Headed to Woodstock after getting off of work around noonish. Arranged to meet up w/ Joe Schad for launch assist after 3P. Got to launch around 2:30P. Moderate to strong conditions on launch. Next to arrive was Seth Jenkins and his mother Amy. Joe arrived around 3:30P. Got ready to go just before 4P. I had both my Ascent altimeter and Garmin GPS screens go blank after turnon. Kept trying to turn them on, and the screens would go blank 2 seconds after turnon. Oh well, no instruments today. No worries. I flew for years w/ just an Avocet altimeter watch. No need for an altimeter today. Lift everywhere. With Seth and Joe's assistance, I had a squirrelly launch at 4P in moderate conditions. Got bounced around in the slot, so I flew the glider 1st, keeping up speed while exiting the slot. Anticipating a west cross, I got pushed a little to the NE before cranking a turn to the SW.
Sure enough, it was turbulent, and west on the ridge. Flew down to Waonaze Peak, tagged it, then made my way up to Signal Knob. Went a little bit past the Strasburg Reservoir, fearing the venturi around Signal Knob in a west cross. Turned around, and flew back to Waonaze Peak again. By this time it was around 6P. I had planned to fly for at least 3 hours and land at 7P, thinking that it would smooth out by then. But heading back from Waonaze Peak around 6P, the air got smoother, so I decided to execute a nice glide in the west cross out away from the ridge on a direct line to the LZ.
Using my senses in the now smooth, buoyant air, I dolphin flew all the way to the LZ, arriving w/ plenty of altitude. I saw Alex Kilimnik launch. Headed in, flying upwind just NE of the LZ. Flew the crosswind leg to enter the pattern. Executed a perfect approach, and had a stand up landing for once. Got the monkey off my back, since my last flight 9 weeks ago I had a crash landing, whacking hard landing out at the private music festival that was held on the Green Meadows property.
Took a while, but Joe and the group up top (Doug Rogers and his wife Natalie arrived after 5P) got eyes on Alex, after initially fearing that he had gotten blown OTB in his Falcon. Seth launched next, and had issues w/ his launch as well. He flew the glider 1st, and got the heck away from the mountain before addressing a harness problem. Nat came down and gave me and Alex (who landed just as Nat and I were leaving the LZ) body rides back up to launch. Back at launch Doug was ready to go, so Alex, Nat, and I assisted Doug in his perfect launch. It was still blowing good at 7:30P when Doug launched. Down at the LZ we got to see Seth execute a good approach and landing, and Doug doing the same.
After Doug and Seth broke down in the dark, the 5 of us went to the Woodstock Brew Pub for wings and beer. The beer tasted great. We shut down the pub at 10P, and I didn't get home until close to 1A. A good day at Woodstock! Bacil
Woodstock Friday Aug. 18th
Moderator: CHGPA BOD