4/28 - 4/29 Weekend

[XCanytime]

FINALLY a weekend that holds promise BOTH DAYS . Targeting Pulpit/Woodstock. Bacil

[Blaine]

I may be able to get out on Sunday.

[wmelo]

Yessssss

[XCanytime]

Late day flight at the Pulpit Saturday, if at all. But Sunday looks dead nuts Woodstock. Bacil

[markc]

Fingers crossed for Woodstock on Sunday, looking good at the moment!

Haven't given up on the Pulpit on Saturday for that matter! (though I have a time constraint that day, would have to head out by 3pm)

[XCanytime]

Looks good for the Pulpit after 2P tomorrow. I plan on getting there by noon. Sunday is dead nuts Woodstock. Looks good all day there. Pretty strong during the peak thermal time (1:30P- to 4:30P+). Early or late launches seem like the ticket. Bacil

[silverwings]

Re: Sunday, looking at XCSkies I think it is going to be quite windy at both the Pulpit and Woodstock starting early and lasting until evening with strong winds aloft also. How about doing a work party at the Pulpit on Sunday starting at 1 PM? Who is in for that?

[markc]

My commitments for Sat are probably going to nix my hopes for a flying day at the Pulpit. Still considering a trip up there for some tree trimming.

Sunday, still hoping for a late day flight at WS. But have to work that AM, can't commit to a full day.

Regarding an organized work party....Still all for that, but gotta make a plea for a day that is announced IN ADVANCE. Like, two weeks, minimum. I'll give up a fly day for a worthy cause, but I (and others, I suspect) can't shift things around on short notice. Pick a day, like late May, and poll for who can make it.

MarkC

PS: And I'll bring the beer

[bustedwing2]

I see two different forecasts,one decent and one blown out,looks like a crapshoot. If you need wire early Bacil text me and I'll come up.

[Dunegoon]

Looking good by 3pm. Could get some minor trimming done earlier.

CF

[silverwings]

We should be able to get a lot of trimming done by 3PM if you are there to help Charley.

[XCanytime]

North cross flight http://www.doarama.com/view/2083931. Arrived at noon thirty to find Walt and Eric Kriner set up. Nasty skies were afoot. Later curtains of virga drifted over and provided us with some coolant. Rich showed up at 2P to help w/ launches. Charley arrived around 2:30P to round out the pilot contingent. After the raindrops passed it got quiet and warmer. Then the winds picked up with a noticeable north cross component. There were enough straight in cycles and birds climbing in thermals to convince me to launch at 3P from the newer ramp. Of course the north cross was present, so been there done that many times at the Pulpit. Stayed up above the ridge for 30 minutes until it went completely cross, scraping me off of the ridge. Had a nice landing in the main but almost stepped in a gopher hole as I was flaring. Watch out for those gopher holes . Thanks to Charley for the retrieve. Back at launch it got outta hand, so Eric and Walt bagged it. Bacil

[markc]

The NWS hourly removes the gust factor at 6pm, two full hours before sunset. The ADDS is strong all day, but not crazy strong. So I'm planning for a late day Woodstock flight at the moment (subject to the late AM forecast updates), ETA around 3:00 or 4:00pm. Anyone else think it looks worth a shot?

[garys]

Thinking it might work but as the strong winds drop it looks like they start swinging west. Clearing skies and more sun coming this afternoon which might help. 100 percent cloud cover here in the valley now. I am keeping a close eye on it and will make my call by 1:00 pm.

[XCanytime]

I am at Woodstock launch right now. Gary and I were planning on a 10A- launch for a ridge run to Harrisonburg. However on the way over checked the Harrisonburg forecast. NNW. Aarrgghh. So we bailed on the ridge run. It's already soarable. I'm gonna nap. Randy's ETA is 1:30P. Gary 2P. Walt is showing up before noon. Shane Morland is coming later in the afternoon. I think all of us are looking for an evening flight. Bacil

[Joe Schad]

Gary is picking me up at 3 so we should get there about 3:45 or so. Hoping for it to back off about 5. Upper levels (3&6,000)are consistent 20-30kts so might be a problem for my falcon.

Joe

[wmelo]

In Woodstock cafe killing time
Music starts @ 2:00

[markc]

No changes with the 10:30 forecast update, so I'll have a look-see, arriving around 3:30.

[markc]

Everyone flew, great day.

Huge thanks/kudos to Bacil, who came out just to help everyone else fly : He Da Man!

More details later, gotta be up at crack-o-dawn tomorrow. Today's fun will help with that

[silverwings]

Please more reports of how the conditions were on Sunday.

[markc]

I arrived at about 3pm on Sunday. Winds at launch were solid 10-15NW, with occasional gusts pushing 20, and occasional cross-W cycles. That, along with the wave clouds above, convinced me that any flights on a Falcon would have to wait for a bit.

Walt and Bacil were already there. They were followed by Joe, Gary, and Randy. Rich Heigel also stopped by, along with his son. I've only crossed paths a couple of times with Rich, given when I got into flying. But it was really cool hearing a bit about how he helped pioneer some of the WVa HG sites! And I think his son thought that the launches he got to see were pretty darn cool, very good to talk with him too.

Walt was the first off, at about 5:00 or so? He was followed by Joe (fellow Falconer), then myself. Then Gary and Randy. Bacil helped all of us get into the sky, so major thanks to him for that!

I struggled down low for a while : Conditions were strong in the air, wire-slaps/etc. And even when I managed to core something, well, a Falcon is going to give it all back up when you punch back out front eh?

Lost track of Joe. After a few forays towards decent fields near launch (eg, Bridge field, not the flood-plain field or the pond-field), I realized it was futile and headed towards Strasburg. Topped out at maybe 1600' over launch a couple times. But I got stuck at the "fat finger" during a lull, and had to head back south. Didn't find anything, and ultimately had to land out.

The LZ closest to the mtn seemed ok initially, but as I got closer I realized that all of those dots were horses, not cows. Cr@p, that's a potentially expensive place to land! So I pushed further out, and was able to get a couple fields further up wind. Nice landing, huge field, and oh, Falcons are some damn easy to put down.

Didn't realize it, but Walt was coming in just after I did. I had hustled off the field pretty darn quick (merely out of habit), and then realized he was in my video after I got home! Had *NO* idea he was that close in the pattern. Very good reminder: You never know who's coming in, so just get your wing the heck out of the way after touching down.

Bacil kindly chased after us, so like I said earlier, "He Da Man!". Many thanks Bacil!

We passed by Gary and Randy on the way back to launch. The impression from everyone was "Turbulent!" . I have to agree with that, no reliable ridge lift in spite of the winds, and finding cores was challenging in a single-surface. Very illuminating. I also have a renewed respect for new pilots on low-perf wings : If you are observing someone like that on a strong day, a conservative flight-plan is a MUST.

MarkC