December 7, 2008
John and I decided to meet at the Cayucos LZ on Sunday. We're still trying to figure out how to reliably predict conditions for Cayucos. NOAA has a Cayucos report, and a marine report, and there's always a pretty big difference in forecasted wind speed. Jen came along to drive and take some pictures. When we arrived the wind was pretty much west at maybe 3-5 mph. We loaded the truck and headed to launch. While we waited for conditions to improve, a couple PG pilots launched into the light breeze, and flew straight to the LZ. A little while later, John chose to launch his paraglider. I decided that a short flight is better than no flight, and set up after John landed.
Cayucos Sled Run 12/07/08 from henderthing on Vimeo.
As expected, it was a sled run. I would have to land on the beach north of where I wanted to. That's where the exciting moment came. As I was coming out of a U-turn onto final, I went to move my hands from the basetube to the downtubes. I was pulled in for speed, and whacked each hand pretty hard on the wire that runs from the control frame to the keel. This caused not only a lapse in glider control--but in the case of my left hand--really caused the nose to pop and mush to the right. This could have been pretty bad if I were a bit lower. As it was, I had just enough time to turn and bring some speed back for my landing. I will definitely be looking out for those wires in the future!
Total airtime was 2 minutes and 46 seconds. This brings my remaining airtime required for my H3 to 5 minutes. Hopefully that will be accounted for in my next flight!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Altinator Air Traffic
November 22, 2008
Well, Saturday was looking good weather-wise. Jen and I had plans in LA that night, so I had to get the wiener dog to the boarders once they'd opened, and meet John in the LZ as early as possible. I made it to the Cocopah LZ by 9:40. We loaded up John's truck and headed to launch.
John mentioned that there was supposed to be an event there that day, but launch was completely empty. Remembering the precarious walk from the parking area down to launch with an assembled glider--I suggested we try to set up quickly right at launch. Well--not long after I began setting up 3 vanloads of PG pilots arrived. There was room for them to use the East part of the launch--but a few did seem a bit annoyed...
The cycles were coming up the hill progressively stronger as I finished setting up. John was off first. I set my camcorder up on my keel. Knowing that it could record well over an hour before the battery died is nice. It allows me to start recording without worrying that I didn't hit the button just before launching. This would be my first flight with the new HD1010. I fiddled with the mount a bit--but I clearly didn't get it quite straight relative to the basetube.
Air Traffic: Santa Barbara 11/22/08 from henderthing on Vimeo.
I got some assistance from a PGer in turning my glider around, stepped up to launch, and went. It was immediately clear that there was more lift (meaning "some lift") compared to the last (and only) time I'd flown here before, so I headed west, towards the bowl to see if I could find any lift. I got bounced around a little and managed to lose altitude only very slowly--but after circling here and there for a while between launch and the foreground peak, I decided to head around the front of the peak. Conditions there were similar, there were spots of lift and if I circled--I would be rising during part of that circle. I just never seemed to be able to just go up. There were at least a dozen paragliders in the air along with a couple other HGs. There was John, and someone else giving a tandem flight. Looking around at all the other pilots was cool. It was a beautiful day. I was surprised at how low some PG pilots would let themselves get in front of that peak without heading to an LZ--but hey--what do I know? All in all it was a beautiful flight. Total airtime: 22 minutes. So I definitely found some lift--as my last flight here was 13 minutes long. I'm still anxious for that first time I launch here, and climb right up over launch--and keep climbing... I really want to look down on a 4000 ft peak from twice the altitude. Soon, I'm sure. Even on this flight, once I fly around the front ridge, the power line towers are visible below--and they look really tiny. I don't know why that's so satisfying, but it is.
I arrived at the LZ to find John still in the air, exploring around before he headed to his final approach. I watched him land from above, had some fun turning steeply to lose altitude and land myself. I again managed to oscillate wildly turning on to final. Sure enough--as soon as I opened my hands, it stopped. I can't believe I still do that.
Great day, all in all. Made it to LA on time and everything.
-m
Well, Saturday was looking good weather-wise. Jen and I had plans in LA that night, so I had to get the wiener dog to the boarders once they'd opened, and meet John in the LZ as early as possible. I made it to the Cocopah LZ by 9:40. We loaded up John's truck and headed to launch.
John mentioned that there was supposed to be an event there that day, but launch was completely empty. Remembering the precarious walk from the parking area down to launch with an assembled glider--I suggested we try to set up quickly right at launch. Well--not long after I began setting up 3 vanloads of PG pilots arrived. There was room for them to use the East part of the launch--but a few did seem a bit annoyed...
The cycles were coming up the hill progressively stronger as I finished setting up. John was off first. I set my camcorder up on my keel. Knowing that it could record well over an hour before the battery died is nice. It allows me to start recording without worrying that I didn't hit the button just before launching. This would be my first flight with the new HD1010. I fiddled with the mount a bit--but I clearly didn't get it quite straight relative to the basetube.
Air Traffic: Santa Barbara 11/22/08 from henderthing on Vimeo.
I got some assistance from a PGer in turning my glider around, stepped up to launch, and went. It was immediately clear that there was more lift (meaning "some lift") compared to the last (and only) time I'd flown here before, so I headed west, towards the bowl to see if I could find any lift. I got bounced around a little and managed to lose altitude only very slowly--but after circling here and there for a while between launch and the foreground peak, I decided to head around the front of the peak. Conditions there were similar, there were spots of lift and if I circled--I would be rising during part of that circle. I just never seemed to be able to just go up. There were at least a dozen paragliders in the air along with a couple other HGs. There was John, and someone else giving a tandem flight. Looking around at all the other pilots was cool. It was a beautiful day. I was surprised at how low some PG pilots would let themselves get in front of that peak without heading to an LZ--but hey--what do I know? All in all it was a beautiful flight. Total airtime: 22 minutes. So I definitely found some lift--as my last flight here was 13 minutes long. I'm still anxious for that first time I launch here, and climb right up over launch--and keep climbing... I really want to look down on a 4000 ft peak from twice the altitude. Soon, I'm sure. Even on this flight, once I fly around the front ridge, the power line towers are visible below--and they look really tiny. I don't know why that's so satisfying, but it is.
I arrived at the LZ to find John still in the air, exploring around before he headed to his final approach. I watched him land from above, had some fun turning steeply to lose altitude and land myself. I again managed to oscillate wildly turning on to final. Sure enough--as soon as I opened my hands, it stopped. I can't believe I still do that.
Great day, all in all. Made it to LA on time and everything.
-m
Thursday, November 6, 2008
New Camera
I picked up a Sanyo HD1010 this week as well as the "semi-fisheye" lens adapter for it. I can't wait to put it on my keel and try it out! There were a couple features that sold me on this particular model. I wanted a flash memory based unit--but the vast majority of flash-based HD camdorders record to an AVCHD codec that evidently requires re-encoding before it can be used anywhere. The HD1010 records in h.264 and plays back immediately on my Mac and PC. Another issue for me is that I need to be able to put a wide angle lens on it. Luckily relate2 over on hanggliding.org has the same camera and made me aware of the "semi-fisheye" attachment. You see, Sanyo doesn't sell this item in the states for whatever reason. Relate2 is in Australia, but his posts made me aware of the product's existence. A few web searches later, and I found a company that ships the unit to the US (at a premium, mind you). Warehouse123.com is the company. My transaction went as advertised, and the lens will be fun to use!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Altinator - First SB flight
October 17, 2008
My first flight in the mountains of Santa Barbara was a 13 minute sled run--but also the most dramatic terrain and vistas I've flown over. I continue to put off landing at Parma while I get more airtime at other sites. John introduced me to a less popular LZ that is an easy glide from the Altinator launch. Conditions were very light, and there were a few paragliders at launch when John and I arrived. This made it necessary to set up on the road above launch. We watched as the PG pilots eeked out some airtime in the light thermals south of launch. After the last 3 flights I've had, it was a treat to set up and break down without 15+ mph winds to contend with. By the time we were set up and ready to go, the launch area was empty. The walk from the road down is along a steep dirt path that tends to crumble and slide under one's feet. I found that even without gusty winds to deal with, it was a real challenge to carry my glider down the hill without getting wingtips hung up in the bushes or falling on my ass. I sure wouldn't want to try it in much stronger conditions...
Altinator October 19 2008 from henderthing on Vimeo.
I wanted to see where I should fly to find lift--not to mention the LZ, which is not visible from launch--so I asked John if he wouldn't mind launching first. I watched him take off and head straight south. I started up the camera, hooked in, and took a few steps down to the launch. It felt really strange being on top of this mountain all alone with my wing, and I realized that I'd never launched without other people around before. Nonetheless, I shouted my "hooked in, balanced, and clear" to any wildlife within earshot--and launched. This time I managed to zip into my harness. I can't believe what I've been missing comfort-wise and am embarrassed to admit that this was the first time I've used the zipper in the air. My flight was uneventful but spectacular. I cleared the front ridge with hundreds of feet to spare, which surprised me a little. I thought I might have to fly around it. I seem to have a consistantly pessimistic estimation of my F3's glide ratio in the real world. The LZ was easier to recognize from the air than I had imagined. As I arrived, it took me a while to spot John, who had flown well past the LZ and was circling back for his landing. I followed him in--needing to add an extra turn to my final to lose a bit more altitude--more reason to wait a little for Parma. Having the video is great, as I can see that I was gripping the bars and oscillating on my final approach--a couple bad habits I thought I had licked. I promised myself not to repeat them.
This is my last catch-up post. Hopefully from here on out, I'll be posting within a few days of any future flights.
My first flight in the mountains of Santa Barbara was a 13 minute sled run--but also the most dramatic terrain and vistas I've flown over. I continue to put off landing at Parma while I get more airtime at other sites. John introduced me to a less popular LZ that is an easy glide from the Altinator launch. Conditions were very light, and there were a few paragliders at launch when John and I arrived. This made it necessary to set up on the road above launch. We watched as the PG pilots eeked out some airtime in the light thermals south of launch. After the last 3 flights I've had, it was a treat to set up and break down without 15+ mph winds to contend with. By the time we were set up and ready to go, the launch area was empty. The walk from the road down is along a steep dirt path that tends to crumble and slide under one's feet. I found that even without gusty winds to deal with, it was a real challenge to carry my glider down the hill without getting wingtips hung up in the bushes or falling on my ass. I sure wouldn't want to try it in much stronger conditions...
Altinator October 19 2008 from henderthing on Vimeo.
I wanted to see where I should fly to find lift--not to mention the LZ, which is not visible from launch--so I asked John if he wouldn't mind launching first. I watched him take off and head straight south. I started up the camera, hooked in, and took a few steps down to the launch. It felt really strange being on top of this mountain all alone with my wing, and I realized that I'd never launched without other people around before. Nonetheless, I shouted my "hooked in, balanced, and clear" to any wildlife within earshot--and launched. This time I managed to zip into my harness. I can't believe what I've been missing comfort-wise and am embarrassed to admit that this was the first time I've used the zipper in the air. My flight was uneventful but spectacular. I cleared the front ridge with hundreds of feet to spare, which surprised me a little. I thought I might have to fly around it. I seem to have a consistantly pessimistic estimation of my F3's glide ratio in the real world. The LZ was easier to recognize from the air than I had imagined. As I arrived, it took me a while to spot John, who had flown well past the LZ and was circling back for his landing. I followed him in--needing to add an extra turn to my final to lose a bit more altitude--more reason to wait a little for Parma. Having the video is great, as I can see that I was gripping the bars and oscillating on my final approach--a couple bad habits I thought I had licked. I promised myself not to repeat them.
This is my last catch-up post. Hopefully from here on out, I'll be posting within a few days of any future flights.
Monday, November 3, 2008
Cayucos - My first soaring flight
October 12, 2008
Saturday was looking good for Cayucos according to NOAA, so John Bill and I met in the morning. Jen came along to take pictures and drive. When we arrived, the winds--which were forecast to be over 15mph--were pretty much nil. We hung out on the beach for over an hour watching the flags at the fire station across the street hang almost completely slack. Just when I was wondering if we would fly at all that day, the wind started to pick up. It built to 20mph in barely a half hour. We drove to the top and set up.
Since I was the beginner, it was agreed that I would launch after John and before Bill. John launched his Eagle with some assistance. He immediately floated up and began crabbing around in front of the hill, hanging out about 100' over launch. It was my turn. I was pretty nervous walking to launch. Bill was holding my nose wires--but the wind was gusting from 18-22 mph, and as I approached the shallow part of the slope, I found it was more and more difficult to hold my nose down. It didn't help that I'd decided to mount my vario a little bit too high on the down tube. I hooked in and prepared to launch, shoving the vario down a bit. We stood at launch for a little while with Bill holding my nose wires. It just felt too erratic. I felt like I had I had the basetube pinned to my legs, and the nose still wanted to pop. We set the wing down for a minute. After collecting myself, I picked it up again. It felt better this time. I waited until Bill showed me that he was not holding the wires, and the wing was balanced. I shouted "clear!" Bill sprang out of my way and off I went, pulling in for all I was worth. In 3-4 steps I was off the ground.
Cayucos Ridge Soaring from henderthing on Vimeo.
The nervousness of launch quickly gave way to the elation of actually gaining altitude. It was a great sensation to feel the glider quickly rising above launch altitude. My first order of business was just to get a sense of my mobility in this wind. I flew back and forth in front of the hill, and started working my way several yards back around the side of the hill. I could make progress in any direction--but flying directly into the wind gave me a ground speed of only a few mph. I also noticed that flying downwind over any of the ridges radiating from the hilltop launch--even if I was well over them--slowed my upwind progress considerably. I decided to play it safe and not stray far from the front of the hill. If the wind got much stronger, I wouldn't be able to make any upwind progress without losing lots of altitude. At last--I had the opportunity to just spend time getting a better feel for my wing! The air was very smooth, and I could easily maintain an altitude of about 800'. It was a beautiful day, so I was quite happy to fly my pedestrian little figure 8's and a couple circles over launch. I was having a great time.
A while later I watched as Bill managed to get himself and his U2 into the air with no assistance. I was impressed! I continued my non-adventurous patterns as John and Bill explored the back bowl and surrounding areas. After about 45 minutes, I flew about 1.4 miles south to re-join them at "the knob." I arrived at about 250 feet, and managed to get back up to about 500. Earlier, I'd made one quick attempt to yank my harness zipper up. It didn't go on my first try--so I forgot about it, opting to jam my feet into the bottom of the harness instead. I also happened to have a little irrational fear of not being able to unzip for landing... Well, by now my feet and legs were getting a little uncomfortable. Just when I started to think of landing--I watched as first John, then Bill flew over Route 1 and landed on the beach. I followed, although my approach probably looked a lot different in very vertical way. I had a smooth, light landing--and was greeted by Jen. What a great day. I'm so glad I met these guys. They have been nothing but helpful, patient and supportive--not to mention fine company. This is the beginning of what I'd been training for.
Airtime: 1 hour 15 minutes
Saturday was looking good for Cayucos according to NOAA, so John Bill and I met in the morning. Jen came along to take pictures and drive. When we arrived, the winds--which were forecast to be over 15mph--were pretty much nil. We hung out on the beach for over an hour watching the flags at the fire station across the street hang almost completely slack. Just when I was wondering if we would fly at all that day, the wind started to pick up. It built to 20mph in barely a half hour. We drove to the top and set up.
Since I was the beginner, it was agreed that I would launch after John and before Bill. John launched his Eagle with some assistance. He immediately floated up and began crabbing around in front of the hill, hanging out about 100' over launch. It was my turn. I was pretty nervous walking to launch. Bill was holding my nose wires--but the wind was gusting from 18-22 mph, and as I approached the shallow part of the slope, I found it was more and more difficult to hold my nose down. It didn't help that I'd decided to mount my vario a little bit too high on the down tube. I hooked in and prepared to launch, shoving the vario down a bit. We stood at launch for a little while with Bill holding my nose wires. It just felt too erratic. I felt like I had I had the basetube pinned to my legs, and the nose still wanted to pop. We set the wing down for a minute. After collecting myself, I picked it up again. It felt better this time. I waited until Bill showed me that he was not holding the wires, and the wing was balanced. I shouted "clear!" Bill sprang out of my way and off I went, pulling in for all I was worth. In 3-4 steps I was off the ground.
Cayucos Ridge Soaring from henderthing on Vimeo.
The nervousness of launch quickly gave way to the elation of actually gaining altitude. It was a great sensation to feel the glider quickly rising above launch altitude. My first order of business was just to get a sense of my mobility in this wind. I flew back and forth in front of the hill, and started working my way several yards back around the side of the hill. I could make progress in any direction--but flying directly into the wind gave me a ground speed of only a few mph. I also noticed that flying downwind over any of the ridges radiating from the hilltop launch--even if I was well over them--slowed my upwind progress considerably. I decided to play it safe and not stray far from the front of the hill. If the wind got much stronger, I wouldn't be able to make any upwind progress without losing lots of altitude. At last--I had the opportunity to just spend time getting a better feel for my wing! The air was very smooth, and I could easily maintain an altitude of about 800'. It was a beautiful day, so I was quite happy to fly my pedestrian little figure 8's and a couple circles over launch. I was having a great time.
A while later I watched as Bill managed to get himself and his U2 into the air with no assistance. I was impressed! I continued my non-adventurous patterns as John and Bill explored the back bowl and surrounding areas. After about 45 minutes, I flew about 1.4 miles south to re-join them at "the knob." I arrived at about 250 feet, and managed to get back up to about 500. Earlier, I'd made one quick attempt to yank my harness zipper up. It didn't go on my first try--so I forgot about it, opting to jam my feet into the bottom of the harness instead. I also happened to have a little irrational fear of not being able to unzip for landing... Well, by now my feet and legs were getting a little uncomfortable. Just when I started to think of landing--I watched as first John, then Bill flew over Route 1 and landed on the beach. I followed, although my approach probably looked a lot different in very vertical way. I had a smooth, light landing--and was greeted by Jen. What a great day. I'm so glad I met these guys. They have been nothing but helpful, patient and supportive--not to mention fine company. This is the beginning of what I'd been training for.
Airtime: 1 hour 15 minutes
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Training, Interrupted--and resumed
Well--after starting a new job, and moving away from the Bay Area and my familiar training field in Hollister--I've finally begun to get back into flying. I interrupted my training for a while with the move. Then there was the loss of fellow H2 students to fly with, and the loss of the comfort level of the tow rig. I had to find new places to fly and new people to fly with. I really enjoyed towing. And there's a lot more I could learn from it. But I had become pretty comfortable with it, and hadn't really been pushing myself to get past the tow rig. It's a really easy way to get airtime, and enough altitude to make me smile. I didn't need to worry (much) about conditions, and I felt really safe flying there. I also received first rate instruction there. In any case--after about a 6 or 8 week break, I took a lesson with Tammy down in Santa Barbara on the 200' hill, and its sloping LZ. That training hill was a whole different situation. It was a great experience. All this time, I'd been landing in a perfectly flat field. Surely it won't be like this in the real world! Tammy got me thinking about my landing approaches differently--and much more focused on the goal of flying mountains. I did another day with her several weeks later. Then a road trip up to Hollister for another day of towing a few weeks after that. So from March through August I've had just 3 days of training. Before that, I'd had my H1 lessons in Hollister, and somewhere around 70 tows for a total of about 7 hours of airtime.
Tammy introduced me to a handful of Santa Barbara pilots, and I got onto Pilot Connect on the USHPA website to get in touch with more. I wanted to learn about sites near San Luis Obispo. That's how I got in touch with Bill, an advanced local pilot, and John--another advanced pilot--but also new to the area. John was interested in flying some new sites in our area as well. Bill introduced us to Cuesta Grade, Cayucos, and Montana de Oro.
Several weeks ago we met up and flew Cuesta. John and Bill met me at the LZ in the morning. Bill was there to show us the ropes, and John and I were there to fly. This would be my first mountain launch (as I wouldn't count the 600' at Ed Levin). I am confident in my launching technique, and I'm pretty consistent with my landings, but I was still a bit nervous. Ultimately, I just didn't know how far my F3 would go. To me, it looked like a long way to the LZ. John assured me that if I flew straight there, I would absolutely make it. John is biwingual, and brought his bag and his HG. It was calm in the morning and there was little chance of soaring, so he launched his paraglider, and I followed on my Falcon 3. Launch was a breeze, and I flew straight out to the LZ, arriving with at least 200 feet to spare. The LZ was nicely sloped providing a nice uphill upwind landing. No sweat! We went back up in the early afternoon, and there was some wind--maybe 16mph. Launch at Cuesta is a bit precarious. It's at the very top of that ridge--so I was warned to mind my nose, lest I get flipped over the back! Walking to launch and standing at launch in that wind was pretty nerve wracking. I didn't remember having this much trouble launching under similar wind velocties at the trainging hill. Either the air was more turbulent, or the situation, the altitude, and the vista gave me the sense that there is a higher price to pay for mistakes up there. It was a struggle to control my wing. John provided wire assist and advice at launch. As soon as he told me he was not holding the nose, and I could feel that the wing was balanced, I shouted "clear!" and launched. I was able to fly back and forth just below launch maybe 4 or 5 times before I could see that there was insufficient lift to keep me up. I headed out to the LZ on my second sled run of the day--and my second ever mountain flight. When I landed I got call from John. He was stuck at launch. The wind was too rowdy for him to safely walk his glider to launch. I picked up the pace breaking down my Falcon so I could get up there and give him a hand--but a while later some hikers passing through gave him some assistance to launch. I watched him make more of the situation than I did--but no one soared that day.
It was a lot of work for less than 20 minutes of airtime--but it was spectacular. And it broke my long spell of too many days between flying--and not enough new in my flying. It also introduced me to a couple friendly and encouraging local pilots. Another H1 pilot who lives just down the road from me came down to watch my second flight from the LZ. Hopefully he will be joining us soon.
A week or two after the Cayucos flight, Brian (my neighbor H1 pilot) came down to Santa Barbara with my girlfriend, Jen and I to watch local pilots land in Parma Park. This was what was in store for us if we wanted to fly the mountains behind Santa Barbara. Watching the Lower Parma landing made me want to put off flying that LZ for a while. It's not so much the size, or the slope (it's an uphill landing)--it's just that there's nowhere to "hang out" before turning on to final. The area where one might like to do that is in a bit of a ravine, and subject to trashy air/rotor/turbulence. It appears to me that a successful landing requires the judgement to initiate the downwind leg at the proper altitude. That means making that decision--and committing to it--2 turns earlier than I'm accustomed to. Tammy has offered to be on the ground in the LZ with a radio to talk me in, and eventually--that's what I want to do. In the meantime, I want to check out some other sites!
Tammy introduced me to a handful of Santa Barbara pilots, and I got onto Pilot Connect on the USHPA website to get in touch with more. I wanted to learn about sites near San Luis Obispo. That's how I got in touch with Bill, an advanced local pilot, and John--another advanced pilot--but also new to the area. John was interested in flying some new sites in our area as well. Bill introduced us to Cuesta Grade, Cayucos, and Montana de Oro.
Several weeks ago we met up and flew Cuesta. John and Bill met me at the LZ in the morning. Bill was there to show us the ropes, and John and I were there to fly. This would be my first mountain launch (as I wouldn't count the 600' at Ed Levin). I am confident in my launching technique, and I'm pretty consistent with my landings, but I was still a bit nervous. Ultimately, I just didn't know how far my F3 would go. To me, it looked like a long way to the LZ. John assured me that if I flew straight there, I would absolutely make it. John is biwingual, and brought his bag and his HG. It was calm in the morning and there was little chance of soaring, so he launched his paraglider, and I followed on my Falcon 3. Launch was a breeze, and I flew straight out to the LZ, arriving with at least 200 feet to spare. The LZ was nicely sloped providing a nice uphill upwind landing. No sweat! We went back up in the early afternoon, and there was some wind--maybe 16mph. Launch at Cuesta is a bit precarious. It's at the very top of that ridge--so I was warned to mind my nose, lest I get flipped over the back! Walking to launch and standing at launch in that wind was pretty nerve wracking. I didn't remember having this much trouble launching under similar wind velocties at the trainging hill. Either the air was more turbulent, or the situation, the altitude, and the vista gave me the sense that there is a higher price to pay for mistakes up there. It was a struggle to control my wing. John provided wire assist and advice at launch. As soon as he told me he was not holding the nose, and I could feel that the wing was balanced, I shouted "clear!" and launched. I was able to fly back and forth just below launch maybe 4 or 5 times before I could see that there was insufficient lift to keep me up. I headed out to the LZ on my second sled run of the day--and my second ever mountain flight. When I landed I got call from John. He was stuck at launch. The wind was too rowdy for him to safely walk his glider to launch. I picked up the pace breaking down my Falcon so I could get up there and give him a hand--but a while later some hikers passing through gave him some assistance to launch. I watched him make more of the situation than I did--but no one soared that day.
It was a lot of work for less than 20 minutes of airtime--but it was spectacular. And it broke my long spell of too many days between flying--and not enough new in my flying. It also introduced me to a couple friendly and encouraging local pilots. Another H1 pilot who lives just down the road from me came down to watch my second flight from the LZ. Hopefully he will be joining us soon.
A week or two after the Cayucos flight, Brian (my neighbor H1 pilot) came down to Santa Barbara with my girlfriend, Jen and I to watch local pilots land in Parma Park. This was what was in store for us if we wanted to fly the mountains behind Santa Barbara. Watching the Lower Parma landing made me want to put off flying that LZ for a while. It's not so much the size, or the slope (it's an uphill landing)--it's just that there's nowhere to "hang out" before turning on to final. The area where one might like to do that is in a bit of a ravine, and subject to trashy air/rotor/turbulence. It appears to me that a successful landing requires the judgement to initiate the downwind leg at the proper altitude. That means making that decision--and committing to it--2 turns earlier than I'm accustomed to. Tammy has offered to be on the ground in the LZ with a radio to talk me in, and eventually--that's what I want to do. In the meantime, I want to check out some other sites!
Monday, September 1, 2008
I have a blog now. You happy?
This is entry one. For my readership of one. Love you!
I'll probably be posting about hang gliding. But maybe some more nerdy things will make their way here... Who can say?
I'll probably be posting about hang gliding. But maybe some more nerdy things will make their way here... Who can say?
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