Flying possibilities

[Bill Cummings]

Here is the video

[Bill Cummings]

Mag Rim may be flyable on Wednesday 04-08-2014.

[Bill Cummings]

RGSA/Hawks,
Despite our best intentions to commit aviation today at Magdalena Rim, New Mexico USA (Northwest of Las Cruces, NM 88005) Karma, fate, or what have you, conspired against us.
Robin didn’t receive his parachute back from repacking.
I had a miserable night’s sleep--- more accurately a miserable night awake.
My four cylinder brain was only firing on two so I decided to leave the hang glider in the garage.
Before 5 am I sent an email off to Robin that we would both be drivers for Hadley.
I had just pulled in front of Robins house at 7:30 when Hadley called back with his final decision not to go.
Hadley’s weather search was showing too strong for PG when the wind was supposed to turn on.
So I sat with Robin and Nancy swapping lies until it was evident that they were both way better at it than I was.
I talked Robin into going out to the Mag., landing zone to move rocks in the arroyo. So what have you all done for the sport today?

[Bill Cummings]

RGSA/Hawks,
After checking Robins “Weekend Weather,” thread it looks like Friday is best, Saturday is blown out and Sunday has some north wind.
Lee and Mike can’t do Friday. Hadley will check the weather and let us know about going Friday.
Robin will call Jan and Jessie to see if they are free for Friday, tomorrow.
Robin and I plan on being in the LZ by nine tomorrow.
(Robin's parachute repack came back.)

[Bill Cummings]

RGSA/Hawks,
Robin and I were the only two pilots and Jessie Cone (sp?) was our driver wireman.
I had a really good hold on the mattress this morning after a rough night of intermittent tossing. I almost called in sick but sucked it up and got dressed.
Robin picked me and my gear up at 07:30 and by 09:00 plus we pulled into the LZ at Alamogordo. The road up after the fix is much better but really talc dusty.
One bad spot may bottom out my Xterra but fortunately we were in Robins Toyota Tacoma.
It was too light wind so there was no rush to set up. I mounted my GoPro3 for the first time but my mount doesn’t allow much adjustment.
I also will have to learn a new way to upload to Youtube since my Toshiba Satellite only knows Cannon uploads and the VLC program will finally play the stuff I capture with GoPro3 but editing it and uploading will be a real trick.
So that Jessie didn’t desert us we decided to give it a try and hope for thermals in spite of the high Cirrus filter. Robin (by my watch) launch at 13:28 and I think he told me he made it to 8,000’ msl. I launched at 13:40 and made it to 7,963’ msl.
Since I only had a nose man I started my GPS and Flytec behind the ramp instead of on the ramp so my instruments my be lying about air time. They both say a little over 29 minutes but once I figure out the GoPro3 I should have a closer idea. As of now I’m thinking I got 25 minutes and Robin got 35 minutes.
We both had H4 landings. (Honest).
Jessie turned down our restaurant offer but I didn’t. Thanks Robin. What was the name of that Mexican place?
Robin’s Adrenalin crash collided with his full stomach, blood brain, evacuation about half way home so we figured to let the insomniac finish the driving. (Glad I could help.)
I think Robin might agree that insomnia isn’t a complete and total disability.

Lee Boone and Matt Hayes are camping at Magdalena Rim tonight and may catch some evening PG or real early PG tomorrow before the BIG BLOW OUT. (35mph).
The GoPro3 charging light just now went out so I’ll see what I can do to get out a poor job of camera work for everyone to grouse about.
Robin may have already posted about today but I’ll post this without reading his (if he did post,) and you all can try to figure out which story is most easily believed. (wish me luck.)

[RobinHastings]

Fly Dry! Well, as well as we could. I can't verify all that Bill said about his flight, because I wasn't there. Except for his landing, of course. Which was good! I actually launched about 12:30 Mountain Daylight Time, and eked out about 25 minutes of airtime. The highest I got on the flight was 7000 ft MSL (the launch ramp). Thermals were light but fairly abundant; a pilot more willing than I to make circles close to the hill might have sprung right up towards the high cirrus overhead. Instead I thermalled where I felt safe about it, gaining a few hundred feet in one, a few hundred in another. I hit a lot of sink between the mountains and the Cox Field LZ, but near the LZ I found another thermal and maintained in it about 600 feet up. Finally I made a nice, smooth, west approach to the LZ - then suddenly got popped up another 50-100 feet above the ground. When I reached the west edge of the LZ I realized that real action was called for, so I turned and headed back the way I just came. I actually made a pretty smooth landing, heading into the wind going southeast. When Bill landed about 10 minutes later, the winds were gentle out of the west/southwest, and he had a perfect touchdown. Despite our having the same birthday date, God always likes him best... We packed up, received my truck back from Jesse, with profound thanks, and headed over to a Mexican restaurant by White Sands Mall, a very pleasant place. We got to our respective homes a little after 4:00. It was a great day - good friends, good food, and especially, good air. 25 minutes may not seem like much, but it's more than zero, and it's the chance to be with your friends that really makes it all worthwhile.

OK, time to get some sleep.
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

Easter Sunday, April 20th. This was about as nice a day as any resurrection celebration could be. I played guitar for sunrise services at my church, then by 11:00 am was driving across the desert to Alamogordo. We had some rain on Saturday (though not much) and so this day's sky was clear and clean and graced with puffy white cumulus just starting to form, from whatever moisture the weather had left behind. Mike Ellsworth and our driver Finis Miller met me in the Cox Field LZ for Dry Canyon at 12:45, and up the road we went by 1:00. It was in great shape, though a bit more rain to pack it would be nice. Winds were coming in light but straight at the launch and despite the difficulties of setting up my Wills Wing U2 we were both launched by 3:25 (Mike went off about 3:00). As I took off Mike was about 4000 ft over launch, at 11,000 ft MSL. Within a couple of minutes after takeoff, a little down the ridge to the west, I got a good thermal and started riding it up. I topped that one out at 9500 ft MSL, and then found another to get me up to 10,000. I left that one as a large cloud approached me, its base just about my height - not dark, but not something I wanted to get whited out in. There was sink between thermals, in the blue holes (usually our New Mexico flying is nothing but blue holes!) but Mike and I were able to find one thermal after another. Drift was from west to east - Mike got his first good thermal at the West Ridge at 6500, and drifted over a mile to the launch as he topped it at 11,300. I finally headed out to the LZ - where I found one more thermal, that l rode from 5000 to 5500, before looking around for some sink to come down while the winds were steady. Both Mike and I had good landings - the U2 is good about that sort of thing! Finis had just arrived, complaining about how smooth the road is now - he'd like all the non-flying adventure he can find. We were packed up and on our way by 5:30; I took Finis to dinner at the Imperial Palace Chinese restaurant (pretty good food) and made it home to Las Cruces by 8:15. It was one beautiful Easter!

[RobinHastings]

Oh, yeah. I had an hour and 5 minutes, Mike had an hour and 34 minutes - clearly getting the flight of the day. Life is good...
-Robin

[Bob Kuczewski]

11,300      

Go Mike!!!!   

It sounds like the heavens were smiling on the RGSA!!   

By the way Robin, I finally finished off that awesome loaf of bread you sent me home with. I wanted to eat it slowly, so I froze it and then sawed off a hunk whenever I wanted a special treat. Thanks!!   

[Bill Cummings]

Hang on to the world tomorrow near Las Cruces, NM
Wed= Mostly sunny. Windy. Areas of blowing dust in the afternoon. Highs in the upper 70s. Southwest winds 15 to 20 mph with gusts to around 35 mph increasing to 25 to 35 mph with gusts to around 50 mph in the afternoon.