I flew Eagle Rock Saturday the 27th and for me as a novice who has never soared it was epic. My airtime is now measured in hours instead of minutes and I finally understand, at a muscle level, what active flying is all about. I can't describe what a pleasure it was to soar with hawks and other pilots for that matter. Skywackers are very hospitable and don't require that you belong to their club, just that you belong to *a* club. I'll join anyway as I plan to fly there again. And again.
The conditions were borderline p-2 able but with the wind straight on launch I was able to wait for a lull twice in a row and I had an excellent site orientation and solid advice from Larry Dennis. I'd been briefed on the site repeatedly by an enthusiastic Steven (Scrappy) Beach so I sort of knew what to expect.
I also got in 4 very brief tow flights at Laney's Airport near Denver NC on Thursday last week with Scrappy and company while they were training new folks on the winch. Nothing epic there but just a really fun day hanging out and getting those quick haul up to 300-400 feet, pin-off, go back and land where the truck was back in position by the time you got your wing ready and lines sorted to do it again. We got 25 tows in one day!
I'm building a pay-in/pay-out winch this summer so I'll be very interested in sites nearer to home (Annapolis MD). I'm also very addicted now (if I do it twice I'm addicted) to the sound of that Variometer going "beep beep beep" so when I get back from the Bahamas early June I'm all in for *any* day of the week at any of the sites we fly. Please ping me if you think there's going to be some altitude happening.
In the photo you see a hang glider setting up to fly near the launch.
George
Eagle Rock Saturday 27th
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
Re: Eagle Rock Saturday 27th
Nice George! Congrats on your first soaring flight! The Skywackers are really great people. I hope to make it down there someday. How was the lift?
Matt
Matt
Re: Eagle Rock Saturday 27th
Great flight George! It looks like it was a terrific flight. All your hard work has finally been rewarded. Welcome to the sky.
Dan
Dan
Re: Eagle Rock Saturday 27th
I'm told the lift was light to moderate and sporadic. We had to work it to keep altitude and gain so it was super fun to be there. I'm rtfm on my vario which seems overly complicated for a basic unit (flytec 6005) and if it recorded anything useful (not sure it even does that) I'll report back. I guess the short answer is that it was challenging enough to make me a better pilot and easy enough that a novice could stay aloft as long as he liked.
George
George
Re: Eagle Rock Saturday 27th
George,
Where exactly is the Eagle Rock site? Thanks, Bacil
Where exactly is the Eagle Rock site? Thanks, Bacil
Re: Eagle Rock Saturday 27th
There is an article about the "New Launch at Eagle Rock" in the USHPA magazine, January 2013.
Go to page 56.
Go to page 56.
Re: Eagle Rock Saturday 27th
https://maps.google.com/maps?safe=off&c ... a=N&tab=il
The mountain with a nice ridge to the west and south of Eagle Rock Va. Indeed there is a very nice North West facing Launch with maybe 1200 top to bottom and the South East Launch which I flew with something over 900 top to bottom. There's a bail out LZ for the South East Launch which is the clearing with the pond. The launch is just above. The North West Launch is in shadow and not easy to see but to the East of the South East facing launch. I have not read my January 2013 issue of USHPA as I've been saving it for some commercial air travel I have coming up.
George
The mountain with a nice ridge to the west and south of Eagle Rock Va. Indeed there is a very nice North West facing Launch with maybe 1200 top to bottom and the South East Launch which I flew with something over 900 top to bottom. There's a bail out LZ for the South East Launch which is the clearing with the pond. The launch is just above. The North West Launch is in shadow and not easy to see but to the East of the South East facing launch. I have not read my January 2013 issue of USHPA as I've been saving it for some commercial air travel I have coming up.
George
Re: Eagle Rock Saturday 27th
I flew Eagle Rock only once and that was on my year in the US back in 2003. I liked it a lot.
This is the short video I made that time which is still on the http://www.flywv.com website as I met Dwayne for my P3 over there.
http://www.flywv.com/video/Eaglo%20Rock ... 0Speed.wmv
This is the short video I made that time which is still on the http://www.flywv.com website as I met Dwayne for my P3 over there.
http://www.flywv.com/video/Eaglo%20Rock ... 0Speed.wmv