From: Rusty Harrison <rustyh AT mars DOT ark DOT com>

Date: Apr 15, 2006

Subject: I have completed your speedbar design

Hi Jerome,

I got so fed up with the tangle around my feet and have visited your J-Rod site for awhile now, so figured what the heck, go for it.

I'm a woodturner so my big lathe was a godsend. I live on a small island in the Georia Straight here in British Columbia, Canada and we have a co-op, a recycling depot, and a working blacksmith (amongst other things). I got the bungee and washers at the co-op, got an old white plastic cutting board from the recycling depot, and managed to find some aluminium tubing at the blacksmith's. Fortunately I stop in every once in a while at an Industrial Plastics store in the closest town, Courtenay, so I have lots of material from which to turn plastic parts. I also have a good collection of broken booms from windsurfing and made my first main bar out of a piece, but didn't like the large diameter.

This was the first mock up..... oh, the bottom of the bag is still mucky from a collapse I had last Sunday, about 20' above the landing zone, my butt still aches!! I guess I'll have to wash the airbag tomorrow!!  The green duct tape covers up cuts from landing on barnacles a year ago at the beach, just below my soaring site.

This is the new main bar with delron plugs and the bungee routed through new grommets I put in the harness so I could have the bungee completely around the harness back (I've removed the airbag to get at the back of the harness). I lengthened the bar quite a bit to allow it to stay more centered, and it retracts much better.

Here is the profile, showing the new grommets for the bungee to pass through the Cygnus harness and get tied off at the back, all internal, nice and neat.
I'm getting about 33% application on the first bar and 100% on the main, so I could shorten the first bar hang distance a bit, but I will see how it goes when I next fly, then make adjustments. As it stands now my boots fit nicely. If I shorten the main bar, it may end up at the back of my boot tops. I'm 6'2'' and 230lbs.

I have to say, just hanging here on the front porch, it feels wonderful to just lift my foot and catch the first bar with my heel, nearly every time, can't wait to try it out for real.

This is where I fly, at about 1000' ASL in this pic. That's an unused runway below, and I got caught last Sunday in rotor behind those trees way over on the right centre of the picture, just  behind the bluff edge that is the eastern end of the runway.

Here's the view from the eastern end looking west. There is no one else here that paraglides, I'm by myself, though there are usually people watching. I've been stuck up here, unable to get down several times, except by big ears, this winter. So with the spring winds now booting in, I need a speed bar that works!

I don't have much money, but I'm willing to send you one of my wooden bowls (say $80 value) in appreciation, if you send me your address.

Thanks for all you're doing, and all you've done,

Rusty Harrison
Hornby Island, B.C.
Canada

From: Rusty Harrison <rustyh AT mars DOT ark DOT com>

Date: Apr 17, 2006 11:27 PM

Subject: some more pics

Hi Jerome,

I hope these (pictures) might help.






This grommet tool I made by putting the bolt in a chuck on my lathe, but you could use a drill and just spin it while you hold a chainsaw file to the back of the head to induce a nice curve. Then I added a nylon spacer, washer and nut. The small brass ring goes on first, then the main part of the grommet, place the spacer, washer and nut on and crank them up. This allows you to use box end wrenches to do the final tightening while inside the harness sides. Worked very well.    



I went flying today, my foot slipped on launch, slid downhill onto a slightly protuding rock (tore my pant leg open at the thigh), bounced off the hill and got yanked out and up. The speed bar got a big scratch in the main bar at one end, but the flippers folded nicely out of the way. Good test!!

It's a ridge soar that maxes out at 1000' then it's nice flying in stable, off the ocean wind. My first attempts had to be put on hold as the left brummel hooks became separated somewhere along the line. I got them reconnected and began testing.  It was more of a reach than I expected, but was easily caught by my foot. The pressure to apply the first 33% was much more than I expected and I could feel the tension in the bungee at my back, but once my legs were extended it felt fine. The step to the main bar was simpler and the glider really picked up the pace. The more I used it the better it got. I released slowly, and as well, let it just snap back, always tight to the front of my harness, no sign of a tendancy to hook around the bottom.

In the pic, squalls have just come rushing in from my right, while the prevailing wind was coming up the gulf. I had to pull big ears to get down fast, thought I caught the speed bar, I'll try again next time. If you follow those maples by my left foot out to the end of the runway, that's where I land. The ground effect is real exciting!

The upper pic is me chasing a bald eagle, there are literally dozens around me when I get up there, with the young ones coming in within a few feet, very cool. Someday I'll manage to get the camera ready in time to capture it (slow digital). I stuck it in just to fill the blank space.

RGH