We enjoyed a surprisingly great day of flying at Highland today (Thursday). With thunderstorms and rain forecast, Paul and I didn't plan on flying XC. My new 5030 arrived (woohoo!!!) and I hoped the weather would cooperate long enough for me to?learn how to use it. Paul sped down the taxiway in the truck while?I held it in the air to calibrate the airspeed. I?entered the polars of my Sport and gave 'er a whirl.
?Windsor towed me to 3500 feet, I think because she felt sorry for me, knowing?I wasn't going to find any lift. I glided in the too-smooth air until 1000 feet off the deck when I got a few bumps. Pretty soon I was whooping and yelling under the clouds. It was impossible to come down after that. The lift oozed out of the clouds, out of the blue, and settled over the land like a vast blanket. 2 hours later I my lower lip was shaking so badly from cold that it would pop up and hit my upper lip, and?I couldn't make it stop. I hadn't planned on flying long and?I only wore speed sleeves and leg warmers with my shorts. Ohh, the suffering I was forced to endure!
I came in too low on my approach.?I really think?I was hypothermic. I managed to land well anyhow but I need to resist the urge to stay in the air when?I am freezing.
The new flight instrument had cool functions, but it sure seemed twitchy regarding altitude -- reporting 700 fpm, 500,?0, 200, just moments apart. Ha, I found the averager was set for one second! I remedied that?so it might work even better the next time I fly!
John Middleton showed up with Bob, a footlaunch student of his. Bob enjoyed and excelled at two tandems -- his first flights to altitude -- while John gave Bob's new Eagle glider an EXTREMELY thorough test flight. He generously spent at least an hour and a half making sure it tracked straight, thermalled well, etc.
I?stepped on a bee (obviously, it stung the living crap out of me)?and that wasn't the best end to the evening, but otherwise the day was pretty great.
Lauren
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