I thought this was really neat. Last landing looked a little sketchy and close to that fence...

I got to be there in that same field watching the guys fly the Super Floater and the GOAT a month later at the Experimental Soaring Association event. These guys were having a blast, towing up with a pickup truck to about 1000 feet over and over. I think someone figured out that the direct fuel cost of a launch to 1000 feet was about 50 cents worth of car gas, and that provided between 10 minutes and two hours worth of flying, depending on thermal or ridge lift activity.

You can build a similar primary glider for a couple of thousand in materials and eight or ten weekends worth of 2 or 3 people's labor. Free plans for the GOAT from Mike Sandlin online, and the glider was stress engineered and tested properly by someone with the right letters after their name. Although a purely fun "toy" of an airplane, these primary gliders do have a higher level of control authority with full 3 axis aero controls, compared to the weight shift hang gliders and paragliders. Fun per dollar is off the chart.

As I mentioned in a previous post, this type of glider would make an exceptionally good EAA chapter or airport project, where kids can get an opportunity to learn how to fly at the most basic level, for pennies compared to traditional flight training. This type of glider can be towed down the runway at an altitude of 6 inches or a foot, with a very reasonable amount of safety. Imagine a kid going home after one day, having "flown an airplane by hm/her self".

Yup. I was checking out the plans... http://m-sandlin.info/
and bad ideas were rolling though my head. Fortunately there aren't too many good treeless hills around here to play with one of those, as I have way too many other things to do these days.

You guys may have screwed up my life even more than it already is.

I should not have looked at this thread, Just downloaded the Goat 4 plans.

Here's another one. This one has an eagle looking for a free ride;

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL478C9B3274E4D6F1

This is a youtube playlist showing several versions and locations flying the GOAT glider and the unique rolling launch method pioneered by Mike and Floyd. This turned out to be an ideal situation in several ways, because a lot of older hang glider pilots were getting tired of being injured or sore after traditional foot launching their hang gliders. But not everywhere has a launch ramp on a "treeless hill" as mentioned by another poster. So a 120 year old classic type of flying machine has been updated and simplified, and because of cost it's just as relevant now as it was in 1893.

If you make up a list of the greatest pilots in all of aviation history, from ALL of the top 100 aces, to Jimmy Doolittle, to the first female test pilot who flew helicopter/rocket/jet/pulsejet and then flew an airplane inside a building, to the Wright Brothers, to the guy who taught the Wright Brothers how to fly (Lilienthal)... you are in fact making a list of pilots who trained in open Primary Gliders similar to the GOAT.

NOW... would you like to be INSPIRED ? Would you like to see something that gives us older folks hope that there will be a new generation of pilots? Here is how you make new pilots, at a VERY cheap price:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26tNAW58 ... 1&index=38

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjdQhNHsJps

Sorry if I had posted this before, you will have to forgive me, but I make no excuses for trying to get people thinking about how to train new pilots inexpensively.

There are several very cool places around here that the Goat could be roll launched from. I'm thinking this would be a fun way for me to keep flying while I'm between airplanes...if the Luscombe ever sells. I'm going to put together a bill of materials so I can price out the cost of building one. They just look like a ton of fun.

Hey Whee:
I downloaded the plans too and a viewer but all I get is black page with red lettering. I'm over my head I think. Have you been able to print those out?

Dan

I haven't printed them yet but I have no problem viewing them.

I downloaded this viewer: http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/pc/item?siteID=123112&id=9078813
And the .dxf files.

That's what I downloaded only in the MAC version. I'll get with my nephew the graphics wizard and get him to make D size for me.

When I'm ready for printed drawings I'm just going to take the files to the local blueprint shop.

There's an "airchair" group on Yahoo groups, I believe everyone who is building or flying these gliders is on that group. It's probably the BCP of ultralight soaring

whee wrote:There are several very cool places around here that the Goat could be roll launched from. I'm thinking this would be a fun way for me to keep flying while I'm between airplanes...if the Luscombe ever sells. I'm going to put together a bill of materials so I can price out the cost of building one. They just look like a ton of fun.

I'd be interested in seeing that list.

I have this place about 20 miles away. I've never been over there but when the snow clears a bit I think I'll take a ride.


http://www.airsailing.org/

UngaWunga wrote:
I'd be interested in seeing that list.

Be happy to share it once I have it done