New Date: Sep 29-30! 2012 McConnellsburg HG and PG Festival

[davidtheamazing1]

[This is our second try for this year's Fly-In, after having to reschedule the original
August date]

Featuring:
* Fantastic views (suitable for spectating and photography)
* 2 days to fly with the birds (certified P2+, H2+ rated pilots)
* Tandem paragliding lessons (no experience required!)
More info: http://paraglidetandem.net/flight-instr ... ourse-one/
* Observer(s) for beginner (P2, H2) pilots
* Sat night potluck party
* CHGPA Autumn Meeting
* Saturday Night Campout
* Optional Friday Night camp-out
(good bets: fireworks, campfire, stilt walking, frisbee, guitar pickin, etc)
* scenic drives through the Allegheny range
* Renew your club membership or sign-up to officially join!
* Donate to support Woodstock renovations

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Schedule:
Friday night camp-out (optional)

Saturday Sept 29
Launches are usually between 11am until 4:30pm
Party: 6:30pm
CHGPA Autumn Meeting: 8:00pm

Sunday Sept 30
Breakfast
Launches are usually between 11am until 4:30pm
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RSVP
Here or Via Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/events/253917894710929/

Saturday is pot-luck style, so please RSVP and say what you are bringing...

food & drink:
Main courses
Sides
Dessert
Beer
Wine
Sodas
Other

Some special requests:
Lantern
Extra table
Plates/Napkins/cups/etc

If everybody pitches in, we can have a great party, do some flying, and show how much we value free flight.

Lots more general info on the club website:
http://www.chgpa.org/HGFest/hgfest.html

Due to the unpredictability of the weather, we may change the flying venues during the event to accommodate wind forecasts.

[XCanytime]

Forecast once again looks like crap. I suggest moving it to the 21st thru the 23rd. Bacil

[Matthew]

Aaack!!!! If you are going to move it again-- please coordinate with Noah Merritt or Li'l slugger for PG towing-- and make it a weekend that I will be in town please--- Sep 29-30.

Matthew

[markc]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again:

To a certain extent, a Fly-In is a chance to socialize, have fun, enjoy *non* flying activities (gasp!), and perhaps even support a charitable cause, or have a raffle, or bring in a band, or..... Well, you get the idea! It *can* be something beyond just the flying.

OF COURSE, every one of us would prefer that we be able to have a great day of flying, *AND* some/all of the above.

But the reality is that people are busy, and they need to be able to schedule things in advance. So while it might be tempting to push things off from week to week, or month to month, based on weather forecasts.... This is highly unlikely to yield a really strong turn-out for the Fly-In, unless you get very lucky.

We all want to fly, and sure, it sucks if we've scheduled an event and the weather won't cooperate. But I say... Suck it up!!!! That's just the way it is sometimes, too bad! Pick a primary date... Pick a secondary date.... Announce them six months in advance.... And if neither of them works out? Well, that's just the way it is, ya know???? Come on out and have fun, regardless of the flying conditions on the secondary date.

Or at the very least, alternate from year to year : Chase the winds for one Fly-In, but then have a more structured/scheduled Fly-In for the following year.

As to this particular year.... I don't have much of an opinion (though it's a bit of a shame that our 30th Fly-In isn't being matched by a plan that's appropriate for such an anniversary). I'll try to make it for a part of this weekend, or for whenever the Fly-In turns out to be. I suspect that many others will be doing the same thing, and who knows, maybe the ultimate result will be great! But there are also good reasons for an announced schedule, and sticking to it even if the weather isn't great.

MarkC

[davidtheamazing1]

FYI, my criterion for postponing the flyin would be a Thursday forecast for: two iffy/non-flyable weekend days and/or strong rain on Sat evening.

[markc]

Oh, sorry, should have said that we're clearly in "Chase The Winds Mode", at least for this year, and that's completely ok. A second postponement (if this weekend just seems too iffy) isn't really going to hurt anything.....

My comments really apply to future Fly-Ins, and how to juggle the competing desires to fly vs. the need for a more certain timetable. Particularly if we want to hold an event that's a bit more than just come-on-out-and-fly (with whatever sort of turnout that will be able to make it on short notice).

One reason to go for more : We haven't made any sort of charitable contribution to the McC Rescue Squad in several years, AFAIK. If support for that (or something similar) is important to the club membership, then I suspect that we're back into the territory of needing a defined/scheduled event. And the sucky reality that we might sometimes have to hold an event even if the prospects for flying aren't very good, on both a primary and a secondary date. What can you do, ya know?

As for this weekend : Sat is looking a bit dismal at the moment, though Sun might be doable. Postpone to another weekend? Cross fingers and hope that Sunday will be ok? Hard to say what the best choice will be, maybe the forecasts on Thursday will help to make the call.

MarkC

[jyoder111]

I'm hopeful for some nice cool flying weather Sunday. Rain on Saturday looks intimidating, but it's that time of year where the precipitation forecast isn't all that reliable. Could still be a good time hanging out by the fire. I vote go for it.

Jesse

[davidtheamazing1]

Weekend weather

Picture 40.png (35.76 KiB) Viewed 1869 times

Sat: 100% chance of thunderstorms with rain predicted all day... We are postponing to Sept 29-30!

Jesse, agree that Sunday looks like it could be good but I don't think anyone in the club would really be up for camping on the top of a mountain in the wind and rain and thunderstorms.

[Matthew]

NO! NO! NO!

Make it the weekend of 9/29-30. I'm busy the weekend of 9/22-23. Plus, the weather will be better the last weekend of September.

Matthew

[Dan T]

It would be really nice to have one of the two PG tow guys in place for the fly in. We've never done that before as a club. It would give us all a chance to meet our flying brethren. Would they be more likely to be able to participate with an extra week's notice? Also an extra week might give everyone a chance to complete the homework that they put off in order to attend the MHGA fly in.

I'm still in Calif and can't make it in any event.


Dan

[pch]

I'll be there anyway this weekend. I already have a few current and potential students meeting me at the Pulpit on Saturday. I work my regular job the weekend of 9/22-23, so I can't make it. I hope you have a good fly-in.
Pete H.
#72037

[mingram]

Winds look really strong for PG this Saturday (and of course the rain) at the Pulpit. But Sunday looks pretty good for Woodstock.

[Matthew]

Hi Peter:

Here's the forecast for the Pulpit on Saturday--

SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS...MAINLY IN THE AFTERNOON.
WINDY AND NOT AS WARM WITH HIGHS IN THE LOWER 70S. SOUTHWEST WINDS
25 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH. CHANCE OF RAIN NEAR
100 PERCENT.

Have fun with your students in the with gusts to 40 at 90 degrees cross and all of the rain.

Matthew

[davidtheamazing1]

OK, I have been moved by all your impassioned pleas. I will put it on the schedule for Sept 29-30 instead. Peter, hope you can make it!

[eggzkitz]

Good call moving the dates. Saturday and Saturday night could hardly look worse. Unfortunately I was all set for this weekend, but I'll be in the Owens Sept 29-30 at the NorthCal XC. Hope it works out better out here.

[Dan T]

I noticed that this site's home page still says that the festival is September 8 & 9.

[kcarra]

Hey,

The forecast is now NW 5-10 for Saturday with only a 20 percent chance of showers!

Matthew

[davidtheamazing1]

See you all on Saturday at the Pulpit! Lets hope for another awesome weekend. You know the drill. I'll bring a dessert

[FlyingFelix]

I'll definitely try and make it up there tomorrow (was great flying the site last week-end and I want more:-) ); is an observer going to be present to see H2-s off? Looks like a good flying day!

[Matthew]

I'm an Observer. I'll be there.

Matthew

[dbodner]

Does anyone have a charcoal grill? I don't think there's anything up at the Pulpit.

[davidtheamazing1]

Can somebody stop by HR and pick up the grill we have there? Also all of the paper plates etc are in the trash can that I think is still there.

[markc]

STFI @ 7 at launch as of 8am

[kcarra]

I'm stopping at the grocery store in Greencastle. I can pick up some plates, plastic wear napkins and cups.

I have a very small camping grill. Can someone else bring a camping grill?

Matthew

[kcarra]

Great day at the Pulpit Fly-In--- for me and Dan Tomlinson.

Conditions were a tad strong and cross from the North-- then light and cross, and then strong and cross--- and just plain annoying. Felix went first and eeked out a decent extendo of 11 minutes working some stuff near the LZ. Valerie and I (in my PG) followed and we each got above launch for a bit. It was nothing but rotor surfing. Valerie landed and Matt (Mercury ) launched and landed. I wasn't having any fun so I joined them in the LZ.

Gardinator, Cavanaugh, Dan Tucker and others followed with sleds and extendos-- except Dan Tuck who got above launch for an 11 minute flight. And I think Greg Sessa got above launch for a little bit.

I caught a ride back up to launch with Felix and Matt. It was still light but not as cross. I joined the launch crew for Charlie Allen and he showed us that RTG actually means Right To Ground.

I had been telling people that they needed to hug the ridge and NOT TURN. So I launched my HG and did just that-- and it frickin' worked. I bubbled along at 50 over or at ridge level till I got about 3/4 way down the ridge and then climbed to 200 over where the ridge starts to bend more to the North. Then I wondered if I could make it back. I did, but barely, and lucked into a small thermal while heading out to the LZ for a 30 minute flight.

I radioed up to launch to tell Dan Tomlinson that I thought it would be good for PG's as the rotor wasn't as bad as earlier. He launched and easily got above the ridge. After getting a body ride back up with Mark C., I grabbed my PG and jumped into the sky with Dan. He was playing in lift near the LZ and I yelled to him that we should run the ridge. So we did-- and it was spectacular! We bobbed along at 100-200 over all the way down to the last land-able field, with the ski slopes of Whitetail visible over the ridge-- Dan above me most of the time. The sun dropped below the clouds and lit up the mountains in a radiant emerald hue. We didn't quite make it back and landed together in a field about 2 miles south of the LZ-- an hour and a few minutes for me and about 90 minutes for Dan.

Karen and David Bodner came and picked us up. They each had sleds/extendos, as did bearded Charlie, John M., JR, JR's buddy, and David Churchill. Danny Brotto, however, got up for about 20-30 minutes.

The party afterwards was great-- with a huge campfire and awesome fireworks. -- I only wish that more pilots had stayed for the fun instead of going home like party poopers!

Matthew