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Hangola September 21-25, 2001

John Wiseman had 2 nice tows on his new Eagle today cloudbase of 2500 with thermals present nobody else showed up

Norm

I may show up early at the pulpit, get some studying done in a nice place, then fly late in the day.

on friday I went to ridgely with both the falcon and formula. Wanted to do a set of pattern tows, first with the Falcon to make sure my head was on straignt, then with the formula. chad had stopped doing the set of 3 600 foot tows because people complained about the tight turn, but went ahead and did it for me. Took off, then just the moment I was comfortable after lift-off pulled a tight hairpin turn over the trees and released over the center of the field. It's okay on a comfortable glider (and I need practice even on the falcon), but I can see why one might go bug-eyed if doing something unfamiliar.

Wasn't gonna try it on the Formula. In fact I sent Matt up on the Formula first (my personal opinion being he's expendable) and he reported stiff arming it all the way up, but otherwise okay with the fin. Would have to do some serious jury rigging to move the tow point forward, so I just took it up to 1200 feet. Damn thing damn near wore me out. Good thing Matt does bench presses.

The flight was great except for a slight turn (and the battens seem symmetrical...time to reread Mike Chev's tuning article), but the damn thing refused to come down. I'm talking dead air here. About the time I'd be doing my final approach on the falcon, I was still trying to lose altitude. Dorked and goofed around over the west end of the field getting increasingly impatient, wondering what I'd do if I ever hit lift: hang on for dear life I guess.

Finally came in with a mild beak. Matt figured out how to flare the thing, but I still need work. Not sure if I feel comfortable enough to try it at the Pulpit yet. Any news on the crops?

Brian.

With out to much detail, I can report that Ridgley was pretty much Bo-Wahh in light large areas of lift. Good working cume's and jumpable streets. Most who flew got hours +.

My first tow to 5000 resulted in 1 1/4 hrs with multiple trips to cloudbase. The Sky Gods; Tom, Fred, Ric, others never did come down. Steve went 18 miles till things OD'd on him. My Second tow to 2500 was 45 min of light lift practice.

Mike Chevalier reported Corn Devils.

So, it was pretty good.

ED

Jumped over the back with 2,000 ft, and followed Matt & Mark C. along Rt 30. Maxed out at 4,125, enough to get me safely over Chambersburg, and I opted for landing at the airport for a total of 22 miles.

-----

Correction

17 Miles...22 KM's.

--- Bob Gillisse

Since I had some home body duties Saturday, I didn't get on the road until 11:30. Arrived at Pulpit launch shortly after 1:30 to see three gliders in the sky: Mark Cavanaugh, Matthew Graham, and Ellis Kim. Gliders already set up included Carlos Weill, Karen Carra, Allen Sparks, Bob Gillesse, and Jeurgen Wolf. Brian Vant-Hull was at the picnic table doing homework, with friends John and Elise, and cute baby Celine playing in the grass. I bounced between setting up and crewing.

Bob got off and joined the three early launchers. Karen moved to the ramp just in time for a sink cycle. She waited as three of the four in the sky sunk below launch. Once they were back up, she hit the sky. Allen launched next. After a bit of a delay, Carlos launched at 3:25 and I at 3:30. Juergen decided not to fly and he broke down. Brian launched some time after I did.

Interesting.. all early launches before I arrived were from the new ramp, into W to SSW winds. Bob, Karen, and Allen also launched from there, but with a notable right (N) cross. I realized that a N cross on the new ramp is silly... Carlos, I and Brian all used the old left ramp, with much better results on our launches. It does face better for that condition. As for results of all of this aviation: Saturday was a day where timing was critical. Mark, Matthew, and Bob all went XC, as reported separately. Ellis missed her 4 hour Pulpit record by only 15 minutes. She had the timing to jump over the ridge, but never got higher than 1700 feet over launch, and she wanted to be at 2000 for her first attempt. Note that she stayed active on the ridge as Karen, Allen, Carlos, Brian and I all had complete flights. How does she do it???

Karen got a short flight, Carlos 20 minutes, Sparky 34, and I got 15. It was REALLY rowdy with lots of little hard to work thermals when I was up. Karen reported the same... a little up, a lot of down. I think Brian did around 30, but he will have to confirm.

Local McConnellsburg area new pilot Rich Bloomfield was on hand sans glider to meet and watch. Good to have him in the community. Thanks for coming to the LZ with racked truck ready to assist in retrieves.

John Middleton brought three students up to see the launch about 6:30 after a day at Kirchner's. He reported some very windy conditions early after they arrived, but they all did get to experience the training hill. David O'Bryan had also joined them on the training hill. Hope they return for more very soon!

Cragin

Actually, it was Dave Johnson, in his brand new Ultrasport, who joined John M. at the training hill.

I ended up with 2:45 and 24 miles, landing just SE of Shippensburg, PA.

It seems you can never go over the back at the Pulpit without scratching for a while. Initially, Ellis, Mark Cavanaugh and I were staying between 500-1500 over. But a couple of calm cycles put us at or below the ridge a couple of times. No-Fly Zone Bob joined the soup just in time to join us in the fight. I was 100' below at one point.

But the big one finally came and Mark, Bob and I took it out of there. The drift was alost nil. We spent about a half an hour climbing slowly in the saddle between the ridges. Bob was at the bottom and lost the thermal first. So he headed to the peak of Broad Mtn, just behind the ridge north of 30. I had lost the core and had topped out at about 4500 over so I followed Bob while Mark headed back toward the ridge to refind the core. Mark found sink while Bob and I climbed out again. Seeing this, Mark zoomed into join us.

Mark and I then traded places at the top of the stack as we jumped from cloud to cloud along Route 30. Bob followed a differet track but kept rejoining us. I topped out at 7300msl-- 5200 over. Approaching Chmbersburg, I decided to head North and cross I-81 away from the city-- no fields there. Looking down I saw an airport with what looked like paragliders landing. It was a bunch of skydivers! And above the airport a large cloud was forming. So I got to watch the skydivers decend while I climbed. It was WAY COOL! Bob landed at the airport and had a great time.

Mark and I crossed 81 and headed for a big cummie forming over the Chambersbug Mall. The drift was now sending me into the sea of endless trees. Mark was well below me at this point and I lost visual contact with him. With what appeared to be an endless expanse of no man's land. I turned N again and paralleled 81 looking for fields that would make an easy retrieve-- still hoping to blunder into another thermal.

Alas, gravity won. Karen came to retrieve me and we called Mark on the cell phone-- his damn radio wasn't working!!! I thought he would have been to the South since he had been so far below me in the last thermal. But he managed to continue to the North with an ingenious strategy that never occurred to me. It was brilliant! But since Mark and I are on the same team for the Pulpit Fly-In, his strategy will have to remain secret. He landed near Lees Cross Road, a couple of miles North of Shippensburg.

Matthew (it's great to be back in the mountains, of Karen and Matthew)

------------

Actually, it was both Dave Johnson and David O'Bryan

Cragin

I showed up a bit late for XC, but Ellis was already in the air when I arrived, other's were high and fixing to go over the back. Helped launch a few pilots, took my drivers down to show them were the LZ was, set up and launched. Air was fun.

Eventually landed after 45 minutes to go to evening event. Ellis was still in the air and Rich Bloomfield had the only vehicle down. My drivers arrived and asked what we were planning to do about Ellis, who wasn't on a radio and showed no inclinations to come down. I was all for packing up and leaving, as sunset was still a long ways off and I wasn't about to

I heard something about landing amidst parachutists? Rumor?

Matthew got 22 (i think) and Mark Cavanaugh got 28 miles.

Others who also flew and had a fun time: the Roving Web Reporter, zee Flight Director, Brain, Sparky, Big Air Karen and me.

-- ellis ---

When your legs are totally asleep and you decide to wheel it in at the Pulpit, don't brainfart and do this in the just harvested cornstrip. Duh. You might bend your basetube. But I bet you all knew that.

In the interest of sparing the pilot some embarrassment I will not divulge her name here. (but it wasn't Karen)

-------

Hey, as it so happened, Rich Bloomfield offered to drive me back up (including glider) and while I was packing up, Cragin and Carlos came down from launch to deliver my car!!!!

That was seriously appreciated. Thanks you three!

Yesterday only a few pilots showed. I got 30 min and 3000', Doug got about an hour, not sure about altitude, Terry got 4200' and a couple hours, and Greg DeWolf got 4400' and a couple hours. It was a late day with all launches between 2 qnd 3pm.

Roland

The Flying at MFP was pretty enjoyable both Sat. and Sun. Thermal activity was late in developing due to the thick fog on both mornings. It proved to be challenging conditions, but many were able to stay airbourne for 1-2hrs. The low cloudbase (3500-4500) did not hinder DeWolf though,.... he just kept climbing! Seems to be his new thrill.

Terry

Well, it's several days late so I wouldn't normally bother, but ......

Ridgely, Sunday 9/23. I had the totally neat experience of thermalling with a Cooper's Hawk. I'd reached cloudbase (3650') and dived for a cloud to the North. By the time I got there, I *had* to find lift, or else land out with no driver, and no phone. So, down to 1400', I finally hit some zero sink and worked it. Noticed a hawk way the hell down there and decided to follow him. It was crazy, because he was flying hither and yon in apparently random patterns. But recognizing him for the professional he is, I tried to follow his every move. And it actually paid off - while I followed his random walk I was gaining! Eventually he caught me up, and by this time we were flying in some fairly normal circles.

Then he took off again, heading NE at a high rate of speed, away from where I wanted to go. So I hung with my miserable little thermal for as long as it was happening. When I next caught sight of my hawk, he was way the hell up there, right above me.

As for the Cooper's Hawk identification.... well, a guy I work with is a *major* bird expert. My observations and reference books told me either Sharpshinned Hawk or Cooper's Hawk, so I leaned towards Sharpshinned because they're more common. But Kirk told me so much about the different flying behaviors (Sharpshins flap, and control with the tail; Cooper's don't) of the two species that I was able to firmly identify the guy as a Coopers.

There. Aren't you glad you asked?

Now let's go flying for heaven's sake.

Bill gratuitous-ornothological-information-R-us Buffam

P.S. I got an hour out of the flight.

Saturday we went to Elizabethville with Keith Olena, myself and Jesse and his daughter. I launched first around 1 ish conditions were good, straight in about 10. Went right up to 700' then hit a big sink cycle as Keith walked out to launch, luckily he waited for a good cycle and got up as did Jesse in the Litespeed. That same cycle got me to 2000' over in what proved to be really nice air. I spent the rest of my flight between 1000' and 2000' over with Keith and Jesse as we took turns marking thermals for each other. After 1.5hrs the wind started crossing from the north and shuting things down which sent us all to the primary l/z.

Sunday I met Jim M, Miles, Bob S, Bill U and students, Paul B, Norm, Jim S, Rodney, Tom C, at Redwing for some towing. The day started out slow with gains only to 2000' under partly sunny skies. After scratching for almost an hour just to stay alive things changed for the better. Jim Spadafora came in above me and help me map out the thermal I had been in for the last 15 minutes. With two of us working it we ended up getting over 4000' in it and then it was go where ever you want. I flew for about 1:50 then found a nice sink hole over the airport all the way to the deck, this made Natalie happy since I would still make it home early for dinner. Everyone had nice flights with the exception of Norm's flight. During his tow one of his tip wands broke which scared the bejesus out of him, he said it was really loud! He did finish the tow and landed safetly after battling a bad turn all the way to the ground.

Doug.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I had my first flight in 5 months! Yeah! 4 months was caused by a strained rotator cuff, and the last month of not flying was caused by conditions (man-made and mother nature).

I'm Back!

-Mike Balk

Winds were 5-8 at launch with a some gusts higher. Direction was west cross. Terry and I both got about two hours with Terry getting 3300 over.

Anyone going out Wednesday?

Joe

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This page last updated October 4, 2001