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Hangola Jume 15 - 17, 2002

Flight Reports

I spent about 1 1/2hr. at WS this afternoon. Winds in the valley were W/SW, cloud drift was W, cloud speed seemed to be significant, wind in the slot.. most of the time, 10-20 straight in. No other pilots were there, so I came back home

Terry

Just a quick report and question. Paul and I flew Ridgely yesterday. Briefly, anyhow. Was cloudy early, but then the sky opened into blue mixed with pretty cummies. I flew into weak lift. I never really got up, just came down a bit slower (for a whopping 17 minute flight).

Was stunningly beautiful. Clouds to one side, vultures circling below (they managed to go up). Two Decathlons (little aerobatic planes) took off right below me. Unbelievable, what we get to see and do.

Got in line again behind Paul and Bruce with his tandem. By the time it was my turn the sky had ODed. Started to gust, clouds looked black to the West. Changed my plans from a high tow to a pattern tow to getting off the cart and running to break down my glider. I felt chicken as I bolted by Steve K, who made me feel better with his comment that I had made a good decision.

Brief rain, storm skipped by mostly missing us. Winds picked up lots. Too much for me. Mike C. got the only good lift of the day chasing the storm towards the beach. Paul picked him up after falling out of the sky a few times. Ellis showed up but that's about all she got to do. Adam thought she'd be flying backwards. Didn't sound like fun to her.

So does anybody know about Kirchner's? If it's grown up in grass or flyable? I would like to foot launch once or twice since it's been some time since my last mountain flight. I know, I'm a worrier. I hate to drive up there to check it out but will probably do it this afternoon if I don't hear from any of you. Will try to hit the mountain later ("hit" is the wrong word).

Lauren Tjaden

After waiting out the rain I finally launched around 4 PM. Found a thermal and stuck with it as they were far apart and conditions upwind looked less promising. Looked like the only way to stay up for a while was to go with it. Topped out at 3K, heading east. Blue sky with widely spaced cummies. This would soon change.

Near Harrington I found myself hemmed in, rain a mile to the north and drift in that direction. To the east, less than a mile were very low white clouds at 500 -1000 ft. Never seen that before. Blew off 1700 ft and landed, 15.02 miles.

Flew with new GPS 12 MAP. Found out after a few miles that the map was not scrolling. Need to figure out the new toy and it's myriad of settings. MC

Me and Lloyd showed up early to try and beat the weather and some weekend obligations. We both got one flight, then it blew out. Packed up and went hiking instead. Conditions were a bit gusty and only got worse. We had good flights in strong conditions, but got kicked around enough to bag it for the day.

Arrived after 11A with driver in tow. Sky OD'ed and not a stitch of wind on launch. While setting up, a wall of air blew thru at 15 to 20 MPH in the slot. By this time Dan T., Ellis, and Mark C. showed up. Then it died down to a few wafts of air cycling in the slot. Sky still OD'ed. Since I had to be back by 4:30P, took off around 1P with barely any air movement in the slot. Had a quick sled and landed quickly in the LZ. BTW, the grass is VERY HIGH in the LZ. Cragin, John Middleton, and Carlos Weill showed as my driver and I hit the road at 2P. Talked to John Dullahan later and found out the Pulpit was very doable. Next time.

Bacil

Yesterday at Woodstock I had the pleasure of completing my first XC (all though it was really more of an emergency landing after I lost ridge lift late in the day). But let me backtrack.

Lauren and I left home around 1:00 heading to Kirchners (She hadn't Mt. launched in a while and wanted some practice before going on to Woodstock) Arriving at Kirchners, we found that the grass and weeds were high enough that landing might be a little difficult, so we headed south towards our ultimate destination.

BTW, the Pulpit might have been great when John D. was there, but when we stopped by around 3:00 the winds were 15-20 with lulls to less than 10 and gusts to over 30. Not my kind of conditions. We finally arrived at Woodstock at 5:15 to find lots of gliders launching into very light conditions. Amazing that there can be such a difference in wind velocity in 50 or 60 miles. Apparently everyone had been waiting all day in nearly calm conditions and we had arrived just in time.

Unfortunately for Lauren, Cragin informed us that the grass in the LZ was quite tall so she once again opted to stay safe until she can improve her landing technique. I set up as quickly as I could, got in line and launched into light but soarable air around 6:00. After boating around a mile or so north and south of launch at 500 to 700 over I decided to try a ridge run to Strasbourg and back. I knew I didn't have much altitude, but the lift seemed to be very solid and there was no noticeable sink. Besides Mark C. was out ahead of me telling me to "Come on in the waters fine!"

It was a very easy cruise down to the knob. Got there with about the same altitude as I had left with. I had paused along the way a couple of times to test the penetration back to the South. It was a little slow in my Pulse but doable. While at the knob, Mark pointed out the Strasbourg LZ. I briefly considered playing around for a while and landing there but decided it would be easier for everyone if I went back to the primary. So off I went wishing desperately that I had one of those cool strings to pull so I could go faster. I had left Mark back at the knob above my altitude so was surprised to see him tree skimming as he passed below me. He had wandered into some strong sink and was trying to scramble back.

About that time I noticed my vario had gotten strangely quiet. Mark gave it up and headed to this lovely farm below while I forged on thinking I might still make it. Wrong! It seemed that all lift had died in an instant. I could have probably made it to the next finger south but Mark had chosen a nice big field and had already checkedit out so I scurried back and joined him. Even managed to stay on my feet in the tall grass.

There was a little confusion as to where we were and it took Lauren a while to find us. Apparently we were jamming the radio with transmissions when Cragin was desperately trying to tell John M. that they were about to share the same airspace on approach. Sorry, we couldn't hear your transmissions but seems you heard ours.

Guess that's about it. Not your most exciting XC story but had lots of fun and it sure was nice seeing some new territory role by instead of looking at the same mile of ridge. Thanks to Mark. Sure was nice to have company.

Paul Tjaden

Woodstock VA June 16

Arrived Woodstock LZ shortly before 1:00 pm. In time to watch Bacil Dickert land from his early sled as I set up the windsock. Waited for Mark Cavanaugh and Dan Tomlinson to arrive from launch on a shuttle, so I could give both a ride back up. Found small group at launch, including Terry Spencer, Ellis Kim. More arrivals over the course of the afternoon included Carlos Weill, John Middleton, Fred Carter, Chris Snow, Paul & Lauren Tjaden and Steven Hengen (camera, no glider).

The forecast switch from SW to W at mid-day was not happening. Lots of cross in the slot. Your choice: decent wind velocity and cross or relatively straight and 0-2 mph. Dan T. took first shift on launch, guarding the slot under his glider from 2:30 to 3:00. He relinquished duty to Ellis, who kept a ready glider in the slot from 3:00 to nearly 4:30. Of course, she volunteered to take Mark C's shift and mine. Finally she saw enough to run into the air. Really nice sled.

However, the conditions cleaned up a bit, and Terry launched, finding the tiniest bit of lift. His success started the lemming run. Just about everyone else got into the sky and was able to fly around. Paul T. reported "lift everywhere." Somehow I became primary wire crew for almost all of the launches. I observed Chris Snow off about 6:45 and suited up as fast as I could. Moved into position before 7:00 with Lauren and Steve H. for company. Choice of cross (light, but cross) or calm. Starting at 7:00 the choice was only calm. Kept waiting for a puff of helpfulness. Nada. Finally at 7:20 I saw both Terry and Dan sinking out. I decided to exercise my no-wind launch technique and take my sled like a man. Did so about 7:25. Clean easy launch. Sink to the rock pile. Sink to the middle of the LZ. Right over the middle of the LZ John M came shooting in below me. That was a surprise.

LZ Contention

Was able to break in on the radio chatter to be sure John knew I was up there. He waved, so I new he heard and saw. He entered the standard left-turn pattern, with downwind leg over the tree line. When he started his downwind, I was about 50 feet above him, following behind. I followed him into the pattern. As he made his turn onto base, I had descended so fast I was below his altitude, and only 1/3 of the way down the tree line. I radioed to John that we would have to land in formation. He made an extended base leg, and I cut a tight 180 onto final, figuring he had the right side of the field, and I took the left. Wrong figuring. John was doing a full diagonal across the field from the far corner. I double pumped my flare and bumped down to my wheels, and John forced his glider down fast, about 30 feet from me. I don't think we were on a collision course, but it was closer than either of has would have liked.

Lessons on assumptions. John assumed I would boat around above and behind him until he was on the ground. That would have been ok, if I had not been imitating a flying rock. I assumed his long base leg meant he understood my formation landing request and was taking the right side. Wrongo, Buzzard Boy. My comms error - I knew he could net see me so low, since I was behind him. I should have told him I was so low, and would have to take the left side of the field. We both thought we knew what the other was thinking and doing. Huh-huh. It had not helped that John could hear but not transmit on his radio. It would have helped if I had given more complete sitrep and landing plan info on the radio. I am sure there are several flight safety lessons here. I leave further analysis as a student exercise.

Well, it was the shortest mountain flight I have had in several years (you may have been reading this report longer than I was in the air), a new sled record for me. And it was an "interesting" landing. Not the best flying day I have had, but the weather was nice and the countryside pretty.

No good deed goes unpunished.

Cragin

p.s. At least I was able to play with my new digital camera on launch. Pretty nifty, with both fast sequence stills and 15 second Quicktime movies. Bought it for myself as a Father's Day gift, same model as Richard Hays' s new one, Olympus D380. Not as fancy as Ralph's, but I think I am going to like it.

Just FYI for everyone,

On the last of my attempts to sneak up on Signal Knob yesterday, I went a little too far and got drilled by the venturi/headwind when I tried to head back south (as expected, given the WSW cross). Lost too much to try a downwind run to Strasburg as well.

So I headed for a field that some of you might know of : it's the one that Judy landed in once, during a wedding. She was invited in for wine and hor d'oeurves; talk about good LZ evaluation skills! :-)

The landowner was initially very welcoming, but he was clearly becoming anxious later on to see us depart. Which didn't happen for a while because we were trying to guide Lauren to the field with bad directions...

His place is quite a property, to say the least (pool, tennis court, outbuildings). He's an older guy, and I think our presence gradually upset his peaceful, ordered Sunday evening.

So my advice if you have to land there would be to hike your gear out, down the (very long) driveway, so that you can wait for your retrieve out of sight of the house. That might mollify him, especially if you make it apparent to him that you're trying not to intrude, yada-yada-yada.

The property is accessed from Hahn's road, just north of Toms Brook, followed by a left(?) onto Rt. 747, and then a turn down an anonymous-looking driveway. No way you'd guess that an estate was at its end.

--mark c.

so.... where are the results, Cragin?

-- ellis

p.s. slight correction to Cragin's post: i did not volunteer to sit on launch through Mark Cavanaughs and Cragin's shifts. I was volunteered.

I then got so afraid that i would sprout roots as a spud, that i took the first sorta straight 3mph cycle there was (after 1.5 hours). shoulda waited another 15 minutes, i think i might have been able to claw my way over launch then. as it was, conditions were so light and sink so abundant, that it was beyond my feeble skills to climb out in them. oh well. there's always more to learn.

Got there early, relatively strong and pretty crossed, imposed my will on the weather by setting up anyway, only to have it cloud over completely..ate lunch....then it got brighter, lighter & straighter..got off tow at 1:25 flew local for 45 min then packed it up.

Some days it just works... today was one of them :)
The guilty parties included:
Bill Umstattd, Nathan, Myself and Lenko

Showed up at 1pm, wind was STFI@10 with cuemies all over the place. There was a fear of big boomers rolling in, but they never materialized. Nathan and I setup and Bill threw us off. Nathan went first and rode the ridge up to 150 over. I followed and caught a thermal to a couple hundred over. We both boated around in a mix of ridge lift and thermal lift for around an hour. It was bumpy fun. You had to work it, but there was plenty of lift for the pickin. We watched Bill setup while we soared over launch. Lenko showed up as Bill finished setting up. Bill also had a nice flight, outpacing both me and Nathan (still up there while we packed up in the lz). Not sure how high he got, but it was well over either of us ;) Lenko wound up scratching and extending a sled, as it had turned off by the time he got up. Bill also took an evening PG hop.

:)

Jim

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This page last updated June 19, 2002