MOUNTAINEER AIRTIMES - WESTERN EDITION

3/29/98 - High Pt, WNW 5 - 15; JR and Larryboy launch about 1530 hrs. It was soarable, but initially they weren't able to get very high. Mike Selig and Wayne E launched their paragliders from Fairgrds launch. Wayne marked a good one n/o Fairgrds launch (400 fpm). JR scrambled over to it w/larryboy coming in later and they climbed to 4650' MSL w/o much drift. JR and Larryboy flew upwind to Haystack Mtn w/larryboy eventually making it to the mall upwind from Haystack before turning around and heading back to Knobley Mtn

4/11/98 - High Pt, WNW 5 - 15; a good turnout with some of the Pittsburgh boys showing up. Thermals were strong (800+ fpm) and we were getting to 8000'+ MSL. Larryboy was topgun for the day w/ 23.7 mi to the other side of Great Cacapon Mtn, Christy followed Larryboy for 28.0 mi, Pete L got 17 mi landing just s/o Paw Paw, WV, Jeff S and Jim M landed together near Levels, WV for 15.5 mi; Pat, Eric, Marvin, JR, Homer all landed in the Hwy Dome LZ for 12 mi, Panties landed at the Millstone for 5 miles; Doug, Paul and David Inouye (PGpilot) landed in the main LZ. There may have been some otherPG pilots show up later in the day to fly but that's not been confirmed. We had our parachute re-pack later that same evening.

4/12/98 - High Pt, NE 5 - 15; Larryboy and JR take sleds in way cross conditions. JR's chute starts to pop out the side of his chute container and he chooses to land immediately rather than trying to stay up and risk a possible chute deployment. Those curved pins really do work! Larryboy would have won the spot money, but JR weaseled out of it by declaring an in-flight emergency.

4/15/98 - Fairgrds, L&V; Will and JR take sleds. Will takes the spot money.

4/24/98 - High Pt, W 10 - 2C; it turns out to be a boomin' Friday for some folks with Larryboy taking topgun honors getting 67 mi to Middleton, MD, Tom "pinstretcher" M getting almost 50 mi to near Innwood, WV, Will getting 47 mi to near Winchester, VA, Mike B getting 32 mi to Cross Junction, VA, JR getting 12 mi to his old stomping grounds, the Hwy Dome LZ, Homer getting one half mile to Mike Miltenberger's field on the backside of the mtn, and Geoff, Steve K. and Doug landing in the main LZ. The air was prett choppy and rough down lower, but seemed to get smoother as you got higher.

4/25/98 - High Pt, WNW 10 - 20; another strong day that seemed a little dumpier, but not as twangy as the day before (more wind turbulence, less convective turbulence?). Marvin took topgun honors for the first (but certainly not the last) time getting 23 mi to just past Paw Paw, WV; Will, Larryboy, Homer, & Tom all landed in the Hwy Dome LZ for 12 mi; JR & Christy landed near Ft Ashby, WV far 5.5 mi; Mike B. landed along Rt 51 for 5 mi; and Doug landed in the main LZ.

4/27/98 High Pt.: Larry Hufman sleds. Pete Lehman potatoes and backs off. Marc Fink gets ready to launch, unhooks to fix his radio and then launches UNHOOKED! He only receives minor injuries but it could have been a lot worse. The glider goes around the corner and falls through the trees, breaking a leading edge. After the rescue the wind tails.