Highland Aero Sun Oct12

[markc]

Looking like a NE-going-East type of day on Sunday, and under 10 in the mtns, with fairly light winds aloft (at least at the moment).

If that holds tomorrow AM, I'm planning on a day at Highland! (probably one of the few we've got left this year).

Helps that I've got Columbus Day off, woo-hoo Anyone else planning to give it a go?

MarkC

PS: Oh yeah, also assuming that this cold/flu bug continues to depart, with alacritry!

[Dunegoon]

Looking good. I'll be there. ETA 9am.

Charley

[markc]

Surface winds have been nudged up a little, but not enough to make Bill's look all that encouraging.
So I'm still planning on Highland, let's go fly!

MarkC

[markc]

Well, the winds were blowing stronger during the drive out than I had hoped... Was second guessing myself for a while, thinking that maybe Jack's would be the place to be, or maybe Bill's (though I wonder about the state of the slot).

But I stuck with the plan, and I am glad that I did!

Just myself and Charley solo-flying today, plus some tandems. Arrived around 11am, chatted for a bit, then noticed some fast moving cirrus sliding in from the SW, which got my butt into gear.

And I needed some gears today! Three tows until I finally stuck, with the first one very sketchy (my issues, on the new wing, can't really blame the conditions). Jim saved that tow, just as I was looking at the release and about to pin off.... My first somewhat windy tow on the T2C, and I wasn't on top of things. But the next two flights were decent, and what I really liked was that I nailed the spot for all three flights.

On my third I finally got some soaring time, maybe 40 minutes all told. Charley had the FOD, at around 2 hours or so, great job!

Hung around swapping stories and laughs after our flights, just a fun day to be out there, better than expected, as it so often seems to be.

MarkC

[Dan T]

Several of us shlepped our PGs up to Bill's Hill yesterday. Unfortunately it didn't deliver as hoped. In spite of getting there relatively early, just before noon, the sky was overcast and the light winds were already shifting to the south. Three of the pilots had short sleds and worked to land in the unplanted portion of the field to the right of our traditional one. I did not fly.

Some of us continued on to Fisher Road where we hoped ideal conditions might enable us to launch and fly down to the end of the ridge where we could land in the open fields there. When we arrived it was clearly soarable but too strong for a PG and, in my opinion, much to overgrown for a safe launch. Nobody flew it.

It is still possible to launch a HG there but the very narrow slot and the shoulder high brush alongside it would create some pretty funky air in anything except a perfectly straight in breeze. I have some fond memories of flying Fisher Road but I fear that there are no new ones in store for any of us there.

[markc]

Oh sheesh, I was remiss in not mentioning that Charley was flying around with hawks every time I looked..... A pair of them at one point, then another that was dogging him on his six for many 360s... I could see that redtail flashing talons and barrel-rolling all the way from the field, very cool!

MarkC

[chgpa]

OK another reply on this topic....

My problem on my first tow this past Sunday was one of energy management : Winds were a bit strongish and cross, and I neglected to anticipate that as I was rolling out. So I found myself initially high on tow, and then my efforts to correct put me into a bit of a PIO situation. If I had been on top of my game, I would have been following that tug like a fly on p**p, no over-corrections at any point.

So the message I want to convey is that you need to be extra-sharp whenever you have made a change, be it a wing, or a harness, or a release. Don't take things for granted!

MarkC