Inspired by the reports in the Oz Report of Steve Wendt at Blue
Sky and Wills Wing's scooter towing initiative, we finally found the training
alternative we have been looking in our club, the Oslo area hang glider club in
Norway.
All our instructors are tired of spending weekend after weekend in the training
hill in the autumn only to finally be ready for the big hills as the winter and
tail wind sets in. The result being that courses could take as long as eight
months to complete (that is with eager students).
We did consider and test tandem training, but for a small community as the
Norwegian (300 students and pilots in all) the equipment and crew needed seems a
little intimidating. But after learning about scooter towing we just did it.
Steinar Sverd Johnsen, aviation mechanic, and a friend, who is a motorcycle
mechanic rebuilt a scooter following instructions and pictures at the Oz
Report. So now we have a tow scooter, and the Oslo club has ordered a WW Condor
330.
Last weekend we tested the scooter using a WW Falcon 2 195. The test was just
perfect. We launched easily in zero wind conditions. So after a lot more
testing we may be ready for scooter towing courses in the summer. Unfortunately,
I do not think that any instructors from our club has neither time nor money to
visit the scooter towing clinics in the US this spring. Maybe next year.
