Linda Salamone's Blog

Wednesday, April 30, 2008




I have been refelecting for a few days about the Santa Cruz Flats Race and wanted to add a few things that I missed while blogging during the meet. Plus I wanted to put up this ridiculous picture of Lauren...

First of all, the generosity of the people, local pilots and staff at the hotel, was a really wonderful surprise. They bought T-shirts like crazy and treated us all like they were glad we were there. There were nights when the wait staff was seriously over worked, but they did the best they could and let us pitch in without getting upset. I had a waitress every morning who saw to it that my coffee cup was never empty or even luke warm and she made sure I had an outlet for my computer right away. Like I said, they treated us all like they were glad we were there- that is absent so often in many service-oriented businesses these days.
Internet access was expensive, however, and next year the hotel promises to have a different arrangement. They are also willing to work with the tow field- maybe grow grass or find another solution to the dust we were pulling through. I wonder how I would have gotten along without a visor on my helmet, or if I had been wearing contacts like last year??? Even though I heard and read a lot about the dust, I don't think it was a deterrant at all, just something different than what us east coast pilots are used to. I was so very glad to have my sail swapped out at the end of the meet, instead of the practice day, however. I would have stressed out about the wear and tear, and had a hell of a time folding a stiff new wing up out in the desert somewhere. The dirt and UV in Arizona are pretty harsh, no doubt.

I liked the way the days went- up before dawn (on east coast time) and the sun comes up EARLY there- coffee and blogging/internet at 6:30- set up and run glider out to field at 8:30-breakfast and pilot's meeting at 10:00- chill and snack at the pool til 11:30- get gear on and get towed at 12:30 or so- fly til 5pm.... I could get used to that!

The flying was pretty good, not as high consistantly as last year, but still good. I was getting from 4400' to 9000' agl, more of the 4400' days though. My tows and landings were all very good. My retrieves, with the exception of one late night, were great. Mike McFadden was awesome and capable and very helpful.

Okay so for my mental attitude... I had a great start. I was dialed in and even dealing with a horrible turn in the glider, I still stayed in the front of the pack as far as scores. The 4th day was a turning point for the worse. I was racing along and even though I had thought the day would be shitty, it was getting booming good. So I cranked it up and pulled the string a lot. And so suddenly my flight was over after a very long glide straight to the ground. I dug deep to find a reason, a lesson, something to take home with me, and I could find none. There were no second chances on this flight- I was at 8K then I was on the ground. Bad line? There didn't seem to be a good one since Mark sampled an adjacent line and found nothing as well. But then Lauren had better luck way far to the west, which later led me to believe that the terrain near Picacho Peak was a sink hole. But two days before it was completely the opposite in a similar wind direction... hmmm. More than a day later I decided that it was timing, bad timing. The earth was breathing in instead of exhaling at that time.....Best glide would have been a better choice than balls-to-the-wall, and I needed to be more cautious even though racing had been working for me. Different day, different strategy...

The next day was called due to high wind (and lack of pilot motivation, I think). I was raring to go, but even though they may have been able to launch us safely, landing in the high winds, like the day before, out in the middle of God-knows-where, is always an issue. So a better forecast was in store for Friday, but after towing up, I saw 25mph (and heard 22mph from Chris) on my vario. The relight took a lot out of me and I really blew it that day. Again, I raced when I should have slowed up and thought things through a little better. I did have an opportunity to excercise my tenacity that day, with a long struggle from 300-800' off the ground... I still have it in me!!!

So the last day, the BBQ task downwind... well I finally slowed up and played it cautious! On the WRONG DAY! I knew it was good, and I was getting high and the thermals were regular and close together. The problem was that we would be passing right by Picacho Peak again... I was going to get past that place without getting my ass handed to me or winding up in the dirt this time! Consequently I was like 34th into goal..... ah well, at least I made it. I do regret not just sticking original plan (before the meet even started) of just going balls to the wall no matter what.

So... what will I do different next meet? Well for one, I will fly with a team. No more of this "on my own" thing. I will find a few people who fly like I wish I could, and get on the same frequency as them, and team fly. This will be something pretty new and different for me. I did experience it some at the Women's Worlds, and it was very helpful. I have a reliable radio, with a good 'shut the f*ck up' switch and I always wire it up, so why not make use of it?

Also, I will do more to see what the forecast is for myself. I know Davis is good at weather, but so am I and I need to be a little more pro-active for myself there. Top of lift and wind direction/speed... very important when planning the flight. And important for just taking ownership of the task, in a way. During this meet I just launched and followed the arrow and wind sock indicator. I will look at Google Earth and other maps for terrain too.

Follow the good pilots. Stay with them in the start circle, go when they go. Improve my glide, clean up drag on my harness and glider, get my head down, pull the string as much as I can without losing control of the glider, get my elbows in, go fast, don't stop for crap unless its all there is.

Stay positive, start each day anew, don't let other people erode your confidence, psych you out, or sap your energy. Rest, eat healthy. What am I forgetting?

Anyhow, it was so good to see all of my friends again, and better still to know that I will see them all again in a few short weeks. It had been 10 months since my last comp and I am glad for the frequency and spacing of these two. I'll be posting pics of my new wing once I get it back but here is one for now...

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Day 6 Task 5 Santa Cruz Flats Race

Corey towed me to a strong themal after a really long wait on the ground, relights and reflights kept the line from moving AT ALL. Finally in the air, I saw 25mph on my windspeed indicator and knew the day would be tougher than we thought. The first leg of our figure 8 task was into the wind, and the wind was a big issue now. I got low on the other side of the golf course, and desperate for a climb, I worked down to 600' and couldn't get back up before being blown out of range. I was swearing and spitting and praying. I thought I was toast and I did a stupid low glide just over the tops of the trees in the golf course to go relight. I was trying to figure out what green was wide enough to land on, but the trees were so tall... I slipped in barely touching the edge of the trees to get back in to re-tow.. . I was exhausted all ready after my half hour flight and Jim Prahl towed me back up high nearer to courseline. I yo-yo'ed for a while, and ever time I thought I had made some progress in a climb, I would see the resort right there behind me. There seemed now to be no getting away from it. I cought up with who I thought was Mark but since his radio wasn't working again, I wasn't sure. There are a lot of red white and blue T2s. After flying with this one for a while I decided to leave since I was trying to go fast and he was only turning left. I saw a gaggle ahead but they left when I got to the airport they were over, and I got no climb. At 500', I saw a dusty and by the time I got to it, I realized it was taller than I was high... I grabbed hold of it and saw my vario- 278' agl... climbing... I had 700', 850', then 900'.. then no lift. This thing was drifting and broken and I chased it across 3 fields at 400' now... turning, turning, turning... finally landing. I was only 7 miles away from the resort after 90 minutes of struggling!!! Mark Dowsett and Bruce Busby witnessed this excercise in futility (well, they recognized it as futile long before I did!). My mantra was, "flight ain't over until my feet are actually ON the ground" again. Mike retrieved me really fast and I was all showered and clean by the time Mark called after landing. What a frustrating flying day for me. I knew I had to make a big mental shift to stay positive about my performance here this year. I had made a change in my usual flying style and was leaving crap sooner and pulling in the bar more than I was used to. But it was paying off only some of the time. The real lesson to learn will be when to fly like a bat out of hell, and when to go into turtle mode.
Flight time: (2), 30 minutes and 1:30
Alt2: 4000?
XC miles: 7.3

Day 7 Task 6 Santa Cruz Flats Race


BBQ task- downwind 49 miles. There was a death gaggle at the start, no one seemed to be climbing at all (they weren't) but after the long long line I waited in the day before, I wanted to be up in the air. I got a great tow behind Corey in the trike ( I don't know why some people have such a hard time behind trikes- it must be a psychological thing) and he dumped me on top of the gaggle. These guys were barely climbing and so close together. I tried to spread out and find a little pop here and there, but when I did, it would get so crowded. One guy even reversed his turns, forcing me out and then I had to follow suit til I caught back up to the rest of the gaggle. Time to go and leave this mess. We started getting a little higher and then it got pretty good. I glided past the first mountain to the SE and had Greg Dinauer along with me, then a few of us got stupid low and had to hang onto a dusty until we got back up. Then the stragglers caught up and we all got high. The rest of the race was easy, big strong coherent lift to over 6000'. I was determined today to play it safe- the last two days I pushed, I dirted early. So after flying with a big gaggle of vultures and Sonny Veneski, I got to goal with over 1000' and it was blowing pretty good there. Lots of gliders on the ground, I was 33rd in!!! Ah well, at least everyone was smiling, and Jonny and Kraig ran over and grabbed my glider and began taking the sail off... I will post pics later of the new one. It is very sweet but today I won't be flying it today. It was blown out since 7am...

This is Campbell Bowen supervising the sail swap...

Friday, April 25, 2008

Santa Cruz Flats Race Day 5 Cancelled
The wind was forecast for less than Day 4, it was blowing less than day 4... but the day got called due to high wind, low ceiling. Campbell Bowen reported some big alt gains later as the rigids completed a task. Oh well...
So we went to the Casa Grande Ruins, which are not really in Casa Grande, but around 20 miles away. We saw all the places on the ground that we see from the air on task- the highlights of which include dirt mounds, prisons, and feed lots. I gave Mark my camera so at least some of the vacation pics would be a surprise to me.. He decided to take a picture that would end any of the controversy over a suspicious picture posted on the internet a while back... but for some reason right now I cant upload pictures... More later...
Today will be an awesome day to fly: light wind, high 'base'....

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Santa Cruz Flats Race Day 4 Task 4
Windy windy windy! But great lift, so if you could get towed into or near something, you could get up, and get up high. And we did, in 1000fpm lift, to over 12K (for some, not me). I was racing hard, sitting pretty way up wind of course line, getting over 8K, and thinking, "this is gonna be easy"... Lauren was nearby and she was staying upwind too, Mark was right on courseline, and PK was pretty far up ahead (he launched well before we did). When the first TP was 10 miles almost directly down wind, I went on a glide over Picacho and refused to stop for some of the 200fpm stuff I hit along the way until I got to 4K. Then I started hunting and found NOTHING!!! Down to 2K, nothing... then I see a small gaggle on the TP and I don't know if I can make it. I tuck in and try to get small and I am totally focused on them. Then I look down, and I see have around 200ft of altitude!! I am over a nice field and I get a pop so I start turning. I get two 360's in and next thing I know I am on the ground- fully zipped in and still trying to get up!!!! It was HOWLING in this field, and it took me a very long time to secure my glider (carry it backwards 200 yards behind a trailer) and go back to get my stuff that was blown all over the place. Mark went overhead low, and landed in the next field. What I would like to know is WHERE DID ALL THAT LIFT GO???? Mark took a completely different path, that ended up at my same point, but his 10-15 mile glide from 9K found him no lift either. Lauren took a path more westerly than mine, and stopped for some weak lift, so she squeezed out some extra miles. When Mike picked us up, we went to goal to get the others and went through Saguaro National park. Very cool cacti. Lots of different kinds... jeez, I wish I had a picture to post...
Airtime: 1:58
Alt2: 8000?
XC miles: 32

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Day 3 Task 3 Santa Cruz Flats Race
I'm getting tired and whiny but I will arrange to rectify that in a little bit with a swim and some introspection.... Yesterday the forecast was for an even better day, but again, it didn't live up to expectation. I got dropped off the trike (not Laura's) at 1200' way too far away from the field to make it back, and not in any measurable lift. I guess since I was under a huge gaggle, the assumption was that I would get up.... well after a little glide, I did find enough to sustain flight. But I couldn't get very high. Frustrated, I left the safety of the hotel with 3000'. Big mistake!!! I grovelled over Casa Grande with 700' to spare, cursing, until I got a beep and it turned into something fairly decent. I never got very high all the way across town, but then a few of us busted through the inversion near the mountains to the north and got high and stayed high til the first TP. I even got a nice climb just before it that drifted me into the "happy sound". After that, it wasn't so good. The huge swamp on courseline was a big barrier, and the smart guys went to the left, I went right. I saw lots of gliders on the ground, and soon after I climbed out of a hole with like 50 vultures, I watched Mark land. I made my way past the prison, between 2 and 3000 feet, and then just went on a slow steady glide to land 4 miles short of the second TP. I knew it wasn't all that great for the day, but it was what it was and some really nice train conductor who sat in his train and watched me land came over and brought me water. I got back to the hotel when it was still light out so that was good, but I got a chance to see all the pilots who made it further on course and then to goal. I wondered if I lost my priority staging... 10th place was nice while it lasted!!!
My sister had a great story about how she took the power out at the whole resort by running the tow line of the trike across the power lines. Then she heard that the whole town of Casa Grande was in the dark.... but it turned out that coincidentally the middle school had an unrelated power failure... Pretty funny.
Now for that swim and meditation.
Airtime: 3:45
ALT2: 5600'
XC miles: I dont know

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Task 2 Day 2 Santa Cruz Flats Race
So I think I still have no score at all, but that should be rectified. The task turned out to be an over-call, but fun flying nonetheless. The tow was one of the roughest I have ever endured, and immediately off tow I regretted not having tuned out that slight left turn that was now a HARD left turn in my glider. Left was the direction of the start circle turns, and I just couldn't stay in the crazy-ass lift with weird feedback from my glider. I left and found a piece of lift that I could turn right in (= no other gliders) but as soon as it became a good climb, I'd have friends that wanted to turn left..... This pattern was repeated thoughout my flight... ah well...
So the beginning of the flight found me west of Casa Grande at the start, and I got into a thermal that smelled like food. Before I had launched I realized my stomach was grumbling (forgot to eat lunch), and so I thought this thermal might be a manifestationm of my hunger. At the west side of Casa Grande, I got into a "feed lot" thermal, and that took care of any appetite I might have. This time Rob Clarkson joined me, and instead of trying to kill me like he was near the start, he got into the climb with me and went to the moon. It was a screamer of a climb and he just put so much separation between us I was amazed. Every time I reported about him last year, it was always followed by, "he was really really low". Well now, as he punched through the inversion, I struggled to stay in the climb. The first TP was easy enough, and then it got really bad heading south. Grovelling at 1000', I stayed there for more than an hour, between 1 and 2k. The left hand turners were all with me..... oh boy! I felt like a bowling ball blasting through a set of pins!!!! I'm sure none of them appreciated my scary thermalling, especially down low... One by one they either left or landed and I continued my slow drift towards Rte 10 and the big pass between the mountains (Picachu and something else). No where to land for a little while, all desert scrub, so I hung on to whatever I could find, and then it got really really good. All the way through the pass I had the best climbs of the day. 600fpm to 900fpm solid. Mark was just behind and just getting to the good part, and at one point, I had 3 vultures climbing all around me, the sun was shining on the west face of these majestic jutting rocks, as I climbed up through the pass. It was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen and I was so thankful that I had hung on through the shit to get to this point. Really, I thought, who ever gets to have these moments? We are so blessed. I didn't have too long to revel in the beauty because I very suddenly got my ass handed to me in a thousand different ways. The turbulence made me conscious of where my 'chute handle was and I reported back to Mark once I was sure I was through it, that I would rather eat my own feces than have to go through that pass on the way to the 3rd TP...
So after tagging the second TP, I chose to go left around Picachu, and saw that I had an 18mph reading on my wind indicator. I pushed up wind as long as I could, over totally unlandable (or just unreachable) area and finally gave up the ghost just at the edge of a somewhat clear piece of desert. I saw a couple of gliders had landed just ahead and saw too that they already had a vehicle to retrieve. It took me some time to pack up and walk to the nearest farm. The mosquitoes ( in Arizona???) were ferocious; they made the Quest mosquitoes look like amatuers...
Anyhow, I was retrieved after dark, like 3 hours later... I was sooooo hungry... but I found out that no one made goal, or even the 3rd TP... so once I find Jamie and get pinned in, I think I will be in a good position. I have to go now, find Kraig or Jonny, and get that turn tuned out. The forecast is : sunny....
Airtime: 4:18
Alt2: ? 5K maybe???
XC miles: I dont know yet...

Monday, April 21, 2008

Day 1 Task 1 Santa Cruz Flats
The task was changed while we were staging, the wind was fortunately not going to be as strong as earlier predicted so a triangle task was called. Everyone was pretty happy about that since we bragged about goal at the pool from last year... I had a nice tow behind Jim, although I got high on him right at the start- he came up fast to keep me on. I left the start circle alone, everyone seemed to be hanging out in mediocre lift and I made a promise to myself to NOT do that. I glided toward Casa Grande and fought my way over the city mostly on my own. I saw a gaggle ahead, and tried to catch up. Halfway to the first TP, I went on a glide and got low. At 2000' the lift was not good and I got nervous. Down to 1500' and I spot a big dust devil and head towards it. I knew I was going to get rocked, but the alternative to wrestling it was landing in it's wake- an option I did NOT want to exercise. At one point I thought for sure I would lose control of the glider, but the incredible strong lift got me up and out of danger of landing and suddenly I had TONS of friends. We headed towrds the first TP and Mark caught up with me just after. We tagged the 2nd TP and headed towards goal. We got separated in one climb and I went on. The big mountain in the path of goal was my last climb and I knew it wouldn't be enough. Mark was landing a little ways back and I tried to milk every last bit to make the last 5 miles from 2K. I stopped to turn in one piece that turned out to be a mistake, and landed with PK 4 miles short. Well, what did I learn? First, that my glider has a left turn. Second that I made some really good decisions about when to leave lift and get moving, but I really need to push even harder since again, I ran out of day and let people who started behind me catch up. So, today's weather looks great, so I will tune the turn out of my glider and fly faster! Pictures later...

Friday, April 18, 2008

Heading To Arizona Today

But first, a short flight on Wednesday at Dansville... April 16th

Karl was in the LZ when I got there, Bob and Bob and Scott up on launch. I brought Karl up and I thought conditions looked good but they were reportedly weak. Mark showed up and then people started launching. No one got much more than 8 minutes or so, Bob and Scott and Mark all landed to the west by the sailport. I got in the slot during a strong cycle, but when I turned around, it got deader than it had been all day. For a loooooong time... I potato'ed forever... finally I picked a decent cycle and even though the launch started out funky, that Saturn sure is easy to get off the ground. I immediately thought I had lucked out. The lift was strong and smooth, and right out in front... and suddenly it wasn't. Then I moved west and it was there, so strong and smooth and big... and then it wasn't. This pattern repeated itself as I waffled my way down the ridge to the west over and over again. The lift would just be so SOLID for a turn, maybe two, then just magically disappear and replace itself with heart stopping sink (I was right at the shallow ridge). When I went out to land, I got into what I believed again to be IT, only to be grovelling for distance so I wouldn't have to carry so far. Very strange air. When I did land, I expected to have a nice roundout but that was totally absent and I wound up plummeting 10 feet instead. I pulled in against NOTHING, and thought I was going to be a lawn dart. At the last possible second (my thighs had already contacted the ground) I flared and actually got my feet underneath me in a strange, strong rotation upward. Whatever!!!!

Okay so I think I got flight of the day with 11 minutes... well the HG 'FOD" since Karl may have scratched for 12 minutes after I packed up. Well I for sure know I won the women's division for the day...

High pressure sucks!

I will make no comment here about the chickens, but I will put this picture up of my son's road rash as it heals 3 days after he laid his minibike down in the driveway. Not flying related... but a picture, anyhow. Oh yeah, and the really big cockroach I saw when I was leaving work to take him to the doctor's...


Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Tuesday April 15th- Hammondsport, NY
I arrived to see a small group of pilots staring at a limp windsock at launch. I had already made the weather call and the decision to fly so I started to set up. And of course it begins to blow in some...
Then some freight trains blow through, and it is dead for a long time in between. Karl was kiting his PG just behind the slot and giving us a lot of information by doing so. I was first to get ready but reluctant to launch. Scott Wise got out there and promptly climbed up a few hundred feet. I launched behind him- a decent launch in the Saturn- but it sure seems like everything is in slow motion with that glider. I got right up, but the air was very textured, difficult to anticipate where and how it would be going up or down. I suddenly felt too close to the ridge and the glider suddenly felt like way too much glider. I stayed away from the mountain and tried to find something that I was comfortable with. I thought I might be on the deck really soon and resigned myself to landing. I just didn't like the air. Before I committed to go land, I took a look at my vario. It was indicating that the wind was NE, very NE, and then it started to make sense that it was rolling along the ridge and all busted up. I went way out in front, found a piece I could turn in, and then started coring it away from the ridge and to the SW. Well, that worked. Soon Scott came to join me and we climbed out. It was a really strong climb and it straightened out NW when I got 2K over. I hit 1100fpm a lot and as long as I stayed in the center, it was all good. At about 3K, I had hit the edges enough, and got twisted around enough, and at times it felt like all the air just went away under the glider, like I was stalled. The more uncomfortable I got with the air, the less fun I was having. I left it to Scott and flew way out into the valley, in search of something more manageable. I never found it! I want to believe that the 147 sq ft of sail is just too big for me, instead of think that I am just a chickenshit, but whichever is true, I made a decision to find my way to the ground. A BIG piece of ground. I selected the airstrip across Rte 54 and radioed my intentions to Bob who I saw was in the slot. I knew it was possibly just the combination of me and the glider and the air, but I also know from experience that once I am flying defensively and afraid, it is very difficult to turn it around into a good flight. Bottom line was that I wasn't having fun. I had a hard time getting down, there was ratty lift all over. But when I did core a piece of sink, it was smooth all the way down to a really decent landing. The wind was parallel to Rte 54, and when I turned to look at the ridge, I saw Bob launch and he was on the ground in just a few minutes. Karl and Chuck flew while I was getting a ride to the top (thanks, Dave) but their flights were very short and not very high. Scott was on top and reported a gain of around 6,000'. So that makes me think that either I really am a chickenshit, or I just really need my Litespeed!!!!! I will see it in just a few days in Arizona, and then life will be good again!!!
Airtime: 38 min
Alt2: 2900' OL
Xc miles: 0

Friday, April 11, 2008

No indecision....
I like having a boss that says, "Go on, get out of here and go fly". Really. I have one that said that yesterday. I saw that the weather was really going to turn to crap and Thursday could be the last day to get some airtime before Arizona. The wind was predicted to be NNW then going NE by midafternoon, and even though it was NW when we all arrived in Bath, I pushed the idea of trying Mossy (even though I DETEST that launch) after the skunking we got at H-port with a similar forecast last weekend. We got our gear in and set up quickly. Karl launched and since I have never seen a PG go off there, much less a PG go off forward, I have nothing to compare it to. But let me say - it looked awesome!!! Karl got right up and soared from 100-500' over all the while Mark and Bob and I were setting up. Mark went next and after some dodgy looking ground handling at the edge, had a perfect launch. I went next and launched that WIDE Saturn. I lost a bunch of altitude but recovered and got above the cliff pretty quickly. Mossy Banks, being only around 450' high, doesn't afford too many opportunities to recover from getting low. But with a 5mph steady wind straight in, the steepness of the whole rock faced ridge makes it easily soarable. The air was so nice, smooth, no sharp edges, and sometimes we all got a little low, but then it seemed to improve in waves. Bob launched and then things got a little crowded for a while. Two PGs and two HGs and that tiny ridge... but after an hour or so, it got a lot better and the lift was way out in front and we were separated by altitude and more soaring space. That Saturn is really sweet in this kind of air and I was just having a blast. One by one, everyone top landed and I just hung out for a while and then followed suit. Again, not the prettiest landing, but safe anyhow. Karl realized he had lost his wallet, probably while in the air, so we went back to launch to check if it was around, and get the gear we left behind from the launch. Bob was getting ready to launch his T2 now, but he didn't have a lot of luck once he did. I packed up and got home while it was still light out. Nice day!!!
Airtime: 1:20
Alt over launch: 1150'
XC miles: 0

Wednesday, April 09, 2008

Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Italy Valley, NY
I got into work very early so I could get my work done in time to enjoy this very spring-like weather we're having. The forecast was for diminishing SE wind, but when I got to work, the 10am updates were saying conditions may be unfavorable for flying at Italy Valley. I considered Dansville, but that looked pretty iffy too. At around 12:30 I just got the itch and scrambled out of work- thinking that a beautiful day sitting on a mountaintop was better than hanging out in the lab. Bob met me at the LZ and Doug Stoner was on his way. When we first checked the launch it was pretty dead and when it did blow, it was very SW. My philosophy is to just act as if it'll be good, be ready for it to be good, and maybe, just maybe, it'll be good. So Bob got his PG out and I set about getting Katrin's Saturn assembled. By the time I was ready, it was blowing in straight, and a little stronger, but as there were no birds, apprehension set in. It looked too good. We joked that when Doug arrived the first thing he would say was, "Why aren't you flying?" So Doug arrived and promptly said, "Why aren't you flying?" I told him we were waiting for him and so he set right up and launched and showed us how good it was. I launched straight away and quickly climbed to about 600' over. It was a little dicey and the Saturn was proving to be a little bit of a handful for me (it's kind of big). But after a while I settled in and enjoyed the air and had some fun with the glider. I barely had 1000' over when it all seemed to die off: Doug and I split LZs- me to the sheep field, him to the club's LZ. On my way over the barn, around 400' below launch, I caught a bump and decided to turn in it. After 20 minutes of cussing about being over dressed for this slogfest, I finally cored it and got above launch level and then it really turned on- like 800-900fpm solid. Doug had landed but I climbed out to more than 2000' over and it was big. Bob took it all the way out across the valley and continued to kick around for a while, after having hung on tight during that flush cycle, but then he went to top land. I had a RAF BOD meeting going on at my house in an hour or two, so I decided to top land too while I still could. Landing the Saturn was so-so, I managed to not drop the nose, but it wasn't stellar. And I had a ways to walk since it didn't retain as much energy as I had thought it might. I got home in time to a houseful of RAF members watching PG videos (?) and eating pizza. Some of this year's students showed up and it looks like we have a very dedicated, although small, group of guys to teach. I'll be an instructor for the club for the first time this season and I'm pretty excited about it.
This morning, Wednesday, I went over to 98PXY studio and did a little PR with my buddy Scott Spezzano. He is always really great about plugging the HG thing- he's an ex-RAF pilot himself. As much as I detest public speaking, I do think maybe it will play well on the air over the next two weeks or so. Probably during the deadest hours of radio listening time, but hey, you never know... maybe we'll attract a few more students.
Tomorrow looks great- maybe I can blast out of work early again... Thanks to Katrin for letting me borrow her Saturn.
Airtime: 48 min
Alt over launch: 2100'
XC miles: 0

Friday, April 04, 2008

So Lauren Tjaden jumped out of a perfectly good airplane last Sunday morning. Her tandem instruction began with the same legal crap every discovery hang gliding flight begins with - Paperwork...



Here is Lauren signing her life away.









After changing into several different outfits, Lauren settled on the faded black... Here she is pleading with Betty, the owner of the Florida Skydiving Center in Lake Wales, to let her change into something more flattering. Because, you see, it's not whether or not you survive the jump but how good you LOOK doing it that's important...























Getting cozy with her instructor, Mario Luppa. (really, what a slut!)
























Practicing the exit:
















I can add nothing here.















This is Lauren's "deer in the headlights" look:















It's pretty much too late to turn back now... brave little Lauren...
















Very sweet landing. (it's video- click "play"!)


Happy to be back on solid ground...Lauren is actually KISSING The ground! Congrats, Lauren, on your very first skydive. You survived AND looked really cute doing it!

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Saturday, March 29, 2008 Wallaby Ranch, Davenport, Fl
Another day in paradise- oh bummer. I got up early, too early, like a kid on Christmas morning, and couldn't convince my body to sleep anymore. The forecast was looking sweet and I had an XC flight planned. Instead of fighting to sleep, I packed the car with what I needed for the day and left Mark snoozing and went for a run to Wallaby. I don't run in Rochester in the winter at all, and I miss it, so this felt really good. Even my iPod was working for a change. When I arrived, I watched a few hot air balloons rise in the distance to the east, and then my friend and XC student, Mario Luppa, arrived to get an early morning tow. He had just come back from his home in Italy where he'd secured some lodging for the US Women's Team (me and Lisa Verzella and Team Leader Extraordinaire Jamie McGuire) and in return he wanted me to drag his ass XC for the first time. His first aerotow in a month looked okay, and Mark arrived in time so I could go back to the hotel and shower and get ready to fly. Mario and I got into the tow line a little early, but I saw there were a few gliders sticking high. After a weak link break (mine), a sink out (his), another sink out (his), and yet another sink out (mine), we got kicked off the radio frequency we were using (possibly because of some indecent language ;-)...) So we found another and finally got towed up and dumped into the exact same thermal. I immediately recognized Mark in the air even though he was flying a demo and using his new harness, but his flying style sure is unique. When we all topped out at around 6K, Mario and I headed north, cross wind to Quest- a reasonable flight (and the same as my first declared flight to goal 4 years ago). Only this time I was on a Pulse instead of my Litespeed, and someone else was looking at me to get them there! But the conditions were really pretty sweet, and after a couple of nail-biters in the beginning, we got a rhythm down that worked. Mario found a couple of climbs on his own, and glided really well. He readily ditched crappy climbs that he had stopped for and trusted there was something better ahead. Climbs were in the 800-1000fpm range at times, and solid from 3K to cloudbase- a pretty bulletproof day. After a while I started looking for our goal, but I didn't have a visual. When Mario asked where Quest was, I was tempted to say, "right there next to the lake" instead of admit I didn't know... But then Quest came into view and I told him that we'd need one more climb to make it safely. When he picked it out just in the distance, he said maybe he had it. Before I launched into an explanation about how it's better to come in high, check wind conditions and obstacles while setting up a nice DBF approach, I checked to see where he was. Well, this last glide (like every glide) had put me about 2000' below him! Of COURSE he had Quest made by a lot! His Sport2 looked like a little speck as he glided north and left me searching for another climb.... We had decent landings and got a ride from Mark secured pretty quickly when Derrek and Mike landed with us. I jumped into the pond and declared it the end of an incredibly successful flight for both of us. For Mario- obviously -his first XC flight to a declared goal- and he's only been flying hang gliders sporadically for several months. But for me- it was the first time anyone has consigned me to take them XC and despite my glider limitations, it all worked out great. I had to blast out of Wallaby right when we got back to get my friend Ellie from Sarasota, but she and I arrived for the tail end of the Wills Wing party Saturday night. Everyone was pretty trashed and the guest list was more than a little bit surprising..... Maybe I'll write more on that later... maybe not...
Oh yes and thanks, Lauren, for the use of your little Pulse!
Airtime: 1:45 (yes I realize it took a long time to go 22 miles!!! we took the scenic route!)
Alt above launch: 6600'
XC miles: 22?

March 28th 2008
Wallaby Ranch, Davenport, Florida
the XC season has begun!!!!!
Lauren Tjaden, my awesome friend and former teammate, loaned me her 1992 model 9 meter Pulse to fly during Wills Wing Demo Days. I didn't want to be stuck local - since XC is my game- and I didn't want to have to land a demo after half an hour... The challenge of a lower performing glider added to the excitement of trying to land at Quest, 22 miles to the north. Mark picked me up at Orlando Airport and we went straight to Wallaby. I set up Lauren's glider after finding it in the stacks and went flying pretty much immediately. It was tough to do since a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while were there, but they're all pilots and I figured they would understand my desire to get airborne now and socialize later. The flight itself was a lot of fun- I kept searching for the VG and coming up empty handed. The sink was horrible- the climbs I found to be somewhat elusive and light below 4000'- above that, they got better. As I went up along Rte 33, I recognized a lot of terrain I fly over a lot in the comps. Mostly I am looking at my vario arrow during a race and I miss a lot, but this flight was relaxing and I got to take in a lot more scenery. I heard a few people on the radio, but they were not near me for long- that VG trick is really pretty handy, too bad I was deficient... I saw a couple of rigid wings over the glider port and I knew I was getting close, but I only got one more climb on the way and landed short by 4 miles or so at the fire tower. There was another glider there so I figured retrieve would be convenient. Mark picked me up and back at the Ranch (always wanted to say that) the party atmosphere was getting underway. I went to the hotel to clean up and unpack a little, and Mark tried to find some fish for the cooks to make me at the Ranch. Finding fresh fish in Florida proved incredibly difficult, however. And I made do with some pasta and veggies instead... Sold a bunch of T-shirts thanks to Laurie and Malcolm for allowing it and Paul Tjaden for making announcements about them... What a blast it was later watching some still pics and videos from WAYYYYYY back... I fell exhausted into bed after a really long day at like 1:00am...
Airtime: 1:37
Alt over launch: 6500' (by memory, not instrument)
XC miles: 19 or so


 
aLE7l6GO