Saturday shows an increasing forecast and gusts to 30mph. Sunday is showing WNW 15-20 and a a decreasing forecast. Anyone up for Woodstock on Sunday??? I'll bring both wings.
Matthew
Woodstock Sunday????
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
The 3k ADDS cast is calling for WWNW 20-30 on Sunday,
becoming W 15-20 in the afternoon. And NWS claims it
will be partly sunny, highs in the upper 40s.
Although I hate bailing on a near-certain Woodstock day
like today (wind-wise), I think I'm going to gamble that
the forecasts will hold, with hopes for a sunnier and warmer
flying day tomorrow.
MarkC
becoming W 15-20 in the afternoon. And NWS claims it
will be partly sunny, highs in the upper 40s.
Although I hate bailing on a near-certain Woodstock day
like today (wind-wise), I think I'm going to gamble that
the forecasts will hold, with hopes for a sunnier and warmer
flying day tomorrow.
MarkC
Wow! What an exhausting but fun day!
We had a small crowd at Woodstock today: me, Dan, Carlos,
Matthew, Karen, Janni, and Glenn. I realize it was a bit cold
and that The Masters was on TV... But still, was surprised that
more pilots didn't give the day a try!?!?
I was up for 5 hours and change, probably my longest flight.
I'll just hit on some highlights while my eyes are still open:
- cranking into solid 400' fpm up (30-second averager) and
realizing that the day would be a good one
- topping out at 4500' over launch, downwind (significant west cross)
of the north finger, with 500/600/even 700 up for extended
periods
- flying through snow (virga, even a squal or two) more times
than I remember. Kept looking for a snow-glory, but no luck.
- watching Dan pull off a low save from a few hundred over,
yelling encoragement on the radio
- hanging at the Edinburg Gap *forever*, and then finally finding
the right thermal and upwind clouds to allow a jump
- heading down Short Mtn, getting an occasional 3k over, but
really banging into a headwind all the way down
- being in "no-man's-land" on Short for a couple hours, trying,
turning around, trying again, watching the LZs and the clouds
and the sink rate, constant vigilance. Nerve-wracking, but
felt good about the decisions I was making.
- eventually giving up after making the end of Short (the thermal
track was just too cross for me to feel comfortable making the
jump to the next ridge), and heading back north.
- jumping back over the gap, a first for me; finding three bald eagles on the
main rdge and chasing after them for a while
- then, WAYcool, thermalling with a pair of immature balds
for about 30 minutes, close approaches, above & below, watching
their feathers ruffling as we dove after each other. They seemed
as interested in me as I was in them.
- putting it down successfully in the main, in rowdy conditions that
seemed to *poof* turn on a just a couple hundred AGL. Hate it when
that happens.
We adjourned to the Strasburg Inn for dinner, brews, and much
laughter afterwards.
Must... Sleep... Now.....
MarkC
We had a small crowd at Woodstock today: me, Dan, Carlos,
Matthew, Karen, Janni, and Glenn. I realize it was a bit cold
and that The Masters was on TV... But still, was surprised that
more pilots didn't give the day a try!?!?
I was up for 5 hours and change, probably my longest flight.
I'll just hit on some highlights while my eyes are still open:
- cranking into solid 400' fpm up (30-second averager) and
realizing that the day would be a good one
- topping out at 4500' over launch, downwind (significant west cross)
of the north finger, with 500/600/even 700 up for extended
periods
- flying through snow (virga, even a squal or two) more times
than I remember. Kept looking for a snow-glory, but no luck.
- watching Dan pull off a low save from a few hundred over,
yelling encoragement on the radio
- hanging at the Edinburg Gap *forever*, and then finally finding
the right thermal and upwind clouds to allow a jump
- heading down Short Mtn, getting an occasional 3k over, but
really banging into a headwind all the way down
- being in "no-man's-land" on Short for a couple hours, trying,
turning around, trying again, watching the LZs and the clouds
and the sink rate, constant vigilance. Nerve-wracking, but
felt good about the decisions I was making.
- eventually giving up after making the end of Short (the thermal
track was just too cross for me to feel comfortable making the
jump to the next ridge), and heading back north.
- jumping back over the gap, a first for me; finding three bald eagles on the
main rdge and chasing after them for a while
- then, WAYcool, thermalling with a pair of immature balds
for about 30 minutes, close approaches, above & below, watching
their feathers ruffling as we dove after each other. They seemed
as interested in me as I was in them.
- putting it down successfully in the main, in rowdy conditions that
seemed to *poof* turn on a just a couple hundred AGL. Hate it when
that happens.
We adjourned to the Strasburg Inn for dinner, brews, and much
laughter afterwards.
Must... Sleep... Now.....
MarkC
Nice flight
Mark,
Nice flight! Glad you had plenty of altitude on Short Mt. the whole time, right? I would have been at Woodstock today, but being married with children on Easter Sunday usually means the whole day is taken up with Easter festivities. I would imagine a few other pilots have the same situation. Sure, you could blow off the family and Easter, but that would probably lead to AIDS.
Bacil
Nice flight! Glad you had plenty of altitude on Short Mt. the whole time, right? I would have been at Woodstock today, but being married with children on Easter Sunday usually means the whole day is taken up with Easter festivities. I would imagine a few other pilots have the same situation. Sure, you could blow off the family and Easter, but that would probably lead to AIDS.
Bacil
Congrats Mark on a well deserved flight. 5hrs where was my paint gun?
Trying not to get pinned behind the ridge I got pinned behind a finger.
Right after launch I gained more than 1K in less than 5 minutes. I was trying not to work the thermals that would take me to far behind the ridge; I was able to find them many times. There was some turbulence, at one point it yanked the basetube from my hands.
Anyway almost 30minutes into the flight I lost 1k in 2 seconds. Still at 500 over I looked at the stream around the LZ and it seemed pretty choppy, I decided to go to the across the north finger where there was sun. There were some burps of lift but not enough to gain decent altitude. Of course in this field I found as much turbulence as I was trying to avoid initially. Thanks to Karen and Hobble(sp?) for solving the logistical mess I created.
Carlos
Trying not to get pinned behind the ridge I got pinned behind a finger.
Right after launch I gained more than 1K in less than 5 minutes. I was trying not to work the thermals that would take me to far behind the ridge; I was able to find them many times. There was some turbulence, at one point it yanked the basetube from my hands.
Anyway almost 30minutes into the flight I lost 1k in 2 seconds. Still at 500 over I looked at the stream around the LZ and it seemed pretty choppy, I decided to go to the across the north finger where there was sun. There were some burps of lift but not enough to gain decent altitude. Of course in this field I found as much turbulence as I was trying to avoid initially. Thanks to Karen and Hobble(sp?) for solving the logistical mess I created.
Carlos
Easter Sunday at Woodstock
Those were some interesting and varied conditions, anywhere from baby's bottom smooth when the cloud shadows were prevalent to classic springtime lift and especially sink when the sun shone.
At times all three of us, Mark, Carlos and I some of the heaviest sink encountered in recent memory. My really low save was off a ripping thermal just a few hundred above a landing out field.
But Mark's Eburg gap crossing and back had to be a remarkable accomplishment in those conditions. Five hours in the cold and working for every inch.
Congrats Mark.
Dan T
At times all three of us, Mark, Carlos and I some of the heaviest sink encountered in recent memory. My really low save was off a ripping thermal just a few hundred above a landing out field.
But Mark's Eburg gap crossing and back had to be a remarkable accomplishment in those conditions. Five hours in the cold and working for every inch.
Congrats Mark.
Dan T
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Ashley Groves
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