Saturday, August 23rd Dansville
Tough to decide, based on the forecast today, where to go. Another beautiful day so it would have to be somewhere. I thought Dansville had better potential than Italy Valley and having just been to Italy Valley yesterday... My plan was to launch at 2pm, and I think Mark launched exactly then. Marlin and I were set up, Doug had just arrived, and I waited in the slot forever while Mark was in painfully light climbs out of my line of sight. Nothing was blowing into launch for a good half hour, and I finally took the lightest of all cycles I would dare to take on this flat slope launch. I ran my ass off and maintained just to the west of launch. I didn't want to have any chance of having to land in the apartment LZ so I kept heading west towards the spa. Mark and a few sailplanes were over there and pretty high, I got some decent lift and hung tight with it. I had some breathing room at 300 meters over and saw there were actually a lot of sailplanes around. I got up high and just started to play with them. Thermalling with 3 at a time, and another hang glider- jeez too bad the PG didn't join us!! It was great when I started actually climbing right up through them, (ha! repeatedly!) and I think I may have gotten the altitude of the day with 1130 meters over launch. (3700') Launch is at 1450' msl.. what say the sailplane guys? Later Riz got a bit crotchety with me at the airport... because he was one of the guys upon whose canopy I was looking... There was lift everywhere, it was pretty easy to stay high. The climbs were very nice and smooth. Mark landed at the airport and I took a big swing around the whole ridge and valley and then went to land there as well. Doug was already on his way down there with my car. Again I LANDED WITHOUT WHACKING! ON MY FEET... On my old glider. hmmm...And I got to give the sailplane guys a little crap for good measure. It was sooooo much fun flying with them today!
Great day, great flight.
Airtime: 1:37
Alt2: 1130 meters