Hyner Memorial Day

[brianvh]

I think I've recovered enough after reading and responding to Holly's
incident to continue with the Hyner report.

Every time I go there I fall more in love with the place. I
stopped at a friend's in State College to brew some nice dark porter beer
that will be available for the 4th, then arrived saturday afternoon to
find folks had been flying the last couple of days. So I hustled up top
and did an extendo, but an extendo at Hyner is worth a 20 minute soaring
flight anywhere else. Gorgeous. Spent the night Jamming around the
campfire with Dennis Pagen, Sparky, and someone else I can't recall
wailing away on the guitars.
Sunday morning I helped shawn out doing a couple tandems, getting
him certified to offer tandems flights to non-pilots on the fourth. The
sky started to look great, and the top was filled with gliders. Bunkhouse
Bob launched near the beginning and got the flight of the weekend, popping
in and out of cloudbase as is his custom. A few others did pretty well: I
had another extendo with my vario going on the fritz. While rushing back
up Shawn pointed out that the landowner was having an outdoor dinner
party, and he loved it when we landed beside his house - we were likely to get
asked to join the party. I replaced the batteries in my vario and was the
last off, this time getting the longest extendo of the party goers. I
burned it in and pulled off a perfect no wind, no stepper right in front
of the party, with applause. Made my whole weekend. Got fed, too.
That night I used the trick I learned from Danny Brotto: to truly
enjoy Hyner one should wander from fire to fire. Each has it's own set of
stalwarts with a different atmosphere. Spent a full 10 minutes at Bob
Beck's fire making tandem jokes. Made the full circuit, and by the
time I was starting on the second go 'round people had wondered off to
bed. Sigh - this crowd used to be legendary.
Monday morning I was all set to do the last set of tandems when I
discovered Shawn had ditched me for Jesse. With a sick feeling in my
stomach I pulled shawn aside and told him I thought we could still work
things out, but he told me it wasn't me, it was my lack of weight, and he
was looking to move up. What an unkind cut. When I saw them land and
Jesse popped out all grins wearing that little tandem harness, it was like
driving a knife through my heart.
Went back up only to have shawn give me whiplash by first asking
me if I wanted to tandem again, then dumping me for..for Karen Gorrie. I
just knew one of these days Shawn would discover women, and it would be
all over between us. Fine. Now he's rated and anyone who wants him the
4th of July can jolly well have him.
Went back up (A day at Hyner is a regular roller coaster ride -
almost nobody flies just once) and this time the sky was looking
fantastic. While wire crewing Tom Gartlin (sp?) whispered to me that I
should turn right off of launch...where everyone else had got popped up.
Right?! That would send me right into this little cul de sac. But he assured
me it was so, and damn if I didn't rocket right up. Took in the
breathtaking scenery for awhile, then tried heading downriver and got
drilled. Came in for a wild thermally ride (hyner is famous for this in
the afternoon) and a far less then perfect roll-in landing. I was quickly
followed by all the double surface gliders who had spotted rain and wanted
to get in before the mylar went squirly on them. They nearly all wacked
in their haste. Ahem.
Wonderful time as always. Gotta do it again next month.


Brian Vant-Hull
301-646-1149