I got my flight video down to short enough to share.
Woodstock, Saturday June 2nd
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
Re: Woodstock, Saturday June 2nd
Cragin
Douglas.Cragin(AT)iCloud(DOT)com
Weather - https://sites.google.com/site/hgweather/
Flying - http://craginsflightblog.blogspot.com/
Kay's Stuff- http://kayshappenings.blogspot.com/
GO to 50 https://sites.google.com/site/hgmemories/Home/50th
Douglas.Cragin(AT)iCloud(DOT)com
Weather - https://sites.google.com/site/hgweather/
Flying - http://craginsflightblog.blogspot.com/
Kay's Stuff- http://kayshappenings.blogspot.com/
GO to 50 https://sites.google.com/site/hgmemories/Home/50th
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hang_pilot
- Posts: 662
- Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 11:13 pm
- Location: Tallahassee, FL
Re: Woodstock, Saturday June 2nd
Congrats to you too, Cragin, on your return to flying the mountains!CraginS wrote:I returned to the mountains today, after a much too long hiatus.
Best,
Daniel
Re: Woodstock, Saturday June 2nd
With 6k MSL on Saturday, I was thinking that I would cross the Edinburg Gap to Short Mountain, fly to the end, and then hook a thermal and drift OTB to the ENE (if I couldn't make the next jump). Starting further south, this would take me into a section of Shenandoah NP that seemed better than the prospects closer to launch.
Well.... Short Mtn was working immediately after I crossed, but not so much afterwards. Got to the end, got low, trees blowing all over the place, but I simply couldn't connect with anything good. At that point you're pretty much SOL : There's no reachable LZ anywhere. Decided to head back north, reasoning that I would be able to make it back to the gap with a quartering tailwind. That worked out ok, but there were many times at tree-top level, or even below the ridge a bit. Probably not as freaky as it seemed at the time, but I was majorly pep-talking myself along the way : "Fly well or you're gonna be in a world of trouble dude!". Got back to the gap, found some ridge-lift and reached a couple hundred over, and then dove for that last-chance LZ within the gap. Made it, tail between my legs, phew!
About 100' over the field I found a light thermal and managed to squeeze 500' out of it. Briefly had visions of getting back to the ridge and continuing my flight, but it wasn't meant to be.... I wound up in a field within the last bend of the river, just north of the gap.
Met the landowner (Ray) after carrying my glider to a nice little shade tree. And... Can it get any better? He zipped on over to the house on his ATV and came back with some ice-cold brews! Can't think of a time that a beer tasted better.
His wife stopped by and we chatted about their recent move to the area, his former hobby (drag racing, 192mph in 7 seconds, 3+ G's), good fireworks displays (Virginia Beach; Cincinnati at Labor Day), new restaurants in the WS area, how to fly hang gliders, etc. I'd land there anytime! A couple of photos of the LZ are attached below.
MarkC
PS: Thanks again to Gary S for the pick-up!
Well.... Short Mtn was working immediately after I crossed, but not so much afterwards. Got to the end, got low, trees blowing all over the place, but I simply couldn't connect with anything good. At that point you're pretty much SOL : There's no reachable LZ anywhere. Decided to head back north, reasoning that I would be able to make it back to the gap with a quartering tailwind. That worked out ok, but there were many times at tree-top level, or even below the ridge a bit. Probably not as freaky as it seemed at the time, but I was majorly pep-talking myself along the way : "Fly well or you're gonna be in a world of trouble dude!". Got back to the gap, found some ridge-lift and reached a couple hundred over, and then dove for that last-chance LZ within the gap. Made it, tail between my legs, phew!
About 100' over the field I found a light thermal and managed to squeeze 500' out of it. Briefly had visions of getting back to the ridge and continuing my flight, but it wasn't meant to be.... I wound up in a field within the last bend of the river, just north of the gap.
Met the landowner (Ray) after carrying my glider to a nice little shade tree. And... Can it get any better? He zipped on over to the house on his ATV and came back with some ice-cold brews! Can't think of a time that a beer tasted better.
His wife stopped by and we chatted about their recent move to the area, his former hobby (drag racing, 192mph in 7 seconds, 3+ G's), good fireworks displays (Virginia Beach; Cincinnati at Labor Day), new restaurants in the WS area, how to fly hang gliders, etc. I'd land there anytime! A couple of photos of the LZ are attached below.
MarkC
PS: Thanks again to Gary S for the pick-up!
- Attachments
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- Landing Field
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- Hanging with Ray after breaking down