Pulpit Sunday
Be there!!!
Matthew
Pulpit Sunday
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
WS Saturday
YEP. Now looks like WS on Saturday. One forecast shows blown out for the Pulpit on Sunday (NW). And the others show it SW on Sunday.
AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!
Will check again in the morning. But it looks like we're going to WS.
Matthew
AAAAARRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!
Will check again in the morning. But it looks like we're going to WS.
Matthew
Pulpit still on Sunday
The Pulpit will be working Sunday. Just get there early and launch before the throttleup. Shawn Ray and I plan on being there. Anybody else?
Bacil
Bacil
-
hepcat1989
- Posts: 684
- Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:15 pm
WS Report
Woodstock was light. Dead calm at times. Got there at 1:30. Hugh launched first for a PG extendo. We went and retrieved him and dropped off a car. Ellis launched in the interim. She got up and then got sucked down to the LZ. We returned to launch, sans Ellis, and it was blowing in nicely at about 5. Hugh observed David Churchill. He got above launch for a bit and then eeked out some additional time on the way down. Good launch, approach and landing.
Nelson Lewis followed and had no problems staying up.
Hugh launched next and got up in his PG. I followed in my bagwing. It was moslty thermals bumping in to the ridge. Hugh succummed to gravity and then Charlie Givens launched. Charlie got up for about 15-20 minutes and sunk out as I continued to work the small burbles. Just about the time Charlie landed, it really turned on. Got up to 1700 over. The thermals went straight up. However, Karen and Gary reported dead calm at launch.
It eventually started coming in at launch and Karen and Gary launched, both easily getting up. Hugh returned and also joined us in the sky. The air was great, no penetration problems and big wide thermals-- lift everywhere and spectacular scnery!!! Ellis relighted in her bag just as the winds picked up unexpectedly. It was like someone had thrown a switch. Hugh, Ellis and I all had to use full speedbar to keep from going backwards. At about 1300 agl, while on almost full speedbar, I hit some huge turbulence and had a full collapse. I released the speedbar and the canopy immediately re-inflated. I still had to use speedbar to make my way out front and landed in the primary after an hour and forty minute flight. It was active flying all the way to the ground. But calm in the LZ once on the ground. Ellis made it upwind of the LZ and landed in another field (almost on a shed). Karen came in next, followed by Hugh and then Gary-- all in the primary. Nelson also landed in a field further away from the ridge.
Fun day despite the excitement at the end-- but weird. Don't know if wave hit us at the end of the day or what. Maybe wave was suppressing winds at launch before shifting positions. Winchester showed NW 12-14 with gusts to 20+ all day when it was calm at launch.
Matthew
Nelson Lewis followed and had no problems staying up.
Hugh launched next and got up in his PG. I followed in my bagwing. It was moslty thermals bumping in to the ridge. Hugh succummed to gravity and then Charlie Givens launched. Charlie got up for about 15-20 minutes and sunk out as I continued to work the small burbles. Just about the time Charlie landed, it really turned on. Got up to 1700 over. The thermals went straight up. However, Karen and Gary reported dead calm at launch.
It eventually started coming in at launch and Karen and Gary launched, both easily getting up. Hugh returned and also joined us in the sky. The air was great, no penetration problems and big wide thermals-- lift everywhere and spectacular scnery!!! Ellis relighted in her bag just as the winds picked up unexpectedly. It was like someone had thrown a switch. Hugh, Ellis and I all had to use full speedbar to keep from going backwards. At about 1300 agl, while on almost full speedbar, I hit some huge turbulence and had a full collapse. I released the speedbar and the canopy immediately re-inflated. I still had to use speedbar to make my way out front and landed in the primary after an hour and forty minute flight. It was active flying all the way to the ground. But calm in the LZ once on the ground. Ellis made it upwind of the LZ and landed in another field (almost on a shed). Karen came in next, followed by Hugh and then Gary-- all in the primary. Nelson also landed in a field further away from the ridge.
Fun day despite the excitement at the end-- but weird. Don't know if wave hit us at the end of the day or what. Maybe wave was suppressing winds at launch before shifting positions. Winchester showed NW 12-14 with gusts to 20+ all day when it was calm at launch.
Matthew
Nelson, Andrew, Gary, Ellis, Matthew, Karen, David, Charlie and I showed up to investigate the conditions at Woodstock Saturday. The forecasts had been making monkeys out of us for a couple of days. Conditions were light at 1 PM and Ellis and I had extendos on PG. Tom C. called and said both Winchester and Stauntaon had OBSERVATIONS of 25 while we were experiencing 5 or less on launch. David launched and had a very creditable soaring thermal flight - especially since he is flying without a vario - a new recruit to the Bacil Luddite Society. Nelson launched and beamed up. Matthew, Charlie and I launched PG: I had a 15 minute flight but Matthew and Charlie stuck. Gary launched sometime in here. I wadded up my wing and stuffed it in the back of my car, so Ellis and I could get in one more flight as conditions had improved. Meanwhile Karen launched on HG and was having a great flight in this gorgeous 30-mile visibility late afternoon. I launched at 5:10 and got right up to 900 over launch. The breeze had picked up but I was able to penetrate reliably. We kept visiting launch, anxious for Ellis to join us. After one abort caused by losing her footing on launch, Ellis took off, but seemed to be headed straight out. I figured this was some new technique she had learned in Bulgaria. Then I noticed I was parked, maybe even going backwards, and climbing. I engaged full speed bar while climbing to 1800 over and remained that way for perhaps 20 minutes, making no progress toward the LZ. Matthew had used speed bar to descend and was headed for the LZ when he took a massive collapse at 1300 feet above the LZ, but recovered immediately with little loss of altitude. Ellis went further upwind and landed in a field beyond the McMansion that's for sale, narrowly missing a rusty shed (I'm sure there's a moral in this somewhere). Karen had a stellar landing; I finally descended and got enough traction to make it out to the LZ for another of my patented faceplant landings. I also had a momentary wingtip collapse while on speed bar, but it self-corrected immediately. Gary arrived in style, while Nelson landed out near the Woodstock public works and refused a ride so he could run back up to launch to retrieve his vehicle (!!!!). David gave several of us body rides back up - AND, let the record reflect, provided his observer with beer - good stuff, too! Matthew, Karen, Ellis, and I celebrated with dinner at the Strasburg Inn and caravaned back to DC. - Hugh
Pulpit Pulpit Pulpit
I'm feeling the pull towards the Pulpit.... anyone else????
Matthew
Matthew
On the way.....
Pulpit ETA 11:45am EST
Hugh and Dan are also on the road.
Visiting H2 JJ Cote will arrive at about 2:15.
Matthew
Hugh and Dan are also on the road.
Visiting H2 JJ Cote will arrive at about 2:15.
Matthew