Back to Main Page Back to Archive 2002

Index to weather maps

Hangola July 20 - 21, 2002

Flight Reports

When Paul, a friend with lots of aviation experience, asked if he could watch some hang gliding, I sensed an opportunity and brought him to Ridgley at about 1130 am today (making sure he had his cell phone). Probably due to the haze, a stalled front, and hardly any wind, there were only a couple of pilots there. In the afternoon, John Muldoon, Mike Chevalier, Sean from PA, Bob from PA, Steve Kinsley, Bob Buchanan, Bruce Satatis and one or two more showed up. It cleared some, and though it still didn't look very promising, I passed Paul's cell phone number out to those who wanted it (John M. got away before I could give it to him but his wife was there to drive).

The cloud that Chad dropped me off in was already being worked by John and a sail plane, and was good for 4,300 over. Mike Chevalier was already near Denton, but decided to come back to Ridgley. He was still checking out the Stealth Combat he had just bought from Chad (the one with which Chad made his world-record 95 loops). I couldn't talk to John or Steve, but the latter had said he was also sticking around. I headed SE with very little drift, and with light but ample lift under scattered clouds. There was no sign of over development but the haze limited visibility to about five or six miles.

Got to 5,300 over near Bridgeville, but then there was just weak and intermittent lift, which I worked just to stay in the air; all with very little drift. The result was after 2 hrs 25 minutes I landed SE of Seaford for just 29 miles, and Paul picked me up about five minutes later. In retrospect, I was glad to have manipulated Paul into driving because without him I wouldn't have ventured away from Ridgley on such an unpromising day.

Did anyone go to the Sac or Woodstock?

The Fcst was for the front to be through Ridgely by early AM so I beat feet down arriving about 1100 to a jizzy ovcst and 3 mile visibility. At 1300, still jizzy, and tandems were reporting very smooth (read no lift) air. I was the only glider pilot there and to say I felt silly after a 3 hour drive would be an understatement. A few more pilots drifted in and it slowly started to break up. By 1430, while setting up, a dust devil made an unexpected appearance and a tandem sleigh ride made an unexpected climb out from 1000 to 4000. OH BOY........ To make an already too long story short. The 6 or 7 faithful pilots that showed up spent 1 to 2 hours cloud hopping in the cool air at 5000+ AGL. The only other "local" pilot was Shawn, who also "done good".....Bob.

Way to go John D. For a whole host of weak reasons I stayed local, got an hour and a half and 5300. You'll have to teach me that trick you used in your last thermal before you headed off - left me gawking upward.

Sunday I got two flights one for 30min and 3300, the next for 1hr 10min and 4100.

Not many solo pilots again, either day. Great flying and strong climb rates. It was a little rowdy here and there, and I mentioned this fact to the dedicated Highland crew over a cold beverage after flight operations had ceased for the day. There was an odd pause in the conversation, glances were shot back and forth among the crew. Nervous smiles were quickly hidden with the back of a hand or cold drink. "What gives?" I asked.

Chad suspected that Adam had forgotten to recalibrate the new heating coil for the thermal generator. They are apparently a bit sensitive, and shipping and handling can affect the factory settings. Well turns out that wasn't really the case. Adam confessed that he felt that I'd been talking a bit too much smack lately after the past few thermal filled weekends. "Factory settings," I scoffed at one point after several cold ones, "we don't need any stinking factory settings!".

So, it turns out that Adam took it upon himself to use the manual overide feature on the new ACME Heat Elevator model # XJ9 that they got this year and purposely sent me a few frightening boomers just to keep me in my place. Whatever, I'll take a few jolts of 1100 up anytime just so long as I don't have to bother with the weather forecasts anymore. 'Em looks lousy? Don't worry, just go to Ridgely and set up. The XJ9 will take care of the rest.

Conditions in Chester County were equally good in the late afternoon. John and I used our Para motors to get enough altitude to catch thermals, cut off the engines and never looked back. We did a leisurely stroll on our paragliders from a field on Rt 82 to Oxford and back enjoying a max altitude of almost 7000ft MSL!! and very light winds aloft. After 3.5 hours we were tired and actually had to deliberately fly into the blue sinking air to get down.

Awesome. Chris

Cloudy here all day, I should have gone on Sunday. But... since I have a new toy, had I gone Sunday it probably would have rained. That's the way it usually works.

Went to Ridgley Saturday and bought Chad's Combat for a price we both could agree on. In the set up area a big nasty dust devil centered on my new purchase and tried to flip it, it took 2 of us to hold it down. Changed the hang loop and found the original one had eaten through badly, probably from all those loops. Launched at 3 and got to 5500 over the river and got a face wash. Pulled the turbo string and glided 5 miles upwind. Landed after an hour. I know I'm really gonna like this one. MC

Okay. My longest flight Sunday at Ridgely was an extendo of 17 minutes, due to the fact that I launched too late to catch the best lift of the day. However, this gave me the opportunity to practice landing and towing with 3 more patterns. Very fun to be in the air again. I didn't end up in no stinkin' swamps and approached okay and even got some new landing tips from Sunny (he swore he told me them before but that I wasn't ready to listen).

I have been too preoccupied to remember how flying feels, at that moment when you release from the tug and the earth tumbles away and you are left hanging in the sky with your glider. For a few seconds I soared above a bald eagle. I gazed at the tops of his wings. I had to laugh because life is still a miracle whether I have time to notice or not. Oh, this is so corny but it's true, too.

I flew and drank gin and stole a cigarette from Adam (not smart -- I have been choking all day because I haven't really smoked in 10 years and have no plans to start). Great day in a dry month -- sort of like finding a rose growing from cracks in the pavement.

Paul was happy just to be outside of the house (he has been sick with an auto immune disease). He was too nervous to try a tandem with all the wierd medicine he's taking but hopefully he'll be back in the air soon. Had to satisfy himself playing with his new GPS. Next time (but this time was okay, too)!

Lauren Tjaden

	previous page	back to top	next page

This page last updated July 30, 2002