Sunday 11/11 Bi-Directional Recollections

[sd]

Link to Sunday’s Summary and flight articles
http://paraglide.net/log/12/12_11-11/2_summary.htm

Bi-Directional
Pilots crossed Casitas Pass both directions.
HGs flew from the Eliminator to at least Divide Peak
(not sure if they turned around or continued on into Ojai)
PGs flew from the Nuthouse to East Beach
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8 am update
The wind backed down substantially after dawn at both the La Cumbre Peak and Montecito. Don Taber’s balloon graphic indicates a robust lapse rate with less inversion than expected, so it may be soarable by 10ish. I need to play parent on Monday because my kids don’t have school, so today looks like my only weekend option. I’m game to go either direction (Ojai or SB), but would prefer not to hike the Nuthouse if a truck is bussing up.
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Sunday Morning Dawn Perception

Expect the wind to back down to manageable levels today and more so on Monday as the gear mesh between the high and low continues to move further east away from our zone along with the jet stream. Santa Anna winds are forecast to develop with flow spilling off the high desert through the drain paths later today, but don’t currently see the offshore drain in dawn observations. The models indicate the event may be more gradient driven than drain driven, so there will likely be some lingering NE wind in the mountains, increasing with altitude, more so today than tomorrow.

The lapse rate looks healthy with a temperature spread in the high 20s F between the surface and 6K both today and Monday.

Launching in Ojai from Nordhoff may offer the best option to run with a quartering tail wind, but expect SB to work good also. With frost warnings in Ojai we will likely need the inversion to break. Expect the morning inversion to be stronger on Monday but more left over wind at altitude today, so don’t expect to launch too early either day.

If Monday qualifies as a weekend and you can only fly one day, you might want to wait, but if you aren’t a banker or don’t have kids, then both days look fun.

I’ll update a bit later after the balloon data is available.

[andy dainsberg]

a couple of us are meeting at nhs for nuthhouse at 10. trail is still in good condition; using one trekking pole helps considerably!

[sd]

2nd correction. Andy reports the “bus” from Parma is a meet time rather than an actual bus, but it is the weekend so getting to launch should not be too difficult. The Nuthouse is still a go, so pilots can meet on course in the middle.
_____
Rumor has it that a bus is meeting at Parma at 10. An early push for the Nuthouse is fading with the bus rumor.

[BobA]

it is warm on the beach, much more than the 50F at Mointecito foothills, no inversion in sight

today's ballon

[cortfly]

I agree it looks very good...hasn't blocked yet but its 9AM and only 6-8 northeast at La Cumbre and falling off. Winds at 6000 N at 12. At this point it doesn't look like either of the schools are going up, maybe due to other plans, so anyone interested meet at Parma 1015- ish and do our own retrieve....

[timobarker]

What a day!

Met up with Aaron, Magic, BobA, Cort, and Ron and headed up in the party van. On the drive up, we noticed birds going up and the temperature going down. Made skyport and found a whole crew of HG already on Eliminator. Conditions were questionable upon first arrival: steady wind that switched from east to west at the drop of a hat and airplanes flying questionably close to parma. While waiting,Tom and Irene showed. BobA launched first. Loved hearing Raph the 3rds response...."did you see how high he went?" Bob made it look relatively smooth all the way up and over to the R and R. Cort, then Truax launched soon afterwards. Both got up and made it look good. We saw James launch his HG, followed by many others.

Lift was everywhere. I followed Little John over to the R and R saddle and quickly benched to a reasonable altitude to head east. I bumped my way along the back ridge all the way to the VOR. Came over the radio after La Cumbre to ask Aaron about the conditions he was experiencing on the front points after I got nailed with at least a 70% collapse. Hands up! After that, I flew a bit further from the terrain and stayed out on the front points, where the lift was much more predictable. High point for me today was 5300 at No Name on my way back east. Scary point for me today was flying out toward parma from Montecito and having to veer north to avoid the bomber at about 2500 over parma.

It was amazing watching the squadrons of airplanes flying around over the regatta in the harbor. Pretty cool to see how much is going on around here.
Can't wait to hear more stories about the flights everybody had...I know BobA headed south at Montecito. Where'd you go? I know there were some hang glider pilots down at the pass. Where'd you go? I think I also heard Andy D come over the radio and say he was heading to Montecito Peak...from Ojai????

Fun flying with ya'll today. Can't wait to read about it

[Aaron]

Beautiful clear, chilly day with lift everywhere to fours sometimes fives! fun chasing tom t., bob a., and timmy down to painted cave. floated back and saw my party van still at skyport. wanted to save a little time doing the retrieve and saw some people launching ej bowl, so mashed bar to ej bowl and top landed. One out of towner was still on launch so got his keys and told him i would leave his rig at skyport. perfect,,, or so i thought. i noticed half his glider was in quite a knot, so i balled up my rig and got out of my harness leaving it off to the side. i helped him with his line overs and then when he pulled up, he got plucked backwards pretty high off the ground(in his defense it was real windy up there), he spun and landed on his back pretty hard. he was ok so i fluffed the lad up again, and he aborted a few more launches as he could not get it/keep it over his head. i told him to make sure he goes left when launching as right is very shallow. he finally got one over his head and took off heading right(uh oh). he piled into the bushes on the ridge on the right. got him back to launch after a bit and laid out, and this time when he pulled up, the glider ended up at a 90 degree angle and in the power window. he was getting pulled hard to the west. It kind of looked like those guys getting drug on the beach practicing their kitesurfing skills. eventually he flipped over my harness, and went for a pete rose slide into my balled up glider. He was face down in my glider and sliding fast using my glider as a sled across the coarse earth. My harness was tumbling end over end chasing them through the dirt and brush. Luckily for him my glider kept him from getting any road rash. i ran after him and disabled his glider. he was completely shrouded in my glider. i told him to hold still and i would unwrap him. i found his right leg and boot were up to his knee in one of my leading edge cell openings(that cant be good) and he had my lines around his arms, neck and legs. Got it sorted out and still not sure if my glider has any damage. oh well, the poor guy was having a rough day i guess. anyways, got him back on launch, and he wanted me to make sure his gopro camera was on. not sure that should have been his priority, but he was pretty adamant about it. Heck he might get some entertaining footage ;) so i obliged. After a few more blown pull ups and fluff jobs, he got it over his head and was airborne.....for a second...., then he landed in the bushes down below to the east. not sure what happened. we got him out and he threw in the towel. he was pretty out of sorts so i dragged his glider down to the car for him as it was too windy up there, and had more bush in it then a hippy chick at a grateful dead concert.

we all have our bad days, and i'm not talking any shit, just tellin the story... here are a couple of my pride(and wallet) jerkers caught on video....humility is a beautiful thang...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5a4AXjVyoc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zwoE6IFe ... ature=plcp

[andy dainsberg]

great story aaron ~not sure if he had determination or what!?-- marty and i hit the nuthouse trail @ 1020 for an almost chilly hike up. it was strong in when we got up to launch but we watched it for awhile and it backed off- right about when we were launching @12. marty climbed up from lower and i launched into his thermal and we were off. (the nut, being somewhat unforgiving couldve sunk a couple pilots in these launch conditions- its what makes it feel good when you escape nuthouse alcatraz!). i left pyramid @65 gliding west with a tailwind. marty had been @ nord peak and needed all of 5 or 6 seconds to catch up to me by the time we were at bump 3. we tracked over the high step in back of whiteledge and had good NE all the way to the Powerlines. flew with Hammer and a couple other hangies along the way- max alt thru the pass: 6800.

crossed the powerlines around 1:30 which seems like @ the latest you'd comfortably like if you don't want too much typical pm west funking up your spine crossings with rotor going this way. we found a boomer at mont peak up to 55 and took it high out to east beach. marty got a bunch of great pix... we cracked a redbull and talked for bit, checked my phone for the bus schedule... "it'll be here in 10 minutes lets power-pack!" we caught the bus- (classic- nick of time style), transferred in ventura after some coffee and donuts- and got back to ojai around 515. a good flight on Marty's B-day! another great day to be nuthouse flyers!

[DeVietti_Marty]

A big thanks to Andy for my birthday flight, as launching my Ice Peak 6 is a bit of a challenge at the nut for me and I really needed his help resetting after a blown launch or two yesterday. I would have been happy to get to the high school after getting so low off launch, but when the climb came together we both knew SB was possible, and the rest of the flight was like a several hour long birthday party for me. It was fun flying with Hammer, Scotty Angel and 2 other hangs out by the power lines and beyond. Boy those things are fast and glide well (a little envy there). thanks for the offer for a ride as I ran with my pack on down the sidewalk to make the SB bus to Ventura! (okay, still happy with the bag).

Nice bus schedule management too! Bo would have been proud of us with our bus use this day. Thanks also, Andy for the $1 so I could pay with the exact change ($3) on the bus and for the coffee and donuts too!)

Here is the link to my limited slideshow. I need to find a better way to take photos on my phone (I'm afraid of dropping it!) the smooth glide in SB gave me the chance to snap a few. Gorgeous day.

https://picasaweb.google.com/110871143058661933036/NutHouseToEastBeach111112?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCNPUsNyzwJT2YQ&feat=directlink

[andy dainsberg]

Thanks also, Andy for the $1 so I could pay with the exact change ($3) on the bus

oh u thought that was free? next week u owe me $1.01 and a point of glide each week thereafter!

[Dean S]

You guys are killing me! Great stories, sounds like too much fun. I'll have to get off the couch and come join you next time.

[BobA]

Montecito!

Flyby

Padaro

Had a great time flying around launch waiting for it to fatten up and then out to Painted Cave, found sweet lift out west with Aaron, ridge soared from west of Alternator right up La Cumbre Peak, back east to Montecito Peak, and found 1500 up! Then flew out to the beach to watch the flybys and out to Padaro Grill for a pre arranged pick up. Awesome day!

[sd]

forb (for our readers benifit) Does anyone know where Hammer and crew went from Divide Peak a couple of Sunday's ago (Veterans Weekend)?

[andy dainsberg]

forb (for our readers benifit) Does anyone know where Hammer and crew went from Divide Peak a couple of Sunday's ago (Veterans Weekend)?

.. we talked with Hammer when we landed at E beach. from @ White Ledge he flew back W, tagged La Cumbre and flew out to E beach. (@ 4-5 other hgs landed there as well- unsure of their crew affiliations)