MID ATLANTIC PARAGLIDING ACTIVITY by LE Herrick

Nov 29 - We are out in Salt Lake City for Thanksgiving and have had high winds every available flight opportunity. On Saturday, Ben flies around while I watch with our three year old grandson who is mostly fascinated by "the scary airplanes" (HGs) Ben lands to give me a try, which I squander, by not being able to sort out the unaccustomed high winds. On Sunday, we launched anyway. by going down the slope. After a long long time pulling out the weeds and tangles we launched while winds of 23+ blasted the top, the winds mid slope were moderate with a 40 degree cross. I am able to soar a bit over the western gravel face.

Sunday Dec 6, We fly fairgrounds. The wind was about 40 degrees cross from the South and launch was very dicey. Ben hits the spot in the LZ.

December 12 - We revisit Zirks, the site of our first post school flights and first mountain flights. It still looked steep. Especially so in the no wind conditions which were encountered. But encouraged by Michael Selig's bold and noble lead with his excellent forward launch , we both flew. I went last. After Ben's first and Mike's second flight. My plan was to have the low winter sun peek around the corner for about half an hour and then fueled by the weak rays of the sun coupled with the holiday shopping frenzy in the valley and then trigger of the train passing through -- there would be a puff released upon which I could launch. Well the train went by, and I launched, but that was the only part of the plan to work out. Flying down to land was wonderful in the cool buoyant air. I have missed flying here, seeing these rocky craigs.

In the LZ we met with Charlie Twiggs the leaseholder of the land. He was happy to see us again and said his son was working for a PG pilot from Switzerland who is living in Cumberland, in charge of installing the turbines in the new electrical generating plant.

On the way back to the camp Ben and I have in West Virginia, we stopped at the High Rock Air Field and met with Bob Armstrong from the Cumberland Soaring Association. He has a world class collection of antique aircraft including a really old sail plane. It is yellow and does not have a cover over the pilot . His hangar is wonderful, a museum, each of his four major restorations have won world class prizes. In addition to the old sail plane he has two 1921 bi planes and a 1940 single engine plane. The entire hanger is set to 1940's memorabilia, including oiling racks, placards, old telephones and typewriters. Fascinating.

Dec 19 -- Not exactly "airtime" but ...We were invited to be the dinner speakers at the Christmas Dinner and Annual Awards Ceremony for the Cumberland Soaring Association. There were about 60 members present at a lovely dinner at the Rocky Gap Resort. After our introduction as a pilots of those "parasails" we asked how many people were familiar with us and had seen us on the ridge. To our surprise most of them had. We centered the talk on paragliders flight characteristics; the hows; whys and watch out fors. We received lots of questions and the response was very warm, very enthusiastic and very inclusive. We are going to follow - up with a video presentation on in their hangar.

December 25 -- Christmas Day - Ben and I hiked up to Bald Knob. The winds were 45-90 degree cross and we had to wait for reasonable cycles. Ben launched first and landed mid mountain for another try. I launched on a better cycle and was able to sustain some what over the skier's parking lot followed by a landing by the car. By that time Ben had packed up, hiked back up and launched again. This time getting a longer flight and putting on a good show for the skiers before landing at the car.

SEDUCED BY THE DARK SIDE- Ben and I gave our three year old grandson a mummy style sleeping bag for Christmas. When he pulled it out of the box he said "Oh WOW !! a hang gliding HARNESS".

January 10 -- No one flew but the ice -- Ben, Seigi and I spent a delightful afternoon surveying the top of Fairgrounds for another attempt to clear the brambles and thereby decrease the pucker factor of no wind launches. We also launched many large slabs of ice down the slippery slope and over the cliff.