Flying possibilities

[Bill Cummings]

Yes Bob that is the Dry Canyon Alamogordo New Mexico Launch (7,000’ MSL).

Actually the Dry Canyon Launch is really near the end of the road that goes up Dry Canyon from the back side. I’m told that we are actually soaring Horse Canyon once we have launched.
I was told that the phrase over time started out as, “Let’s go up Dry Canyon and fly,” then went to, “Let’s go fly Dry!” eventually fact had moved to misnomer.
(It‘s kind of like blindfolding visitors and telling them that we are handing out apples and they would taste exactly like oranges.)
If you want a real adventure while in our area just ask a RGSA club member for directions.

Once heard over 151.925, “Hey DC, Where are you?” (click)
“I’m 5,200’ over the Triple “T” (gas station)” (click)

The gas station has been gone for about two decades.

I’m still trying to learn my way around my Toshiba Satellite laptop when it comes to photos, photo sizing, and what will work from my end that will post on the Hawks forum.

Yesterday I was able to open a photo in “Paint,” change the vertical and horizontal both from 100% to 30%. That did upload to the forum. All this with John Olson’s help via phone. Just how and why that works I’m not sure because once posted the entire picture is shown. This must simply be a compression and not a “Cropping.”

I later was able to add labels that would become visible once the cursor was moved to certain areas on the photo. I was able to make it show the LZ area, the Space History Museum, the White Sands Muni. Airport, Holloman AFB. either by placing the cursor on the photo or on the index to the side.

Is there anyway that I can move this to the forum from my laptop and have that feature work?

[Bill Cummings]

Jeffery Davies sent me this link of Craig Pirazzi flying the Anticline at Moab UT.

[Bill Cummings]

Robin and I are keeping an eye on the weather for the Mag. Rim tomorrow.

[Bill Cummings]

RGSA and Hawks,
Monday the 18th, had poor winds for soaring the Rim. But the forecast for Tuesday was looking better in the morning for PG and then stronger in the afternoon. Robin and Matt Hayes both pulled up Tuesday and loaded my stuff onto Robin’s Toyota and we pulled out at 08:52. Matt had to be back early so he drove his car too.
Robin and I had worked on the glider transport cart over the past few days. He bought a new axle to replace the bent one and one more wheel that was solid rubber and wouldn’t go flat to duplicate the other flat proof tire. He also brought out some old scrap kingpost wire and we put on better guywires to take out the side to side cart wobble on the up hill push. (I thought the wobble was just me.)

It was looking slightly cross from the right and still too weak for HG when we finally staggered up (No booze.) to the southwest facing rim. The little west of southwest direction took the interest out of me since the last hour flight I did here convinced me that, yes a person could soar but it was more of a battle than fun.
Before the wind picked up Matt launched his U2 with his newly installed fiber glass tips. He stayed up for around 15 minutes but he went too far around the bend of the hill and coming back wasn’t looking good so he turned tail and headed for the LZ.
Matt had gone out of site after about 12 minutes from launching at 11:45. At noon I tried to raise him on the radio with no luck.
The LZ is about 2.2 miles from take off but it is in line with the ridge so not all that hard to make in a HG or a PG. This site only has just under 700’ to work with.
Robin was setting up his U2 when Jon, a PG, pilot 100 miles from his home in Alamogordo, arrived. He said, Where is Matt? - His car is there with no glider on it.!
OH BROTHER!
The site isn’t big enough to get lost at but the radio signal will not go through the hill and make it to the LZ which is at the end of the ridge and slightly back.
The cell phone would drop it’s two bars as soon as you tried to call then not connect. I think they have it programmed that way to make you think, Wow I have coverage way out here. Then when you actually try a call that is when you find out the truth. NO BARS! (I could have really used one about then.)
Jon dropped his baggy and started hiking up the big knob between launch and the LZ to see if Matt was okay. Robin was close to hang checking so we thought it best for him to launch and find Matt from the air.
Hadley walked up from the fence but didn’t bother hauling up his PG with all the wind picking up.
The wind everywhere else went WSW to West and at launch was the deceiving almost straight (SW) in with some right cross and gusty. Robin, waiting to launch, had an astounding triumph of good sense over ambition, and backed off of launch to, “Bag it - and drag it!” The west wind was wrapping around and coming in at launch but the wrap make for gusts. After launching you find a right crosswind that wasn’t evident at launch.

Jon at the top of the knob was able to make radio contact with Matt.
He was down okay on the west side of the road. Matt, after landing, had heard Jon when he drove by possibly with Jon looking the other way, east, toward the main LZ and Matt‘s car.
We will have to figure this radio/cell phone dead zone out before someone gets hurt. I had been having visions of Matt with five tourniquets on everything but his neck until Jon radioed down from the top of the knob that he was okay.
I had cautioned Matt before he launch that it would be straight west in the LZ and he called me at home later to say that I was right.

Usually with no high cirrus clouds like we had this day a person can hold their hand at arms length between one open eye and the sun. With the sun just about to shine in your eye (be careful not to let it.) you can see pollen floating by higher above launch (or anywhere) and see if there is a big difference in the wind direction or not. (Old HG pilot trick). Sometimes even migrating spiders with a line of silk out will show up as they drift by between you and the Sun. But with the clouds today my only clue was an undue amount of gustiness at our launch that had nothing right out front to cause mechanical turbulence.

I think I’ll print up tee shirts for pilots over 59 years old that says,
“I survived the climb to Magdalena Rim.” I won’t qualify since Matt and Robin did all the cart work for me.
Thanks Matt and Robin.

[Bill Cummings]

RGSA and Hawks,
After studying Robin Hastings weather forecast I knew flying would be out of the question for a few day spanning the coming weekend. It looked so bad that I decided that it might even make staying on the ground and driving around looking for new static tow sites low on fun.
I called Matt Hayes to confirm directions to the tow road area he had been looking over and hit the road before the weather turned nasty.

Coming from my house in Las Cruces it took me 40 minutes and 29 miles to the spot that I think has the most promise for varying levels of towing skill.
Generally the tow road is fourteen and a half air miles from Las Cruces on a 200 degree heading.

H4 pilots with a lot of towing experience could take off from four different locations depending on wind directions that align closely with the road direction. The road (Afton Rd.) is 106 and 286 degrees (GN).

As with any site something usually will turn out not to be optimal.
The heartbreaking shoulder high Mesquite bushes near the easterly end of the tow road area could have the static tow driver, during towline retrieval, chewing handfuls of antidepressants. Having the towline dropped at the westerly end should only require one handful.

With pilot safety a bigger concern than towline damage or loss taking off ESE of the pipeline pumping station and towing toward 106 degrees (ESE) for 1.7 miles toward the power line crossing is the best option.
Bail out soon after take off on either side of Afton road is at its best there on all of Afton Rd.
Start tow at:
N032° 06’ 38.7 by W106° 50’ 33.1” or
N032.11074° by W106.84253° or
N032° 06.645’ by W106° 50.552’
(Depending on your selected GPS set up.)

I think my own personal site rating system is more precise than the official site rating system.

I rate this tow road site as: DH2-4TP. The skill range is H2 through H4, the TP stands for Tow Pilot. A lot more precise huh?
Bill C.
PS- Oh. Yes. I almost forgot. The “D” stands for Desperate.
(I resemble that remark.)

[Bill Cummings]

RGSA & Hawks,
I was the first to comment (within a minute) on the Matt Hayes posting to Youtube. This was a video of his recent flight from Magdalena Rim. WNW of Las Cruces NM (USA)
I’ll take the liberty of embedding it here so that the RGSA members have more of a chance of seeing it. Wind for landing was choppy and out of the west when at launch the wind direction was WSW. Good landing Matt.

[Bill Cummings]

With the low clouds and low temperature in the desert southwest of New Mexico (USA) that means spending time with family and friends at Thanksgiving time.

All pilots will look like decent, kind, moral, selfless, caring, and loving individuals by not loading up our wings and leaving friends family and loved ones behind in a cloud of dust. (also spitting gravel with a big CHIRP where the pavement starts.)
This will really help our image pilots! Wow! What a break! Huh?

I’m sure our good fortune hasn’t gone unnoticed by this sport’s majority. --
I mean, are we smarter than we look or what?
Have a good Turkey Day!

[Bill Cummings]

Robin and I watched, “Taken 2” with Liam Neeson that I had recorded on my DVR yesterday. (Darn it! -We watched it yesterday it was recorded a week ago.)

Try to keep in mind when reading my posts that what you read isn’t necessarily what I want you to know. (Also Liam didn’t watch the recording with us.)

I was wrong and my English teacher was right when he said, “Some day you will wish you had paid attention.”

Anyway- once again Liam was very efficient dispatching the evil criminals before the Court from whence-(Biblical term.) there is no appeal.

We checked on-line on the weather for today Friday 12- 06-2013 (meaning we checked Thursday) and determined that early (the next day) Friday (which is now today) would be the last chance before the extended blow out to go hang gliding.

(Darn it again--I’m too deep into the post to scrap it and start over. Just hang with me. I‘m just about done.)

After Robin left here and went to teach his Astronomy class I loaded my glider and harness bag on and in my Nissan X-terra. The plan was for me to pick up Robin at 7:15 tomorrow morning (which is now today) and try to be setup on the Magdalena Rim before the blow out. I had just finished tying down the glider when I heard the phone ringing in the house.
It was Robin. He had just remembered that he had a scheduled appointment tomorrow. (Today.) So the trip was off.

I can’t get upset with Robin getting confused once in a while because every once in a great while it will happen to all of us. The proof is in this post.

So here is where my confusion starts. It would appear that I loaded my stuff too soon and it might be awhile before the wind gets good. I don’t need to go anywhere right away so if I unload my stuff will that also be too soon?

[Bill Cummings]

RGSA and Hawks,
I may have spoiled a flying day at the Magdalena Rim WNW of Las Cruces, New Mexico (USA).
Robin checked the updated weather report and tomorrow’s forecasted blow out might have been a forecast that was blown out of proportion.

So I checked myself and the wind might be doable only the wind chill factor of 30 degrees by 10:00 am reminded me too much of why I moved from Minnesota to New Mexico.

I felt bad becoming such a wimp but I don’t even want to be the nose wireman tomorrow.

Maybe if we could drive to launch I would reconsider.

Robin Hastings and Matt Hayes may brave the discomfort zone.

I’ll let you know here as word gets back to me from Search and Rescue.

[Bill Cummings]

I haven’t heard from search and rescue yet but here are the latest conditions.
07, 10:35, SE 14 G 17, OVC008, 33 degrees, Las Cruces.
07, 09:53, NW 3 OVC005, 33 degrees, Deming, NM
No idea yet what will develop at Magdalena Rim.
Except for 100% chance of cold.
So I had the flying gear still loaded for this surprising second flying possibility but didn’t let myself get sucked into this winter expedition.
The site faces SW but it may be too early for the day to decide which way it will mess with pilots.