Alpine UltraBatics
Over the 2012 Memorial Day Weekend, Swiss Peter, Dawson Henderson and myself (Steve Lange) ventured to Greens Peak in Arizona, a 10,000ft (3,000m) cinder cone with beautiful alpine conditions.
The thin air and variable mix of slope and thermal lift were a great test for the ultrabatic gliders, and they passed with flying colors. The planes were able to easily climb out in thermals while working the light slope lift close to the ground. The short grass and pine trees make for a really nice contrast to our typical beach vistas and the dark starry skies at night were amazing.
In this video, Peter is flying the 4m version of the ExCali ultrabatics glider. This plane is huge but extremely light, weighing only about half the weight of a comparable fiberglass plane. Dawson and I are flying our ultralight Le Fish, both of which are also half or less the weight of a traditional build. All are made from EPP and covered in ultra-durable laminating film, making them almost indestructible and extremely fun to fly.
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Love this, my new favorite video! What great flying and what an amazing location. I live in Phoenix and never knew of this spot. Time to complete my Weasel and head north. Seriously!