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Hangola February 20 - 27, 2004

Flight Reports

Hey. Daniel Mtn Friday. Sled sled sled sled. Then it picked up. Paragliding sure is an exciting sport. I think it all came out ok though. The pilot who landed down the road a piece was unhurt and the consenus on the pilot stuck to the ceiling like velcro who hadn't moved in 15 minutes by the time I left was that he was probably having a lot of fun.

I ended up landing in Strasburg where I had left my car so I don't know how others did but i thought it was a great day. Weird. Totally overcast with strong thermal lift. (I had 480 fpm on a 30 second averager.) Anyway, as the official CHGA Pronouncer, I pronounce it "Burgable"-- i.e a reasonably competant pilot with a moderately fast glider could make Harrisonburg. Maybe somebody did?

Report 1

Schweeeet! 2+ hours, 2K over several times, good thermals... absolutely worth that @#@%$ hike in!

Odd: to the south, after a couple miles, the thermals sucked (least I couldn't find 'em; hung out within a mile or so of the gap for at least 45 minutes, nada...).

Headed back toward launch, and *poof* thermals were back. They'd lightened quite a bit, so I was fighting for a while to get 1500 over (to dive OTB for the blue-silo field). Fifth light thermal did the trick. Arrived with altitude to spare; very little rotor trashiness. Even pulled off a decent 1-step landing :-)

Wonderful day!

--mark c.

Report 2

Both before and after my trip south, thermals abounded (2 fingers north of launch, 1 finger south of launch). You could hook one an climb out towards the second ridge; punch back out to the main ridge; search for no more than 5 minutes; do it all over again. *Literally* as many times as you wanted to.

Can't prove it, but I'm betting that that same 3-finger area was working the *entire* time I was to the south. Certainly the pilots still there, when I got back, had much more altitude than I.

I'm unconvinced it was merely wrong place/wrong time.

--mark c.

Report 3

Biggest issues with the blue-silo field OTB are rotor, and your glider's performance.

On Sunday, on a king-posted K5, I could penetrate from the ridge immediately behind launch back out to the main ridge with an altitude loss of 500 feet or less. Did this at least 8 times over the course of 2 hours. When I headed for the silo field I was 1500 over the second ridge, and still in light lift. Arrived with at least 1000' AGL.

Ignoring thermal related sink, that loss of 400' between the two ridges provides a crude gauge for how strong the winds were on Sunday. If you lose more than that on some other flying day, winds are likely stronger, hence the rotor OTB might be nastier, and so more than 1500 would probably be a very good idea.

There's an even closer LZ, but last Sunday there was an event going on; so it was a last-resort bailout field.

Note that with stronger winds and more rotor, the closer LZ might be a gnarlier place to land than the silo field.

Don't forget to have some thoughts in mind for how to handle rotor that you might encounter during your approach.

--mark c.

Dave,

You missed out on a banner day at Woodstock. There will be more. I got there at 9A. On the way out wave clouds galore. Would have been a good day for chasing wave if you got there early. Leisurely hike up took around an hour; no sherpa/driver this time :-(. Waited, and waited, and waited until around 12:30P. Conditions during the 2 1/2 hour wait ranged from smooth 6 to 12 MPH to thermal cycles of 12 to 18 MPH. Wave clouds dissipated and gave in to plenty of puffy cumies. Bulletproof conditions. Figured the herd went to High Rock, even though I posted twice in 2 days how good Woodstock was looking on Sunday. Gave up, chewed a box of nails, folded the glider, and started carting the stuff back, and lo and behold I see Gary Smith coming down the road with his glider. Spit out the nails, turned around, and set up quickly. Others arriving were Joe Schad, Adam, Mark C., Carlos, Marc Fink, and Ellis. Launched around 1:30P into light conditions, turned right, and had no problem getting up over the ridge. Found a couple of thermals to 2K' over. Adam and Joe launched around a half hour after I did and beamed out quickly above launch. The fatigue from the hike in, coupled with the cold at 2K' over (and some midday jarring turbulence) didn't sit well, so I cut the flight short at an hour. Landed amongst the many cows. Everybody who flew got their tanks full of airtime and altitude. The sky scuzzed over with cirrostratus as the day went on, but there was still plenty of lift around. A bunch of sailplanes crisscrossed the gaggle of gliders many times during the day. A couple of paragliders soared as well. A few pilots landed over the back, wisely cutting their commute to the rear gate for vehicle retrieval. The F-86C is still at Front Royal Airport. Next time (with a driver!).

Bacil

Many thank-you's to Marc and Ellis for helping me haul my stuff up the back (first time!) and to Bruce Engen (aka "Steve") for helping a lot of people launch (one-handed) and then driving all the way from the back to the LZ and then all the way back. What a guy! - Hugh

Report 2

Big danger to life and limb after my "perfect" landing in the WS LZ was the alfa bull, who apparently took my approach, in red harness and glider, as a challenge. Dumb city boy, I hadn't even noticed him till Bacil warned me off to an oblique route around Mr. Wooly Bully. - Hugh

Great day,

Just the right medicine.
Mark where did you land?

Carlos

Mark landed with me and Hank Henst in the field with blue silo just past Seven Fountains over the back. I made it there with no problem on my Falcon. Much easier for retrievals if you land over the back when the gates are closed--a one or two mile distance versus a 20 or more running around to the front-side main.

Marc

I went to Smithsburg for some traing hill practice yesterday. A couple of guys were flying RC. The direction was good, but it was too strong and gusty for me. Stopped by High Rock on the way back, it was blowing straight in about 10-12. The place was deserted.

Alek

We missed the stellar flying at Woodstock Sunday, but I am still sick enough I don't know if I would have survived the hike. Besides, we had clients. This damn work-for-a-living thing is SO bothersome.

Monday we could escape -- but the winds looked L and V, not suitable for any mountains. Paul came up with the idea to call Steve at Blue Sky (Manquin) and see if the terrain had dried enough there for us to truck tow. Steve told us to drive down and he would show us how.

Steve explained, demonstrated, and nursed us through the process step by step so it wasn't scary at all. He also actually saved the day for me in another way. My nose kept bleeding yesterday (this stupid cold), every time I nodded my head. For about a half an hour before I wanted to fly I couldn't get it to stop. Steve told me the old wrestler's trick of cutting off a piece of a tampax and stuffing it in a nostril. Damned if it didn't work. I don't think I could have flown otherwise. And, yeah, I looked like a babe, with my goggles plastered to my head, ski-pant legs taped down, tampax hanging from my nose. Too much information? Sorry.

Paul launched off the dolly (had to, with his topless glider), so it was a lot like aerotowing for him. He did the apparently normal thing of flying too fast and didn't get much altitude off the tow, but then he stayed up for 35 minutes anyhow. Like Steve said, how is he supposed to teach Paul to tow when he won't come back down here?

I took a little longer to launch since I wanted to learn how to do it from the truck itself. I would have been more comfortable, at least initially, with the dolly since I have aerotowed so much, but I thought being a chickensh** was no excuse for not learning a skill I should properly have.

Steve was wonderful, and the tow was a nonevent. I had heard about how you shoot off the truck, but it was nothing compared to how Ginny shoots out of the dolly aerotowing if she happens to get pinned in it. I squeezed more altitude out of each tow (I just did three) but Paul had hogged all the lift and there wasn't any left for me when I got airborne.

Paul did another tow, too -- after he rested from his first flight -- unbelievable, the creep -- and got more of the hang of it. Anyhow, a really fun day, though I think I will enjoy everything more when I feel better. Steve is the guy to learn truck towing from, for sure, and it opens another option for us for flying during the week.

Lauren Tjaden

Ringtown and the Sac were both BTFO today. T.R. Dave and myself visited mother ringtown while Lenko and Bob checked on the Sac. Both shared the same conditions, 30mph with higher gusts!! Still a nice day spent with good people. There are still several inches of snow in the set up area at ringtown.

Doug.

Joe and I were lucky in lift with sweet N~NE wind 10 to 15mph. We launched 12 & 12:30 respectively. Each flew for an hour & a half. Lenko and Gary showed up and flew sweet air as well. It became bullet proof and each and every one of us got an hour & a half with the thermals topping out at 1400 over launch. It wasn't a very high ceiling but the sweet fat thermals and plenty of sun made up for it. The only thing missing was you!

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This page last updated February 28, 2004