Flying possibilities

[Bill Cummings]

Looking at different models several sites are good for today but I can almost guarantee if we pick a site and go it won't the right place to be.
Gee but I hate days like this. Beautiful days are usually never any good for flying. Why is that?
At 9:55 I'm still waiting on the wind. And found this site:
http://flightaware.com/live/airport/KLRU
http://flightaware.com/resources/weather_maps/

[Bill Cummings]

Robin and I test flew Mike and my new to us Falcon 195 sq'
The new heavier pilots may find it easier to get off the ground with this one. Pilot hook in weight
is 150 to 275 pounds.
https://youtu.be/fEs_3ca7Ug0

https://youtu.be/Kqi2P6mcQrU

Robin and I also picked up the litter that finds it way to the hospital hill.

Pick up trash before leaving..PNG (1.08 MiB) Viewed 3726 times

[RobinHastings]

Thanks a lot for sharing your glider today, Bill. I had a great time, and it's a beautiful flying machine.
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

SATURDAY, MARCH 19:
Bill Cummings and I, with Keighley Hastings for our driver, went out to fly Dry Canyon today. We were up on launch by 12:30 pm, MDT, looking out at light southwest winds and a definite inversion over the area. We were set up and ready to fly by 2:40 pm anyway, and thermals provided what the prevailing winds did not. I was first off, in my U2-160, into a good thermal - which I soon lost. I found punchy but abundant lift all along the ridge, though, and just behind the Bowl. Bill launched at 2:45. We vectored each other in to various thermals that we found, and spent most of the flight bobbing around between 7000 ft MSL (launch height) and 7500. Bill reached 8100+ feet over the West Face, and I made it to 8000 once. We had a fair amount of sink in between thermals, and if you weren't going up you were probably plummeting. I finally headed to the LZ about 3:30, and with Keighley giving me wind directions (and Jan Zschenderlein, in Alamogordo, giving us a heads-up about the hospital helicopter) I had a reasonably survivable bonk of a landing at 3:35. Bill came in 5 minutes later, doing much better on his touchdown, with a bit of a runout. We both had 55 minutes in the air. It was slight chillier than we've been used to, and we were glad to have our bar mitts, but really, it's another beautiful day in the desert. We were all packed up and on our way by 5:00 pm, got a Chinese buffet before we left town, and were safe and sound back in Las Cruces by 7:00 pm. The moon is bright and Jupiter is at opposition, so it looks like a pretty nice evening here. Life is good in The Land of Enchantment!
-Robin

[JoeF]

Appreciate your reports, Robin !
There is a cumulative effect ... getting to know your scene better and better.

If you feel like expanding "reasonably survivable bonk of a landing " for some of us,
that might be valuable.

[Bill Cummings]

SATURDAY, MARCH 19:
Bill Cummings and I, with Keighley Hastings for our driver, went out to fly Dry Canyon today. We were up on launch by 12:30 pm, MDT, looking out at light southwest winds and a definite inversion over the area. We were set up and ready to fly by 2:40 pm anyway, and thermals provided what the prevailing winds did not. I was first off, in my U2-160, into a good thermal - which I soon lost. I found punchy but abundant lift all along the ridge, though, and just behind the Bowl. Bill launched at 2:45. We vectored each other in to various thermals that we found, and spent most of the flight bobbing around between 7000 ft MSL (launch height) and 7500. Bill reached 8100+ feet over the West Face, and I made it to 8000 once. We had a fair amount of sink in between thermals, and if you weren't going up you were probably plummeting. I finally headed to the LZ about 3:30, and with Keighley giving me wind directions (and Jan Zschenderlein, in Alamogordo, giving us a heads-up about the hospital helicopter) I had a reasonably survivable bonk of a landing at 3:35. Bill came in 5 minutes later, doing much better on his touchdown, with a bit of a runout. We both had 55 minutes in the air. It was slight chillier than we've been used to, and we were glad to have our bar mitts, but really, it's another beautiful day in the desert. We were all packed up and on our way by 5:00 pm, got a Chinese buffet before we left town, and were safe and sound back in Las Cruces by 7:00 pm. The moon is bright and Jupiter is at opposition, so it looks like a pretty nice evening here. Life is good in The Land of Enchantment!
-Robin

https://youtu.be/bmfbzcIjBlY

Breaking down in the Dry LZ 3.19.16.PNG (801.48 KiB) Viewed 3711 times

[Bill Cummings]

Pilots and drivers,
Robin passed up a better chance of getting closer to heaven by going to church on the ground.
But -- He will be available for ascending some time after 10:00 am. I'll call Mike E and let him know where Robin is.
So plans are "Up in the air," so to speak. Hopefully we meet up with our plans.
EDIT: about three hours later.
Mike E found the pressure to be much higher today and thinks it will not be a fun enough day.
We will look at tomorrow's weather ---well tomorrow. Robin can't get away for the whole day Mon or Tue.
I guess I'll just sit home and play Doug's Video.

[skydog]

Nice landing Bill!! Good to talk to you this morning. It's been a while!

[skydog]

Hey Bill,

Here's the last video I made (Chelan 2013)...now, let's hope there's more to share in the next few years. We don't have forever!!
https://vimeo.com/70253013

...with eyes turned skyward..
Doug

[Bill Cummings]

Hey Bill,

Here's the last video I made (Chelan 2013)...now, let's hope there's more to share in the next few years. We don't have forever!!
https://vimeo.com/70253013

...with eyes turned skyward..
Doug

Nice video Doug!
I've got to learn to put videos together like yours. (I am not worthy, I am not worthy, I am not worthy.)