Hand gliding across the Channel

On the radio today the chap who glided across the English Channel said that
he could not take his bearings and had to rely on an aeroplane to guide him.
I wonder why he did not use a GPS device with a way-point set as say,
somewhere inland like Paris?




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Stephen Clark wrote:
> On the radio today the chap who glided across the English Channel said that
> he could not take his bearings and had to rely on an aeroplane to guide him.
> I wonder why he did not use a GPS device with a way-point set as say,
> somewhere inland like Paris?
>
>
>
>
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> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
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>
The actual story is that he wasn't a hang glider pilot. He was a
skydiver with a special suit and "glider wings" attached. He was holding
onto the wings with both hands and couldn't manage a GPS. BTW, he
crossed the Channel free falling from 30,000 ft over Dover and glided to
Calais in just over 7 minutes. CNN.com had an article on him today.

Stephen Clark <octopusuk@hotmail.com> wrote:

> I wonder why he did not use a GPS device with a way-point set as say,
> somewhere inland like Paris?

There was no need to. He would have able to see France if it wasn't for
the clouds.

Air temperature drops 3.5 degs F for every 1000 feet of elevation. That
means the air temp at 30,000 feet is 105 degs F lower than at sea level. The
guy was wearing a heated suit because, if memory serves me correctly, the
air temp at altitude was -30 F (-35 C). Batteries and LCD displays don't
work too well (at all?) at those temps.

Bill


"Stephen Clark" <octopusuk@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:1059669666.30905.0@demeter.uk.clara.net...
> On the radio today the chap who glided across the English Channel said
that
> he could not take his bearings and had to rely on an aeroplane to guide
him.
> I wonder why he did not use a GPS device with a way-point set as say,
> somewhere inland like Paris?
>
>
>
>
> ---
> Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
> Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
> Version: 6.0.504 / Virus Database: 302 - Release Date: 24/07/2003
>
>

Electricity can heat as well as power devices. It can even be used to heat
the batteries, but if they were mounted on an extension wire in an inner
layer pocket, they can be kept at body temperature readily. It's an old
winter photographers trick.

Depending on the outside temperature is the size of the battery that you
have to carry to be able to add a resistor, say under a perspex cover next,
to provide enough warmth to get the display to it's operating temperature.

However, for weight and balance, and the big heavy jacket he'd be wearing,
he may not have been able to fly and achieve range.

Peter

> That was before lithium batteries :-)

But before we noticed the price and how much bang you really get for the
buck. Besides, did you ever try to get replacement silly batteries at the
local corner store on a Sunday afternoon?

Peter

Bushy <please@reply.to.group> wrote:

> But before we noticed the price and how much bang you really get for the
> buck. Besides, did you ever try to get replacement silly batteries at the
> local corner store on a Sunday afternoon?
>
> Peter

That's the price we pay for a slight convenience.

If I planed on a trip, I usually get a few extra.