Hang Gliding, Yes, Hang Gliding

[lplehmann]

From the Pittsburgh club's newsletter.
Pete

APRIL 19 HIGH POINT
After the previous day?s flying anything was going to be a disappointment, but it was still a good day. Pat Halfhill drove down to join Pete Lehmann who?d stayed overnight in Cumberland. Pat and Pete were accompanied by Darrell, the Cumberland driver-for-hire, and arrived at launch to be greeted by a rapidly overdeveloping sky. After a hurried set-up and launch, Pat and Pete flailed around the ridge, never quite getting high enough to get out. In search of better clouds, they eventually headed south to the Zirks launch where Pat spent the rest of his two hour flight before, ahem, landing in the lz below. Later in the day Jim Rowan?s dogs derived great excitement from investigating the interesting biological residues found on Pat?s pants legs. Suffice it to say that the landing was inelegant.

In the meantime, Pete had scratched out of Zirks and committed over the back while low and climbing in garbage. He figured he?d rather take his chances in the valley behind the ridge, and after an hour long struggle finally got to base at 8,500msl under a long, dark overdeveloped street. At that point he thought he had it made, and began gliding only to have his hopes dashed by miles of heavy hail/sleet/rain. By the time he got out of the precipitation he was too low to cross the trees and mountains around Forks of Cacapon, and he landed there (24.3 miles) while Darrell watched. That?s a good driver.