Best day of the season?

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Best day of the season?

Postby Southside » Wed Nov 25, 2015 2:44 pm

Saturday is looking pretty darn good.

My daughter is going back to school on Sunday so I doubt I'll be able to participate in the fun.
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Re: Best day of the season?

Postby Southside » Fri Nov 27, 2015 7:04 am

Looks like it has turned into an out and return day as Ojai is showing NE. NE in SB at altitude as well.
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Re: Concurrence

Postby sd » Fri Nov 27, 2015 9:45 am

Southside wrote:Saturday is looking pretty darn good.

I haven't done a detailed analysis, but John Scott's (Southside) midweek preview for the weekend was "Saturday is looking pretty darn good". John is our original day picker guru (married with kids in LA so a long drive and limited kitchen passes). so I took a quick look on Friday morning and concur that Saturday looks promising. It has been stellar since Turkey day, and today (Friday) looks spectacularly colorful with a ballistic lapse rate also, but Saturday may have less wind and more pilots? Of course, I guess we could always opt to go shopping instead...

The Eagle Van has been going up about 10ish, but long distance XC pilots may want to bump the meet time up at least an hour? I can likely crew, but may not be able to make an 8:30 or 9 AM meet time, however, I might be able to rope in an extra driver, so if the early launch XC boys (and girls) want to get an early start, I can likely get 2 vehicles down from launch (an early crew plus a 10 AM Eagle Bus?), then chase to Fillmore and beyond?

May not be the "Best day of the season?" from a straight line distance maximum mileage perspective (due to the short days), but if you look at from a LFSD perspective, then you might be able to take first place for the year? [http://paraglide.net/lfsd]. If nothing else, the day looks colorful and surely beats the shopping alternative?
Last edited by sd on Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Ojai?

Postby sd » Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:07 am

I didn't check the skew-Ts because it is time consuming, but Southside now thinks
Southside wrote:Looks like it has turned into an out and return day as Ojai is showing NE. NE in SB at altitude as well.

An out and return task likely has more potential from Ojai (compared to SB), downwind both directions? I think the Forrest Service Office in Ojai is open today (Friday) if anyone wants to get a permit.

Available to crew on Saturday. Not going to launch today (Friday), but I'll turn my radio on if someone needs a ride back to SB from Carp or Ojai?
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Re: Best day of the season?

Postby flychild » Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:18 am

I can't fly today, but am looking forward to tomorrow. Won't be able to get to Ojai to get a permit. Maybe Nuthouse launch instead? Either way an early start makes sense. Yesterday's 10 am meet had us off the hill at 11. We quickly went over 5K and were on course eastbound. Certainly could have launched much earlier. I had turkey day obligations and so turned around at power lines and returned to parma. Chris Heckman continued on to Nordhoff peak and flew back to Bates. I believe Chris Clontz also went over the pass yesterday. Good luck to those chasing it today. I will be ready for an early start tomorrow. Thanks SD for offering to crew. I'll look at the forecast and we can figure out the best plan.
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Re: Best day of the season?

Postby Southside » Fri Nov 27, 2015 5:38 pm

Still a nice lapse rate to the mid 6s, but SE now in SB. Checked Fillmore for possible flights from Oat, but it's NE. Perhaps flights to Lompoc or Santa Maria?
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Re: Tahoe Friday / SB to 7K at Santa Paula Peak

Postby sd » Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:33 pm

On Friday, Tahoe Eric and another visiting pilot crossed Casitas Pass easily, getting into the upper 6s with a tailwind from the west, but started encountering east wind after Nordhoff. Eric managed to get to 7K at Santa Paula Peak and then tried to go upriver on bar into a headwind from the east before opting to turn back and land at Saint Thomas College. The Friday station reports show it blowing offshore from the east all day at Piru, but switching on-shore at Oxnard shortly after noon, with the onshore moving through Camarillo before 2 PM, so there might have been an onshore/offshore convergence somewhere around Santa Paula to bridge across the river?

Still haven't looked at the skew-T forecasts for Saturday. Southside reports they are calling for east wind all the way through SB, but the winds aloft forecast for tomorrow (Saturday) is calling for light and variable. Friday's winds aloft forecast was calling for a little east, but the west pushed through from the west (or was pulled in by the strong lapse rate and development in the mountains?). Bates was on with a large turnout (see attached photo. I've got a total of 2 crew for Saturday, but no posted bus service yet. Recommend meeting at East Beach for an early go, 8:30 or 9ish as the lapse rate should be ballistic again. No need to launch high. It should be working good at all altitudes up through 6K plus.
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Re: Best day of the season?

Postby flychild » Sat Nov 28, 2015 7:25 am

Planning on driving up from Parma at 9.
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Sat / East Beach at 9:15

Postby sd » Sat Nov 28, 2015 8:16 am

Saturday Morning Update 8:15 PST

SD and Laura (crew x 2) will stop by East Beach about 9:15 enroot to the 9:30 meet at Parma.

The lapse rate continues to be ballistic at least through Sunday due to the sun angle on our south facing coastal range and a cold air mass. Mid 60s F in town and -2C at 6K (29F) for a temperature spread of over 35 degrees F. Forecast mostly on track. Santa Anna offshore pushing out the Santa Clara River all the way to the islands? Light and variable on the west end of the course, but expect some strong draw due to the ballistic thermals, likely from the SW down low in the afternoon. East wind toward the east end of the course, but with the strong draw we might get an onshore/offshore convergence somewhere around Santa Paula by early to mid-afternoon.

Expect some juicy cloud development with altitude to spare along the front range, perhaps more so over Casitas Pass and into Ojai.
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Re: Saturday Course Ends

Postby sd » Sat Nov 28, 2015 7:06 pm

Saturday Summary (limited by a ground bound perception)

Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda, launched in Ojai? The flow was from the east even on the west end of the course.

Big turnout at multiple launches (Skyport, EJ, and the VOR). Close to 50 PG pilots including a large contingent of visiting pilots from around the globe.

Mitch Riley went OTB and up past Figueroa Mountain to the NW. He turned near the SE outskirts of Santa Maria (east of Orcutt about 45 miles NW of the Skyport Launch) and then backtracked another 7 or 8 miles south to a landing in Los Alamos. Might have been able to reach the same turn point launching 30 miles further east in Ojai?
Mitch Riley's Spot Page
http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0Jh6VOd1mdQA1kKUqG6bd0kVCKzR8uMBH

A trio of pilots opted to round the VOR and plug upwind to Ojai with Chris Heckman rounding the East Repeater front point. The other two pilots consisting of Chris Clontz and a Washington pilot named Dave turned at Twin Peaks. All 3 then went downwind back to Nordhoff High School. Flight time was over 5 hours for their 3 legs of 6 miles, 36 miles, and 7 plus miles back to NHS.

High clouds intermittently moderated the heating, which delayed the start and perhaps shortened the day a bit, but enough sun got through to provide a strong lapse rate and good climbs to comfortable altitude. It was cold with a 6K temperature below freezing.
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