Woodstock Thursday 21st

[sailin]

Hi everybody,
How does Woodstock look to better trained eyes on Thursday the 21st. I am seeing 15-20 out of the West. If that is a flyable forecast for Woodstock then is anybody available to fly and observe me that day???

thanks,
Jon

[brianvh]

A 45 degree cross can cause chaos in the slot, proportional to the windspeed at launch. Requires caution with on site assessment. A bored retiree may head out on that call, but nobody's gonna take time off work.

The conditions are close enough that in 2 days the forecast may change to optimal. Even odds of getting worse: check the forecast for before and after as possibilities. Check more than one weather sites to see if there's any consensus.

Here I am responding to site assessments for a place I can't possibly fly. Back to work brian!

[sailin]

Gotcha, I'll keep checking and see if the forecast improves. Thank you for the reply. The usairnet site for Winchester Rgnl Airport has the wind direction in the afternoon getting as good as 300 degrees......so maybe there is hope??
Anybody else keeping an eye on this forecast with the possibility of flying Woodstock on Thursday?

thanks,
jon

[Roger]

I'm thinking of WS Thursday too! But, I would like to get the Bacil-cast first.

Bacil?

[XCanytime]

Looks great in direction and speed after 4P. Still a bit breezy, so be safe. Enjoy! Bacil

[sailin]

Latest forecasts for Woodstock have it pretty gusty all through the afternoon....up to 40mph. That makes it slighly less than H2 Falconable Is anyone else considering ?

thanks,
Jon

[Dan T]

Jon,

Nobody in their right mind is going to attempt to fly a hangglider at Woodstock with gusts to 40 mph. There have been several posts lately about flying in uncomfortably strong conditions. One of my old HG friends was fond of saying "the rule is not the law." He meant seemingly reliable trends do not necessarily predict the future. That goes for assuming that the woodstock effect will rescue you from getting blown backwards and into the top of an 80 foot high tree too! We are all wise to leave ourselves a little more margin for error.

Dan T

[Joe Schad]

Looks too strong for Woodstock for me Thursday. Friday definitely looks more my style.

Joe

[XCanytime]

Where did you get the 40 MPH gusts? Looks like the winds will not throttle down enough until between 5P and 6P for more experienced pilots, and sunset is 6:27P. Friday does look the best now for Woodstock. However, even if you do go out tomorrow and not fly, it is still a data point and you still learn something. Yes if one flies between 2:30P and 5P chances are they are going to experience turbulence, which could range from bone-jarring to mild. As long as you fly the right speed to minimize the shock load on the glider and maintain adequate control, and always leave yourself an out, things should turn out OK. Bacil

[sailin]

Unfortunately I have to work tomorrow (Friday) so I won't be able to make it out Hope you guys have an awesome day!!! Bacil I got the 40mph gusts from the Weather Underground site for Woodstock VA. Here is a cut and paste of this mornings: Forecast for Shenandoah
Updated: 9:28 am EDT on October 21, 2010
Rest of Today
Sunny. Highs in the upper 60s...except in the lower 60s at the higher elevations. West winds 15 to 20 mph. Gusts up to 35 mph...increasing to 45 mph this afternoon.
» ZIP Code Detail
Tonight
Mostly clear. Lows in the upper 30s. Northwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts up to 40 mph...becoming west 5 to 10 mph with gusts up to 20 mph after midnight.
Friday
Sunny. Highs in the lower 60s...except in the lower 50s at the higher elevations. West winds 10 to 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph.

I was using this site along with US Airnet for Winchester Rgnl airport and Weather.com for Woodstock. The weather underground site is the only one that mentions the gusts but they are all pretty consistent with the predominant direction and speed. What sites do you guys check for Woodstock?
Hope all the pilots that get in the air tomorrow have great flights!!!,
Jon