Ken Howells Hang Gliding & Paragliding Flight Log

Took the Sandy Van to CRS, had the repaired glider and the big basetube wheels for landing. We got there and it was quite breezy and chilly. I was in shorts and tee shirt. Could have handled being cold at first after launch and the wind wasn't a factor. Had been thinking about how I was resigned to having to land on the wheels, and how that was an added risk in itself. Added in how I hadn't been cognizant of conditions before going up. Hadn't unloaded the glider. Decided not to fly.

Decent looking warm afternoon with S cycles. Set up and launched into a good SW cycle and did some E-W passes. Scratched above the 350 area for a while then went to land into SW 3. I decided to land on the 5" wheels but somehow I skimmed too close and the wheels caught before I had slowed down much at all. Nose to ground, helmet to keel, bar ripped from hands. I've done this numerous times without incident. Pilot error or the "90% safe" problem. Slow hike up with the machete to get my truck.
Replace TS wire, re-grommet(?) 2 bridle locations, reduce extra reflex in 2 battens. Put big wheels w/harness.

Unusually hot, 103 F, and pretty windy. One-step launch and floated up to 6k. Easy crossing to Pine, slow. Not great there. Long slow glide S to the Afterbay then surprisingly weak push to Last Chance. 7k off Cloud Peak so back to Crestline. Even slower going against the headwinds up higher; basically parked. Decided to round the radio towers. Along the way got 8k just flying straight and decided to round The Arrowhead instead. Got to 8.5k. Strawberry looked inviting but not in the F3T in that wind. Over Arrowhead Springs I saw an orange PG scratching way down there. Decided to try flying over my house (several miles SW) and it took about 15 minutes but I got there at 6k. Couldn't quite make out the lawn mowing pattern. Turned N for the LZ area, getting cautious now at 5k. Surprisingly slow getting to Badger Hill. Went to Regionals and saw Jordan launch tandem from way down the slope. Triceps getting tired from pulling in. Went over the LZ and ended up forcing the wing down by coring sink to approach height. Good hovering approach into WSW 15 with a plop onto my feet at the end, so I went to my knees. Still, felt great to fly the HG again (and do some wingovers) and even better to land upright. A PG went down between Regionals and Crestline, pilot OK. Most PGs were waiting until later to launch. Yesterday was epic, I heard. I was in T-shirt and gloves and very comfortable though 8.5k MSL was pretty cool.

Sunny, warm, cycles 10 mph SSE-SW. No GPS. Inflated 3/4 of the way up from the ramp area. Got barely airborne after a few steps, skimmed about 50', then had to run again. Ran all the way down to the drop-off by the ramp and down that slope a few feet when the wing collapsed. I was even with the bottom of the ramp and the wing was to my right in a clear patch. Gathered it up, lumbered over to the ramp and up the ramp. Slipped once when I trod on the wing, slid down a couple of feet. Got near the top of the ramp and a visiting pilot helped with the wing. I took off the harness and made a few feet before I had to collapse on my back, out of breath and woozy. Told him to just drop my gear right there but he took it up to my original launch spot. Watched a couple of Marcello's students launch until I was breathing normally and then stood up. Marcello came over and agreed that I was running plenty fast. He supported my hypothesis that the wing had bad porosity or something, which I've been suspecting due to all the skimming launches and blown launches. I walked up and spread out my wing and lines. Good inflation, ran a little way before lifting off a few feet and skimming the rest of the way to the drop-off. More comfortable but still too low. In the air I was tired and thought about just going and landing. Went to below Cloud Peak and scratched up to the top pretty slowly, still feeling a little ragged. Settled in and thermalled with the gaggle, decided to go for one hour airtime. Several cores sounded like over 1k FPM up as I traversed the cores, but mostly it was just 200 FPM or so. Overflew UM and did the Cloud Peak climb again then went west. Watched two deer ambling on the road below Regionals; watched them for several minutes. Went to the Afterbay hills from 4,400 MSL; turned back from the tops at 3,900. Lost a lot going back across Devil Canyon so bee-lined for the 350 launch area. Got there with a couple of hundred over and was able to scratch for a few passes. Saw higher traffic coming down so I went and landed for traffic flow. Pulled brakes hard at touchdown but hit on my butt pretty hard (no spinal jolt) 8' from the PG cone. 50 minutes airtime. Observers noted that it didn't seem to do much when I pulled the brakes. Again I talked with Marcello a bit and he supported the porosity issue even more. At least 20 pilots out grabbing the good weather (rainy days before). I don't want to fly the Buzz 4 again; too many close calls. Made arrangements for a replacement wing that night. Alta XL, 23 days shipping quoted.

Light S with haze. Good inflation and kite, long skim very close to slope. Messed with my stirrup a little too long. Scratched the 350 cliff for a fair number of passes. Felt great to fly. Landed just short of PG cone in almost zero wind; wing on other side of cone. Took my time hiking up for truck. Vegetation encroaching on trail.

Moist day with a chance of a shower. Clouds to E & W but clear with S 8 becoming SW. Good inflation and brief kiting. Good run then low skim. Sank a couple of hundred right away but maintained for a minute before scratching the bluffs. One kinda save. OK landing into very light S. OK target-wise but fell to knees with wing in front. Good hike with a hike 'n fly guy well behind me so I couldn't stop (for long).

Rode the 1 PM SandyVan. Too windy at CRS, good at UM but SE at first. Good inflation and launch from the middle of the slope with many steps. Easy lift right off launch so instant relaxation. Generally buoyant with flow from the SSE and climbs to 5k+ several times, 5,600 max. Flew W to hills N of Afterbay and found lift at my turnaround point so I ended up at 5,300 about a mile S of Pine flat. Headed for RGNLS plenty high. Worked the bowl more than the spines, popping above Cloud Peak several times. Went out over the CalState parking lots to find sink, then landed cleanly for 1:09 airtime. Fun. Shorts and a tee shirt, no gloves.

Switch day and pre-frontal. Stood on launch ready to go for 1/2 hour with ESE cycles. Good ground handling (not kiting). Good inflation at the top and good run/launch. Worked the terrain SW of launch for a few minutes (facing SE mostly) and then was east of the LZ at about 300 AGL when I turned in some lift and managed to eke it back to the pond area and then even with the 750. Lowest PG save yet. No vario. Lots of gentle up and down with the SE switching to SW and back (and back). Fun. Seemed to be getting windier and after my 2nd tip collapse and seeing a PG dragged east across the LZ, I decided to land posthaste. Came down vertically at the NE corner of the LZ. Good landing and deflation. JD landed east of Badger Hill and called the LZ, so I took his car and got him, then he got me back to the 750 to get my truck.

Single onshore day within a spate of N days. Crestline was zero wind and puffing down so eventually the Sandy Van took us to Marshall. Cycles started coming in there around 13:15. Good inflation and launch with a longish run. House thermal was going straight up, but not high. Flew over UM then Cloud Spine where I spent the rest of the flight. Tight boomers with hard to predict drift; I never got that far from the hill but had a great time working the tiny thermals. Good landing, went to one knee.

Moderate SE flow top to bottom. I observed a PG parking a little, above the Cloud spine, from the LZ. Dan gave me a ride to CRS, having sold a Spectrum to Dale. Was comfortable at CRS in tee shirt & shorts, wore gloves to fly. Good S cycles right at launch, good inflation and launch, floating upward a little. Went to the right from launch and could see Darren PG and 2 HG low in the middle of Devil Cyn., so SE over there too. I did a slow glide to RGNLS and just relaxed. It was bumpy there and I went to the Cloud spine area. Had it all to myself and it was working without the wind being an issue. I still stayed mostly on the East side of it working the terrain up and down. Large group waiting on UM started to trickle off. I never got up enough to go over there but I worked the turbulent spine E of Cloud a bit. PGs were ending up S of Last Chance. I decided to go land. Straight SE there, I came in down the slope (not low enough) and ended up past the middle of the LZ. My knees touched the dirt but I kinda bounced to my feet with the last of my forward momentum. Very satisfying flight.

Wind arrived at 13:20, just like yesterday when I didn't fly. Tom Swanson had arrived at the 750 by foot before I did by truck. Cycles from SSE, then SW, then SSE, etc. PGs just launching UM. Good inflation and launch in a S cycle. Maintained altitude for the first pass then it was a quick trip to the LZ. Had a nice landing and deflation. Many pilots in the LZ and in the air. No pix, DigiFly out of juice. Flytec was sufficient. Don't know when Tom launched but I saw him soaring as I hiked up to get my truck. Finishing the hike felt great!

Low inversion
Light wind, inversion looked like a floor at Crestline. Good launch. Went left and found nothing, then did the glide west below the ridge with the elbows in deciding when to turn for RGNLS. Got there at 4,300 then scratched my way down the Cloud Spine with the PGs. Managed some delaying tactics near the pond. Light SSW and fading at the LZ so I rolled it in. Felt very encased before launching but it was all familiar in a few minutes. Lots of pilots out.

Post S.A.
Switch day, finally. L coming this weekend. Windier than I expected. Good inflation, kiting and launch. Took one step forward and went up up up. Not much penetration of the S flow at BB so I flew out front. Ended up rounding the radio tower SE of UM, slow glide there, slow glide to CP area. Lots of flying straight with the very beeping lazily. Decided to go land and took my time descending SW of the LZ. Sweet landing on toes but out in the middle of the field, so a long walk ;)