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Hangola June 23-25, 2000

For the curious:

High Rock conditions were L&V, with impressive Cu's above for the earlier part of the afternoon. Conditions on launch were light W to NW. Among those present were Brian, Carlos, Steve P., Cragin, Bob G. (driving), Marc, and Christy (observing for Gary Smith). I got an extendo, with a brief gain above launch. Marc joined us after an earlier flight at the Pulpit, where similar conditions prevailed. Ed Reno and female companion driver (whose name I have forgotten) stopped by the HR lz after two pulpit flights. Congratulations to Gary on his first HR flight, made possible by Christy.

Afterward, we rounded out the evening with pizza and suds at Rocky's.

'Spark

I got there at 1:00 and it was rolling in at around 8mph with good direction. I thought it would be sweet, but I scrapped around on my Falcon for 1/2 hr in barely sustained ridge lift hoping for the boomers that never appeared. Got flushed and landed in the secondary. Marc launched around 3pm and scrapped to the primary on his Fusion made a turn, dropped out and headed out to land in head high grass. There is a cut swath in the primary and the grass is down in the secondary.

Ed

A light crowd at Ridgely today, the promise of a good day at Jack's must have drawn many to the mountains. Warm and humid when I got there with high cirrus putting a damper on lift. But things improved later. Some tandems even got short soaring flights. Tows were very rowdy, myself and another pilot broke off low and tried again. By that time I was chomping the bit as some pilots were heading north and the air was getting hazy. Fred had landed at Baltimore Corner, about 7 miles, and so guaranteeing a driver for others. I topped out at 4900 in light thermals. Near Sasafras as I was getting low I spotted a farmer plowing a field and a tower of dust following. I found an 800 fpm thermal that turned to cloud suck, I bailed at 4800 afler seeing small storm cells forming with rain or virga and lightning to the east. Fred and Raean watched me land at the Delaware Veterans Memorial Cemetary for 40.4 miles. Raean had gone a couple miles farther to Kirkwood. Steve Turner got 17 miles and another pilot got a first XC of 5 miles.

MC

I thought I'd give Ralph a chance to report his first soaring flight, but since I've heard rumors bouncing around the grapevine already I'll go ahead and report the day. The other participants can send in their own versions.

I arranged to have Rolf and Ralph meet us up at Jack's, as Lewis wanted to do a few training hill flights before driving me up. We arrived around 5 pm to find it puffing and lulling at up to 10 mph. Puffs were quite long enough for launching, but the slot had grown up a bit. Mashed down some of the taller weeds. If nothing is done within a few weeks it won't be launchable unless you bring tools (and rope) for a decent clearing job. The LZ on the other hand is newly mowed down to the nubbin.

Ralph showed up and we shortly ready to launch. Lewis was first, and I partially blame myself for what happened. I told him to wait for a strong cycle, then keep his nose down (problem on the training hill) and run like a bat outta hell. That boy can sure follow instructions. He plunged like a rhino straight down the slot, and in my fevered imagination I remember his nose cone parting greenery like the prow of a ship parts foam. Just when I thought he was about to run pell-mell into the trees at the bottom he pops out and clears them by about two feet. If you open your mouth and vocalize as you suck air, you make this kind of wispy strangling squeak. Well, that's what i sounded like. I turned to Ralph, who was typically unflappable. "Bad launch", he said. "I'm in a falcon, so it should go smoother". or something like that.

True to his word, he did a flawless launch, though I discovered the helpless pangs of not being able to judge altitude from launch. I needn't have worried; he's got much aerotow experience and did fine.

Went back up to the top, and Rolf shows up just as it begins to blow straight in around 10 mph, smooth as glass. Ralph launched first, and after several passes at a conservative speed, figures out it's okay to slow down and turn less often. He goes right up and is soaring for the first time. Remains up for an hour.

Launch Rolf, who drops a wing and does a j-turn towards the side of the slot facilitated by a weed his wing hits after the turn. (remember the sound of sucking air?). He proceeds to pull the most amazing G-force inducing save I've ever witnessed and whizzes out the bottom of the slot. He boats out a couple hundred yards but on account of the wind can't hear the radio coaxing him to try out the ridge if he feels calmed down enough to soar. Sleds down.

I launch and soar for a bit before coming down. I get complacent and cocky about dead winds in the LZ, and manage to overshoot a field the size of Nebraska by about 50 feet, bending my first down tube in about two and half years. Serves me right.

Nobody else was there, not even the locals. (Okay, I guess wuffos are people too, and we had a grand contingent) Lewis was kind enough to sacrifice a second flight so I could fly instead.

-BrianVH.

I also went xc for 18 miles I started out with Steve but followed rt. 313 to 3 miles past Sudlersville. many thanks to Doug Rogers for the retrieval.

Craig Williamson

Someone asked for bullet proof , Friday seemed epic with West wind. Saturday seemed very light to start then really turned on later.

(Fred Permenter went to Milton via the Bay for 32 miles, 5,900' agl) Doug, Rae and Rich got arund 11.

Friday I had a sled and late tried to stay up under the blue I found very light conditions after 4:30 but did get some 300+ up wound up with Doug Rogers at 4,700' over the river watched him demo the Litespeed and we flew in a few thermals together, very enjoyable, got 1:19 decided to land as I needed some food. Doug was up for about 1:40.

(Doug I think your gloves are still at Highland)

Saturday almost everyone left or tried I did not fly, early overcast blew away by late am and well formed boomers were getting pilots high 5,000'+, Jim Gatewood (first xc 6 miles), Bill Buffam 8?, Craig Williamson pr 18 miles, Steve Turner 17 miles?, Fred (not sure ) Mike Chevalier 40 (to the North)

Raean 42.3 miles past the canal, Doug was having so much fun on the Stealth he forgot to come down get his glider and go xc but bagged a couple hours though.

Miles are approx. don't know exact details.

Robert

Arrived Sunday afternoon about 3:00. Was greeted by three people at the picnic table, two gliders set up on the grass, no one in the air, and "You shoulda been here at 11, everyone got an hour to an hour and a half."

Jimmy had just finished 90 minutes in the sky, and reported it was the rowdiest air he had ever flown in.

I set up, and started flying about 4. It was rather windy, due south, and a sky full of sink. Broke two weak links. Even leaving the string at 1100 AGL, I beat the truck back to the starting end of the runway. Three flights, one flight with a single burble of a thermal to add three minutes to an otherwise sled. Three clean landings.

Steve Wendt talked about flying the Exxtacy at Woodstock. Not fun to set up on all the rocks. Only two feet of clearance from the trees on both sides at the beginning of the launch run. However, it was great flying. Further, while he had been concerned about landing in the Woodstock main LZ, that had gone just fine, and he was stopped well before reaching thee crest of the hill. Steve has also flown the Exxtacy at Manquin with the Mosquito harness, and says that works very well. He REALLY likes flying the rigid wing.

Cragin S

Mark went to High Point on Friday with Jim Rowan and Larry Ball who wanted to check out his new Litespeed. I guess when they first got there it was blowing in nicely around 10-12 mph. They hurried up and set up but by the time Mark got to launch it had just died to barely 5 mph. He waited for a good cycle then launched, struggled and scratched his way up to 2500 over and a 1/2 hour flight. Larry and Jim were right after him on launch but it had lightened up even more and they had to wait for it to stop dribbling in over the back. Ugh! I guess they both had sleds. When they went back up to get the truck around 7 p.m. it was blowing in nicely again around 10-12.

Saturday was an awesome day at Fisher Road! Mark and I were planning on taking at sled at Fisher then heading to Jack's since Brian et. al. weren't planning on arriving until 4 or 5 p.m. Where were all the CHGA'ers Saturday? It was a mix of folks. Mark and I, Marc and Ellis, Bacil, Jim Rowan, Bob Gillissie, Pat Brooks, Jeff Sarouset (sp?), Deborah and Paul from Pittsburgh, Tom and his wife Shelly just moved to Pittsburgh a month ago from California (Tom flies, Shelly doesn't) - I think we'll be seeing quite a bit of them, Joe Brauch who has been a II for quite a few years and hasn't flown recently and Dave Leitl (? Not sure of last name) is also a returning advanced pilot who hasn't flown in 5 years and is getting back into the sport on a Falcon after reading Pete Lehmann's article.

The first wave off pretty much had sleds, extended sleds or short soaring flights. Mark launched with the first wave and got up but then lost it and landed then launched again much later in the day after helping Joe Brauch launch. I launched at the beginning of the second wave and flew 2 1/2 hours with not much more than 500-600' over. Nice flight nonetheless. I think the longest flight of the day was had by Tom from Pitts. with 3 hours. Pat Brooks, Bacil and later in the day, Dave and Mark G. headed down to Ritchie's Knob. I guess it was a challenging flight both earlier in the day and later. Afterwards we headed to Pizza Hut for a nice closing to the day.

Sheila

ROFL! I'm not sure that I could have written it any better myself! A little further commentary and amplification:

This was Brian's first time out as an observer, which gave me fits trying to break him in, but he did ok in the end. ;-)

Since I had never flown Jack's before, I wanted to see someone else launch first, so that I could see what the air was doing, and if there was anything special to take into account. After watching Lewis, I new what _not_ to do, and figured that it would be a relatively normal slope launch.

After I launched, I made a few short passes trying to find that "ridge lift" that I've heard other pilots talk about, but, again, with no luck. I turned out to the LZ, perhaps a little later than I should have, but I had talked to Rich Hays before I drove up, who advised me that "If you can't make the LZ, there are plenty of other fields along the way that you can dump out into." Sure enough, there were a number of well-mowed fields before the road, and I kept them in mind as I approached. As I arrived over the field, I had plenty of time to look at the wind sock and decided on an approach; I realized that I wouldn't have enough altitude to do a full downwind-base-final approach, so I angled downwind to cross over the powerlines at 100-120', and then turned into the wind to land. (The field is the "size of Nebraska"; how could I miss? How could anybody miss for that matter?)

Upon returning to launch, we started setting up our gliders again when Rolf showed up. He and Brian went to check out the launch conditions and discoved that the "lull-and-gust" from earlier had smoothed out into a pretty steady 10mph almost straight in breeze; this time I went off first, and turned in a little closer to the hill; I felt like I was scratching pretty close to the trees below me, but for once I wasn't going down! A minute or two later I realized that I was back at launch altitude, and made my first turn around; by the time I returned to launch I was already 50' over, and it only got easier from there! I spent the next 45 minutes going back and forth along the ridge, holding on to intermittent 20fpm lift (they said they could hear my vario from the ground, emitting a single lonely chirp every 20 seconds...), but maintaining my altitude. Gradually, I expanded my envelope, exploring the lift band, and topping out at 270' over launch; when Brian launched, I followed him for a while, which was pretty cool, as I could better see where to go. Eventually, as the sun started to go down and the air started to become less stable, I manouvered upwind of the launch site, then turned toward the LZ. With no wind at all in the LZ, I ended up having to run out my landing, but I stayed on my feet (and inside the field).

Result: my first ever flight above-launch, and 55 minutes, my longest flight ever!

Seriously now: Kudos to Brian, who called the weather conditions perfectly and picked a great site for a bunch of IIs; he worked with all of us, and was incredibly supportive. It was great to have an observer flying the same glider that I was; when he joined me up in the air, I was able to follow him, knowing that my glider would respond to lift and sink the same way that his would, and it turned out to be very educational.

All in all, it was a great day!

R2

Gary passed this on for me to post. (His work email got booted off the list server.) Plus this gives me a chance to add my two cents (in brackets). Gotta do something about the drunks/druggies at High Rock. Can't have them rolling off. Might end up with a closed site... Any advice, Rae, on what should be done about them?? The one Gary mentions was getting belligerant when asked to 'please move'.
Christy

First flight at High Rock; 6-23-00

Exchanged four "go/no-go" phone calls with Christy on Friday afternoon about flying High Rock. It was an iffy day in Harpers Ferry and Berryville with light and variable winds and slightly overcast skies. Reports from Larry Huffman indicated that conditions were much better in the northern "latts" so we decided to go for it. Left Berryville at 4:45 PM and made it to Emma Jane's after one wrong turn at about 6:00 PM. It was a pleasure to meet Emma Jane after hearing so much about her on the list server. Christy was waiting patiently for me in the LZ after riding up from Harpers Ferry on two wheels. (Patient, me patient?? HA!) It would have been great to see her with glider in tow but she just wanted to enjoy the ride. I also met Allen Sparks in the LZ. Pleasure to finally meet Allen after sharing many e-mails with him about flying in Las Vegas and Arizona. Cragin Shelton was breaking down his glider and gave me some words of encouragement.

Christy walked the LZ with me (walked? we stood there and I told him about my preferred approach pattern and why - which is to ignore the slot and come in over the trees at the end of the field) and went over all of the details as far as approaches to the field, wind direction and alternate LZs. Christy reminded me not to rely entirely on the wind vane for wind direction as it only works in gale force winds. (Actually I said to ignore it since it isn't accurate in winds he can fly in for the moment.) She said to focus on the tell tale streamer on the end of the wind vane in light conditions. Good advice with the light winds that were blowing.

Piled in my beater Taurus wagon with Christy and Cragin for a trip to the top of the hill. The "old ho" as I call her barely made it to the top, she was spitting and sputtering and over heating as we pulled in to the launch/ set up area. Time for a new HG vehicle. I was so worried about the car that I did not feel good about flying, but after letting the beast cool down and adding some water to the radiator it seemed to run ok. Christy and Cragin also insisted that this was a good test for me and that I needed to "forget the car problems and focus on the flying". (We told him if he was a real hang glider pilot he would ignore the car and go flying. That it was normal for real hang glider pilots to have vehicles that just make it to launch and that the only sweating that should be done is on the ride up - certainly not after the vehicle has made it. Besides, it's downhill all the way so it didn't even need a running motor for that trip!)

Headed up to launch to watch Marc Fink launch which took longer than expected due to a drunk or stoned (or both) spectator who refused to remove himself from the top of the Launch for a long while until Allen Sparks and Cragin threatened to kick his butt. We would have all been happy to help out. This guy was a real jerk. After the drunk staggered off of launch, Marc launched into light winds that were blowing straight in for an extended sled.

I set up in the parking lot with Christy's help. The drunk got in his car and drove over a huge rock and ended up stuck on the rock. I promptly moved my glider when I saw four guys pushing the drunk's car off of the rock. They should have left him there because he was in no shape to drive. After being pushed off of the rock, the drunk backed up fast and smashed into a tree before he drove off down the hill out of site as a worried laugh and sigh of relief was released by the crowd standing on launch. Never thought I'd ever have this much fun hang gliding and I wasn't even in the air yet.

Time to think about getting in the air though, because it was getting late and the wind was calming down considerably. All I kept hearing in my head was Christy's comments about how you could really drop like a rock in calm winds at HR.

I did a pre-flight and hang check and thorough walk through of my flight plan, with Christy's help and corrected a possible "ground snag" problem with Cragin's sharp eye; (a long zipper line from my pod was dragging the ground). I kept my glider's nose down and ran it off for a comfortable launch. (He didn't drop at all - really nice launch.) I did not hesitate in heading out to the LZ because I wanted the extra altitude cushion to set up a good landing. Came over the LZ from the North end with plenty of air and started my approach with good speed on downwind, base and final. Had some trouble getting my second foot out of my pod which leads me to the conclusion that I need to do this much earlier in my setup for landing. Had a three stepper for a landing and felt good about the flight. (Really nice approach and landing, despite the errant foot.)

Thank you Christy for driving out from Harpers Ferry to throw me off and to Sparky and Cragin for booting the drunk off of launch.

Gary

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This page last updated July 3, 2000