HR Sunday Recap...

[Danny Brotto]

I arrive at HR at ~1:30 after bailing from McConnelsburg (strongish... backing off forecast, but HR is an hour closer to home.) The TFR was set to expire at 2:00 so I set-up amongst a gazillion spectators and motorcycles. I was the only HG pilot there but Tim and Tim (spacing on the last names) showed up from Smithburg to hopefully fly. Conditions were west cross at about 10. After rigging, I called flight service to confirm expiration of the TFR. The notice came in as I was speaking with the briefer. Eddie Miller showed up from Smithburg and set up his Sensor.

I had a full crew for the launch into very light west winds. I called it a ?launch? but it was more of a flop. I demonstrated a classic stall off the cube; this after I got tongue-tied and yelled ?Keel? instead of ?Clear?. No matter, the crew understood and I climbed to about 150 over in the west ridge lift. The air was rather chunky at times not so much due to the cross but rather to my being in the middle of an inversion (mixing, unstable air.) I was able to thermal to above the inversion a number of times maxing out at 700 over. Eddie launched and we exchanged altitudes a few times pretty much playing in the bumps, flying all over the place, and enjoying the ?more than a hint? of fall colors. Lots of birds out just cruising and marking spots of lift.

Things began to slowly cycle down. Eddie left to fly home while we were at ~150 over. I finally sank down below the ridge and headed west to establish myself for a crosswind glide to the LZ. Just off the ridge, I found a light thermal taking it slowly to 300 over launch. The air had decidedly changed to smooth, buoyant, and phat and I re-established myself in the evening air. The low sun really lit up the colors of the mountainside and the sky was impossibly blue. The inversion shimmered. I lost myself in the moment and all was right with the world.

After ? hour in the glass off, I headed out to allow enough daylight to break down. Landing was uneventful in the light westerly and I broke down in the LZ alone. Tim(s) had driven my truck to the LZ (thanks a million guys!) but did not fly. Fifteen minutes before sunset, it turned slightly catabatic.

I racked up one and a half hours in mostly sweet conditions taking in the beautiful scenery.

Danny Brotto

[Spark]

Danny,

It is great that you and Eddie were able to soar the Rock. I thought it was going to be WSW there, since we saw that direction at Smithsburg. We had a similar glass-off experience at the Pulpit.