Southeast Saturday 10/26

[sd]

Thursday monining look at Saturday... Quote from the NWS Area Forecast Discussion

Saturday looks pretty wonderful with weak offshore flow and a ridge directly overhead. Look for minimal low clouds (probably just the long beach to klax area) max temps will surge into the 80s. Not enough offshore flow to create any wind issues though. A real southern California postcard day.

John Scott's review confirms Saturday is looking like the better potential with light flow from the SE. An OK lapse rate up to 10K, but not strong. Pine may work up to 12K, but it may be too windy on launch for PGs. Likely looking to lunch from Ojai or possibly Oat Mountain, and fly toward Santa Barbara.

[Nitrous]

I am looking forward to the first flight from Oat to Santa Barbara. I will help any way I can. Fast retrieval to launch of 5min if land at Ronnie's airstream trailer.

[sd]

Friday night update:
I was having doubts when the sun set Friday with plenty of moisture feeding a building low overcast, but looking out the door at 10:30 PM, it has cleared. Not really a true Santa Anna, but the forecast is calling for a weak offshore push to clear the marine layer by morning.

Ojai seems like a sure thing. We have crew (Edward), but no permit. Rather than hiking to the Nuthouse, I'll opt to go to school at Dr Mark and Ronny's in Fillmore. Plan to launch into the SE bowl from the top of Oat Mountain and glide west across the river to the low ridge running down to the Sespe from San Cayetano.

We will confirm in the morning. Dr Pratt will be on launch at 7:30 to relay a report via cell phone. Plan to arrive in Fillmore about 9:45 and be on launch about 10:30 for an 11 o'clock liftoff.

Someone needs to grab Edward from his house in Ojai, which will be me if no one local volunteers. If I don't need to pickup Edward, I'll meet at Ash & Front Street in Ventura to carpool or catch the 8:48 Vista bus from the Pier to Fillmore.

The one day offshore event is now forecasted to last longer and linger into Sunday.
The lapse rate looks average in Ojai (but without an inversion lid), OKish in SB, and strong at Pine. Pine may be the best option for getting high, but it's hard to go anywhere from Pine against a south east flow. Winds are light across the spectrum, so I don't expect many air sharks. The connection from Oat westbound to San Cayetano Ridge has been proven numerous times by Dr Pratt, but he has only made the connection into Ojai once. If we can get to Ojai, we may opt to jump back to Old Man Mountain from White Ledge.

Southside is bringing his hang glider. TQ is out, but Tim Riley plans to stop by on his way back to the Bay Area from LA. Call if you can get Edward or want to carpool. My wife is also insisting that I find an activity for my 10 year old daughter, so if you have any kids looking for a play date...??

[sd]

Saturday Morning Update
We are in the go mode for Fillmore. 10:30ish at the Vons between Central and A Street. We expect to be driving through Ventura about 10ish, but won't stop without a phone call. Terry Taggart is getting Edward.

Fillmore is crystal clear. Some haze east of the Santa Clara River, but the weak off-shore push reported at Piru has cleared any haze out the drainage. Mark reports light cycles coming up the south-east bowl at the top of the hill just past sunrise, but very little wind. Would prefer to have more east, but it might build during the day.

La Cumbre Peak has been blowing from the south at 15. The lapse rate at Pine looks stellar, but it will likely be blown out for PGs. The forecast is for the SE to increase over the weekend, transitioning to a pre-frontal condition and then rain Monday afternoon.

[galleta]

a group of us went up to ej bowl, where we had pretty strong ese conditions and pretty much the same temps as down below. 1 barely made parma, 1 barely made st. marys, 1 landed near botanical gardens, and the other 4 of us went right. we all ridge soared between ej and la cumbre, we touched 4k a few times, lompoc J hit 4400 once. we should have continued along the ridge to altenator but thought westbowl would work and didnt want to get pinned in the back. 4 of us glided to westbowl and then 4 of us landed within 10 minutes of each other shortly after at the T. hmmmmm. The metal heads looked like they were soaring good at back of the rack later on. one falcon scooted out from back there, so it may have been good for panties too. interesting flight, hopefully the oat crew had better luck. Huge thanks to Kate for drivin and chasin, hope you made it to the funk zone!!

one observation about the la cumbre data station. it sits lower, west of and behind the actual la cumbre peak. i find that temperatures and velocities are accurate, but when there is any decent amount of e or se wind it always says s or sw probably due to rotor/wrap. i need to go observe in on some east day. all other directions seem accurate including ne.

[dteal]

I had sled ride from Oat. I think it was less than 10 min. Others got above launch by a few hundred, but all in all, it was a very disappointing day.
DT

[Pegg_Brendan]

Andy and I hiked the Nuthouse Saturday. I had been in Las Vegas for the last three days and definitely felt like I owed myself a good hike to repent. The air was still a little cool when we met at 10:30, and there were no bugs at all. I can remember a time when the hike would have been almost pleasant, but those times seem to have passed me by. The hike was brutal. My full kit, with heavy pod harness, and ballast, is just too much for me. By the time I reached launch I was promising myself to never haul that pig up there again, Vegas or no Vegas. I need a lighter setup.

The cycles were a little light so we opted to wait for a bit. Nice getting caught up with Andy, I hadn't seen him in over 6 months. About 30 minutes into our chat, a crow thermalled up from just above the road, he hit all the same spots we like to go to. He ridge soared with figure eights, then banked up into 360s when he hit the house thermal. And then traversed the ridgeline over to Spine One. All the while crowing little noises that sounded just like, "c'mon, c'mon!" I was grinning with the feeling of a kindred spirit, but Andy was being a little conservative. "I would be more inspired if it was a vulture" he muttered.

We waited a little longer. The cycles had some good peaks, but there were also some long lulls. I began thinking about just flying down and trying to appreciate the day for the exercise. We talked about how we would likely have to work pretty hard to reach the ridge, but hoped it would be easier once we got up there.

Andy spread out first at 1230, but he still didn't like the feel of it. He waited in full dress for about 20 minutes before pulling up in something that still wasn't much. I spread out as soon as his feet left the ground. I didn't wait for a choice cycle, but he was at the ridgeline before I got airborne.

Usually, even on good days, I have to really work my way up to the ridge. Sometimes, when it is scary-strong, I get ripped up there faster than I would like, but it has never been smooth and easy. At least not until yesterday. It felt like flying the Grade. I was in lift the whole time, but I didn't get rocked at all. Just smooth, fat, lift that varied from 200-600 up. I left for Spine One even with the ridgeline, but could have gotten higher if I wanted to. I doubled back a couple times on the way over, just because the lift was so good. Tanked up a little at Spine One, arrived above the pyramid and tanked up to about 5K there.

Andy was charging Eastbound ahead of me. For a change, I was being patient. I was staying in thermals longer than I had to. I wasn't focusing on a goal. I guess I was pretty much in the moment the whole time, and it was really nice. Not once did I get nervous about not making a connection, or of landing out.

Bruce's was producing well as usual, so I topped out there and made the glide easily over to Chief's Spine intersecting just above Twin Peaks. I did notice that I had a 2-4 mph headwind on the way over, and I sort of doubted that I would be going to Fillmore, . . . but maybe.

Andy was a little low at West Repeater while I rode the escalator up to the hairpin and then began a nice strong climb. The lift stayed smooth and fat the whole time until I passed 6K. Then I got pushed around a little by stronger east winds. Nothing scary, but my instrument was ready 12 mph out of the east and it was enough to rule out heading to Fillmore.

At about 67 I radioed to Andy that I was heading back West. I already had the high school easily made on glide, but I considered landing by my truck at the Nuthouse just to save the retrieve. A few minutes later Andy radioed that he was at 74 at the Repeater and getting pushed too hard by the East, so he was turning back too.

Instead of taking the straight line to the high school, I took a slight detour over the normal points and unnecessarily filled up the tank again at the Pyramid. Then headed out and toured around town a bit before landing by the Church. Andy came in a minute or two later and while we packed up in the shade we both expressed how nice the day had turned out, despite all our thoughts to the contrary.

[timobarker]

Wow! Sounds like you guys scored! Thanks for sharing such a memorable day.

[DeVietti_Marty]

Fantastic! I was rooting for everyone and glad you guys connected. That hike is a killer. The flight helps you forget that part. Nice post Brendan.

[sd]

Link to SD's flight article for Saturday
http://paraglide.net/log/13/13_10-26/1_oat_fizzle.htm

one observation about the la cumbre data station. it sits lower, west of and behind the actual la cumbre peak. i find that temperatures and velocities are accurate, but when there is any decent amount of e or se wind it always says s or sw probably due to rotor/wrap. i need to go observe in on some east day. all other directions seem accurate including ne.

I concur with Aaron's observation that when Debbie is reporting South at La Cumbre Peak, it is actually SE. I didn't realize the other directions were accurate, but now that I think back to when I used to fly regularly, Aaron's analysis seems to fit with my experience. One more fudge factor to help fill in the blanks

[Southside]

When you're semi-retired from flying you forget to do things. Like forgetting to call to get a permit and forgetting to untie your VG rope to thread it through the cleat. Talked to SD at 4:44 where he mentions something about the permit. Oh, carp! Quickly called the ranger station where a recording let me know that they close at 4:30.

If you read Tom's report, I did get over launch, but the main reason for coming in lower across the valley than excepted was that I left Oat even with launch, not from my high point.

If your interested here is a short video of the flight: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loQGbhPNlHI

John