Saturday 3/17 Bills Hill

[mingram]

Clear skies in PA with light winds switching from NE to SE. Might be a good Bills Hill day for PG. Tom and I will check the forecast early tomorrow morning. If it looks good we will plan to meet in Frederick at the Weiss at 10am.

Matt

[jmcclave]

Matt,
I would be interested in going if the weather checks out. I'll check the forum when I get up.

Thanks,
Jim

[mingram]

Looks too south for Bills according to the PG prognosticators. Noah is towing PG students near Daniels all day and says the skies are clear. He has limited space for non-students. Call him if you're interested - his phone is in the ushpa instructor list. I'm trying to decide whether to do that or fly my paramotor at Warrenton Air Park in VA.

Matt

[mingram]

I ended up at Emma Jane's today of all places. Am I the first person to paraglide High Rock? I cheated and used a paramotor and took off from the LZ.

Cycles were coming from the SE which lined up with the length of the LZ. After a long time setting up, watching clouds form, and checking the strength of the cycles I eventually took off at 3:30pm. I motored to 2100ft right into a nice big thermal then shut off the motor and thermalled up to the inversion at 3600ft. It was hazy hazy so I made sure to stay clear of the clouds. I left that lift and decided to fly back upwind and got low. I restarted motor and searched around for more thermals and made a series of small climbs turning the motor off each time, but nothing back up to inversion level. Landed back by my car in the LZ after over an hour. I signed log book, got my helmet sticker, paid my landing fee. Me and Tom are the lone rangers in the 2012 log book.

https://picasaweb.google.com/1156937709 ... ghRockPPG#

Matt

[hang_pilot]

I ended up at Emma Jane's today of all places. Am I the first person to paraglide High Rock? I cheated and used a paramotor and took off from the LZ. Matt

Nope, sorry, Matt. A few years ago, someone hired a pilot -- a friend of James Coblentz , aka Ltl Slugger -- to fly a cameraman tandem in a PPG trike to get aerial footage of Ashley Groves launching his HG from the Rock for an internet commercial. The PPG pilot decided the grass was too high to launch the trike, so no footage, but did solo footlaunch from Emma Jane's field in the evening. You might be, however, the first pilot to soar High Rock in a PG. So you have that going for you.

Thanks for posting the pics and for checking in with Emma Jane.

Cheers,
Daniel

[Danny Brotto]

Nope on soaring HR in a PPG either. During one of the HR Fly-ins a number of years ago (I'm talking like 10+?), a PPG took off from the LZ, motored to the ridge, and flew along with the HGs in evening magic. It became a bit dysfunctional when he started diving on the ramp though; not that diving on the ramp is dysfunctional, it's just the way he was doing it looked less than optimal.

Now if you want to try a HR/PG first, launch from McConnelsburg and fly back to HR. After leaving the ridge, it's a 3 thermal flight in a HG.

Danny Brotto

[tomceunen]

I believe I reached pretty close High Rock from the Pulpit but it was not on my flight path but I could see the rock. I landed just north of it in Rouzerville, conditions were dying as high cirrus moved in. This was in July 2008.
This is the picture I took with I believe high rock at the right one inch from the border of the picture, can this be confirmed?

https://picasaweb.google.com/1113086422 ... 6748102130

[markc]

That sure looks like it Tom.... My guess is that you had to be downwind of Waynesboro, and the tower certainly seems like it has to be the one behind launch at High Rock. The little 'spikes' sticking up above the ridge line to the left of the tower don't seem quite right... But those could just be artifacts of the image, or trees, or who knows. The houses in the lower left of the photo, with significant grass-green around them, sure look like the new-ish development along Upper Edgemont Road.

MarkC

[Danny Brotto]

Pretty close Tom; that's a couple of miles from Emma Jane's LZ. The tower, HR launch, and the LZ are all clearly visible in the pix.

With XC season approching and a batch of new pilots looking for their first downwind dashes, might be a time to revisit P-40 and TFR procedures...

Danny Brotto

[tomceunen]

Found the track back,
looks like High Rock didn't attract me as I deviated from my course that was getting me straight into the Rock
https://picasaweb.google.com/1113086422 ... 0127809906

[CraginS]

...SNIP.... I signed log book, got my helmet sticker, paid my landing fee. ...SNIP...
Matt

Just a quiet reminder to Matt and all the other folks here. There are no landing fees for High Rock or Emma Jane's field.
Ever.
At all.
However, our club pilots are a kind and generous group, and almost always leave a gift for Emma Jane when they stop by to visit in her kitchen. And Emma Jane has been facing some financial hardship in the past few years. (See the meeting notes from the last CHGPA meeting.) A cash gift is certainly welcome.

Any questions, check off list (not here) with any MHGA or CHGPA member who has been in the club at least 5 yeears.

Craig