So where's the flock going today? Anyone heading to the Pulpit? There's a TFR for Thurmont. It expires at 1pm today.
Matthew
Pulpit Today- Sunday
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
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Dave Proctor
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- Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:31 pm
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silverwings
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- Location: Bethesda, MD
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Got to the Pulpit around 12:30P to find Dave Proctor and Carlos Weill setting up. Skies looked good with cumies high up and conditions straight in from 10 to 15 MPH. Carlos and I helped Dave launch from the new ramp and he immediately beamed out and XCed to Mont Alto completely across the valley, getting to over 6K' MSL and landing only because he was cold and tired. Carlos was gracious enough to let me fly, with a birder and him helping me launch off of the old ramp. By the time I launched, the skies had dried up over the local area, and I bounced around under 1K' over (no altimeter) until I tired out after 45 minutes with the choppy lift and moderate turbulence. Out of flying shape since the last flight I had was a sled on 8/11. Decided to land at the driving range of the golf course, and found lift popping off above the range. Put down and got retrieved quickly. I drove Dave's car to where he landed right by Rt. 997 south of Penn National Golf Course, and headed home with the driver.
Bacil
Bacil
I hear Tom McGowan launched at High Rock right after the TFR lifted and got a couple of hours and 2000 over. Karen soared for awhile from around 2:30/2:45, but when John Middleton and Matthew launched around 3:00, the rest of us were surprised that they all ended up in the LZ in a few minutes. Glenn soared up for awhile, but Carlos (refugee from Pulpit who was left without wirecrew there), Greg, Dave Green and I suffered similar fates with extendos at best. Kirk flew his new U2. Eddie Miller generously launched everybody even though he was set up, then soared with the buzzards before heading for home. Gorgeous day. Many appreciative spectators.
Cop asked Eddie and Carlos for their hang-gliding permits. Eddie said he didn't have one. Carlos told the cop he had an USHGA card. i guess that satisfied him... - Hugh
P.S. I heard a story that Pete Lehman asks people who complain about sledding "what do you think the mere mortals did today?"
Cop asked Eddie and Carlos for their hang-gliding permits. Eddie said he didn't have one. Carlos told the cop he had an USHGA card. i guess that satisfied him... - Hugh
P.S. I heard a story that Pete Lehman asks people who complain about sledding "what do you think the mere mortals did today?"
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silverwings
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- Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:29 pm
- Location: Bethesda, MD
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Karen, myself, and Matthew all got above for a short while but a sink cycle got us. I got up to 500 above for a little while. My flight was 15 - 20 minutes. When I first got there about 1:40 conditions were better but got lighter as we set up though Tom was staying up nicely. Thought Eddies flight was great with him catching a thermal below launch with some birds near the rail road tracks and getting up above for a while.
john middleton (202)409-2574 c
Yes, Karen soared for awhile, but only after her worst launch ever. I went off with too little energy which let the west cross put me into a right turn. I was slow to pull in and then had to maintain the pull in for a couple seconds to get some speed. This put me very close to the trees. The tip of my right wing did scrape an evergreen tree but fortunately this didn't seem to affect the glider.
Conditions were pretty light, with straight in cycles and periodically cross cycles. I was pretty close to the edge, and normally when it is as light as it is I'm a little further back to give myself a couple steps for some energy. But that wouldn't have helped the fact that I got into a turn.
John Middleton, who was on my right wing, stated that he was surprised that I was having difficulty controling my glider (pitch etc) in the light conditions. I've often had difficulty controlling my glider on launch when it's strong, but not normally when it's light. I haven't been flying as much as I used to, but I feel that I'm as strong or stronger than I've ever been. One new variable is that the downtubes on my Sport 2 are thicker than the downtubes on my XC, and MUCH thicker than the downtubes on my old Pulse. While some parts of my body might have gotten bigger with age, my hands aren't one of them. This has been my major complaint with the Sport 2, especially since it was initially advertised to be built for the small pilot with small hands.
I talked to Tom and John and mentioned going back to the training hill. While that's never a bad idea, John said that he didn't really think it was pertinent to High Rock, and might not help unless I was having problems with other foot launches. My last foot launch at the Pulpit was very good. I've always prided myself on having good launches, and want to get back to that point. I still think I'll get back to the training hill and work on ground handling. Eddie Miller says Smithburg isn't open yet but when it does open it should be wonderful since the crop last year was soybeans instead of corn.
One good part to the day was that we moved my hang point forward. I didn't notice much of a difference when flying until afterwards when I realized that I didn't have to pull in as much, but I did notice a nice difference when I was on final approach. Previously the base tube in trim was floating so far ahead of me that I didn't have much flare authority. I still didn't have a perfect landing (slight nose over), but I felt more secure about it.
Thanks to my wire crew for their patience and apologies for scaring everyone. I realize I was quite lucky.
Karen
Conditions were pretty light, with straight in cycles and periodically cross cycles. I was pretty close to the edge, and normally when it is as light as it is I'm a little further back to give myself a couple steps for some energy. But that wouldn't have helped the fact that I got into a turn.
John Middleton, who was on my right wing, stated that he was surprised that I was having difficulty controling my glider (pitch etc) in the light conditions. I've often had difficulty controlling my glider on launch when it's strong, but not normally when it's light. I haven't been flying as much as I used to, but I feel that I'm as strong or stronger than I've ever been. One new variable is that the downtubes on my Sport 2 are thicker than the downtubes on my XC, and MUCH thicker than the downtubes on my old Pulse. While some parts of my body might have gotten bigger with age, my hands aren't one of them. This has been my major complaint with the Sport 2, especially since it was initially advertised to be built for the small pilot with small hands.
I talked to Tom and John and mentioned going back to the training hill. While that's never a bad idea, John said that he didn't really think it was pertinent to High Rock, and might not help unless I was having problems with other foot launches. My last foot launch at the Pulpit was very good. I've always prided myself on having good launches, and want to get back to that point. I still think I'll get back to the training hill and work on ground handling. Eddie Miller says Smithburg isn't open yet but when it does open it should be wonderful since the crop last year was soybeans instead of corn.
One good part to the day was that we moved my hang point forward. I didn't notice much of a difference when flying until afterwards when I realized that I didn't have to pull in as much, but I did notice a nice difference when I was on final approach. Previously the base tube in trim was floating so far ahead of me that I didn't have much flare authority. I still didn't have a perfect landing (slight nose over), but I felt more secure about it.
Thanks to my wire crew for their patience and apologies for scaring everyone. I realize I was quite lucky.
Karen
Karen Carra
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Dave Proctor
- Posts: 243
- Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:31 pm
I got to the Pulpit around Noon...and nobody else there. It was coming straight in, maybe 10 with some higher gusts. Perfectly launchable. After awhile I left for High Rock. Passed Carlos on Rt75 near 30 and hung a quick U-turn and we went back to the Pulpit. Started setting up and Bacil restored the faith and showed up with his wife Judy, on their way back from West-bygod-Virginee. We all got setup and I launched first. After about 10 minutes on the ridge I climbed out to 2K over, sometimes seeing 7-800 up. Lift dropped way down but hung with it until I got a little over 6K MSL. Flew across the valley but got pinned down against the Michaux forest. Wind on this side of the valley was almost parallel to the ridge, which make High Rock a 10 mile upwind task. I just didn't have it in me, and the wind direction made a crossing of the sea of trees unlikely, so I just found a nice big field and landed in Mount Alto, just South of the golf course. Gotta put some barmitts on the glider. Hands were freezing. Thanks to Carlos and Bacil for the wire crew. And, a special thanks to Judy and Bacil for ferrying my car to me in Mount Alto. Carlos- sorry you didn't get to fly at the Pulpit.
DaveP
DaveP
Dave P
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Dave Proctor
- Posts: 243
- Joined: Mon Jun 20, 2005 5:31 pm
I got to the Pulpit around Noon...and nobody else there. It was coming straight in, maybe 10 with some higher gusts. Perfectly launchable. After awhile I left for High Rock. Passed Carlos on Rt75 near 30 and hung a quick U-turn and we went back to the Pulpit. Started setting up and Bacil restored the faith and showed up with his wife Judy, on their way back from West-bygod-Virginee. We all got setup and I launched first. After about 10 minutes on the ridge I climbed out to 2K over, sometimes seeing 7-800 up. Lift dropped way down but hung with it until I got a little over 6K MSL. Flew across the valley but got pinned down against the Michaux forest. Wind on this side of the valley was almost parallel to the ridge, which make High Rock a 10 mile upwind task. I just didn't have it in me, and the wind direction made a crossing of the sea of trees unlikely, so I just found a nice big field and landed in Mount Alto, just South of the golf course. Gotta put some barmitts on the glider. Hands were freezing. Thanks to Carlos and Bacil for the wire crew. And, a special thanks to Judy and Bacil for ferrying my car to me in Mount Alto. Carlos- sorry you didn't get to fly at the Pulpit.
DaveP
DaveP
Dave P