Plowshare on Monday....

[JimmyZ]

Well, a couple of us headed up to Plowshare this morning. John Fritche and I met with John Hesch. The day was looking great!

We made it up to launch and it was blowing in about 8 to 10. We quickly set up, and John Fritche launched. He found a thermal right away and was over launch in a few minutes. As John Hesch stepped up to the plate, everything died and it started lightly blowing over the back. He ended up launching in the last puff of air up the face. He had a very long runout, but launched successfully and went searching for lift. It wasn't easy....

I stepped up to the plate immediately after John and nothing else moved up the face and everything started blowing over the back. John Fritche was several grand over us enjoying the convergence, John Hesche was maintaining out front, and I aborted the launch and considered launching the back due to the steady 5+ mph breeze coming up the back.

After analyzing the overgrown back side, I found a spot that looked good enough for a safe launch. Here is where the story changes... I stepped up to the lip, waited for what I thought was a decent cycle, "cleared", and launched. As I was running down I guess I drifted slightly right and clipped my right wingtip on the top of a bush. I thought I could fly out of it but the loss of mementum caused me to not gain altitude and my right side wire to snag the top of another bush and that is what did me in. I spun around and landed facing the hill in some very hard oak but unhurt and a broken downtube. My first blown launch in 12 years!!! I guess it can happen to anyone in this sport.

I picked myself up and had some assistance from John's driver, who was awesome, in bringing my wing back up and headed back down the hill. Both John's landed safely at the main LZ.

The switch happened between 12 and 12:30 and John Fritche says the lift was buttery to 3 grand over launch. There was some nice development in the middle of the valley too that would have been nice to enjoy.

[dteal]

James,
Glad you didn't get hurt. I wish I could have gone with you guys, but I blew my weekend pass on a really low extended sled ride at Kagel on Sunday - rats!!! I've only been the Plowshares once and it switched before I could get set up - I then broke down. Some other time, maybe. We need to get out to Pine and try for the AV. Cu's all over the back range the last few days.
DT

[Skippy]

Dude... I was getting all envious about you flying Plowshare, but after I read the rest of your story, it reminded me of why I've never wanted to launch the back side... I'm glad you're ok, but what a scare, I'm sure. BTW, is the windtalker working out there these days?

[Tony de Groot]

Wait a minute. Several grand over in convergence and landing in the main lz. What happened to going down the valley??? Come on. Where's the love. I'd love to fly Plowshare again BTW....

[John Fritsche]

Sorry to disappoint you, Tony, but I rarely fly longer than an hour or two and rarely go XC anywhere. Call me a wimp. This time, I enjoyed an hour boating around high within a mile of launch, but was bummed watching Hesch very slowly sink-out and everyone else get totally skunked by the switch.
From what I hear, Plow is pretty good this time of year, until like late October? Any weekend anybody wants to go there, let me know. I dig it because it's only an hour from my house. I'm far from an expert at forecasting how good it's going to be there though.

[Tony de Groot]

Just teasing a bit. I love flying Plowshare because there are so many landing options around. You just need to learn where you can land, the BLM land, and where you should stay away from. John and Jeff can help you with that.

You really want to be early there. I have seen soooooooo many posts over the years of people spending the whole day out there and just missing it. If you are there and set up and ready to fly by 11:30 you can relax, have some sandwich, check the conditions, go over your initial goals for the day, and my favorite, watching the birds for clues as to what's going on.

Remember, the air is always flowing into the convergence, simple, don't fight it, follow it. Go downwind young man. If you are flying into the headwind you are flying away from the convergence. You fly a lower performing wing like I do. Try to get established on the other side of the range or in the valley as the mountain side you launch on turns away from the road leaving you a too long glide out and into a headwind to boot. The valley and other range work fine and it gets better the further along you go and you are left with a downwind or crosswind glide to the road or to the burger barn in the end, not a headwind.

There is so much adventure and damn fun flying out there. Go explore it, take baby steps, I'm sure you'll love it just like I do. And, land near a tree in the end, so much cooler to wait for your ride in the shade sipping some water that way. Tony dg