Weekend Weather

[RobinHastings]

WEEKEND WEATHER, APRIL 11-13
Looks like another dry and windy weekend for us. Actually, Friday doesn't look bad, with winds light to moderate out of the west and southwest. I'd say that on Friday the good bets are Dry Canyon, La Luz, Lee's Lookout, Agave Hill, Little Floridas and maybe Magdalena Rim. Training at the Sod Farm ought to be good, too. Saturday turns into a blowout out of the southwest; get ready for gusts of 30 mph on the ground, and a lot higher up in the air. Sunday is gentler, but as usual following a windstorm we will have northwest winds for a day. La Luz is a good place to fly on Sunday, at least for hang gliders. Assuming my parachute shows up today, I'd be interested in flying Dry Canyon on Friday (tomorrow) if anyone else is interested. Let me know! 575-541-5744. And whatever you do this weekend, be safe!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

APRIL 18-20 (Easter Weekend)
Whisper it! We could get rain... Late Friday, perhaps. Saturday afternoon. Maybe Sunday morning. But don't say it too loud - we surely don't want to mess this up! Winds on Friday should be south/southeast, strong early on and milder as the day winds down, which would make Dry Canyon our best prospect for a foot-launched site, at least in the evening - if it's dry. On Saturday the winds should be milder, mostly south and some southwest. Dry Canyon and La Luz should be facing that direction, and Magdalena Rim might be OK. (Watch out for rain...) Sunday (Easter) afternoon actually looks pretty good, for both PG and HG. It should be dry in the skies, though possibly muddy on the ground. The winds should be mild southwest all day. Dry Canyon (if the road is passable), La Luz, Mag Rim, Agave Hill, Lee's Lookout and the Little Floridas should all be launchable that day. I'd enjoy some flying on Saturday or Sunday afternoon, if anyone wants to join me. Whatever you decide on, be safe!
-Robin

[Bob Kuczewski]

Hello Robin and the RGSA,

I just want to say how lucky the RGSA is to have you giving such a detailed and thoughtful assessment of the flying conditions every week.

Super job Robin!!!!!


  

  

  

  

  

[RobinHastings]

Thanks, Bob. Compliments are hard to come by in life... Now, here's my advice for flying this weekend, APRIL 25-27:

Stay home.

Well, maybe not Friday. We'll get southwest winds, moderate to strong, on Friday, making Magdalena Rim, Dry Canyon, La Luz, Little Floridas, and Agave Hill as possible foot-launch sites. Kilbourne Hole might be good, too. You'd better go early. But Saturday is going to be a blowout. At launch heights (about 6000 ft MSL) it'll be howling at 50 mph, most of the day and night. Sunday morning, too, I'm guessing. It tails off through Sunday and then becomes moderate to light out of the west/northwest later in the day. (A typical pattern for our area - for a day after the windstorm, we get northwest.) So Sunday afternoon you might give the La Luz NW launch a try. In general, though, this is a weekend to say "Yes, dear," for household chores and to look at maintaining your equipment. If you fly this weekend, be cautious and be safe.
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

MAY 2-4, 2014:
This weekend looks better than last. No moisture, as usual. (We could sure use some of that 2 feet of rain that Florida got yesterday!) On Friday we still have east winds coming through, not too strong - good for training at the Sod Farm, or foot launching at Anapra and the Portrillos. Not good for most of our foot-launch sites, though. On Saturday it starts out north, then switches to southwest, mild, later in the day. This makes Dry Canyon, La Luz, Little Floridas, Magdalena Rim and Lee's Lookout possible sites to launch from. On Sunday, it should be west and southwest all day. A little stronger than Saturday, but if you're early, still good for PG's throughout the day, at all the Saturday sites I just named. For HG's it's probably launchable all the way. For my own schedule, I'm likely to be busy on most of Saturday, but I'd like to fly on Sunday, if anyone is up for it. Keep me in the loop! 575-541-5744. Be safe this weekend, and have some fun.
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

MAY 9-11, 2014:
This looks like another dry, windy weekend. There will be some good flying at our foot launched sites tomorrow (Friday) with light to moderate southwest winds. So that day I'd bet on Magdalena Rim, Dry Canyon, La Luz, Lee's Lookout and the Little Floridas, for both HG and PG. On Saturday the winds are a little stronger but still southwest at launch heights (5000 to 7000 ft MSL) which would make all of the above sites still viable. The winds get stronger towards day's end, so be a little early on Saturday. On Sunday the winds get much stronger and turn west. It could be a blowout that day. If you go, go early, and I would think more of Dry Canyon and La Luz than the Rim. Be safe, and post up how things went! (I'll be out of town, I'm afraid.)
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

MAY 16-18, 2014:
Not a bad weekend for foot launched flying. It looks like our region will be dry once again, and the winds will be mostly out of the west. They might be northwest tomorrow (Friday) but more westerly on Saturday and Sunday. Speed of the winds should be moderate on Friday and Saturday, and getting stronger on Sunday afternoon. I'd say that Dry Canyon, La Luz, Lee's Lookout, Agave Hill and the Little Floridas will work pretty well this weekend. Magdalena Rim is a better bet when the winds are southwest. Kilbourne Hole might be soarable for PG's. It looks like a pretty good weekend for all kinds of flying, including some training at the Sod Farm. Enjoy!
-Robin
PS - The long term forecast for the Fly-In next weekend looks OK so far - I don't think the jetstream will be overhead that weekend. Stay tuned...

[RobinHastings]

MAY 23-26, 2014
Weather for the Dry Canyon Fly-In looks pretty good. Winds should be moderate, from the south and southwest, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. On Monday the winds shift to the west and northwest. So the first three days ought to be fine for Dry Canyon and the Fly-In. The last day, Memorial Day, will be good for the La Luz northwest launch - or maybe Dry Canyon, if the winds are more westerly. We may get some rain on Friday, then the moisture tends to avoid our area and give some drought relief to the rest of New Mexico. All in all, it's looking good, so come on out and have a fly-in this weekend!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

MAY 30-JUNE 1, 2014
This is another flyable weekend. However, glory be! there could be some precipitation in our area. If it's like last weekend (see my article on the Dry Canyon Fly-In in the topic by that name) that won't keep us from flying. Dave Church and I flew on Friday and shot up between big, dark clouds with very little trouble or hazard. Winds should be light to moderate at launch heights, this weekend. On Friday, mostly north. On Saturday, south to southeast, making Dry Canyon about the only viable foot-launched site. On Sunday, we could have south winds, with would let Magdalena Rim be a possible site, along with Dry. I might be up for some flying on Sunday, then, if anyone wants to join me. Keep in touch about it! 575-541-5744. Fly safe!

[RobinHastings]

JUNE 6-8, 2014
Looks good for flying this weekend. Winds should be west and southwest, light to moderate, from Friday through Sunday. This makes Dry Canyon, La Luz, Lee's Lookout, Little Floridas and Magdalena Rim good bets for airtime. It'll be hot, though! New Mexico could see some precipitation on Sunday, but from the Sacramentos eastward, I think. That's OK, any rain anywhere is welcome now, and maybe we'll get out turn soon. I'd enjoy some flying on Saturday, either at Magdalena Rim or at Dry Canyon if anyone wants to join me. Give me a call at 575-541-5744. Be safe!
-Robin