sunday

[diablo]

Fast Eddie and I will be passing thru Parma at 8:45 if anyone needs a boost.

[oj]

Got as far as Parma before I figured out the wind was going to be a bigger issue than I thought. Reports from Debbie and the crew at launch were not favorable so Bob, Ron, and I headed for Bates. Was blowing in at Bates in the high teens so Bob and Ron headed for home. Randall was there too so we decided to take a look at the Avenue in Ventura before calling it a day.

The initial wind check looked pretty good, blowing in about 12, so we took a car to the school down below and heading for the top. By the time we got to launch and set up it had picked up to the mid-teens with a few stronger gusts but it still seemed flyable.

Randall was gracious (smart) enough to allow me to go first. Took a few attempts to get off the ground since I'm not keen on flying in windy conditions. Once airborne, it was straight up. I was expecting a nice laminar airflow and ridge soaring conditions but it was as active as a big day in the mountains. The glider was unstable in pitch and the controls were mushy to the point that I was searching the lines and wing for a problem. Was 800 over in no time and still going up with little to no penetration so I started side slipping towards Ojai looking for some better conditions. My radio wasn't working for some reason, otherwise I would have heard Randall reporting it was gusting to 25 at launch and he was driving down.

Finally found some sinky air about a half mile North of launch and cored it down to the LZ. Not a great flight but it was interesting.

Vario log: 800 fpm up, 760 dn. 870 over launch, 30 minutes.

[andy]

I went to Bates after the Skyport abandonment. It was 14-18 with gusts to 22. I launched in one of the lulls and surfed the corner of the upper lot for a while then over to the knob for a bit. Terry T. launched his HG and was getting up at the knob when I decided to land. It was pretty unremarkable until I touched the ground then it was like I was a kernal of corn in hot oil. Finally spun the wing and got it on the ground. Good for some Sunday Adrenaline charge. As I packed up Hammer, Bob A. and the HG's were flying over from Skyport on their way to parts further South. Lets hope for NO wind manana!

Andy

[Hammer]

I had been out of town all week but was not surprised to get the 6:45am wake up call from Diablo. After coffee and toast I was out the door to Parma by 8:45am where Tony along with Southside, Big A, and Fast Eddie picked me up. At launch the cycles were down but we were optimistic about the day. Eventually there were some positive indicators so we began the setup ritual. Then came the BIG down cycles. Nothing much to do but kick rocks and discuss philosophy…cut our loses and head for Bates now or wait at the Eliminator with the possibility of being aced out at both launches. Tony ended up being the deciding factor since his penalty for set up/ break down is sever. Finally the window opened just a crack but all who wanted to fly were able to launch. The air was very active with cores sharp and moving fast. The thought of landing at Parma in the reported 15mph plus wind kept me very focused on getting up! After some floundering I was able to climb out in a core that was moving hard out of the northwest. Topped at 4200 and was thrown on course. Tony was already on his way to Montecito Peak and much deeper in the mountains than the line I took. Unfortunately Tony’s line took him through massive sink that put him on the deck at the practice polo field. I was able to snag another core near secret bowl that while boosting me to 4800 had me concerned since I had little control over the glider during the short but intense climb. After escaping what I thought was a monster I knew I was going to take the coastal route but thought I needed one more thermal to get me to La Concheta. At Romero Canyon I had my last Mountain thermal of the day which took me on a wild ride to 5200ft. and spanked me sharply on the way out. Arriving at the gas plant with room to spare I had time to catch my breath while I waited for Southside and Little John. It turns out that my fear of not enough altitude to make the coast was unfounded since Little John left from the Factory at 5200ft and made the gas plant with no problems. From this point on the flight was just creamy along the coast. Terry Taggert joined us after launching from Bates. Terry, Little John, and myself opted for the cruse to the easy landing at Ventura Harbor while Southside made a play for the avenue. Big A wasn’t able to connect in the mountains but with his second effort of the day at Bates was successful in making it to Ventura. The ride from Bates to Ventura is one of my favorite flights but doing it with the connection from the Eliminator makes it very special. The season is young and there may be another chance for this flight. I hope all of those who didn’t make it this time will be there for the next time.

[Southside]

My flight path basically followed Hammer's, although I didn't know it at the time. Got up to 4k in front of the Factory. As I was climbing out I heard Tony say that he was flushing off of Montecito Peak. I've been in that spot before on NW days, sitting there all nice and happy and the next thing I know I'm skimming the roof tops over town, and I didn't want any part of it again. So when Tony came back on the radio to say that he was working something over the golf course in Summerland I decided to take my altitude and head in his direction. On more than one occasion in the same conditions I've gotten up (NW/W convergence?) at the same spot so it seemed like it was just the right thing to do. But then Hammer came over the radio to say that he was getting up at Montecito Peak and heading over to East Ramero. Hearing that I decided to angle back to the mountains. As I got to just east of Montecito Hammer transmitted that he was climbing through 5k above the road cut. At that point I was still out over town and didn't have the altitude to make it there and was thinking to myself that I made a big mistake. But out in front of East Ramero I found something that got me high enough to make a play for the road cut, just as Robert came back over the radio to say that he was working something between Castle Point and Polo Ridge. Hearing that I stayed out front working the convergence and then angled out to Bates. (As it turned out Hammer stayed out front too).

Down at Taylor's Ranch I couldn't convince those guys to make the jump to the Avenue so I went out on my own. Got there at about 1600 ft. and left for the Oxnard Plain at just over 2k. A couple of low leaners got me out to Kimball (sp?) rd and 126 (just under 32 miles from launch).

John