Flying Friday 9/28, Saturday 9/29

[silverwings]

The forecast looks quite good for flying both days. Friday probably at Woodstock because the Pulpit a bit windier and Saturday at the Pulpit. I am very interested, who else?

[wmelo]

interested if it is good for hang gliders. Walt

[stevek]

In for both days I think

[mcgowantk]

I am looking at Saturday at the Pulpit.

Tom McGowan

[wmelo]

I am also more excited about Pulpit Saturday. According to NoStepper, it seems that the wind may turn towards N in the afternoon, therefore I am planing to took off in the morning before lunch.

thoughts?

Walt

[Dunegoon]

Looks NNW and light at the Pulpit. Probably flyable with the proper timing. I am thinking of a day trip to Hyner instead. Traffic could be bad due to Penn State game so will leave early and take a slightly different route from Harrisburg.

CF

[markc]

I am in for Sat at the Pulpit. Commitment in the morning, so probable ETA of 1:45.

[silverwings]

5 PG's flew the Pulpit on Friday and I had a nice 55 min flight. I think Saturday between 2-5 PM may be the best conditions though a little NW cross. I have an evening commitment, so I will not be going.

[A.Lloyd]

My ETA to Pulpit is 1:30. I'm stopping by Smithsburg. I'm thinking that they may have already cut the corn.

[ricky.fitzpatrick]

H2 here heading to Pulpit. ETA around 12pm. Going to setup on launch quick and try to leave my jeep in lz. cell is (973)598-5943

[ricky.fitzpatrick]

lack of hg contacts today for pulpit so change of plans. stopped by smithsburg real quick and heading home. smithsburg is plowed. happy flying yall.

[A.Lloyd]

The corn is cut in the Smithsburg LZ. Come on by.

[markc]

Arrived at launch at 2pm. Didn't expect to be the first HG'er!

Initial look : 90 cross and 8-10. But there were periods when it was decent, around 3pm. STFI, 10-15. Short lived though, thermals.... By 4pm the N cross was more solid, and winds were lighter.

Not enough to motivate me to set-up. But that said, if there had been a crew of pilots on hand, I think that there would have been at least a couple soaring flights!

PGers did great, will post pics tomorrow.

[mcgowantk]

I ended up down at Blue Sky with Steve Wendt. It was a hit or miss day although I blundered into a thermal right at the end of my tow. I flew for about an hour and got to base a few times - around 3200 msl. One interesting experience was the number of Monarch butterflies and swallows up near cloud base.

There were 7 or so other pilots, some had soaring flights too but perhaps not as long as mine. It still looked good when I left so there could have been more soaring in the late afternoon.

To top it off, no traffic on I-95 on the way home!

Tom McGowan

[Dunegoon]

Successful trip to Hyner. Typical variable conditions. Mixed cloud cover, switchy wind direction due to thermals and reports of gnarly LZ conditions. About eight or nine pilots flew along with some tandems. I launched after Will and Dennis. Landed at 6:08 Pm for a flight slightly over two hours and up to 800 over. Lots of scratching, wall surfing, a low save from below the point, tight little thermals, turbulence, some smooth air. My arms were tired and my legs were very cramped. I did a gentle wheel landing in the main LZ. What a challenging flight.

Will awarded me airhog of the day, so I guess it was considered a fairly good flight. Only my second flight on the Gecko but I am very comfortable with it and especially pleased with the low speed performance and handling.

Broke down in the twilight by myself in an empty LZ and watched the first stars emerge before heading home.

CF

[Eric]

Anyone been by Kirshners to see what they planted this year and whether it's been harvested? I know the bottom of the hill there can get swampy. Looks like training opportunities are opening back up for the HG pilots. Yay!

[markc]

A bit later than I had hoped, but here are the first of the PG pics from the Pulpit this past Saturday:

[markc]

And here is the second set of PG pics:

[markc]

If anyone wants higher-rez photos just let me know!

On the non-flying front: Given the uninspiring HG conditions on Sat at the Pulpit, I decided to do some clearing of the rock outcrop/ledge next to the firepit. Overgrown for a long time... But when the sun gets low and even the shelter can't help anymore, it's the only part of our property that's still in the shade. Next step: Pull up the thorny-nasties and put down some grass seed (though that will probably have to wait until 2019). If ya can't fly, at least there are targets for one's frustration!