Quite the crowd at Woodstock. Lots of weather changes. Something for everyone. A lot of taking down and setting back up. Carrying gliders back and forth. Hang gliders doubled as shelters Multiple sled rides after some wild weather passed. Even the cows got involved by knocking down and munching on the wind sock.
Thanks to John Middleton for observing us.
How about tomorrow?????
Jim Hodges
Woodstock
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
-
Jim Hodges
- Posts: 23
- Joined: Sat Feb 26, 2005 8:44 pm
- Location: Neersville (Purcellville, Hillsboro) VA
Saturday Weather
More details PLEASE!
It was a weird day out on the bay. Got underway at noon from Deale with ENE winds, switching to E to light and variable and back to NE and even some SW. Our course was pretty much due North to NNE. We ran out of wind at 3:00 and were about to turn on the motor when BAM! The wind picked up out of the NW at solid 15+. We tacked back and forth, heeled all of the way over, into the West River and finished the day with a great sail. Did things turn on anywhere else at around 3:00pm?
Matthew
It was a weird day out on the bay. Got underway at noon from Deale with ENE winds, switching to E to light and variable and back to NE and even some SW. Our course was pretty much due North to NNE. We ran out of wind at 3:00 and were about to turn on the motor when BAM! The wind picked up out of the NW at solid 15+. We tacked back and forth, heeled all of the way over, into the West River and finished the day with a great sail. Did things turn on anywhere else at around 3:00pm?
Matthew
Re: Woodstock
Now THAT'S an understatement!Jim Hodges wrote: Lots of weather changes.
Conditions were pretty light when we arrived, and we watched a couple people sled down. The wind picked up a bit by the time I launched, and was actually fantastic - it seemed like there was lift everywhere. It was my first soaring flight, and what a fantastic feeling that is! I cruised around along the ridge for 15 minutes or so, getting higher and higher with the vario making that lovely, high-pitch twirping sound. I think I've heard the term "brain-dead soarable" and that seems to be a pretty good description, because I really didn't have to DO anything in particular to find lift. Stay in next to the ridge - go up. Go away from the ridge - go up. North - up. South - up. Awesome!
I definitely could have stayed up a lot longer, but we heard coming in that the forecast was for some severe weather, so I put it down after about 20 mintes. A couple gliders had launched after me and they were having a grand old time - getting WAY up there. So - break down and try it again!
By the time we got back up top, a few more folks had arrived and set up, but the weather was looking worse. We had a few showers come through, and there looked to be some really nasty rain headed this way. A lot of folks started breaking down, but a few of us stuck around to see what happened. That's when the "lots of weather changes" really came into play.
The big and nasty looking rain cloud came by and hit us, but it really turned out to be a fairly mild shower. Then BLAM. Sunshine. Like - NOT A SINGLE CLOUD IN THE SKY - kinda sunshine. Like something out of a Cecil B. DeMille film...completely bizarre! The only problem was that the wind was gone (as in COMPLETELY gone...barely a trickle at launch).
So my second flight of the day was a lot shorter. Found a few spots of really weak lift - enough to make a few passes, but that's about it. (Come on vario, make the sound...MAKE THE SOUND!). Alas, it was not to be, so off to the LZ I went.
All in all, a great day. (Any day not spent at ground level is worth it to me!)
--Chris
Re: Woodstock
Let the record show - that was NOT me this time!Jim Hodges wrote:Even the cows got involved by knocking down and munching on the wind sock.
They REALLY wanted to eat that windsock too. People had to chase them away contantly - how bizarre! Hmmm...I guess if I ate grass all day, I'd find nylon appetizing too...
Woodstock
Congratulations, Chris, on your first soaring flight! Sure makes all
the effort worthwhile, doesn't it? - Hugh
On 9 May 2005, at 08:45, cdonahue wrote:
> Jim Hodges wrote:
> Lots of weather changes.
>
>
> Now THAT'S an understatement!
>
> Conditions were pretty light when we arrived, and we watched a couple
> people sled down. The wind picked up a bit by the time I launched, and
> was actually fantastic - it seemed like there was lift everywhere. It
> was my first soaring flight, and what a fantastic feeling that is!
the effort worthwhile, doesn't it? - Hugh
On 9 May 2005, at 08:45, cdonahue wrote:
> Jim Hodges wrote:
> Lots of weather changes.
>
>
> Now THAT'S an understatement!
>
> Conditions were pretty light when we arrived, and we watched a couple
> people sled down. The wind picked up a bit by the time I launched, and
> was actually fantastic - it seemed like there was lift everywhere. It
> was my first soaring flight, and what a fantastic feeling that is!
Woodstock
Chris;
Way to go on that soaring flight!? Ain’t it sumthin’ else up there?!?!? And it was good to see you again - at the mountains now instead of the training hills!? -Linda B.
?
?
From: cdonahue [mailto:chris@mrdiabolo.net]
Sent: Monday, May 09, 2005 8:45 AM
To: hg_forum@chgpa.org
Subject: Woodstock
?
Jim Hodges wrote:
Lots of weather changes.
Now THAT'S an understatement!
Conditions were pretty light when we arrived, and we watched a couple people sled down. The wind picked up a bit by the time I launched, and was actually fantastic - it seemed like there was lift everywhere. It was my first soaring flight, and what a fantastic feeling that is! I cruised around along the ridge for 15 minutes or so, getting higher and higher with the vario making that lovely, high-pitch twirping sound. I think I've heard the term "brain-dead soarable" and that seems to be a pretty good description, because I really didn't have to DO anything in particular to find lift. Stay in next to the ridge - go up. Go away from the ridge - go up. North - up. South - up. Awesome!
I definitely could have stayed up a lot longer, but we heard coming in that the forecast was for some severe weather, so I put it down after about 20 mintes. A couple gliders had launched after me and they were having a grand old time - getting WAY up there. So - break down and try it again!
By the time we got back up top, a few more folks had arrived and set up, but the weather was looking worse. We had a few showers come through, and there looked to be some really nasty rain headed this way. A lot of folks started breaking down, but a few of us stuck around to see what happened. That's when the "lots of weather changes" really came into play.
The big and nasty looking rain cloud came by and hit us, but it really turned out to be a fairly mild shower. Then BLAM. Sunshine. Like - NOT A SINGLE CLOUD IN THE SKY - kinda sunshine. Like something out of a Cecil B. DeMille film...completely bizarre! The only problem was that the wind was gone (as in COMPLETELY gone...barely a trickle at launch).
So my second flight of the day was a lot shorter. Found a few spots of really weak lift - enough to make a few passes, but that's about it. (Come on vario, make the sound...MAKE THE SOUND!). Alas, it was not to be, so off to the LZ I went.
All in all, a great day. (Any day not spent at ground level is worth it to me!)
--Chris
<![if !supportLineBreakNewLine]> <![endif]>
Way to go on that soaring flight!? Ain’t it sumthin’ else up there?!?!? And it was good to see you again - at the mountains now instead of the training hills!? -Linda B.
?
?
From: cdonahue [mailto:chris@mrdiabolo.net]
Sent: Monday, May 09, 2005 8:45 AM
To: hg_forum@chgpa.org
Subject: Woodstock
?
Jim Hodges wrote:
Lots of weather changes.
Now THAT'S an understatement!
Conditions were pretty light when we arrived, and we watched a couple people sled down. The wind picked up a bit by the time I launched, and was actually fantastic - it seemed like there was lift everywhere. It was my first soaring flight, and what a fantastic feeling that is! I cruised around along the ridge for 15 minutes or so, getting higher and higher with the vario making that lovely, high-pitch twirping sound. I think I've heard the term "brain-dead soarable" and that seems to be a pretty good description, because I really didn't have to DO anything in particular to find lift. Stay in next to the ridge - go up. Go away from the ridge - go up. North - up. South - up. Awesome!
I definitely could have stayed up a lot longer, but we heard coming in that the forecast was for some severe weather, so I put it down after about 20 mintes. A couple gliders had launched after me and they were having a grand old time - getting WAY up there. So - break down and try it again!
By the time we got back up top, a few more folks had arrived and set up, but the weather was looking worse. We had a few showers come through, and there looked to be some really nasty rain headed this way. A lot of folks started breaking down, but a few of us stuck around to see what happened. That's when the "lots of weather changes" really came into play.
The big and nasty looking rain cloud came by and hit us, but it really turned out to be a fairly mild shower. Then BLAM. Sunshine. Like - NOT A SINGLE CLOUD IN THE SKY - kinda sunshine. Like something out of a Cecil B. DeMille film...completely bizarre! The only problem was that the wind was gone (as in COMPLETELY gone...barely a trickle at launch).
So my second flight of the day was a lot shorter. Found a few spots of really weak lift - enough to make a few passes, but that's about it. (Come on vario, make the sound...MAKE THE SOUND!). Alas, it was not to be, so off to the LZ I went.
All in all, a great day. (Any day not spent at ground level is worth it to me!)
--Chris
<![if !supportLineBreakNewLine]> <![endif]>