Moving to DC soon

[HalfVG]

Hello!
I am moving to DC in early October. I am currently living on the side of Mingus in Jerome, Arizona. Most my flying has been Aerotow in South Florida up until about a year ago when I moved out West. A promotion has pushed me to move back East. I intend on living in the DC area for a while.

I like to hang travel and camp. So that brings me to my first question, what are the best sites in an 6 hours radius by car? Are the locals active during the winter or is the scene shut down? Do most of you store your gliders at the local aerotow spot? If so, are they accessible in the winter?

Bill
Half VG (William Leady) on Facebook.

[XCanytime]

Most all the sites we fly will all be within a 2 to 3.5 hour radius from DC. We are active all year, unless the weather gets too cold. You are moving into the area at a time when the flying is fantastic in the fall. Bacil

[markc]

Glider storage is available at Highland Aerosports, but I'm not sure if you can access the entire winter. A quick email to Sunny and Adam would clear that up. Camping is great up at the Pulpit launch (club-owned site), Highland, and High Rock LZ. Many other options available if you head out as far as a 6hr radius. Winter flying is a bit variable: some years lots of pilots seemingly impervious to the cold, other years less so.

There are plans in the works for a 40th year celebration of flying High Rock, in October I think. So maybe with some luck you'll be in town by then.

Granted, we don't have the drama of western sites, but that said, I think/hope you'll get to enjoy some great flying in the mid-atlantic.

Cheers,

MarkC

[garys]

Bill; I was at Mingus yesterday and met some of your flying buds. Look me up when you get to DC and I can give you an overview of the local sites and hopefully fly with you. You picked a great time of the year to move back east. My cell is 540-686-0351.

[mcgowantk]

I am not sure about Bacil's too cold comment. It hasn't gotten too cold in the last 20 years anyway.

Hope to see you out flying this winter, as well as at our local tow parks.

Tom McGowan

[markc]

I think Tom is up for a winter hike up the back at Woodstock, and snowy set-ups and landings, darn near every year!

For others (self included), sometimes we have to skip a year, in order to forget how frickin' cold that awesome winter flying day was. Then back at it, once the memory of frost-bitten fingers has receded.

Bottom line: You'll find plenty of people in these parts who are motivated to carry their gear up snow-closed roads, clamber over snowbanks, shovel ramps and cliffs clear, skate around set-up areas that have become ice rinks, and hike out through thigh-deep snow after landing.

But *brrrrrr*, I'm gettin' cold just thinkin' about it.

[HalfVG]

Thanks for the replies! I need to set this account up to notify me when I get a PM or reply. It is a huge relief to see that there are a good number of active pilots and sites in the area. I am looking forward to meeting and flying with everyone! I am ready to get back to aerotow, I miss landing where I took off from.

Gary, missed you by only a few hours. I was up on Mingus the next morning.

[HalfVG]

There are plans in the works for a 40th year celebration of flying High Rock, in October I think. So maybe with some luck you'll be in town by then.
Granted, we don't have the drama of western sites, but that said, I think/hope you'll get to enjoy some great flying in the mid-atlantic.
Cheers,
MarkC

I will definitely try and get up there by the 40th celebration if possible. That sounds like a great way to meet the majority of you. I am ready to fly the mid-atlantic sites. I am getting tired of rowdy air, dust devils, high altitude launches and landings into an airport that is always blowing crosswind.