Committing Aviation 2/18

[Leeside]

Winds L&V through 6000 and temp @ 6000 -02. Anyone else gonna make it?

[glenny]

when and where is does our itenerary begin

glenny

[BobA]

feels like I'm coming down with a soar throat - cough, cough

[flyindiver]

does it look like a break in the weather tomorrow? would be nice to get up in the air....

[glenny]

i hear you bob... must be going around... my fingers are already getting cold just thinking about it... if sat was any indicator... it looked better as far as cloud base earlier... eyes to the sky


glenny

[BobA]

Just for comparison sake, the NAM model is showing dryer conditions than last Saturday for tomorrow...not that I'm going flying of course...

[andy]

I'm in

[Tony de Groot]

You know the sacraficial lamb you need to have it all come togethor. I'll be that person today. Went to the dentist. Everyone told me, it's painless, no big deal don't be a wuss. So as I'm leaving I notice the left side of my face swollen up like I have a golf ball in my cheak. Doc says to contact him tomorrow if it's still there, uhhh, o.k. Well, it's still swollen. I KNEW there would be pain. Now I have to go back in AGAIN!!
Have a GREAT day...... Tony

[zippy]

I wanna run down the range; I haven't done it yet. Anyone else? Drivers? I'm loaded up, and can be at launch in 5 min.

Let's go!

Zippy

[kris thomsen]

Hi I am the rumored visiting pilot, staying at friends on Mission Ridge Rd. Could my driver and I tag along? Learn your site and drive with an eye to tomorrow being even better. Kris and Nicole 602 809 1668

[Bo Criss]

Well it was a good day to commit aviation! Caught a ride up to Alternator with Rob and his Eaglets, it was cold just sitting inside the van. At launch light cycles with a touch of east greeted us. Chris Paul took off first, and immediately climbed over the back spine. I followed, topped out near the cloud, and headed east. Definitely felt a touch of the east, but the air was buoyant and LaCumbre was working as I arrived. Again touching cloud, I pushed on, and the R&R didn't disappoint. On to the Thermal Factory, where it was slower to connect, so I pushed out towards Parkers. Getting a good glide, but no lift, I pushed on to Shadow Peak. It was working of course, so on to Montecito Peak. Here's where I noticed the dreaded east push and was thinking I'd turn back as soon as I got up. But after really getting up I decided to push on. Having the altitude to survive the glide across to Romero spine was a lifesaver, as I was getting drilled by the east now. Committed, I pushed on and got high on Romero Peak. Good enough, didn't think I'd press my luck. I think I could have gone further east, but one low spot and the east wind could make for a stressful flight, so I turned back. Not necessarily a give me on the way back, but all the points were working if you were willing to push on. I must admit I enjoyed getting back to the R&R where everything was well blocked and the air was much more pleasant. Cathedral worked well, then West Bowl, and I found myself at No Name wanting just a bit more. I pushed in deep along the back spine and as I made my way to the VOR spine, it gave me what I needed. I decided to top it out and head for the T. It was almost a convergence as I headed south gaining as I left the mountains. Then a very slow descent to the T, with occasional great thermals slowing my progress down to the LZ. The sky just didn't want to let go! Down and back in 2 hours, and then off to work. Everyday should be that good!

[Chris G]

Stoked to hear Chris Paul is back in the game!

[zippy]

Days like this confirm my move here.

So after tandems on the last good day, I got out my blade wing and had a little free fly. After watching two PGers take off one after another and climb out tip to tip like they were doing arial ballet (very cool to watch), I was the 1st HG off Eliminator. A quick climb and I was over tothe Thermal Factory and up to base (like I stopped there). I saw JR take off so I continued east figuring his local knowledge would catch him up, but he hit an in between cycle and had to work for his first climb. I guess maybe that was Bo who headed back west as I climbed up at Romero (good to fly with you), the last person I'd see for quite a while. Running near base, I cruised to the power lines (below the top), when I got a feeling for the gap to Ojai Tony had told me about. Not thinking about what would happen if the wind stopped, I pressed on. I got to 5900 at White Ledge and headed for Nordoff ridge behind Ojai. I hmmed and ha'ed for a while until I finally decided to head back and save the tough retrieve for a better day with some push. Just before White Ledge on the way back I saw JR thermaling below me (he landed at Ojai HS).
Coming back was easier; with slight tail wind and heading towards lower ground. Got to fly with a couple Redtails, and have never before felt like my performance was almost matching theirs (glide, not climb). Went back to Elim to see if my car was still on top, of course it was, so I buzzed the car spectating. I considered a top landing at the lower launch, but the bushes were shaking - not the right conditions for a first attempt. Didn't see anyone at Parma on the way by, so I continued to East Beach. Thanks to Janice for picking up JR, and to JR for getting me in her car.

Great to see so many people out on a wednesday! Hopefully tomorrow will be better and we'll go FAR!

Sky out!
Zippy
3hrs 46min, 50+miles (Out & Return)

[NMERider]

removed by author

[Kabir]

I launched 2nd to last from alternator and boated around taking pictures for a while.
Then decided to go see what no name felt like.
But went back to W bowl unsure of the that I wanted to push farther.

Then Saw Bo coming back from Montecito and beyond and taking a stab at the VOR.
He made it look easy so I went to try my luck and try to tag the windmill for a change.
I have to admit that flying over my casa was a good incentive as well!

I radiod SA for his opinion about going towards Santa Ynez and he thought it was a good play.
so I kept going

I got drilled short of the VOR almost to road level but trusting that since I was flying under a big cloud, there had to be lift somewhere, I hung in there until i found it.
Then It was nice climbing to CB where it kept teasing me onwards towards home.

Before I knew it I was over the windmill calling home
I wondered what lay beyond so I kept going "just a bit further" towards a place that i always see the hawks soaring over east camino
Up untill now I thought that i could always top land at the ranch.
But when I saw that I was a bit lower than I thought over the 154 i realized that there was no turnig back

I had to make a quick desicion of pushing out towards west camino and the burned area or to glide over towards Sta Ynez.

My glide was not too good and I figured that to just get on glide after coming this far seemed kinda... lame. I decided to go try my luck over west camino hoping to go see what that side of the world looked like.

Ever since Bo managed to fly to the SY airport area I've always wanted to take a stab at such a flight.

By now the day was loosing the clouds so i found myself pretty low over the windamere ranch.

I thought I was going to have to land there and was already trying to come up with explanations to the people there (I've heard that they really like their privacy...)
But right then SA encouraged me to keep trying and right then I caught a thermal that got me back in the game.

I kept pushing west but it was getting harder and harder as the day was loosing its power and the clouds where relatively low compared to the side of the shallow range.

Again found myself really low thinking that this was it, But remembering that it aint over until you actually touch the ground, I kept hoping.

I took the time to admire the terrain.
It is mesmerizing to see the damage from the Gap fire.
Some folks got REALLY lucky in not loosing their homes.
You can still smell the burn.

Then I realized that if I was to stay up i had to really focus on super efficient flying and thermalling as the conditions got harder and harder.

I made it over to the devil's playground, and boated there sniffing for bug farts for a while, then kept pushing back and forth. Sometimes re-trasing my steps to places that I knew had some love.
Back and forth, back and forth.
Low and never high enough

It was hard to find thermals and harder to stay with them.
And there was not much margin as the ground and the clouds where not far apart.
The shallow slope made it even funer too

I made it almost to the lizards mouth
It was there that i realized that trying to keep going was going to be even harder and I thought my chances where too slim of me connecting with anything after that.

So i backtracked as best i could. Almost had to put it down over some knob there but made it out and spied a hawk that showed me where to get back up.
By now I was over the power lines and since i did not want to just put it down in a nice big field next to a road i decided to push back to the T

Made it almost to the bottom of old Sn MArcos where I had less inviting options.
But in the end managed to put it down (barely) on a smallish field at the end of Paterson.
Isn't t funny how all of a sudden you get a headwind and sink and the ravine turns out to be a creek and there is lots of sink just before the small field where you want to put it down?

At least the power lines where on the side and not across it

I was super stoked to get to fly over this side of the range.

What about tomorrow?

Some pics:
http://namdev.net/kabir/index.html/Go%20west/