hyner
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
When does the fly in officially start and end?
I'm thinking of coming up early Wednesday morning. Just thinking about it at this time.
Dan T
Dan T
Winds anywhere from SW to NW are soarable if you're willing to work for it. Thermal site: the chance of thunderstorms is good for instability, but because the valleys funnel a gust front, if you see rain on the horizon land sooner rather than later.
It would be fun to see you up there, Dan.
It would be fun to see you up there, Dan.
Brian Vant-Hull
the wireless in the Eagle's nest is on the blink, so I'm broadcasting from the Renovo public library this morning.
I arrived about 10:30 tuesday night after many circuitous side trips. While sitting around Bob Beck's campfire around 11:30, a small white car drove up, which nobody recognized, so I promptly got up to moon it. Turns out it was Gary Devan of all people, being his usual soul of spontaneity. He did the campfire hopping, then we went to bed. Next morning after I took a shower in the new facilities at the Hyner run campground, he was gone. Never saw him again....hope he had a good time wherever he headed next.
Woke up wednesday morning to find Dave Bodner camping out right near me. He had come in an hour earlier and gone straight to bed. We passed on the Mark 4 'club glider' which I'll keep at Ellenville. It was blowing over the back, overcast with predicted rain. Decided this was my chance to finally hike up the mountain. Dave joined me. I swear people told us it would only take 45 minutes, but we topped out after about an hour and a half, sweaty and tired. Once was enough. Hiked up to launch and convinced some tourists to drive us down.
Dave left on account of forecasts of heavy rain, hail, lightning and general mayhem. It never really materialized, just a few light showers and one brief heavy downpour. We had already been drinking for hours by that time so didn't much mind it. The heavy rain cleared out the sky, and 20 minutes later we looked up to see paragliders in the air, with the cloud track shifted to blow straight in. We looked at them, looked at our drinks, and started cussing. Anyway, for those who avoided coming because of threatened tornados and stuff, it never happened.
Thursday morning I went up to celebrate my return to Hyner with a cloud dive. Took up some paragliders who were concerned about the time it would take me to set up. They were set up immediately, but spent so much time futzing around on the slope launch I finally went to the ramp launch and got in a nice cloud dive. After it had all evaporated they finally launched. Then they kept going up the rest of the day for a half dozen flights. Sometime in the middle of the day it turned on and Bunkhouse soared for over an hour. The cloud dive put me out of sinc and I missed it. Oh well.
Then the clouds built up and some people elected not to fly after hearing thunder off in the mist. After waiting about 45 minutes without hearing any more I took an extendo on the Mark 4. It still has a turn which we'll find out if we tuned out.
The clouds built up upwind, turning dark. A few more decided it wasn't a risk to do a sled ride, so four took off. Two made it down before the gust front hit. What a helpless feeling watching gliders on the ground get tossed while knowing there are still people in the air and there's not a thing you can do to help them. One came in tossing like a leaf, and it looked like he had it until about 5 feet off the ground when he got sharply turned towards the trees. Flared into a trunk and his basetube took the impact. he was unscathed. The second one was last seen blowing towards the south towards a large field. Four vehicles hit the road at top speed, fearing what we would find. He got down safely.
These were highly experienced pilots who knew better but couldn't resist playing in the extra lift the storm generated intead of doing the sled run they planned. I've made similar russian roulette mistakes more than once, so can't say it wouldn't have happened to me. Even upwind storm clouds can be deadly. These two survived, but it wasn't worth it. Don't launch if there's any indication of storm activity.
Today looks like it will be great. Gotta go catch it.
I arrived about 10:30 tuesday night after many circuitous side trips. While sitting around Bob Beck's campfire around 11:30, a small white car drove up, which nobody recognized, so I promptly got up to moon it. Turns out it was Gary Devan of all people, being his usual soul of spontaneity. He did the campfire hopping, then we went to bed. Next morning after I took a shower in the new facilities at the Hyner run campground, he was gone. Never saw him again....hope he had a good time wherever he headed next.
Woke up wednesday morning to find Dave Bodner camping out right near me. He had come in an hour earlier and gone straight to bed. We passed on the Mark 4 'club glider' which I'll keep at Ellenville. It was blowing over the back, overcast with predicted rain. Decided this was my chance to finally hike up the mountain. Dave joined me. I swear people told us it would only take 45 minutes, but we topped out after about an hour and a half, sweaty and tired. Once was enough. Hiked up to launch and convinced some tourists to drive us down.
Dave left on account of forecasts of heavy rain, hail, lightning and general mayhem. It never really materialized, just a few light showers and one brief heavy downpour. We had already been drinking for hours by that time so didn't much mind it. The heavy rain cleared out the sky, and 20 minutes later we looked up to see paragliders in the air, with the cloud track shifted to blow straight in. We looked at them, looked at our drinks, and started cussing. Anyway, for those who avoided coming because of threatened tornados and stuff, it never happened.
Thursday morning I went up to celebrate my return to Hyner with a cloud dive. Took up some paragliders who were concerned about the time it would take me to set up. They were set up immediately, but spent so much time futzing around on the slope launch I finally went to the ramp launch and got in a nice cloud dive. After it had all evaporated they finally launched. Then they kept going up the rest of the day for a half dozen flights. Sometime in the middle of the day it turned on and Bunkhouse soared for over an hour. The cloud dive put me out of sinc and I missed it. Oh well.
Then the clouds built up and some people elected not to fly after hearing thunder off in the mist. After waiting about 45 minutes without hearing any more I took an extendo on the Mark 4. It still has a turn which we'll find out if we tuned out.
The clouds built up upwind, turning dark. A few more decided it wasn't a risk to do a sled ride, so four took off. Two made it down before the gust front hit. What a helpless feeling watching gliders on the ground get tossed while knowing there are still people in the air and there's not a thing you can do to help them. One came in tossing like a leaf, and it looked like he had it until about 5 feet off the ground when he got sharply turned towards the trees. Flared into a trunk and his basetube took the impact. he was unscathed. The second one was last seen blowing towards the south towards a large field. Four vehicles hit the road at top speed, fearing what we would find. He got down safely.
These were highly experienced pilots who knew better but couldn't resist playing in the extra lift the storm generated intead of doing the sled run they planned. I've made similar russian roulette mistakes more than once, so can't say it wouldn't have happened to me. Even upwind storm clouds can be deadly. These two survived, but it wasn't worth it. Don't launch if there's any indication of storm activity.
Today looks like it will be great. Gotta go catch it.
Brian Vant-Hull
Every place I said 'upwind' I meant 'downwind'.
Anyway, Mike (Balk) and Julia arrived saturday afternoon and set up camp in the grove of trees right next to my grove of trees. Went up and I had a nice flight of about 20 minutes or so without my vario, which is pretty good for thermal flying. Bunkhouse Bob spanked the field by staying up for over and hour and climbing thousands of feet. Mike flew after things had calmed down, since he hasn't done mountain flying for a long time.
Went up that evening and flew down the Mark IV. Turns out it used to be Mike's glider! That night Bunkhouse and I did the naked fire jumping with newbie Tom Gartlen, who insisted on getting everything perfect: moving the woodpile, asking people to space out...while all the time bob and I were hiding behind a truck in less than our skivvies going "what's he doing NOW?" Really knows how to set up a surprise, Tom does.
Mike and I did a spectacular cloud dive sunday morning before packing up for home. I've never spent so much time at Hyner, and still didn't want to leave. Aside from me Dave Bodner, Gary Devan, Steve Krichten and Lynn Alexander where the only southern states representatives. Too bad, it was a beautiful week.
Anyway, Mike (Balk) and Julia arrived saturday afternoon and set up camp in the grove of trees right next to my grove of trees. Went up and I had a nice flight of about 20 minutes or so without my vario, which is pretty good for thermal flying. Bunkhouse Bob spanked the field by staying up for over and hour and climbing thousands of feet. Mike flew after things had calmed down, since he hasn't done mountain flying for a long time.
Went up that evening and flew down the Mark IV. Turns out it used to be Mike's glider! That night Bunkhouse and I did the naked fire jumping with newbie Tom Gartlen, who insisted on getting everything perfect: moving the woodpile, asking people to space out...while all the time bob and I were hiding behind a truck in less than our skivvies going "what's he doing NOW?" Really knows how to set up a surprise, Tom does.
Mike and I did a spectacular cloud dive sunday morning before packing up for home. I've never spent so much time at Hyner, and still didn't want to leave. Aside from me Dave Bodner, Gary Devan, Steve Krichten and Lynn Alexander where the only southern states representatives. Too bad, it was a beautiful week.
Brian Vant-Hull
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gtutor21157
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hyner
" Newbie Tom Gartlan" had practice of showing the sport experimental aircraft show folks in Carlise Pa. while tempting the powered paragliders on why they should come join the party,as he paces off their pit, and moving everything out of the way..Then it happened the flying naked dude ..................... Well they didnt come did they!!
George
George
I'm BACK!!