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Hangola August 4-8, 1999

Had a great time at Golden. The weather wasn't too cooperative during the XC clinic, but it got better for the competition. I'm going to do a complete story so you only get the abbreviated version here.

Friday, July 23rd. Arrived in Calgary and was met by the Kellers, the pilots I was in email contact with. Drove to Golden that evening and set up camp. Good thing it stays light until 10:30 pm.

Saturday, July 24th. Rainy day. Found out just how good the tent was that the Kellers located for me. Huge (8x12) and totally waterproof. Found John McAllister, Jim Rowan, Will Jenkins and Larry Ball at Sister's and Bean's (restaurant), looking a little dejected from the not so hot flying conditions. It was their last day in Golden.

Sunday, July 25th. Launched a little too early and only got 35 minutes before sinking out. The pilots who launched after 6:30 got an hour or two.

Monday, July 26th. Launched a little too late and got a 15 minute extendo. The pilots who launched earlier got an hour or so. (Lot to learn about conditions here.)

Tuesday, July 27th. Blown out until 7. The pilot I got a ride to the top with didn't want to wait around any longer. Those who came back around 6:30, got in an hour or two.

Wednesday, July 28th. Blown out all day.

Thursday, July 29. (Switched drivers.) I was the first HG off, after watching a few PGs struggle up. Started thermalling up under a PG and thought better of it. Went to smaller front ridge and boated back and forth. 20 minutes. Shortly after bagging it, watched it rain some. Pilots who launched after rain passed through pretty much just sledded.

Friday, July 30. Finally got over Mount 7. Was told to get 2K before going on, so got 2K and went over to next peak, Capristo. Got there a little above the first part of the ridge after the gap. Worked end for an hour, hoping for a thermal to pop off. Found out later that the thermals are at the other end of this section. Oh well. Continued on when I started getting below ridge level and went on a glide. Sure love that Tangent. Totals: 1 hour 30 minutes. 13.3 miles.

Saturday, July 31. First day of the competition. Teamed with 2 other Americans. Launched at 3:15 and zoomed up to cloudbase. South wind. Task to the south. Made it to Mt 7 (below), worked up to CB. Made it to Capristo (below), worked up to CB. Made it to main ridge (below), worked up to CB. Cruised along. Made it to turnpoint (Tower Peak, near Parson) (below), no lift there. Took GPS marker. Hugged ridge (below) until at 6K msl on the Tangent then went on a glide for about 5 miles. Driver Misty (wife of one of the pilots) was there when I landed. (She was terrific.) Totals: 1 hour 50 minutes, 25.6 miles:18.1 miles out, 7.5 miles back.

Sunday, Aug. 1. Raining in Golden. Drove down to Swansea with Stewart Midwinter and Dale Moore (used to fly a lot, now just once every 2 years). Wasn't feeling 100%, throat starting to get sore. Nasty climb to launch. Didn't find diddly after launching so headed for old launch where I boated back and forth there for 15 minutes. About 20 minutes total. Party going on at the campsite when I got back so didn't get much sleep.

Monday, Aug. 2. Throat sore, but otherwise feeling ok. Feeling worse on launch after setting up. Waited in line to launch for an hour, fully dressed. Feeling pretty bad by now. Got to launch after the window closed, but no big loss since I figured it would be a ride to LZ for this sick puppy. Blowing 10 mph 90 degree cross on the main launch. Had to wait 25 minutes for a totally dead cycle. Ran into a thermal on the way out and got over launch. Started feeling nausea so headed out. Arrived at LZ with 2K to blow off. Tyler (he came in 2nd in the comp despite sinking out today) came over and carried my glider across the field. Misty arrived and we went off to get the other 2. Back in camp. Packed up. Awards program (tied for 10th out of 20 pilots in the comp.) Drive back to Calgary a real hell - throat hurting bigtime and stomach (after 7-11 food) not much better.

Tuesday, Aug. 3. Feeling a little better after 7 hours of sleep. Went through customs in Calgary airport - a big plus since I was dreading having to do it in Dallas-Fort Worth. Flight D-FW to Dulles an hour late. Doug there with truck. Home by 2 am.

Wednesday, Aug. 4. Feeling even better, but still not 100%. Called in sick. Feeling much better now.

Plan to go back, but on a 'normal' year.

Christy

Trip totals:
2 new sites: Mt. 7 and Swansea
airtime: 5 hours, 10 minutes
miles: 38.9 miles

I drove down to Manquin near Richmond on Thursday to see the judge about my speeding ticket. (The limit on 604 from 30 to 605 is 40, not 55.) After being a responsible citizen, I dropped by the flight park.

Steve Wendt was the only person around. He tweaked my sail, removing that noisy flutter several folks have commented on. I then took three tows off the truck, in about 5 mph winds. No cumies, no birds, no lift. However, I released at about 1400 agl on the first and 1300 agl on the subsequent tows. I played a little, and claim extended sleds on all three flights. The flights were nice, with excellent landings.

Steve said that earlier in the morning he had launched a student off the truck for the first time. On Monday and Tuesday it had been soarable, with several folks getting 2500 agl and about half hour. The weekend had been as hot and ugly there as anywhere else on Saturday, and thunderstorms on Sunday.

Steve also has visited Woodstock on weekdays recently to give students their first mountain launches. Sorry, I failed to get names.

Two Sundays ago, when many of us were playing at (and from) the Pulpit, Steve Wendt and Terry Spencer went to Woodstock. Although there were good winds at 10-15, the ridge lift band topped out only about 400' over the ridge. Still, Steve reported nice soaring flights.

Cragin S

Manquin Flight Park Saturday, August 7

The forecast for south winds sent many pilots to tow at Manquin on Saturday. When I arrived at 12:30, Steve Wendt was pulling Jimmy Kingsley up for the first truck tow of the day. That morning he had given two H1's (Bobby and Steve) a lesson with scooter tows. Both declared it a great way to train. Meanwhile, Tex was in the hangar, tweaking the Rotax engine on the Loadstar tug, which had been running a little hot.

Jimmy had a good high release, but only found a little lift to work. That set the pattern for the rest of the day. Lots of good, high tow releases, but no serious soaring. Terrie Spencer had the flight of the day late in the afternoon, releasing from tow at 1,930 feet and staying aloft for about 18 to 20 minutes. Other pilots on hand and flying included Steve Hull, Roland, Chuck Pyle and Doug (?). Greg DeWolf was out to tape landings, kibbitz, and exercise by hanging under the tandem glider and practice-flying (good physical therapy for his arm). Ray Mitchell arrived late in the day, having driven to Daniels' Mountain and not flown because it was too cross. Lyman Hart was in the hangar helping Tex. Steve estimated he had pulled gliders in to the air 25 times.

Most of us flew 4 or 5 times, getting sleds and extended sleds. All of the releases were well above 1,000 ft. Although a few started the day with standard platform launches from the back of the truck, by mid afternoon we were all launching from the aerotow cart behind the truck. This was a first time experience for both Chuck and me. All five of my flights were from the cart. My release heights were 1,050, 1,450, 1,350, 1,660, and then 1,240 when the weak link broke 2/3 of the way down the runway. I had three sleds and two extended sleds, accumulating about 35 minutes air time total. Chuck's highest release was 1,690. Jimmy's highest was 1,750. Steve Hull had his first cart tow behind a truck (he has used the cart many times for aerotow).

The day ended with Roland flying a checkride in the Loadstar and then towing Jimmy up behind the Loadstar for the first aerotow of the day, just as I was driving off at 6:15.

This was a fine flying day, with a new experience using the launch cart.

Cragin S

At High Rock on Friday 14 pilots showed up and flew-- Steve K., Brian H., Doug, Ed, Dave Stoudt and Marlin flying earlier in the afternoon-- most had short soaring flights except for Brian who we were told spanked everyone royally. Karen and I showed up at 5:15. Everyone that launched later in the day got up and had a great time. I got 1800 over, 1:30, and landed because my eyes were drying out. Karen got 1:10, 1600 over. Also in the air with us were: Dan, Bob Gillese, Kurtis, Eddie, Allen, Rick Niehaus (sp?)and Doug, Ed, and Marlin on their second flights.

On Saturday we went to Ridgely hoping to get there early but once again not getting out of the house until 11:00am. We used a few shortcuts and made it there in 1:45 despite the back-up from the Bay Bridge to before the Severn River Bridge. Fred and Raean were already up and out of there on an XC adventure by the time we arrived. Raean ended up with 18 miles and Fred got about 8. Also there were Geoff, Joe and Janet, Mike C., Beard, Steve Turner, John M., Tad, Robert Sweeney, Brian VH, Tom, that guy in the Falcon that remembers all of our names but none of us knows his and a few otheres who I didn't know. There were also a few students and a few people just taking rides-- including Tom's friend Tracy. Trouble abounded early in the day with a lot of weeklink breaks but some new line was found and a few of us were able to stay up even though conditions didn't look that great. John and Geoff had great soaring flights. Joe had three flights-- two soaring. Janet also had 3 flights and Karen had two. I somehow managed to get back up after falling out of thermal that Geoff and John were specking out in and ended up going 10.5 miles to Mahan's Corner, Delaware and getting 4900 AGL and 1:30-- my first interstate flight. It was also my first time thermalling with a sailplane and I climbed up through the metal beast in two of the thermals. What Fun!!!

Matthew (probably climbing next weekend, of Karen and Matthew)

Manquin proved, once again, to be an excellent place to get back in the air (and even more critical -- back on the ground!!) after a month layoff. With the intentions of beginning my aerotow checkoff, I asked Steve Wendt if I could try the cart versus the back of the truck (platform) lauch. Ever cautious, he suggested starting off with the platform since I'm accustomed to it and then switch to the cart. I did one very comfortable platform launch and three cart launches which made me a convert to cart launches. As Craig reported, my highest release off the cart was 1690' +/-. Sleds and extendos were the norm for the day.

Craig nailed one landing after another with perfect flairs and no-step technique. Of course he could do that with me as his role model. It was a little like Michaelangelo who said all he had to do to create a great sculpture was to chip away everything that didn't look like the final masterpiece. All Craig had to do was watch me and not do anything I did. The result was perfect landings.

Greg was on hand with his trusty video camera and years of experience to give me some guidance -- and by the end of the day, my landings were much improved. The video was an eye-opener for me. Very vividly showed WHEN and WHERE and WHAT KIND of mistakes I was making. Greg watched and then explained WHY specific things happened. All in all, as I said, it was a great way to get back into the game. Thanks much Steve and Greg for a very enjoyable way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Chuck

-snip-

ps. Fisher Rd wasn't bad Saturday. Lotsa sleds early but just about everybody got up the 2nd time around.

On Sunday we had a good training class at Taylor after a month or so of no classes because of weather! Three first timers (Petra, Larry, Tom) and two students (Jose, Bruce) with some experience. Wind was a little on the strong side at times but that helped on the temp comfort level. The first timers got between 1 - 5 flights each with Petra and Tom getting a couple nice ones each. Jose and Bruce got about 7 - 8 flights each. I did one flight into some nice lift and got above launch for a short while. Also in attendance and doing a bunch of flights each were Mark C and Carlos V. We all had a pretty good time and while the class was breaking down, got drenched with rain. We were about 10 minutes too late!

- john middleton/Silver Wings Inc.

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This page last updated August 9, 1999