Woodstock 5/10

[XCanytime]

Looks like it might be a good day Sunday at Woodstock. Bit of a west cross early and strong, but should be nice later in the PM. I'll be staying in Strasburg overnight Saturday night, so I'll bring the glider to hopefully fly after a Mother's Day brunch in the AM. Any others interested???

Bacil

[mcelrah]

Interested! I've got the duty t the sailplane club in Front Royal on Saturday, so it may work out... - Hugh

[RedBaron]

Yep!

[davidtheamazing1]

I'm interested... maybe I'll bring my mother

[tdilisio]

yep... Interested here.

[pink_albatross]

Maybe we should bring some flowers to decorate launch. Order a catered brunch. For all the mothers who let their sons and daughters fly.
Mothers can take the flowers home with them after.
Maybe a mandoline player stationed on that rock to serenade us...
Decorate the HGs with festive ribbons.

Actually, considering that it might not be flyable until later, we probably can do a tea party instead of a brunch

[markc]

Got a bit of a reprieve on the timing of work issues on Monday, so it looks like
I can do a Woodstock day on Sunday, even if the SW->W switch happens relatively
late in the day. So count me in!!!

MarkC

[Matthew]

As my mother always says, "Mother's day is a b*llsh*t holiday made up by Hallmark!"

So, we'll be there.

Matthew

[Gene]

Pretty funny Mathew. But I have to be at my Mother In laws house with kids. We have to muster and be present and accounted for, like a mother Duck checking her ducklings. Those not present have to hear about it for a year until next muster. Have fun and hope you soar all day. Oh yea, with card in hand from Hallmark.

[dbodner]

Looks like Mother's Day is being celebrated Saturday in our parts, so I'm a definite maybe for Woodstock on Sunday.

[mcelrah]

Coming back from Front royal today Saturday (only three flights, called the day for strong gusts) I saw a bright silver Rav4 with a ladder and new Wills Wing glider cover going west on 66... Who? - Hugh

[silverwings]

Looks too windy for teaching but great for Woodstock. Count me in. Anybody want to hook up at the LZ 12:30 ish let me know. (202) 409-2574 c

[DanTuck]

I'm in.
I plan to arrive in the LZ around 12:30. See you there.

[carweill]

Woodstock bound

Carlos

[XCanytime]

Had a flight today that I will remember for a long time. Got to the mountain just before 2P, finding 3 cars in the parking lot. Then everybody started rolling in. The list of pilots at the mountain included Janni, Mark C., Hugh, Tony, Steve, Pete, Dave B., Dave C., Gary, Bruce, Matthew and Karen, John M., Kathy C., and a Hang II with Matthew. Carlos and Krzyzstof were in the air and joined shortly by Janni, Mark, Hugh, and Tony. I launched at 3PM, waiting for it to go light in the slot. Lots of air swirling around. Got clear of the mountain and elevatored up a few hundred. The goal today was to try to land at the North Mountain Winery across I-81 NW of Maurertown. It's about 5 miles upwind. Got up to across from Maurertown and gained to 4K' MSL. Started out towards Maurertown but hit lots of sink. Headed back to the mountain and headed up to opposite Southfork. Got up to 5K' MSL and started slogging slowly upwind in a nice lift line, heading to the west. Got to I-81 and spied the winery. Was at 4300' MSL and couldn't find any sink. So now I'm looking for sink, thinking that I easily had the field next to the winery made. Finally found some and got down to 3K' MSL and now I'm bucking a severe headwind and I may not make the field next to the winery. Very turbulent, but I ended up landing in the far NE end of the field next to the winery. The grass was very high, but I knew that since I had scouted the field attending the 11A to 1P slot of the Mother's Day brunch there. Was treated like a conquering hero by the 1P to 3P Mother's Day brunch attendees at the winery. The owner of the winery, a former skydiver and pilot himself, treated me to some wine straight out of the tanks where I broke down the glider in the wind shadow. My wife and daughter were glad to see me. It was honking out of the WSW in the field, and carrying over to the winery building was very difficult. Would like to hear what the other pilots thought of the air today at Woodstock. Some pics should follow.

Bacil

[XCanytime]

View of the winery at the lower left, just above the leftmost bare field.

View of Rt. 11 and I-81, looking SW

View of the Toms Brook exit on I-81.

[XCanytime]

Broken down in the wind shadow at the back of the winery.

The landing field next to the winery. I landed just behind the hump in the middle.

[DanTuck]

I arrived in the LZ around 1:00 and rode up with John M, Tony, and Hugh - thanks John. I launched at about 4 during a lull and hit strong lift as soon as I cleared the slot. I turned right and then the fun began. I was getting tossed all over the place possibly due to the West cross and a rotor from the finger to the left of launch?? I'm not sure but there was no way I was getting anywhere close to the ridge. And just like that I was in sink. Strong sink. I got down about 300' below launch and turned to head to the LZ when I got a beep. I kept the turn going and the beeps kept going. I dared to creep in a little closer to the ridge, then a little closer. The lift got strong but smooth and before I knew it I was 1,800' over launch. Sorry, Matthew, I could hear you calling me on the radio, but the radio was in my harness (no PTT) and I couldn't let go of the basetube. When I finally did, and got the radio out, I changed the channel. Durrrrrrr. I'll learn how to lock it. Up over the ridge the air was not really rowdy, although I did have a couple of twangs, but I found a lot of strong lift and strong sink. My vario only shows 400 fpm up and down but there were several occasions where it was pegged for a couple seconds, both up and down. There were also times when the velocity was about as much as the Falcon could take. Unfortunately I couldn't stay with any thermals for long because they were drifting fast and just a few turns would put me on top of the ridge. Today was not a day for me to get caught behind it. So I flew for a little over an hour, working the SW sides of the fingers and then decided to land. Had a nice approach and got popped just a little on final but kept it together and flared for a no step landing at the crest of the hill. There was still a bunch of pilots on launch when I left. Hope everyone got to fly. It was great to get some more experience in stronger conditions and well worth the drive. Video tomorrow.

[Matthew]

Yes. It did finally back off enough at 6:45 to launch hang 2s Kathy and Greg. The rest of us hangies got to fly too-- Karen, David B., David C, Gary, Joe S. It was baby-butt smooth with the end of the day magic air-- smoothest air I've flown in in a half dozen years. Big thanks to Ellis, Marc, John M., and Tony for coming back up to help us launch. Got a little over an hour and 2K over.

Matthew

[davidtheamazing1]

Amazing day, good crowd. Wind was gusty all day, with freight trains coming through throughout the afternoon. As predicted by the noon forecast, at 6pm the gust factor backed off. It was strong but steady and smooth all evening. I found great lift over the finger to the right... must have gotten at least 1000 over and had to dive to come down by sunset.

Everybody flew today and had great flights including Greg, our newest H2. We even had 1 PG pilot... although he ended up landing over the back.

[davidtheamazing1]

PS. Bacil, love your "mission" for the day. That sounds very cool. It must have been hard with such a strong headwind.

[mcelrah]

Congratulations, Bacil - and to all who hit personal milestones! It was "sporty" when I launched at 2:30 - and sportier still in the LZ when I landed at 3:20. In between was OK to 1900 above launch - enjoyed seeing an immature bald eagle chasing Carlos out front. I had a hard deadline for my son's voice recital at 6 PM, was rolling from the LZ at 4:15, but hit multiple traffic jams all the way home. Arrived an hour late - but he was in the last half of the program, so I wasn't in the doghouse. For the place where eastbound 66 narrows to one lane (before Markham), I was able to bail to route 55 and beat the slow roll... - Hugh

[hepcat1989]

.

[stevek]

Half-assed xc. Got to 5500 over (7500 msl) a few fingers north. Didn't know what to do with it so flew over to Dickey Ridge. Lift in the valley so still had 5500 over when I got there. Now what? Didn't want to go into the mountains because I suspected that it was blowing stink. Didn't want to land Dickey Ridge for the same reason. So flew out x wind and landed next to 66 . Thank you Joe and Zelda for picking up Pete from the north point who picked me up.

[RedBaron]

Launched around 1.30 and flew in the roughest air I have flown my Litespeed yet. I had slack wires and a slack hang strap so many times, it was making me sick. Then I got kicked out of a boomer that had me dive vertically to the ground for a second, of course all this after I lowered my sprogs. I seriously thought I was going to be the first idiot who tumbled a glider out of specs on the East coast. All that set the tone for my flight, I hated every second of it.
I flew for 3.5 hours only because I was too scared to land in such rough conditions. Watching others put it down in the primary wasn't a real confidence boost either. With a cramp on my upper thigh and having to pee really bad (can't do it anymore aloft, my leg loop buckle sits tight right over my fly) I couldn't hold in any longer and went for the bridge field. Coming down was a nightmare, too, getting my ass kicked all the way into ground effect.
I had never been happier being on the ground.