Flying possibilities

[RobinHastings]

Thursday, May 12:
With the semester finally over (and our howling winds somewhat calmer) it looked to me like a good day to go fly Dry. Bill Cummings and I met Mike Ellsworth in the Cox Field LZ in Alamogordo at 11:00 am and by 1:00 pm MDT we were ready to take off at Dry Canyon launch. Conditions were odd, but not threatening: a thin but widespread overcast, and small cumulus popping up around the mountains and the Basin. It was about 75 degrees on launch, but much cooler at 11,000 ft MSL (see where this is heading?) I was first off at 1:20 pm, in my U2-160, and I shot right up about 50 ft. I worked lift up to a few hundred feet over launch, then left to find more lift and more altitude. Mike launched his T2C about 1:35 pm. We each found some good thermals, about a mile apart, and then I found a boomer, at the north end of the West Face. It took me from 7000 ft MSL (launch height) to 11,000. By then I had drifted north to La Luz, so I radioed Bill that I'd see what kind of XC flight I could make. He was willing to chase me - and so was Mike, for that matter; he consistently got higher than me as we went along, despite his VG cord having untied itself inside the glider. His highest altitude was 12,000 ft MSL, mine was 11,000. We worked one thermal together north of La Luz, then kept on - at first, to George & Velma Woodcock's "Big G LZ", and then on to Tularosa when we found that we still had plenty of altitude. (I took a thermal from 6000 ft to 10,000 ft - but, Mike was still 1000 ft above me.) We passed Tularosa, while Bill valiantly chased us in my Tacoma pickup truck. Eventually I could no longer deny that I had lost my precious altitude, and I set up a landing as Bill watched (and coached) about 5 miles north of Tularosa. I had a good touchdown in a rather brushy field. Bill helped me pack up the glider, then we moved on to find Mike. After a couple of false starts and turnarounds, we finally located him, about 3 miles further north from my landing spot. Both he and I had just under two hours in the air. Within an hour we had everything loaded, and were on our way to the Woodcock house, there to visit and recap the day's flying. We departed there at 6:00 pm, and headed home - Mike to Ruidoso, Bill and I back home to Las Cruces. The skies were clearing as we left. What a great day!
-Robin

[Bill Cummings]

Thursday, May 12:
With the semester finally over (and our howling winds somewhat calmer) it looked to me like a good day to go fly Dry. Bill Cummings and I met Mike Ellsworth in the Cox Field LZ in Alamogordo at 11:00 am and by 1:00 pm MDT we were ready to take off at Dry Canyon launch. Conditions were odd, but not threatening: a thin but widespread overcast, and small cumulus popping up around the mountains and the Basin. It was about 75 degrees on launch, but much cooler at 11,000 ft MSL (see where this is heading?) I was first off at 1:20 pm, in my U2-160, and I shot right up about 50 ft. I worked lift up to a few hundred feet over launch, then left to find more lift and more altitude. Mike launched his T2C about 1:35 pm. We each found some good thermals, about a mile apart, and then I found a boomer, at the north end of the West Face. It took me from 7000 ft MSL (launch height) to 11,000. By then I had drifted north to La Luz, so I radioed Bill that I'd see what kind of XC flight I could make. He was willing to chase me - and so was Mike, for that matter; he consistently got higher than me as we went along, despite his VG cord having untied itself inside the glider. His highest altitude was 12,000 ft MSL, mine was 11,000. We worked one thermal together north of La Luz, then kept on - at first, to George & Velma Woodcock's "Big G LZ", and then on to Tularosa when we found that we still had plenty of altitude. (I took a thermal from 6000 ft to 10,000 ft - but, Mike was still 1000 ft above me.) We passed Tularosa, while Bill valiantly chased us in my Tacoma pickup truck. Eventually I could no longer deny that I had lost my precious altitude, and I set up a landing as Bill watched (and coached) about 5 miles north of Tularosa. I had a good touchdown in a rather brushy field. Bill helped me pack up the glider, then we moved on to find Mike. After a couple of false starts and turnarounds, we finally located him, about 3 miles further north from my landing spot. Both he and I had just under two hours in the air. Within an hour we had everything loaded, and were on our way to the Woodcock house, there to visit and recap the day's flying. We departed there at 6:00 pm, and headed home - Mike to Ruidoso, Bill and I back home to Las Cruces. The skies were clearing as we left. What a great day!
-Robin

For pictures and video of this day of flying click on the back arrow and click on the: Dry Canyon Alamogordo, NM (USA) thread.

[Bill Cummings]

Robin and I drilled two holes in the keel of Robin's Airwave Formula (144 sq') so it would receive a Wills Wing vertical stabilizer that I have been using on the 195 Falcon 2.

All the Airwave gliders that I have flown, Magic 3, Magic 4, and K-2 would wing walk at high speed. The one thing that made all three fly like an intermediate glider was installing a vertical stabilizer.

Since towing is usually done faster than normal flight, new pilots that hadn't had too much trouble foot launching any of those gliders sometimes found out that towing was no fun and even dangerous.

A new pilot wanting to transition from a single surface to a double surface hang glider and wants to take the single most effective precaution for that transition I would recommend using the vertical stabilizer.

[Bill Cummings]

https://youtu.be/BREzsL8waw0
The stupid video posted itself twice in a row--- never had that problem before.

[JoeF]

[Bill Cummings]

https://youtu.be/BREzsL8waw0
The stupid video posted itself twice in a row--- never had that problem before.

We had a hale of a storm yesterday. It tore of a lot of leaves from everyone's trees in Las Cruces, NM (USA)

Leaves torn off by hail 5-18-16.JPG (88.12 KiB) Viewed 4599 times

Today I drove out to Matt's Mt. (AKA Magdalena Rim) NW of Las Cruces to see if the road to launch was flooded.
The deepest standing water was 5 inches but you can drive all the way to the fence just before launch. (By 700 yds.)

The puddle from hail.JPG (39.42 KiB) Viewed 4599 times

It felt like it was blowing in so I walked up to launch to see a Turkey Buzzard soaring.

Turkey Buzzard soaring Matt's Mt. Rubbing it in..JPG (11.67 KiB) Viewed 4599 times

I darn near stepped on a Horny Toad. They blend in so well with the terrain. We should spray paint them red so that we don't step on them.

Find Al.JPG (117.67 KiB) Viewed 4599 times

I named him, "Al".
Here is what he looks like before the caution paint:

Close up of Al.JPG (31.83 KiB) Viewed 4599 times

The road to Matt's Mt. is usable but the plan for tomorrow is to fly at Dry Canyon.
I'll pick up Robin at 8:30am
EDIT: OOPS-- hailstorm/hale stone --stupid English!!!
(Spell checker should go straight to hail/hale/ you know --that place where there is fire and hot rocks--)

[Bill Cummings]

Robin's, "Weekend Weather," thread looks great for Alamogordo, New Mexico (USA).
I left a message for Jan to remember his deep cycle battery, inverter, ext.cord, and light.
I'll be taking along two deep cycle batteries and an inverter, cord, lights. Also a power strip for charging phones and radios etc.
Mike will be hauling tables. Also flags, a weed whacker for the tent area, coolers, etc.
I have four card tables, chairs, tarps, (For shade and bulls eye.)
Terry bought a Lowe's footage wheel for me for Christmas so I have something to measure distance from the spot landing.
Mike told me to put long streamers on the flower baggies for the bomb drop. (Good morning NSA).
I called Lee Boone and he will be there so I'll reserve a spot for his trailer at the south side of the shade structure to double as a wind break.
Albertsons is having a sale on picnic stuff so I think I'll buy meat and freeze it tonight.
Robin is going to help me load my BBQ today. (Right?)
Mike says he will be at the LZ at 8 am Friday. (Thursday, today, will be blown out.) I'll try to be there by 10:00 am Friday.
So now I have to start packing. I'll haul along the Falcon in case Taro shows up.
There will be no fee charged for pilots flying. I will have a donation bucket out if anyone wants to help out with expenses for things like
port-o-jon, BBQ, ketchup, mustard, relish, plastic forks, paper plates, hot dogs , hamburgers, buns, onion, potato salad, soda, ice, etc.

[Bill Cummings]

For pictures and write up about the Memorial Day Weekend hit the back arrow and click on the Memorial Day Fly-In, Alamogordo, NM thread.
We called off flying at Dry Canyon this Sunday due to forecasts of SE winds on the east side of the mountains and chance of thunderstorms and the history shows that it did happen.

Sun. May. 6-5-16.JPG (28.52 KiB) Viewed 4554 times

Mike and talked it over and my problem with the forecast was the possibility of gust fronts from thunderstorms.

______________________________________________________________________
BuzzNelson scroll up and click on new messages.

[Bill Cummings]

The forecast for Tuesday at the Gray Hill area was wrong. It was not good (west) it was South.
Below is today's history.
Left click on picture if a scroll bar shows up to the right.

Wind was not W. but S. 6-7-2016 Tue..JPG (54.03 KiB) Viewed 4551 times

[Bill Cummings]

Mike and I talked on the phone last night about flying for Saturday at Dry Canyon Alamogordo, New Mexico (USA).
I emailed Taro. He lives in El Paso with his wife and son. Taro emailed back that he would meet us at the Cox Field Landing Zone (LZ) at 10:30 Sat. morning.

Just as I was getting to Alamogordo Saturday morning Robin called to say that bicycling without his missing wallet was too disconcerting. He was going to return home and start the process of putting new paperwork together for his new wallet. (What's in your wallet?)

As is usually the case the weather decided to disobey the favorable soaring forecast. Mike was having second thoughts as he was pulling out from his place.
When I had left Las Cruces I was looking south in Taro's direction to see dark clouds that might already mean rain for the El Paso area.

We would have to be ready to launch before more over development east of launch over the Southern Sacramento Mountains.

I brought the Falcon 2, that Mike and I each went half ownership on, for Taro to fly. Taro is looking to buy a good second hand glider so if any of you readers out there has one for sale leave word of it here so we can talk to you about it.

I volunteered to drive and soon Mike and Taro were set up. Mike launched at 1:36 and Taro used Mike as the wind dummy to figure out if conditions were sink, neutral, or lift. Mike radioed down that he was getting 800'/min., down between thermals. That is too much sink for a Falcon 2 to make the LZ on glide due to the LZ being 3.4 miles to the west.

Taro and I bagged the Falcon to chase Mike as he flew to the north to move away from the over development to our east and possible rain way off to the SSW.

The sinking air between thermals put Mike on the ground close to an hour later on the south edge of Tularosa, 12 miles NNW of launch.
We all had to scramble to take down Mikes glider as a gust front from the rain coming from Alamogordo made it to us with luckily only 30 mph wind.