Pulpit may be too strong
Sunshine. High 81F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
thoughts?
Sat (06/17/2023) @ WS
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
Sat (06/17/2023) @ WS
WS: Sunshine. High around 80F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Pulpit may be too strong
Sunshine. High 81F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
thoughts?
Pulpit may be too strong
Sunshine. High 81F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph.
thoughts?
Walt Melo
walt.melo [at] gmail [dot] com
+1.804.walt.743
walt.melo [at] gmail [dot] com
+1.804.walt.743
-
1otIII2007
- Posts: 134
- Joined: Sun Sep 13, 2020 8:10 am
Re: Sat (06/17/2023) @ WS
It looks like Will, Bacil and I are planing on going to Woodstock on Saturday. My ETA is 12:00
Allan B.
Allan B.
Re: Sat (06/17/2023) @ WS
This is also my plan: to be confirmed by Sat 10:00am
Walt Melo
walt.melo [at] gmail [dot] com
+1.804.walt.743
walt.melo [at] gmail [dot] com
+1.804.walt.743
Re: Sat (06/17/2023) @ WS
Had a nice flight at Woodstock up until the hard landing. Arrived at 11A w/ my ladyfriend to soarable conditions and cumie filled skies. Set up and waited for Allan to arrive around noon. Met Sergei, a visiting PG pilot from the West. He kept Debbie entertained while I set up. Jonathan, a local PG pilot, showed up, having gotten a ride from Allan. So w/ Jonathan and Allan's assistance, I had a good launch around 12:30P.
Got up easy, and migrated over to Ritenour Ridge, where I planned to buzz a private music festival that Debbie and I were attending over the weekend, and land in a suitable field adjoining the 66 acre property that the festival was being held on. While climbing to over 4K'+ MSL, I punched out into the valley and flew over the festival. The air was rough, so I climbed out in a thermal above the property from 2700' MSL to over 4K' MSL.
While continuing to circle, I was joined in the thermal by a sailplane piloted by Piet Barber, a highly skilled sailplane pilot from the Skyline Soaring Association flying out of KFRR. We did around 6 to 7 circles together before Piet left the thermal to punch out into the valley. Piet's passenger was able to film me from the cockpit of QQ (Tail Alpha), and the short video is pretty cool.
Debbie was driving down the back side of the mountain (didn't want her going down the front side) to Kings Crossing to Edinburg to the festival, so I had more time to kill before her arrival. So I decided to tag Waonaze Peak and return to Ritenour Ridge. On the way the ridge was solid, so it was an easy cruise down. However, knowing that the winds were pretty much NW on the ridge (45° cross at WP), I went ahead and tagged the Peak at 2800' MSL. Turning around, I'm now barely moving over the ground, and fighting a stiff quartering headwind. Not too swift. Luckily the ridge falls all the way from WP to where the ridge curves back to facing due NW. I was able to get back into good position w/o sweating too much.
Reached Ritenour Ridge w/ good altitude. Searched for my truck where the vehicles were parked, but Debbie hadn't arrived yet. Predicting that she should be arriving any minute now, I went ahead and started flying over the festival grounds to lose altitude. Got to pattern altitude, finally seeing my truck's ladder thru the tree canopy. Entered downwind, and major turbulence was present. Flew very fast to lose altitude and combat turbulence. My LZ was on the Massadoah property on the NE side of the U-bend of the river. Did a short base onto final over a high tree (as high as the sycamore tree at the main LZ) and burned it in. Rounded out, and got popped up 10'+ above the ground. Pulled in all the way, the glider dropped down level, and the wing began mushing in the gradient just above the ground, the groundspeed now low but not 0.
I should've flared as soon as the glider descended from its 10'+ perch, for the groundspeed was slim to none (0). I didn't. I hesitated, and tried to flare, but had no authority. The grass was high enough, and clumpy, grabby enough, to grab the control frame and stop it on a dime. I went flying thru the control frame, and my helmet crown struck the keel/nose/sail area hard enough to create a 2" scalp abrasion at the hairline center. My right inner forearm struck the right DT hard enough to create a small abrasion and slight pain to the area.
My 1st reaction was to say to myself "I just crashed!" I raised the glider from its nose, and was surprised to find undamaged DTs. It was a long carry from the crash site to the edge of the festival grounds. Found Debbie waiting for me at edge of the festival. Leisurely broke down, convincing a few that saw the crash, and thought that was "normal", that it was far from normal. The remaining time at the festival was enjoyable.
Takeaways from the crash landing. Keep your control frame out of the grass. I walked that damn field prior to landing (crashing!) in it! I didn't think my wheels wouldn't roll. Boy was I wrong. Never assume that your wheels will roll in questionable grass. I am damn lucky that my groundspeed was quite low, resulting in a "low speed" impact/crash. The adage "treat the top of the grass as the top of the ground" always applies, but in questionable "short" grass keep your control frame out of it. Fly safe! Bacil
Got up easy, and migrated over to Ritenour Ridge, where I planned to buzz a private music festival that Debbie and I were attending over the weekend, and land in a suitable field adjoining the 66 acre property that the festival was being held on. While climbing to over 4K'+ MSL, I punched out into the valley and flew over the festival. The air was rough, so I climbed out in a thermal above the property from 2700' MSL to over 4K' MSL.
While continuing to circle, I was joined in the thermal by a sailplane piloted by Piet Barber, a highly skilled sailplane pilot from the Skyline Soaring Association flying out of KFRR. We did around 6 to 7 circles together before Piet left the thermal to punch out into the valley. Piet's passenger was able to film me from the cockpit of QQ (Tail Alpha), and the short video is pretty cool.
Debbie was driving down the back side of the mountain (didn't want her going down the front side) to Kings Crossing to Edinburg to the festival, so I had more time to kill before her arrival. So I decided to tag Waonaze Peak and return to Ritenour Ridge. On the way the ridge was solid, so it was an easy cruise down. However, knowing that the winds were pretty much NW on the ridge (45° cross at WP), I went ahead and tagged the Peak at 2800' MSL. Turning around, I'm now barely moving over the ground, and fighting a stiff quartering headwind. Not too swift. Luckily the ridge falls all the way from WP to where the ridge curves back to facing due NW. I was able to get back into good position w/o sweating too much.
Reached Ritenour Ridge w/ good altitude. Searched for my truck where the vehicles were parked, but Debbie hadn't arrived yet. Predicting that she should be arriving any minute now, I went ahead and started flying over the festival grounds to lose altitude. Got to pattern altitude, finally seeing my truck's ladder thru the tree canopy. Entered downwind, and major turbulence was present. Flew very fast to lose altitude and combat turbulence. My LZ was on the Massadoah property on the NE side of the U-bend of the river. Did a short base onto final over a high tree (as high as the sycamore tree at the main LZ) and burned it in. Rounded out, and got popped up 10'+ above the ground. Pulled in all the way, the glider dropped down level, and the wing began mushing in the gradient just above the ground, the groundspeed now low but not 0.
I should've flared as soon as the glider descended from its 10'+ perch, for the groundspeed was slim to none (0). I didn't. I hesitated, and tried to flare, but had no authority. The grass was high enough, and clumpy, grabby enough, to grab the control frame and stop it on a dime. I went flying thru the control frame, and my helmet crown struck the keel/nose/sail area hard enough to create a 2" scalp abrasion at the hairline center. My right inner forearm struck the right DT hard enough to create a small abrasion and slight pain to the area.
My 1st reaction was to say to myself "I just crashed!" I raised the glider from its nose, and was surprised to find undamaged DTs. It was a long carry from the crash site to the edge of the festival grounds. Found Debbie waiting for me at edge of the festival. Leisurely broke down, convincing a few that saw the crash, and thought that was "normal", that it was far from normal. The remaining time at the festival was enjoyable.
Takeaways from the crash landing. Keep your control frame out of the grass. I walked that damn field prior to landing (crashing!) in it! I didn't think my wheels wouldn't roll. Boy was I wrong. Never assume that your wheels will roll in questionable grass. I am damn lucky that my groundspeed was quite low, resulting in a "low speed" impact/crash. The adage "treat the top of the grass as the top of the ground" always applies, but in questionable "short" grass keep your control frame out of it. Fly safe! Bacil