Two new personal bests with the Mentor 3

My new wing.  Swedes will love the colors.

February 25, 2013

It didn’t necessarily seem like it was going to be a great day in the morning when I checked the weather, but it turned out that way.  Lots of instability in the atmosphere and a chance of overdeveloping early.  But sometimes these days turn out to be great.  Lots of lift everywhere as long as it doesn’t get out of control.

I look at the forecast but then once I am up in the air confirm, or re-plan my route.  Winds were forecast east and, in fact, they were.  As I climbed over launch I drifted towards Clearspot which is the next thermal trigger west of Mystic launch.  I made it to Clearspot with plenty of altitude and then I just kept heading west along the fingers that come out from the mountain range.  Soon I was over Porepunkah airport and then the next ridge line and the next until I was abeam Myrtleford.  At Myrtleford the Valley opens up and the risk of gust fronts and strong winds is reduced from any rain showers that might develop. 

Out of the valley the winds switched and I was traveling west and southwest most of the time with a slight headwind.  I took a southern route over some of the lower mountains at the edge of the plains generally staying between 1300 to 2000 meters.  There were rain showers in the mountains some distance away that I kept my eye on.  As the afternoon progressed there we more but I was able to stay well away from them. 

There were some cumulus clouds that were building to the extent I didn’t want to get to close to them so I exited my thermals well below cloud base under the friendlier ones. I did take one climb to about 2600 meters.  I got an altitude warning on my FlyMaster unit telling me that I was approaching the floor of the Albury approach zone which is at 2591 meters (8500 feet).   Unfortunately with big ears and full speed bar I couldn’t stop the climb in time and was in their airspace for a minute or so before I could descend.   

I had to skirt both the Wangaratta and Benalla CTAFs and I thought I did.  But looking at my flight path it appears I encroached on that airspace as well by 500 to 1000 meters.  I have now reset my proximity warnings for both distance and altitude alerts for E class airspace to larger values to give me more time to react.  

My flight on the Aussie SPOT tracking web app

There is a really cool program you can upload your track log in IGC format and check for airspace violations in Australia.  It’s at http://xcaustralia.org/aircheck/aircheck.html .  The word is that CASA (FAA equivalent in Australia) checks flights on Leonardo.  Guess I’ll find out since I posted this one.

 Next year I’ll have a VHF radio with air band frequencies with me and be able to fly though CTAF’s.  CTAF’s are similar to airport traffic areas in the USA but in Australia they are larger and apply to uncontrolled fields that use what we would call Unicom frequencies in the U.S.  New rules for paragliders and hang gliders this year require we announce when enter CTAF’s and monitor the frequencies being used.  You also need an endorsement on your HGFA (Hang Gliding Federation of Australia) card to operate a VHF radio on the air band radio or have a pilot’s license.  Your U.S. license is good so I am covered on that one.  You just need to send a copy of your license to HGFA when you apply for a visiting pilot’s membership.

Back to the flight.  I just kept slogging along finding thermals at most every brown field or ridge line I expected.  I was happy when I hit 100 kilometers and now I was just pressing on trying to beat my previous 123 kilometer personal best.  As the day progressed into the late afternoon the thermals got smoother and the flight was a more pleasant. Finally I was just passing Violet Town and 123 kilometers but I was low.  I skipped across two brown fields providing just enough lift before finally landing 125 kilometers from launch.

I landed at 6:30 pm. It had been Six hours and 48 minutes since I launched at Mystic.  I had a new personal best for endurance as well as distance.  My previous long flight was just over 5 hours.  I unclipped quickly and you can guess what I did next.  After that I sent a SPOT safe landing message and started packing up the wing.  Mary Beth arrived before I was packed up.  We were soon on our way for the two hour drive back to Bright.  Leonardo link to flight

Landing field with rain showers in the distance

This was only the fourth flight on my new Nova Mentor 3. I love the wing. Custom colors. Great handling very much like its predecessor but improved glide performance and stability in accelerated flight.

We bought a tablet PC with a wireless internet to use for tracking. It’s a Nexis 7 and is working great. Thanks to Dave Wheeler and Geoff Wong there is a great web application for tracking.   If you are flyng on a particular day and have turned on your SPOT locator. (http://highcloud.net/spot/spotmap.html) it shows your position every 10 minutes on the map with coordinates. This web app is better than the SPOT web page for tracking. Mary Beth used that and just followed along my route and talked to me on the radio near the end of my flight. Works great.

It was a 5 margarita flight.  After chasing Brett Hardin on a similar flight a few years ago Mary Beth invoked the “Margarita rule”.  One Margarita for every 25k of distance on a retrieve.  Hard liquor is so expensive here she is going to have to wait until we get back in the states.  She did get an ice cream on the way back to Bright and we celebrated with a nice bottle of Pinot Grigio when we got back to Camp Crusty (otherwise known as the Backpackers Outdoor Inn).

One small drama on the return was the uncertainty of a gas station.  Most of the small towns out here in the country shut down at 5:00 pm.  We did not have enough gas to get back to Bright without refueling. We managed to find the one gas station in Benalla that was still open so we were good for fuel.  Crisis averted. On the motorway back to Bright we did find a service complex that was open.  They even had a McDonalds.  Dinner for us was a McDouble washed down with a latte.

It was a long day but a very rewarding one. 

This trip has been great aside from Mary Beth’s accident.  I have had new personal bests for distance twice and once for endurance.  Just over 70 hours of airtime logged in the last 9 weeks.

On launch too late...

February 24, 2013

The weather called for rain showers and possible thunderstorms. But the skys were blue.  I waited a little too long to get up to launch.  The clouds rolled in and everything was shaded.    I did a running reverse launch and found thermals in the usual place but light just on the spur to the left of launch.

Drift was strong east and I was concerned about being blown back too far across the ridge and not getting back to the LZ or being stuck behind the ridge. 

I had a nice 35 minute flight with smooth air and gentle thermals but ended up in the landing zone with no XC.  I was able to crank and bank the Mentor 3 with more confidence today.  I’m loving he wing.

The forecst rain never happened.  Tomorrow is forecast stronger and I plan on being on launch earlier.

Scratching just off the Bright LZ

February 22-23, 2013: Long travel day and first Mentor 3 flight

February 22-23, 2013: Long travel day and first Mentor 3 flight

I was awake at 5:15AM on Friday morning before the alarm clock was set to go off at 5:30.  I got up and coaxed Mary Beth out of bed.  We finished up loading the Pathfinder and were on the road by 6:00 AM.  Peter, Paul, and Mary, the Beach Boys, and the Beatles among others rode along with us in the 12 hour  959 kilometer ( 595 mile) drive from Manilla NSW to Bright, Victoria. We seemed to find a McDonalds at every stopping place for gas or bio breaks. 

The Pathfinder performed well except for the fuel economy.  It cost us $240 Australian in gas to make the trip.  The Pathfinder is only getting 16 liters per 100 kilometers.  New on the highway the book says we should be getting 10.  No doubt the all terrain tires, the roof rack, the spotties, the bull bar, the UHF antenna and the 234,000 miles on the odometer have something to do with the poor performance on fuel economy.  Fuel here is currently averaging $1.56 per liter. When you convert that to US $ per gallon you get $6.11 per gallon.  I guess I won’t feel so bad about the prices we pay in the U.S when we get back

We rolled into Bright at 6:00 pm and checked in at the Backpacker’s Outdoor Inn that everyone in the free flight community affectionately refers to as Camp Crusty.  Terry was there to greet us and here the details of Mary Beth’s accident.  He then gave us the keys to unit 24.  The same cabin we have had for EVERY stay at Camp Crusty.

I made arrangements to pick up the new wing I had ordered back in December the following morning and we headed downtown for dinner.  One of our favorite restaurants, Liquid Amber was closed so we settled for take away pizzas from El Centro.  It’s a great place of pizza in Bright. Eat in or take away as they say here.

Saturday Fred called around 8:30 am and I met him at the landing paddock at 9:00 to pick up the new wing. The new wing is a Mentor 3 made by Nova.  According to Nova I should see improved glide performance and better handling.  You have to take that with a grain of salt because every manufacturer says the same thing when they bring out a new wing.  But I have seen big improvements in the EN B gliders from Nova over the years. This is my fourth wing from them.  Retirement has meant a lot more flying and so I am replacing wings more frequently now.  I put  243 hours on the Mentor 2 in 21 months.  It’s a little faded but still flies great.  But it’s not as crispy and the new wing  by a long shot.

My new wing over Bright

Cam and Heidi met us and we headed up the hill around 10:30.  It was a chance for me to get the feel of the glider earlier in the day before flying in thermic conditions.  There were already thermals out there when I launched.  I climbed up over launch easily and then played with steep turns, big ears and a few other maneuvers before landing at the LZ after about 35 minutes.  Heidi had a flight and Cam drove back down. 

Mystic LZ in Bright

We then headed back up for some more serious flying.  When we got up to launch it was blowing pretty strong but it was manageable.  I launched first and took a thermal up to 2100 meters behind Launch.  Cam had some problems and his launch was delayed quite a while. 

Finally he launched but instead of following me over the back, he headed out over  the valley towards town.  He had a nice buoyant flight and managed to fly over the stone face on Mt. Buffalo before joining me in landing at Porepunkah Airport.   Meanwhile I lost too much altitude heading for Clearspot and headed back over launch to tank up again.   I took a different path but when I got to the last ridge line before Mt. Buffalo things were shaded over and the best I could do was maintain before finally turning and landing at Porepunkah Airport. 

Is the camera still on?

The wing did everything I asked it to.  It seems to bank into turns more quickly with lighter brake pressures.  The yellow and blue are very easy to spot from the ground and since it is a custom color there won’t be a lot of others like it out flying unless the Swedish national paragliding team is out flying with me.  And its new and CRISPY!

A new radio, No fly days, and packing for Bright

February 20-21, 2013

Mary Beth and I headed for Tamworth on Wednesday and the 10:00 O’clock appointment to get the new radio put in the Pathfinder.  It’s a Pioneer AppRadio.  It was on sale and seemed like it would do everything we need.  No CD player or external jacks except for your IPhone that is in the glove box.  No dials or knobs.  It only has a double DIN touch screen with GPS navigation if you have a wireless data plan.  This addition will probably will increase the value of the Pathfinder by 10 percent as long as prospective buyers have IPhones.


Before

After

I dropped Mary Beth off to do some shopping on Peal Street and then dropped the car off and headed for a coffee shop.  I spent an hour reading the owner’s manual for the radio on line and then another hour doing some window shopping myself before meeting Mary Beth and picking up the car.

The winds it turns out were too strong for flying so we had lunch at McDonalds and then I started looking for a replacement “Spottie”.  A stone cracked the glass lens on one of them.  Three stores and 35 dollars later I had the replacement.  I also ended up buying a cheap multi-meter to try and figure out why the remote opening key fobs don’t work.  Something to do on a no fly day.   I also tried to have a duplicate key made but had no luck. They could not cut the key accurately enough to work and it would only work to open the doors at the best. There is a special chip key needed if you want to do that and that’s $156at the Nissan dealer. 

We got back to the room and did a little organizing for our trip to Bright on Friday.  Then it was off to the Royal Pub for another beer battered fish and chips dinner.  After dinner we sat and surfed the internet and waited for the Possums to come out in front of the River Gums office. The temperature was perfect. Only a few mosquitos detracted from a very enjoyable evening.

Percy

Thursday the winds were still too strong for flying and it was time to try and organize a little more seriously.  We waited anxiously to see if Mary Beth’s glasses would arrive.  She has been enduring with her prescription sunglasses since her regular glasses were lost in the accident.   The 10:30 mail came and no glasses arrived.  That meant we could not leave early Friday morning but would have to wait in the hope that they would arrive.

I started packing the car leaving only the things we would need for the evening and Friday morning in the room.  Luckily for us Lee from the River Gums stopped by around 5:00 pm and with Mary Beth’s glasses.  It didn’t take long after that to switch into high gear packing mode.  Still we didn’t really get things ready till around 9 pm.  The Pathfinder is a little smaller than the Jackaroo was so packing is a bit of a challenge.  We just need to get rid of things.

Tomorrow we get up early for a day long drive to Bright, Victoria where my new wing is waiting.

 

Flat Stanley flies today

February 19, 2013

 

Just as I was on the way to Tamworth to have the new car radio installed the shop called and said their installer had called in sick.  I turned the car around and headed back to Manilla smiling knowing that I would get another flight in today. 

The weather was a little iffy but I did get to fly today.  I took Flat Stanley with me and posted some  pictures that should make some grade school children in South Carolina a little smarter about paragliding and Manilla.

We are flying paragliders in the middle of a hang gliding comp so we have to get off launch before they want to start and we need to generally keep out of their way as much as possible.  I think they like having us fly with them because we can be the early wind dummies that let them know they can climb out.

We went off the West Launch at Mt. Borah today.  The clouds were building to the east as we launched and there was a rain shower far across the valley to the east that was a bit of a concern.  I launched after I saw a few of my friends going up and after a small collapse just off launch was climbing out and heading North to get away from that rain as fast as possible.

The air was rough and the thermals sharp so it was not a very enjoyable flight.  I resigned myself to just getting away from launch and go a little ways north and land.  I Mount Borah at 1400 meters which is pretty low.  But as I traveled north there was plenty of lift and I did manage one climb up to 2000 meters before landing 26k north of launch after just over an hour of flying.  Mary Beth was tracking my progress on SPOT and was parked on the road waiting for me before I could finish packing up.

Not an epic day for me but I was happy to get a flight in.  Dinner at the pub topped off the day.  Tomorrow looks like a now fly day due to winds and my revised radio appointment.  We’ll see…

 

Picassa photos

Leonardo

 

 

The agony and the ecstasy of paragliding

February 18, 2013

Hang at 12 o'clock high

Today ended like most of the others this week.  I had nice initial climbs and then sunk out down range well short of my goal.   OK this probably wasn’t a 160 kilometer day but I should have done better. 

 I have come to the conclusion (again) that I really do need to improve my cloud flying.

Themaling over launch

All that said I had a lot of fun.  Two hours and six minutes in two flights.  I climbed up to cloudbase from launch easily on both flights.  Then I lost it going for my first cloud on the first flight.  Arriving over another brown field I could not find a thermal to climb out on.  I had about a one kilometer hike out to the road.  Mary Beth was tracking me and was waiting for me when I got to the road.

Mary Beth arrives...

I decided to try again.  On the second flights I’ve been making this week I have tried to get back to Manilla.  It is a challenge because it has always been upwind.  Winds were pretty dead on the East Launch when I got there.  Mary Beth helped me lay the wing out.  I was expecting to do a forward and glide down to a landing at Godfrey’s farm.  It was looking pretty overcast.  Just off launch I found a thermal and started turning.  It took me all the eay to cloudbase but tracked me over the back a ways.

At cloud base again...

I pushed back east over the hill and headed southeast along the range towards Manilla.  Amazingly I found another thermal and climbed back up a little.  But from then on it was sink city.  I found a field and circled over it maintaining around 680 meters but couldn’t take it higher.  Finally I gave up and headed downwind gliding to Godfrey’s farm.

Getting back to Manilla we went to the IGA and bought frozen dinners and after a shower I started working on installing new door speakers in the Pathfinder.  Tomorrow we will have a new radio installed.  The current one will only play purchased CD’s and has crappy sound.  I borrowed a soldering iron from David at River gums Caravan Park.  

I just finished before the rains came.

Tomorrow is another day. 

One great low save

February 17, 2013

Today the forecast was the same as the previous three days but the sky looked better.

Heading for the Boggabri Gap at cloudbase

I launched just after 12 and just before the window opened for the hang gliding comp.  Found a thermal off launch that took me up to cloudbase of 1650 meters and was over the back heading northwest for the Boggabri gap.  Caught the next cloud and then went on glide.  

Mary Beth is parked under the tree witnessing the low save

 

I made a spectacular low save from about 300 feet which probably gave me too much confidence because I tried the same thing again on the next brown field and ended up on the ground 2.3 kilometers from the road.  Twenty-two kilometers from launch—not what I was hoping for.  I had an easy hike out to the road where Mary Beth was waiting next to the closed gate. 

I was hoping for a low save here.  Didn't happen.

Kenneth was with Mary Beth. She had picked him up along the road on her way to follow me.  On the way back we decided we should give it another try.  We could be back in the air by 3:30 or 4:00 pm.  We picked up another two pilots on the way back to Manilla.  After dropping those two off we headed for Godfrey’s.

Winds were from the south and we were soon on the South Launch setting up and monitoring conditions.  Some of the cycles were pretty strong. I pulled my glider up and was taken 5 feet in the air and body slammed.  My harness absorbed the energy easily and I was back on my feet organizing the glider.  Things backed off a little and we both got up easily.

Even with the strong south wind I was determined to give the ice cream run to Manilla a try.  Kenneth decided to head north instead.

My groundspeed was very low.  Sometimes as low as 7kph and the thermals I took kept taking me back north.  I made it about 5k towards Manilla when I was getting low and there were no thermals I could easily get to.  I turned around and headed to Godfrey’s to land.

Mary Beth picked me up and we headed back to Manilla.  We had pizza and wine in front of the reception cabin at River Gums to end the day.

2.73 hours in the air and a 22k XC.  I need to work harder at flying the clouds and not relying low saves when flying the flatlands.

Leonardo link

 

 

 

Feels like groundhog day

February 16, 2013:  Feels like Groundhog Day



Same as yesterday.  Got to launch early.  Looked like it would OD. Launched and climbed out. Missed a climb after the second thermal trigger and sunk out. Rain and over development made a second try impossible.

Hang gliders getting ready on East Launch at Mt. Borah

The blue tooth radio set worked fine today.  I also managed to get a couple good pictures of the hangs and of Kenneth, a Chinese pilot from Hong Kong who followed me over the back.

Ken high

Ken low

Out of altitude and ideas.  Time to land.

Getting back early we headed for Tamworth.  I owed Mary Beth a movie and dinner. Pizza at the Red Embers on Peal Street downtown.  Pretty good when washed down with Lambrusco.  Home by 9:30 and ready for another flying day. 

Weather forecast for tomorrow looks pretty much like the last two days.  Here we go again.  Maybe this time I’ll get it right.  The clouds always seem to look better on the ground than in the air.

Running from the weather and the Wedgie

February 15, 2013

The forecast for the day was for possible rain showers.  When I got up in the morning I could see clouds already forming—not a good sign. 

We headed up to the East launch at the usual time but looking at the sky it was clear that we needed to launch as early as possible.   No time to eat a sandwich and drink a soda while waiting for clouds to develop.  They already were and there was a rain shower far away to the east of us.   On the other side of the mountain the clouds looked much friendlier.

Fredrick launched first and was slowly going up.  I launched in a weak cycle and ended up running through the grass in front of the launch hurdling a small tree stump before finally getting airborne.  I should know better than to launch the east in a light cycle.  I was lucky to get away with that launch without hurting myself.


Climbing out in front of the East Launch



 Once away from the hill, I found a weak thermal just over the road coming up to launch and then found something a little stronger and was soon up to 1400 meters and floating over the back of the mountain heading west towards much friendlier clouds.

 

I called Mary Beth on the radio to tell her what I was going to do but there was no response.  The car radio had switched channels.  Oh well, that just meant a longer retrieve.  Then I remembered I had not turned on my SPOT tracking.  I turned it on.  While turning  on the tracking I inadvertently left a “safe landing” message which confused Mary Beth who seeing that thought I had landed just on the west side of Mt. Borah. 

First brown field and shower away in the east

I pressed on wondering how far I could get before the weather made me call it a day.  My first glide took me over a nice large brown field.  There was a “wedgie” (wedge tailed eagle) thermaling over one part of the field.  I headed for that area well above him.  There was weak lift but I could turn in it.  He out climbed me easily and was soon at my level.  Squawking he made a pass at a pass at my wing and a small aerial dog fight ensued with me maneuvering to keep away from him as best I could before he lost interest and flew away.  I remembered I had the camera going a little late but did manage to get one shot of him as he flew off.  I continued to work a thermal on another part of the field that took me up to cloud base.


The wedgie flies away and clouds to the west

Now I had to be careful which clouds to fly for.  I stayed working the edges of the clouds as I headed west.  Meanwhile clouds were building off to the north and the rain showers were moving west.  I was still OK heading west along the Boggabri-Manilla Rd.   Meanwhile Mary Beth was calling me on my cell phone thinking I had landed.  There was no way to answer.

Looking east back towards Manilla

Finally it was getting too easy to stay up and the air getting rougher.  I went on glide and landed near the road and right next to a cattle grate.  No fences to climb over on this flight.

Clouds to the north after landing

I need to work on judging wind for landing.  When it’s thermic and the winds are light it is often tough to judge.  From now on I will go with the forecast and not take too much stock in the groundspeed read outs I see on the GPS which in the case of today’s landing led me to make a mostly cross but slightly downwind landing.  I’m too old to run fast and I hate the embarrassment of landing and having the wing overfly me.

Safely on the ground I rosetted the glider and set it by the side of the road while I ate my sandwich.  Mary Beth arrived just as I was finishing it and we were on our way back to Manilla.

We still have to figure out what happened to the radios. We did a radio check before I took off and she said she never heard me even though she had both her hand held and car radio on.  Something to check out.  Could be “operator error” on Mary Beth’s part or my part with the new bluetooth headset.

Anyway 1 hour and 5 minutes of fun flying and a 16k XC today along with a few lessons learned or maybe re-learned. 

February 14, 2013: No distance today

XC skies forecast the top of lift at 2800 meters.  It didn’t happen.

Thermaling up with 5 of my new best friends

I launched around 12:30 and climbed up to cloud base over the back topping out at just under 2000 meters.  There were some nice clouds calling me and I went on glide and headed for the first one following the Boggabri-Manilla Rd towards the gap.  I caught it and was soon up at cloudbase looking for the next.  As I continued towards the gap but missed a thermal I know had to be coming off a huge brown field and then I scratched low while drifting west ending up 22K from launch. 

I went for this cloud and it worked!

As I was hiking to the road I noticed things started to look familiar.  I had landed on the property of the farmer who had towed the rolled Holden Jackaroo away from the road.  15 minutes after I had packed up and was hiking towards the road Mary Beth arrived.  She still has absolutely no memory of the accident.
Driving back the clouds to the southeast still looked good so I decided to give it another try.  It was only 2:30 and I could be back in the air by 3:30 if I was lucky.  On the way back we picked up Amanda (part time “basher” driver) who had landed quite a ways inland and had hiked to the road.  She rode with us all the way back to the East launch with us and picked up the “basher” and drove it back down to Godfrey’s farm.  Nice to collect money from her for a change instead of the opposite.

I launched a second time and quickly found a thermal that took me up to 2000 meters.  I didn’t want to go over the back again and figured I would save Mary Beth some retrieve time by trying to fly back to Manilla into a headwind.  I found one good climb after leaving the first thermal but flying into a headwind I was only moving forward around 15 kph or so (less than 10mph) .  It would take a long time to get to Manilla at that speed.  After about 5k on a 15k trip I was out of ideas and altitude.  I landed next to the road packed up and waited for Mary Beth to arrive.

Running out of altitude and ideas

I ended the day with two flights and 2:22 minutes in the air.  You can’t always measure progress in distance traveled.  I had some good climbs today and made some progress on smoothing out my turns while coring thermals.  The low scratching didn’t always take me up to cloudbase but I stayed up longer in some low altitude work than I have on some previous flights.

February 13: No XC today

February 13, 2013: Too many clouds

The forecast looked good and even the morning clouds looked like it would be a great day.  I got up early to do laundry.  $3 a load and you hang it up to dry.  We waited a while to take some of the clothes that had dried off the clothes line so were a little late getting to launch. 

We got to the East launch around 12:15 and I did my usual eat a sandwich and watch conditions before launching.  As I watched conditions were deteriorating.  To the north there was a high overcast and lower cumulus.  In front of launch there were lots of cumulus and a lot of shading.  Winds were light and occasionally cross from the south.  There was also quite a few pilots hooked in and waiting for a good cycle to launch.

I decided I should try the South launch and I put the wing in the Pathfinder and we drove over to see what was going on.  Winds on the south were variable but I saw a chance to get off and there was sunshine on the west side of the mountain.  I decided to try my luck launching and hoping to find a thermal on the spur or a field on the west side.  Unfortunately by the time I was ready to launch things were pretty well shaded over.  I waited and there was a small improvement so I launched.  About 6 minutes later I was on the ground at the west bomb out.

Mary Beth picked me up and we drove back to the East launch.  I decided not to wait for things to improve and launched very shortly.  I managed to climb above launch and watch Mary Beth drive down as I scratched for thermals along the ridge line.  I was not getting up so headed for the bomb out hoping there might be a big thermal waiting for me on the way.  There wasn’t.

Mary Beth driving to the East bomb out LZ

It was just 3:00 at this point so I asked Mary Beth the question she nearly always answers yes to.  “How about going to the movies?”

We drove to Tamworth and made the 4:15 showing of “Zero-dark-thirty”.  Great movie.  Dinner at McDonalds and we were back at River gums just as it was getting dark. 

Feb 12,2013: Another paragliding lesson learned

At one time I thought I might be able to make one long post on this trip to Australia but now I see that is likely not to happen.  I’m probably at least two weeks behind in my trip diary so here’s a short update on what happened today.

Nice clouds but low cloudbase and a few towering Cumulus around.

  I think I’ve made a lot of progress in my flying and am really aware of a lot more when I am thermaling up and figuring out where  the next thermal will be. But I still have a lot to learn.  After 45 minutes in the air and I learned a new lesson today.  Maybe even re-learned it.  When you are going for that proverbial brown filed make sure that the clouds will not shade it out any time soon and definitely not when you arrive over it. Look at the wind and what’s happening.


Great thermal source when not shaded out

The field in the picture typically generates the last chance house thermal  just off the West Launch that has nearly always worked for me.  But here’s what I saw as I got close to it.

Today the clouds were on the verge of over developing and I was very cautious about what thermals I wanted to take away from launch.  There seemed to be a lot of lift and I took two or three thermals part way over the back before deciding they were not the ones Iwanted.  On the third trip out front I got a little low and headed for the brown field with a tree line at the edge that was the trigger you could always count on. 

Unfortunately for me the clouds produced by another thermal trigger shaded it out just as I was arriving over it.  I scratched light lift for a few minutes before giving up and landing.

Meanwhile, confident in my ability Mary Beth drove the Pathfinder down the east side of the mountain to Godfrey’s farm.  Neither one of us were happy as I hiked back to the west bomb out LZ and Mary Beth drove up and over the mountain to retrieve me.

I thought I would go up again for another flight but as we were driving back up the west side of Mt. Borah to launch it was obvious there would be no flying any time soon.  

Storm clouds that shut down launch as seen from downtown Manilla

 

We bought some TV dinners at the IGA on the way home and called it a day.  Tomorrow should be epic!