Little Florida Mountain, Deming NM (USA)

[RobinHastings]

A few pictures that Jim Gibson took from the air. What a lovely place - especially in the light of a setting sun.
-Robin

This poppy field was out below the launch, just east of where we landed.

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A view of the Little Floridas, looking north.

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A tiny image of Robin's glider, well above the cliffs. So guess who was the high man today?

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Jim Gibson, high above launch, looking south at the Big Florida Mountains. March 28, 2020.

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[RobinHastings]

Here is a link to a flight made in March by our former member Juan Mira. He's been flying in New York somewhere - does anyone know where "Altamount" is?
-Robin

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FW9LNOR ... e=youtu.be

[RobinHastings]

Sunday, June 21, 2020:
I went to the Little Floridas today with visiting pilot Greg Kendall. He's from Southern California, and has flown in competitions. There was no competition today! I took off at 1:45 MDT with light winds, cloudless skies, and quite a lot of haze from fires near Tucson and Silver City. I worked a tiny thermal near Rockhound State Park, but mostly found nothing but buoyant air. I had a perfect landing, though, after 7 minutes in the air. I watched from the shade of my glider in the LZ as Greg took off at 2:20 and seemed to sink, then maintain, and then finally catch a big one and sky out. When our driver, Brian Ho, got down, we packed up my glider as fast as we could, and went in chase. It took us a while, cruising along I-10 and checking the land and sky. (No communications today, due to several technical issues with the radios.) We finally got an email as we approached Las Cruces - Greg was down, right by Mayfield High School! The last person who flew that far from the Little Floridas was Bill Cummings - he landed near his house and rolled the glider down the street to his driveway. Well! It was great to see someone enjoy our New Mexico skies so thoroughly. We may want to try it again next weekend - and the weekend after that, and the weekend after that... Brian & I picked up Greg about 6:00 pm and rolled on up to my driveway just minutes later, in time for my daughter to take me & Nancy out to dinner. Greg & Brian headed out to get the driver equally well rewarded - Brian did an exemplary job driving off-road for the first time. As Fathers Days go, this was one of the best.

[RobinHastings]

Here's a few photos from our June 21 expedition to the Little Floridas. Ace driver and photographer Brian Ho gets the credit!
-Robin

Robin (left) and Greg on setup. Hot and getting windy!

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Robin Hastings in Sport2-155 lifting off the ramp.

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Robin in flight, with the Dragon's Back and Big Floridas in the background.

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Greg Kendall in his Moyes Xtralite, beginning a 50-mile flight to Las Cruces. Go, Greg!

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[Bob Kuczewski]

That looked like a good aggressive launch run Robin!

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[RobinHastings]

Saturday, January 2, 2021:
Today I was driver for two visiting Albuquerque pilots, Gilles Truwalter and Brian Reindl. Both of them were flying WW Sport3's, and in their first flights at the Little Floridas they did darned well! We were all set up and ready to go by noon, after driving up in Gilles' new 4WD Nissan van. Conditions were mostly clear, a little chilly (about 50 deg. F at launch) and winds were straight in southwest, 18-20 mph. Gilles took off first, at 12:10 pm, and had no trouble immediately getting up. He was quickly soaring over the Bowl and the towers, just south of launch. Brian followed him at 12:40, again with a fine launch, and quickly joined his flying buddy. They spent the next hour cruising with each other, enjoying the abundant lift. I made it to the LZ at 1:45, to find that they had landed just a few minutes earlier, right by the flag. Gilles came down because he got cold - Brian followed because he got tired. Neither one came down because he HAD to. They thoroughly enjoyed their first encounter with the Little Floridas. We were all packed up and back in Las Cruces by 3:30 that afternoon, and planning a trip to Magdalena Rim tomorrow. Yay, pilots!

Gilles Truwalter, shortly after launch. Big Floridas in the background.

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Gilles Truwalter (left) and Brian Reindl. Little Floridas launch above them in background. Good flights!

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[RobinHastings]

Wenesday, January 13, 2021:
Winds were ideal for the Little Floridas today - about 12-15 mph, right up the ramp from the west/southwest. Mario Manzo was down visiting from north of Santa Fe, and I was his driver today. He took off about 3:30, with me on his nose wires, then soared for an hour and a quarter while I drove his XTerra down to the LZ. He got a little low at first, but was hundreds of feet above the launch when I left. Mario had an excellent landing soon after I arrived in the LZ, and was very satisfied with his first flight at the site. Nice weather (certainly a lot warmer than at his house) and a fine flight.
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

Photos from Mario Manzo's first flight at the Little Floridas, January 13, 2021.

Mario shortly after launching, with the Big Florida Mountains in the background to the south. Jan. 13, 2021.

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Mario on final approach.

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