Now for something completely different. I made this flight the day I SHOULD have been flying back, while I was still feeling bummed I didn't make it. It cheered me up! It is one way to totally solve the flickering prop problem
A great soaring site, known for it's smoothness and soarability in pretty light winds, plus it gets the late afternoon sun. The S7-s does alright power off, even with the Airstreaks, swiss muffler and junk in the trunk, a 1500' gain and 1 hr 50 minutes of dead stick (why I have my Sirius powered separate from my master switch). After the first hour I started getting bored, so called an old hang glider buddy who still flies them, we b.s.ed for a few minutes, and right about when I was wrapping the call up mentioned where I was, pretty fun stuff!
It was soarable 4 hours or so earlier, and another hour later, so a 5 to 7 hour flight would have been easy. Almost no thermal lift, too late, just good ridge lift with 10 to 12 mph at my strip and probably a bit more up higher. I did not see the golden eagle I've been seeing for 30+ years (they can live to 75 in the wild I'm told) on one part of the ridge, man that is a thrill, he (?) gets real close and just gives you the eyeball.... there is no doubt who is in charge, I've seen him maybe 10 times and like to think it's the same one. Most of this flight was within a mile or so from my house. Heady stuff for a guy raised in a Detroit suburb!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SqGKiILc7TE