Cuesta Today Feb. 1st 2010

Today was the day we all decided to fly Cuesta for the first time in months.  It didn't look like it would be stellar, by any measure; but it was time.  The sky was filled with mid-level clouds and looked very stable, with high cirrostratus blocking out much of the heating of the sun.

The group consisted of Jack, Dave, Eric, Patrick, Bill, and me.  We all met at the top at 12:30 and were happy to see nice weak cycles coming up the face of launch.  Bill was flying his first PG flight at Cuesta and got the nod from Patrick that today was the day.  He suited up and was the first in the air.  Soon after, Jack & I launched and toyed with some small thermals in front of launch.  Patrick, Dave, and Eric were soon in the air also.

The lift was weak but kept us at launch altitude for quite a while before a few flushed out.  I headed over by the towers and found my own sink zone that put me below the lift band on the ridge and forced me to head in front for lift.  I was down to 1700' when I found a very weak but smooth thermal that danced with me for a awhile.  I was able to milk a climb until. finally, it filled in and took me to 1000' over launch.  I flew some laps along the ridge until a down cycle sent me to the LZ, after 55 minutes of flying.

Here's a video of the thermal that took me back to 1000' over from 300' below launch.  It's a bit like watching paint drying unless you consider thermaling to be a mystery - you can see me modifying the circle here & there to find the sweet-spot.

Moderately Low Save from Tim O'Neill on Vimeo.
Cuesta
Congrats to Bill who had a great first PG flight at the Cuesta Grade.
My flight track is HERE

It was a good day.

Tim

Morning Glory video

The Morning Glory cloud is a rare meteorological phenomenon observed in Northern Australia Gulf of Carpentaria. A Morning Glory cloud is a roll cloud that can be up to 1000 kilometres long, 1 to 2 kilometres high, and can move at speeds up to 60 kilometres per hour.  In the front of the cloud, there is strong vertical motion that transports air up through the cloud and creates the rolling appearance, while the air in the middle and rear of the cloud becomes turbulent and sinks. The cloud can also be described as a solitary wave. The 178 pop. settlement of Burketown annually attracts glider pilots bent on riding this phenomenon.


I've flown extensively in wave back in the late 70's in sailplanes and fondly remember the smooth lift and the excitement of transitioning from the rough rotor to the laminar flow of the standing wave.  To fly it in a foot launched wing would be a thrill.  Here is a great video of the morning glory in Queensland.



A couple of the earlier scenes in the movie above remind me of an old video I love that reminds me of being 17 & strapped into my 1946 Luscombe & flying low back when I was young & stupid. The tune is great too. . .

2010 U.S. Paragliding Competition Schedule

I just received a dispatch from Rob Sporrer, who has just returned from the USHPA BOD mtg.

Dates	Competition	Location	Organizer
May 2-10	Florida Ridge	Florida Ridge	David Prentice
June 13-19	Rat Race	Ruch, OR	Mike Haley
July 10-15	Chelan XC Open	Chelan, WA	Doug Stroop
Aug28-Sept5	Sun Valley Nats	Sun Valley, ID	Mike Pfau
There will be a PWC event directly after the Chelan XC Open.
July 18-24	PWC	Chelan, WA	Doug Stroop

The Chelan XC Open and Sun Valley Comp scores will determine the U.S. Nat'l Champ.

I'll list the websites as they become functional.

Let the fun begin!
Tim

Dreaming

The weather has been a bit "Easty" lately, so I haven't been flying much.  I find that I think about flying a lot when I go through a dry spell, like this.  I even had a paraglider dream last night - which never happens when I'm flying regularly.  Here's a video that describes what I'm going through very well.

It's title is "Rush Hour Dream."


While I'm at it, the PPic widget (lower right of this blog) had one of the most serene and beautiful shots recently. . . Click on photo for larger version.

Photo by Raphael Neuhaus

I put videos I create on Vimeo. You can see my profile.

Tim

Flying Pirates

I got to fly a new site today. I've heard about some of the flights at Pirates Cove, so today when Patrick called me, I gladly hiked up to launch. The view was striking and the weather very nice. We flew for an hour or so.

Here's a short video of the fun.

Flying Pirates from Tim O'Neill on Vimeo.

A fun day with Patrick flying Pirates Cove.

Have fun & fly safe -
Tim