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Hangola January 13 - 18, 2005

Flight Reports

Bunch of tasks were cancelled due to an accident, then a day of respect/safety overhauls, and then one more for wind. Task comittte called a lollypop course with the last legs crosswind, then headwind. Lift at the start was very tricky. Getting above 2 grand in over the paddock proved VERY difficult. Winds were 15 to 20 on the ground and there was an inversion around that 2k point. Low save after low save I struggled to get established. It didn't come together until I got more aggressive about ditching a thermal as soon as it got choppy. With the inversion so low, thermals were easy to find, but didn't last long and were very rough. The gaggles didn't form up the way I expected and with sloppy conditions I took the third start (45 minutes after the first groups left). Thankfully on course the lift got better but I didn't have more then a few pilots to fly with at any given time. Lift varied from 200 you had to take, to 700 nasty tip chuckers. The upwind edges were some of the nastiest I have ever seen. Falling out the front was actually scary as well as extremely costly in altitude. At the last turnpoint before turning into the major crosswind, a group of about 5 of us found a nice one to get high in. Once on the cross wind leg we were immediately suffering. The wind was actually a quartering head wind and drilling us. 5 whittled down to 2 and we caught a nice one that had some 800 in it. Next slow glide and he landed. I got lucky and found one at 800 feet. This boomer turned on past the usual 4,500 ft inversion. Above that point 700-800fpm. It didn't help much because the higher layer had about 20kph of extra wind velocity. My STF out of that layer was ridiculous. Barely making any headway with at least 50mph airspeed. Below 4,500 I made decent progress again. Flying solo I set my goal on getting the last turnpoint. I squeaked around that sucker and caught a good line to make another 5k. Gliders were scattered everywhere on those last 2 legs and no pilots made goal.

Kev C

One more day of the Worlds flown yesterday. The weather man's mouth was writing checks that nature just wasn't able to cash. Early morning air reports showed absolutely ripping winds aloft. Forecasted lift predictors called for us to get really really high at 10,000 feet. I wore the extra layer under the speed sleeves that kept me miserable all day. With such good lift and wind expected a long downwind task was called with a few minor turns. Lift above the tow field was good, forming up at the start was no problem. The start gaggle was quite large and we waited for the second start. First string of thermals were good for 3-500fpm and some fast flying. What was unique and difficult was the longer then normal glide lengths. We had to go lower then usual. I am sure we were all wondering where our 10,000 climbs were. Tops were only about 5k. Working such a low window dressed warm I was soaked within an hour. I was low in the stack when we started and lost some ground in the first one or two thermals. The leaders were a climb to a half a climb ahead of me with plenty of stragglers between. For the next few climbs I focused hard on finding the good cores fast and making smart decisions for the best time to leave lift. If it dropped below 300 I left. If a new thermal didn't register 400 in the first half a turn or so I just continued on. It paid off and I joined the front guys by about the third one.

Going into the second turnpoint was a key moment for Dustin and I. The day seemed to be softening up so we hung back in a thermal after the leaders left crosswind to the turnpoint. We tracked downwind and found massive areas of 150 to 300. That line got us much higher then we had been getting as we darted cross to the turnpoint. At this point the leaders were tracking back across our path in front of us, but much much lower. By the time we caught back up with the leaders we were still at 5k and the gaggle was all fanned out very low and struggling. Seizing the great opportunity to charge ahead Dustin and I pushed on. We had flown over a major agricultural area and all the irrigation was making a bad situation worse. It took Dustin and I all the way down to 1300 feet to find something climbable. It was interesting how we both found something within 2 seconds of each other but almost a kilometer apart. Climbing in low broken stuff I though for sure all the rest of the gaggle was going down. I couldn't see anyone in the air. Clawed my way up to about 3,500 and was heartbroken to see a large group of gliders heading towards Dustin so low I thought there feet must be scraping the trees. I joined D and about 20 to 25 gliders climbed up to us. We topped out at 4 and left for a super conservative glide. We didn't find jack down to 1,400 feet and some small mountains ahead. Scratch, claw, and cling in a marginal thermal that petered out at 2k. With barely any altitude in the bank we all dove for the best triggers we could see around. Within a few short minutes gliders were touching down like dominos falling down a line. A small tree covered ridge line gave Steve Moyes and I gave us some love but nothing worthwile. He glided for the furthest corner field before the forest and I followed at about 3-500 feet. The thermal Gods were with me when I the sniffer pulled me to a hot corner of a red field. Strong little bubbles just big enough for me to mush the big wing and crank around in. That little bug fart was enough for clearance to fly over one more ridge and the forest. Part of me wanted to push upwind because I felt like I was falling out the back, but the other part of me just wanted to take my new found clearance over the small ridge and forest behind me. Everyone I could see was on the ground so I figured a few extra K would put me up there. My gamble helped, but didn't pay off. Apparently I didn't see a group nearby climbing in super light stuff to fly an extra 10k or so. Bummer, so close but so far ;). Next time I will raise my standards and push up wind for the big cheese.

Good times.

Today's weather was an unforecastable mess so the day got cancelled late in the afternoon. High temps were 42C I think which is over 100. Hot times J

Kev C

Today was about the toughest day for me mentally since I did my first comp. Strong winds and a 150 k "downwind" task. We did the usual ratchet up wind game over the tow field. LIft was ratty and I was staying high on the group. Unfortunately the groups weren't organized in a way I could pick which group I wanted to join up with. Dustin and I putzed around a bunch and in retrospect we wasted time not punching upwind. OUr group crossed the start between start gates which is a bad place to be. Around the 3rd start gate I de3cided to go back upwind to get the last start when a group below me left. Big mistake because 6k in a 25 mph wind is WAY TOO MUCH! By the time I got a new start, it was already 5 minutes late on that gate also, and I was down to 1700 feet. I crawled downwind getting blown a bit off courseline for a few thermals not really getting established. Each glide had me a bit low and I was out of phase with the strong climbs. By about the 4th climb I was in phase, getting good lift, and not having to glide too low. Sadly, I was having to find it all alone. 35 feet of searching wingspan is just no where near as efficient as a pack of 15 spread at 50-100m intervals! Crossing the first and only turnpoint the crossing tail became a bigger issue. The turn was about 20 degrees to the right but the wind had been pushing me left. Now the wind was increasing and clocking around more cross and less tail. To make efficient progress I had to glide about 30 to 45 degrees to the right of of goal to beat back the drift in the thermals. My second thermal after the TP was the fat daddy of the day. It was actually downwind of my course which is a big no no when fighting wind like today but I couldnt' resist what I saw. On a day with Dust devils this field was doing something absolutely amazing! An area about a half mile across was continously sucking up dust off the ground! Not a spinning devil but a constant hoover action! I just had to check it out. I was rewarded with 1000 fpm+ to an altitude 2k above the regular highpoints (almost 9 grand). From there I began a new glide pattern. Every thermal I would leave when it dropped to 300. Below 300 fpm you end up not making good ground towards goal because the time wasted pushes you off course. WHen I would leave I would track straight upwind for at least a kilometer or two. The thermal lines would block the wind and provide a killer glide line. WHen the line got bad, I would turn 90 back towards goal till the next thermal. After a few of those I did pass through a few pilots but no one to fly with. THe last few glides were stressfull with the strong cross. My nose was pointed abuot 60 degrees to the right of goal. This made my final glide less stable then usual. Lovely. Finally scraping into goal the turbulence was strong enough to knock me wayyyy of course! It almost kept me from making it across the line. I squeaked in with about 30 feet to spare.

Leaving late and being slow cost will cost me heaps of points on the day. With eveyone so close that will drop me way back, but no sweat. I learned a ton and I am way stoked to hone my strategies more. I learned mucho tricks flying a hard day like this alone, trying to go fast. Different lessons then you learn wrestling through the big gaggles.

Kev C

Yeah, was there today with Sparky. where was you?You don't need a bunch of people, just come and fly. The conditions were right, not strong but many launchable cycles. I got my delta wing dream 185 tracking right! flys good! Sparky,and I went site shopping after we flew today. A good possibility came out of it. A site that is better than smithsburg,and wide open!n.w. facing. We need to talk with the land owner yet? we will keep you posted. just a damm good day through,and through. peace., Shawn

Go Shawn! We need those sites; especially ones' open year round. I went to Cow Pie hill today. It was pretty decent, but crossing at times. Needed 4x4 to get in to it today. Even with that I almost got stuck.

Rich

I'd like to here if anyone got up today any where in eastern Pa.It was light south west here at the Sac by 2:00 p.m. Never even put the glider on the van.---------Joe

On the way up Rt 145 this morning around 8:00am conditions looked good with many of the road side flags standing out and showing a nice northerly flow. Hiking into launch was easy after we met a guy in the parking lot who agreeded to carry my harness up and Shawn decided not to carry his glider up so he took the heavy end of my glider leaving me with the light end and off we went. Seemed like we were standing on launch in no time flat, thanks guys! Only one problem now, there was hardly any wind, maybe 3 to 5. Set up anyway since it was early hoping when the sun broke through the thick overcast and things would perk up a bit. Never happened clouds stayed with us most of the day and the winds never picked up much over 5. Did have a nice sledder and landed in a new L/Z which looked a little intimidating but was actually very nice. Bill Waters and Jack Eckert also flew and Bill had the flight of the day by gaining 10' in a tiny bubble he found over the L/Z and was able to work for a little while. What an awesome site can't wait to fly it again soon.

Doug.

Jealous of all the flying reports from Australia, Florida, and (ironically) DC. The rain finally quit here and it has been beautiful -- sunny and 65 to 70 with light winds. Typical CA. But the roads into the mtns are all closed. The 18 up to Marshall/Crestline has had major damage -- not just mud on it but sections washed out. The Ortega has been down also which eliminates Elsinore. San Diego sites like Blossom, Horse Canyon and Otay are ok but these are all onshore sites and it has been steady Santa Anas since the rain.

Finally got in the air today. Caltrans opened the road up to Elsinore launch. Got out the ol' XC and tried to remember how to set it up. Worked light lift until I tired of dodging PGs. Met up with some old friends. Nice day.

Great day at Oregon Ridge today. Smooth & steady NE winds all day. Students did great. But...the real kicker was a drop-by visit from John Latorre. I'll post a little history thang' on John when I have more time but he was there today. He's back east because his Dad died. Going to dinner with him tomorrow.

Decent day at "The Pie" yesterday. Wow...back to back days. 'Bout freakin' time!

Rich

The deed wuz done.

As expected, it was a) freeeezing cold b) very windy and c) more than a bit sporty. The hike in was relatively easy: Bruce and I used finsterwalder wheels. Although we had a good lead on Pete and Mark they caught up with us quickly, using Pete's very cool 'glider wagon'.

Winds @ launch were measured at 11-16mph. While we set up, several stronger gusts came through. Did I mention that it was cold?

I launched first in the Talon 150 and topped out at 2700' above launch working 300 to 600 fpm (1k down) and spent too much time parked with airspeed reading between 25 and 36mph ... with 3/4 VG. Numb fingers and toes and frozen eyelashes were a very strong incentive to land.

I tried to last an hour, but chose to land while I could still feel the basetube and before my shivering became uncontrollable. I chose an alternate (longer) field a mile upwind rather than risk rocking and rolling into the primary. Even so, it was a 'rock and roll' landing with a strong gradient, fortunately ending in a whack-less no-stepper. (note to myself ... get some wheels for that Talon)

'Spark

Anybody wanna try again on Tuesday? High Rock - 1pm eta.

I have lost track of the days and task numbers. Yesterday we postponed the task call till most of the day had wasted away. It was frustrating waiting. There were concerns about the wind strength and it wasn't that strong. Not nearly as strong as other days.

Finally a task was called and we had 20 minutes to launch open! Not enough time at all. I broke my pitch adjuster right off tow so I had to rush back to the field to fix it. I thought about flying the task without pitch but the downward moment is far too much to overcome for an entire flight. Lots of lift over the field it was tough to get down. I fixed the pitch string as fast as I could but still found myself at the back of the line. With strong winds early launches aren't as important but time was just too tight this time. I got yanked up about 4 minutes before the first start gate 10k downwind. Usually the leaders wait for the second start but with the 1st gate opening at 4:15 they all dashed through the first. I got on course well timed for the second and did my best to eat up terrain at max speed. I flew strict speed to fly since I didn't have a group to fly with. Target lift was 400 fpm and I would linger till it got to 200. Drift was probably about 20 mph over the ground. A few pilots flew with me here and there but they were either climbing slow or didn't want to leave the lift when it slowed down. There was only one turnpoint on course and the track stayed relatively downwind. With different winds at several altitude layers it was tricky for me to figure out glide tracks relative to courseline. It was crossing from the right side up high, but left down low. Total task length was almost 180k so there was no time to waste. About 60k from goal the glides started getting longer and the climbs took more time to turn on. I slowed down my glide speeds and dialed back my overall assertiveness. Gliding into lift low about 35k out it started to get real tricky. Down to 1,500 ft and the best I could get was zero to 50 up. Eventually it came together and huslted me to 3,500 (climbs had been to 5,500 before). My only option (I thought) was to follow lift lines and track down wind. It was then I realized that either the wind had clocked, or it was just crossing harder from the left down low. My bearing to goal shrunk at an alarming rate. 30k out I was now 45 cross to goal, down to 800 feet, and fighting in scrap. Making matters worse I was over total dinosaur country. Barely any signs of even ranch activity below. I truly had NO CHOICE but to stay in the air and hunt for civilization as well as goal. The wind had pushed me far east of the highway in a region where just 2k is a huge distance off the road, I was maybe 15-20k off. Little clues kept me going, dust picked up in wiffs off the ground, surges in the wind direction, etc. Flat turns in the light stuff, cranking it in the bubbles. My heart broke when I realized the road I was trying to drift to was actually railroad tracks. At this point I was ripping off distance and bearing data at about 3 minute intervals on the radio. I feared I was going to be the nightmare retrieve.

Finally my gaurdian angel came in the form of a car ripping up a forest road in the distance towards our goal town. Since it was a gravel road the dust clearly marked what I knew to be a good connector to civilization. As it turns out, that road was the straight east west road in and out of the goal town. Convieniently I tracked as far as I could up the road, in a 90 cross. Upwind until the lines died out, then crosswind till I found another. Plopped down in an abandoned farm about 13k from goal. Relieved that my drivers could find me easy.

Unlike the day I foolishly took the late start, flying alone this day was easier to deal with. Shit happens and I just did the best I could. Pretty amazing to leave at 4:30 in the evening and fly almost 120 miles. Crazy stuff for a light day.

Kev C

Easily my best task ever flown. With light winds a 150k box leading part way back to goal was called. Starts were late due to a circle jerk figuring out which direction to launch in. It is a big deal here because they have to line the aerotowers up with the car towers. Wind was about the lightest I have seen aloft with most of the big thermals not drifting much at all. Climbs over the tow field were around 5,500. I couldn't quite manage to make the top of the stack. No sweat since I had a good eye on most of the best pilots (Oleg is my main target). We were right at the edge of the start circle when the first gate ticked off and about 70 percent of the field bolted. I noticed a few top guys held back but I lost sight of the slippery Ukranian. With so many other good pilots waiting I knew he was doing the fake out and would come right back. With less pilots in the gaggle it was easier to get over 6k before the second start. Climbs were much stronger today, 600 fpm wasn't too kard to find. We charged to thr first turnpoint and I held back a bit to make up being lower with a good glide line. Our group got split between 2 different directions. I was high and headed to some gliders climbing. Oleg and a few others followed. The other group eventually topped out higher in a fresh thermal. By the first turnpoint we were catching other pilots from the first start. They marked the patterns to the sky, but usually not the good lift.

At the second turnpoint we got a bit low. Gliding to a group I was down to 2k but confident with gliders climbing ahead. That climb was slow until some pilots leaving from the top of the stack found a strong one a little further down course. About 3 or 4 core hops later we were up to 7 grand with a big group ahead. With pilots spread out over many levels there was a steady stream of markers through most of the courseline. For the next 3 or 4 thermals I flew as perfect STF choices as I could. I would look for 600, settle for 400, and leave at 350. In the process I scored some 8 to 9s also. This morning I tightened up my wing and she is gliding significantly better then the other guys. I had caught this large group but was low in the stack. I left when they were slow, and made up distance a little at a time. Holding back just the right amount of time paid off though, because I suddenly found myself top of the stack with Gerolf and Oleg just 10k from goal! I timed it right so I got to their thermal before the other guys had climbed up. I quickly found a strong core and got a few hundred extra feet on the main group below. Those two darted on course and I finished my 360 and followed. Racing for the line with 2 of the best pilots in the world was pretty dam cool! Just watching them duke it out in the climb picking the perfect time to fake the other out and leave was a sight to see. We took a good line and came into goal way too high. I wanted to race to the deck but my harness repair kept me from getting head down enough to get over 70. Thats where those fast speeds come in! 2 italians slipped into goal very low ahead of us but I believe at least one of them had the early start, hence 15 minutes slower on the clock. I'm crossing my fingers that I slipped in 3rd or 4th. That would help make up for my rough day yesterday.

Kev C

It was 14 degrees this morning when I loaded my glider on my car. I had plans to go to the Rock with Sparky, but he called to cancel because winds seemed stronger than forecasted and our wire crew prospects were limited (the rest of you folks are apparently smarter than I am). A part of me -- the part that would have frozen off -- was relieved not to fly in arctic conditions, but I really wanted to try out my new balaclava.

Haven't been able to fly mountains lately, but I did go to Oregon Ridge on Saturday. I sometimes plop into my glider a bit early rather than letting it lift me. My fix was/is to keep running even after my feet leave the ground. It looks goofy but my launches seemed good and strong. Wind direction was decent, but by 3pm even the piece of yarn that Danny Brotto tied to my nose wire wasn't stirring. So, I practiced a few no-wind launches. 7 flights total, good day, good workout. I'm ready to fly more than 40 feet high again!

Back to work now.

~Daniel

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This page last updated January 18, 2005