klime, both from Houston, came out on Mon. morning with their brand new Airborne Edge with the Streak wing, sporting the design of the Texas flag. John and Aaron have one fine looking trike that flies even better than it looks. _______________________________________________________________________________

March 15-17, 2001

We were on the road to NM to retrieve the "imfamous" D-fly trailer. While in Hobbs, NM Burnzie put Brian Nelson in the front seat of Curt Grahm's Dragonfly and let him get in some "quality time". Brian has worked with Curt for several years now out at Hobbs. We hope to see Brian occasionally this summer since he owns a Bonanza. _______________________________________________________________________________

March 12-13, 2001

We were in Seabrook (Houston area) with Mike Owens and his new Polaris FIB (flying boat) at Mike's wonderful vacation home in El Jardin. Mike's "facility" is going to be a great place to fly these aircraft and Burnzie is having fun "buzzing" his old stomping grounds where he grew up. Stay tuned for some exciting developments with this area! _______________________________________________________________________________

March 7, 2001

More trike instruction with Mark Schoor. _______________________________________________________________________________

March 5, 2001

Trying to take advantage of favorable weather when we can, Chris Zimmerman came back out on Mon., flew his glider while Burnzie worked with Art Stallings and Mark Schoor in the trike. Burnzie then towed Chris in the tandem glider with Dave Savener several times. Eric Savener enjoyed another solo flight in the Falcon 195, getting a nice,long flight just before sunset. _______________________________________________________________________________

March 4, 2001

After several days of rain, Sun. afternoon finally gave us some warm sunshine, with northerly winds at 10-15 mph. Sam Kellner's brand new WW Ultra Sport had arrived and with the help of Burnzie, John "the bomb", and RR it was set-up and ready for a test flight. Chris Zimmerman and Dave Morton both enjoyed a leisurely sled run, then after John "the bomb" test flew Sam's US he turned it over to Sam, who enjoyed about a 20 min. flight on his new glider. Art Stallings did some more instruction with Burnzie in the trike, and we signed up a new triker student, Mark Schoor, from Dallas. Eric and Dave Savener both did some more tandems, and Eric soloed the Falcon 225 on the last flight of the day!!! Way to go Eric! And yet another hang glider pilot is born... It's exciting for us to get so much flying and instruction accomplished during this uncooperative winter we've had. John "the bomb", RR, Chris Z., and Mike Degtoff have played a tremendous part in helping us to get things accomplished. Thanks guys...keep up the good work! _______________________________________________________________________________

February 25, 2001

Wow, what a day. Light winds and mild thermal conditions provided excellent training weather. Burnzie did the early tugging with Chris Z. doing the tandems. Mike Degtoff joined the fray as one of AAS's new Tandem 1 pilots. John "the bomb" flew in around lunchtime and then things really got exciting! After John "yanked" Burnzie up for a couple of tandems conditions got soarable. The solo towing started off with Mark Carter, a soon to be “regular” here at the airpark. Jim Taulman took his first solo aero tow on our Falcon 195, and ended up soaring around for over an hour at 3000'+. Jim later transitioned over to his own WW HP with a bit of a shaky start, but quickly lined up behind the tug for a very smooth tow. Reed Murray, Dave Morton, Chico Palmer, RR, Degtoff, and Zimmerman all enjoyed long flights and reached altitudes of 4000'. Dallas Willis arrived late in the afternoon and was able to get in one high tow and then gave everyone quite a show with his superb freestyle routine. Lew Adams, a sailplane pilot from Austin, showed up mid-afternoon. After seeing the article in KITPLANES, about the World Record Encampment (WRE), he has become very interested in hang gliding. Burnzie put him in the front seat of the D-Fly and followed Reed Murray (flying Degtoff’s Stealth) around. Front row seats at their best!! John "the bomb" jumped in RR's Mil. _______________________________________________________________________________

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