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Hangola January 25 - 29, 2002

Pretty good day at the stocker. I got over an hour and 2,000 + over. But it was too strong and rough. Launch conditions were fine but it was ratty everywhere else. Low and high. Front of the ridge and in back of the ridge. Wire slaps. And at 2k over it was blowing at least 35. The best place to be was in a thermal Core one and it was smooooth and strong -- had over 700 up on the 10 second averager a number of times. Could have easily gone higher than 2k over but I might not have made it back to the ridge. Hover down landing at the bridge field. I was too eager. By the time I packed up (3:30) it had backed off nicely.

Paul and I and Brian flew Kirchner's Knob yesterday. It was nice for a training-hill-girl like myself to get out of the mud and cornstalks at Smithsburg -- though I did manage to find some thistles. I think I have a special knack.

The wind changed lots throughout the day, sometimes blowing straight up the hill, sometimes crossing at 90 degrees. On one launch it was so strong Brian hung out at the top for a while, just like a hummingbird. I didn't go when it was so radical, but got 4 flights anyhow.

We booked off to the Pulpit but arrived late enough that we all thought drinking would be a safer alternative than flying (though obviously flying there isn't a consideration for me). Very fun. After a beer Brian told me lots of stories about all of you.

Lauren Tjaden

Yeah, Kirchner's knob was kinda fun: always wanted to try the place out, and I definitely prefer it over woodstock under those conditions. Watching Lauren handle mountain-style winds was delightful, not unlike the first time a high speed dog discovers the kitchen floor.

My first two landings were perfect (falcon paraglider style??) and so Lauren naively asked for advice on her landings. So I hitched my thumbs under my belt and launched into a learned discourse on letting the glider find the wind direction, easing out the bar when the wind is strong, quickly unclipping and keeping the nose into the wind to avoid being manhandled by the glider, yadda yadda.

Flush with prowess, I did my "hummingbird" launch, and got so caught up with the floaty sensation of a glider on a slope in high winds that I lost the wind direction at the bottom, touched down while moving sideways, and then, um, well....you know. Turtled.

Ole "Flipper" hasn't lost her touch.

We stopped by the mountain house bar before leaving, where the highlight of the evening was Lauren declaring in all seriousnes that the "Tour of Fried Foods" appetizer platter the best dinner she'd had in a long time. And I didn't tell them THAT much about you guys - I'd only had one beer. They serve no hard liquor.

Brian.

Oops, on re-reading my last post it may look like I was picking on Lauren, so let me point out that yesterday 2 pilots with high wind experience flipped their gliders. But not Lauren.

And really, our conversation about you guys was decorum incarnate. We only touched on your sex lives and cross-dressing briefly at best.

brian.

Dickey Ridge was good today and I understand Daniels wasn't. It was west. It was straight in. The Pulpit probably would have been good. Despite the SW forecasts it looks to me like tomorrow might be a repeat.

I am gonna fly a sailplane so I can't put my money etc.

Arrived on top around 12:30 to find the air full of bagwings. The wind was SW - WSW, and 8-15mph, not quite steady enough for totally reliable ridge lift. Shawn launched, stayed in the air for 15mins or so, only getting 50' over. I followed just before 2pm, and managed what turned out to be the HG flight of the day, with 36 minutes and +289'. The air was nice and smooth for the first 20 minutes or so, and it was good to be flying again. Never managed to put a great deal of distance between me and the beckoning trees ( http://www.buffam.com/barographRecent.jpg ), but hey, this is winter flying after all.

No-one else was in a hurry to launch, but eventually everyone else got into the air, though it was after things had started to get rowdy, weird, and pretty much lift-free.

HGers: Me, Lenko, Shawn, Dave Fink, TR Johnson, Jesse, Doug, Jim Carroll (and Tom Gartlan, who surveyed land but left his glider on the truck)

PGers: Gerry, Tim Lang, Jamie Fisher, John Banta, Jeff Shriner, Matt Hill, Matthew Szczepanowski (think I spelled that from memory? Ha! This is the guy with the database talking here).

[Did I miss anyone?]

We had a nice visit from the landowners, Jane and David Gray. They drove up as I was starting to break down, and came over to talk. They'd come over to let their dogs run around in the open. (They live in Elizabethville.) They're really nice people, and they gushed about how neat it is to have us land on their property. Imagine that! They also were falling over themselves thanking us for the Christmas gift - a basket of fruit that Joe Gorrie, our hard-working site coordinator, sent them. They spent quite a long time shooting the breeze with several pilots, as everyone piled into the LZ over a 15-minute window. They said they're planning to build a house on the property. But don't panic - they want to put it way the hell in the back, so nothing will interfere with our landing path.

Bill

It was great to fly with everybody at Elizabethville yesterday. I have some nice inflight video of Tim, John, Matt, Jamie and Matthew. I will send you each a few pics when I get a chance. Today looks like a good Embreeville practice day and I think my wife and I will head over there later.

Jeff Shriner

Doug W., Greg DeWolf and Billy, I don't know his last name and I flew Daniels today. We all sledded. It turned on at about 4:00 after we were all down. Still a fun day, beats watching TV.

Dan T.

I'm feeling right virtuous for having spent two days flying the training hill instead of the mountains. My back and legs are reporting back to me on the additional exertion though.

On Saturday I joined John Middleton and his two new students Freddie (vigorous and young) and Fred (grizzled and, well, more my age).for shirtsleeve weather and SSW winds. Richmond pilots John Claytor and Chris Cioffi took part, along with returning pilot Paul Kelly. Paul is re-engaging his foot launch skills, quite effectively. All of us worked on landings. I put in seven flights. Dang, that is alot of times to carry the glider!

Sunday was an instructor-less day at Taylor. When I arrived Bacil Dickert had already put up multiple wind socks, and David O'Brien was setting up. Paul & Lauren Tjaden showed up and both set up. Bob Ratliffe set up his glider to inspect recent repair and replacement work, but never carried to the launch. John Dullahan brough family, kids and dogs, but declared the winds too cross for his liking. Carlos Weill was working on take-off runs. Dan Tomlinson rode his motorcycle down, but declined the offer to borrow a glider in the cross winds.

I started the day with no-wind launch, but as the winds increased and shifted, finished with practice at cross-wind launches. Bacil, Paul, Lauren, Paul and Carlos all did similar. David left early for another activity. I flew four times, feeling the effect of the seven the day before.

Cragin

Taylors on Sunday. Arrived at around 10:45A, finding Dave O'Brien present. Dave's a pilot who flew 20 years ago, stopped flying, and is now renewing his love for the sport. Others arriving over the course of the day: Cragin Shelton, Paul and Lauren Tjaden, Bob Radcliffe, John Dullahan and his guests, Dan Tomlinson on his motorcycle sans glider, a pair of wuffos Mike and Debra from Fredericksburg, and Carlos Weill. Mike and Debra decided to check out the kites on the hill since many times in the past they could see the gliders at Taylor heading east on Rt. 3 towards King George. Conditions were L & V, with nary a puff of wind at the top. Dave took a hop, followed by me and Cragin. The trio took a few more hops before retiring for a break. Paul and Lauren got in a flight or two as well, before taking a lunch break. All flights were literally no-wind launches. During the break conditions got cross from the SSE. After the break Carlos, Paul, Cragin, and I got in xwind launches when the windsock would show south at the top. Called it a day when the conditions just got worse (constant SE, SSE). Gathered up the windsocks, with the last one taking a long time to get to for there was a large Black Angus bull right near the sock. I kept my distance until he started "checking out" his harem of cows on his way to the pond. Only when he got to the pond did I even think about grabbing the last windsock. Interesting gradient on the hill towards the bottom half. Getting airborne about halfway down, right after getting airborne, the nose would pitch down slightly to gain more speed. Kind of unnerving that close to the ground.

Bacil

Hey,

If a blind pig digs in the filth long enough, eventually she'll find a truffle. Or something like that. But, miracle of miracles, Paul and I got to fly today.

We planned to trek to Taylor's again; that is, if we could get our work done first. However, it's a long drive, so we needed to hustle out of here ASAP.

But besides schooling our horses, we had a client visiting to try a mount for the second time, and she was late. Further, when she had finished riding, she felt compelled to chat endlessly about nothing. I tried to keep my eyes from drifting longingly at the truck with our gliders attached, and focus on the fat check that might get written instead.

When she finally left, Taylor's was looking like a dim hope. But then Paul raced into the barn with the compass. He dragged me outside and flung grass into the air.

"See, it's from the West. Smithsburg is pretty close. Wanna go?"

The wind at Smithsburg was indeed coming from the right direction when we arrived, though -- to use one of my new expressions -- it was blowing like stink. By the time I set up and struggled to the top of the hill, it was still ripping -- but the direction had changed to a 90 degree cross. Eddie Miller, Paul, and I tried to convince Ms. Target (my glider) not to fly off without me. I hooked in but the whole thing was stupid. Apparently the wind gusted in Hagerstown to 29.

Just when I thought the only way I was going to get down the hill was by carrying my glider, the wind took a breath and softened. When the flags turned towards me I couldn't believe it. Ms. Target finally got to fly. I launched 4 times, in everything from no wind, to a bit of wind, to a lot of wind. Weird day, but the air was smooth.

Ed helped me hold my glider on top and grabbed wires on the way up, so Paul finally got to fly, too. I do hate the show-off-way Paul always lands on his feet. What a creep. (When I skid in on my stomach, it makes him feel more like a man, so I try to do it at least every other launch to keep his ego boosted.)

By the 5th time on top, the wind was coming from behind us. I waited so long I had to disassemble Ms. Target in the dark (I think I have all of her battens) but it never changed again.

So the final trip down was on my feet, after all. But the day was a great little school for me, and Paul, too. Very fun. Catch you kids next time.

Lauren Tjaden

I got to fly yesterday (tues) for approx 50 mins, and I also noticed that the surface winds were variable and strong at times here in Fallston. Mainly SW but at times S, W, and NW. Winds calmed down at the surface around 4:30, but winds aloft >400 AGL and above were howling from the SW at 20 mph or more until dark. Glad to hear you got a few good flights in. Keep it up and be careful with those four-legged beasts.

Marco

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This page last updated January 31, 2002