Bates Sunday

[Southside]

Nice day at Bates yesterday -- and I had the place all to myself.

http://socalxc.blogspot.com/2011/05/bat ... ntura.html

John

[John Hesch]

Nice flight John-like to do that one with you some day. Sunday was definitely the day here, and I almost ditched on obligations to take advantage of it, but finally came to my senses and chose to fly another day. Sounded like Tony was taking the driving chores.

[dteal]

John,
I would have loved to fly Bates with you - I've ridged soared the cliff numerous times but never made it high enough to head down the coast. I can be at Bates in 30 min (if traffic cooperates). Give me a holler next time you're thinking about it. 805-795-7979
Dave Teal

[Southside]

I can't be there, but you might get a chance tomorrow. Although, it looks like it has a tad more north than what they were calling for for last Sunday. The velocity is a little stronger too.

[dteal]

I couldn't make it either. I normally don't fly during the week, unless it's calling for bonkers-off-the-charts altitude or if Fast Eddy says there's a cloud street forming in the back range and he'll talk me into the Antelope Valley from Pine.

I enjoyed the video - it gave me a better feel for how to fly the route. I knew every spot like the back of my hand since I spent 2 years driving to Santa Barbara from Moorpark every weekend when I was learning to fly.

I'm curious about where you landed - is that a well known field or did you pick it from the air? Why not land at Ventura harbor? Wind too strong to make it from the Avenue?

DT

[BobA]

Great flight - Bates to Ventura. Good to see some video of it. It is one of the most scenic flights you can take around here, and if you haven't done it, you should. It is high wind though, so the first few times you do it, do not try to ridge soar the Avenue. Instead tank up at Taylor Ranch (the last ridge before the flat plain leading up the Hwy 33), then go on final glide to the south side of Ventura Harbor, over the point at C-St, over the ocean beyond the pier, aiming at the Harbor. The tail wind will carry you there. In high winds, when you fly inland from Taylor, everything on the ground is an upwind obstacle, especially in urban environments. My first flight from Bates to Ventura followed the route SouthSide shows, only I piled into the side of Ventura High School's front autorium, earning the name Cougie as the wall I hit was painted with a mural of the mascot Cougar. I demolished a glider, got a black eye, facial cuts, and a badly sprained ankle. It is dangerous to fly OTB in strong wind conditions, so stay out front over the beach, land on the beach where no unwind obstacles exist, and land in laminar airflow.

[Southside]

How can you make it to the Interstate flying out to the beach? :-) It's hard to argue with what Bob has to say about going out over the Oxnard Plain vs landing on the beach. Having said that, the only times that I have flown out to the beach have been my first and the one time I couldn't get high enough at Taylor's Ranch to make the jump to The Avenue safely. My fantasy flight starts at the Eliminator, angles at to the coast, and ends at Sylmar after getting established on the Santa Susana Mountain going OTB from The Avenue. I made it to the Santa Susanas once, but didn't connect.

Getting back to going OTB from The Avenue. In the past I have left lower and have gotten out on the Oxnard Plain further (where you have a better pick of landing areas) than Sunday's flight. I think the difference is the wind direction. On Sunday the winds were more west than the other flights where there was some south component. The Avenue works better when it's west, but once over the back it's cross in the foothills -- read, turbulent and sinky. When there's a south component the winds in the foothills are more upslope and workable.

As I was beginning to leave The Avenue on Sunday I noticed a cloud forming just to the NW of my flight path; if I had to do it all over again, I would have aborted my run and angled over to see if I could have gotten up under it.

[Tony Deleo]

I agree with Cougie regarding the number of "hair" raising situations that "might" await you. Landing in small school yards or fields, surrounded with obstacles, in high winds is inviting disaster. I would not go over the back from The Avenue unless I was at least 3500+ agl.

[dteal]

Weatherunderground is calling for 13 MPH west wind on Saturday and 21 MPH west on Sunday for Carp - any HG's want to chase it?
DT

[Southside]

Might be worth a drive by, but it looks like there will be too much of a north component to work.