Woodstock 5/4

[XCanytime]

Got the day off. Hopefully the rain will have moved out by then and it's not too strong. Bacil

[Roger]

Me too, fingers crossed.

[sailin]

I'm in!!!! Watching, hoping, praying, wanting..........

Jon

[Roger]

I'll likely come. I have streamers if needed, for the lz. Noon-ish arrival.

[pch]

May be good. ETA noon-ish too.
Peter H.
72037

[Roger]

Do I need to bring streamers for the LZ? Still planning noon-ish.

[sailin]

ETA 1100...gonna be a wet drive out there.....

Jon

[rasmussenv]

I've tried to PM Bacil yesterday about 5 and just now, but both are sitting in my 'outbox', not my 'sent box' - so I guess he didn't get them. Something wrong with the site?

Anyway, talked to Jon (who has my cell), he said Bacil told him yesterday he'd be there, so I'll be heading out in about 30 - will check the board one last time before I leave ... no point in going if there will be no observer, tho.

[Joe Schad]

I am thinking Thursday may be a better choice. Not ruling out today but it is cold, wet and overcast at the moment and upper levels look a little on the high side.

Joe

[rasmussenv]

Tomorrow is no good for me - hope Bacil calls Jon if he can't make it, and Jon will call me.

But! I'm still thinking it might be fine. I've been happy to get a few flights at Ridgley, but I'd love to get my first mountain flight of 2011 - this spring has been tough!

So I'm loaded up and heading out in the next couple of minutes.

[pch]

My wife had a car accident today so I can't make it.
Peter H.

[XCanytime]

Got the day off. Hopefully the rain will have moved out by then and it's not too strong. Bacil

Well we were 2 for 2 for part of the day. Got there around 11:10A just after Jon and Amy. Drove in rain for over an hour till I got to Frederick. The sky was looking good and the conditions were light to moderate. We quickly set up as Roger, Rich Hiegel, and Valerie Rasmussen arrived. Rich, Roger, and I helped Jon launch at 12:30P for his first mountain flight in the Sport2 he just acquired. I launched quickly after Jon and we dolphin flew in ample lift to the NE with the plan of maybe trying to make Front Royal Airport. By the time we got to near the reservoir the lift disappeared and I got drilled to below the ridge in a strong north cross. Jon stayed a few hundred above the ridge and followed me back as I struggled below the ridge heading back towards launch. After a mile or so of screaming across the trees with a strong quartering tailwind, I found some lift that got me back up above the ridge and beyond. We made it back to launch, and Jon expressed an interest in landing soon since he was still fresh. I checked out the sock put in the main LZ (thanks Roger) and it was indicating NNE! I squawked back on the radio that we should find a nicer field to land in, and I had just the field in mind (the Karmy Airstrip). Jon followed me down to just opposite the airstrip. Flying out towards the airstrip I found some strong lift that got me to 1400' over (the highest I got) and had Jon follow me and hit the same lift. I landed first into some pretty good chop with the windsock at the airstrip facing NW. John landed a few minutes after me in some major turbulence. He landed pretty gracefully considering the conditions. Amy found us easily, and Roger ended up landing with us later on after many trips to cloudbase at 5300' MSL. Rich DNF and came to pick up Roger. As we drove back to launch we found Gary Smith by the bridge field after an hour long flight where he made cloudbase a few times as well and got beat up some following a street out to 81. We gave him a body ride up. Back at launch at 5:30P it was cranking, and turkey vultures were showing 20 knots of wind 50' above the slot. Valerie DNF and broke down on top. Jon, Amy, and I stopped at the Strasburg Hotel Bar for some food and drink, and Joe Schad dropped by with the hint we were there since we parked in front of his house . Bacil

[sailin]

Super day at Woodstock!!! My second cross country flight and first outlanding!!!! Unfortunately have to keep this post short because I have to be up for work in about 5 hours........which is probably good for you because I could go on and on and on!!!!
Amy and I arrived at launch at about 11am to really nice cycles coming straight in. After being in rain for most of the ride out it was nice to be standing at launch looking at blue holes in the sky and big puffy clouds.
Bacil arrived just after me and we both got set up and ready to go. Also in attendance was Valerie, Roger (from NC) and Rich H. Gary Smith showed up and flew later.
I was first off the mountain and had no trouble getting up right away. Bacil was off not long after and we headed to Signal Knob in a pretty decent northerly headwind. Bacil had mentioned the possibility of doing a follow the leader over to the Front Royal airstrip but as we got to Signal Knob the north cross had shut down the ridge lift and all there was to be found was sink. We got pretty low and headed back SW down the ridge into some welcomed thermals and ridge lift. After an hour I was thinking about landing, wanting to be on top of my game for my first mountain landing in the S2, so I radioed to Bacil what I was thinking. The wind sock in the main LZ was showing a NE cross so Bacil suggested we look for a better option......I was in. We flew several more miles down the ridge toward a private airstrip that Bacil knew about. It's a pretty decent glide out into the valley so we worked some thermals for the needed altitude before heading out there. I had the hardest time spotting where this little airstrip was at first.....think a green field with ponds, amongst MANY green fields with ponds I finally spotted it with some descriptive radio traffic from Bacil and a confirming wind sock that I could see.
We knew things were going to be turbulent on the ground and they certainly were. Bacil landed first and then me not long behind him. I can honestly say this was my most wild ride down into an LZ yet. It was literally a rodeo ride there for a couple seconds as I got tossed and turned multiple different ways. I finally got the wings level and the glider headed in the right direction and ended up landing on my feet (running it out).WHEWY!!! Exciting ride!!!
It was an AWESOME day.....1.5 hours of fun flying!!! The sky was beautiful and it felt so great flying my new wing!!! A BIG thanks to Bacil for showing me the XC ropes and working to teach me the craft!! Thank you!! Going XC is amazing!!! Thank you to you Amy for picking us up and taking those cool pictures...you are VERY appreciated!!
Will attempt to post some pics taken by the wonderful Amy.

[sailin]

some photos of the dat taken by the talented Amy!

[sailin]

Some more

[RichH]

It was great meeting everyone at Woodstock yesterday..Hope to be flying with all of you soon..RIch

[carweill]

Good pictures. Nice work Jon.

Carlos

[Roger]

It seems the post from my phone is no longer here?

It was a great day at WS. I was lucky to fly in smooth conditions the whole flight except for the landing pattern. Mostly a cloud flying day, I almost made it to 81 three times flying cloud streets, just as I would get there, the street would end. Progress upwind was slow because of the 15-20 mph headwind. Jumping between streets was tricky. Massive sink between. Could've been a 100 mile day, I made it 4. Glad to land after 1.5 hrs because of a slight left turn in my glider. My shoulders were shot!

Many thanks for launch assistance to Vallerie, Amy, and Rich. As always, thanks for the Bacil-Cast, Bacil. Keep up the good work! Also Bacil, thanks for the lz info, having you there surely took the anxiety away (fences). And thank you Rich for the company on the drive up and the retrieve. I hope the drive up the mountain road to launch didn't scare to many years off your life

[Roger]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot.


CONGRATULATIONS Jon on your first out landing / XC!!!!!

Wooo hoooooo!!!! gotta love Woodstock!

[jyoder111]

Congrats Jon and everyone. Man, I'm jealous.

[uplandann]

Carlos, Glad your wife is okay. I guess she was a bit shaken up. Cars are replaceable.

Geat job, Jon!