Monday or Tuesday?

[rasmussenv]

I am out of town until late Saturday. Sunday is a possible but looking a little breezy. In any case, Mon and Tues look like they might be good and I am available to fly either day. I wanted to put this out there - will update as it gets closer, but if you make Monday or Tuesday plans, please PM me to let me know! I'll probably stick with my Falcon for now - want more Sport2 landing experience at Highland before I fly anywhere that has any LZ issues.

[XCanytime]

Sunday will be perfect at Woodstock. Bacil

[Roger]

Sunday will be perfect at Woodstock. Bacil

oh, the agoooooonnnnnnyyyyy...

[rasmussenv]

If Sunday keeps looking good, I'd be able to make it. Heading out of town now - so won't be able to check the boards / weather again until late Sat / early Sunday. If that firms up / someone plans on going, maybe a new thread would be a good idea (different subject). If that DOESN'T pan out, or there are people interested in Mon/Tues - feel free to contact me / post here. Of course, if I get a great flight on Sunday I might not be heading out again on Monday.

[Roger]

If the WX still looks good, I'm in for Tuesday at WS.

fingers crossed...............

[garys]

Giving WS a try tomorrow (Tues) ETA noon. Gary Smith
H 540=955=3956
Cell 540=686=0351

[silverwings]

FYI: Driving down from the top after car retrieval on Sunday, a car with atleast 4 gliders was going up. I think they are KHK pilots and my guess is they are going to be there Monday and Tuesday. Tuesday's forecast is looking pretty good though I wont be going.

[Roger]

I haven't looked at the forecast today, but it looks ok, I'm in. Eta around noon.

[markc]

If the forecasts hold, I'm *hoping* to get into work early tomorrow and then head for Woodstock around 3:30, taking just an hour or so of leave. Don't count on me being there... But if conditions look good and the meetings can be shuffled, I'll try to get there.

Also: Keep High Rock in mind for Wednesday!

MarkC

[rasmussenv]

I'm going to do a final check in the am, but expect to head out - and am thinking about taking the Sport2 ... WS seems like a good place to have a first mountain flight in it - that LZ is long with a upward slope... I'd be out there around noon.

[Roger]

Leaving in 20 minutes. Looks good enough for my 4 hr drive (but don't put much stock in that as I haven't flown since July).
See every one there.

[hang_pilot]

I'm joining the fun. ETA between 12:30 and 1pm. ~Daniel 301-275-6584

[rasmussenv]

Great crowd at Woodstock today, especially given that it is a weekday. With this weather we have been flight and mountain-deprived!

I was first on site at little before 11, but soon thereafter Bruce and Brian (not VantHall) from Ellenville arrived (enroute back from Team Challenge). Having coordinated with Gary S and Roger enroute, I met them at noon at the PZ. Actually stumbled and twisted my ankle walking down to my car from launch to head to meet them and was worried I might not be able to fly, but it was okay – not a bad sprain (although now, many hours later, it is distinctly swollen and sore – glad I got this flight in).

The bridge field still has tall corn. The cattle were in the field, but no signs of an irritable bull. Steve K also met at the field and we then got up to launch where we found Jon had arrived (also first day back from Team Challenge) and Daniel soon showed up, as well as, eventually, Adam from Winchester. I think that is it – but might have missed someone – certainly at least nine of us. Never saw anyone from KHK.

The two from Ellenville were first up – sometime after 1:30 I think - clearly plenty of lift. I was up third and can’t vouch for the order of the remainder, but everyone got up – and so for a while there was a flock of gliders along the ridge. At ½ VG, at trim, I wasn’t moving forward at times – tho plenty of lift and never any sink cycles. Still, I was glad I was in my Sport2. I would have been nervous in a Falcon, although one of the Ellenville folk was in one. I got as high as 2600 above launch, and at that time was periodically in wispies at cloud base. At that altitude it was 50 degrees – cool – glad I had gloves – but not frigid. Very low clouds dominated the whole afternoon, but so did wonderful lift.

Decided to aim for 90 minutes and headed out to land about then. An accurate observation someone made was that everyone stayed up as long as they wanted to – each decided when they wanted to land. I was the fourth to land. Mine was not a particularly pretty launch or landing, but my first in my Sport 2 at a mountain site and with a sore ankle, so I’m happy. I landed well below the crest, early in the field, conservatively worried about needing more field to land in an S2 – overly conservative, as it turned out.

Had pre-positioned many cars at the LZ, not much shuttling needed at the end. Everyone got one good flight. All in all a wonderful day flying was had by all.

[stevek]

Marc C! How did you do.? Saw you enroute at Toms Brook (5:30?)

[hang_pilot]

I think that is it – but might have missed someone – certainly at least nine of us.

Also, Mark, Bruce Engen on his Atos, and Randy on his paraglider and Mike(?) from Lexington on a Pulse. So, maybe 13 total. Thanks for organizing the party, Valerie, and congrats again on your first mountain flight on the S2.

~Daniel
(1:40 yesterday, pretty happy about flying 3 out of 4 days)

[sailin]

Fun day at Woodstock yesterday!! Partly because of the nice flying but also because of all the gliders out there.......pretty sweet for midweek flying!!!!
I had just gotten back in town from a wonderful time at Team Challenge in Tennessee.....stand by for an independent write up of that great event.

Started the day with two of the first three launches of the day being pretty scary....not a great start to what was going to be a pretty fun day of flying. I launched around 245pm with 5 gliders already in the air. Lift was everywhere (ridge, wave, some thermal and maybe a little cloudsuck as well) Initially there was a nice blue band of sky out in front of launch but it didn't last with the sky greying over before long. I flew cautiously to stay low (not getting more than 1000' over) to avoid the higher winds aloft and the fairly low cloudbase (maybe 2500' over). The lift was pretty strong at times and it would have been a quick elevator ride up into the grey/black clouds with no edges or blue sky to run to.
I flew for just over an hour and landed in the primary...lots of fresh cow dung to avoid!!!
Fun day!! Lets keep this midweek thing going through the end of fall !!!!!!!!!!!!

Jon

[CraginS]

OK, I'll admit it. I'm jealous of all this recent weekday flying. I picked up my repaired U2 at Blue Sky two weekends ago. Steve told me there had been no flying on either Saturday or Sunday (the day I was there).
Then, I was not as brave as others to try flying between showers this past weekend. Congrats to those of you who pulled that trick off.
I fly down to Arkansas tomorrow morning for a 6-day family visit. That means I am leaving town just as what looks to be a fine weekend is arriving. Dang!
Good luck to all on the upcoming long (for some) weekend.
Hope to see you out next week.

[mingram]

Perfect end of summer soaring today. Judy Hutchinson, a new P2, had her first full east coast flight and broke her record for her longest flight - 1:45! We launched at 5pm in easy straight cycles. Light thermic air that had us just over ridge height and sometimes below, but became more widespread as the sun went down. Karan and I flew until just after sunset. I got 2 hours and didn't want to land. The air was nice and you could hear the crickets in the trees - definitely end of summer. It was still on when we all left.

Back on top after dark we met up with Mark C. who said he experienced fantastic wave at the bend of the ridge that faces north at Strasburg to 4000msl! Earlier in the flight it felt like I was surfing the remnants of wave breaking down the ridge from north to south. I was only a couple hundred over and just rode it south for what seemed like a mile. There was some good sink behind it when I turned back north.

Judy's reverse launch wasn't bad considering she hadn't flown in a couple of months. The rocks at Woodstock are a bit intimidating after the easy Point of the Mountain slopes. She made good decisions flying and landing.

The views at Woodstock are fantastic. I even saw a bald eagle. We need more days like this! Mark said he's soared Woodstock 4 out of the last 5 days and would have flown all five if he didn't have to work! I hope Fall conditions are here to stay for a while.

Matt