Woodstock Tuesday
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
Woodstock Tuesday
Bruce, Shawn and I. All thermal no ridge. Depending on where you were and the tiiming it could be sweet or not. Shawn hit the not. He was 0 for two. He got above launch briefly on the first flight but that was it. There was some unbelievalbe sink out there. I saw 1300 ft a minute down once up toward the reservoir and it wouldn't quit. Went from 2000 over to 400 ft off the deck and out of the boot in no time. but then I saw a buzzard and we both went back up. Magic. Bruce was king. He got to 6000 over out in the valley and froze to death which serves him right. It was cold. I was figuring a spring day in the 50s but it was very wintery aloft.
I tried to join you Steve
Steve,
Yesterday a few of us flew the High Point in Cumberland. I tried to fly to Woodstock, but a late start scotched it.
Here's the account I wrote for the Pittsburgh newsletter.
Pete
APRIL 10 HIGH POINT: Hallelujah, Spring!
The arctic early spring conditions finally end, and in desperation Florent Fumey, Pat Halhill, John Fenner and Pete Lehmann go to join JR in jumping off the High Point. The sky became better the further they got from Pittsburgh and the accursed Erie lake effect, and pilots became excited about flying for the first time this spring.
Unfortunately, conditions were not quite perfect. When Pat, JR and Pete launched the winds were considerably right cross, and thermals hard to find. JR and Pat had short flights to the lz where JR added to Pat’s misfortune by picking his pocket for $5 in the spot landing contest. On the other hand, Pat was just happy to have reached the lz against the headwind. He really got flushed.
Pete survived by scratching the ridge before finding one of the finest thermals he’s ever seen in the east: he climbed 4,000ft in five minutes, averaging 807fpm, including one minute at 1,200fpm. Getting to 6,800msl, he then went over the back trying to fly to Woodstock on his first xc with the new Sport 2. He only got to Augusta for 22.2 miles as the clouds evaporated and the lift rapidly deteriorated.
Meanwhile, back at the ridge John Fenner beat his brains out for an hour before finally finding a departure thermal to 6,500msl. He made it to Fort Ashby where he slowly climbed out again in the now weak lift, but then bagged it to land there for ten miles.
Florent finally got a decent launch cycle and then flew his paraglider for :45, and getting about 2,000 above launch.
Even for those who got flushed it was a fine day to be outside playing with gliders and drinking beer.
Yesterday a few of us flew the High Point in Cumberland. I tried to fly to Woodstock, but a late start scotched it.
Here's the account I wrote for the Pittsburgh newsletter.
Pete
APRIL 10 HIGH POINT: Hallelujah, Spring!
The arctic early spring conditions finally end, and in desperation Florent Fumey, Pat Halhill, John Fenner and Pete Lehmann go to join JR in jumping off the High Point. The sky became better the further they got from Pittsburgh and the accursed Erie lake effect, and pilots became excited about flying for the first time this spring.
Unfortunately, conditions were not quite perfect. When Pat, JR and Pete launched the winds were considerably right cross, and thermals hard to find. JR and Pat had short flights to the lz where JR added to Pat’s misfortune by picking his pocket for $5 in the spot landing contest. On the other hand, Pat was just happy to have reached the lz against the headwind. He really got flushed.
Pete survived by scratching the ridge before finding one of the finest thermals he’s ever seen in the east: he climbed 4,000ft in five minutes, averaging 807fpm, including one minute at 1,200fpm. Getting to 6,800msl, he then went over the back trying to fly to Woodstock on his first xc with the new Sport 2. He only got to Augusta for 22.2 miles as the clouds evaporated and the lift rapidly deteriorated.
Meanwhile, back at the ridge John Fenner beat his brains out for an hour before finally finding a departure thermal to 6,500msl. He made it to Fort Ashby where he slowly climbed out again in the now weak lift, but then bagged it to land there for ten miles.
Florent finally got a decent launch cycle and then flew his paraglider for :45, and getting about 2,000 above launch.
Even for those who got flushed it was a fine day to be outside playing with gliders and drinking beer.
Pete Lehmann