Pulpit Wed March 14th

[sailin]

Anybody up for trying to catch some midweek air at the Pulpit tomorrow?

Jon

[Lostgriz]

I am interested. I need to get my glider from Blue Sky, but if it looks like it is going to be good, I might be able to make that happen. I am a H2, so I would need an observer.

[sailin]

Looks like it could be nice at the Pulpit tomorrow afternoon. I probably won't arrive until sometime after lunch (forget fighting morning beltway rush hour/construction traffic.....and the winds aloft look pretty high earlier in the day).

Not sure of anyone else going, including any observers, so if your interested in flying you may want to start reaching out to the observers via PM/phone/email sooner than later...... do you know how to access the observer contact list? If not let me know and I'll shoot you a PM.

Hope it works out and we can get some midweek soaring in! Looking forward to meeting and flying with you.

Jon

[lbunner]

I'll check in the a.m. I may be headed to the Pulpit too!

[sailin]

Awesome Bun! Hope to see you there. The forecast has lightened up quite a bit, but Amy and I are still going to head out. Our ETA is around 1pm.

Jon

[lbunner]

Too iffy for me. I'm hiking today instead.

[sailin]

I didn't fly. Being too light wasn't an issue. Too gusty/punchy with a large, sharp differential...even into the evening. Ahh well, ended up with some good conversation and a little bit of a sunburn.


Jon

[jyoder111]

Sorry it didn't pan out, Jon. Speaking of sunburn, I got a doozy on my nose and forehead on Sunday at Daniels- not something I'm usually concerned about in March.

Jesse

[lbunner]

Good soaring in NY and MD yesterday. Jon and I got stuck in the Pulpit venturi while Lehmann and Halfhill got over 8500' at Cumberland. Oh well, on to Highland this weekend!

[mingram]

PGs had high flights at Dickeys too. I guess I should have been watching the lapse rate. What can we learn about the forecast yesterday that produced such high flights? Or is it just that spring is here and we need to go out and get it while we can?

Congrats to the Cumberland crew! 8500' is epic! Does anyone know what the highest east coast flight is?

Matt

[Dan T]

This is the beginning of the time of year that tends to yield the big flights. It also yields the sharp punchy thermals that Jon described in his earlier posts. In a normal year we would expect them to be common for the next 3 months or so.

Dan

[lplehmann]

Matt,

I can't speak for the East Coast, but to my knowledge, in Region Nine Nelson Lewis has been the highest, getting to 12,200 in wave at Woodstock. I may have the highest thermal flight, having gotten to 11K in my Sport near Tyrone, PA. And I have been to 10,600 in the Falcon behind Cumberland. In general terms, and in years of normal precipitation, the very best thermal altitudes will be found in April/May until full foliage is achieved. At that point humidities increase and cloudbases come down considerably. But every year during that April/May window someone usually gets close ten grand.

[mingram]

Damn, that's sweet! I'm gonna have to burn some vacation days and get some of that action!