Doug Wakefield- July began with the Hyner View flyin. We got there early (Wednesday afternoon), and got in a sled at the end of the day. Got 0:20 +450 on Thursday, and another sled Friday. Not great, but it was fun to see the Hyner scene. Flew twice at High Rock on the 10th; first was 1:10, +800 with Jennifer Presley heading a wuffo wire crew (Thanks, Jennifer!), and the second was 0:40, +600 after moving my hang point forward one slot. Helped some. At High Point the next day got 1:00, +1600, but really missed a chance by not getting in a thermal out front with Larry Ball. Back at High Rock on the 12th for 2 sleds. Went to Kitty Hawk and flew both tandem and solo aerotows on the 18th, got my AT rating along with Sheila B. and Dan T. Wouldn't have happened without the Gregors, and some great cooperation by all involved. Thanks, everybody! Late July brought the Alegheny county fair, and we flew there a few times. Four of us flew Monday, the 20th, in really ratty air where no one wanted anyone to get close. Got 1:00, +450. Took a sled from the Fairgrounds in really light (west at 3) conditions on Tuesday. Things were much better on Saturday, and I got 4:30, +2300, but didn't go anywhere. Flew twice on Sunday, a sled at Pinnacles and a sled (in a light tail) at the Fairgrouds. August wasn't a great month. I flew once at the Tow Farm on Sunday the 2nd, getting 0:10 minutes in a flight that turned out to be mostly a 2 mile final approach. Took part of a day off to go to Fisher Road on the 7th, but it was cross and light so all I got was a downwind sled to primary. Didn't fly again until the 30th; a sled in West Rutland, Vermont. Got 0:20, +300 there on the 31st.
Christy Huddle-This was a summer of glider hopping. At the Hyner 4th of July fly-in, I tried out Doug's UltraSport, Raean Permenter's K-2, Danny Brotto's Axis 13, and Sheila's Pulse 9M. At the Pulpit Fly-In, I got a ride on the Stealth 130. High points of the summer were an almost 3 hour flight at High Rock. Jennifer Presley was on one of the wires with a wuffo we were training. It turned out to be a good thing since the wuffo didn't let go when I yelled clear - but he did when she knocked his hands off!! I usually pause after yelling clear, so I didn't even notice. On July 18th, I got a nice XC from the Pulpit, finding thermals when I needed them, to get me to Greencastle. The owner of the house next to the field I landed in gave me a ride back to launch. Can't beat that. On July 24th, several of us tried out luck at High Point. I got thru the inversion layer first, getting to 6550' msl, on a glide for the dome field as it turned out. The three boys (Larry, Homer, and Will) land there about an hour and a half later. Thanks for picking me up, Mariam!! On August 23rd, Marvin and I went to High Point and were the only ones there. It was really wonderful air and I flew all over the place - to Zirk's and about 1000 feet shy of the mall (horizontal distance). At the Mountaineer Labor Day fly-in, I had two good flights, landing (first both days) at the Seneca Rocks LZ. On August 10th, Doug and I took off work early and found some great air at Woodstock. Really huge thermals, maxing out over 3500' over launch (I bailed at that altitude - too cold). Dave Proctor- Not been flying much, trying to finish up siding and windows on the house before winter. I did one tandem and three solo (two on Falcon 195 and 1 on the Moyes) tows at Currituck while on vacation. Pulpit fly-in: sled on Saturday and about 1 hr and 12.5 miles to Selea on Sunday. That's it, not much.
Mike Balk- Borrowed George's glider, and of course for the first three weeks was only able to get sled rides! Once the weather cooperated, I decided that I really like having a high performing glider. After 7 years I finally made it to Seneca Rocks, and I made it three days in a row! Was it because of experience? Conditions? A better glider? Or just plain luck? I don't really care, I made the Rocks! Just to confirm the matter, at the Pulpit fly-in, I flew the Formula again, and on a one-thermal flight over the back I watched Mark G and Dave P fly fast and far while I sunk out. I gotta get me one of them gliders with a string!
Mike Chevalier - I got my longest and highest tow flight ever of 3:15 on July 12th, landing because I was getting hungry. I got to 6400 ft, toured the area, going about 5 miles downwind and 5 upwind. Another short XC from the Towfarm got me 9.3 miles on Aug. 13th. Amazing how long the retreives can take even from a short distance like that. Saturday of our fly in I landed in an Alfalfa field near the 4U motel. I made it to the rocks on Sunday and got some pictures of the rocks but not quite what I wanted, I've been trying to get a shot from above showing how thin the rocks are. Sept. 19th at Fisher Rd. I test flew a Stealth 151 and really like it. I flew to Ritchie Knob but got caught in a flush cycle and landed short of the LZ. Good thing that glider has a hell of a glide, I just cleared a treeline (pooshed out) and dove into a small steep field.
The demo Stealth I flew at Fisher Road...And the treeline I almost hit. MC