Flying possibilities

[Bill Cummings]

It's looking a little more cross from the right but you never really know so I'm still on for noon unless you want to call it Wyatt.

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[Wyatt]

I had a great inaugural PG flight at Little Floridas! 2 1/12 hours, got up to 7900, went over the back, got 10 miles out of it! Launch was uneventful, lift was mellow. Thought I was gonna dirt out once, got 150 feet below launch but got popped right back. Great site, looking forward to flying it again!

[Bill Cummings]

Wyatt and I met at noon near the Little Florida Mts. Landing Zone (LZ).
I takes about 45 to 50 minutes from the LZ to the launch area.
Wyatt decided to launch to the north of the HG ramp up near the next tower to the north. Actually slightly SW of that tower location. All went well as the video will show.
Taking a little over two hours of airtime and going over the back for ten miles. I chased and picked him up along the Old Las Cruces Hwy, (Hwy 549).
https://youtu.be/Yc2UQhCVtbM

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and

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[Bill Cummings]

I'd like to drop this Dell from about 15,000 feet.

[Wyatt]

Thanks so much, Bill, for showing me the site and driving! I nominate you for driver of the month!

[Wyatt]

A note about the wind forecasts and the Little Floridas:

XCSkies was showing light winds from the W mid-day, turning N at evening.
Weather Underground was showing light winds (5) from W mid-day, turning S at evening and getting lighter (3). As I got into Deming, the WUnderground app was saying winds were currently 7 SW.
Launch Codes were showing moderate winds from NW at mid-day, still moderate and from the W in the evening.

Actual observed winds (on the ground): light from the W mid-day (about 4 mph at the LZ when we got there at 12:15), turning S and even lighter (2 mph) at 5:00.
On the hill, they were moderate (7-12) from the WSW pretty much the whole time (1:30-3:30). When I landed around 4:00, winds were about 2 from the W.

So, it seems that Weather Underground forecast was most accurate, though the real-time wind indicator was not. It also seems that the Launch Codes were the least accurate. I'll probably use Weather Underground for my forecast at this site.

[Bill Cummings]

You're right Wyatt,
I clicked on Weather Underground's (Almanac) and selected Oct. 31, 2015 and it shows KDMN (Deming Airport) history agreeing with your assessment of Halloween Day weather and running counter to Launch Code.
Below is a Snip-it of yesterdays wx history.

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The 310 degree Launch Code prediction for the wind direction didn't happen at the Little Florida's during your flight (start 14:03 hrs) or at the Deming Airport (KDMN).

[Bill Cummings]

Robin thinks it’s time to throw me off of Magdalena Rim tomorrow.
I’ve had it with this bottom dwelling so I think I won’t struggle against that endeavor.

Launch Code looks blown out in the afternoon but Weather Underground doesn’t think so. I’m thinking it might be good starting around 10:00 am.

I’m going light with no vario or GPS and lots of other redundant stuff in my harness bag will rest on the bed at home. That 700 yard trudge up hill to the launch is tough on anyone under 60 doing 3 miles per hour.

[Nate]

I've really enjoyed the flight reports!

There are so many sites in southern NM to be flown.

I am curious if anyone has flown the Transmountain since John flew it last year?

I wish I had a good excuse to head west and play! Hopefully I'll at least make the Guads happen this P-day.

Nate

[Bill Cummings]

Hi Nate,
I haven't seen any Transmountain reports here. Maybe some PG's flew but I'd have to check with Hadley's El Paso Paragliding website.
Robin assisted me off of Magdalena Rim, NW of Las Cruces, today for an hour flight. I left my Flytec and GPS home so that Robin wouldn't have such a hard time dragging the portage cart (and me) uphill the 700 yards to the middle launch.
I haven't even been able to post Robin's flight off of the new site, Gray Hill, 40 miles WSW of Socorro New Mexico (USA) because I'm having trouble with my user name and password for Youtube and Google.
First I couldn't get into my Youtube account and when I was messing around I also reset and locked myself out of Google and Microsoft accounts.
When I'm ready for more aggravation I'll try again. Then I'll post today's flight maybe in a couple years.
Nice float off of launch today (@10:57) and a no stepper landing in the LZ (@11:57).
Note: the Magdalena Rim and Gray hill at Magdalena, NM are more than a hundred miles apart.
I know it's confusing ---- like telling directions that Tommy West gave me for someone else.