A fight for survival: 2023 Dust Devil Dash glider contest

[@gomzomz]

Love this format. Especially where you show your thought process when planning your route

[@JhawkFlyer]

What an exciting video. As a new glider pilot (powered guy here), really got my heart going. Great mix of views, competition excitement and explanation of what you're doing and thinking. So very cool. Thanks for the share.

[@GeorgOrtner]

Brilliant videos. Keep them coming 👍

[@paxaeterna8341]

Awesome video and narration!

[@lehazing5957]

Very cool! Nice for you.. happy celebrating!!

[@go2cloudbase]

What a great video. And congrats on the DDD win.

[@bob7230]

Congratulations on the win! I really like the way you format these videos, I enjoy seeing the maps that show topography and where you catch thermals, your narration is excellent because you really take us into the thought process and strategy of your flight plans, and once again your camera work…especially the outside of the glider shots you include , really give a sense of being there. Well done! 😃

[@danielalbrecht8875]

Superb video, very interesting and useful comments for a pilot like me. Many thanks and congratulations Ben 🙂🙂🙂.

[@minus5m]

This was really enjoyable! Thank you for the great video!

[@Alterscapes]

Excellent video! That little section circling with a big bird (Hawk? Vulture?) over the mountains reminds me of one of my fondest memories from training, sharing a thermal over Maricopa with a hawk in a 2-33. I'm more years out of current than I want to think about, but your videos are reminding me that I've been meaning to go check out BASA / HSC. Thank you!

[@BenHirashima]

Come on back to soaring! I think it was a golden eagle.

[@Highrockman]

Great video! Lots of great information for a new and up and coming pilot like myself!

[@ThermalWave]

Thanks for showing us this cool flight! I appreciate your commentary and the LXsim views. Also, well done shooting all the video and winning the thing at the same time!

[@lessainsbury8508]

Congratulations on your win, and thanks for taking us along for the ride. I absolutely love your channel. Keep them coming .

[@maelb2868]

I like your videos man. They're so informative. The amount of info and rational behind the moves is something i really appreciate. For a beginner like myself, this is like a cheat code haha

[@renevos]

Nice Contest, something to introduce in my club as well. Thanks for sharing. 💪

[@GeoffreyKnauth]

Really loved this video. Heck, I love all your videos. I watched them all last night while putting together a glider simulator for CAP (Civil Air Patrol).

[@dennislyons3095]

Thanks Ben for this video! There is a lot of good information in here. I don't feel so bad struggling now. Congratulations on a good DDD! Congratulations s on the win!

[@andrewbjenkins9084]

Super cool flight. Great vid as always. Congrats on your first win !

[@papatangovictor]

Excellent images and great narrative! Keep up this kind of dynamic video!

[@robert100xx]

I fly from Lleweni parc (Denbigh Gliding) in UK. (Discus 2ct) Enjoyable vid with cool tech. Neat how your 'Go-Pro' camera filters out the rod mount.

[@paulhsv1121]

Beautiful landscape, Ben. Great flight!!

[@flyneur]

congratulations and thanks for the nice video! 🦅

[@jimmyjackman9215]

Congratulations, looked like it was a ton of fun!

[@romeromf]

awesome work Ben!, thanks for sharing so we can learn!

[@samuelscott3780]

Well done in the contest and in making this video. You've got a knack for bringing a story together. I'm a sucker for the small boring details. How long did you have to wait to get picked up? What do you do at a baking desert airport for all that time? What kind of advance deployment does the crew guy do?

[@BenHirashima]

Thanks Sam! My crew followed me on the ground using my satellite GPS tracker. He arrived at the airport about an hour after I landed. We were lucky to catch the customs guys (it's actually an international airport, despite being tiny) right before they went home for the day, and they unlocked the gate so the cars and trailers could get in.

[@xiancesi3043]

Congratulations Ben! nice made video too!

[@SaraStearns-t6f]

Terrific, Ben!!!

[@bonnoughj]

great videos. Thanks for sharing.

[@LSVFlachkurbler]

very cool contest and great flight

[@Geostationary0rbit]

congrats!

[@dsacton]

Thanks so much!

[@rodrigosorbilli]

Great video. Congrats!

[@Joshkaviation]

congrats!

[@93455Driver]

Landing in a lettuce El Centre field would at least have provided dinner.

[@cdeerinck]

Ben, nice flight! I flew that same day, and was amazed that while Toro was producing great lift, San Jacinto was totally dead, which is pretty rare. What 360 camera are you holding out on the selfie stick? I fly with a GoPro Max, but when I try to zoom in on a hawk that was close by, they are usually nothing but a handful of pixels.

[@BenHirashima]

Thanks! I use an Insta360 X3, but I also upscale to 4K using Topaz software, which helps sharpen the picture.

[@tiestu7612]

"It's not about speed" but if you want to make a long distance , you need to go the fastest possible .

[@RWBHere]

Well done! How many kilometres / miles did you fly?

[@BenHirashima]

@@RWBHere the Weglide scoring distance was 426km, but I don't recall the straight line distance. In the 300s, probably.

[@tiestu7612]

@@BenHirashima I made a 400 km FAI triangle in the weak northern Europe weather ,in a club class glider . I'm rather proud .

[@tiestu7612]

"Welcome back , pilots" Try to draw non pilots to the sport .