501 (Bethel) Weekend 6/26 - 6/27
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
501 (Bethel) Weekend 6/26 - 6/27
Looks south and soarable all weekend at 501. Single surface gliders are not permitted to fly there. I plan on going both days. Any interest? Bacil
Re: 501 (Bethel) Weekend 6/26 - 6/27
So I went both days. Saturday of course had to work, and got there around 3:30P. Soarable, breezy, and nobody showed up for the ~ 2 hours I was there. So I surveyed fields on the way home, looking to go XC to Grimes Airport on Sunday. Lots of thigh high corn. Sunday morning dawned, and the sky looked great. Hit the road at 10:30A, and arrived at launch just after 1P. Soarable at launch, so I brought in the windsocks and trimmed the flora along the best runway to use for launching. 3 pilots showed up; veteran Jim Carroll, and two new H3s that had never flown at 501. Romano Almonte and Aron Lantz. I decided to just pay it forward; I would assist Romano and Aron in having safe 1st flights at 501. Showed Romano and Aron the main LZ and discussed the preferred approaches into the field, while Aron's wife Julie waited in their car parked along Swopes Road. Back at launch the 3 pilots set up leisurely, since 501 is normally flown after 5P, avoiding the midday sinkholes that are detrimental to the long glide to the main LZ. Jim launched 1st, around 5Pish, had a great launch, and got up easily. Romano was next, and had a pretty good launch. The glider yawed to the right in the slot (lots of SW cross cycles were occurring as indicated by the windsock at the top of the treeline on the west side of the slot) but luckily did not roll. So he exited the slot a bit to the right and got up easily as well. Aron was up last, and it had lightened up substantially in the slot. By this time it was 6P+. Aron launched in a light cycle, got rolled a little left upon getting airborne, but got it level and exited the slot just left of the centerline. He turned right and got up easily too. So I drove Jim's vehicle (he had already landed by this time) down to the LZ. He had a nice landing in the LZ. The horses were hanging out by their barns at the top of the uphill section where pilots land. And here comes Romano and Aron heading out to the LZ at the same time 
. Luckily Romano had a radio, so I got on the blower and warned him of Aron's (who didn't have a radio w/ him) presence, and advised him to get down quickly. He did by performing diving figure 8s, and the uphill gradient and slow flight on final resulted in a clunker landing. Aron came in on final on the other side of the field, was heading too close to where Romano clunkered in, and got rolled right hard during the hand transition from BT to the DTs. He levelled the glider just in time to belly in pointing west on the uphill section. A prime example of the value of radios. My alerting to Romano of Aron's presence at co-altitude over the LZ may have averted a worse outcome, because from the ground it looked scary to have 2 pilots over the LZ at co-altitude on their 1st approach and landing there. And at least one was not aware of the other's presence. Bacil
https://ayvri.com/scene/z15y60z0jx/ckqh ... 6icj5iodo2
. Luckily Romano had a radio, so I got on the blower and warned him of Aron's (who didn't have a radio w/ him) presence, and advised him to get down quickly. He did by performing diving figure 8s, and the uphill gradient and slow flight on final resulted in a clunker landing. Aron came in on final on the other side of the field, was heading too close to where Romano clunkered in, and got rolled right hard during the hand transition from BT to the DTs. He levelled the glider just in time to belly in pointing west on the uphill section. A prime example of the value of radios. My alerting to Romano of Aron's presence at co-altitude over the LZ may have averted a worse outcome, because from the ground it looked scary to have 2 pilots over the LZ at co-altitude on their 1st approach and landing there. And at least one was not aware of the other's presence. Bacilhttps://ayvri.com/scene/z15y60z0jx/ckqh ... 6icj5iodo2
Last edited by XCanytime on Tue Jun 29, 2021 10:22 am, edited 2 times in total.