Mountaineer Airtimes-Eastern Edition

Doug Wakefield - Well, not having a trip to Wallaby to report certainly makes this easier. I flew at Sacramento (for the first time) on Saturday, April 10, and got 2:10 +2800 in a flight that was most notable for not being able to see very well. I had my balaclava too low on my forehead, and every time I'd look up it would slip down into my eyes. I spent much of the flight trying to drag it back up and wedge it under my helmet. Flew at Woodstock on Tuesday, April 13, in increasing wind and landed when it got uncomfortable with 1:00, +3500. Got five minutes and +200 feet at High Point on Sunday, April 18. Lost it all when I flew north from the launch face. Had a great day at Bills Hill on Saturday, May 1, the first time I'd flown there since my first 3 high flights. Launched, made a couple passes, and blundered into a very nice thermal. Worked out in front of the ridge, eventually getting to 5000 over, and went across the valley and came back to the LZ. Had a hard time getting down until about 1300 over (we had to go to a dinner and bonfire in Berryville), then it got easier. Below about 400 over it wasn't hard at all to get down. Landed after 1:55. Flew the High Point again on Sunday, May 9, for 2:20 +2400 worth of not a lot of fun. Discovered after about 2:00 (DUH) that I'd been flying too slowly for the thermal conditions. Finished up with a sled at Fisher Road on Sunday, May 16, and remembered some advice I got from Larry Ball at Pinnacles a while ago that made landing easier. Thanks, Larry!

Christy Huddle - On April 10, a crowd descended at the Sacramento PA site for some fine soaring. I got in an hour and 33 minutes and 3300' over before landing to warm up my hands. The following weekend (April 18) the Mountaineers did High Point. I got right up in a nice cycle and 'enjoyed' the rowdy air for 43 minutes and 2600' over before working to get down for a perfect landing. Everyone else was on the ground and I figured they might be getting hungry. A couple of sleds at Bills Hill on May 1 convinced me that I needed to get my hook-in weight down a bit, having gained a few pounds over the long winter months. On May 9 at the High Point, I pissed off JR big-time by not launching while the first couple of pilots off were struggling to stay up - at least that's what it looked like to me. A few of us went over the back with me and JR landing in a field 5.5 miles downwind. I forgot to take my VG off from the full position and that and the uphill landing helped me add another downtube to the yard sculpture I'm working on. (One hour 42 minutes and 3650' over.) On May 16 at Fisher Road, I could tell that the weight loss program was going to be beneficial to my flying time. Although my first flight (10 minutes) wasn't terrific, I did manage to sink out after Larry Huffmann and Pat Brooks. My second flight, later in the afternoon netted me 28 minutes, most of it 50-75 feet over the ridge.

Mike Chevalier - First weekend in May, soarable at Bill's Hill both days. I don't go anywhere but have a god time anyway. Swapped gliders and soared a borrowed Ram Air. Nice glider, I don't know what all the bad press was about. I even had a perfect landing after watching my glider get whacked for it's first time. No long flights to claim in the regionals, still seem to be going to the wrong site or launching at the wrong time. Two bald eagles came close at Woodstock, closer than I've seen them before. Beautiful birds, worthy of a national symbol.