Magdalena Rim NW of Las Cruces NM (USA)

[RobinHastings]

Monday, Feb. 18, 2019 (Presidents Day)
Another good day to be in Southern New Mexico. While the Guadalupes were forecast to be blown out this weekend, the area around Las Cruces was sunny and not too windy. Bill Cummings and I were at Magdalena Rim launch by 11:00 am today, and I took off with his help at 12:12. Unlike my last flight I got right up; lift was abundant. (Winds were 15-20 mph, SSW, and the skies were sunny, with cirrus up high.) I mostly did S-turns, with some 360's when I had altitude and the lift was good; I reached over 1000 feet above launch. I finally made one tactical error too many, and had to set up a landing. I was coming down the arroyo, into the wind and the flag, and suddenly got popped up 10 or 20 feet. No problem, though. I pulled in, swooped, and had a great landing a little past the flag. We were all packed up and back in Las Cruces by 3:00 pm. It's T-shirt weather right now, while much of the USA is enduring - well, winter, to put it bluntly. So I'm not complaining... It looks like Spring could be on its way pretty soon, if we're not simply being duped by the weather gods. Get high, go far!
-Robin

[Bill Cummings]

Monday, Feb. 18, 2019 (Presidents Day)
Another good day to be in Southern New Mexico. While the Guadalupes were forecast to be blown out this weekend, the area around Las Cruces was sunny and not too windy. Bill Cummings and I were at Magdalena Rim launch by 11:00 am today, and I took off with his help at 12:12. Unlike my last flight I got right up; lift was abundant. (Winds were 15-20 mph, SSW, and the skies were sunny, with cirrus up high.) I mostly did S-turns, with some 360's when I had altitude and the lift was good; I reached over 1000 feet above launch. I finally made one tactical error too many, and had to set up a landing. I was coming down the arroyo, into the wind and the flag, and suddenly got popped up 10 or 20 feet. No problem, though. I pulled in, swooped, and had a great landing a little past the flag. We were all packed up and back in Las Cruces by 3:00 pm. It's T-shirt weather right now, while much of the USA is enduring - well, winter, to put it bluntly. So I'm not complaining... It looks like Spring could be on its way pretty soon, if we're not simply being duped by the weather gods. Get high, go far!
-Robin

https://youtu.be/NaiOG2b2Bz8

[RobinHastings]

Nice job, Bill! That really encapsulates what was a very nice flight. Well captioned. And, as always, a flight with a good landing is a really satisfying experience. Your turn next!
-Robin

[Bob Kuczewski]

I'm going to have to start calling you guys "Batman and Robin the Dynamic Duo".

In all seriousness, your consistent flights together year after year are an inspiration to all of us.

Thanks!!!

[RobinHastings]

Thanks, Bob - and thanks for maintaining this web site. It's great to have a forum. In reference to the weather - yesterday morning, the day after my flight and its T-shirt weather, we had snow flurries around the town. Evening temperatures were plunging towards freezing, with plenty of wind. And today (Wednesday) it's bright sunshine again.
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

Tuesday, March 19, 2019:
I took Jim MacNutt and Juan Mira up to Magdalena Rim today. Temperatures were T-shirt friendly, skies were cloudless blue, winds were light and thermally. Juan took off first, in his Airwaves Vision Mark 4. He maintained at launch height as he headed out for the LZ, about 12:25 pm MDT. Not a long flight - about 7 minutes - but I saw him get some lift as he went around the corner. He made his first landing in the Arroyo LZ. Jim took off next, and immediately began soaring the site in his WW Falcon 4. He got up pretty well, as I took the cart back down to the truck - he reached 1900+ feet over launch. I believe Jim had about 35 minutes in the air. He made a decent landing, too, down in the Arroyo LZ. We were on our way home by 2:00 pm and (a miracle!) I made it to all the meetings I had to attend this day. Best one, though, was meeting these two guys in the landing zone, safe and happy. Jim's best thermalling since last fall, he told me. (Juan got in some excellent thermalling yesterday, though, at Dry Canyon.) We will see what tomorrow brings, but I hope it's more airtime.
-Robin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ba3Rj9Z9c1w

[RobinHastings]

Friday, April 5, 2019:
Another good flying day for Jim MacNutt from Vermont. Bill Cummings, Jim and I left from the Cummings house about 9:00, and by 11:30 we had Jim's Falcon 4 170 all set up at the Mag Rim launch. Jim took off beautifully about 11:39. He worked the lift carefully, then found lots of good thermals. It was pretty windy, as a new front was coming in (lots of high cirrus and some more unsettled clouds when he took off). Bill and I walked back to the truck with his elegant little glider transporter, and went to pick up Jim - I felt the winds were getting too strong. Jim got almost 3,000 ft above launch height (not bad for a 600-ft hill!) and flew for 30 minutes, before making a perfect touchdown at the edge of the Rectangle LZ. We packed up the glider and picked up flags, then headed out. Instead of going left on the frontage road, though, back to the Airport and Las Cruces, we went right, to the Corralitos Exit on I-10. At the Bowlins store there, we got snacks, and encountered several bicyclists - one couple was riding across the country on a tandem bike. We had a nice visit with them, and that evening I took that couple to dinner and a tour of the town. (Dietrich and Carlie Linde.) But Bill, Jim and I went on from there, out to Volcanic Peak to show the site to Jim. He was impressed with the site, and not too distressed at the large diamondback we spotted coiled up under the shed (on the other side of the chain link fence, so no problem to us). On the way back down we did some road maintenance, clearing culverts and reinforcing a small dam. Stopped at Loves for a hot dog and cookies, and finally got home to Las Cruces about 5:30. Even though my feet stayed on the ground all day, I think it was a very good one.
-Robin

[Bill Cummings]

Friday, April 5, 2019:
Another good flying day for Jim MacNutt from Vermont. Bill Cummings, Jim and I left from the Cummings house about 9:00, and by 11:30 we had Jim's Falcon 4 170 all set up at the Mag Rim launch. Jim took off beautifully about 11:39. He worked the lift carefully, then found lots of good thermals. It was pretty windy, as a new front was coming in (lots of high cirrus and some more unsettled clouds when he took off). Bill and I walked back to the truck with his elegant little glider transporter, and went to pick up Jim - I felt the winds were getting too strong. Jim got almost 3,000 ft above launch height (not bad for a 600-ft hill!) and flew for 30 minutes, before making a perfect touchdown at the edge of the Rectangle LZ. We packed up the glider and picked up flags, then headed out. Instead of going left on the frontage road, though, back to the Airport and Las Cruces, we went right, to the Corralitos Exit on I-10. At the Bowlins store there, we got snacks, and encountered several bicyclists - one couple was riding across the country on a tandem bike. We had a nice visit with them, and that evening I took that couple to dinner and a tour of the town. (Dietrich and Carlie Linde.) But Bill, Jim and I went on from there, out to Volcanic Peak to show the site to Jim. He was impressed with the site, and not too distressed at the large diamondback we spotted coiled up under the shed (on the other side of the chain link fence, so no problem to us). On the way back down we did some road maintenance, clearing culverts and reinforcing a small dam. Stopped at Loves for a hot dog and cookies, and finally got home to Las Cruces about 5:30. Even though my feet stayed on the ground all day, I think it was a very good one.
-Robin

Had a visit with Jim and told him all I knew about obsolete Movie Maker programs. So this may well be his first edit for a YouTube upload.
https://youtu.be/KLMuVjWRKho

Jim Mag Rim, NM April 5, 2019.JPG (24.53 KiB) Viewed 6840 times

[RobinHastings]

Saturday, October 26, 2019:
It's hard to believe it's been since Spring that I flew here. Following our RGSA Meeting at the Adobe Deli Cafe, near Deming, Bill Cummings and I came to Magdalena Rim. Bill was driving this time (his hand is having carpal tunnel pains) and I had my Sport 2 155 to fly. The site is still in excellent shape, though like several other sites its road had some rain issues (dried mud in the dips). I launched at 4:33 pm, MDT. Not my best launch, but I got away with it this time, and rose up as I left the hill. I made several passes and gained 100 feet or so, as Bill began the trek with the portable glider cart back down to my truck. The lift today was light but fairly consistent, and I gradually rose higher and higher into the warm, cloudless sky. I reached 6,000 ft MSL (500 over launch) and cruised back and forth from launch to the mountain's end. I soared with a hawk about 20 minutes into the flight - northern harrier, probably, as it had two white spots, one on each wing. Not at all worried about me! The best thermal I found was at the mountain's east end, taking me up and back. I could see my truck in the LZ by then, and headed over towards it. Hit some powerful turbulence on the way, that pitched up the glider and gave me some trepidation, but with Bill's encouragement over the radio I made a good southwest approach into a mild wind. Timed the landing well this occasion, and had a perfect touchdown a little past the flag, for 35 minutes of pleasant airtime. We were packed up and on our way home by 6:00 pm. On the way to the Corralitos Ranch house, though, we found a Toyota Tacoma and its driver, with a really flattened tire. He had hit a post, which not only took out the front right tire but injured the radiator. We helped to change the tire, pumped up the spare with our portable compressor, and then towed the man (and his merlin falcon) to the frontage road, where he left the vehicle until tomorrow. I dropped off Bill and took the man and the falcon home, close to where I live. Told him to pay it forward and help the next guy who needed it. Then I made it over to a neighborhood Halloween potluck party, about 8:00 pm. All in all, it's been an eventful day - and a good one.
-Robin

[Bill Cummings]

Saturday, October 26, 2019:
It's hard to believe it's been since Spring that I flew here. Following our RGSA Meeting at the Adobe Deli Cafe, near Deming, Bill Cummings and I came to Magdalena Rim. Bill was driving this time (his hand is having carpal tunnel pains) and I had my Sport 2 155 to fly. The site is still in excellent shape, though like several other sites its road had some rain issues (dried mud in the dips). I launched at 4:33 pm, MDT. Not my best launch, but I got away with it this time, and rose up as I left the hill. I made several passes and gained 100 feet or so, as Bill began the trek with the portable glider cart back down to my truck. The lift today was light but fairly consistent, and I gradually rose higher and higher into the warm, cloudless sky. I reached 6,000 ft MSL (500 over launch) and cruised back and forth from launch to the mountain's end. I soared with a hawk about 20 minutes into the flight - northern harrier, probably, as it had two white spots, one on each wing. Not at all worried about me! The best thermal I found was at the mountain's east end, taking me up and back. I could see my truck in the LZ by then, and headed over towards it. Hit some powerful turbulence on the way, that pitched up the glider and gave me some trepidation, but with Bill's encouragement over the radio I made a good southwest approach into a mild wind. Timed the landing well this occasion, and had a perfect touchdown a little past the flag, for 35 minutes of pleasant airtime. We were packed up and on our way home by 6:00 pm. On the way to the Corralitos Ranch house, though, we found a Toyota Tacoma and its driver, with a really flattened tire. He had hit a post, which not only took out the front right tire but injured the radiator. We helped to change the tire, pumped up the spare with our portable compressor, and then towed the man (and his merlin falcon) to the frontage road, where he left the vehicle until tomorrow. I dropped off Bill and took the man and the falcon home, close to where I live. Told him to pay it forward and help the next guy who needed it. Then I made it over to a neighborhood Halloween potluck party, about 8:00 pm. All in all, it's been an eventful day - and a good one.
-Robin

https://youtu.be/bTzvUhKPD-I