You can fly your flights and those of your friends with a great perspective view in Google Earth. - You may have already figured it out but I just did so I figure some others could use a leg-up.
Great lead from Mike Bomstad: IGC FLIGHT REPLAY @ http://ywtw.de/igcsimen.html -real cool and easy to run!
Try it you will like it.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Thursday - Spring Lift
After a meeting in Sunnyside I was half way to Kiona and the winds were predicted to move from overpowering to light through the day. Where would they be on arrival?
2:30 was just about right - nice easy launch and then spring thermal joy in 500fpm smoothys to almost 4K.
Rick and Curt came and flew a bit. I got 4 or 5 flights and some video that will show up later this weekend.
Where is My New Wing!!!!! - Come on Bruce fly it and send it!
Dave (limits?)
2:30 was just about right - nice easy launch and then spring thermal joy in 500fpm smoothys to almost 4K.
Rick and Curt came and flew a bit. I got 4 or 5 flights and some video that will show up later this weekend.
Where is My New Wing!!!!! - Come on Bruce fly it and send it!
Dave (limits?)
Monday, March 23, 2009
Warm Up
Double Click Image Above.Not a bad plan and it was great to watch the day work toward goal but a long XC will have to wait for later in the season.
As the top of usable lift increased over the morning - each successive ride to the top was higher by 4-500 feet but the winds also increased making it harder and harder to penetrate back into lift or to the ridge when I lost the thermals. After about 2 hours of work I dropped out the back in a laps in attention and it was all over. I couldn't make it back to the ridge and had to top land on the plateau. The nice thing about Eagle is that the plateau is big, flat and rotor free.
It was a good warm up to work through weather, route, strategy, tactics and execution.
Lessons learned - Focus Focus Focus.
Friday, March 20, 2009
Last of Winter - First of Spring
The Last Day of Winter and the First Day of Spring both gave up marvelous flights.
Yesterday Rick (Doc) Shallman, Curt Boschek and I spent the better part of 4 hours soaring, skimming, kiting, thermaling and even a little hiking at Eagle Butte in S.W. Richland. The wind was just right and valley heat gave us lots of texture to play with. Great way to finish the winter flying season. Unfortunately I left my GPS on the kitchen table so no LEO tracks for my 5 flights, 20min, 30min, 1:12, 56min, 15 min.
Friday afternoons Bob Bunger can fly so we met at the Bump LZ at noon for a sledder or two. On top we were thrilled to find cycles and very launchable conditions. Bob left first as I screwed around with my wing including letting it fall on my head - good thing no one was watching: lol. I looked up and Bob was 400 over launch and laughing. The bump sometimes gives up ridge flights but thermals rides are rare because we don't really like low level thermals and Baldy is so much safer, but today it was Bob's.
Just as I launched Bob said he thought it was dropping off and was heading for the LZ - Truth was it was likely the back flow of a major cycle and I launched right into it. I was 600 over launch before Bob was half way to the LZ.
Back and forth and up and down a real rodeo ride. At one point I was about 300 ft over the top of an invisible dusty that kicked me with the news that YOUR GOING THIS WAY! a quick 360 up and back kept my wing over my head but it was quite a ride.
After about an hour I was finally able to get my radio out of my pocket to talk with Bob who had returned to launch. He said it looked to be more fun than he was interested in and informed me that the afternoon forecast called for SW @ 15-20. - That was enough for me and out I went for nice but active LZ landing. 30 minutes after landing the winds really kicked off and were better than 20 gust to 25.
Lessons learned: Don't launch with your keys and radio in the same pocket.
Always have the weather forecast figured even if your just going for a sledder.
Spring has Sprung.
Preacher
Yesterday Rick (Doc) Shallman, Curt Boschek and I spent the better part of 4 hours soaring, skimming, kiting, thermaling and even a little hiking at Eagle Butte in S.W. Richland. The wind was just right and valley heat gave us lots of texture to play with. Great way to finish the winter flying season. Unfortunately I left my GPS on the kitchen table so no LEO tracks for my 5 flights, 20min, 30min, 1:12, 56min, 15 min.
Friday afternoons Bob Bunger can fly so we met at the Bump LZ at noon for a sledder or two. On top we were thrilled to find cycles and very launchable conditions. Bob left first as I screwed around with my wing including letting it fall on my head - good thing no one was watching: lol. I looked up and Bob was 400 over launch and laughing. The bump sometimes gives up ridge flights but thermals rides are rare because we don't really like low level thermals and Baldy is so much safer, but today it was Bob's.
Just as I launched Bob said he thought it was dropping off and was heading for the LZ - Truth was it was likely the back flow of a major cycle and I launched right into it. I was 600 over launch before Bob was half way to the LZ.
Back and forth and up and down a real rodeo ride. At one point I was about 300 ft over the top of an invisible dusty that kicked me with the news that YOUR GOING THIS WAY! a quick 360 up and back kept my wing over my head but it was quite a ride.
After about an hour I was finally able to get my radio out of my pocket to talk with Bob who had returned to launch. He said it looked to be more fun than he was interested in and informed me that the afternoon forecast called for SW @ 15-20. - That was enough for me and out I went for nice but active LZ landing. 30 minutes after landing the winds really kicked off and were better than 20 gust to 25.
Lessons learned: Don't launch with your keys and radio in the same pocket.
Always have the weather forecast figured even if your just going for a sledder.
Spring has Sprung.
Preacher
Monday, March 16, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Wind and Wing
Winds are on in a big way over here. 35mph - The house is shaking so I guess we won't be flying today! Hopefully the Big Snake will arrive this week and by Friday the winds will die in her honor. - Look for my new colors: Cobra XL, Orange White and Red - Airwaves Fire Pattern.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Pick Your Pleasure
Saturday was a classic nice spring day between fronts. Saddle projections looked almost perfect for a XC thermic day but my begging, cajoling and pleading reaped no takers. Next pick on the list of sites was Tiger so 9:00a.m. found me on the road up over Manashtash looking East at developing cu and wishing someone had said yes. As it turned out weather reports from Saddle and environs proved out with light N winds till 12:00 then switch to South. Temps in the mid 40's with cu and blue sky. Was it the better call - we will never know. So goes flying in the spring.
The 12:30 Tiger shuttle was full and it was great to see Mike although his tree avoidance radar seemed in need of adjustment. On launch Stefan and Steve launched after the first wind dummy rocked and rolled trying to figure out surge control. It was working on the South launch. The skyrockets lifted and caught a bubble and were soon out of sight. If they can work it I was sure I could kick it as well. - Well not so fast - lift was out there but I missed a couple of turns or the timing was just off, in any event I found my way to the wall and unable to bench up and had to succumb to gravity and ground.
On landing I had a nice chat with the folk and awaited the van for the 2:30. Looking up I saw Randy L. cranking up and I wished I had waited till he had launched. He reported topping out well over 5K. The van couldn't leave soon enough for me I helped load and forgot to grab my coat and flight suit from the picnic table. This time we missed the tree and we were safe on the South launch by 3:45. I almost ran to launch in hopes of getting the last of the big lift. A look in my kit confirmed my dread and no jacket or suit was found. - The pilot standing next to me unpacked his jacket and flight suit, (one of Mark's crew) said I could use his jacket. -THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the forgotten named saint who saved my day. The Jacket was left at Mark's) - A quick launch was the right call, a little back and forth heavy weight shift figure eights and I was over launch in the sweetest little light lift constant no edge thermal I think I have ever ridden. Beep Beep beep and the first off stayed at the top of the stack with only a momentary race with one other Blue bird wing. I topped at 4,762. Word has it that Steve Wilson with good karma aboard worked up later to even higher with at least one other high bird in tow. Well done for all who enjoyed the day.
I followed the ridge up and on to top the towers and started looking XC - I was happy when Randy radioed back his willingness to take retrieve. - Owe you Randy and thanks Conrad. A nice little glide with cold hands and I was hovering over the new soccer fields in Preston. Step one in my Tiger Tag XC portfolio. - The beauty of Tiger and the foothills in the sun and snow is hard to describe and being high is an awesome privilege and joy. First time up high and out at Tiger was a great pleasure.
The 12:30 Tiger shuttle was full and it was great to see Mike although his tree avoidance radar seemed in need of adjustment. On launch Stefan and Steve launched after the first wind dummy rocked and rolled trying to figure out surge control. It was working on the South launch. The skyrockets lifted and caught a bubble and were soon out of sight. If they can work it I was sure I could kick it as well. - Well not so fast - lift was out there but I missed a couple of turns or the timing was just off, in any event I found my way to the wall and unable to bench up and had to succumb to gravity and ground.
On landing I had a nice chat with the folk and awaited the van for the 2:30. Looking up I saw Randy L. cranking up and I wished I had waited till he had launched. He reported topping out well over 5K. The van couldn't leave soon enough for me I helped load and forgot to grab my coat and flight suit from the picnic table. This time we missed the tree and we were safe on the South launch by 3:45. I almost ran to launch in hopes of getting the last of the big lift. A look in my kit confirmed my dread and no jacket or suit was found. - The pilot standing next to me unpacked his jacket and flight suit, (one of Mark's crew) said I could use his jacket. -THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to the forgotten named saint who saved my day. The Jacket was left at Mark's) - A quick launch was the right call, a little back and forth heavy weight shift figure eights and I was over launch in the sweetest little light lift constant no edge thermal I think I have ever ridden. Beep Beep beep and the first off stayed at the top of the stack with only a momentary race with one other Blue bird wing. I topped at 4,762. Word has it that Steve Wilson with good karma aboard worked up later to even higher with at least one other high bird in tow. Well done for all who enjoyed the day.
I followed the ridge up and on to top the towers and started looking XC - I was happy when Randy radioed back his willingness to take retrieve. - Owe you Randy and thanks Conrad. A nice little glide with cold hands and I was hovering over the new soccer fields in Preston. Step one in my Tiger Tag XC portfolio. - The beauty of Tiger and the foothills in the sun and snow is hard to describe and being high is an awesome privilege and joy. First time up high and out at Tiger was a great pleasure.
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