Hi everybody

[FallingWithStyle]

I wanted to say hello and introduce myself.

I'm Judy, and I spent a good bit of July in Utah running off the South side of Point of the Mountain. I ended up with a P-2 rating and a broken wrist (pretty well healed now, flew 37 times with it fractured and untreated).

I finally got my gear, and am anxious to fly again. I'm a little bit nervous because there are TREES here, but I know that once my feet leave the ground, I'll be fine.

I live in Gettysburg, PA, not too terribly far from Bill's Hill and Pulpit, but I understand that paradriving is an integral part of the sport, so I'll go pretty much anywhere. I'm sorry to have missed the flying last weekend, but I was in the Poconos, camping and freezing my butt off.

What I lack in paragliding skill, I more than make up for in enthusiasm. I'm excited to meet everyone, and hope that an outing suitable for a brand spanking new P-2 pilot will happen soon.

[hang_pilot]

Hi, Judy-

Welcome to our little corner of free flying heaven!

You might want to check out some helpful hints for working with observers the club has posted here: http://chgpa.org/Education/h2p2_guide.html#Golden.

Paraglider pilots post flying plans on this forum but also to a separate list, dmv_pg@yahoo.com, that you might want to join as well. It may take a couple days for the list manager to approve your access.

Local PG observers include Matthew Graham, Hugh McElrath, Laszlo Lovei, Ellis Kim, Matt Ingram and Tom Ceunen. Their contact info is listed on the USHPA web site at http://www.ushpa.aero/observe.asp. Click on Virginia and Maryland. I'd say that Ellis and Matthew are currently the most active at mentoring new pilots. Don't be shy about contacting them ahead of time to introduce yourself and talk about your experience so far.

I look forward to seeing you on a mountain side soon!

Best,
Daniel

[pink_albatross]

the dmv_pg group has gone underground

[Dan T]

Hi Judy,

Our sites are considerably more technical than what you flew at Point of the Mountain. I encourage you to follow the threads on this site and watch where the other pilots are flying. Bring your gear but recognize that conditions are going to have to be suitable for a new pilot to fly any of them for the first time. Be patient,you will soon know us all and will be flying is some of the prettiest country in the East.

By the way while the dmv_pg group has been underground for months many of its members monitor and contribute to this site. Post your plans here and the PG pilots will know your whereabouts and availability. Bills hill is probably the easiest site to fly a pg in good conditions and the pulpit in ideal conditions is a close second. Bills Hill faces east. The Pulpit is best flown on a PG when the winds are fairly light from the W to WNW.

It never hurts to volunteer to drive.

Dan T

[markc]

I'll echo the welcomes from Dan, Ellis, and Daniel : Welcome to CHGPA and the mid-Atlantic!

Funny..... On some flights out west, I've felt similarly strange because of the _lack_ of trees!
When you're used to a tree-lined border around the LZ, and the altitude reference it provides,
going into a field without one can be a bit weird. So don't worry, we can relate.

We may not be able to offer the same dramatic geography as PotM, but I hope that you
can soon enjoy some flights here that are memorable in their own special way.

Cheers,

MarkC

[FallingWithStyle]

Thanks, I am looking forward to some East Coast flying. The scenery here can be beautiful - that's one reason I live in the middle of nowhere.

I completely understand that conditions have to be very good for me to fly. I learned the art of parawaiting at PotM; there were several mornings where I waited patiently for the wind to die down (it never did). If I saw HG in the air early in the morning, I knew the chance of flying was slim.

I'm up for driving. Don't mind a bit, if you guys don't mind squeezing into a Prius. If it's BH orPulpit, I'll bring my truck (F350, crew cab, seats 6) but it sucks too much gas for a long drive.

[pink_albatross]

You can drive your Prius to both BH as well as the Pulpit
-- ellis