Sunday 9/13

[Ashley Groves]

Anybody thinking of flying? Woodstock?

[markc]

Looking at bit light for Woodstock, at least at the moment. I'm thinking
maybe Pulpit or High Rock, depending on how north and how light...

MarkC

[Dan T]

The Pulpit or High Rock was my choice as well. I thought I'd check again early in the morning and maybe pack both wings.

biwingal
Dan T

[DanTuck]

I'm in for flying somewhere. I'll wait to see how things develop. So far I'm thinking Pulpit.

[tdilisio]

I'm in, too.

[Dan T]

It looks like the Pulpit is the call. Any takers? Any differing opinions?

Dan T

[carweill]

I agree. Just hope it doesn't go too much north.
Anyway I plan to head out there.

Carlos

[Dave Proctor]

Iim heading for the pulpit

Dave p

[DanTuck]

Headed to the Pulpit. ETA about 11:00

[markc]

I'm not yet sure... But thinking maybe give the Pulpit a try,
and then bail to High Rock if it's too north?

MarkC

[markc]

Ok, that's what I'm going to do, ETA at the Pulpit 11:40. Dan Tm is also
going to give it a try.

MarkC

[Ashley Groves]

After generating the thread I am going to bail. Pulpit has potential, but could be too North. Woodstock has potential, but could be too light. I'll spend a nice sunny day with the kids instead.

Good luck and happy landings!

Ashley

[DanTuck]

It's safe to say that I love my new U2.
I got to the Pulpit at 11:00 and it was definitely cross North. But there were straight in cycles, easily launchable. Tony and I decided to get set up and then drop a car in primary. While we were setting up, Carlos, Dave Proctor, Mark, and Cragin showed up. Generously, Mark offered to follow Tony and me down to the LZ so we could drop both cars, and solve the rides-up issue early. I have been looking to go over the back for a few months but didn't think it was happening because of the cross. So putting both Tony's and my car in LZ sounded perfect. Back up top, while most of us stood there considering it, Dave got suited up and launched from the new (wood) ramp. It didn't take him long to find a thermal down the ridge and get up. However, the North cross was pronounced. Making the primary was not going to be an issue... After watching the wind on the old ramp for awhile, I decided to give it a shot. I waited through a lot of cross junk and took a good cycle. I found minimal ridge lift and headed down the ridge. One thing I've learned in hang gliding is that there's no shame in following the leader. Though I couldn't respond, I could hear Dave on the radio giving me real time advice in the air. Invaluable. He told me to stay behind him and I followed him out away from the ridge. We hooked into a nice thermal and took it up maybe 1K over the ridge where we lost it. Or at least I lost it, maybe Dave just left it to make me feel better.... I followed him around for awhile in search mode but couldn't keep up on glide. That Litespeed is fast and I wasn't messing with the VG yet on the U2. He headed down toward launch and I stayed near the LZ because I was sinking. Others have mentioned and I have also noticed that on thermal days the thermals are much better out away from the ridge. This was also true just a little while earlier when I was following Dave. So at about ridge level, I headed out, hoping to find something and preparing to land if I didn't. Beep, beep, beep... What's this? I started turning and it started to turn on. Up I went and drifted back with it. By the time I was over the ridge, I was about 1,500' over. I stayed with it and drifted back, climbing all the time. By the time I was over the second ridge, I was around 2,300' over. Once again, I was plenty high to go over the back (and halfway there) but there was no one to accompany me. Unfortunately, Dave was getting hammered on the ridge at this point and I was all alone. But I had my radio and my cell phone......so I went for it. As I drifted over the third ridge, I located the High School on 75 and pointed towards it. It seemed like the perfect time to start playing with the VG so I pulled it on 3/4 and went on glide. I didn't hit anything on the way but I got there with a good 1,500' so I thought, maybe I'll make it in to Mercersburg. Over the school I blundered into a weak thermal, cut the VG back down to 1/4, and climbed up another 500' or so. Then I thought, maybe I can make it past Mercersburg! I went on glide again (more VG fun!) to the North of town and once past it found another, much nicer thermal. I climbed about 2,000' in that one and then decided to follow 416 south because it was pretty much straight downwind. I found a couple more small climbs and eventually was down to around 1,000'. There were several fields in range at that point and I picked the big one out of a few possibilities. The toughest thing for me was trying to determine the contours of the field from that high. But I could see power lines by the road and there were none in or around the field. And there were no fences that I could see. So I circled down and set up a long final. Around 3-400' I realized I was too high so I did one more turn. Mistake. There was too much wind in the valley and I ended up too far back and too low. I should have done S-turns. I immediately bailed on that field and went to one of the others that I had seen earlier. It was much smaller, back in a neighborhood. The approach was ugly but I put it down without whacking or anything. It was one of those sliding landings. I actually landed about 50 yards across the MD state line for 16 miles on my first XC. I called up launch and reported my position which I thought was a couple miles down 416. Honestly! Dan Tomlinson agreed to come get me and while I was on the phone with him, I saw the Maryland flag waving and realized where I was, more than a couple miles. Sorry, but sweet! So it was an awesome experience and I learned a valuable lesson about landing out and specifically setting up the approach. Huge thank you to Dan, I owe you one! And thank you Dave also for the in-flight advice, it really did help. Consider the umbilical cord cut!

[CraginS]

Ashley kicked this off, and we never saw him. Oh, well.
On I-270 about 11 a guy honked and waved as he saw the glider - Kevin C, with nothing on the top of his car. He motioned he was off to ride his bike.
Passed John M on I-81 and was in front of him on 58/416. He had students in the truck and three Falcons on the roof - off to Kirchner's.
While hanging out at launch we got buzzed by a damn fast sailplane heading south only a couple hundred over - had to be Danny B. Wing marking was 767. On his return leg going north, he circled right over launch several times, then on his way.
Due to rowdy windy conditions with the north cross, and lack of full wire crew, Mark C and I did not launch until well after 5:00. I went off the old ramp at 5:25, with help from Carlos, Dan Tuck, and Tony D. Thanks, guys. Had to really work in the small ift. Ended up stair stepping down, eking out 25 minutes. Was much happier with my launch this week. Landing we on a long glide, with a bit of a bump down from a high flare.
This week's video:


Pizza at Tony's on Rt 11 in Greeencastle on the way home with Mark C and Dan T. Good pizza, but no beer served. Got war stories from Dan. He has a number of them.

[Dan T]

I checked out high rock before heading over to the Pulpit. It was clearly soarable but would have required a roped in wire crew. After I finished picking Tan Tuck up, I learned that John was just down the road training some new pilots so I headed to the training hill to practice with the paraglider. A new friend that Dan Tuck and I met, Huck Richard, an old time paraglider pilot and current ultralight pilot followed me there and helped out some. Look for him on the list server in the future.

Anyway I got in some kiting practice and a couple of short low flights. Then returned to the Pulpit to watch the sunset and head out with Mark and Craig.

Craig exagerates about the war stories. They are more like politics stories which I will gladly share with anyone who is interested.

Dan
glad to be home from Baghdad

[Dave Proctor]

Great day at the Pulpit. Dan (the man) Tuck spanked on the ridge and went OTB (good job and congratulations). I got high initially but elected to head back for another, hoping Dan would get up and go with me. I got drilled while Dan disappeared. I struggled on the ridge for a long time, getting down to about 500' over the LZ before I hooked a good one. Stuck with it, topped out just over 5K msl before going on glide towards Mercersburg. Decided to try something different, go around Hagerstown to the West. Just kept going South til I was past the airport, then I could go a little more downwind. TonyD had agreed to chase me, so I was lucky to have the luxury of a retrieve. I crossed rte 70 just west of 81. Had to decide if I wanted to glide across the Potomac into WV or stay in MD. Decided to stick with MD for ease of retrieve. I was 6 miles south of rte 70 right over 65 and still had 2K but all the fields for too many miles were in crop, so I just circled the last field trying to get back up, no luck. Landed, total straightline distance 30.3 Miles. A big thanks to TonyD for the generous retrieve. I owe you one.

DaveP

[tomceunen]

Some of us where at Woodstock including Steve and Larry.
We had to wait till almost 4pm to get out of the shade and those no wind conditions. Big clouds blocked of heating of the valley, winds NNW.
But passed 4PM, once in the air it was sweet, cloudbase at 6000ft. I flew to 211 east of Luray and landed next to the Shenandoah park office.
The valley was working nice but all was pushed into the shenandoah park which is difficult to jump at the 211.
The others soared till well after 6pm.
Cheers,
Tom