My vario screamed with excitement and I stuffed the bar to my waist. 2000 feet, high enough, time to pin off. I circled quickly to 2500 feet, knowing that this might be a great day. Ron, Paul, Greg, and Dave had already headed downwind. And then I lost the lift.
The smallest wisps of cumies, more like bits of fog, decorated the sky along with some stratus clouds way up high. I was confused as to what to use for lift indicators -- the clouds vanished almost as quickly as they appeared -- and I DECKED IT.
I decided to don some more clothes and mess with my radio since I had landed. Larry Huffman, his wife Brenda, and Pete L showed up at exactly that moment. (Pete keeps saying he is going home the next day but I have learned he is a liar in this regard.) They offered to take me flying! Woohoo!
We launched around 3 into a much better looking sky. I pinned off into outrageous lift that I thought was rough (I asked Pete later, he thought it wasn't bad for strong stuff). Followed my Sky God friends around at over 5000 feet. They had said they were not going anywhere but like I told you, at least one of them sometimes fibs.
We headed upwind, south down Highway 33. Pete flew his beautiful, old Falcon, I flew my Sport 2, and Larry flew his Litespeed, so it was interesting to go on glide. They radioed to help me when I needed it, but I couldn't respond because of a radio malfunction. We fanned out across the sky, and I chose a line of clouds to the east while they veered to the west. I know, this is not a sign of my intelligence. We became separated at that point.
My line was working fine, though, and I followed it for 5 miles. In the meantime, they decided to head towards Seminole glider port, 10 miles south. My line of clouds drifted slowly to the west, and if I kept curving around to the east a further line existed, but the sky was not as inviting that direction, filled with blue holes and fuzzy clouds.
I decided to try to fly back to Quest under another line. Ha ha, I was so unsure I would make it but I dolphin flew under the clouds and with the tailwind made it back in minutes, still above 5 K. I flew North for awhile then but I was really cold and came back home. The field was crazy lifting off. I finally found some sink to core and got warm enough to use my fingers. A cloud was building right over the LZ, though, and the windsock whipped in circles. I didn't want to land in that mess so ended up circling for 40 minutes until the damn thing went away around 5 PM.
Larry and Pete made it to Seminole, of course (pretty good upwind flight for a Falcon!) and I was finally able to call and tell them I had not actually been eaten by a gator out in some swamp. We all went to dinner since Paul was up North with his XC buddies until very late. I will let them all tell their own stories.
Pete says is he leaving this morning (have we heard that before???) but I have Larry to follow around until he gets tired of me being glued to his wingtip. Great times. Oh, they downloaded my flight and sent it to me, so I can admire it again and again, just like Paul does with his.
Lauren
pretty great Sunday (Lauren)
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
pretty great Sunday (Lauren)
Congrats on a good day - thanks for the write-up. (Back home. Jasper
and I rode our bikes to Mount Vernon from Alexandria before the rain
started.) - Hugh
On 21 Feb 2005, at 07:41, Paul Tjaden wrote:
> My vario screamed with excitement and I stuffed the bar to my waist.
> 2000 feet, high enough, time to pin off. I circled quickly to 2500
> feet, knowing that this might be a great day. Ron, Paul, Greg, and
> Dave had already headed downwind. And then I lost the lift.
> The smallest wisps of cumies, more like bits of fog, decorated the
> sky along with some stratus clouds way up high. I was confused as to
> what to use for lift indicators -- the clouds vanished almost as
> quickly as they appeared -- and I DECKED IT.
> I decided to don some more clothes and mess with my radio since I had
> landed. Larry Huffman, his wife Brenda, and Pete L showed up at
> exactly that moment. (Pete keeps saying he is going home the next day
> but I have learned he is a liar in this regard.) They offered to take
> me flying! Woohoo!
> We launched around 3 into a much better looking sky. I pinned off
> into outrageous lift that I thought was rough (I asked Pete later, he
> thought it wasn't bad for strong stuff). Followed my Sky God friends
> around at over 5000 feet. They had said they were not going anywhere
> but like I told you, at least one of them sometimes fibs.
> We headed upwind, south down Highway 33. Pete flew his beautiful, old
> Falcon, I flew my Sport 2, and Larry flew his Litespeed, so it was
> interesting to go on glide. They radioed to help me when I needed it,
> but I couldn't respond because of a radio malfunction. We fanned out
> across the sky, and I chose a line of clouds to the east while they
> veered to the west. I know, this is not a sign of my intelligence. We
> became separated at that point.
> My line was working fine, though, and I followed it for 5 miles. In
> the meantime, they decided to head towards Seminole glider port, 10
> miles south. My line of clouds drifted slowly to the west, and if I
> kept curving around to the east a further line existed, but the sky
> was not as inviting that direction, filled with blue holes and fuzzy
> clouds.
> I decided to try to fly back to Quest under another line. Ha ha, I
> was so unsure I would make it but I dolphin flew under the clouds and
> with the tailwind made it back in minutes, still above 5 K. I flew
> North for awhile then but I was really cold and came back home. The
> field was crazy lifting off. I finally found some sink to core and got
> warm enough to use my fingers. A cloud was building right over the LZ,
> though, and the windsock whipped in circles. I didn't want to land in
> that mess so ended up circling for 40 minutes until the damn thing
> went away around 5 PM.
> Larry and Pete made it to Seminole, of course (pretty good upwind
> flight for a Falcon!) and I was finally able to call and tell them I
> had not actually been eaten by a gator out in some swamp. We all went
> to dinner since Paul was up North with his XC buddies until very late.
> I will let them all tell their own stories.
> Pete says is he leaving this morning (have we heard that before???)
> but I have Larry to follow around until he gets tired of me being
> glued to his wingtip. Great times. Oh, they downloaded my flight and
> sent it to me, so I can admire it again and again, just like Paul does
> with his.
> Lauren
>
>
>
>
>
and I rode our bikes to Mount Vernon from Alexandria before the rain
started.) - Hugh
On 21 Feb 2005, at 07:41, Paul Tjaden wrote:
> My vario screamed with excitement and I stuffed the bar to my waist.
> 2000 feet, high enough, time to pin off. I circled quickly to 2500
> feet, knowing that this might be a great day. Ron, Paul, Greg, and
> Dave had already headed downwind. And then I lost the lift.
> The smallest wisps of cumies, more like bits of fog, decorated the
> sky along with some stratus clouds way up high. I was confused as to
> what to use for lift indicators -- the clouds vanished almost as
> quickly as they appeared -- and I DECKED IT.
> I decided to don some more clothes and mess with my radio since I had
> landed. Larry Huffman, his wife Brenda, and Pete L showed up at
> exactly that moment. (Pete keeps saying he is going home the next day
> but I have learned he is a liar in this regard.) They offered to take
> me flying! Woohoo!
> We launched around 3 into a much better looking sky. I pinned off
> into outrageous lift that I thought was rough (I asked Pete later, he
> thought it wasn't bad for strong stuff). Followed my Sky God friends
> around at over 5000 feet. They had said they were not going anywhere
> but like I told you, at least one of them sometimes fibs.
> We headed upwind, south down Highway 33. Pete flew his beautiful, old
> Falcon, I flew my Sport 2, and Larry flew his Litespeed, so it was
> interesting to go on glide. They radioed to help me when I needed it,
> but I couldn't respond because of a radio malfunction. We fanned out
> across the sky, and I chose a line of clouds to the east while they
> veered to the west. I know, this is not a sign of my intelligence. We
> became separated at that point.
> My line was working fine, though, and I followed it for 5 miles. In
> the meantime, they decided to head towards Seminole glider port, 10
> miles south. My line of clouds drifted slowly to the west, and if I
> kept curving around to the east a further line existed, but the sky
> was not as inviting that direction, filled with blue holes and fuzzy
> clouds.
> I decided to try to fly back to Quest under another line. Ha ha, I
> was so unsure I would make it but I dolphin flew under the clouds and
> with the tailwind made it back in minutes, still above 5 K. I flew
> North for awhile then but I was really cold and came back home. The
> field was crazy lifting off. I finally found some sink to core and got
> warm enough to use my fingers. A cloud was building right over the LZ,
> though, and the windsock whipped in circles. I didn't want to land in
> that mess so ended up circling for 40 minutes until the damn thing
> went away around 5 PM.
> Larry and Pete made it to Seminole, of course (pretty good upwind
> flight for a Falcon!) and I was finally able to call and tell them I
> had not actually been eaten by a gator out in some swamp. We all went
> to dinner since Paul was up North with his XC buddies until very late.
> I will let them all tell their own stories.
> Pete says is he leaving this morning (have we heard that before???)
> but I have Larry to follow around until he gets tired of me being
> glued to his wingtip. Great times. Oh, they downloaded my flight and
> sent it to me, so I can admire it again and again, just like Paul does
> with his.
> Lauren
>
>
>
>
>