Kite flyin and ice racing

With all the extreme cold this winter my flying time and heating bill have been suffering. But because of the extended cold Honeoye Lake has 13-15" of ice on it so the cold has presented a few alternate activities. We were out Saturday in balmy 45 degree weather enjoying the frozen playground.
Here are a few pictures of the Central New York Ice Racing Association out on a plowed mile and a half road course slinging some slush and ice chips. It looks like a blast and they do occasionally have rental cars so you can go out and try it. I now know what to do with the Subaru Baja when it is time to retire it from the road.
The other pic is of John Cimbalo zipping away across the ice with his kite buggy fitted with ski/skates. What it failed to show was shortly after him tipping over and being dragged through a puddle. The conditions were strong and variable, we all suffered similar fates and went home wet and smiling.

Indian Cliffs 10/18/08

I blew off bow hunting because the forecast looked sooo good. I got there a little late and expected to see gliders everywhere but there was only one PG in the air a couple hundred over. A quick call up top to SkyQueen told me why, it was a little strong and crossed so everyone was setting up and watching the conditions. After hightailing it up top and setting up quickly I watched a couple gliders launch and hit the wall out front, the conditions were still strong and after running off in the shadow you would hit the up draft and shoot skyward. I finally stepped up and watched everyone slowly sink to ridge level as I got there so I waited till it picked up again and they were going back up then could not get the glider to feel level for launch so I stepped out of the slot and let Don? go and was heartened by a nice launch.

When I finally did launch it was no problem and the ridge was working and I got up quickly but soon there was a lull and everyone was down on the ridge and scratching but it was short lived and soon we were back over launch by a few hundred and got to spread out and work the hill. The air had some texture to it and you had to hang on tight at times but as you got higher it smoothed out a lot and was not too bad.

The hawks were out in profusion and it was fun flying with them and watching their antics. At one point I looked down and one was inverted about 30 feet below me and looking up at me I thought at first it was an owl, white with brown spots, but then it flipped back over and I realized it was a red tail. I was following another and it would tuck its wings and become football shaped, plummet 30-40 feet then open its wings and soar back up to the level it had started. I thought it was diving at prey but as we flew down the ridge it kept doing it over and over again and I realized it was just plain having fun.

The Cliffs were working well and they remain one of the most postcard perfect places to fly. The colors were exceptional, HG, PG and sailplanes all flying together and the river below make for a great place to fly. The only problem was I forgot my camera and did not get any pictures for the postcard.

Flights: 1

Airtime: 3:04

Fun Factor: 7-8

Bristol and Hammondsport this weekend

Saturday was the day to fly at Bristol with lots of pilots coming out. Jeff got his first soaring flight. I did a bunch more mowing in the LZ and never did make it up top to fly. Sat. night the party was a great success thanks to Moritz and all his hard work. I slept out under the stars and moon and it was warm but cool enough to keep the mosquitoes away. Sunday there was breakfast at Bears then some light ridge buffing for Moritz and the PGers. Jeff got a sledder and an other high site under his belt.

FIRE

If you can't fly burning something will do, there is something primevil about fire and I can watch it for hours. Mandi turns 20 on Thursday and she had a few friends over so we had to burn the pile. Good fire.

Hammondsport, Mt. Washington 8-16-08

And what a day it was! The first to arrive and the last one to leave the day started with some mowing and as I was finishing the CROWD started to arrive. Ryan, Karl, Katrin, Mark, Linda, Doug, Chuck, Matt, Lon, Todd, Dan, Moritz, Mark S. and Marlin. And I probably missed a couple more.
I put the mower away and started to rig as the wind came around from the west to NW but it would continue to cross periodically during the day. Mark, Linda and Ryan all launched as I rigged and slowly worked their way up. Marlin went next then Katrin and I was finally done and ready to go. The ridge was working but it would only gain you a few hundred feet at best but you could maintain and wait for the ride to the clouds. The thermals were a mixed bag with some big fat easy ones and then some high velocity bullets that would make the vario scream.
Marlin had a great flight and was working the air like a champ but finally fell to a sink cycle that had me down a hundred under launch, unzipped and working some light lift on the ridge behind the church. I saw a few hawks working something on the point on the west side of the bowl and went to them and was rewarded with a building thermal that would eventually take me back to cloud base.
Once at base you could wander at will with abundant lift and I was able to check out the entire area as I flew around. If you got low there were a few spots that would almost always be working and get you back up. I watched numerous people launch and boat around and a few climbed out and disappeared off on XC flights. I lost Mark early on and flew with Linda for a while but it was mostly just pick a cloud and go see if it was working if not try another. I was under a huge dark cloud with great lift to base but could not see the top so I was a little worried about getting sucked in but kept flying to the edge and zero sink to assure myself I was all right.
By the time I came down I was to tired to flair and basically plopped in to land and I ache in my shoulders, neck, hip and back but it is a pleasant pain considering the texture of the air and the work it took to stay in it.
Oh and ask Marlin about his flight I think he did ok and broke out with drinks, fruit and melon for all that stuck around at the end, thanks.

Flights: 1
Duration: 1hr 56min
Max altitude 4400' ASL
Max lift: 1330FPM
Max sink: 937fpm
Fun Factor: 7 of 10

A good day at Bristol

What a crowd at Bristol today and a bumch of good flights to show for it. Two Dougs, Chuck, Lon, Mark, Linda, Karl, Katrin, Matt and Katrin's mom and cousin from Germany. PG'ers launched first into light thermic conditions and Karl and the Dougs worked their way up slowly and disapeared. Mark went next and shamlessly pimped off the baggers to find his first thermal and climbed out. Skyqueen potatoed on launch through a sweet cycle then FINALLY launched and climbed out under Mark. It was real light when I stepped into the slot so I potatoed for a while waiting for my cycle to come through. It finally picked up and I launched into light but workable lift and although it took a while worked my way up and over the back and climbed in a growing thermal to cloudbase. I could hear Mark and Linda on the radio but could not answer back and had last seen them at base behind the mountain so I drifted back looking but could not find them. Turns out they had worked back up wind over the valley, went over me, and were now behind me. As I came to the edge of the lake I turned cross wind and started working north towards Canandaiqua, climbed again over Chesher and as I was looking around I realized I was looking down on clouds and was up in the wispies of the cloud I was under. OOPS I pulled in and headed north to get out from under the cloud and could see the city coming up quickly. I decided to head more west towards Bloomfield as that was the last thing I had heard from Mark and Linda but found massive sink on the way. I picked a wheat field that had been recently combined and headed for the nearest cloud up wind of the field and found nothing but sink till I had to turn back to make the field. I finally found some lift two hundred feet over the field but it was weak and drifting me over a bunch of unlandable blocks of corn so I surendered to the day and set up and landed. The landing was a belly slider and as I skided in I realized the field had recently been spread with a nice coating of manure which makes for a nice slick surface to slide on but leaves a very smelly film on harnesses and clothing, I HAVE GOT TO DO SOME LAUNDRY NOW!!!!!!!!
Thanks to Mark for coming to pick me up, we picked up Doug S. in Chesher, Linda in Bristol Center on the way back to the LZ, I don't know where the rest ended up and I don't think they were done when I left I thought I heard Matt was headed up.

Flights: 1
Duration: 42 min.
XC: 9 miles
Fun factor: 9 out of 10

It was all good till the shower after

I unexpectedly was able to get out today and packed up and was on the road in record time and headed for Hammondsport. Doug and Chuck Stoner and Nik and Fady HG pilots from Canada were on launch when I got there and we went over procedures and went up top to set up. As we were rigging Mukrum showed up and launched from the lower launch and quickly climbed a few hundred over. That would be OOH (over our heads) for those following the AGLvsASL debate!!!!
That spurred us on to rig faster and just as we were ready to launch Mukrum was at launch level and below. But not for long as the cycles straightened out and got stronger he was soon high above launch (HAL).
I picked a good cycle and launched into an elevator for a quick ride above launch and watched Nik launch behind me climb up and we spent the better part of the next hour 3-500' over with an occasional bullet thermal to 7-800'. They were strong but disorganized and you had to stand the wing on its tip to stay in it as it drifted back.
It was OD'ing to the north but staying a distance away but eventually it got closer and someone threw the switch and it all shut off. We were soon on the ground and should have packed up immediately but took to long with reliving the flight and the sky opened up and we and our gliders got soaked.
Thanks Doug for bringing my truck down and mowing at launch. It was nice meeting and flying with Nik, meeting Carlyn and Fady good luck tomorrow for another flight.

Flights: 1
Airtime: 54 min
Max lift: 940fpm
Min lift: -760fpm