Pulpit Saturday 2/20 (or maybe Sunday?)

[XCanytime]

Anybody interested? Dan Tuckwiller and I may give it a shot with a couple of snow shovels. Bacil

[Dan T]

I'm interested in flying the paraglider conditions permitting. Don't really want to try to set the hang glider up in 2 feet of snow.

Costa Rica here I come!

Dan T

[XCanytime]

Don't believe it's going to be that bad. Plenty of sun tomorrow should make the ESE facing setup area have less than a foot of snow. Should get up to 40+ tomorrow at Hagerstown as well. Will be good soarable conditions Saturday. Bacil

[mcgowantk]

I will be there.

Tom McGowan

[carweill]

Tempted
will see

Carlos

[mcgowantk]

I plan to be there around noon.

Tom McGowan
c 703-501-9532

[markc]

If I can get enough work done in the next couple hours, I'll wander up that way...
ETA would be around 2:00 or so.

MarkC

[DanTuck]

Set up is clear. Path is shoveled. Braindead soarable. Where art thou?

[DanTuck]

Okay so it was on the strong side. But it was the gust factor that made us decide to stay on the ground.
We're giving it another shot in the morning. Should be good early.
All the work is done, so come on out. You won't have to shovel.

[markc]

I'm willing to give it a try this AM.... Dan/Carlos/Bacil, are you all still in?

MarkC

[DanTuck]

I'm about to hit the road.
Trying to get there between 9:45-10:00.
See you there!

[Dan T]

I'm coming. Should arrive just before noon.

Dan T
biwingal

[markc]

Next weekend is out for me, so I'll give it a try today too.
ETA around 10:30.

MarkC

[carweill]

Why not

Expect to get there around 11AM

Carlos

[XCanytime]

Very good day at the Pulpit considering all the snow . Dan Tuckwiller and I arrived together at 10A to soarable conditions, but not the gustiness and strength of the previous day. Lots of wave clouds in the sky. We hiked the equipment in and set up in anticipation of Mark and Carlos arriving. They arrived around 11A and I promptly took off with Mark and Dan's assistance around 11:20A into 12 to 18 MPH straight in. Easily got up and enjoyed the view of the snowscape, waiting for Dan to launch. Dan got off safely in stronger stuff about 20 minutes later. Dan found some good lift down by Rt. 16, so I high tailed it down there to gain a few hundred. Decided to head towards The Corner as far as I could comfortably. Flew a good ways past the microwave tower before hitting any lift. Gained a few hundred and continued SSW. Got some real good lift halfway between Cito and The Corner, so I loitered in it and got the highest altitude of the flight, 2700' MSL. Decided to head back and try to land at the Great Cove Golf Club driving range, where I've landed many times before. Made an NNW crosswind glide from 2500' MSL out towards the range. Made it to the clubhouse with 500' AGL. Checked the many flags poking out of the snow; they showed a light westerly wind. Tried to land on a bare spot but way overshot it. Had a nice landing in a foot of snow. It was a bitch to hike back to the clubhouse in the snow. Found a nice bare spot under a tree to break down. Dan landed around 15 minutes after I did, choosing a NW final and putting down nicely atop a rise in the terrain. Dan got 1K' over in small thermals. Got ahold of Mark and Carlos running a shuttle, so they came and gave us body rides back up. Thanks Carlos and Mark. The Dans and I helped Carlos and Mark launch into the soarable sky, while the paraglider bunch of Dan Tomlinson, Laszlo, and Ellis pondered the winds, which were still strong. While we retrieved our gliders from under the shade tree, Carlos landed in the main, and Mark was a good 1500' over, having the sky to himself and enjoying it. Looking forward to Carlos' and Mark's reports on their flights.

Bacil

[markc]

I was trying to psych myself up for a sled when I left this AM.... So it was really great to have
such a nice day of flying! I was up for maybe 1:45, and topped out at 2200' over launch late in
my flight. Was banging my head at 1300' over a bunch of times and thought that might be it.
But there was a period of sun which kicked in after a fairly cloudy 30 minutes or so, and that
was when I finally get pretty high. Cruised around, had fun, flew out over the JLG plant and
boated around at 1000' above launch for quite a while, gradually circling & descending toward
the LZ. Very relaxing, very mellow....

When Carlos and I got back up top, conditions were starting to ease up, and it looked like the
PG contingent would get to fly after all. Lazslo went first, then Dan Tmlnsn, then Ellis. I took
photos of their launches (and some during my own flight), hope you enjoy them!

MarkC

Multiple drifts at least 5' high blocked about 100 feet of the road to launch:

Some decent Q's out there, even on a winter day!

WooHoo!

Looking north, with Route 30 snaking up and over the mountain:

Another view north, from a bit north of launch:

Back at launch, the sun reflecting from the snow in the valley:

More sunset drama:

Laszlo launching:

And then climbing out!

Dan Tm's launch:

Laszlo silhouetted against the sky:

Just after Ellis' launch:

[mcelrah]

Great pix! Thanks - Hugh

[DanTuck]

First time landing on the golf course! Woohoo! What a fun day, and I'm especially happy to hear that it mellowed enough for PGers. Video of the highlights -

Blast off!
Red-tailed hawk chasing Bacil
Small lenticulars to the South
Golf gourse landing
Hole in one.

[brianvh]

I loved the fade in/fade out of the hike in at the beginning. I suspect we'll be seeing more of that technique in future videos.

[Richard Hays]

Awesome video! The beginning kinda reminds me of Les Stroud of Survivorman where he films his hikes into desolation. LOL. Very cool. Oh yeah...the flying shots were awesome too. You guys are nuts! LOL. Brrrrrrrr....

Rich Hays

[XCanytime]

Dan setting up in the clear.

A view of launch.

Dan soaring over Rt. 16

The Great Cove Golf Club, the future LZ.

The hamlet of Cito at the lower right.

[Spark]

woohooo!

[XCanytime]

Heading towards The Corner.

Looking to the NE. Kittatinny and Broad Mountain peaks are visible.

The snowscape.

The Great Cove Golf Club within glide!

Dan lands on the driving range.

[carweill]

Nothing tells the story the way pictures and video do.
The highlight of my flight was getting very close to a mature eagle. I followed her from above and I imagine I was getting uncomfortably close; she would turn and control the feathers as to weaken her lift and loose altitude (the Big Ears equivalent of an eagle?). She did that a couple of times until she got tired and left me in the dust. Only my second encounter after almost 800 flights.

Carlos