Little Florida Mountain, Deming NM (USA)

[RobinHastings]

Saturday, October 19, 2019
Autumn conditions have arrived, and why waste a single day of it? Conditions were warm and cloudless, with a gentle southwest wind in the LZ of the Little Floridas. Bill Cummings and I arrived at the launch about 1:45 pm MDT. The winds were coming in about 10 mph between thermals, but 15-20 when the thermals came in. I launched as one was building, in my Sport 2 155, at 3:17 pm according to Bill. (His hand is hurting, so once again it was my turn to fly. Gotta do something about this inequity...) I took two steps and shot up into the firmament, turning left and working the ridge for a couple of passes. It didn't take long to reach 6000 ft MSL, 500 above the launch, and 1500 above the large LZ a 4:1 glide out from the hill. Bill weighed down the ramp with rocks before departing, as I continued to gain altitude above it. The winds above launch were southerly, so I drifted to the north end of the mountain range as I reached 7500 ft, but to go XC I like to get a little higher (9000 is pretty nice). | didn't get any higher, and in fact spent the rest of the flight between 6000 and 7000 ft MSL, looking into the Bowl south of launch, and returning to the reliable "Saddle Up!" thermal, right above the ramp, whenever I got low. I kept on working the patchy lift until I spotted Bill's XTerra approaching the LZ after an hour, then headed over that way. This day, I did not encounter divine providence lifting me into the heavens over the flats, and so I set up a west approach and made (for me) a rather good landing, just past the road. At 1 hour and 15 minutes, it was a pretty nice way to spend a very nice day in October. We stopped in for Subway sandwiches on the way back home, and reached Las Cruces by 7:30 pm. Let's hope for similar conditions NEXT Saturday, when we hold our RGSA Club Meeting at the Adobe Deli, just east of the Little Floridas, at 11:15 am. See you there! (And maybe, after, above it in the air...)
-Robin Hastings

PS - The Adobe Deli is on Lewis Flats Road, about a mile south of NM Hwy 549, which parallels Interstate 10. Lewis Flats Road is between Mile Markers 8 and 9 on Hwy 549. Coming from the east (i.e., Las Cruces) on I-10, get off at Akela Flats, go over the bridge to the south, and pick up Hwy 549 from there. Coming from the west, you can get onto Hwy 549 as you leave Deming.

[RobinHastings]

A photo from Saturday - the bright yellow flowers show why the early Spanish explorers named these mountains "Floridas". (The road up, though, is nowhere near so inviting right now.)
-Robin

On the road to launch, Little Floridas, Oct. 19, 2019.

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[Bill Cummings]

A photo from Saturday - the bright yellow flowers show why the early Spanish explorers named these mountains "Floridas". (The road up, though, is nowhere near so inviting right now.)
-Robin

LittleFloridas_10-19-19.JPG

https://youtu.be/-HQg6b5zU1E

[RobinHastings]

Great job, Bill! That was a very instructive video for me. Great to see my landing approach, especially. Thank you for posting it!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

Wednesday, October 23, 2019:
This was another fine, cloudless day at the Little Floridas. Tony Conger was out from Lubbock, Texas to do some work in El Paso. He hadn't brought a glider, but no problem - he is now the owner of Bob Brockmann's Wills Wing U2-160, which I had inherited from Bob some 5 or 6 years ago. We picked up Bill Cummings about 1:45 pm MDT, and after consulting on conditions decided to make the longer drive to the Little Floridas rather than going out to Magdalena Rim (pretty light winds forecasted for Mag Rim). Tony's first flight at the Little Floridas was superb. He launched the U2 at 5:32 pm and just ascended right off the ramp. He spent the next hour soaring effortlessly, and was joined at 6:00 pm by me in my Sport 2 155. (Last time these gliders flew together was at Mag Rim a couple years back, with me in the U2 and Mitch Graham in the Sport 2.) I shared the ridge with Tony a while; he got up 1000 feet over it in his flight, but at 6:00 pm we were both hanging out around 500 over. No white-knuckle moments on this aerial foray - just smooth, warm ridge lift, buoyant everywhere. With the sun nearing the horizon, I finally headed out to the LZ at 6;15, set up a good west approach, and had a perfect landing at 6:20, right at the road. Tony came in about 10 minutes later, landing his first U2 flight a little rough but without a whack or any problems. He loved his hour in the air, and loved the glider, too. We packed up in twilight, and had the gliders on the truck (Bill arrived about 7:00 pm) by 7:30. Back in Las Cruces an hour later, hearing all kinds of stories on the way. What a really pleasant day this was! And, hey, I was able to pass on a fine flying machine to a guy who can really enjoy it. See you again soon, Tony. And thanks a million, Bill! You made it all possible today.
-Robin Hastings

[Bill Cummings]

Wednesday, October 23, 2019:
This was another fine, cloudless day at the Little Floridas. Tony Conger was out from Lubbock, Texas to do some work in El Paso. He hadn't brought a glider, but no problem - he is now the owner of Bob Brockmann's Wills Wing U2-160, which I had inherited from Bob some 5 or 6 years ago. We picked up Bill Cummings about 1:45 pm MDT, and after consulting on conditions decided to make the longer drive to the Little Floridas rather than going out to Magdalena Rim (pretty light winds forecasted for Mag Rim). Tony's first flight at the Little Floridas was superb. He launched the U2 at 5:32 pm and just ascended right off the ramp. He spent the next hour soaring effortlessly, and was joined at 6:00 pm by me in my Sport 2 155. (Last time these gliders flew together was at Mag Rim a couple years back, with me in the U2 and Mitch Graham in the Sport 2.) I shared the ridge with Tony a while; he got up 1000 feet over it in his flight, but at 6:00 pm we were both hanging out around 500 over. No white-knuckle moments on this aerial foray - just smooth, warm ridge lift, buoyant everywhere. With the sun nearing the horizon, I finally headed out to the LZ at 6;15, set up a good west approach, and had a perfect landing at 6:20, right at the road. Tony came in about 10 minutes later, landing his first U2 flight a little rough but without a whack or any problems. He loved his hour in the air, and loved the glider, too. We packed up in twilight, and had the gliders on the truck (Bill arrived about 7:00 pm) by 7:30. Back in Las Cruces an hour later, hearing all kinds of stories on the way. What a really pleasant day this was! And, hey, I was able to pass on a fine flying machine to a guy who can really enjoy it. See you again soon, Tony. And thanks a million, Bill! You made it all possible today.
-Robin Hastings

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmubi5aKHew

[RobinHastings]

Adding a couple of photos from my flight with Tony Conger on October 23, 2019.
-Robin

Bill Cummings (front) and Tony Conger, at Little Floridas. LZ is in the background above Tony.

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Tony Conger in Wills Wing U2-160, over the Little Floridas.

Tony_LittleFloridas_10-23-19.JPG (25.74 KiB) Viewed 6626 times

[RobinHastings]

November 10, 2019:
We had a beautiful Sunday in the forecast, so Bill Cummings, Wyatt Lines and I went to the Little Floridas. The road is still tough, as my Tacoma will attest, but we were on top by 12:15. Wyatt took off in his paraglider at 12:35 pm MST, floating effortlessly into the sky in 15 mph winds. He flew about 90 minutes and made it 2000 feet over launch (about 7500 ft MSL). Bill flew in much stronger winds with a takeoff from the (newly stained) portable HG ramp at 2:42 pm. He blasted into the air and was 500 feet above within a minute or two. Bill reached 6900 ft MSL and stayed up about 27 minutes, only coming down because one of his knee pads got twisted around and made the flying mildly annoying. By the time I made it down to the LZ he had his glider halfway disassembled, visiting with Wyatt - both had fine landings, close by the flag. Air above was smooth, the temperature was warm, and nobody had any complaints about the company. Just another flying day in paradise...

Here's a few pictures from the day.

Getting Wyatt ready at the PG launch, Little Floridas, Deming, New Mexico. Nov. 10, 2019.

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Wyatt Lines taking off, heading WSW, about 12:35 pm MST.

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Wyatt in flight, cruising the ridge in smooth November air.

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The Dragon's Back and Wyatt Lines, looking south from launch.

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Bill Cummings, about a minute after launching, in his Sport 2 155. November 10, 2019.

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After a successful flight - there's still good scenery! Big Florida Mountains in the background.

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[RobinHastings]

Monday, November 11 - Veterans Day. Remembrance Day. World War 1 came to its exhausted end 101 years ago, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It was a real pleasure to give service and to be the driver yesterday for two veterans, Wyatt and Bill, who gave their own service to something bigger than their own wants and ambitions. If you know someone who has similarly devoted him or her self to selflessness, on behalf of us all - give them my thanks! And yours. Enjoy this holiday, and remember those who died and cannot - as well as those who stayed behind, and waited anxiously for those who never came. Fly high if you can!
-Robin
PS - Here is a link to a video of Bill's landing, courtesy of Wyatt Lines. There's two veterans (and pilots) looking out for each other! https://youtu.be/SpUTrzCqxvY

[Bill Cummings]

Monday, November 11 - Veterans Day. Remembrance Day. World War 1 came to its exhausted end 101 years ago, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. It was a real pleasure to give service and to be the driver yesterday for two veterans, Wyatt and Bill, who gave their own service to something bigger than their own wants and ambitions. If you know someone who has similarly devoted him or her self to selflessness, on behalf of us all - give them my thanks! And yours. Enjoy this holiday, and remember those who died and cannot - as well as those who stayed behind, and waited anxiously for those who never came. Fly high if you can!
-Robin
PS - Here is a link to a video of Bill's landing, courtesy of Wyatt Lines. There's two veterans (and pilots) looking out for each other! https://youtu.be/SpUTrzCqxvY

https://youtu.be/EVP8xa5idug

https://youtu.be/SpUTrzCqxvY

THANKS WYATT