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Index to weather maps

Hangola March 6-10, 2000

4500 over. Very nice. Terry and I and some pg folks.

The PG folks were Shane Ebersole and Fred Hoffman. We both got around 1200 over and two flights. It was cross from the north and that made it a little bumpy for us, but still a great day.

Shane

Billy and I went to Daniels yesterday, beautiful day. Billy got 3 grand over launch and was on the ground 20 minutes later.

Greg DeWolf

I finally ended up going to HR. Great day, big fat ones up to 3k over. Eddie showed up later and had a very nice late day flight.

Despite all the maps and forecast calling for NW winds, Bill Vaughn and I met at Daniel's at 1230 and watched the wind blow 5-8 SSE-SSW in the LZ. Numerous birds marked medium strength and size thermals, but the impatient Billy, launched into a relative lull in the cycles at 1330 and after valiantly working the small, light lift surrounded by stronger sink, he arrived in the LZ ten minutes later.

I launched at 1400 into a strong cycle and immediately was above the top, twirling in a small, but strong thermal, parts of which were 900 fpm and averaged 5-600 fpm. At 2500 over, the thermal broke apart and became much stronger. I could only stay in the bullet for half of each circle with a sixty degree bank. The exit from the core wasn't too traumatic, but entering the rocket pushed my nose so high (in spite of the bar being held in to my abdomen) that in my fear, I clenched the basetube with all my strength.

Four or five more 360's and 700 feet higher, the thermal increased it's vigor and I was out of there, my face surely as white as my knuckles which both matched the color of the wispy cummie, at least 2000 feet above me. I hated to leave, but my nerves wouldn't let me stay.

Once free of the rowdy thermal, the air was smooth, and I noticed that my drift direction and speed were consistent with what they had been at the top of the mountain - 5-10 from the south. I couldn't blame the rowdiness or fragmentation of the thermal on a shear, as I had been thinking. I flew to Parker Mt, and as usual, only found broken, turbulent lift that at best slowed my decent.

Getting low, I headed for the LZ, and while setting up for a landing, encountered a weak, double core thermal. Billy was below, flying his RC sailplane but found time to encourage me on the radio as I started mapping the textures. I slowly gained as I rounded one core, then pulled in for speed as I traversed the short distance through light sink to the second core, banking and letting the bar out as the glider yawed 180 degrees around in the lift. Then, pulling in slightly and leveling the wings, I zoomed back to the first core, ad infinitum.

From that point on, the thermals were plentiful and smooth below a couple hundred over, and bouncy and broken above. My arms got tired and I attempted to land a number of times, but always found comfortable thermals just above the LZ, and kept getting caught up in their charms. After an hour forty, I managed to get the glider to the ground as the cummies above conjoined into a large cloud deck covering the area.

Billy, left one beer for me.

Greg

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This page last updated March 11, 2000