Woodstock 2/18

[XCanytime]

Gary Smith and I are meeting up at 9A at the backside gate.? Hopefully it will be open.? If it's closed, then we hike in.? It will be worth the exercise.

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Bacil

[Ashley Groves]

Excellent. A little coldness just means better thermals!

Where is the back side gate? I have been there only once.

Also, will you guys have cell phone or be on the radio if I can't find you? Send phone numbers or your frequency and I will be monitoring.

Ashley

[Joe Schad]

I understand that the Woodstock road is open so you will have to wait to hike up the back unless you really want the extra exercise in the cold weather.

Forecast is on the edge of doable as I see it.

Joe

[mcgowantk]

I'm in, but will likely be there later than 9:00.??See you there.
?
Tom McGowan
c 703/ 501-9532

XCanytime@aol.com wrote:

Gary Smith and I are meeting up at 9A at the backside gate.? Hopefully it will be open.? If it's closed, then we hike in.? It will be worth the exercise.

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????? Bacil

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[XCanytime]

???? Hit the road at 7A.? Started getting breezy around Frederick.? Ran into Gary Smith at a Sheetz outside of Berryville, VA.? Tailed him to the backside of the mountain, and the gate was open.? We set up with conditions 6 to 12 MPH to very light, and a solid gray overcast w/ wave clouds and ragged cumies under the overcast.? A hefty snow squall was locked in place to the north of us just opposite Strasburg.? Took off around 10:45A into what appeared to be the light stirrings of a cycle.? Got airborne and the glider weathervaned to the west in the slot.? Got clear of the slot and flew straight out, remembering the severe chop from a month ago here.? Got hit again by some strong chop, this time well clear of the slot, and got flung into a dive to the right.? Glider recovered, and I maintained manuevering airspeed and kept flying out away from the mountain.? Slowly climbed into a stiff west cross.? Got up to around 700' over, and it smoothed out considerably.? Headed SW down to the last U-bend of the river before the Edinburg Gap.? All the while I was between two wave clouds, and sometimes would encounter smooth lift, and ran from it.? Went back up by launch and saw Gary take off, and he joined me in the smooth air at 700' over.? Got cold after about an hour and landed in the cow patty strewn main field.? Gary landed about 12:30P amidst many cows in the field.? Saw Bruce Engen and Tom McGowan take off into the clearing skies at this time.? They got up high and headed SW.? Joe Schad picked us up and we went back to launch and helped Ashley Groves launch into 12 to 20 MPH conditions.? He beamed up quickly out in front.? Tom had landed in the bridge field, so Gary and I helped him break down in the breezy conditions.? Joe went to pick up Bruce, who landed up at Strasburg.? Ashley ended up landing in the bridge field as well.? Gary, Joe, Bruce, Ashley, and I ended up at Fox's Pizza in Strasburg for some warm food and cold drinks.

???????????????????????????????????????????????? Bacil
??

[Ashley Groves]

Yes, Conditions were great. Launched into a lull, which was 2 steps no matter how hard I tried to run, and was 1000' over before I had a chance to zip up.
Flew for an hour or so. Went up and down the range a bit with the whole place to myself (expect for one sail plane that passed safely under me). Never 360'd once and landed once I got cold.