Pulpit Thursday?

[rasmussenv]

Right now it looks a little on the light side but in a good direction, and Pulpit seems to blow harder than forecast. Also the thermal projections on nostepper for Thursday are really good. I am free that day and would love to go if there are others planning to fly ... I'd go elsewhere as well, as long as it looks good for my falcon.

[XCanytime]

I'm on board now that the updated forecast direction doesn't have any north in it like before. Bacil

[jyoder111]

I'm interested. Bacil, are you able to observe? Keep me posted. Thanks,
Jesse

[XCanytime]

No problem. I should get there around 10A. Bacil

[jyoder111]

eta 10am.

[silverwings]

It does look good so I will be there also. Probably put up a windsock in the primary around 11:30.

[rasmussenv]

I think I'm closer to John's time-table, maybe a little earlier, but definitely plan to be there.

[Ward Odenwald]

Conditions are still looking good! Should be there around 10. Ward

[carweill]

I hope someone is flying right know

Pulpit forecast at launch NW 10mph

Ceiling 8000ft

Have fun

Carlos

[mingram]

Carlos, where do you look to find the ceiling? I assume that means top of lift. Altoona airport is reporting cloudbase at 6000 ft. at 3pm.

It always seems to be stronger on launch than any surface observations we look at. Altoona hourly observations showed NW at 13mph at 1pm and back down to 9mph at 3pm. I'm interested to hear how it was on launch.

Matt

[XCanytime]

Got to the Pulpit just before 10:30A to find Jesse and Ward setting up. The sky was filling in nicely, and a pronounced north cross on the pad. Took our time setting up as Valerie showed and she and Jesse met up with John Middleton in the LZ to drop cars. It picked up at launch to sometimes 12 to 18 MPH on the pad and straight in. Decided to give it a go just after 12 noon. The sky looked magnificent, with cloud streets galore. North cross on the ridge again like on 8/2, and about the same 20 minute flight occurred with a landing this time at the back of the main LZ right next to John's windsock. Ward launched soon after I landed and got up and went OTB for about a 15 miler to the MD border. Jesse launched after him and stair-stepped his way to cloudbase with no vario or altimeter. I watched Jesse drive between 2 huge clouds right above the main LZ stinking high. John came down and got me so I could help him and Valerie take off. Valerie launched with our assistance from the pad and got up. Jesse showed up from his chilling flight and he and I helped John launch from the pad. John got up so I had Jesse help me with my second launch. I got up and stair-stepped up to 1600' over near the VOR. Wanted just a bit more to go OTB but didn't get it. A flush cycle claimed John down by Rt. 16, but I somehow survived right out in front of launch. For the next hour the air was downright nasty, as I struggled to keep the glider on an even keel with the PG pilots who had just arrived stuck on the ground watching. After beating myself up for an hour, decided to just fly out into the valley and see what happened. The air was much more pleasant and buoyant. Got a couple of climbs up to 800' over near the golf course. Ended up landing next to the Shady Spring Farm house on Union Church Road, between Rt. 522 and 7th Street. Ward came and got me after Jesse retrieved him from his nice XC flight to the Mason-Dixon Line. Back at launch the PG pilots were hoping for conditions to back off, but when I left at 7P it was still gusting up to 20 MPH on the new ramp. Bacil

[carweill]

Matt,
I looked at weather.nostepper.com and check the soundings at the site. This was only the forecast.
It is typically reliable for Pulpit at launch, but it doesn't seem today was one of those.

At least some people flew

Carlos

[rasmussenv]

An addendum to Bacil's writeup - all the HGs that set up got at least one flight. After helping to launch Bacil, Ward and Jesse, my first flight was after Bacil got back, and only lasted 28 minutes - I had seen Jesse way up high well away from the ridge, and there were good thermals, so I was hoping to see the sights he must have seen but never made it very high at all. After landing, when I'd packed and loaded my glider, I saw Bacil and John soaring and thought they'd be there a while (as Bacil was), so headed back up to get another flight. There were several PG pilots at launch - but not other HGs. Bacil (I thought it was John, one day I'll keep track of whose glider is what color) kept flying by over / in front of launch as I assembled. The PG folk said he seemed to be waiting for me, but when I launched he'd disappeared.

I launched my 2d flight at about 4:35pm. There was a good but not intimidating breeze (PGs reported it regularly gusted up to about 18). The PGs said they had helped launch HGs before and graciously offered to help me off. Alex and ? (I'm sorry - can't remember the other PG on a wing) and Laszlo helped me up to the pad. Just as the nose man moved back, Jerry a long-time HG pilot, showed up and took the keel, and I had an easy one step take off. This flight lasted one hour 36 minutes. I spent all of it alone, most of it just a few hundred over launch, but there were periodic great cycles and I got as high as 3400 (total, not above launch). After landing about 6:15 I packed up the glider. By the time I got back to launch all the HG were gone, but the PG were hanging onto hopes - although they'd seen gusts up to 20 while I was in flight and things still felt a bit strong to them. They weren't happy with how late (beyond 5) the higher winds were continuing. As I drove off from retrieving a windsock from the 2dary, I saw a PG launch at 7:50pm. That was all that long before sunset - not sure if the others got off for short flights or not.

[jyoder111]

Bacil pretty much summed it up. Beautiful day, clear skies, good company. I achieved my highest flight so far- really enjoyed seeing the geography of the ridges and valley from up high. It's cold up there! Landed in the secondary as that's where my vehicle was. LZ was very turbulent and I rode it all the way to the ground. Glad I have wheels. I'll post the video later.

Thanks to John Middleton for observing and thanks to Ward for letting me get more manual practice in his stick shift. I think I'm ready to get that sign-off.

Valerie, you were still in the air when I left. How'd it go?

Jesse

[jyoder111]

doh, posted before I saw your post, Valerie.

[jyoder111]

Gopro camera fogged up a bit at higher altitude, but I'm pleased that it wasn't totally obscured.

Jesse

[deveil]

dang, you were so high you could actually see the curvature of the earth at one point!

[rasmussenv]

Nice Jesse! As I'd said, watching from below I was wondering about the views you had. Now I know! Nice changing of perspective. What a flight! I'm glad you had your camera on this one!

[XCanytime]

Awesome video Jesse. Breathtaking and poignant. What's really awesome is that you climbed to base with nothing but your senses, as unfettered as the birds. You will remember this flight for a long time. Bacil

[Ward Odenwald]

Soaring conditions last Thursday at the Pulpit were good, but only if you were lucky enough to be in the air at the right time. While the ~10 mph north cross during the first part of the day (10AM until ~ 2PM) did not produce any significant ridge lift, by noon the thermal activity was abundant. Based on what others experienced, I believe that Jesse and I saw more of the up air above the ridge than everyone else. Right after takeoff (~12:30), I flew into what appeared to be a large disorganized thermal(s) with multiple small cores ~ 100 yards south of launch and extending to almost halfway to the rt 16 tower. Some of the cores were extremely strong giving me 1000 ft/min up or more during most of a 360 degree turn. The lift was so good that by 10 minutes into the flight I was at 4,800 MSL and headed OTB. My flight plan was to fly SE once I was over the valley. After leaving the ridge, I found the next decent thermal over the James Buchanan HS track. However, this thermal and the others that I found in the valley only produced between 100 to 200 ft./min climb rates with my highest valley climb to 3,500 MSL about 2 miles SE of Mercersburg. The flight lasted an hour and I landed at the same dairy farm that I had put down in last October ~14.5 miles from takeoff near Clear Springs MD. Half of Jonas Eby’s farm is in PA and the other half in MD. While Jesse was on his way to pick me up (Thanks Jesse), Jonas gave me the grand tour of his milking operation that he and his son operate. I was really impressed with the farming equipment and the fact that just two farmers could raise over 150 cows and milk 100 of them twice a day. Here are some photos of the flight. Ward

[Ward Odenwald]

Next set of 5.

[Ward Odenwald]

Next set.

[Ward Odenwald]

Last set.

[sailin]

Just got back in town and was catching up on what I missed in the air while I was gone......

this looked like a fun day to be out flying!!!! Nice flying everyone! Sweet video Jesse!!! nice flight!

jon