Ken Howells Hang Gliding & Paragliding Flight Log

Good. Thin overcast, warm, between fronts. Waited out long E cycles at launch. Almost buoyant. Good S landing near PG cone. Swerved to avoid Elzie the dog just before flare.

Raked tips. Good. Vt ok after a wingover. Scratched a bit. Good S approach, was overshooting by 10 feet and decided to kick the cone as I went over it. This took enough energy from the system that my flare didn't stop me. Ended up in knees but nose never dropped. Thank goodness the ground is very saturated so the impact was soft GoPro on keel.

Wind had picked up a bit Ridge soared Regionals area for a while. Got to 4,300, flew over Marshall and the PG crowd. Tried a number of spins; very hard to initiate. Landed short after thinking I would go long.

Coated wires. Carbon basetube. Good. Vt 24-23 even after wingovers. Moved kp to aft hole. Pre-frontal with east. Quite warm. Some thermals. Good S landing short of HG cone. Pedro from Canada flew with us.

Good. Almost soarable, some turns in lift. Was planning right-hand approach and had lift at 150 AGL over the apron and it went more south. Did a left hand approach and landed next to the pg cone. Won spot. MM flying again.

Raked tips. Good. Vt=22, 22, 23, 21,21. High overcast moved in and reduced thermals. Second wingover was way over. Good landing.GoPro on left sprog.

Raked tips. Vt=21, 22, 22, 23, 22. VdVGT=52. Good and soarable, with effort. Good landing 25 feet past cone. Hard to thermal VGT in stronger one's. GoPro on left sprog.

7x7 coated wires. Raked Tips. Good. Vt=23, 23, 22, 22, 21. Good. Some good wingovers.

Good.

It switched from North to South hours earlier than forecast. I drove to Marshall and folks were up there flying. Decided I didn't want to have to stay close enough and high enough to top land the whole flight so I drove down to the 750. Gene was there, having landed his PG, and said it was great. Slammed the Falcon together and Gene launched and showed me the thermal and then I climbed on up. Fun conditions, had the gloves ready but never put them on. Good landing at AJX and the hike up to get my truck was satisfying.

Log from KMZ. Got up and went to UM, flew around a little. Landed at the LZ.

Good. Another one-day break in Santa Anas. Clear and cool. Almost soarable, SE at launch. Good S no-stepper (on one foot) ten feel short of PG cone.

Good. Sharp edges to the lift. Climbed erratically over the SE draws for a while. Finally got a good one to launch height. Vt=23, 22, 21, 21, 21 after a Vd run. No-stepper with the PG cone between my feet and my harness boot :) GoPro on keel.
Needs the Raked tips.

Sweet. Vt=21, 21, 20, 19, 19. Gusts to 15, higher than forecast. Easy soaring, 700+ FPM up to 5.5k. Good speed runs. Good landing into switchy S. GoPro on keel.

Good. Launched during weak in and found lift right in front but it was too narrow. Sank to bluffs and worked tiny cores off the LZ for a few minutes. Good landing into light S. Flared early to be near cone. Came down vertically and the leftt #1 batten bent slightly.
Replace left #1 batten.

Good. Very light at launch, variable. Similar to previous flight without the landing pop-up.

Log from KMZ. Quick sledder.

5 HG test flights then Jeff Boehler suggested were go fly our PG's off the 750 in the nice breeze that had developed. He and Hoffman cajoled me a little. Mark would drive Jeff's truck. It was pretty cross right but steady and not too strong. Jeff launched and stayed up down at the bluffs. I did a reverse inflation that drifted early so I dropped it. Repositioning the wing using the A's and it went way up so I brought it down cleanly. Then the intentional inflation went great and I drove with legs into the wind and off the hill. Was able to sort of hover a couple of hundred above Jeff for a pass each way then I went out and landed. Seemed longer than 7 minutes. Big thanks to Jeff & Mark for the push!

Onshore day between Santa Anas. Soarable from higher launches. I had a very engaging 4 or 5 minutes zero-sinkingcjust below the 350 launch. No-stepper just short of PG cone. Sunday was actually onshore until it flipped like a switch at the end of the day.

Log from video & KMZ. Sledder. Buoyant area above the Ranch, many circles.

Good. Vt=23, 23, 21, 20, 20. Easy climb to a few hundred over launch, holding helmet in boot of harness with feet. Left weakening lift at 5k and put helmet on. Good climbs, lots of wingovers. Miles lift over LZ and landed into a good S cycle, no-stepper short of PG cone. GoPro on sprog, debris on lens.
Green 3,4 & red 4,6 Batten levers slipped in during flight

Good. String Battens. Clear, warm, & still. A couple of bumps but no climbs. Good S landing just short of the PG cone

Good. Vt=18, Vs=16, Vd>30, PP 5 lbs/hand. Soarable from above the pond. Got 3.2k MSL,v could have gone higher. Good S landing well short of PG cone.

New sail on old frame, dealer installed. Customer complained of excessive BS flutter, sent glider to WW. The root zip tie was so loose it may as well not have been there. Sprogs 4.5" low or more. Installed proper zip tie. Flew good. No detectable BS rumble. No PP VGT

Carton basetube, 7*7 coated BF/BR. Good. 100% thin overcast, low wind, barely soarable. Good landing, no-stepper short of cone.

Glider for Mori Kinjo (sp?). Clear and cool. Bumpy near the slopes. OK at Pine. Minor left turn and trim 1 mph faster than I prefer. Turned right tip 2 holes expecting it to be too much. Briefed Dan for dealer test flight. Gave glider and delivery kit (minus batten chart) to Dan D.

Clear and cool. Some cumies at 5k ringing the valley. Easy soaring, tight and rowdy. Lift all around the LZ, flags pointing at each other at times. Good landing into light S. GoPro on keel.

Good. Breezier, more thermals. Got to 5k quickly without trying real hard. Tried to get others in frame with the GoPro on the keel. Landed S near the PG thinking I was going to be short, no long, no short.

Good. Steve got up out front. I had a good cycle to launch into but got flushed. Lift at 150 AGL over the LZ and I circled once but found the sink. Abbreviated approach to good south landing near HG cone. No GoPro.

Good. Good lift all over the place . Some wayover wingovers, no camera. Vt =21, 23, 23, 22, 21. S at LZ with quite a wind gradient. Turned to final with high ground speed then was settling to knees all of a sudden.

Good. Very buoyant, still breezy; PGs could park a little if they wanted to. Overflew Marshall, dove Jerome who was radioing a student, I think. Dove for a right-hand approach to the PG cone into S 6. Zooming final and bled a little speed gently and only overshot the cone by 5 feet or so. No GoPro.

Good. Vt=22, 23, 23, 22, 21. Cool, some cumies to the West, bases 4k, dissipating. Surprisingly soarable. Setting up for almost no wind then streamers started pouring in. Lift at North apron as I turned to base. Good landing a few feet past the pg cone with 1/4 VG. GoPro on left sprog.

Vt=21, 22, 22l, 22, 20. Breezier. East cycle during set-up tried to flip my glider, did flip Steve's because he helped saves mine. No damage. Sank off launch then climbed to 4k from below Cloud Peak very easily. Got 5.4k with some effort, saw a little misty area trying to become a Cloud. Found sink to get down and land. Great no-stepper short of the PG cone.

Good. Launched into a puff of lift them sank to below the 350 well of to the east. Lift over the birth end of the LZ at 200 AGL. Did a couple of circles and could have gotten up but also could have gotten dumped and screwed so I just landed. Got the lift again on final. Good no stepper. No GoPro.

Mylar sail, speed battens. Very tight little cores above the pond, shoving the bar out and pivoting in the lift It finally really turned on and Iwas going up 500+ in a steep bank. Got 3.2k, could have kept going. Cumies trying to form overhead. Floating above LZ then strong stink. Abbreviated approach to WWSW landing in SW 7, food.

Refly after SP - mid-span flutter; SP tightened battens. No flutter but deep wrinkles evident, RT mid-spa. PP nominal.

Raked tips, Carbon Btube. Good. Vt=24, 24, 25, 23, 22. Breezy, some good cores, drifting fast. No great climbs. Good wingover above UM. GoPro on sprog.

LS/RND, speed battens. Good. Overcast just below the top of Marshall. A few beeps in the air. Decent landing, flared with right wing low. No video.

Good. Still 95% Cloud cover but breaking up, two PGs had good saves out front. Way scratching above the 750 until a nice core came along. Easy 300-800:FPM thermal to the edge of the clouds at 4,500 or so. Dove in for a SSW cycle, good flare short of the cone. GoPro on keel. SP flew S4 155 P1 - bearing tips, tighter keel pocket, longer BS wires. Mike won spot.

Great Blk LS/RND, speed battens. 25% clouds and fading fast. Athletic circling in the pond thermal while a thermal slowly grew. MM w/A235 joined when I started circling and climbing. After a few circles at eye level I went east for a couple of circles' worth to let him get above. Returned and we both got up a ways. Right-hand approach planning on HG cone into SSW. On short base it went a hair souther so I decided to go for the PG cone, closer to breakdown area. Had energy to dump and only overshot about 7 feet but had enough fwd left that I _had_ to put the basetube down. GoPro on keel.

Didn't bank steeper one way or the other but easier to initiate right turns. MM flew it 9-10-19 without knowing about my flight. He found a one-hole right turn.

Log from video & KMZ. Ridge soared, went to Pine for a while. Climbs near RGNLS. Nailed the cone on landing.

Raked tips. Nice. Vt=23, 23, 24, 22, 21. Good and soarable on SE draws. One slow-ass wingovers. GoPro on right sprog. Swinging approach, good landing to West St PG cone, 6 feet.

Very good. Vd=43. Red Baron sail. Plummeted to 750 area then climbed to 5k in a couple of stages. Landed heading W, ultimate no-stepper short of the cone with the gentlest keel-stick ever. GoPro on crossbar. Zac Majors filmed landing too.

Hot, stable. Wanted to top land by my truck, never got above launch. Teaser cores against the hill all the way down. Flyer felt good overall, too big and slow to work the tiny cores. Never got to explore pitch pressure (but ok). Good landing short of cone. GoPro on keel.

Raked tips. Carbon basetube. Black BS with orange WW. Very good. Vt=23, 23, 24, 23, 21 after wingovers. Nice wide mellow cores, fun air. Good SW Lansing 12" past/side of PG cone. Won spot. GoPro on left sprog. Had unusual trouble seating VG rope in clear. Slot narrow, Mike opened up.

Raked tips. Carbon basetube. Black BS with orange WW. Very good. Vt=23, 23, 24, 23, 21 after wingovers. Nice wide mellow cores, fun air. Good SW Lansing 12" past/side of PG cone. Won spot. GoPro on left sprog. Had unusual trouble seating VG rope in clear. Slot narrow, Mike opened up.

Good. Easy climbs to 4k-4.3k. 16' short of PG cone. No GoPro.

Good. Easy climbs to 4k-4.3k. 16' short of PG cone. No GoPro.

Speed battens. Good. Vt=23->30. PP light VGT. Raised all sprogs 1 turn. Warm, low inversion. Scratched up at down Cloud spine while others got high sometimes. Strong narrow cores that would roll you out if you went wide. Speed run from Cloud to Last Chance; ok on GoPro (left sprog). Strong gradient NW corner, flared late. No whack.
replace 202" bag with 208" - already shrank and won't go on.

Speed battens. Good. Vt=23->30. PP light VGT. Raised all sprogs 1 turn. Warm, low inversion. Scratched up at down Cloud spine while others got high sometimes. Strong narrow cores that would roll you out if you went wide. Speed run from Cloud to Last Chance; ok on GoPro (left sprog). Strong gradient NW corner, flared late. No whack.
replace 202" bag with 208" - already shrank and won't go on.

Log from video & KMZ. Got up several times, went to CRS. Good top landing.

Good. Vt=21 all VG after a wingover. Nice roll. Popped a mid-span R batten v on the pull up for the wingover. No resulting turn. Fun thermals for early in the day. Landed S, 6 feet short of PG cone. Steve flew Raven 229, Mike Alpha 235 for performance comparison. Raven beat Alpha in fast glide. Alpha outclimbed Raven. GoPro on left sprog.
Rear keel pad fell off.

Good. Vt=21 all VG after a wingover. Nice roll. Popped a mid-span R batten v on the pull up for the wingover. No resulting turn. Fun thermals for early in the day. Landed S, 6 feet short of PG cone. Steve flew Raven 229, Mike Alpha 235 for performance comparison. Raven beat Alpha in fast glide. Alpha outclimbed Raven. GoPro on left sprog.
Rear keel pad fell off.

Good. Speed Battens, Mylar sail. Soarable at launch, scratched up close from the 750 in a tight little side core. Bo from ABQ on the 235 got up in main core, got under him eventually. 4k+. Some good spins. Setting up for right hand approach to SE and the flags pointed WSW. Quick circle over the parking lot and I landed from WSW short of PG cone. Very smooth landing. GoPro on keel.

Good. Speed Battens, Mylar sail. Soarable at launch, scratched up close from the 750 in a tight little side core. Bo from ABQ on the 235 got up in main core, got under him eventually. 4k+. Some good spins. Setting up for right hand approach to SE and the flags pointed WSW. Quick circle over the parking lot and I landed from WSW short of PG cone. Very smooth landing. GoPro on keel.

Walked right off launch without pausing. Launched 3rd. Scratcehd thrn got under Steve above 350 and went to 4k before diving down to land. Gopro on keel. Standard approach to 15' past the cone.

Walked right off launch without pausing. Launched 3rd. Scratcehd thrn got under Steve above 350 and went to 4k before diving down to land. Gopro on keel. Standard approach to 15' past the cone.

Log from video & KMZ. No pre-launch comments. Looks like a great, soarable day. Google Earth having trouble displaying track.

Good. 95% high this coverage, monsoonal debris from the dessert. Some cycles at launch, some tiny thermals. Good SSE landing. Had VG 1/4 for light wind landing, flared extra hard. Keel stuck a little as I ran forward. Amusing. GoPro on right sprog.

Good. 95% high this coverage, monsoonal debris from the dessert. Some cycles at launch, some tiny thermals. Good SSE landing. Had VG 1/4 for light wind landing, flared extra hard. Keel stuck a little as I ran forward. Amusing. GoPro on right sprog.

Good. VtVGT=21. Close similar. Some thermals. Scratched below the 750 for a number of turns. Good landing into SSE well short of the cone. New shoes caught in the harness boot a little when I went upright. GoPro on right sprog. Mike won spot.

Good. VtVGT=21. Close similar. Some thermals. Scratched below the 750 for a number of turns. Good landing into SSE well short of the cone. New shoes caught in the harness boot a little when I went upright. GoPro on right sprog. Mike won spot.

Good. No GoPro. Did a speed run down Cloud spine. Was having to let the bar out at times to maintain terrain clearance. Good landing.

Good. No GoPro. Did a speed run down Cloud spine. Was having to let the bar out at times to maintain terrain clearance. Good landing.

Good. Vt=24->23, no chance for Vd dive to reduce it. Should be ok.

Good. Vt=24->23, no chance for Vd dive to reduce it. Should be ok.

Good. Vt=23->20. Good breeze at launch, some thermals. Good landing into light SSE. GoPro on left sprog

Good. Vt=23->20. Good breeze at launch, some thermals. Good landing into light SSE. GoPro on left sprog

Good. Breezy at launch, elevator a hundred feet up, sorta ridge soared. Got 4,500 off Cloud, went to Marshall. SE at LZ turned into E as I set up a right-hand approach. Steve came in from NE at the same time :) no problem. No video

Good. Breezy at launch, elevator a hundred feet up, sorta ridge soared. Got 4,500 off Cloud, went to Marshall. SE at LZ turned into E as I set up a right-hand approach. Steve came in from NE at the same time :) no problem. No video

Good. Climbed a little from launch, left it for a nearby thermal, came back to launch and climbed to 4k+ in just a few minutes. Flew West and south to keep a clean GPS track ;) Lift at the LZ, dove in after it for good S landing.

Good. Climbed a little from launch, left it for a nearby thermal, came back to launch and climbed to 4k+ in just a few minutes. Flew West and south to keep a clean GPS track ;) Lift at the LZ, dove in after it for good S landing.

Good. Vt=23 ->21. Clear, not that hot. Steady S breeze at launch. Soarable between terrain effects and small thermals. Fun first thing in the morning. Could have stayed up, dove to land in a good cycle. One-stepper 15 feet aside hg cone. No GoPro.

Good. Vt=23 ->21. Clear, not that hot. Steady S breeze at launch. Soarable between terrain effects and small thermals. Fun first thing in the morning. Could have stayed up, dove to land in a good cycle. One-stepper 15 feet aside hg cone. No GoPro.

Good. Vt=24->21. BS flutter, had Battens on the loose side. Tightened 7 & 8. Similar to last flight,v breezier. Wind messing up the tiny thermal cores but easy to stay up. Fading SSE at the LZ, good landing with 1/4 VG. GoPro on left sprog.

Good. Vt=24->21. BS flutter, had Battens on the loose side. Tightened 7 & 8. Similar to last flight,v breezier. Wind messing up the tiny thermal cores but easy to stay up. Fading SSE at the LZ, good landing with 1/4 VG. GoPro on left sprog.

Vt=21->23 after aero. Good roll. Windier and rowdy. Lumpy around 3,200. Thermals that got through that were great. Couple of strong climbs to above 4k. 2nd wingover way over. Good landing into WSW surface flow.
4 lever to Battens not punched enough. L 3 & 5, R 5 & 6. Alan fix.

Vt=21->23 after aero. Good roll. Windier and rowdy. Lumpy around 3,200. Thermals that got through that were great. Couple of strong climbs to above 4k. 2nd wingover way over. Good landing into WSW surface flow.
4 lever to Battens not punched enough. L 3 & 5, R 5 & 6. Alan fix.

Good. Windier, more thermals. Surges up and down, hard to hang out in a spot. Thermal at LZ, flags all pointing at it. Good West final to a trotting landing. GoPro on keel.

Good. Windier, more thermals. Surges up and down, hard to hang out in a spot. Thermal at LZ, flags all pointing at it. Good West final to a trotting landing. GoPro on keel.

Good. A notch windier, even. Elevatored up a couple of hundred feet off launch. A pass or two later I was sinking quickly. Similar elsewhere. Long wind cycles. Looked breezy WSW in the LZ and a U2 barely made the grass. I came in expecting to float to the cone but ground skim was fast and I had to get my legs under me quickly to trot out the landing. No GoPro.

Good. A notch windier, even. Elevatored up a couple of hundred feet off launch. A pass or two later I was sinking quickly. Similar elsewhere. Long wind cycles. Looked breezy WSW in the LZ and a U2 barely made the grass. I came in expecting to float to the cone but ground skim was fast and I had to get my legs under me quickly to trot out the landing. No GoPro.

Good launch from the top, a few passes to get above. Good thermal from low Last Chance, another one by 750 where I let the 4-gaggle pass before joining in. Went to drop bombs on tarp at 5:45 from 600 AGL, missed 30 feet west and north, then lift you couldn't ignore took me back above 3k. Speed run down the slopes straight to final. Overshot HG cone 15 feet with straining no-stepper. Many out for the fly-in.

Good launch from the top, a few passes to get above. Good thermal from low Last Chance, another one by 750 where I let the 4-gaggle pass before joining in. Went to drop bombs on tarp at 5:45 from 600 AGL, missed 30 feet west and north, then lift you couldn't ignore took me back above 3k. Speed run down the slopes straight to final. Overshot HG cone 15 feet with straining no-stepper. Many out for the fly-in.

Shortpack. Stickers. Good. Clear, not too hot. Many little bumps close to the terrain. Steered RT at the last second to get closer to the PG cone. Lost airspeed and dropped RT tip.

Round cspeedbar.Good. Vt=21, 22, 22, 21, 19. RT turn VGT, lowered RT sprog 1 turn. Breezy at launch, nice. Tight thermal just below Cloud Peak with Mike and Steve. Left it at 4,200; Mike then got higher. Bumped into 4k inversion at UM several times, as Soaring Predictor predicted. Good WSW cycle to land into. Steered late again and dropped a tip. GoPro on keel.

Raked tips. Nice handling VdVGT=53. Vt=23, 23, 22, 21, 20. Strong, narrow cores busted the inversion, got to 5,100 with 700-800 up at times. Extended ESE cycle at the LZ with easy lift. Dove in after a while and did a left-hand approach to SE final. Dropped left tip a little

Rush. Good. Was above LZ at 300' AGL 90 seconds after launching. Streamers pointing all over the place, some at each other. 2,400' climb in that thermal them UM (buzzed Takeo et al), Crestline, Pine, then went to Kendall/Univ before landing into nice S breeze with a no-step keel-stander past the HG cone. GoPro on keel.

Coated 7*7 BF/R. Carbon basetube (flew with Al STRM) . Significant Right turn. High-siding right, low-siding left. GoPro on keel and clearly visible. Turn a little sharper with VG. Vt 23 down to 21. Twisted left tip 2 holes for right turn. Not very hot, hazy and inverted. Good thermal NE of 750 went straight up then wandered; buzzed JD at Regionals. After 4 mild wingovers I saw zero wind at the LZ so went east along the bluffs. At the far end hit lift and at the same time saw nice S at the LZ. 180'd and dove hard to the LZ with an S from the east and had a no-stepper a few feet short of the PG cone.

Good. Vt=23, 24, 24, 22, 21. Warm and hazy. Scratchable, almost got up from the pond. Zero zero wind at the LZ. Flared late, knees and basetibe. GoPro on right sprog.

Good. Lots of tiny disappearing bumps. Zero zero at the LZ again. Flared hard but went to knees. TW said it puffed trail on me. GoPro on right sprog.

Good. A little past the PG cone heading S, high ground speed on final. Managed to land on my feet with the basetuibe off the ground. No video

Raked tips. Great handling. Vt=21, 22, 22, 21, 20. VdVGT=53. Frustrating first 15 minutes working disappearing bumpb above the 750. Finally a real thermal formed from 3 threads and I climbed by doing larger steady-bank circles. Steve got under me and climbed faster in one of the cores but I let him by and stuck to my strategy. Lost track of Steve. I got to 5k in 16 circles, maybe 6 minutes. Felt great. Dove UM and did wingovers above the Rhodes tandem setting up. Good landing, no-stepper past the PG cone. Had forgotten to install the left raked tip. Had dropped speed batten bundle near it earlier (knew) and somehow those distracted me. No turn induced. GoPro on right sprog. Later retrieved raked tip from Regionals; got flat tire on the way up.

Good. Vt=22,24,21. No Vd run. Inversion below Marshall, warm and clear. Not quite soarable at Crestline. Easily scratchable below Cloud Peak. One wingover, popped two midspan battens left, backed out too, and then had a good left turn. Lifty all around LZ, had a super slo-mo whack. Delivered to Pat Fuego, Fly High customer.

P1. Warm and clear, low inversion. Plenty of thernals, generally narrow. Bearing tips are amazing. Wing starts responding to roll changes right away, so it feels smoother and adjustments are more fluid. When hitting lift with a wingtip and getting rolled or straying into the sink around a thermal the onset was similarly smooth/gentle and countering it was easy. Reversing turn direction with vg on felt less like a gymnastics move.

Good, brief. Hot and clear, over 100 last couple of days. Some tiny cores I couldn't do more than one circle in. Lift over the LZ at 200' AGL, decided not to circle in it. Decent SW tattoo land into, climbing on ground skim, 30' past PG cone. Mike and Steve got up.. Good flare. GoPro on left sprog.

Good. VtVGT=21. Good overall. Went right from launch but no lift there. Scratchable. Got up a little from below the 350. Good landing short of the HG cone. Mike and Steve got up. GoPro on left sprog.

Good. Launched in steady cycle, sank to below 350 launch quickly. A few turns in a little core got me right above the 350 and weakened. I saw the stock pointing NNNW and figured the was a thermal just N of the parking lot. Heading that direction I hit lift much sooner than I expected, maybe 150 yds. That waa as very steady lift and Mike and Steve launched and got in it way under me. Steve got up. I got to 4,200 before diving out for some wingovers and spins - held one for 720. Lifty in the LZ. On final I steered much more than usual and crabbed to a soft landing 6' short/right of the PG cone. No GoPro.

Sledder, did not mark test fly tag. Overcast until noon+, dust devils at LZ at 2:45 - should have been at 750 then. Nate was at the 750 when I got there; he sank out with his Falcon 170. Lift just East of LZ with Peter Wurr below me and Rob McKenzie (didn't know who at the time) above me. Peter dove to land, I dove after a couple of drifting circles, Rob got up. Ok landing, overshot cone 25', dropped right tip.

Rob & Di's 11,154th and final Tandem flight . High Adventure retirement starts tomorrow. Van ride to Crestline. Sandy driving. Streamers on gliders, good visuals. GoPro on keel. Dusty, Mori, Jason, Steve, Pat (new S3 guy), others flying. Good no-steper short of pg cone.

Good. No obvious turn. Vt OK, not much chance to really check. Clear and warm. Light S at launch. Only a couple of cores found, right and weak. Switchy at the LZ, mostly light N from a thermal. Final from S toward main training hill, lift at S end of LZ. Pulled in more and more on ground skim. Good flare and landing on dirt apron at NE end of LZ. GoPro on left sprog. DigiFly Air vario ok.

Good. Scratchable close to the hill. No great climbs but could have stayed up. Waited for a landing cycle; it faded as I came in so I came up short of the PG cone. GoPro on keel.

Good. Went to UM so Mike could fly an EZ Flyer (195). S 10-12 and the house thermal was pumping. Buzzed launch to get EZ Flyer in frame with GoPro on keel. Fun strong air. Landed heading WSW for the PG cone.

Good. A little stocky in turns. Got wide of a core, couldn't roll back into it. Could see dust devil swirling in the trees. Scratched low for a while. Dove straight in for PG cone from well above the training hill and landed 3 feet from the PG cone. No GoPro.

Vt=24, 25, 25, 26, 27 even after speed runs; moved KP to aft hole. Cool and prefrontal with cumies popping. Launched in weak cycle with streamers farther away indicating a thermal was coming. Sank quickly and quietly to the 350 region thinking I had really blown it. Found a little puff and cranked 'n banked for all I was worth. Got above launch in about five minutes then climbed easily to Marshall height. Air chilly and moist. Got to CRS on the second try, cloudbase around 6k. Hoffbrow followed me to Pine and we found 5 others there already. Fun. I went to Regionals then intended a speed run down the Cloud Peak spine. Spotted Steve Pearson setting up at the 750. Considered staying airborne but went and landed anyway. Overshot PG cone by 30 feet; flags showed wind but not in the middle of the LZ. Good landing. Very satisfying flight! GoPro on left sprog; excellent visuals. The time I said at the start of my video is wrong because my watch was wrong; it's been quirky lately SP gave glider tuning talk from 6 to 8. About 30 in attendance.

Building SW flow, rain coming after midnight. 50% thin cirrus and some lower clumpulus here and there when we left the LZ. By the time we got to the top the cirrus was 100%, was cooling. Plenty of wings hanging around overhead, mostly PG (League Meet). Good launch off the top into good soarable flow. Realized the GoPro was on (left sprog) but not started. Didn't start when turned on because I anticipated taking several minutes before walking to launch. Had gloves behind chute to put on if cold. Wanted to don while heading to Crestline. Busy in the narrow and drifty lift. Got to 5,080' from Cloud Peak to halfway back the Marshall spine and by then it was drifting fast and more away from Crestline. Headed out front and put the gloves on. From Cloud Peak again a more conventionaal thermal climb to the same area N of Marshall got to 5,090' , scratching at the end, so I decided to get low and probably land. Good WSW 12 at the LZ and I was headed WSW, right of the HG cone with good distance. Flared a hair early and thoroughly and popped up slightly then smoothly crouched a little with the basetube no less than a foot off the grass. Had met Owen at the shop earlier.

Good. VtVGT=21 from the start. Great roll response Low inversion, thick. Good scratching above and E of the 750, between the ceiling and the hill. No wind and switchy at the LZ. Had 1/4 VG and flared hard for the PG cone. Landed just a few feet past and put the basetuibe down firmly. Joaquin from MX, Terry Strahl, others visiting. Steve had EZ Flyer to fly but a tire wouldn't hold air. GoPro on RT sprog, at front of shaft, maybe 4" from zipper end. Sprog offset inboard from the zipper, more than an inch, tapering front to back. Thought the camera might bounce more than it does several inches aft but it was very stable, especially compared to the next flight.

Good. Vt=22, 23, 24, 23, 21. VdVGT=56. 15 SW at Crestline, way above the inversion. Ridge soarable. Got 5,700 at BB. Tried to get others in frame while flying to Regionals. Sparable below. Some good wingovers, an okay sounds. Good no-stepper just short of the PG cone. GoPro on RT sprog, at cable tang, quite a bit aft of previous positions; sprog right on zipper. The bouncing in the video is comical! Flying level and a moderate course change sets it swinging. Not much while thermalling and none during aero. Max bounce was turning left to final. Unreal. Smooth for ground skim and flare.

Good. Thermals poppin' but some slow and shifty in the stable layer. Prowled East Last Chance for a while but never climbed much. Worked a weak wiggler E of the 750 for many circles as those who had been higher got even higher finally left it, looking at the LZ. Off the W Pond bump stumbled into easy 600+ up so got higher than just before. Dove in hard for a good SSW cycle and had a good landing near a cone. No GoPro.

Good. Vt=23, 25, 21 after maneuvers. Had been forecast most of week to O.D. with chance of thunderstorm after 11 A.M; Saturday was socked-in and N. Clear and warm, clouds drifting from the desert were barely leaning S. Haze to the W and as I went up Cajon Pass it's real visible on the video. Thermals were not going very high for the most part, and were widely spaced but easy to work when found and not sinky between. Had some that were 900 up briefly then 2-400 for a bit. Good wingover at CRS after going to BB. Thermal from the W finger of Pine went NW instead of ENE so that was interesting. Made a foray to the plateau SE of Sugarpine but no instant lift there. Bumpy in places. Gorgeous scattered cumulus clouds and colorful vegetation. Heading back, caught a thermal off the top of Bailey Canyon, where the road up Pine passes the tree & spring, that got me to 5,300 quickly for a downwind dash to BB where the house thermal took me to 6,3000 lickety-split. Made a vid of N-looking stills of that climb. Went east to the spine to Marshall, wingover there. Saw PG group arriving Regionals and dove past them a couple of times. GoPro on right sprog, well-aligned. Got above Cloud Peak for a terrain-following run but it was turbulent and interesting for a few minutes before starting the run. Was hoping the side view would convey the speed. Not so much. Did a low 360 around the 750 (truck & PG) without really slowing then continued. Slowed at the 350 launch as I saw the dead flags at the LZ. The sock showed light SE, streamers slack or wiggling. Decided on left hand with SE final and over the SE corner I saw two streamers showing different directions. NE was limp as I flew by. Got pointed the way I wanted and had high groundspeed right until flare. Didn't really try to run, just went to knees after flaring hard. Nose didn't come down. Glider for Terry Strahl, eager to have it for the Coyote Howl up North next weekend. Raked tips, coated 7x7 BF/BR.

Good. Low clouds. Little wind. Right hand approach to three feet from the pg cone. No instrument or GoPro.
Tighten KP nut.

Good. Speedbar basetibe. Still 100% overcast, no wind. Last second switch from SW to W approach. Flared up to feet just short of pg cone.

Good. Vt OK. Sprogs right VG7/8. Essentially zero wind for launch. Ran like hell. Cloudbase a few hundred feet up. Bouyant below Cloud Peak. SP soared above LZ with a buzzard for a while. No wind for landing. Quarter VG and hard flare worked ok. No instrument or GoPro.

Round Speedbar. Good, Vt OK. Clouds unchanged. Ran hard again. Right-hand approach into nothing. Put basetibe down. No instrument or GoPro.

Good. Some breeze, SE. Good launch into S, took out streamer yucca with RT side wire. Thermal over LZ parking lot with SP. I drove to land in steady E wind. Smooth no-stepper coming from S of shade structure. Steve climbed out.

Good. Vt=23->21. Good cores, cool. Got to CRS 12 minutes after launch. Parked in the wind there, pushing out. Up to 6k at BB then over to Pine, where it wasn't very windy. Last Chance ok. Over UM again then down to the LZ. GoPro on right sprog, aligned well; was off sprog after landing.
Replace rubber band on speed battens.

Great. Vt=23->21. Scratching close to the hill. Finally got up from East side of West spine. Some 900 up after clearing 3k. Right approach to SE final, big sink turning to base. Went long, good landing. GoPro on sprog but it was acting oddly. Raked tips.

Good. Surprisingly soarable. No instrument or GoPro. Good landing straight West toward the shade structure.

Good. Vt=24->23-22 Could move kp back one, decided not to. VdVGT=58.

Good. Vt=23->20. Thermals still narrow and punchy. Saw the Last Chance flag going nuts as I flew over it, just before a big hit my face and the glider jolted. Good wingover East of the lz. Good one-stepper 5 feet from the HG come. GoPro on keel.

Good. VdVGT=60. Vt good. Got up slowly working the Last Chance area. Sank near the 750. Dove in to land and the light SW had gone to zero by approach height. Pulled 1/4 VG and flared hard for a decent landing in sight of the HG cone. No GoPro.

Hazy with light overcast, wx system 36 hours away. Lightly soarable with tops 500-1k feet above launch. Was clear very quickly that hopping to CRS and such was out. Got up at Cloud Peak and sort of started a long top landing approach. Hit big sink at the last second and bailed. Got up out front and kind of rushed the top landing approach. Came in slow and crabbing left a little. Trotted and put the basetube down. Scraped left shin kneeling on the rocks. GoPro on right washout tube with two swivels - any angle is possible. Decent video.
Left root batten lever loose

Good. SE at launch, mostly. Surprisingly good cores off the bluffs. Fun scratching. Good landing short of PG cone.

Good. Vt=24->22. PP VGT OK. Ratty thermals but strong. An HG and 3 vans on Marshall, filming, I think. Buzzed them twice. East at the LZ, on and off, lift over the grass Came in left for more options. Landed SE and fell to knees slash prone, glider level. GoPro on keel. .

Good. Vt=23->21 after 2 speed runs. Sprogs right VG 7/8. Plummeted at first then found a good strong thermal above the 750. Still rowdy and sharp edges. Two sets of wingovers. One way over wang. Good landing in SW 7 short of HG cone. GoPro on the keel.
Include Raked tips.

Good. Vt=24->20. Got up from Last Chance, went over UM. Out to 750 area and some wingovers. Lifty around LZ, good landing into light WSW. GoPro on left sprog.

Good. VtVGL=24, VGT=22. Sprog cables tight VG7/8. Windy, pushing 20 on arrival, more by the time i launched. More after i launched. Easy to climb without putting much effort into it. 6k at BB the Pine and a little West. Climbed with black and orange Icaro SS wing at Pine for a bit. Climbed from below Cloud Peak to 5.3k+ in a drifting thermal with Jeff B. on T2C. Went back to Crestline, saw van still up there. Came back S to land. Leading the hour mark and had enough of the windy. Had to force it down somewhat and very bumpy on final; rocked legs side to side a lot. OK landing in the vicinity of the PG cone. Put gloves on at odd Pine, took them off before landing. GoPro on keel.

Windier and cooler than yesterday. After helping Dan and Jason with crs wx revival (24+ up there) went to Marshall and it was ok but the fcst had higher wind later so top landing potentially dicey. Went to the 750 and it was 12+ cross 45 degrees from the right. Family with a quadrunner thing had three trucks and an EZ-Up across the launch apron about 6' back from the edge. Nice folks, offered me a beer. I was able to maneuver around them from the East no sweat. They were excited to see the launch. Launched down from the top to the right pointed about 45 deg off the regular launch line. Airborne with a couple of steps. In lift before I got to the flag on the bump but didn't want to circle right away. Slowly descended in ridge lift bumps and teeny thermal cores going by. The roll response was slow to start and stayed slow. Rolling back out fine, similar. Ponderous. Vt=17, Vs=16 or 15, hard to tell in the bumpy air. Fell out of a thermal a couple of times with the outside wing low and it rolled lower more than I expected, for a sec. Landed like an Alpha. Xbar center fixed to sliding ring around keel. Goal is a slow, linear roll rate. GoPro on keel. Good hike back up to get my truck, stopped and took in the view and the plant life a few times. Shirt wasn't soaked at the top.

Good. Vt=23->25. Moved KP to aft hole. Warm, clear, breezy. Drove up myself. Ruled top landing out on arrival at UM. That meant setting up quickly and landing in time to catch the 4 pm van. Launched the top, 1st thermal drifted north quickly enough that I was mindful of getting dumped with a headwind to fight. Got to 5.4k and then easy glide to CRS. Got 6k+ at BB. Sink at Pine. Back to UM then S toward campus. Big sink; dropped straight down well above the observatory. Good landing in SSW, just overshot the cone. GoPro right sprog. Need more mount extensions to allow setting good pitch angle. Couple of way over wingovers. Very clear! Great views. Very bumpy. Many pilots, few PG in the afternoon.

Good. Vt=23->19. Wind had some S in it from late morning until 2 and we had about a half-hour of N while we were setting up, strong enough that pilots were staying close to their wings. There was a SW cycle but by the time I got to the top launch it went to zero then N again. Amusing as the windsock got wrapped around itself (on vid). I launched off the top on the 2nd in cycle. It was soarable but there was lots of sink. Got above launch then was over the 750 in a N/sink cycle. Lots of 100-150 FPM lift good for a few turns. I climbed back to 3.9k from the pond via the bowl S of UM. but heading north to Marshall I saw all sink. After a long zero cycle at the LZ I saw good SW 10 so I dove in for a 29-minute flight. The others launched after I landed, as did the PG van-load. They got up for the most part but a flush cycle brought 2/3 of them to the LZ. Warm, low lapse rate. GoPro on right sprog.

Mild RT turn. Twisted L tip 1. Tempted to do 1 & 1 but, without thermalling, reluctant. Vt=23->21 without Vd run. 100% thin grey overhead, warm, no wind at the LZ. 3-5 S at launch. Landed S with 1/4 VG. Flared with wings not quite level, put the basetube down firmly. No video.

Sweet! Vt=23->21 VdVGT =53. Goes slow very well. Got 4,950 off Cloud in a thermal that went straight up, 800+ FPM at times. A 600 FPM thermal at Marshall got me to 5k. Brisk up there. Good wingovers and spins. Resisted spin VGT slow in a turn. Dove indie a 10 MPH S cycle. Left hand approach, overshot the PG cone but good landing. .

Good. High coverage had turned to dense mare's tails and strips of blue. Breezy enough at launch that I was very cautious crossing the road. Easy launch and went west to Last Chance area. Got bumps off terrain that felt like thermals at first. After several minutes I went toward the 750 but didn't find any lift until the 350 launch vicinity. Ended up over the north end of the LZ at about 250 AGL circling and gaining slowly. Could have climbed at least several hundred feet, prolly more. The flags showed strong S (while I was in lift above and just east of them!) so I dove in and landed with a tight right-hand approach to past the PG cone by 20+ feet.

Warm and clear. Light N at Crestline until 2 PM+. 10-12 S and SW. Laid out on the right side looking to take a SW cycle to the right of the bushes. Waited hooked-in for a long time for a couple of reasons. Lots of S cycles for one and others waiting to launch hearing noises about a downed HG near the 750. Got it up overhead on the first inflation try but it yawed to SE after I turned and I slammed the brakes. Moved to the top of the left side and had a good reverse inflation and turn. With the new 7" riser extensions the brakes were much more effective during the launch run. I did lurch to one side or the other a couple of times and feet barely left the uneven slope a couple of times before I skimmed over the top of the HG ramp. Into the seat of the harness smoothly, sinking very slowly, Couple of bumps and surge cycles gliding from Marshall and I decided to just get over the flats, turn a little, and land. Was still like 3k east of the LZ. Was more relaxed after a few minutes in the air. Found sink west of the parking lot and was starting a high downwind over the parking lot while an HG was on downwind to the east of the LZ. I hit stronger sink and had to fly at the NW corner then whip it hard to the right to get pointed into the wind. A big turn would have put me right next to the HG who was on final. Ended up on a good line mid-way between the cones but skimming with bent knees and settled gently onto my shins while the canopy fell forward. Felt good overall and lots of happy pilots to talk to in the LZ. I did see the downed HG (lime Falcon) on a flat brushy area a couple of hundred yards WNW of the 750. Looked intact, inverted, but I didn't go examine it. Luke the Boat Guy had flown from Marshall. Scratched too close or something. Reportedly he hiked down to get his truck and went back up to get the glider so presumably no injuries.

Good. Vt=23 - 24 - 19. Very thin high overcast, rain coming after 11 PM. Bumps bit no thermals yet. Quite bumpy on downwind and final. Good landing near the PG cone. GoPro on the keel.

Good. Vt=24->20 after Vd run. Vd=54. Scratched close below Cloud Peak, got a solid core off the pond at about 750-height. Cored tight and slow for a long time. Got to 4,500 with that thermal. Glider slows down so well! Good no-stepper short of the PG cone in S 5. Thought I had started the GoPro but I guess I didn't push the button right. Must look for the red light. Good wingovers. Customer ordered round basetube with no grips and it felt weird, annoying to have to grip the bar so tight for roll.

Good. VdVGT=47 (!) Vt=21->23->24. Gusting to 18 at launch and SW 18 in the air. Hovered a lot. Pulling up after a wingover I must have hit some lift because the basetube most got ripped from my hands. Round speedbar with wheels massive caused the slow Vd speed. Good landing into steady SW, well short of the cone. GoPro on the keel.

Good. Vd=37. Windy. There were thermals but I dodge soared the SW and S faces (S better) to the top of Cloud Peak. Good landing into steady S, on one foot by short of the cons. No GoPro this flight.

Good. Windy with clouds over Cajon Pass. Could have thermalled up but climbed by scratching close for a long time. Up a few hundred above launch then over to the west fingers and up slowly again part-way to Regionals. The bump producing faces were inconsistent but strong; S mostly. Windy West at the LZ and I knocked the PG cone over with my harness boot as my feet touched the ground. Up 1 for the day :) No GoPro.
Replace aft velcro ties with the no-cinch-ring kind. (We were out back when I built this one.)

Good. Vt=24->20. VdVGT=57. Goes to 11.2k' MSL well.

Good. Vt=24->21 (after a short speed run). 100% overcast, cloud base 4,500. Little wind, SSE at LZ. Big rain tomorrow night for a few days. No lift. Landed ESE. GoPro with new battery on keel.

Good. Vt=23->20. S at Marshall, 0-3, clouds had dropped a little. No lift. Right-hand approach in case the ESE picked up but really no wind. Good landing short of the HG cone. GoPro on the keel. Got a ride with High Adventure. Mike nailed the spot.

Good. Mike had launched the 750 earlier in very cross ESE. He suggested RGNLS and I acquiesced :) after we stopped at the 750 and saw cross zero. Zero wind at Regionals but a longer runway. Started with taut straps and ran hard but not desperate. Good launch. No air motion. None. Kinda wanged it down the spines nearish to the terrain for fun. Zero at the LZ with last-indicated ESE so I did a right-hand approach again. Overshot the PG cone by 25 feet. GoPro on keel, still going on the new battery. Old one was down to 20 minute-life; lasted 5 years. Got Wasabi replacements, 2 w/charger for $23 or so thru Amazon.
Put tape on small hole left P5 near nose. <1/8" sq.

Good. Mylar sail. Twisted 1 and 1 for a right turn. Vt=24,24,24,26,27. Moved KP to aft hole. Sprog cables tight at VG 7/8. VdVGT=58. High overcast thinner than earlier. First thermal was 900+ FPM. Got to 5k easily. Good landing into 5 S about 15 feet short of PG cone. GoPro on keel.

Great. Dacron sail w/Mylar LE. VdVGT=54. Vt=23->21 after VdVGT run. Winder, 15+. Got to 4k off Cloud and flat glide to Marshall. Good way over wingovers. No GoPro (battery only good for 20 minutes). Good landing into light S well short of PG cone but Mike overshot by more with the Alpha 235 Proto :)

Good. Very cold, 100% overcast. Rain and snow expected in a few hours. Light SE at launch but not very lifty on the upwind faces. SSE in the LZ. Right-hand approach to short of the PG cone.

Good. Tuft reversals at 19 MPH. Mylar sail. More wind at launch, SSE to SE. A little virga over Rialto that may have been reaching the ground. Good launch, not ridge quite soarable at launch. SE faces below Cloud weren't good for much. ESE 5 in the LZ. Good right-hand approach to short of PG cone, to left.

Good. VdVGT = 52 Vt=24->21. Between-systems day with low clouds and very cool. Went up with Dusty and Kathy and his passenger, Hana. Worked the reliable ridge/thermal flow close to the hill below Cloud Peak for a while. Saw some PGs higher out front. Flew close to the tandem and then found a nice core high S of the 750. Rode thAT TO 4K+ and overflew Marshall then a long glide W and S before landing. Hung out at the LZ for a while.

Good. Vt=23->20. _might_ have been a little stiff. Clear, not too cold. Supposed to rain tonight and rain for days. Some small bumps but I couldn't really climb. Steve soared with an S3 170. WSW 5 in the LZ. Bumpy on approach, good landing well short of the PG cone. GoPro on keel.

Good. Slight right turn, twisted left tip one hole. Vt=24->21 after Vd run . Good thermal right in front of launch. Got to 4k eventually. Saw 300-700 fpm lift. Felt good. Some wingovers. W 5 turning to SW at the LZ. Good landing well short again. Dave's GoPro on boom on basetube with experimental mic. Very scratchy sound - he had the automatic wind compensation on but it doesn't work well with an external mic.

Good. Thicker clouds, less lift. Felt the inertia compared to the S3. No wind at the LZ, went to flare and got no pitch rotation. Settled onto knees and basetube, fairly gently. One of the last T2's. My GoPro wouldn't last more than a few seconds. In transit it was protected from accidentally turning on so Iguess the battery is fairly shot and has 1/2 hour of life at best.

Good. Vt=24->26>25. Moved KP to aft hole. Sprog cables tight just before VG3/4. Lowered sprogs 1 turn each. Chillier, thickening overcast. Scratched my way down to the LZ, where it was mostly light SSW. 5 PG's, including a tandem, were over the LZ with me. I dove a little to slip in before the last 2. Approach to S, good landing 12 feet short of the HG cone.

More rain coming, fcst was for mild winds. Lua's memorial celebration is tomorrow at the LZ. Had my new 7" (+ carabiner) riser extensions to install. Wanted to go to Marshall and kite for a bit then fly off, something like that. Got to LZ and Gene & Tom were ready to go to the 750 or Regionals (if too light below). At Regionals it was blowing like 10 S and chilly. A wisp below Billboard became solid clouds across the ridge about 300 feet below the top. Unrolled the wing and installed the carabiners and extensions with care and only one almost-twist. The thing is, I wasn't feeling comfortable about trying out the new setup, mild change though it was, on a steep launch where I'd probably be in the air right away. So I packed back up and drove Gene's truck back down to the LZ; he had top landed a couple of times and I'd gotten the key.

Good. Sprogs tight VG7/8.

Good. VT good after VdVGT run. Vt=23, 23, 22, 22,, 21. Weak thermal at Cloud Peak with Steve turned good, saw 400 FPM at times. Another good one at UM. Good landing into 4 S about 20 feet short of PG cone. GoPro died before launch.

Good. Vt=22->20. High cloud layer had merged and spread to 90% coverage with a blue slit to the SW. Cooler and breeze from ESE 7 at launch. Launched running about 35 degrees left, skimmed a little low before pulling away from the slope. Was pointing ESE and crabbing S in the breeze+sink of the Cloud spine. Got around it and no free lift on the upwind side. Sledder back and forth, some hands-off. Quite W at the LZ but light on and off. Went back and forth between VG0 and VG1/4 several times as the sock cycled during upwind, base, and final. Indecisiveness continued as I considered the HG cone vs. the PG cone during final. Ended up pointing at the PG cone but had used up some airspeed with the slight veers left and right. Airspeed went away quickly and I had a smooth 3-stepper with the HG cone back to my left and the PG cone the same distance ahead. It was more W and steadier when Mike and Steve came in.

Good. Clear, cool, little wind. 36 hours ahead of rain. Right-hand approach to 25 feet past the PG cone. Dave's GoPro on keel.

Good. Light SW cycle to launch onto, right wing dumped hard after launch. Some puffs of lift, Mike and Steve flew longer. Light SSW to land into, bottom dropped out on final and skidded on shins about 40 feet short of PG cone.

Sweet. Raked tips. Vt=23->21. No Vd run. Great roll. Light wind at launch. For above launch slowly at Last Chance. No real climbs on the Cloud spine. Maintained low over the pond. S final in zero wind with 1/4 VG. Good flare 15 feet short of PG cone. Tired with Mike on spot.

Good. Vt=24,24,24,23,22. Good PP. Raked tips. GoPro on keel. Thermal off Cloud Peak to 4,700 went almost straight up and had 300-500 FPM with touches of 600. Wangs past 90 near UM. Sledded on down after that as the others had landed. SW final into 0-2. 20 feet short of PG cone but nice three-stepper with 1/4 VG.