Halloween Treats

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Halloween Treats

Postby sd » Mon Oct 30, 2017 2:41 pm

See Flight Reports in Reply's below for:
[Tuesday] [Wednesday] [Thursday]
No Flight Reports from Monday

Friday Reflections: Well… the week didn’t play out as forecasted by the various models, but it appears that for the most part conditions were better than anticipated with some exceptions. It looked appetizing from my vantage in Carpinteria. The wind would cycle from lull to a healthy stir... drawn by fat thermals occasionally letting loose?
60-80ish trick or treaters at Vallecito Club on Tuesday night. Ran out of candy for the first time and had to make a store run to reload.
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Monday Look at the All Saints workweek:

Thickening marine layer with a pronounced inversion above, but there is a good lapse rate below the inversion on Monday and a strong lapse rate on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Any heating on Tuesday should result in rising air, but there might be some drizzle Tuesday morning. By Tuesday afternoon the top of the lift goes above ridgeline, but cloudbase looks lower, maybe 2K in the morning rising above 3K in the afternoon as the day dries some.

The Training Hill might light off if it gets even just a little bit of heating, so Chad’s distance record (to Parma?) could fall, but note that even though thermals over the T-Hill might go above 3K, south of the freeway you are legally obligated to stay below 1500 feet MSL to avoid killing 50 airline passengers on an instrument approach to SBA.

The best lapse rate looks like Tuesday, but Wednesday looks good also. The top of the lift Wednesday doesn’t go as high, but the cloudbase limitation looks similar.

For Tuesday and Wednesday the NAM forecast soundings are calling for light (3 to 6) local flow from the SE at cloudbase, but down lower it might be more from the SW? The marine forecast is calling for flow from the SW in the Channel. If so, the local cliffs might work. Low tide is 2 PM on Tuesday, which coincides with the peak heating and the best lapse rate. The lapse rate fades at the end of the day.

By Thursday the flow is more from the west. The lapse rate is weaker, and the clouds are thicker, so… Thursday isn’t looking so good right now, but confidence in the forecast 3 days out is not high.

These deep marine days are tricky. Just a tiny bit of heating can be the difference between a sledder or fat smooth weak lift. If you wait for it to clear, then it will be ODed by the time you get to launch. The soaring window can be short. Looks like the best times are noon to 2 PM on Tuesday and Wednesday.

If you are sitting at the Skyport, then you might be a few hundred higher than cloudbase and not be able to see what’s going on. The Bypass or the Rock might be good calls? The Skyport is the easier launch if cloudbase is high enough or you are ok launching a few hundred above cloudbase and you have a spotter below to relay what’s going on.

If you don’t like bumpy air, fly on cloudy days without much wind. The clouds diffuse the heating which results in fat smooth thermals. We don’t need full sun to make it work on Tuesday and Wednesday, just some thinning to permit a little heating.

Also note that strong lift yields good climb rates, but often poor glides because what goes up must come down. Sometimes you can get better glides on days where the lift is weak but goes high. Weak life can also result in weaker sink on glide.

Since most pilots will be at Plaskett Creek, we don’t need to discuss the forecasted cold front and potential rain this coming weekend?
Last edited by sd on Fri Nov 03, 2017 9:04 am, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Halloween Treats

Postby gracecab » Tue Oct 31, 2017 7:45 am

Tom. Id be interested this weekend. I cant get to Big Sur though i would love to. So lets see what we can make of this weekend.
Chris Ballmer aka gracecab
Ventura, CA
UP Kantega XC2 / Gin Verso
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Tuesday Report

Postby sd » Fri Nov 03, 2017 8:36 am

60-80ish trick or treaters at Vallecito Club on Tuesday night. Ran out of candy for the first time and had to make a store run to reload.

Tuesday had more sun than Monday's forecast predicted. The day looked pretty good with a robust lapse rate in the shade. No reports of PGs flying and only 2nd-hand reports from Cracka of HGs shredding the task.

Tuesday Flight Reports (copied from the SBSA Chat Box)

Posted by Cracka on Wednesday at 7:17 am, commenting on Tuesday
Some HGs shredded the task yesterday on the last day of the month. Maybe they will give a report as it looked spectacular!
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Wednesday Reports

Postby sd » Fri Nov 03, 2017 8:38 am

Wednesday had more sun than expected but also more east wind?

Wednesday Reports
Copied from the SBSA Chat Box

Posted by James Zender at 12:55 PM
Looking pretty sweet out there through my office window....
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Posted by Cort Flinchbaugh at 1 PM
Sure does ! Looks like 71 degrees at parma , 57 on top , light winds... Somebody needs to go get on that!!
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Posted by Mike Harrington at 1:03 PM
Hammer is up top. Says it’s sketchy

Posted by Mike Harrington at 1:04 PM
Cross to down at Skyport
Super east

Posted by Mike Harrington:
Launchable at back o rack with assistance
________________________________
Posted by Daniel Garcken at 2:58 PM
A couple PGs up at Bates. Wind is about 5 mph SSW.
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Thursday Reports

Postby sd » Fri Nov 03, 2017 8:44 am

Monday’s forecast for Thursday was for thick clouds and a weaker lapse, but it appears Thursday was much better with plenty of sun and a nice cloud-street along the top of the range.

Thursday Flight Reports (copied from the SBSA Chat Box)

Posted by Cort Flinchbaugh at 8:19 AM
Intriguing numbers this morning. No inversion on the balloon , solid lapse rate, light winds aloft, forecast temperature 37 at 6000 ft, surface high upper 60's.
If the sun shines, could be interesting. SD, what do you think?
(SD did not respond because his focus we diverted elsewhere and didn’t see the request for comment until Friday morning, but SD did like watching he day develop when he took an occasional glance out the window.)

Posted by Cort Flinchbaugh at 11:38 AM
No sun yet
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Posted by Brian Kaiserauer at 11:42 AM
I see blue
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Posted by Leon at 11:48 AM
Me and Mark are an hour out. Maybe 45min… 12 :30 Parma?
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Posted by Neal Michaelis at 12:24 PM
Ok. Running a little late.. 12:40
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Posted by Cracka at 2:44 PM
About to launch the rock. Peeps up everywhere!
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Posted by Brian Kaiserauer at 2:55 PM
Landed Montecito. Leon got the task. I was close but had a speed bar malfunction. ☹️ lots of lift and wind.
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Posted by Mark Fisher at 3:41 PM
Leon and I Landed at Padero!!! nearly a two hr Flight, furthest east I’ve ever flown. Super sweet!!!
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Posted by Leon at 3:46 PM
Aaaaaaaaaaaaagggghhhhhhh that was amazing!!!! First time "throwing in the towel" and it was aaaaaamaazzzzzing!!! Lift to 4k cloud base everywhere! Flew the task, then continued on down range till I got too cold and ran to Padero. SE and SW periods about 10mph around 3-4k. Nice and light S on the beach.
2017_11-02a_leon_roullard_polo_ridge_glide_padero .jpg
Leon Roullard in front of Polo Ridge on glide for landing at Padaro
2017_11-02b_mark_fisher_landing_at_padero_by_leon .jpg
Mark Fisher landing at Padaro Beach / photo by Leon
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