Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
I'm considering a chilly flight with Alex. Gonna make sure I bring my heated gloves!
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
Be sure to knock on the Mason's (the lz owners) door when you drop off a car in the lz. They want to watch us fly. Have fun and safe flight.
Randy
Randy
Keep Calm And Soar On
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
It looks like several PGers are probably going. Come on out you should have company.
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
If this is an H2 site, and user DanT is an observer, I'm in.
My conversations will never go deeper than the weather.
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
Mobius,
Unfortunately I'm not a hang gliding observer. The current primary LZ is relatively technical. For that reason I think it's more appropriately considered an H3 site although it doesn't have a formal designation yet. I understand that the LZ land owner has declared that he'd be willing to let the club remove some vegetation and small trees that are blocking the center part of the field. That would make the LZ much friendlier and suitable for experienced H2s.
It's a very nice drive out there. If you aren't doing anything you might want to check it out for yourself. It would be interesting to get your take on it.
Dan
Unfortunately I'm not a hang gliding observer. The current primary LZ is relatively technical. For that reason I think it's more appropriately considered an H3 site although it doesn't have a formal designation yet. I understand that the LZ land owner has declared that he'd be willing to let the club remove some vegetation and small trees that are blocking the center part of the field. That would make the LZ much friendlier and suitable for experienced H2s.
It's a very nice drive out there. If you aren't doing anything you might want to check it out for yourself. It would be interesting to get your take on it.
Dan
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
user Dan T,
Guess I got the wrong Dan. Sorry. I will indeed drive to check out the location, with the intention of not flying (bringing glider just in case someone shows, then heads to Woodstock). I will be stopping by the hardware store for some de-icing salt (in the absence of a propane torch) because we all learned our lesson yesterday. Mask defog may or may not be necessary for you also. I only have grass sheers and a small (useless) rake for the vegetation, but I am willing to work on it if someone has bigger tools (I asked for a brush saw for Christmas). Binoculars will allow me to watch some of your flights, but, other than some morning shuttle rides for those who wish to park in the LZ, I probably wont be there all day. Will leave about 8:15 AM, and with the stop I'll probably be on launch at 10:30 AM. Thank you for the insight.
Mr. 1
Guess I got the wrong Dan. Sorry. I will indeed drive to check out the location, with the intention of not flying (bringing glider just in case someone shows, then heads to Woodstock). I will be stopping by the hardware store for some de-icing salt (in the absence of a propane torch) because we all learned our lesson yesterday. Mask defog may or may not be necessary for you also. I only have grass sheers and a small (useless) rake for the vegetation, but I am willing to work on it if someone has bigger tools (I asked for a brush saw for Christmas). Binoculars will allow me to watch some of your flights, but, other than some morning shuttle rides for those who wish to park in the LZ, I probably wont be there all day. Will leave about 8:15 AM, and with the stop I'll probably be on launch at 10:30 AM. Thank you for the insight.
Mr. 1
My conversations will never go deeper than the weather.
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
I assume Mobius is Trevor. If so, then NO on flying for H2s at Edith's Gap---yet. If the copse of trees and shrubs is cleared from the center of the LZ, then it would be OK. Right now Edith's is a H3 VG Glider only site.
Matthew
Matthew
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
Not flying. Still coming to look at the site. If you think that PG training ridge in Luray would work today, I may check that out (maybe flyable w/ a crosswind?) Leaving now.
My conversations will never go deeper than the weather.
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
Good turnout today. Alex, Austin, Daniel from Chicago, George, and Stan for the PGs. Trevor brought his HG and didn't fly, but was nice enough to lend it to a mystery pilot who pulled off the first HG flight at Edith's since its reopening! A downwind, uphill landing that looked good from the air. Who could it be????
The sky was complete overcast. The wind was light in the LZ at 11am, but was coming in nicely on top. A little cross from the South and North at times. Good cycles coming through 6-8 mph. Everyone had nice, easy launches. In the air the wind was South and 11mph so not great for ridge soaring, but surprisingly there were thermals. I didn't top them out due to drift, but still managed to get to 2300 ft. msl. Max climb 1 - 1.5 m/s.
It was cold. I only lasted 40 minutes. My hands were warm enough, but my toes were frozen and I started shivering. Time to land! Landing was bubbly and I did some aggressive figure 8s to get down, but clipped a dead tree with my lines. Luckily it gave way and I landed ok. Others had better landings.
Here's a video taken by Daniel. Flights starts at 1:30.
The sky was complete overcast. The wind was light in the LZ at 11am, but was coming in nicely on top. A little cross from the South and North at times. Good cycles coming through 6-8 mph. Everyone had nice, easy launches. In the air the wind was South and 11mph so not great for ridge soaring, but surprisingly there were thermals. I didn't top them out due to drift, but still managed to get to 2300 ft. msl. Max climb 1 - 1.5 m/s.
It was cold. I only lasted 40 minutes. My hands were warm enough, but my toes were frozen and I started shivering. Time to land! Landing was bubbly and I did some aggressive figure 8s to get down, but clipped a dead tree with my lines. Luckily it gave way and I landed ok. Others had better landings.
Here's a video taken by Daniel. Flights starts at 1:30.
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GP0HXUs- ... e=youtu.be[/youtube]
My video from the first flight. I could *almost* stay up on the ridge and then *almost* stay up in the "house" thermal. My second flight was 40 minutes. I had not turned on the camera before I launched and with the motorcycle gloves on I couldn't get the remote to work. :/ Still a lot of work to keep the ridge on that flight but I'm beginning to get this "punchy little thermal" stuff. The bug-eyed lens of my camera made it look like Austin was a lot closer to me than he really was. We had good vertical separation that doesn't show up well.
I'm always aiming for that landing spot up by the garden and today a little puff helped me actually land there! Like stepping off the escalator.
George
My video from the first flight. I could *almost* stay up on the ridge and then *almost* stay up in the "house" thermal. My second flight was 40 minutes. I had not turned on the camera before I launched and with the motorcycle gloves on I couldn't get the remote to work. :/ Still a lot of work to keep the ridge on that flight but I'm beginning to get this "punchy little thermal" stuff. The bug-eyed lens of my camera made it look like Austin was a lot closer to me than he really was. We had good vertical separation that doesn't show up well.
I'm always aiming for that landing spot up by the garden and today a little puff helped me actually land there! Like stepping off the escalator. George
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
Sorry about the screwed up link.
George
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
...... but was nice enough to lend it to a mystery pilot who pulled off the first HG flight at Edith's since its reopening! A downwind, uphill landing that looked good from the air. Who could it be????
*****
The pilot is Brian Vant Hull, former Prez of MHGA and two-time recipient of the Brian Vant Hull Restricted Landing Field Award. Yes. There is an award named after him. He landed his HG in the small parking lot behind Woodstock. And he landed in someone's yard going XC from Highland when he confused a kids playhouse for a mansion. So if you think that it wouldn't be too hard to land a HG in the LZ at Edith's because some mystery pilot did, remember that he has a RESTRICTED LANDING FIELD AWARD named after him. And don't believe any false modesty from him regarding landing in small fields. You cannot pull off the stunts that Brian has pulled off!
Matthew
*****
The pilot is Brian Vant Hull, former Prez of MHGA and two-time recipient of the Brian Vant Hull Restricted Landing Field Award. Yes. There is an award named after him. He landed his HG in the small parking lot behind Woodstock. And he landed in someone's yard going XC from Highland when he confused a kids playhouse for a mansion. So if you think that it wouldn't be too hard to land a HG in the LZ at Edith's because some mystery pilot did, remember that he has a RESTRICTED LANDING FIELD AWARD named after him. And don't believe any false modesty from him regarding landing in small fields. You cannot pull off the stunts that Brian has pulled off!
Matthew
Last edited by kcarra on Sun Dec 01, 2013 8:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
Karen Carra
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
Tell us about your flight Brian!
Re: Edith's Gap LZ clearing work party?
What do you all think of putting together a holiday week work party to clear out that patch of trees and brush in the center of the LZ?
Some of the posts I've seen indicate that the land owners are amenable to it. I know a lot of pilots have time off between the Christmas and New Years holiday. It could be a good time to get outside for a day or two. A couple chain saws and a couple hundred club dollars to rent a brush hog could make fairly short work of it. It would be really nice to see more HGs flying it.
Any interest?
Dan
Some of the posts I've seen indicate that the land owners are amenable to it. I know a lot of pilots have time off between the Christmas and New Years holiday. It could be a good time to get outside for a day or two. A couple chain saws and a couple hundred club dollars to rent a brush hog could make fairly short work of it. It would be really nice to see more HGs flying it.
Any interest?
Dan
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
I'd be up for helping out definitely.
Maybe start a new thread if enough initial interest?
Cheers
Rich
Maybe start a new thread if enough initial interest?
Cheers
Rich
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
I'd be up for helping out too.
Knut
Knut
Re: Edith's Gap Saturday 11/30
I wrote my flight up in a separate thread. But I do think any pilots flying single surface can do any landings I have, given a moderate amount of experience. It's more the glider than me, honest. And desperation. And the occasional serendipitous cluelessness. And in this case, Trevor. Couldn't have done it without Trevor. Thanks dude!
Brian Vant-Hull