Pulpit, Sunday April 1

[Ward Odenwald]

The NAM 12km (NoStepper), NAM 5km (Windy), ECMWF 9km (Windy) and the GFS 22km (Windy) forecast models are all predicting a west cross at Woodstock during most of Sunday afternoon. At the Pulpit, all of the above models are indicating a strait in flow (270 to 290 degrees) from 11 AM to sunset. Plus, the Pulpit wind speeds at takeoff (averaged from the above models) are predicted to be in the mid-teens during most of the day (except during early AM and during late afternoon/evening) while the light wind speeds at the WS takeoff coupled with significant overcast over the Shenandoah suggest less than optimal soaring conditions for HGs. Could be wrong, but from my armchair, the Pulpit is the place to be on Sunday.

Ward

[Ward Odenwald]

ETA 10:30

[Dunegoon]

ETA 10:30.

[Dunegoon]

Rain, cold, nap, wind, sunshine, squirrely launch, lift, Bald Eagle, Red Tail, 4k over the back...


good line over the back and light lift, could have gone much further....



Back at the school. Note all the boxes.....solar cells!!!!

[XCanytime]

Got to the Pulpit at 9:45A. Dark skies and isolated pockets of showers turned into about an hour of showers from 11A til noon. Ward, Rich, Charley, Walt, and I convened at the McDonalds in McConnellsburg to wait out the rain. Around noon it quit, and there were signs of hope to the west with much lighter skies. We went back up to launch, and it was way cross from the north. In the meantime Eric Kriner showed up from DuBois, PA. Anthony rounded out the local contingent. I led the charge to set up our gliders to dry them out. All the while it was strong and gusty on launch. And the sky looked mean, with embedded wave clouds and rivers of stratocumulus clouds moving at 50 knots? at 5500' MSL. Blue skies appeared to the NW, and as the blue line approached and almost got over us the launch conditions settled down enough to allow me to launch first from the north ramp around 2:15P into moderately strong conditions. I did a quick 22 minute ridge run to the north and found very cross conditions up by Cowans Gap Lake. Decided to land out by 522 near the gap in Scrub Ridge. Ward retrieved me. Thanks a bunch Ward. Back at launch Walt and Eric Kriner were soaring. Charley, John Middleton, and Anthony were set up. We helped launch Charley in very strong, gusty conditions. Eric and Charley (4K' MSL) ended up going OTB and landing at Mountain View Elementary School on Lemar Road. Wonder if John and Anthony got into the air. http://www.doarama.com/view/1998046 For some reason I have an extra hour of "dead time" at the beginning of the tracklog. May be due to not resetting the time to daylight saving time. Anyway move the time ball to 1:15 to avoid the dead time. Bacil

[A.Lloyd]

As Bacil was leaving Charlie was high and heading over the back. Eric stayed up all afternoon. He was pretty high and far behind the ridge. Over the radio, I suggested for him to follow Charlie and land at the school. Bacil got on the radio, just as he was leaving to make Easter dinner, and helped Eric identify landmarks. Around 6PM gusts backed down to a milder max level of 19mph. John wanted to fly. Walt had just landed in the main LZ and Rich gave him a body ride back to help us on launch. Rich, Walt and I launched John. John just about specked out. Before leaving Bacil had given me Charlie's keys. Walt and Rich encouraged me to fly. Rich made a deal w/me he would pickup the guys who went over the back in Charlie's SUV if I flew (easy decision for me). Rich, Walt and a spectator helped me to the ramp.Walt and Rich launched me. I flew around for a while with plenty of lift and then landed in the main LZ. That was my 1st flight of 2018. Thanks to Rich and Walt for sticking around later in the day!

[silverwings]

As Anthony indicated conditions got better so with the crew of Anthony, Walt, & Rich, I moved onto the right ramp and had to even wait a little for it pickup and straighten. Launched in mild conditions but found good lift and even considered going over the back to the school but it would have shortened my flight time so I just stayed on the ridge. After an hour, I went out to land and kept getting lift over the field but eventually got enough sink to land. It was one the nicest hg flights I have had for a long time! After Charlies gusty conditions on the ramp, both Anthony and I were so close to packing it up but decided to wait and it settled down to make it more pilot friendly.