Flight plans

Sun May 06, 2012 3:17 am

The Trackback URL for this entry is:

Author	Message
CHassan 3 thumbs up Joined: 27 Jul 2006 Posts: 4593 Location: Ohio View Blog	Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 3:02 am    Post subject:     Well not as good as anticipated. Launched at about 2:30. The tow was to calm for my taste. We punched through a bubble somewhere around 1000'. I didn't really want to get off at that point. We turned in a big arc around the field. As we neared where the bubble was at 1000' I hit tow height and pulled the pin. I aimed in the general direction of the last know bit of lift. I was quite happy to find it was there, or at least something else was. I was down to about 1800' when I started turning and with 200fpm on average I made my way to 3k. I pulled the VG and headed upwind. I found nothing and the field was getting low on the horizon. I made a sweeping turn trying to get over prime looking territory, but my judgement had me turning tail and pointing at the LZ instead. I was south of Darbyville, with the LZ on the north side. As I crossed the center of town I caught a whiff of BBQ from down below as I again started my spin to just over 3k. By this time there was another glider in the air and the tug was pulling the 3rd pilot up. From here I just bumped around from lift to lift. I had actually thought my first thermal to be a fluke. My second thermal I though I was just lucky. The 3rd I stole from someone else. On my way to the field that morning I noticed very unhealthy amounts of water standing in all of the fields. I started forming a very crappy forecast in my mind. To be working my 4th thermal of the day I had blown my expectations out of the water. Lift was still peaking just over 3 k, but it was obviously getting a little higher at the top of each thermal. Since the end of 2010 I have had less than 20 flights. Maybe only 3 or 4 of those have been more than an hour in length. No XC, and no real spectaculars flights. I was feeling the effects of so few flights. My arms were burning, my back was aching, and my harness was digging fiercely into my hip. Of course this is the time Larry decided he wanted to go cross country. So we (Larry, Larry, and I) pulled VG and ran for Five Points. My C1 was gliding pretty well with Larry B. One glide I was doing better than the next, but in all I was hanging with him pretty well. At one point I opted for a track more south and crossed under Larry B on my way. That was about the last time I would see him. I flew, and flew, and flew, but was not finding anything until I did find something. It was crap. There was lift everywhere, but it was so disorganized I was in and out of it from one second to the next. It would net me a climb for a few hundred feet, then I would lose it. then find it for a few hundred feet, then lose it. There was very little drift, so i was actually making any progress, but I was still alive. Eventually I found enough of a handle to get me over 2500'. At that point I decided to try and move along. There was a town ahead, and after the last venture over town got me to the thermal top, I hoped this one would also. Over 2 and 1/2 hours in the air and I was feeling pain. My camel back was almost empty, and I was hurting from head to toe. My toes hurt? Man I just realized I haven't been able to relax this whole flight. I've been trying to shove my feet out of the bottom of the harness all day. I found me nice core over town, but when I lost it again at 2500', I decided I was done. I went on one last glide towards a nice big field. I came in high, swung around to the downwind side, and made about a mile long approach. down to the corner of the field. I was concerned about making a good landing in the freshly tilled dirt, so I slammed home the flair and stepped back to earth. 3:13, and 16 miles. Then another 3 hours driving to get the next guy who went 13 miles farther. (I hate retrieves in SE Ohio!)
Back to top
TheCzech Joined: 29 Jan 2008 Posts: 16 Location: Indiana	Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 8:20 am    Post subject:     Quit your whining!! 3hrs is what I'm lucky to get in a season!!!
Back to top
valinux Joined: 23 Dec 2012 Posts: 0 Location: Fort Pierce	Posted: Sun Dec 23, 2012 6:02 am    Post subject:     Our Powered hang glider crew would like to welcome you to our project fundraising at: http://www.indiegogo.com/Modernglider/x/1001609 We have plenty of history! We like to ask you for some of your time to visit our fundraising site for more description of what our project is all about! Thank you, God Bless! and Merry Christmas.
Back to top
Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First