Magical Weekend

Some days are beyond words. But I'll try...
Smooth, beautiful day at Ed Levin with wide lift and lots of friends. A night in Half Moon Bay with Christina. Watching the surfers at Maverick's. A reunion with friends and family. A night by the fireplace with games and wine. And flying four hang gliding sites in one go in Tom's Lancair.

Friday, Nov 6:
Fall is upon us and Friday had all the makings of a great post-frontal day at Ed Levin. I left work at 10am and met up with Ben, Tom, Urs and others. My dad came along to drive. The winds were light, the lift was smooth, and the whole range opened up.
Above Ed Levin with gliders in the air

I launched towards the approaching clouds and quickly climbed up. The lift was easy, and cloud base was ~3,700'.
The South Bay

I headed North getting a great glide and stopping for smooth slow climbs along the way. I played around in the middle of the ridge taking in the view, and savoring the rare, gentle day. Ben joined me, and I headed over to Mission Peak.
Looking down at Mission Peak

After an hour I felt the cloud suck building and my hands getting a little cold. I watched Tom loop and spin his way down as I circled in sink over the LZ. Brought it in fast and low over the road for a nice no stepper by the breakdown area.

It's flights like these that make me feel so lucky to have wings.

Saturday, Nov 7:

Christina and I spent Friday night in Half Moon Bay. In the morning the surf was enourmous so we headed out past the airport to watch the big wave surfers at Mavericks. Can you find the surfers in the pictures below?
They don't look so big until you see the tiny people on them...


Saturday evening we had a reunion with friends and family. All the kids I grew up with were invited. It was great to see everyone together and our mothers presented us with a very nostalgic gift. I don't have any pictures, but it will be in my home for years to come.

After dinner T and I headed home to enjoy a relaxing night by the fireplace.

Sunday, Nov 8:

Sunday morning the weather did not look promising for hang gliding. NorthEast throughout the Bay Area. But we have a small, H4 site that works in an East wind. Tom gave me a call and reminded me of this little jewel. But, it was late by the time we figured out where we should be, so it was uncertain if we could get setup and ready before the whole hill was in shadow. Oh well, time for plan B.

It turns out plan B was waaaaaay better than plan A. Tom offered to take me for a ride in his Lancair and I jumped at the chance!
Drool......

We launched and headed over to Windy Hill to check out the launch. The hillside was already in shadow, so we knew we were in the right place with the right aircraft.
Banking around launch in a 2g turn we headed over the back towards the coast. Settling in at 300' we flew up the coast at 200mph.
Heading North towards Half Moon Bay

The Lancair is amazing. It's small and light and powerful. It is like driving a sports car through the sky. Except sports cars don't go this fast....
Flying past the Half Moon Bay airport

We headed to funston where we flew below the cliff, past launch, and circled around in a high g climbing turn. I won't even try to explain it. Just watch the video below.

link

We continued up the coast, flying over the Golden Gate.
Low and Fast
The Bay was full of sailboats.

Too much fun,

link

SF and the Bay

Sausalito and Tiburon

Tom gave me a quick lesson on the in's and out's of the Lancair, then handed me the controls. We flew out of the bay and turned North again towards Mt Tam. The plane is very sensitive in pitch, with just a tiny bit of pressure needed to get the nose up or down. Roll takes a bit more force, but is still very light. If you input a roll, the plane will want to continue that roll rate. The same goes for pitch. So it is very stable, but requires constant flying. It won't return to level flight on its on.

Flying past Tam I could feel the rotor even out over the water. That site can have big teeth in a North wind.

I banked the plane and turned 180 degrees and headed back south along the coast at about 800'. In a matter of minutes we were past Half Moon Bay again and flying over Waddell Creek. That made 4 hang gliding sites in one day. Not bad....

We climbed a bit near Waddell and then Tom showed off the aerobatic capabilities of his rocket ship. I don't know if it was the plane, or Tom's flying skills. Probably a combination of both, but Tom and his Lancair inspire confidence. The rolls and wingovers were pure fun.

The Highlight...

All of those thing were fun.
But none of them compare to the highlight of my weekend.
The highlight of my life.
Christina said yes...
You and me babe

Santa Cruz Flats - Day 7

I’m a few weeks behind on posting the last day of the Santa Cruz Flats Comp.

Friday’s short flight left my glider with two broken battens and some serious runway rash on the left leading edge. I was dejected to say the least, but cooled myself down and quickly set to work assessing what needed to be done to get the glider airworthy again. The downtube was replaced, the sail scrapes could be smoothed over with tape, but discovering the broken battens made me think getting back in the air for the last day was a long shot.

Fortunately Jeff O’Brien and Dustin Martin got wind of my predicament and quickly devised a workaround scheme. Jeff’s determination to get my glider flying for the last day was impressive, and very much appreciated by me and James (also needed a batten fix). Jeff went into town to get some supplies and then him and Dustin went to work fiberglassing the battens back together. After a few technical snags, the wrap was complete and the battens were left to cure for the night.
Battens patched up and ready to go

Saturday I got out to the launch area early to finalize the glider repairs and check if the battens fit. The tip batten repair was too thick and I could not get it into the sail. I was tempted to cave to my growing anxiety and just call it quits but my dad was eager to get see me back in the air and started sanding down the sides of the fiberglass repair while I finished up the rest.

By the time the batten fit and the glider was ready to go almost everyone had launched and I was last in line. That suited me just fine as my first priority was a safe launch and to make sure that the repaired glider flew ok. Once that was done and my nerves were calmed I would think about the days task (97km triangle). The last task for the week

My tug arrived and I was nervous as hell. I came off the cart clean and quickly knew that the glider was flying perfectly. Whew! Now, what was the task again?

Off the cart. Glider flying well.

At about 3,000’ the tug took me through some lift and I pinned off to climb with a few other gliders. The climb was slow and the race start was approaching. I could here the rest of my team and figured I was going to be about 30 minutes behind when I finally got on course. I knew I would probably be flying alone much of the day, so I just needed to fly my own game.

I left the start cylinder around 7,500’ flying with a couple other gliders. Both Ben and Alex radioed from near the first turnpoint saying that the lift was much better about 6,000’ and that I should try and stay high. I took the advice and flew slowly, climbing in light lift and letting myself drift downwind towards the first turnpoint.

After a climb to 8,500 I had been on glide in heavy sink. I saw pilots climbing slowly a mile to the west, but it was a 90 degree heading change, and would take me downwind off course line. So I pressed on and got low. At 4,500’ I saw an entire field going off in one giant dust devil. I flew to the sure thing and soon found myself radioing my position “10,500’ at turnpoint 1”.
11,000' at turnpoint 1

Turning North to turnpoint 2 I climbed to 11,200’. I had the 34km leg to the next turnpoint on an 11:1 glide and headed out. It was immediately obvious that this leg of the course went directly over a local airport that is a major skydiving hub with constant activity. Some how the task committee and safety committee both missed this and it was a huge hazard to fly through. I opted to fly wide around it to the north to stay safe, despite having to go several miles off course to get around.

The glide to the second turnpoint was long and lift was sparse. I stopped to work what I could but hadn’t had a decent climb since the first part of this leg. A couple miles from the turnpoint I found myself surrounded by gliders at the bottom of a gaggle. This was the lead group heading back after tagging the turnpoint. I pressed on and found myself over Ben Dunn at the second turnpoint. I was down to 3,500’ now and turned back into the headwind hoping for a last minute save. There were a lot of gliders on the ground at this point and I can’t deny that it felt good flying over them. This glide turned out to be my final and I flew straight on courseline into a long clear field landing right next to Ben. It's so civilized to use a strip of grass to pack up your harness on...

The flight put me at 66km and 15^th for the day. I was really pleased with my flying on this flight and the good performance felt especially good coming back from Fridays smack down.

Saturday night was award ceremony and party. Christina and I saw dad off on Sunday morning and then powered through the long drive home. A great week at a fantastic comp.
Dad's plane was happy to see him!

Santa Cruz Flats - Day 6

A fun and challenging task was called today. A triangle to the west, with an upwind leg late in the day to make goal.

The launch line, with Alex Cuddy in front of me

I had a minor tow hicup today and it prevented me from flying. Currently two of my battens are curing after being wraped in fiberglass. Hopefully the fix will hold and I will be able to get back in the air tomorrow.

I went up on the roof and watched as pilots made the long glide back to goal.

Pilots landing back at the hotel after completing the task

Santa Cruz Flats - Day 5

Today was a very difficult day for me. East winds sent us to a local airstrip where we could avoid the rotor put off from the hotels golf course. We set up quickly and started launching around 12pm.

Todays taks was a downwind dog leg to the east. Rather than our typical exit start cylinder, where you have to stay within a given cylinder until the race start time, we used an entry start cylinder that you have to stay out of prior to the start time. This works if you don't have a waypoint to use at or near the launch area.

I launched early, maybe about 10th. It was turbulent on tow, and when I pinned off I found nothing but sink. My sink alarm screamed at me until I was back on the deck only a few minutes later. I got back in line to launch again, but now I was at the very back end and had to wait in the heat until everyone else launched.

On tow we flew through some lift and I saw Chris circling to the north. I pinned off, veered to the north and circled in light lift. Chris went on glide to the south, but I could not see what he was flying to, so I stayed with my light climb hoping it would turn into more.
I was low and did not have enough altitude to really start searching for lift. So I stayed with my climb and hoped it would turn into more. It didn't and I now found myself downwind of where I wanted to be, and still below 4k'.

I looked on the course line and saw a field that looked like a good thermal generated. I pulled on vg and flew towards it. Arriving around 800' AGL, I looked down and saw another glider already landed in the field. Great, someone else clearly thought this was a good field, and look what it got them.... I searched and searched, but was soon on the ground commiserating with the other pilot.

Chris flew quite a bit better, and made it near the first turnpoint.

Ben, Alex, and James rocked it and made it to goal in good time.

Tomorrow!

B

Santa Cruz Flats - The Days Off

With 2 days of no flying, 13 of us decided we needed to find some other way compete. Cart racing turned out to be the most dangerous activity of the week with lots of bumping, a few wall slams and one or two pile ups.

Kraig Coomber took the day with Alex and myself close behind.

Is it odd that the cart racing place has a bar inside where you can drink while waiting for your next race?

Santa Cruz Flats - Day 3 & 4

Cancelled due to high winds from the East. Off to rent some ATVs for the day.

Santa Cruz Flats - Day 2

Todays forecast was similar to yesterday. A bit hotter, with similar thermal potential and light winds.

Each morning starts with a pilots meeting. Results are given from the previous day, weather forecasts are discussed, and the days task, start times, and other info is given.

Today we had the pilots meeting inside to avoid the attack squadrons of mosquitoes

The task was the Francisco Grande, to Sunland, to Houser, to RedRock, to RC. Sort of a zig-zap course with the bulk being downwind, with one cross/upwind leg.

5k Start Cylinder, launch opens at 12, the start times are 1:15 and 1:45, and total distance is 112km

I got ready early and was in the first half of the launch line. Pilots were struggling and I heard a team member land while I was on tow. Once I released from tow I found myself directly over the hotel with no lift. 3 miles to the south east I could see a gaggle of pilots climbing. I knew I could not make it to them and back to the launch area if I didn't find lift. So I committed to either finding a climb out there, or landing.

My gamble payed off and I was rewarded with a solid climb to 6,500'. The gaggle was medium size with just enough traffic to keep it interesting. Probably about 12-15 gliders. We had 40 minutes to go until the first start clock, so we would drift with the thermal outside the start cylinder, and then punch upwind back inside the cylinder and repeat.

Gliders in the gaggle

We were not in a good position for the first start gate, so as the second start time approached, most of us made a dash upwind the get back inside the start cylinder and get the later start time. From there we headed out on glide to Sunland.

The glide was fun. I was with the lead group and able to optimize my lines by watching the pilots around me and seeing who was sinking more/less. Near Arizona City we got low and a little spread out. Some pilots headed for a nearby mountain. I chose to work the fields and found a solid climb which took me to 8,500'. At this point I was feeling very good, knowing I was in a great position, making good decisions, and out with the front group.

From Sunland we turned North East and headed to the second turnpoint, Houser. I was slightly behind the lead gaggle while on glide and got low near a cool mountain called Picacho Peak. I stayed patient and worked some light lift which eventually turned into 500 fpm up and got me back up to 8k. I had been drinking a lot of water and found this to be a great opportunity to release some ballast.

On Course. Looking North West, Launch is several miles beyond the small mountain range in the top center of the photo. The first turnpoint is off camera to the top left, second turnpoint is to the right.

Looking South East across Picacho peak and towards goal

I pressed on to the North across I10. This was a cross/upwind section of the course and though I made a decent glide through it, I did not find much lift. I saw one pilot ahead of me getting a good climb and made a dash for him. I searched but could not find the thermal so I pressed on to the turnpoint.

I arrived low, around 4,000' and switched to survival mode. Course line went over a small mountain range to the East, but I was not high enough to venture into the range. I needed enough margin to get back out into the headwind to a landable area if I couldn't get a climb. There was a nasty inversion at about 4,200' and it was hot below there. I worked ratty, broken lift for about 30 minutes, drifting back towards the mountains only to lose the thermal and have to punch back upwind. Eventually I lost the battle and put it down near the second turnpoint about 32 miles out.

It was a really rewarding flight and a good learning experience. One mistake got me low in a tough area.

Chris kicked some booty also and landed a few miles from Houser.

Tomorrow looks a little cooler (100... hurray!) but possibly windy. We'll see what the day brings.

Did I mention the mosquitoes are huge?

Santa Cruz Flats - Day 1

Hot. Stinking hot.


30 something pilots at this meet, and we eagerly set up in the hot dusty desert. We've only got three tugs, so it takes a while to get everyone up in the air. Launch window opened at 12pm with the race start at 1:30. There is a 5k start cylinder, so you want to have enough time to launch, climb, and get in a good position just at the edge of the cylinder when the race starts.


I got in line late and when I finally got up to altitude found myself a couple miles behind the main pack. Lift was spread out and it was hard to make progress on my own without other gliders to help search for good climbs. I worked my way to the first turnpoint and circled low in zero sink with several other gliders. They were about a quarter mile away from me when I saw two nice looking dust devils right on the course line. I pulled the VG tight and dove to them at 60mph.


What happend to those dust devil? Hell if I know. My sure ticket up turned into a sure ticket down as I blasted over the dusty to find absolutely nothing. I searched for the core for about a minute and then had to land.

About 8 pilots made goal

I'll call this a good learning day. Tomorrow I need to get in a better position before the start.

It's lonely in the desert...

Total Flight Time: 1:30

Total Distance: 20 miles

It's On!

Arrived in Casa Grande for the practice day. Opted to take the afternoon for relaxation and mental preparation rather than fly. Tomorrow it begins and I can't wait. A dust storm blew through just around dusk, and made for a spectacular sunset. The desert is amazing.

I got me some new toys just in time for the comp and I can't wait to play with them...

Mmmmmm, shiny

Ben and Chris will be blogging too. Check them out at
aerochris.blogspot.com
westcoastbrit.blogspot.com

Time for some desert

Loaded up and headin out for AZ. Will be competing in the 3rd Santa Cruz Flats Hang Gliding Comp. This will be my second time at the comp. Last year at this venue was my first experience with a large race to goal type race with all the top pilots there.

Miss T will be driving out with me. She'll stay for the first day of the comp and come back for the last. My dad will be flying out to drive for our team during the week.

I'm still saddened by the tragic news of Alex's mom. We are thinking of you Alex, and we will miss you in Casa Grande.

Mission Fun

While the rest of the Bay Area is up at Indian Valley, Chris V and I headed out to Mission. It was above average for a summer day, with several light inversions, but strong thermals to around 3,500'. To top it all off we had the place to ourselves. I bubbled along down to Ed Levin and had a nice fast glide back into the headwind.

Too much fun.

Chelan 2009 - Day 6

Classic Chelan,

Another great day. The day started off with a bit of frustration as an extra 60 seconds of fiddling with my radio cost me 8 places in line to launch. Alex and Chris were off first and climbed out fast. Conditions on launch then shut down with no breeze and no one launching. Dust devils were coming through the setup line and I was eager to get off the ground. After about 30 minutes, a large group of pilots picked up and moved over the the lakeside launch. As soon as they got out of line, conditions at between the rocks improved just enough to get a few of us off (or maybe we were just more comfortable with no wind launched). Lake Chelan from 10.5k

Once in the air I climbed slowly to 6,000', and then rocketed up to 10,500' and cloudbase before crossing. I got another climb to 10k over the power lines and set off towards Withrow. From Withrow I decided I would head south to Farmers. The line there looked tough. No dust devils, and all the clouds were dissipating. I took a slow climb to 11k at Withrow before heading on. My line was horrible and I got drilled with 600-800 fpm down the whole way there. I arrived lowish at about 5k. I saw a forming cloud and diverted West towards it. I circled in turbulant zero sink for a few minutes until the thermal came together and got me back up.

It was well below freezing at 11,200' as I headed North towards Mansfield. I acutally found myself shivering and had to keep wiggling my fingers to keep them warm. I had a nice cloud street most of the way to Mansfield and had fun flying high and fast with a few other gliders. I had to work some light lift at Mansfield, close in with a large gaggle of paragliders. We were all flying well together and the speed differential didn't cause any problems.

I thought about extending my triangle by going to Sims, but I really didn't want to land out on the last day. So I worked back to the butte, coming across the gorge high at 10k. I tagged the junkyard LZ and took a tour of the town and lake before landing at the Soccerfield LZ.
Crossing the gorge on my way back. Chelan Butte and Soccerfield LZ (green field by river)

The town of Chelan. We camped in the small dirt strip by the dam, behind the baseball fields

Everyone in our group (except for 1...) made it back to the soccerfield today and it was fun watching all the pilots coming in. There was a north wind in the lz wich made for a few interesting landings from the pilots who didn't check the direction before setting up there approach.

I've been trying to take more pictures and videos while in the air. Here is a short clip taken while returning to the LZ after my 50 mile triangle.


Flight time: 3:45
Flight Distance: 52 mile triangle

Saturday Joe Jackson and I did a cannonball run back to the bay area, traversing the 950 miles in about 16 hours. After a week of flying, while unloading Joe's stuff from the truck I misjudged a step and twisted my ankle. Hang gliding is so dangerous...

Chelan 2009 - Day 5

Finally…

Chelan Lake from 9,500'

With the low pressure system dissipating, we finally got a classic Chelan day. The winds were light, the dust devils were ripping through launch, and the flats were full of cumulous clouds and dusty’s marking the way.

The launch line filled quick and I found myself a few minutes late, putting me towards the back. I waited with Alex and Chris for at least a half an hour and had made slow progress towards the front of the line. Pilots were scratching out front and we eventually decided to tie our gliders back down and wait for a better cycle. Eventually we got in the air, hours behind the first pilots off.

The lift was broken at first and I found myself scratching low, desperate to avoid sinking out. A small climb turned into a big climb, and then the whole mountain let loose and I rocketed up to 9,500’ at over 1000 feet per minute. Reaching cloud base, I turned to make the crossing across the Columbia River. From 9,500’ the crossing was easy and Alex, Chris and Myself were soon on the other side, flying fast trying to catch up.

Chris took a straight line to Mansfield, while Alex and I headed towards the junction of 17 and 2. I had the option midway to the first turnpoint to work a slightly smaller triangle (Farmers, Sims, and back), but I was eager for the challenge and wanted to go big. So Alex and I pushed on the 17-2. Climbs were strong with 1000fpm up being common. The corresponding sink inbetween the lift was equally huge. The views were amazing.

The Flats. Just past Withrow on the way to 17-2. Jameson Lake in the foreground

Nearing 17, I could see that the turnpoint was 5 miles into a blue hole. I could not see any clouds or dust devils and new it would be tough to tag it and make it back to the lift. I could see a solid cloud street on the way to Sims and new I just needed to get to 9k to make the turnpoint with enough altitude to get back in the game. It was a struggle and I worked light lift for nearly 45 minutes. At one point Steve was flying with me and he eventually gave up on the turnpoint and headed to Sims. 3 sailplanes also joined in. One of them flew 100’ below me, waving from the cockpit.
Banks Lake from the 17-2 turnpoint

Eventually I got high enough to dart in and tag the waypoint. I pulled on full rope and barreled towards Sims. The cloudstreet was gone and it was looking grim. I stopped to climb in even the lightest lift, just trying to maintain altitude until I could round the Sims turnpoint and get back towards Mansfield where it was still going off. I reached Sims and headed West. I got down to 3000’, less than 1000 off the deck. A solid climb had me thinking I was back in the game, but it disappeared at 5k, and I found massive sink as I continued on course.

Coming in over the field Alex had landed in, I saw 2 dust devils. I was a bit low to be diving into them, but I pulled on the VG and flew straight at them at 50mph. I passed low over the top, ready for the turbulence and sudden lift. But my dust devil turned out to be a phantom. I search over, upwind, downwind, side to side, and back across but found nothing. With a few hundred feet left I unzipped my harness, and brought it down for a nice landing a few yards from Alex.

It was a rewarding day. I knew I would be pushing it with such a big task so late in the day, but I was up for the challenge and feel I made really good tactical decisions along the way.

Meanwhile, Chris had his best flight ever making it past Mansfield to Leahe junction. The Flying Canuck dominated with a Farmers-Sims-Soccer Field triangle. That should put him around 70 miles with a 1.5x multiplier for the triangle. Nice job Doug!

Bruce pulled off 17/2-Sims-Airport, just squeaking over the rim of the gorge on the way back. Steve was close behind landing on the rim just short.

Tomorrow is the last day. Hoping for more good weather and another chance to get out for a big task on the flats.

Chelan 2009 - Day 4

I am doing so poorly in this competition I'm not even going to talk about my flight today. Alex had a good one today. Fought some tough headwinds out on the flats but got some good miles in. Probably about 50.
Bruce landed just across the gorge, and Chris made his first crossing coming down along the canyon road.

2 more days left. I'm out of the running for placing high in the comp, but am still eager to redeem myself.

Chelan 2009 - Day 3

Windy again...

I often fly with a fair amount of fear. Not the rational kind, but a more primal fear. Controlling and overcoming that fear is one of the many rewarding aspects of hang gliding for me. Today I chickened out. Conditions were gusty at launch and while I was not worried about launching or flying, I was increasingly concerned about the prospects of landing in the bailout LZ in 20 mph winds on the lea side of the mountain.

I ultimately opted to break down. I'm a little disappointed. It was a very tough day, but if you could make it to the flats, it really looked good. There are rumors of 100 mile flights. Will have to see the standings tomorrow to find out just how far some got.

Chelan 2009 - Day 2

Windy...

Winds were strong this morning, with stronger winds predicted for the afternoon. The day was called at 11am. This turned out to be the right call as winds picked up all day long. In the afternoon, driving on the flats, we went through a dust storm that droped visibility down to zero.

Lots of overdevelopment and high winds ended the day before it started

Chris, Doug and I took a little drive out to Grand Coulee Dam

Tomorrow looks to be lighter winds, and clear skies. 4 days left in the comp. It's best 4 out of 6, so I don't have any more days to drop.

Chelan 2009 - Day 1

I am writing this post from the bed of my truck as a gust front rolls through town and tries to blow the rest of camp away.

Conditions were tough today. High level clouds were shutting down the thermals, and we waited hours for the sun to start hitting the bute. Around 2pm pilots started to launch and all were struggling to get up. The launch line formed quickly and after waiting in it for 20 minutes I thought about stepping out of line and waiting further for the day to improve. I opted to go ahead and launch.

Pilots were climbing slowy in a thermal to the west. I had seen another group earlier get a good climb to the east and I headed there. I found nothing and was soon struggling to stay up and not go to the bail out LZ. I lost the battle and set up an approach into the soccer field LZ. Many other pilots were there and only a few were able to get across the gorge.

Tomorrow I need to be more aggressive and dive into known lift, even if there are a lot of pilots in the same thermal.

The soccer field LZ is a nice place to land. Soft green grass with plenty of shade trees to break down under, and right by the river.

Alex coming in hot

Valley showing off

The Canuck threading the trees

hangin

On The Road

Road day. Picked up Joe at 7:30am and headed out. Made it just past Portland. Tomorrow we will cross the Cascades and arrive at Chelan in the afternoon. Pilot's meeting and bbq tomorrow evening, and then the first day of the comp starts on Sunday.

Mt Shasta

Back to Chelan

In 5 hours I head back to Chelan, WA for the Chelan XC Classic. Joe Jackson and I will hit the road at 7am and arrive at the competition a short 1000 miles later.

Check out last years Chelan adventure here

Stuck in Mexico

Christina and I had the pleasure of being stuck in Tijuana for 2 days experiencing the wonders of massive bureaucracy.

The army drive heavily armed, unmarked cars. All the soldiers wear ski masks to hide their identities from the equally heavily armed and masked drug gangs. So how do you tell who the good guys are?
We got all our stuff sorted out and eventually made it back across the border. I like traveling, but I'm not crazy about TJ.
Don't drink the water...

Back to the Owens

Memorial Day weekend took me back to the Owen's Valley. Loaded up with Ben D and Ryan Gobble-gobble and blasted thru the Tioga pass arriving late on Friday night. Sunday was the day with solid lift, not too much OD, and breathtaking views.

I launched, climbed through 10k and realized I didn't turn my oxygen on. Tried to reach it, but could not. Got my head back in the game and decided I would just have to leave lift at 13k, giving myself buffer to 14. That worked for the most part, except for one thermal I couldn't safely get out of until it topped out at 15.5k

The Sierra's were breath taking

The air was very turbulent and fatiguing without oxygen. I worked my way north crossing Whitney Portal, then Onion Valley and reaching the lava fields near Aberdeen.

I launched just in time as it started to OD around launch back to the South.

I picked up my pace as I saw growing OD back to the South. Near Aberdeen I caught a particularly nasty thermal which drifted my out over the valley. Realizing the westerlies had kicked in, I decided not to head back towards the Sierra's, even though I was a bit too far South to make the crossing. At the center of the valley I found more lift between 10k and 13k and let it slowly carry me North up 395 until I had Black Mountain on glide.

I flew over Big Ears, and found Joe Jackson climbing at Black. I climbed for a little while but began to grow concerned about the OD to the South. I decided to get moving fast to the North. I hit massive sink at this point and found myself over a beautiful green field just past Bishop. It wasn't a crop, but just a spot in the desert with some ground water. I couldn't resist and put it down next to a shade tree where I broke my glider down in comfort.

Total Distance: 64 miles
Total Time: 3:30

That night we stayed North, camping up near Mono Lake. We found a wonderful ditch under a power line to spend the night

"Driver Appreciation Night" Copper Launch in the background.

Monday was OD'd big time in the valley so we hit a hot spring, and then checked out Copper Launch. The area around Mono lake is stunning.

Everyone Jump!

After Copper we headed back through Yosemite to home, taking one short stop to climb a snowy 11k peak.

What a great weekend. Good friends, good flying, good adventures. I love hang gliding.

Flying 4-11-09, Mission Peak

Turbulence seems to be the theme in Northern California the last couple weeks, and Mission Peak on Saturday was no exception. Nothing extreme, but some big bumps. To balance it out were some big climbs resulting in an exceptionally good day on the Mountain.

Looking back at Mission Peak from the South

Typical climb for the day was around 3,300' with a few to 3,700'. My best climbs were away from the hill. I always enjoy those kind of conditions as it opens up the flying site considerably when you don't need to follow the ridge.

The air was clear and the views of the bay spectacular

I flew until I had my fill

Total Time- 2:10

Mellow McClure

More video. This one's a wingtip mount I took at Lake McClure last month.



Link

Coastal Flying

Last Saturday was a classic day at Mt Tam. Hooked up my new camera and made myself a little video. Ground shots are courtesy of Aerochris

Rainy Day Fun

Bird vs Fish

Bird Strikes Fish In Water - Watch more Funny Videos


Fish vs Bird (and don't try to tell me a whale is not a fish...)

Penguin Pro Evades Killer Whales - Watch more Funny Videos

Jealousy

Aerochris has been tearing it up. See his blog for an awesome video "Vertigo at Ed Levin"
blog here

He's got some great shots lately

Photo Courteous of Aerochris

Mexican Plants

Flower


Forest


Ball-Of-Fun

La Salina

The weather didn't cooperate for flying, but I had some fun getting to check out the site at La Salina anyway. We stayed at Bajamar, just a few miles from the ridge.

The ridge from the parking area for the bailout LZ

Nice carpeted launch


Looking North from launch


Looking South


Looking East, behind the ridge. Nothing for miles.

It has been raining a lot in this area. The soil and infrastructure alike are not able to handle this much water. There is a lot of flooding, sink holes, and erosion.

Puddles like this one are much deeper than they appear

The road to launch is beautiful, and was a lot of fun to drive. It is not always clear which way to go, but we were able to find our way up without too much back-tracking.

Here's the token cactus-in-the-foreground shot...

Mexico

I just got back from a week in Mexico with the family. We stayed in a community called Bajamar about 15 miles north of Ensenada. The house we stayed in was about 2 miles away from the flying site La Salina. I brought my glider, but got skunked with the weather.

The house is on a bluff overlooking the ocean and a golf course. I don't really play golf, but it was fun to hack it up here... and cheap.

The whole place is sparsely populated and offers some nice scenery

The ridge at La Salina as seen from our front door. It looks spectacular. This day it was blowing 20mph parallel to the ridge..

One of the interesting things about this area is the lack of a decent lending infrastructure. Projects are financed mostly with cash. When the cash runs out, construction simply stops. There are a number of houses at Bajamar that appear under construction from a distance, but walking through them you can see they have clearly been left to rust and crumble.

Last time I was here, 2 years ago, these houses looks just like they do now. The beams are rusting, and the concrete is crumbling.

It was a relaxing week. Very good to see all the family together, and a nice break.

Blinking Jesus. He's got an aircraft warning light on his head...

hangin

I'm thinking about all the friends I've made in the 5 years I've been hang gliding. Every one of them a unique soul with a common passion. They've made my life brighter.

T2C Glide

Video courtesy of Aerochris.

Zoom

Ben's in Australia for 3 months, flying a series of comps, and living out the 3-summer flying dream (Ben's blog). Just when I was starting to feel sorry for myself I got a call that made my day. My Rotor Vulto-S had arrived and it is oh-so-sweet.

I think the harness is about 2 inches too long. First try on it had a few wrinkles and a droop in the boot. After adjusting the shoulder straps I was able to smooth it out. I think I will add an inch or so of foam to the boot as well.

More Of The Same

Sometimes a familiar place looks completely new. Funston was like that last weekend. The beach was wet, and steam was forming at the base of the cliffs and flowing up the gullies like a waterfall.

Octoberfest 2008: Get-U-Sum

Lake McClure is one of my favorite sites. Located in the Sierra foothills about 50 miles east of Modesto, it offers great flying, great scenery, and perhaps the most wonderful and eclectic group of pilots around.

This weekend was the annual Octoberfest fly-in. Chris picked me up on Friday night and we rolled into the campground around 11pm. First order of business each morning is the speed gliding competition. Only a handful of pilots compete, but it's a blast for pilots and onlookers alike. Chris and I managed to take second and first place respectively. Our combined times over 2 days were 0.1 seconds apart.

The daytime flying was good. Saturday a convergence moved through the area allowing a few to get to nearly 10k. I was set up late, and conditions on launch became increasingly gust and cross. After waiting all afternoon I reluctantly broke down my glider and drove down the hill. Sunday was much calmer. Decent lift, lighter winds, and nice smooth thermals. A few went cross country, but I just played around the local hills.

Dan and Glen did a great job putting it on. All-in-all, another great fly-in by the Mother Lode Sky Riders!

I'm Back

Sitting still has been driving me crazy. Last Sunday I decided my ribs were healed enough, my glider was reassembled enough, and I was ready enough to get back in the air.

It was a sled run day at Ed Levin. I was missing a pin when I opened up my glider bag. So Chris took a flight and then lent me his pin so I could finally get back in the air. I was nervous since I had completely disassembled my glider and this would be it's first flight since reassembly. But there was no need for concern. She flew straight and sweet. It took about 2 seconds of being in the air before I felt that wonderful sense of elation. It's been over 2 months since I flew; I almost forgot what it felt like.

No Post

Why do I post with nothing to say?

I'm not at the Nationals, Christina is in Norway, and some nagging rib pain is keeping me out of the air. I've been working long hours and living vicariously thru the stories of my friends flying in the Nationals this week.

Oh well, here are a couple old pictures
Funston

Alastair

barbs

At the end of July, over the course of 2 days, I managed to get a number of barbs, both man-made and natural, embedded in myself. I have spent the last few weeks observing how efficient these simple items are in doing what they do. And what they do is not come out of you.

The fishhook was too deep to remove through regression or progression of the hook and required a scalpel.

The big cactus needles came right out with a little force.

The small cactus needles broke off and 10 or so have been gradually extricating themselves from my hands. Only 2 more to go!

Among Barbed Wire and Prickly Pear

My baby was in need of a full tear down inspection, and some repair work. It was the first time pulling the sail off my glider and I was looking forward to it.

Chris offered up his garage and beer and we had ourselves a tear down party. It was pretty straight forward. A few little hitches with the rear leading edges, but nothing too tricky.

Out of the bag and ready to take apart

I was most concerned with removing the sail attachment to the rear leading edge. The nut on this bolt is adjustable and is used to set the tension of the leading edge. I payed close attention to how many threads were engaged before removing it so I could get it set back to where it was. I think a few tuning flights will be required to get it back to the sweet spot.Leading edge tension adjuster

The inner leading edge has an adjustable crescent fitting to orient the outer leading edge. It was easy enough to take off, but getting it back in was the most difficult task.Front/Rear Leading Edge Junction


Shiny... Rear Leading Edges Out, Sail Ready to Come Off

The Bare Bones. It sure doesn't look like much when you see the frame alone. It's amazing what such a small amount of aluminum and carbon fiber can do.

A thorough inspection showed the leading edges, cross bar and keel where all fine. There was control frame damage that will warrant a complete control frame replacement. I could have kept many of the fittings, and one of the downtubes, but given the type of stress damage I was seeing in a few spots, I decided to replace the whole control frame for my own peace of mind. Also, I will be getting a new wire set just to be safe.

Significant twisting damage at the apex elbow brackets

The saddest part is my broken control bar. It has a split along the front seam. I can't bear to post a picture of it...

We put the sail back on the next day and ordered the new parts. They should be hear soon. I'm looking forward to getting the glider back together and heading to the US Nationals in Lakeview, Oregon in August.

King Summary

Lack of internet access and time made blogging during the King Meet difficult. The theme for this years comp was wind. Overall I was disappointed with my performance. King is a humbling place to fly and I was probably due to have my ego put back in place. Here's a summary of the meet

7/14/2008 Day 1
Route 3

Route 3 is called and I feel I am in a good position above King. I reach my highest altitude ever at 15,500'. I decide it is time to head over the back. I see Ben D taking a line north along the ridge to get a head start on the NW wind that will push us off our East course. I decide to follow him and quickly lose 1000'. I don't want to get any lower so I cut my loses and head over the back across the Howe Valley. It is about 16 miles to the next mountain range, the Lemhi's.

I get drilled the whole way across (even with finding a lee-side thermal that gave me an extra 1,500'). I just barely make it to the foothills of the Lemhis, but I am so low I can only make one pass before setting up my landing. I was upset about only making it 15 miles the first day. I broke down my glider and watched my friends climb out over my head.
Lonely Landing 15 miles out. King Mountain in the background.

7/15/2008 Day 2
Route 1

There was a strong southwest wind today and a forecast for overdevelopment. I decided not to fly due to the high surface winds.
We listen to Ben D and Wayne fly north and I start to regret my decision. They are making great progress and the air sounds smooth. Soon though we start to hear the reports from them of virga ahead, clouds above, uncontrollable lift, and a urgent desire to get on the ground. All ends well and the boys get down before the gust fronts reach them.Lower launch setup area

A few of us head to a hotspring located on the edge of the Craters of the Moon National Park.


7/16/2007 Day 3
Route 3

Winds aloft were strong today. At 12,000' I was seeing a steady 25mph flow. I couldn't seem to get much above 12,500' and was not feeling good about heading over the back of King so low in these winds. The SW component meant in addition to the King rotor we would get hit by the rotor off a smaller range to the SE of King. I was waiting for the others to climb up and join me. I got impatient and decided to fly South along the Arco Range, then turn at Arco and jump the range from there. This would keep me out of the rotor. It was a gamble, but I thought if no one could get over the back at King, I could end up with a long flight and a lot of points if I could just make it from Arco back to the Lemhi's.

It was an interesting flight, but was the wrong call. I landed 10 miles out. The other guys went over the back while Ben D went on to have a 110 mile flight to Henry's Lake. I should have waited and made a decision with my team on which path to fly. Lesson learned.


7/17/2008 Day 4
Route 2

A lot of excitment abounded when Route 2 was called for the first time in years. We get preped. Route 2 takes you straight over 3 or 4 mountain ranges. It offers big miles, remote landings, and long retrieves. I fill up my harness with some extra water and supplies to be prepared for a long hike and possible night in the wild. I won't need any of it...
Moore ID, from 12,000'

The winds are strong again and I ridge soar up the face of king and top out around 12,000. The SW winds have brought in the California smoke and it is very difficult to see the weather to the North. What I can see looks solid and possibly overdeveloped. I decide to not fly the route today. Instead I take some photos, enjoy the air, and fly out to a nice big field near the campground and land next to Chris.

Pilots who went far today had stories of flying through snow!


7/18/2008 Day 5
CANCELED due to high wind forecasts

A few of us head up to Mackay for some fishing in the lost river (we found it). I catch a nice sized rainbow trout. The trout then proceeds to catch me and we struggle in the river, each firmly connected to the lure. A trip to the local medical clinic followed to have the hook cut out of my palm. I did however fair much better than the trout who ended up in my belly a few hours later.

Joe Fishing the Big Lost River. We caught 4 (not including my hand) and had a nice meal.

7/19/2008 Day 6
Route 3

Today I finally had a good flight. I flew a lot with Bruce and Joe and others. I crossed 3 mountain ranges and covered 55 miles before it was over. That was enough to give me the longest Rec Class flight for the day.
It was an immensely rewarding flight. It was late in the day and I was saved repeatedly by leeside thermals. Tactics were necessary to cross the valleys. I would let a leeside thermal top out, and then continue to circle in the bouyant air. Others were reporting massive sink in the valleys. I would drift with the wind at about 15 miles per hour until I was close enough to the next range to make a run for it. This approach was slow, but allowed my to avoid the worst of the sink.

Unfortunately I did not have a good landing which put a damper on the flight. Barbed wire and cacti are not my friends...

Standings
Ben Dunn took second place with some stellar flights. The Bobbleheads win the team competition.

Total Flights: 5
Airtime: 7:15

King 2008 - Day 1

Not much time for blogging out here, so this will be short. Scroll down, 2 posts today. No pictures yet

7/14/2008

First day of the comp looked promising. Lift forecast to 17,000' or higher. We have a special window that can be opened here to allow freeflight above the normal 18,000' FAA limit up to 23,000'. The meet organizers opened the window and we were all hopeful.

I climbed up after launch into some strong thermals. I had a problem with my oxygen system and wasn't getting any O2. It took a while to troubleshoot it since I had to reach into a low pocket i could not see. Eventually got it fixed and headed back into the thermals.

I had a strongest thermal I've ever been in with a sustained climb over 1000' per minute for 4 minutes. I topped out at 15,500' and headed over the back of the mountain. Route 3 had been called for the day and it looked good.

I got drilled crossing the next valley. The rotor off of King mountain pounded me with 2000' per minute down air. I just made it to the foothills of the next range, but could not find anything to get me back up and was forced to land after 15 miles. I watched others fly over my head on their way to 40, 50, 75 and 100 mile flights.

I was disapointed with my flight. I picked a bad line crossing the valley. We get 2 throw-away days here, but it's tough to have to use one on such a good day.

King Mountain 2008 - Practice Day

7/13/2008

Arrived in Moore, ID Saturday night and set up camp in the local park. Sunday was a practice day for us and a chance for me to get my mountain wings back. It was good have the day because I have been spoiled by the flatlands flying lately and the smooth air that comes with it.

The practice flight was fairly turbulent. I flew about 18 miles to a local airport. I had a bad landing and broke a downtube. My first one in 4 years. I was frustrated, but got it repaired that night.

Leasons Learned from Chelan

A few key lessons come to my mind from last weeks competition. These aren't new ideas, but things I was reminded of and concepts that were refined in my mind.

1 – If you want to go far you have to go fast.

I learned this the first time at Santa Cruz Flats. After completing 50 miles of the first days triangle, I realized I had taken too long. The Sun was low and the thermals were stopping.
The 3rd day at Chelan, Ben Dunn and I were pushing for an 85 mile triangle. We had completed the second turnpoint at about 65 miles when we started to get boxed in by rapid overdevelopment. We could have made it back if we had been to that turnpoint 30 minutes earlier.

2 – Persistence Pays

Day 4 at Chelan I had my best flight. A 65 mile triangle using Withrow and Sims as turnpoints. The flight started with a flush cycle that almost put me on the deck in the bailout. I had to maintain in turbulent conditions, low over the LZ. I was tempted to bail and start setting up my approach. Eventually something came thru that let me crawl back up. One low saved turned what would have been my worst day at the comp to my best.

3 – Thermals may split up, or shift laterally at an inversion and regroup above it. Don’t assume it is gone just because the lift is stopping.

Most days at Chelan there were one or more inversion between the ground and the top of lift. A thermal would seem to top out, but if you searched, you could usually find the thermal continuing some distance away. Usually this would be a constant direction (upwind or downwind) for an inversion on a given day. If you found the thermal 200’ downwind previously, that was a good place to look on the next one. Pay attention to what altitude you hit inversions. Pay attention to what direction the thermal shifts. Flying with another pilot helps immensely.

The lift will often be broken up at the inversion. Do everything you can to get above it. The lift will often be strong and coherent once it passes the inversion. Getting 50’ higher could be your ticket to much more. Push out in the broken pockets of lift. Try to throw yourself up through it.

Chelan '08, Day 6

7/4/2008

It's all over. Ben Dunn hangs on to his 5 point lead and wins. This is his first victory at a sanctioned comp. Congratulations Ben!


Conditions at launch were very windy today. The pilots who had gotten off the ground were getting mostly ridge lift in turbulent conditions. No one seemed to be getting high and I did not think it looked fun so I opted not to fly. I really would have liked to fly one more day. Since the comp is your best 4 out of 6 days, not flying today and yesterday means I don't get to drop any of my low scoring days.

I finished 14th out of about 30. I think I could have done a bit better. That said, I am very happy with how I flew on the 3rd and 4th days. I've also learned a lot of leasons to improve my skill.

I can't wait to come back next year!

Chelan '08, Day 5

7/03/2008
Day Cancelled

Severe weather forecast for the day. The day is called off. We'll take the day to relax and catch up on posting. Scroll down for more new posts (Day 4).


Hanging by the lake

Chelan '08, Day 4

7/02/2008

2nd for the day!

Today I flew a 65 mile triangle for 1077 points. That was enough to put me in a tie for second place for the day.

I was one of the first off the hill again after watching a few climb out. It was tough. I maintained at launch for a few minutes but soon found myself several hundred below. There is a ridge that blocks the path to the LZ, so I had to start heading that way to be sure I could clear it. I continued to sink out and was starting to get desperate. About 500’ over the LZ I found a really turbulent thermal. It didn’t climb much, but I wasn’t going down. Over the course of the next 30 minutes I gradually fought my way back up. Topped out at 7,500’ and headed across hoping to catch up with Ben and Bruce.

On the flats I found Ben and Bruce and Joe. We were all struggling to get high again. There was wind today and it made progress difficult. We zig zaged forward chasing the few dustdevils we could find.
To the southeast some high clouds were casting a large shadow and looked to be shutting down the thermals and blocking our path. Ben headed south hoping to skirt around the trailing edge of the shadow and Joe followed suit. Bruce and I decided to dart into the shadow and tag the Withrow waypoint. We hit the waypoint, but now were down around 4,000’ (1,000’ off the deck). I circled in zero sink, drifting away from my course. Eventually I climbed back up to 8k. The path to the SE to Farmers still looked dark. To the north I could see some active clouds and dust devils on the way to Mansfield. I radioed to the boys that I was going to head that way and try to make the small triangle.

Getting to Mansfield was fairly easy. Once there I climbed up to 8,000 and started to head back to Chelan. Bruce radioed ahead and said he had been sinking. I looked behind me and could see sunny fields and lift away towards Sims. I decided I would turn around and head that way. I figured I would not complete a triangle, but I could go for open distance.

Dusty on the way to sims

I hit a boomer back at Mansfield and climbed to cloudbase at 10,200’. I hit one more good climb on my way to Sims. Made the turnpoint low and looked at the 25 miles I had to cover to get back. I scratched for a while and eventually dove at a pair of dustdevils. Climbed up with 2 other pilots and pressed on. Progress was slow with the crosswinds. Crossing Mansfield I knew I needed one more climb to get half way back and earn the multiplier. I found the climb and it was enough to get me all the way back.

Arriving back at the gorge. Chelan lake at the top, launch is the mountain on the left

The last 10 miles of the flight I flew around the edge of a good sized building cloud. I flew full vg at 45mph at 8,200’ without losing anything. Crossed the gorge high, took some photos, and tagged the junkyard LZ. Then I flew back over the towers and landed on the grass in the soccer field lz.

Airport LZ

Chelan butte and Soccer Field LZ (small grass field on water front on the righthand side of the river)

I knew I had done a good task for the day. I was pleasantly surprised the next day to find out I had the second best flight for the day. Bruce took first for the day with 5 points more.

Airtime: 4:50

Score: 1077

Breaking down the glider in the Soccer Field LZ

Chelan '08, Day 3

Chelan Lake, Butte, and the Gorge, from 11,000'

7/1/2008

Forecast for today was similar to yesterday. Light winds, chance of thunderstorms. The day seemed to be starting earlier with dust devils on launch by 11:30am. I decided it looked promising and suited up. I was the first off the hill at 12:45pm. Ben soon followed me and we climbed up to 7,000’. Then everything shut down as a shadow passed over the butte. The next pilot off sunk out and we went into survival mode trying to minimize our decent. Back down to 5,000’ and things started to pick up again. Ben and I left the butte to make the crossing before anyone else had even gotten off the hill.

The crossing was easier today and I took a more southerly route this time. Got to the flats with 6,000’. A dusty formed ahead and Ben and I pulled vg and dove like madmen into it. Hitting the lift we would bank up and drop the vg and climb out. Our climbs were between 8 and 9,000’. We would leave light lift and press on to find stronger stuff.

We were feeling good about the day so we skipped the two closer waypoint that can be used for triangles and pressed on to 17/220 waypoint (~34 miles from launch). We had some great climbs. I got up to 11,000’ and reached cloud base. It was exciting to be thermaling wingtip to wingtip with Ben when we were out there all alone way ahead of everyone else.

The triangle we were shooting for is about 80 miles. Since others had struggled to get off the hill I was thinking there was a possibility that Ben and I could tie for 1st place for the day if we could complete the task. It was extremely difficult at times and I had to fight back up several times from low.

But I was determined and hung on. We made the first turnpoint and pressed on. Near the second turnpoint clouds were starting to form faster and we had reports of overdevelopment back at the butte. In hindsight we should have taken a nearby intermediate turnpoint and tried to get as far back towards chelan as possible (if you make 50% of the distance on the last leg of the triangle, you get the triangle multiplier on your score). But I had big plans in my head and pressed again to the farther turnpoint.
Rounding the last turnpoint about 55 miles on course, we are now faced with quickly overdeveloping conditions to the Northwest and Southwest. My gps says I need 8 more miles to make the multiplier. We press on. But now we start to see gustfronts and rain ahead and to both sides. I start to feel like I am flying myself into a corner. The lift is starting to get really good. A bad sign. Sara calls in from up ahead and says winds on the ground are starting to get strong. I make my call and turn around. I dive away from the gust fronts hoping to give myself enough time to land and break down my glider before they hit. It was tough to give up so many points, but it was a great flight. I am sitting here smiling as I type this. Flying so hard and so far with Ben was a blast and a great lesson.

Don't want to fly through this...

Chelan '08, Day 2

6/30/2008

Forecast for the day called for light winds from the east, switching to southwest later in the day. Chance of thunderstorms.

The wind forecast made for some interesting strategizing as pilots debated what direction to head first. Call it right and you may fly with a mix of cross winds and tail winds. Call it wrong and you could be fighting headwinds on your entire course.
I plan to try a medium size triangle. Farmers-Sims-Soccer Field.
I’ve eaten and prepared myself better today and feel excited for the flight to come.

I get off the hill towards the front of the line. Climbing up is difficult at first. Lift is light, and lots of pilots are crowing up the sky. I circle in tight trying to find the cores. I’ve gotten used to banking really tight in a good core and am finding it difficult to fly with many of the people in the air because they are turning too shallow. I turn tight inside a few and climb up above them. After a long slow climb I find myself I the top of the stack at 7,200’.

The lift seems to fade and Gerry radios he is making the crossing. I am 75’ above him and in a great position to follow. I’m feeling great at this point knowing I’ve got a great pilot to show me the way across.
My wing is gliding really well and I get a great glide ratio across the river. Reaching the other side I’m in the same spot as yesterday, but at 5,000’ instead of 4,000’. I see some dust devils on the other side of the power lines. I think I can make them, but decide to turn in some light lift at the edge of the rim. This was the mistake that sealed my fate for the day. The lift was nothing, and now I had lost enough altitude I couldn’t make it to those dusty’s.

Gerry and I work trying to find anything. Eventually Gerry lands and is followed by Joe who left lift to come join us (thinking we knew what we were doing…). It looks dusty and miserable down there. I maintain 200’ off the deck for a few minutes with one faint hope that I might make a climb out. It doesn’t happen and I bring it down about ¼ mile from Gerry and Joe in a less dusty field.

The sky seemed to turn on after we landed. Cumulus clouds dotting the sky. Pilots getting to nearly 14,000’. It was painful to listen on the radio to the reports. We get scored on the best 4 out of 6 days here, so I’ve got to start flying better.

My ankle is holding up nicely. I was worried about my launches since I hadn’t run at a full sprint since hurting myself 5 weeks ago. But I’m able to run strong with no pain.

Chelan '08, Day 1

6/29/2008

The weather looked promising today. Light winds, decent lapse rates, a good day for a triangle.

Around 12:30pm people started to launch. A line formed quickly and though I was only about 10 people from the front, several people potatoed on launch and I had wait a long time. By the time I got in the air Ben had already crossed the gorge to the flats. Bruce was topping out at 7200’ and getting ready to make the crossing.

I searched for a while before finding the core that took me up into the gaggle. I climbed through and around many people, but around 6,800’ it got really crowded. I wanted another 500’ before trying to cross the gorge, but eventually got fed up with the disorganized gaggle and went on glide.
I reached rim on the far side of the gorge low. I needed to get about 2 miles further before I would truly be on the flats and have a chance of finding better lift. Alex joined me and we scratched low on the rim for a long time. It was probably 45 minutes of working zero sink before something let off and gave me enough altitude to make it to the flats.

My plan was to make a small triangle, and maybe expand it if the conditions were good along the way. And they certainly were good. Now that I was across the river and in the flats, the lift was abundant and strong. Topping out at 9,000’ I worked my way toward the first turnpoint. It was cool up high, but it had been hot down along the rim at 3,500’. I was now regretting my poor planning that had resulted in me not eating breakfast this morning. Hunger combined with a bit of heat exhaustion left me light headed and feeling a bit nauseous.

I decided at the first turnpoint that I really wasn’t feeling well and wanted to get on the ground. So I tagged the waypoint and headed back to the soccer field LZ for a short out and return of about 24 miles.

The LZ here is fun to land in. You make a fast approach over the river, and then dive in between some trees to land in a nice, soft, grassy field.

Bruce and Gerry did a ~50 mile triangle. Alex did a decent out and return without a map. Haven’t heard from Ben yet, but he was going for a big one. Doug made it across the gorge and had his longest flight yet on his new T2
Tomorrow I’ll be more prepared. A good breakfast, earlier off the hill.

Gerry landing at the Soccer Field after a good triangle task.

Transitions

I just arrived in Seattle and am waiting for my connecting flight to Wenatchee, WA. From there I’ll ride with Ben Dunn up to Chelan for six days of competition at the Chelan XC Classic. This will be my second sanctioned comp this year.

This is the 4th dedicated hang gliding vacation I have taken. I always enjoy the first day of these trips, traveling to some distant site. The week prior at work is, by necessity, always hectic and long. The shift to travel mode, and the sudden onset of anticipation, excitement, and nerves, for the flying ahead is invigorating. The week ahead seems endless and I inevitably start the trip with the sensation that it will last forever. Of course it won’t, but it’s a nice feeling regardless…


I wonder if they will serve fried chicken on my flight?

So You Know...

What I look like

Adding Some Photos

A couple pictures to get the blog going
I'm an uncle. Say hello to Alastair. Almost 9 months.



Wes visiting from DC

The Importance of Having a Blog

Aerochris recently posted on the importance of having a blog. He made a very compelling point that in order to be a great hang gliding pilot, you must have a blog. I agree, and now I do.

Proprietary Cables

The first blog post is off to a bad start. Just realized the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W50 I borrowed from my dad has a proprietary usb connector. So no photos tonight.

Wes is in town and stopped by the house. We drank some beer, caught up, and enjoyed our friendship. He asked me to be his best man, along with his brother, in his wedding next July. I'm honored and was happy to accept.