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Hangola February 16 - 19, 2002

Well, a mystery solved. I arrived with Pete Schumann around 11:30 to straight in around 15. Pete and I launched at 12:30 into nice thermal conditions, topping out around 3000' over. The winds turned SW pretty quickly and some high haze moved in, but I managed to do a short over the back for 16.6 miles to somewhere just north of Chambersburg. 2 1/2 hours. A nice day if you launched early. We couldn't figure out where you were.

Tom McGowan

"a. spark" wrote:

Arrived @Pulpit at 9:15am to 15-20mph WNW. I flew for about 25 minutes. 'twas generally soarable but moderately turbulent with gusts above 20. Practiced flying backwards. Top landed and gathered firewood until Bacil arrived at 10am. I flew once more for 5 minutes to check conditions. Same kinda stuff: possibly HG-able but strong. With expectations of building winds, I decided to follow Bacil to Woodstock via scenic rte 522.

Arrived at Woodstock just after noon to a light W. Launched from the setup area. I flew many times - even "sky'd out" a few. Thermals - no ridge lift. Top landing at woodstock is pretty difficult. On one flight I hit the trees but recovered without significant damage. By 2:20pm winds had abated to very light WSW, so we departed. Later before sunset I nabbed additional airtime soaring a ridge near my home.

Totals: ~2 hrs zagi, 0 hrs HG.

'Spark

I'm expecting to hear that the Pulpit was great ...

I'm not much of a winter flyer, but I couldn't pass up a chance to fly the Pulpit on a beautiful, sunny day in mid-February. Unfortunately, by the time I got set up, the winds were pretty much crossing from the south. I waited on the ramp until I got a launchable cycle, and made a good launch, but then discovered that there wasn't *any* lift, anywhere! I knew I couldn't make the primary, so I headed right out towards the secondary; cleared the tree line ok, but there were a couple of tall trees in a clump between me and the secondary, and it didn't look like I was going to clear them. (Actually, there wasn't even a chance that I might clear them.) So, I made a slight left turn into the wind, and just landed in the field in front of me (the front yard of the secondary LZ land owner). Good landing, on my feet. (1-0 for the landing contest!)

This is the first time that I haven't made it to an LZ, and at least now I know where the edge of the envelope for the Falcon is!

Question: since I didn't actually make it to the LZ, did I "land out" (is this my first X-C?), or have I simply established a "tertiary LZ" for the Pulpit?

R2

PS: "Streamer Boy" strikes again - this time putting up 4 new streamers on the ramp (2 each side), and 4 more at the top of the tower.

Got onto the ramp about 40 minutes after Tom and Pete launched. It was 90 degrees cross most of the time. Had to wait 15 minutes for a decent cycle. Had a good launch but fell into a massive sink hole just as I was about to turn down the ridge. Stuffed the bar to get out of the sink and aimed at the ground in front of the tree line to keep up speed and then eased out to clear the tree-tops. I got back up to launch level after turning but was too chicken to work any light lift until I was in shooting distance of the secondary... but then then I fell into another hole. Rotor surfed all the way to the ground and landed in the secondary-- my first time landing there. Pete followed me in about ten minutes later. He caught sink when Tom caught the thermal that allowed Tom to beam out.

Matthew (Sorry Ralph, it doesn't count as an XC when you can't make the LZ-- but good job of putting it into that field (or should I say yard), of Karen and Matthew)

Short Boo Waa cycles with loong big sink cycles were the name of the game saturday. Many pilots struggled at ridge top or below, then were rewarded with climbs up to 2000'(?) Others hung on long enough to gain hundreds before the big sink hunted them down. I decided to fly in between the up cycles (Duh) and got spanked all the way to the L/Z. I later heard vicious rumors of pilots reporting the lift was soooo goooood they could not get down. One pilot had to dodge a beer cooler being ridden by a rooster 1500' over the mountain, come on guys was it really that good? All kidding aside it was a good day and a great turn out. Bob, Shawn and Sheila, Jim, Joe and Karen, Jesse, Jeff H, Bill B, Bill U, and student, Tom G, Christian, and surprise visit from Fred and Raen, it was great to see you guys!

Doug.

Got to launch about 1300. STFI @ 10-15. Ole Mother RTown was beaming her welcoming smile. Like the women she sometimes is, something had changed her mood between the time we got there and had finished setting up. ( Maybe we should've complimented her on her new do or something ). No longer smiling she just sat there huffing a surley 3 to 7. Obviously it was no use waiting for her sour mood to pass. Shawn, then I, sniveled our way aloft. There then followed 30 minutes of twisting, turning, clawing, scratching, sniveling, sreaming, mewing, whining, whimpering, praying, bug eyed soaring. 2+ hours of flying packed into 30 minutes. In other words "It was mahvelous." Altitudes -150 to +750.......Bob.

Gambled and went to the SAC today. Came up empty. Arrived at 9:40A to find Doug Rogers set up and raring to go. Trees were singing nicely, singing that tune that indicates the mountain is soarable. Sky totally blue. A few clouds popped in the valleys north of Blue Mt. on the drive up, but they quickly evaporated. Doug launched about 10 minutes later into NW to N winds; it had backed down a bit. He survived in a small thermal to the right of the slot, figure-8ing in the weak lift, and slowly ascended above the mountain. Doug ended up flying for 1.5 hours, getting to 1200' over. Karen Gorrie came up and helped me launch around 10:20A into light conditions, which I have never mastered at the SAC. A quick sled. Hung out in the LZ, watching Doug score a low save coming out to land early in his flight. Back up to launch, I set up for another go at it. Hang II student Jim showed up. He was to meet Bill Umstaad, his observer, later in the afternoon. Conditions were cross from the west to straight in, mostly NW, but very light. Doug shows up at launch after climbing the mountain for some more exercise Joe Gorrie shows up just as I get ready to launch. Their collective mojo didn't help. Another quick sled. I decide to climb Mahantango Mt. to retrieve my truck. As I'm nearing launch Karen launches and sleds. I start heading down the mountain as Joe decides to give it a shot. As I'm approaching the LZ I see Joe landing; a sled for the master of the SAC as well. Joe said he didn't get a single bump all the way to the LZ. I retrieve my stuff while Joe gets the trailer and takes his glider still set up to give it another go. I leave launch at 2:30P with Joe still on the bump waiting for conditions to improve. Wonder if they ever did. Now for the burning question. How were the conditions at the Pulpit today?

Bacil

Got to launch around 9:00am. After setting up in artic type weather I took to the air by 10:00am with the help of Bacil. Although it was blowing pretty much straight in a nice 10 to 15 at times it was not ridge reliable. I really expected a nice easy ride up above the mountain but instead had to work what ever little bubble I could find and scratch my way up. Once up the first half hour was spent scratching between 250' and 500' over. It wasn't until around 10:45 conditions improved with plentiful lift up to 1200' over launch. After 1.5hrs I decided to head out and land with Bacil. Temps were very comfortable in the l/z while breaking down. Bill U and his student Jim ? showed up later along with Joe and Karen. When I left around 1:30pm launch was still cycling in nicely..

Doug....

Got to launch around 1pm.

As Doug noted, that NW wind was bitter. Bacil, Joe and Karen scratched around at the thermal spot Doug had worked earlier in the day, but things had gotten too weak. They got a little lift, but only enough to prolong the sledride down. Sorry guys :( They seemed to be happy to fly anyway.

On a brighter note, sleds are perfect for a student like me. Once Bill U showed up, we setup and got down to business. Those weak thermals provided me with a nice intro to turbulance with plenty to keep me on my toes. The wind wasn't too cross, still cycling straight up at times, and getting out of the slot was a breeze. Sledded down the hill till sunset :)

BTW, Thanks for your tips guys!

Jim

Oh, suffer, you nonbelievers! Paul and I traveled to the Pulpit again today. Hung out there all day Saturday, too. Today, a pilot with lots more skill and experience than me had an extremely interesting and marginal trip to the LZ. The luckier ones coasted down steadily, but without incident. After watching the pros get beat around -- with the exception of Matthew, who found a patch of rising air and clung to it for over an hour -- I decided it was NOT an appropriate second mountain launch for me and goaded Paul into going to S'burg, so I could at least run down the hill a couple of times. We left at 3:45.

I was pleased with the two launches we practiced there; pleased that I had done something worthwhile on my hard-won day off. Until I got the call.

Matthew was giggling so hard he could barely relate the news. But, somehow he managed to talk. The air turned magic (at 4:30), all the pilots flew, and the lift was as smooth as margarine in a tub. I'm not sure if he was happier about flying or that he was right. Not that he's competitive.

We repent! We repent!!!! Next time we'll listen to you, oh weather God!

Lauren Tjaden

Arrived at Little Gap at about 2:30pm. The wind was a solid NNW @ 15-20 decreasing to 10-15 by the time I launched at 3:30. One nice thermal offered a decent 800fpm topping out at 1,000ft over launch followed by huge sink. I flew for an hour spending most of the time 0' to 100' above launch with the wind very cross and from the West. Dave Bacon, Jack Eckert, Matt Hill and Dan, not sure your last name Dan, all had short but nice evening flights. Didn't get a chance to dive for any ski caps.

Jeff Shriner

Ok, cat's out of the bag...

Well, I had nothing better to do today than to go see if Matthew might actually be right about there being good flying at the Pulpit. I trucked on out there and arrived around 1pm to see everyone standing around, looking at the winds. Sparks volunteered to wind dummy, but the winds were crossing a little from the south, and he sledded. I went down to the LZ and dropped off my truck, and rode back up to the top with Paul and Lauren Tjaden. Everyone waffled in the launch area for another half-hour or so, but after I had watched it blow straight in for about 10 minutes straight, I decided to go for it; Matthew decided at the same time, and got into his gear faster than I did, so he launched first, but I took off right behind him. The air was a little punchy, but not too bad; the ridge lift wasn't really strong enough to maintain, and after 5 minutes of delaying the inevitable, I headed out to the primary. One third of the way there, I encountered a pretty strong thermal, and after 10 minutes of circling I was 50' above ridge height (up from 300' below) I went back to the ridge, but couldn't do much, and headed back to my thermal. After 20 minutes of flying though, my hands were freezing, and I decided to land. I broke down slowly, since it would take Matthew another half hour to land, and by then Tom McGowan, Carlos Weill, and Pete Schumann were on the ground as well. As we headed back to the launch area, Matthew starts trying to talk me into flying again (because I "have a Falcon, and should be able to set up again in 5 minutes"), insisting that it's going to glass-off. Sure enough, at 4:45pm, the winds are blowing straight in at launch, looking a little bit stronger, and a whole lot smoother. So I did set up again, and followed Karen and Carlos off the ramp, with Tom and Pete close behind me. Well darn it if Matthew was right; the air was smooth as glass, and lift was fairly wide-spread, so I was able to boat around fairly effortlessly, as high as 100' above launch, until I couldn't feel my fingers or my face anymore. I guess I need more experience with this winter-flying thing. However, 2 flights of 0:25 and 0:40 in the middle of February is still pretty cool. (No pun intended.)

R2

PS: I also manage to land safely (twice) today, which puts my record for the landing comp at 3-0.

It was a good day in the end at the Pulpit. It was crossing from the North as predicted upon our arrival at noon. Sparky and Pete jumped first with sleds to the primary and secondary respectively. Then it started crossing from the SW. It had been blowing out of the South in the valley when Pete and Sparky landed too. We hemmed and hawed and tried to throw Carlos and Paul off towards the secondary. But they declined.

At around 2:00, the straight-in cycles were getting longer. Paul and Lauren were waffling about heading to Smithsburg. With the sun on the valley all day and not too bad of a cross predicted, odds were that it would glass off later. No one believed me.

I jumped at about 2:30 and enjoyed the battle royal. Got a grand over a few times. Was below the ridge too many times to count. I was joined by Ralph, Tom, Pete, Carlos and John Middleton. A couple of times I thought that Tom and I were heading over the back only to have the thermal die out. Sink claimed everyone until I was alone on the ridge and then claimed me as well. It felt like the pre-magic flush just before the ground gives up all of its heat. I was now sure it would turn magic. I set up my landing way back in the field. Just at the point where I needed to flare, the ground dropped off for the road that bisects the field-- about a chest high embankment. I tried to float over it but then didn't have any speed left to flare and whacked, taking out a downtube. Got an hour and ten minutes.

We rushed back up to throw Karen off. Still, the doubters didn't think it would be any good at top. But as we drove by the factory, the flag was pointed straight up the mountain. Back on top, everyone, except John, set up in record time to fly again. We launched Karen, Ralph, Tom, Pete and Carlos and everyone stayed up as long as they wished, or until sunset. Thanks John for sticking around to help with launch.

Matthew (patience sometimes pays off, of Karen and Matthew)

Me and De fink. Foist we hiked our divers in, and den we hiked our divers out. It was da agony of de feet.

Winds STFI @ 8-10 upon arrival...... set up and it went cross 45-50 degrees....

Go figure...??? Bob and I watched it for an hour or so and went home in time for dinner. Looks like we should have a work party there before everything gets green. I'll try to get a start at it one day next week.

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This page last updated February 19, 2002