Jean-Michel Bernasconi and Pacific Windcraft

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Everard
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Jean-Michel Bernasconi and Pacific Windcraft

Post by Everard »

With much help from John LaTorre, I have created the following page in Hang Gliding History. Expect some additions, but I am slowed up at the moment for personal reasons:

Jean-Michel Bernasconi and Pacific Windcraft:
https://hghistory.org/hang-gliding-2/mf ... cwind/#top
I love the smell of napalm - in the morning.
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KaiMartin
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Re: Jean-Michel Bernasconi and Pacific Windcraft

Post by KaiMartin »

Everard wrote:With much help from John LaTorre, I have created the following page in Hang Gliding History.
I like the idea of the stiff cloth on the top and soft cloth on the bottom.
Did the design work as intended?
Has this been adopted to other models?

---<kaimartin>---
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CloudHopper
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Post by CloudHopper »

Thanks Everard for putting this all together. I enjoyed reading that history, and it was well written.
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Everard
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Re: Jean-Michel Bernasconi and Pacific Windcraft

Post by Everard »

KaiMartin wrote:I like the idea of the stiff cloth on the top and soft cloth on the bottom.
Did the design work as intended?
Has this been adopted to other models?
Such innovations are usually of debatable value unless there is clear evidence for their effectiveness. You would need to ask the experts about that one. Modern flex-wings are usually made with a variety of sailcloth types, so -- assuming the manufacturers know their stuff -- in this case the general principle looks like one that has stood the test of time.
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Everard
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Post by Everard »

CloudHopper wrote:Thanks Everard for putting this all together. I enjoyed reading that history, and it was well written.
It is good to be of service. I regard my entire working life as a waste, but maybe not: It was useful training for this project.
I love the smell of napalm - in the morning.
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CloudHopper
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Post by CloudHopper »

Your contributions are highly valued and appreciated within this forum, at least.

Since we're discussing hg history, I wonder if any readers have ever heard of "The Hang Gliding Shop" in Boone, NC, USA. Most likely it was from the Grandfather Mountain glory days (circa 1980).

I saw this label sewed onto a glider bag today:
TheHangGlidingShopBooneNC.jpg
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Last edited by CloudHopper on Mon, May 03 2021, 09:36:15 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Everard
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Post by Everard »

CloudHopper wrote:I saw this label sewed onto a glider bag today:
<photo>
Can't see the photo... The forum is not yet fully working, I gather.
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Everard
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Post by Everard »

More info from John LaTorre, including much detail about construction of the various types and differences between U.S.- and U.K.-built variants, and photos added.
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CloudHopper
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Re: Jean-Michel Bernasconi and Pacific Windcraft

Post by CloudHopper »

Two items of good news:
1) The image attachment feature is working again.
2) We're finding good gliders in the bottom of the pile these days, and flying them just for fun.

The latest "find" was an A-model Sensor (Sensor 510-A 160) which had reportedly only been flown a few times before being discarded to the isle of misfit toys.
When a local dinosaur pointed out the potential "gem" which had the dirtiest bag on planet earth, I was skeptical.
The bag did it's job, though, and inside we found a pristine Trampenau masterpiece with a crispy sail.
I couldn't believe my eyes and ears as I listened to and felt the crispy fabric being unrolled.
The "test pilot" removed the old comp numbers from the wing. It was number 16, probably from the Grandfather Mountain days. He said it was bad luck to keep those old numbers on there.
The wing was rigged so tight it took special tools to install the tip wands in the sail.
"Tight as a drum" was this old blade wing. A keel pocket but no fin, this old horse was rigged to win.
The brave pilot made it look easy, launching from the mountain when it wasn't too breezy.
Wow, what a blade that Trampenau made.
In ground effect forever, bleeding off speed, the newbies were amazed as they watched the old steed.
Even more awesome, they'd soon discover, was the perfect flare timing and the final no-stepper.
The pilot was grinning from ear to ear. His lay-off from flying was in its 15th year.
He's now flying again, and when he flies, he's an ace up there with his eye on the skies.
When asked what glider he'll fly that day, he says "you know what I want, it's the Sensor A".
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