Pine 7/15/06

[oj]

Didn't get as high as Dean and Tom P., nor did I go as far as Acro Andy, but overall it was a fun day. Went otb with only 8800 but connected at the Badlands and worked the sometimes lively air to Gorman where I landed with a slight negative groundspeed.

Vario log: 1240 fpm up, 1280 dn, max alt. 13279, 27 miles in 2 hrs 42 min.

[Hammer]

A very good day at Pine even though it started slow for the paraglider pilots. Team Toast got the launch window right with instant climbs to 10,800. Highlights for Hammer; flight time 3:13:30,max alt. 15,383 ft., max climb 1900,max speed 58mph, distance 88 miles. Let's go do it again today!

[andy]

The Pine Mnt. that I have heard so much about about revealed itself. Launched between some really strong cycles and got up to 9500 on my first climb, then it was down to about 6 grand and a real potential for flushing out toward the sandpile when I reconnected and worked it up to 9300 over launch with Diablo and Milley. The lead Gaggle of OJ, Deano, Tom, Randall, and mini-Mike were into Lockwood skying out under the developing clouds with bases upwards of 15-16k. Robb and I were making our first OTB push and Diablo was way out front so we were left to our own devices to find lift. We connected close to where the dry canyon road starts into the badlands up to 12.5, then I head for the clouds. I connected south of Pinos and went up to base in STRONG lift then I pissed it off going north to Pinos and ended up starting the cross to Frazier relatively low.
I ended up coming into Frazier only about 200 over and didn't want to scratch over the trees in uncharted territory so I worked it back down to the west towards the ranger station resigned to my fate when I started felling the love just over the heli-port, about 200 over. This little nasty bubble took me back up to 9k and I headed toward Frazier which had been reported by Dean to be booming a little earlier. Well as I was on glide I could see a cloud starting to build over the top of the peak so I headed for the front of the development. This was my climb of the day, a ripper that took a lot of acro-avoidance while climbing through 11k, then it was just really big and strong up to base at 15.5. Despite the 100 plus temps on the deck I was damn glad I wasn't in shorts and t-shirt at cloud base.
Then it was long glide out past quail lake along the highway to some town that rhymes with Biaatch. Seriously thats All I could get out of Deans radio transmission of where he had landed--"I'm a about a mile past biaatch"-- that was good for a laugh while on glide to my record length, about 42 miles, record alt. 15.5k, and duration 3'42" without using my diaper, although I did experiment with it on the ground=good absorbsion, but not good skin moisture barrier.
On the way home Dean, and Tom officially opened the Pine Mnt. season as we were ducking down in Milleys rig while the highway patrol passed by our well loaded vehicle.

[Chip]

Congrats Andy. You are my idol. You should have a perma grin for quite awhile BIG DOG.

[Tom Pipkin]

A recap on saturday highlights are as follows;

Andy and Deano to Ave 265, Tom at Quail lake, OJ & Dirtfoot (Robb Milley) at the I-5 truckstop. All 5 tanked up big at Frasier mtn. but nothing more than a glide from there.
Congrats to Andy for taking the day, and to Robb for making the truckstop 28 miles?

Sunday; Andy, Ron M. and Marty all took the 10k+ glide from Pine to Ojai (Nordhoff HS), Deano and I missed it, (clouded over), ending up at the sand pile.

Last we heard from Hammer, he put down in Carp.

[Robb]

I had a great time on my first solo over the back, now I can't get my mind off that flight!

Today I saw in the LA paper there are plans to put 23,000 homes in this location:

[BobA]

I had a great time flying last Saturday from Pine. Went OTB at 9800, and found light lift at 7500 just past the Ranch, in the Badlands, over the sand wash that snakes up to the 50/50. Turned toward the Pink hills out in front of Pinos, flew thru lift below a developing cloud on my way to the base, arc’d back to just North of the Boys Camp…and from 8500 beamed out to cloudbase at 15k !…Flew on to Frazier as Hammer left from under a perfectly developed cloud, and proceeded to fumble around until back to cloudbase…marveled at the Red and Yellow paraglider (Robb?) checking the tree tops, from NW to towers, back out around to the East…eventually, DD, LJ, and Jaw were all there looking for that sweet spot before heading East. I milked the far side of Frazier for lift before turning to the Cement Factory. Came in over Jaw to find nothing. Started angling South toward East side of NeeNatch…A long long glide away from Frazier, I found some meth lab/junk yard lift. Milked it forever between 5 and 5400…joined up with LJ and a hawk...LJ came in from the SW Libres route…the hawk just coming up from the fumes, circling down wind, right on thru…we stayed and drifted. The drift arc’d us back to the NE over Willow Springs Race track in burbles here and there…then connected buttes like dots to Silver Queen Mine where SW wind was converging with NW wind to create a strong ridge lift like thermal, took it to above 9k before getting spit out in acro fashion…headed for Mojave only to be rewarded with severe sink of 2300 fpm down and washing machine winds…flailing along I dived on Hwy 14, holding up to let a plane take off from the airport, passed on lift near the runway, then zeroed in on a big LZ a couple miles outside of town with winds out of the NW at 12-15. After landing, a helicopter came by low to check me out then followed LJ East down the road…joined the gang in the van for a cold one less than an hour later just after getting bit by ants sitting in the shade of bush alongside the road. Thanks to Carol for driving, DD for scoring a driver, LJs van abuse, Hammer’s call, Pokie’s Sacrificial Lamb flight to Dry Canyon, Jaw’s Fantasy Island tales, and Eddie for taking my rig to Ventura !

Flight Track: http://bob-shots.spaces.msn.com/photos/

yna