I woke up in the morning, and found that today's weather wasn't as exciting as yesterday. Besides, another fire went off nearby, and the visibility was far less than optimal. So, I decided to spend a day to test flight my glider with water ballast. This was the first time I put water ballast since I bought it. I put 12 gallons (45 litter) in each wing, 1.5 litter in the tail tank. I didn't bring a water tank from home today, so borrowed a water meter from Pete. This worked very well. I think I should get one instead of carrying around a huge water tank.

I towed up to 4,000 ft. The maneuvering was surprisingly unchanged. The aileron worked just as sharp during the takeoff and in the air. The airspeeds shifted around 3 to 4 kts, but nothing dramatic. Dumping water went smoothly, too. I didn't notice much difference until I dumped all water ballast. But once all water was gone, the plane was noticeably light.

I also made a little improvement on my trailer this weekend. A solar-powered ventilator was added on top. This fan has rechargeable battery, so it should keep working day and night to keep the glider cool and dry.

Pete's water meter

trailer fan

It was smokey