Chillybee

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I'll be vacationing near Kitty Hawk and wondered if anyone has every slope soared anywhere on the outer banks? If so, how was it?

Pud

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Man!
You have caused me to remember some really good times!
I flew hang gliders for 25+ years, use to go to Nags Head every year for the "Spectacular" fly-in at Jockey's Ridge.
Flew all sorts of stuff there over the years, very nice sand dune for r/c flying.
I had a Chuperosa I flew on the dune quite a bit, remember sloping it in like a 3mph breath of wind for 30 min at a time.
I would sometimes get six feet over the dune, and just float back and forth to the amazement of all the tourist's, and wuffo's--(what fo you do that? )

Also, on the beaches,(Atlantic side, just walk on the beach, and look) sometimes you can find these little six to eight foot bluffs, it is a blast to soar these tiny slopes in a nice seabreeze!

Take at least one good floater, and a good heavy air ship, you will have a GREAT time!
Pud

AcintSpec

Chillybee:

Like Pud says, YES. Used Jockey's Ridge, wind blowing from the land side, and it works good. One thing to consider, the sand sometimes gets everywhere, including inside the Xmtr, etc.. Some have 'Glad Bagged" their Xmtrs, others have used canned air to help reduce the volume of sand that has a tendency to collect inside our electronics.

Have Fun
Gene

Chillybee

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Pud and AcintSpec,

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely try Jockey's Ridge and the sand dunes from on the Atlantic side. The bag idea over the transmitter is also important. Does anyone get uptight about R/C flying in that area? I don't want to get kicked out or anything. I also plane on bringing down a nice big floater to use my hi-start on if I can find someplace for that. Who knows, if the conditions are good, maybe I'll try to slope that too....ha ha ha

Chillybee

Rtel

I'll be very interested in your experience at the Outter Banks. I too will be going up to visit friends this fall in Duck and intend to take along a floater.

I'm an old sloper from California 10 years ago. Had to sell all my slope stuff when we moved to Florida and now fly power here. I still have a floater though and hope to have some fun on the slopes up there. Please let us know how you make out when you get back, especially where you found good slope flying.

Thanks,

Rick

AcintSpec

Chillybee:

Jockeys Ridge is a National (?) Park but the Rangers didn't throw me out as walked past them, glider in hand last summer. It is a good hike up the ridge though, in soft sand especially. Didn't one of the flying DVD's by Paul Naton have a scene on flying at the Wright Brothers Memorial too? If I'm not mistaken they can get a little uptight there, ask a Ranger if in doubt. They have started their Aviation Celebration down there too, beginning in 2003. Bunch of full size gliders ended their XC race at OBX on the 4th of July.

Also, there is a club down there. Chuck Foreman, former District IV VP for AMA was a Point of Contact for them.

R/Gene

AllThumbs

Believe it or not, some days the wind don't blow. Not often - but it happens.
I made a long trip once to the OB/NC from no wind to find............No wind.


Pud:

I flew my Chuperosa off "the ridge" too.
It flew when others sank (my Ninja).

It packs light for a long walk...even with the 2M wing.


Of course my Chupersosa eventually sank too.
Oceanside dunes - on a nice sea breeze.

One wrong turn and, well.....
Salt water and servos don't mix.

hawksnest

I've been slope flying the Outer Banks for about 7 years now, and it all works at one time or another. The only place you can't fly is the Wright Monument grounds. Anywhere else is fine. Jockey's ridge is good, but I fly mostly hand launch or thermal Zagis (10-12 oz) up there. Front or back side works, walk in from the kite shop, much shorter. One of my favorite places is Pea Island, with dunes to 30 ' high, just across Oregon Inlet about a mile, park in one of the spots on the right, and walk up the backside of the dunes on the left . If the wind is on or within 45* of right on, you can have a blast. I walk the beach with my wife and base fly sometimes. The lift works down to 6-10' off the beach most times. I also fly a thermal Zagi at Kill Devil Hills on the beach at the Colony IV motel where we stay, when the wind is onshore. We spend hours in the morning drinking coffee and flying on the 10 foot dunes. You just have to stay above the lifeguards head. Bill G.

Chillybee

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I want to thank everyone for telling where I could slope last week. I ended up flying my zagi at several places including the Wright Brother's Memorial (much to my surprise, none of the workers minded), Jockey's Ridge (felt like I was making my way across the Sahara), and many sand dunes along the beach. Overall, the sloping was very good. I even hi-started my Bird of Time on the beach and always found enough thermals to keep from sinking. But the coolest thing was flying it up and down the beach along the sand dunes as far as I could see before turing around and coming back. It's amazing how far you can see a 117" glider before it becomes a speck. Needless to say that if I'd had any extra kits, I could have sold all of them to the many enquiring minds. Anyway, I plan on making it down there again with even more gliders next time.

AcintSpec

Chillybee:

Glad you had some fun down in our neck of the woods. Maybe we will see you there when you are down next year.

Gne

Pud

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It IS a cool thing to slope those little beach dunes!!
Good to hear you had a good time.
I need to get down there again sometime soon !

Pud