Ken Howells Hang Gliding & Paragliding Flight Log

Started blowing down at 12:30.
Move bag window to other end.

Survived ugly turbulence.
No obvious turns.

Wind went catabatic at Regionals about 3:45, after blowing 90 cross from right for a while. Catabatic flow was due to the huge cloud of smoke from the fire above Lytle Creek, shading the entire mountain. The sun was an eerie red when it was behind the thickest part of the smoke cloud, and shadows on the ground were decidedly blue. People were launching Crestline, which was in the sunshine. We decided to break down, and I mentioned that maybe if the sun came from behind the trailing edge of the cloud, which was drifting South, we would get some heating and convective upslope flow. We felt the heat as the sun got to a thinner part of the cloud and decided to wait and see. At about 4:20 it switched to very West again, then light puffs up. We launched and more or less sledded to the LZ, landing parallel to the North side of the LZ. The pilots who got off of Regionals (and Crestline) before us landed at the LZ in NW flow. There was a lot of ash coming down, and a little after we landed it went to catabatic flow again, as the smoke cloud kept drifting to the South. Interesting lesson in micrometeorology.
No TT. Good. VGL ,Vs=19 ,Vtrim=21 ,VGT ,Vtrim=21

Climbed to Crestline.
Good Eagle for Old Eagle. Clmbed to Crestline.

Karl did much better than most first-timers, working one strong thermal for about 1000' gain. These Falcon Ts slow down nicely, making landing quite nice.
Very nice. These Falcon Ts slow down nicely, making landing quite nice.

Very rough air.
Very rough air. Hard to get good V readings. VGL ,Vtrim=21 ,VG1/4 ,Vtrim=25 ,VG1/2 ,Vtrim=26 ,VG3/4 ,Vtrim=27 ,VGT ,Vtrim=25 ,Vd=70 Twist L tip 1 for L turn (see Ken).

Right place at the right time. It was puffing back and forth, left and right at launch. We set up slowly. I stood at launch for 5 minutes and felt enough in cycles to go get the glider. I stood with the Eagle 180 on launch for 10 minutes wating until I both felt a breeze with the wing and saw the streamer below pointing more or less toward me. Good launch at 2:40 PM. Was not really happening near the ridge, but I found one going straight up from the Hwy 18 hairpin below and East of launch. Got a little above launch and went back to the ridge, where it was bumpy. Was East of launch, pointing West, right at the ridge, when I suddenly went skidding left in a gust from the North. I went toward Cloud Peak. There were a few people flying out there, in the murk, and I got a good one and hung on with it while it drifted toward Crestline and slowly pushed through the inversion at 5200-5400. At 5700 I dove back for Crestline and got there at about 5500. It was wild - crystal clear to the North of the ridge, murly smog to the South of the ridge, all the way from Devore to Running Springs. I was facing North and into the wind. Quickly got to 6k, the 6500 South of launch. Stan launched and was up quickly - he had stood on launch for about 20 minutes waiting for a good cycle. He headed for the 138 interchange with his Talon, and I followed with the Eagle. At the 138 Stan drifted S with a core, going for more altitude. I decided to stick with the lift near the ridge and headed East. Basically, I rode the shear right above the ridgetop all the way to Strawberry, climbing the whole way. I stopped and circled once or twice. Decided to overfly the High School before heading back, and lost 700-800 feet in the process. Got back S of Strawberry at about 7700 and decided to work the lift I found. Soon I was at 8500, the number we had hoped for before launch. I kept circling and drifting S. Soon 9500, then 10,000! Started really working the lift, and got to 10,700 about halfway between Strawberry and the low ridge tot he S that marks the edge of the valley. Getting back to the high ridge took some time with the Eagle against the headwind. I flew back to Crestline slowly, savoring the views. At that point, I saw Stan back at Strawberry working the spot I had earlier. There were gliders in the murk way below, and the shear still was stuck to the ridgeline, though some haze had spil;led over the ridge into Valle of Enchantment. I went for Pine, now in the low 8000 MSL range. I figured I wouldd sink into the murk at Pine. Was at 7700 and still in the clear air behind Pine (Monument Peak, actually) when I got more of that North-fed lift. Back up to 8500, so I headed West, hoping to make the turnpoint at the end of the ridge, where I have not been in a long time. I worked a thermal back to 8500 at the last peak before the one where the fire lookout used to be before diving around that spot, sure I would lose lots of altitude doing so, as I have on every previous time. Got to the turnpoint and found 500-700 FPM lift. Soon at 8500, then 9500, then 10,000 and on until I topped out at 10,995! This took a few minutes, and I looked at Cuc a lot, and the 15 freeway below me. If it had beean earlier in the day I might have made the jump. Since it was after 4:00 PM I opted for Flying over Glen Helen (9,900) and then down toward Little Mountain (6,400) then to the LZ, landing at 4:55. I havent caught one of the magic Sep/Oct days in a few years. What a treat! The views of the lakes were awesome, and flying _at home_ but facing the opposite direction most of the time felt really strange and new. Stan had a great flight too, getting 10,500 and flying upwind toward Lake Arrowhead ad stuff. I do not think anyone else made it up into the North flow. Nothing like being in the right place at the right time.

Due to the new short-cut final assembly method of not installing the battens while building Falcons, the left #1 string was far too short to be used. I loosened it as much as was possible and hooked it onto the batten end, but didn't consider it 'right'. I went to check the right tip string and to ask Mike and Steve if they had some 505 leechline so I could tie a proper string on the left tip. The right tip string was not ideal, but was useable. Mike said he 'probably had some 505, but could I make the string already there work?'. I said I could make it work. On my preflight I did not lift the left tip and touch the batten strings, as is my usual procedure. I have no idea why I chose to deviate from my standard procedure in this way. I launched the glider, and it felt weird, like the one before, due to the excessively tight #3 and #4 battens. I was over the house North of the LZ at 2200 MSL and the trees were jumping all over the place. I had a hard time finding the core of the lift, but when I did it was up up up. I was about 300 feet above the road down from the 750 launch when I spotted this large straw that had been carried aloft in the very solid thermal I was working. I've never seen that before. Eventually I realized that the 'straw' was dropping away from me, and I realized it was probably a straight #1 batten from my glider. I looked right and saw the #1, then looked left and saw that the #1 batten was indeed missing. That was the one with the problem string, and the one that I hadn't checked on my preflight. The effect of the the missing batten was quite small, only a very slight lean to the left. The thermals were cranking, so I went ahead and climbed to almost 5K, since it was easy. On landing I barely had to compensate for the missing batten. I didn't try any spins with this glider. I know that when the #1 battens are too tight the glider spins quite easily - gently, but easily. I disqualified myself from further flying that day, since my failure to do a decent preflight was the direct cause of the loss of the batten.
Aeroman sail. L3,4 R3 too tight (same as 27602). Trim 1/4 in., rest 1/8 in.. Replace L#1 String (same as 27602).

Two failed launches/crashes way down slope. Bloody forearms, lucky not worse. Didn't fly.
Two failed launches/crashes way down slope. Bloody forearms, lucky not worse.

First PG soaring in eons!
Flew w/Works Harness. First soaring in eons!

ENE @750, then mostly still.

Launched in very very light rain.
Found on setup for refly that shear ribs inboard of inboard sprogs (both sides) were not zipped (Doh!). Probably source of excessive transient trim on previous flight. Launched in very very light rain, and after doing high speed run found TT in 21-25 MPH range, like others were reporting. My first soaring flight on a U2 160 - I really like the thermalling characteristics - light, low inertia, likes being in a tight core, and goes fast. Actually more comfortable doing mild aero on the U2 than a Talon - smoother. Easier to spin VG3/4 than VGT - it flopped around more VGT. Was dropping left tip more than right, at least 2:1, when flying Vt VGL in the bumpy air. Twisted left tip down one more notch. VGL ,Vs=19 ,Vtrim=21 ,VG1/4 ,Vtrim=22 ,VG1/2 ,Vtrim=24 ,VG3/4 ,Vtrim=25 ,Vd=60 ,VGT ,Vtrim=23 ,Vd=65

Pushed out a little to extend glide toward spot, had nothing left when flare time came (abruptly). Ran three steps and fell to knees on grass, put basetube down hard (glider was nose up). Right hand pushed on downtube with what seemed like little force - took out dtube.
Good. Pushed out a little to extend glide toward spot, had nothing left when flare time came (abruptly). Ran three steps and fell to knees on grass, put basetube down hard (glider was nose up). Right hand pushed on downtube with what seemed like little force. Replace RT downtube and clean #1 batten

Nice day. Took a while to get 6200 at Billboard, then went to Pine, where it was OK but not great. Headed to Lower Marshall and thought we'd land soon. Got a nice thermal below Cloud Peak to 5800, so headed back to Crestline, where it was still rather cool. We flew more or less straight to the LZ to land. Craig Hewitt dove at the LZ from SW, unaware we were setting up approach. He dove for HG spot, we took PG spot less than 10 seconds later.

Choppy air, got locked out once in a while.
Very nice. VGL ,Vs=20 ,Vtrim=22

WW's 20,000th glider!