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Hangola February 14-18, 2001

Thought I would report on a new site (for me). Went to Torrey and the folks were just barely hanging on at maybe 100 over so headed to Horse Canyon. This is the site that I absolutely positively am forbidden to take Ruth's car up but usually there are folks there to throw on with for the trek up. There were quite a few people at Horse with several at cloudbase. But everybody was complaining about the cold . It was in fact a cold day by Calif standards. Maybe 45. So somebody suggested Blossom which I had never heard of. It is all of 20 minutes from San Diego off of 8. The mtn itself is not impressive -- a 1000 ft hill with a slope launch but if you get up, you can drift back to a dramatic rock face that climbs several thousand feet higher. And if the sun is hitting it (which it was) it really works. The road up is paved except for the last 100 yds but that last part is pretty unbelievable. We are talking funny truck to get up. Sadly, the site is probably not long for this world. It is surrounded by multi - million dollar homes. There are a lot of sites out here like that. I think we are very lucky that our sites do not face the same pressure from developers. At least not yet

Continued my lucky streak by not running anybody down

Arrived at 11:15A to the LZ to meet Joe Schad for potential observership. Went up to launch. Upon first arrival, not too bad. Trees are barely singing, and Joe's Kestrel windmeter is showing 9 - 13 MPH right up the slot. For the next hour it blows good, probably up to 20 MPH in the slot with the freight trains cycling thru the trees. It then starts to get quieter in the trees, so I set up. Ed Reno arrives, and although it starts to pick back up again, I pounce on a lull and have a decent launch. I get to 1800' over without even trying. Strong lift everywhere, as evidenced by the many cumies in the sky. Don't even have to turn much. Decide to head to Strasburg. Get there with no problem. Turn around to head back. Conditions have changed dramatically to a strong west cross, although no evidence of it on the run up, and major turbulence. Experience 4 wire slaps on the way back. I have to fly with the bar at my chest to waist area to make appreciable headway. I stay out away from the ridge to avoid any rotoring or possible venturi. Briefly consider landing out at Southfork, but decide to press on to the main LZ. The whole trip back I'm around 200' to 500' above the ridge. Get to Cox Ridge at the main ridge level and head for the LZ. The headwind has picked up even more and I hit major sink. Either I'm going to make the LZ or I'm going to have to put it down in the flood plain with the pond in it. As luck would have it, I make it to the main LZ, hit major sink again above the downwind tree line, and as a result, just fly a fast final to land. Major turbulence on final as well. The windsock that Joe had placed in the LZ was playing switch big time as I was coming in. Joe came down and graciously picked me up. Back at launch, Ed Reno had just taken off, while Dan Tomlinson, Cragin Shelton, Mark Cavanaugh, Matthew and Karen, Joe, and Gary Smith were setting up.

Bacil

Around 3:30 or 4:00 I got off in a lull. perhaps the last one of the day. No one launched after me. Out front it was coming in at 18-20 mph with occasional gusts to 25 mph with basically smooth air. Unfortunately my radio battery immediately froze so I was unable to radio conditions back to launch. Next time I will pack my radio inside my harness to keep it working.

I had a nice flight. I didn't stray far from launch and found huge areas of both spouting lift and unrelenting sink. 1 1/2 hr and 2500 over.

My theory is that I was flying along the lengths of long counter rotating wind tubes that were being generated by upwind obstacles. (Neat idea huh?) I think that is how cloud streets are formed.

Ed

None of the rest of us flew.

dan t

Weekend Report -

Saturday 2/17

On Saturday we all should have believed the forecast and condition reports of 20 to 35 and gusty, and stayed home. Instead, the herd instinct prevailed and a bunch of us headed to Woodstock and set up. Bacil flew early, reporting a hard time returning to the main LZ. Ed flew later, and claimed he had a good time, but none of us liked what we saw.

We broke down and went to dinner in Strasburg. Split decision on dining location. Matthew, Karen, and Mark C dined at the hotel, but the bar was WAY too smoky for me, so Dan T & I joined Gary Smith and Joe Schad at Christina's Mexican. I think the hotel group had the expected fun and good meal, and said they could put up with the smoke. Christina's, however, was a disappointment. They have a new menu, but many of the same old dishes listed. My chili rellenos were not even close to the quality I have had there before. Dan ordered tortillas to accompany his meal - they were sent out from the kitchen cold. I wonder if they have a new cook?

Sunday 2/18

The forecast was WNW 10 mph dropping to 5, temp about 36F. Quite a few showed up, and all Hang 3's and 4's did fly. Actual winds were 10-20, and temp was more like 30F. Conditions at launch were somewhat cross, and every pilot had to wait for a cycle to get balanced wing loading. As accurate as the Saturday forecast had been, the Sunday forecast was off the mark.

Brian V-H played wind dummy early, about 1230, in his Falcon. Launched from very near the edge, and immediate lift. Just in front of the rock he turned left and was parked - yeah, cross from the left. Brian found lots of lift, worked up to 500' over, and played out just in front. We watched him parked at about 25. He seemed to be doing fine, but no one else wanted to jump into it that early. He later reported no real penetration problem, but made sure he was 500 over before heading out from the ridge.

At roughly 1:30 Tom McGowan took to the air. He reported lots of thermal activity, somewhat rowdy down low, and all thermal lift - no ridge lift. Tom got good and high, but I forgot to get a max altitude number from him, He flew for 2 hours, long flight of the day. Because of Tom's early turbulence reports, other pilots waited another 30-45 minutes before launching.

Brian had to leave by 3, but came back up to help wire off other pilots. Thanks, Brian.

The next crop of launches included Kelvin Pierce, Mark Cavanaugh, Dave Proctor, Mike Chevalier and Marvin Presley. All had to fight wing loading balance before leaving the rock, but each had a nice launch. Dave chose to jump in a lull, diving out. Everyone else took a gentle elevator ride up from the edge.

Dave and Mike returned to the top to crew the last few pilots off.

I launched at 4:45 and Dan launched at 5:00 for the last flights of the day. We both found the air very smooth and easy to work in. I reached 1,000' over, but most of the flight was around 800' over. Dan reached 1,100 over. Dan flew 25 minutes, and was very pleased at his first foot launch flight in over 5 months. I logged 45 minutes, the last to land. This was my first flight since having the glider tweaked and tuned by Steve Wendt, to include tightening the sail. Really nice performance, perfectly balanced- several minutes in look-ma-no-hands flight. It also trimmed out at 22 mph, compared to 18 mph before the work.

Hang 2 Frustration hit Gary Smith and Joe Schad, who spent all day wiring off other pilots, and never did get to launch, That was two skunk days in a row for both. Thanks to them for coming out, crewing and shuttling. It was definite that they should not have flown Saturday. They both could have handled last Sunday flight no problem, but it was a judgement call on the launch conditions for them that day. By the time they might have flown, crew and observers were lacking. Their turns will come!

Cragin Shelton

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This page last updated February 24, 2001