FlyBC's Paragliding Site of the Day Page - from the Universe's Largest Paragliding Centre :-)

Date	Site	Forecast	Winds @ 3000' in knots	Lapse Rate °C/1000' Cloud Base in Meters	Comments
3-26-19	Mt Woodside is forecast to have rain for most of today	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Showers ending this afternoon then cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Risk of thunderstorms late this morning and this afternoon. High 14. UV index 2 or low.	240° @ 3	-3.0°C (unstable) 600 metres	Coaches Corner - FlyBC is closed today for errands and car repairs. FlyBC is an authorized distributor for Ozone , SkyBean Varios, Gin , SupAir, Flytec/ Naviter, Blackhawk Paramotors , Wills Wing. Used Gear List: Updated March 24, 2019 Harnesses for Sale: Supair Access Airbag harnesses (new) - $650 without reserve (great lightweight harness) Supair Radical 3 reversible airbag harnesses - $800 without reserve SupAir Strike L demo harness - $1500 Gin Gingo Lite L - $1350 CDN (new) Gin Basis M harness - $350 CDN (used) Ozone Ozium S Harness - $1400 CDN without reserve Ozone Forza L Harness - $1400 CDN without reserve SupAir Delight 3 M harnesses - $1700 without reserve Assorted used harnesses from $350 CDN. Speedwings for Sale: Ozone Rapi-Dos 13 metre - demo with no flights - $2400 Paragliders for Sale: SupAir EONA (S) - EN-A demo wing - $2900 CDN without harnesses, all 2018 models Ozone Atom 3 Medium or Large - $2900 CDN - demo wing 2018 models Advance Alpha 5 hike & fly wing - EN-B - $2000 - 50 hours Ozone Swift 4 ML - 2016 Model - $2300 - 2 to choose from Ozone Swift 4 MS - 2018 Model - $2800 - great shape Ozone Alpina2 MS - 2016 Model - $1800 - great shape with under 100 hours - 2 to choose from in Blue/Red Ozone Alpina3 MS - 2018 Model - $3000 - great shape with under 50 hours Ozone Magnum 2 Tandem with 80 flights - $2000 CDN AirDesign Rise 3 Demo - M - 85-105 kgs - blue - just a few demo flights - $4200 CDN AirDesign Eazy - EN-A - M - 85-105 kgs - blue - two seasons old - $2400 CDN SupAir Taska S - Red - 30 hours - 75-95 kgs - EN-C - $3000 CDN Paramotors for sale: Kangook Lite Frame with HE125 power. High hang point harness with option to add swing-arms for extra cost. $4500 CDN including taxes with only 15 hours of run time. Kangook Lite Frame with Compact Radial MZ100 power. High hang point harness with option to add swing-arms for extra cost. $5500 CDN including taxes with only 4 hours of run time. BlackHawk 125Lite Paramotor the new 125Lite Paramotor, 5 lbs lighter than the previous model - $7995 USD with Core glider of your size. BlackHawk 125 Lite Paramotor
3-25-19	Mt Woodside is forecast to have NE winds all day	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mainly cloudy. 40 percent chance of showers this afternoon. High 14. UV index 4 or moderate.	040° @ 20	-3.0°C (unstable) 1100 metres	Woodside Report - closed today due to errands and outflow. Big task in Brazil for the PWC SuperFinal X!
3-24-19	Mt Woodside is forecast to have good lift potential after 2 pm today	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mainly cloudy. 40 percent chance of showers this afternoon. High 14. UV index 4 or moderate.	240° @ 3	-3.0°C (unstable) 1100 metres	Tandemonium Report - we had a set of 7 tandems to do today. Thanks to Colleen, Brad H, Kevin A, Derek, Dennie, Andrei & myself we got them all done in one session. Mixed launch conditions with spicy to lame (when I went last), and everyone did well for their first tandems of the season! Kevin got highest and decided to fly to Agassiz . . . with the girl who had the car keys so no one else could get to their stuff (logistics). Thanks also to Bev, Norm & Martin N who drove shuttles and retrieves. Congrats also to Thierry who upgraded to a Rush 4 and Skypper 2 harness today after a brilliant flight over Woodside.
3-23-19	Mt Woodside is forecast to have good lift potential after 2 pm today	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Considerable clouds this morning. Some decrease in clouds later in the day. High 14C. Winds light and variable.	240° @ 3	-3.0°C (unstable) 1400 metres	Woodside Report - we were hoping to fly at noon, good conditions forecasted on the RASP came true around 2 pm. Local pros were out and doing out & returns to Deroche, some ventured east towards Bear & Bridal Falls. I had 4 students keeping Bev & me busy shuttling. Later in the day Colleen, Bev & Derek flew off Woodside and landed at Sandpiper Golf Course for lunch where I met them. Here is Bev landing at the Golf Course (photo by Colleen). Kalina & Clark had great thermalling flights today too. Clark reminded us all to dress warmer for the next flights.
3-22-19	Mt Woodside is forecast to have strong SW winds in the afternoon so beware	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Partly Cloudy. High 16C. Winds light and variable.	240° @ 20	-3.0°C (unstable) 1200 metres	Woodside Report - we were hoping to fly at noon, good conditions forecasted on the RASP. We did not get to launch until 1 pm and we thought it was going to "blow-out" by 2 pm, so Bev flew off. Martin N was next and he worked hard to get 28 minutes. Derek launched only after seeing Martin climb above launch, and he caught a great bubble to get above launch. It was short-lived, as the upper clouds rolled in. Norm & I drove down as it looked lame and we weren't motivated to pack up at the bottom.
3-21-19	Mt Woodside is forecast to have good lift to 1200 metres and light winds	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High near 20C. Winds light and variable.	240° @ 5	-3.0°C (unstable) 1200 metres	Woodside Report - we headed up to fly at noon, good conditions forecasted on the RASP. But the RASP did not show the actual inversion at launch height. I flew one tandem at 1 pm and the thermals wre small and rough (inversion) but we had a nice flight and Talitha loved hte flight and especially the tip-toe landing! After we had landed the solo pilots launched and scratched around the South Knoll in one small thermal. I had one more tandem to do with 4 year old Chloe, daughter of Chris, and it looked pretty windy with solo gliders reporting 9-11 kph into wind. Good thing I was flying Colleen's Gin Osprey, which is an excellent high wind glider. No problem staying up on this flight as the thermals were pumping and the wind was SW at 25 pph in the air. My two tandem landings were perfect standup landings, due to perfect winds at the time of touchdown, whereas Colleen and Derek did not like the air at the Ranch as it was gusty. The students got 2 flights today and left happy! Meanwhile the PWC Superfinal is running in Brazil, with Brett Hazlett as the only Canadian Pilot.
3-20-19	Mt Woodside is forecast to have outflow winds for the next few days but we are hopeful for an afternoon sleddy	Woodside Forecast Savona Forecast: Sunny. High 16. UV index 5 or moderate.	040° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1000 metres	Woodside Report - Woodside was expected to have strong NE winds today so we did some P-2 exam invigilation for Wayne. Wayne got an amazing 93% on his exam and was prepped to go flying at 4 pm with the Desperado Crew. Wayne is now a fully signed off P-2 with 40 plus flights in the past two weeks! I fortunately fell asleep and missed the ride up. After several hours on top, the Crew came back down with reports of 20 kph over the back. Meanwhile in Brazil, local Hero Brett H was flying Task 1 of the Superfinal 2018.
3-19-19	Mt Woodside is forecast to have outflow winds for the next few days, so we are off to Savona	Woodside Forecast Savona Forecast: Sunny. High 16. UV index 5 or moderate.	040° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1000 metres	Savona Report - the other students arrived on time today so we had Wayne, Arash & Mark training today. We started out with fairly brisk winds at 10 am and the guys all got a flight and some kiting but then . . . it blew out and was too strong for safe practicing. I checked Cache Creek weather and there were light winds so we raced off to Coyote. The conditions were light but reversible and it perfect so everyone got 3-4 flights. The last one off on the last flight at 330 pm was Mark on his Rush 4 and he got to soar and top-land. He was stoked! Only a few more flight til he is signed off P-2.
3-18-19	Mt Woodside is forecast to have outflow winds for the next few days, so we are off to Savona	Woodside Forecast Savona Forecast: Sunny. High 16. UV index 5 or moderate.	040° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1000 metres	Savona Report - we headed to Savona for Monday & Tuesday. Woodside was expected to have strong NE winds for those days. There was supposed to be three students but only Wayne showed up, so it was a very productive day for him. The Tracker can drive up the Dump Ridge so retrieves were fast and we just bunched the glider into the trunk between flights. Wayne is up to 25 flights already with tows, Woodside flights and Heritage Park runs but we needed more and varied approach training and Savona is great for that. Wayne was flying an Ozone Geo II and a Buzz Z5 and he fell in love with the Buzz Z5. By the end of the day, at 3 pm Wayne had logged 12 flights including some soaring.
3-17-19	Mt Woodside is too snowy to drive up, so we are towing for the next few days	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: A mix of sun and cloud. High 19. UV index 4 or moderate.	240° @ 4	-3.0°C (unstable) 1000 metres	Woodside Report - we did more towing in the Eagle Ranch LZ today. We towed til 2 pm and then I drove the students up to 3 kms on Woodside and we hiked from there. Jonathon got his first Woodside flight after a dozen tows and a bunch of training hill flights. Wayne also flew Woodside for his 6th high flight here (he also has multiple tows and training hill flights). It was pretty stable but despite the +15 kph of NE winds in the forecast we had nice reversible cycles and smooth air for their flights.
3-16-19	Mt Woodside is too snowy to drive up, so we are towing for the next few days	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: A mix of sun and cloud. High 16. UV index 4 or moderate.	240° @ 4	-3.0°C (unstable) 1000 metres	Towing Report - we were towing students in the Eagle Ranch LZ today. Woodside Road is impassible due to heavy snow. Martin N and a group of brave pilots hiked most of the way up Woodside and flew while we were towing. They flew for 3-4 hours until the sky "milked out". Jonathon & Wayne did 6 tows each with great results. We then headed to Heritage Park for some training hill fun.
3-15-19	Mt Woodside is too snowy to drive up, so we are towing for the next few days	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers early this morning. Clearing near noon. High 14. UV index 5 or moderate.	040° @ 4	-3.0°C (unstable) 1200 metres	Towing Report - FlyBC was towing two students in the Eagle Ranch LZ today. Woodside Road is impassible due to heavy snow past the 2 km mark, according to Martin N who hiked up today. Martin had a great flight and somehow we never saw him in the air? The Phoenix Winch started right up after 4 months of not being used and performed brilliantly during the tows today. After the winds went calm around 2:30 pm, we headed to Heritage Park and the guys had another 5-6 flights perfecting their launch skills. Jonathan figured out the reverse launch technique very quickly flying our SupAir EONA demo. OZONE MANTRA M7 from Ozone Paragliders on Vimeo. OZONE SWIFT 5 from Ozone Paragliders on Vimeo.
3-14-19	Mt Woodside is too snowy to drive up, so we are heading to Savona for the next few days	Woodside Forecast Savona Forecast: Cloudy with 30 percent chance of flurries this morning then a mix of sun and cloud. Wind becoming east 20 km/h near noon. High 9. UV index 4 or moderate.	040° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1200 metres	Savona Report - we arrived in Savona at 10 am to have moderate East winds. After breakfast we crested the Dump Hill to find +30 kph NE winds. I tried kiting one of our wings and I could get it overhead but the gusts would pick me up and push me backwards, so a bit strong for students! After waiting an hour, we headed to Coyote Hill in Ashcroft and drove up to check the winds there. The road up is a muddy nightmare, so wait a few weeks to go up there. We got Wayne his first Coyote flight though. Next stop, a heavy duty car wash.
3-13-19	Mt Woodside getting rained out for a few more days	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mainly cloudy. 40 percent chance of rain showers or wet flurries early this morning. High 8. UV index 3 or moderate.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1200 metres	Woodside Report - reports of lots of snow in the mountains, so we went to Mission to work on the training hill and Wayne had 7 very nice flights in Heritage Park. Meanwhile, back at Woodside . . . Sean & Brad hiked at different times and reported up to 2 feet of snow on the road. Launch is also very icy and Brad had to resort to a forward launch to maintain solid footing. Brad had a stellar flight at cloudbase while I was out in the LZ test running a new Blackhawk 125 paramotor.
3-12-19	Mt Woodside getting rained out for a few days	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Cloudy. Rain beginning this afternoon. High plus 5. UV index 2 or low.	240° @ 12	-3.0°C (unstable) 600 metres	Woodside Report - I got out around noon and it was still snowing, maybe staying in Mexico longer is a future option for our winters. But last July the boys had a fun hike & fly off Mt. Baker, which just got released.
3-11-19	Mt Woodside getting rained out for a few days	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Cloudy. Rain beginning this afternoon. High plus 5. UV index 2 or low.	240° @ 12	-3.0°C (unstable) 600 metres	Woodside Report - we got rain/snow all day so we went to Vancouver for the day.
3-10-19	Mt Woodside this afternoon hopefully	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High near 10C. Winds NW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 12	-3.0°C (unstable) 1200 metres	Woodside Report - we flew three rounds at Woodside today, getting Wayne 3 more solo flights. CanadaRASP was right on with Saturday's conditions and Sunday looked okay with lower top-of-lift, but it actually turned out inverted at Woodside. Martin N of course got a requisite hour of South Knoll scratching before he went home. Not as many pilots out as many went to Benny where the lift looked stronger, but they were most confined in the Miracle Valley itself. Last flight of the day had Derek & Kyle getting above Launch for some time as the winds picked up. We had a great weekend with Wayne earning five solo flights in two days and his last launches were looking very controlled! John R's Excellent Weekend Adventure - Managed to ski launch my little Howe sound site and used the day's brilliant lift to 1900m+, to access some great ski terrain. Toplanded under the West Lion and skied the NW couloir. Sunset flight down to Lion's Bay to exit. I'm loving the AirDesign Volt 3. I've got about 10hr of thermalling on it, and It's treating me well. Even got to fly it in some fairly rough thermic air with some N wind a week ago. Handled like a champ with quick input. Looking forward to some real xc adventure this year - John R.
3-9-19	Mt Woodside this afternoon hopefully	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Sunny. High 8C. Winds NW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 5	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Woodside Report - March flying has arrived, as did about 25 pilots eager to make this a memorable weekend at Woodside. Wayne had a few days off and had to go back to work in Northern BC soon, so he came out for Intro Lessons. We started kiting at 11 am and Wayne was doing very well with his forward launches, but he really began to "shine" once he learned the FlyBC "A's & C's Reverse Technique". Wayne did about a dozen really solid inflations and runs in the Eagle Ranch LZ, so when Derek took a truckload up we hopped in. No expectations, I just told Wayne we could kite on top . . . and maybe fly. He had the landing briefing in the LZ, and Colleen was to arrive back at the Ranch around 1 pm so it was perfect for Wayne to fly. He just did not know it yet. We arrived and watched a bunch of pilots takeoff and climb high in smooth lift. There was an opening in the Launch Queue and we got Wayne in position. He had a few flubs, probably nervous in front of the crowd. But on the third try Wayne had a solid wing and he was off and soon thermalling over Harrison Highlands on the Green Ozone Atom 3. Colleen was in the LZ and took over guiding Wayne as I drove down, and despite getting trapped behind several trucks, I was just coming down Hwy 7 as Wayne was landing so he had a good 20 minute first flight! We went back up at 3 pm, and Colleen & Bev flew off and the air looked smooth so Wayne got his second flight in then. This time Derek was in the LZ to guide Wayne in so it was well timed as Colleen climbed out and was not available. Kevin had a very nice flight landing in downtown Rosedale on his new Ozone Swift 5.
3-8-19	Mt Woodside this afternoon hopefully	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Partly Cloudy. High 6C. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Woodside Report - we were planning to go up around 2 pm when the outflow was supposed to quit. Martin N was the optimist of the group and he hiked up at 1:00 pm. I met him on the road at about 1.5 kms and loaded him in. It was a short ride as I spun out at 2.5 kms. We installed the chains and went a few hundred metres and one side popped off. We reinstalled that side and at 3.5 kms the other side popped off. I gave up and drove down with only one set of chains. Martin reported light east winds with occassional cycles up the front. I met with Norm & Bev and we headed up in their Lexus. At 3.5 kms we spun out again and my chains would not fit Bev's truck. Bev & I hiked up and Norm drove down. Hike #1 for me today. Derek was coming about 30 minutes later and Norm met up with him. We arrived on launch to nice cycles and Martin was at 1100 metres heading east. I launched first and got up above launch easily but it was rough . . . rougher than any of my Mexico flights this winter. As you got higher it got rougher. I thought maybe it was leeside but the drift was from the SW. I saw a nice CU forming over the North Bowl and I heded over there, but there was nothing but sink heading there and I arrived low. I found some lift and it drifted back towards launch where I arrived below launch height. Bev had launched and was abovve the South Knoll, and getting high. Just as I got close to catching Bev, she headed out to the valley? Apparently she was already frozen in 15 minutes. I kept flying and lost sight of Martin who headed towards Agassiz & Bear Mountains. I got up to around 1300 metres but not into the yummy CUs which were further back over Agassiz Mtn. I headed out towards the valley a few times to warm up and even arriving low over Harrison Highlands, I was able to thermal back to launch and above with ease. Derek, Norm & Andrei arrived on launch and one-by-one they launched and scratched in close to get up. What they did not notice was that I was going up faster further out, maybe it was leeside? Derek got high first and then they were all above launch. It was smoother now as the day went on. I flew out around 3 pm and had an uneventful landing even though the sock was moving all directions. Bev was still in the LZ enjoying the heat, so we hatched a plan to take Collen iup for a flight and retrieve Derek's truck. As we headed up I did not bother with chains as they don't fit properly anyway. We got stuck at the Lower Launch area again and started hiking up. Bev drove my truck down. Derek reported that he had top-landed to warm up. We kept hiking. We arrived and Derek was buzzing launch, Norm and Andrei had both landed by now. Colleen got ready and had a nice launch and bouyant flight as I hiked back down to Derek's truck at 4 kms. Total flight time for me today was 90 minutes, hiking time about 2 hours and 7 kms total. The snow should be gone by next weekend.
3-7-19	Woodside	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Increasing cloudiness. Wet snow beginning this afternoon. Windy near Agassiz this morning. High plus 4. UV index 2 or low.	240° @ 5	-3.0°C (unstable) 1100 metres	Woodside Report - It snowed and then cleared up around 3 pm and the desperados started congregating at Eagle Ranch. First Norm & Bev, then Martin N. I was needing to clean some sand out of an Ozone Rush 4 we had in Mexico for training, so I got it ready to go up the mountain. We talked Derek into driving up the mountain after I successfully got through the first icy cross ditch with ease in the Tracker. We had to park the Dodge at 3.5 km as the road got too icy. So icy in fact that as I stepped away from the truck with my pack on I fell flat on my back. Yes, Jim was hiking. Not something I do normally, but it was pretty. Derek captured the beauty on launch, nice cycles and puffy CU all around us. Bev went first with a beautiful launch on her Swift 4. Martin was off second and somehow got super-low down near the highway and it looked like a swamp landing or worse, but his Ozone Swoft 5 has a very nice glide and he made the Ranch with ease. Derek took off and soared the NW facing ridge for awhile, then headed out when he saw Martin so low. I filled the cells of the Rush 4 with snow to get the sand out and kited it a bit but it was too heavy to fly that way, so Norm helped me flip the glider over to shake the snow out. But the damed shark-nose profile makes that a bit difficult with the smaller openings. I kited the glider a few times and it was still pretty heavy but with a good cycle I was off and soaring the NW face. There were some nice thermals but fairly small as the sun was just peeking through. Landing conditions were perfect with SE 10-15 kph on the windsock. My apologies for others that the windsock is so small in the field, our staff has not been trained in windsock selection. This will be remedied soon. I still had some big snowballs in the glider after landing, because it is still damn cold out.
3-3-19 to 3-5-2019	Eagle Ranch clean up and unpacking	Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High -3C. Winds NNE at 25 to 30 km/h.	040° @ 20	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Woodside Report - FlyBC is closed due to high winds and cold temps. Hoping the weekend will be good!
3-2-19	One more day to get home	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds NNW at 25 to 30 km/h.	200° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Road Trip - almost home. I stayed in a rest stop near Roseburg OR cause the Motel 6 looked full and there were some shady characters roaming the parking lot. I woke up at 5 am and started driving home. No problems at the Canadian Border, no lineups or inspections required and I was soon at the Ranch.
3-1-19	Road trip to Canada	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds NNW at 25 to 30 km/h.	200° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Road Trip Report - FlyBC is headed home in the Chevy Tracker. Today was a peaceful day leaving Fresna at 9 am and a side trip to Blackhawk Paramotors to see the new stuff. Google Maps took me down a deserted road for many miles and some deep water crossings! LOL! So much to see! New Kestrel Frames with molded cage hoops and many different engine choices: HE125, HE220, Talon 190, Talon 190 EFI, Vitorazzi Moster 185, Vitorazzi Black Bull, and anti-torque settings on the new harnesses. .
2-26-19 to 02-28-19	Long Trip Home	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds NNW at 25 to 30 km/h.	200° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Road Trip Report - FlyBC is heading home! Day One - February 26 - Colleen and I drove to Puerto Vallarta at 8 am to get her to an Air Canada flight leaving at 2 pm direct to YVR. I arrived in Mazatlan before dark and settled into a beachfront hotel for a total of 750 kms today. Day Two - February 27 -I drove north on the Cuota and made it to Nogales AZ just a few hours after dark. Huge border lineups as they just closed 5 of the lanes as I arrived. The guard had a tough time trying to understand why I had a full truck with only me on board, I tried to explain that we have a few hobbies - paragliding, paramotoring, snorkelling, life activities and of course my wifes two big suitcases! I was finally free to drive through 45 minutes later after a full X-Ray of me and the contents as we drove through a scanner - wondering how safe these devices actually are? I made it to the Luxurious Motel 6 in Nogales after 1161 kms today. Day Three - February 287 -I drove north towards Phoenix at 8 am with a stop around 9 am for gas and breakfast. I took a wrong turn at Gila Bend where you can bypass Phoenix, which took me towards San Diego. Hmmm? Maybe a Torrey flight? Nahh, I checked the forecast and it looked too light for soaring so I kept going thru Indio towards the 10-W towards LA. Going through Banning Pass it was very windy, windy enough to be actively driving ith gusty cross winds. The windmills were spinning and the dust was flying! There is a lot of snow on the surrounding mountains after last weeks rainstorms and low temps. Onwards toward Riverside CA and Marshall and the CUs looked "yummy" but the wids were too strong. I did see hangies setup on Marshall but they are crazy enough to fly in these winds! Traffic was moving well and I was soon on the Grapevine heading out of the LA basin going about 130 kph. Cloudbase was down to the road level and more snow on the hills. I did not stop in Lebec CA where my Dad used to live in a shabby trailer park in the late 60's. I usually stop there for gas and wonder what he saw in this place? Another wrong turn and I was on Hwy 99 instead of the I-5. A quick check on my Mexican Phone and Google Maps says this is faster to get to Valley Springs CA where Blackhawk Paramotors is located anyway. I pulled into Fresno CA at 8 pm with 12 hours on the clock and had dinner at Olive Grove, where a meal for 1 can feed a family of 4. A few miles further north and I was in a LaQuinta Inn in Madera CA. Only 1376 kms today and 12.5 hours. Loosing my skills at XC driving. On to BH March 1 to check out the new goodies like EFI - electronic fuel injection! Woodside Report - while I was driving northwest today . . . Martin N, Norm, Derek, Bev, Andrei and Matt J were flying Woodside on the first non-outflow day in weeks. They had to hike from 3.5 kms but were rewarded with 1.5 to 3.0 hours of airtime, depending on how long one could stand the cold! Martin's tracklog shows it was lifty everywhere. I should be at Woodside soon to clean the sand and dust off my wings. I am not sure where my warm clothes are though? Maybe my new Ozone Mantra M7 will be here soon too?
2-25-19	El Toro at noon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SSE at 10-15 km/h.	200° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	El Toro Report - Colleen, Thomm & I drove up El Toro today early to make sure we did not miss the wind window, although the forecast said SSE which is different. A nice change as the road had been graded and we could drive up fast and the holes were all filled in. We passed the grader going down at 2 kms. We encountered the normal hiker traffic and met the ATV Tour folks at the top. The wind was definitely SSE but it was more like 30 kph! The birds were parked facing the town and it looked rough. We waited for an hour and then started driving down as it was not abating. First sign of trouble was local hill manager, Solomin, sitting on the road and he mentioned "camino es cerrado - abejas!" which translates to the road is closed because of bees? We kept driving down and met up with the ATV folks. They had stopped to light a few smudge fires on the road to ward off the bees. We drove down past them and the grader was parked on a curve and no driver. And then the bees attacked the Tracker! Good thing the windows were up. We retreated and gave a hiker a ride back up to safety. A few bees came into the car with him but we "shooed them out". We drove back to the top where it was cooler and the wind was actually looking okay now at 1 pm. But I did not want to leave Thomm to fend for himself and Colleen was not interested in flying alone, so we headed back down after 45 minutes of enjoying the views. We drove back down and the ATVers were gone and their fires were burned out. Near 2 kms a group of Policia, Civil Protection workers, Red Cross Ambulances were assembled and getting ready to car pool hikers down the mountain past the bee swarms at 1 km. we followed the convoy with a family of hikers loaded into the Tracker. Manzanillo News Report about the "killer bees" You can google translate it if you can't read Spanish. Quote of the Day - "You can't make this SHIT UP!" - Jaime We are going to make up a few kits for our pilots - mosquito head nets and jackets, EPIpens, and spray which should fit nicely into the top of a pack to be readily accessible.
2-23-19 to 2-24-19	El Toro at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds NNW at 25 to 30 km/h.	200° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Chill Report - Colleen & I did our last few tourist days here swimming in the ocean and packing for the trip home, 2 months went fast!
2-21-19 & 02-22-19	El Toro at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 km/h.	200° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Tourist Report - we opted for taking Terry & Vicki sightseeing the past two days. We saw a great Classic Car Rally coming into the Marina at Isla Navidad. It was very windy the past two days, signs of what the weather will bring in March, time to head home to the Cold North.
2-20-19	El Toro at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 km/h.	200° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Pelican Bay Report - we stayed in town today and Stefan & I met up at Pelican Bay at 3 pm. He had no gear so I loaned him an Ozone Rush 4 demo. It seemed light but we setup and Stefan went first and he scratched his way out of the beach bowl. I launched next and it was light and scratchy over the trees, but I got up and away too. We did not get as high as some days but the view was special. I top-landed first to film Stefan's landing as I had no GoPro today.
2-19-19	El Toro at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 km/h.	200° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	El Toro Report - we headed up the mountain in Shaun's Toyota and we had to wait for the excavator to move as they are finally working on the road. We don't think they are fixing the entire road but anything is better as there are many deep holes. We arrived on top to some strong cycles so I laid out the AirDesign Rise 3 and clipped in fast and got a good lull to build a wall. The Rise 3 rose above my head and it had no tangles so I was off and flying. I was maintaining until I got around the corner into the NW winds and then I got some cloud suck, but it was very windy and bumpy. Trim speed could hold my position but with any brakes to stabilize the glider I was going backwards. I waited and waited for someone else to join me but it got too strong for safe launches. The rule at this site is to get up by noon and launch immediately. Next year I am going to orgnaize a new North Launch for these kind of days. I stayed up for 30 minutes, and when I came over the beach there was a CU forming over the water. Sure enough the sand was triggering a nice thermal that I could stay in forever but it was tracking me to the south. When I finally decided to come in to land I was quite far south of the m\normal LZ but a short walk and I was under cover with a margarita. After lunch Stefan & I headed to Pelican Bay, but after an hour of waiting we decided it was too strong and we went to dinner with the folks.
2-17-19 & 02-18-19	El Toro at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 km/h.	200° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Manzanillo Report - no flying for a couple of days taking Terry & Vicki around doing touristy things.
2-16-19	El Toro at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Elk Report - The true desperadoes were flying Elk Mtn. today. KVA & JP braved foot deep snow and bitter cold and were rewarded with a flight into Chilliwack. No launch videos but there was a landing shot at Carson Graham High School after landing. Ozone M7 Report - the newest glider from Ozone is due out soon, the Ozone M7 is an EN-D ship with performance equal to the Ozone Zeno two-liner but with the best handling and ease-of-use according to the test pilots. Our roving reporters Kevin & Brad were in Gourdon Frnace this fall and watched the prototype testing flights on the M7. The first prototype came off the factory floor right from the computer modelling and did not require any trimming or mods! FlyBC will be getting a demo in the ML size soon, and an MS is coming in for some other pilots if you can pry the M7 out of their hands!
2-15-19	El Toro at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Day Off Report - Greg has left to Canada so today was a rest day, siesta tiempo para Jaime. Meanwhile, back in Harrison Mills we have power but not much visibility!
2-14-19	El Toro at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Valentine's Day Report - I took Greg to El Toro for the last flight here this winter and his Graduation (P-2) Flight. Then we went to our Clase de Espaneol with "Fany" til 7 pm. Then off to a fabulous dinner at Oasis.
2-13-19	Winch towing with FlyGravity www.gohangglide.com	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Towing Report - we raced off early towards Sayula to tow today with hopes of multiple flights for Greg. Perfect conditions with wind out of the south at 10-15 kph. We did four high tows and Greg got to do "big ears" today too.
2-12-19	Colima at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - Greg & I headed to La Cumbre today and hoped to hook up with Jonathon for a shuttle ride but he was taking the day off, so we drove straight up to Launch. Good strong cycles by noon and Greg had a great launch. Greg had no issues climbing out today. He was soon off to the north trying out his speed bar which we just installed after 10 days of flying.
2-11-19	El Toro at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	El Toro Report - It was just Greg & I for El Toro today and Thomm was not available to drive as he was visiting in Barra. Nice cycles at noon, but not much lift but Greg had a great launch and smooth enjoyable flight landing at Indio's Beach during high tide.
2-10-19	Colima at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - Colleen came flying with Greg today at La Cumbre. Arash & Miriam headed home yesterday and they got a few flighs here during their training days. Greg took off first and caught a few thermals but it was a strange day with few birds. Colleen got low too at one point and then she "beamed up" to 1200 metres and was headed north. She landed at the Soccer Field and declared it here best Colima flight ever!
2-9-19	El Toro at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - we headed to Colima again today and Arash got to FLY!
2-8-19	Colima	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - we did another Colima run today and Greg & Miriam flew. No luck for Arash but he is getting better. We went to the El Eden Dunes at 2 pm and we had light South winds and they all got many flights off the top. I think Arash has now got the skills to fly off La Cumbre tomorrow!
2-7-19	Towing on Sayula Lake Bed and flying Tapalpa too	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Towing Report - we left Manzanillo at 8 am and were at the tow field on Sayula Lake Bed by 1030 am. We had light winds so forward launches were the ticket today. Unfortunately we had not been practicing forwards as it has been moderate windy lately. Only Greg got towed as he could do a proper forward launch in these light winds. Greg's first attempt was great and he had the wing overhead but kind of fell into the seat which veered him left and he had to get back on the tow line. Once established on the right track David could add tension and start to get Greg some altitude. Greg got to around 1000 feet and was able to fly back to the start point. The second tow was less successful as Greg was over-controlling his direction and David could not add tension as soon. Also there was a premature release and David backed off tension as Greg went through a thermal and Greg thought it was time to "pin off". We saw pilots launching off Tapalpa so we headed back there for an LZ briefing and got to the top at 2 pm to perfect launch cycle and good climbs. Greg & Miriam flew off and mastered the LZ approach, avoiding the many powerlines near the LZ. Arash was kiting on top with Stefan who had just top-landed. Shaun, Jacek and Jack T were also flying. At 4 pm the cycles were still good and pilots were climbing out! We were back in Manzanillo by 6:30 pm.
2-6-19	El Toro at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - we flew Colima again today and Miriam & Greg both flew. Arash is still working on his kiting skills so no luck getting a flight today for him. Miriam had a solid launch and nice flight except she was doing here\ approach too far back and landed in the wrong field (Nelson & Greg's field). I took them back to the hotel to kite and headed off to dinner with Colleen at 430 pm and it started howling from the SW. Lots of whitecaps and the smoke at the power plant was horizontal. It has been flyable everyday since December 15th 2018.
2-5-19	Colima today	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - Greg, Miriam and Arash came with me to Colima La Cumbre and Greg & Miriam both flew off! Miriam's flight was about 20 minutes long and she got above launch several times and had a stand up landing in the proper LZ. We then headed to the El Eden Dunes for hours of kiting in moderate winds. I got the Tracker back from the shop today! New oil pan - $100 Labor and $150 for the pan, $400 for the tranny rebuild including new seals and bearings. and she drives like new again!
2-4-19	Colima today	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - we went to Colima and the plan was to get Greg a flight and for me to take Miriam tandem and land her at the Piano LZ to get her used to the approach. We had good strong cycles and some folks were up high but it shut down as Greg started climbing. Miriam and I climbed a bit but it was mostly ridge soaring the hump out front and the winds had shredded the lift. But she got her wish to land at the Piano LZ and she landed on her feet! Later we went to the Campos Soccer Field to kite and the students were doing well.
2-3-19	El Toro at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	El Toro Report - Shaun, Colleen, Greg & I flew El Toro today. Shaun had a plan to get around to the windward side (NW) and it worked. I got better climbs on the sunny side initially but when I went to the NW side the climbs that took Shaun above the towers were gone, so back tothe reliable sunny rocks. Greg got his first El Toro flight and had a great landing at Indio's. Thanks to Thomm for the driving!
2-2-19	Colima at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - Colleen volunteered to take Arash & Miriam kiting on the Indio Beach this morning as Greg & I had breakfast. Zorro is taking the day off as he landed hard on his last landing and got a "charlie horse" and he wanted to rest up. After breakfast we raced off to Colima and drove straight up and it was already blowing in so Greg got set up and followed some of the pros into the house thermal. Who do we meet on top? Logan from Whitehorse, here touring with Jonathan as I told him I was not doing tours this winter. He had a great XC flight following Gilles and others north to town. Greg was outclimbing the others on his Ozone MojoPWR wing and after 15 minutes he headed north to the Soccer LZ with good height. He found the sinky area crossing the river bed but climbed back up after that. Greg was thermalling as I left launch to drive to retrieve him and the last time I saw him he was setting up in a field just south of the Soccer LZ. He had a good landing on his 4th flight and 3rd XC flight here.
2-1-19	Colima at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - Greg bagged another great Colima flight today.
1-31-19	Colima at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - Nelson, Greg & Zorro came with me to Colima today and they both flew in great launch conditions but unfortunately they all got caught in a sink cycle that put even the pros on the ground as some West wind set up. Only Zorro made the LZ as Nelson & Greg ended up one field short. Later we went kiting on El Eden beach to get the newest students Arash & Miriam ready for flight.
1-30-19	Colima at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - new student Greg has been kiting hard and earned another Colima flight today and he got high and went XC with the others toward the soccer field LZ on his third high flight in amazing conditions.
1-29-19	El Toro today	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	El Toro Report - eight pilots flew today, but Greg & Zdravko decided not fly as they were both undr the weather. Colleen launched first, then Derek. Lee had an abort into the bushes and had to get sorted out so I got in the launch slot and the winds were weird and crossing but I got off cleanly after a few tries. I got way above the antennas while waiting for Lee to launch, and then flew out to our condo with a great into the wind glide that seemed to have 0 sink rate all the way out. Perfect conditions most days here on the coast. but the road up to El Toro is really bad so we will be doing more Colima flights.
1-28-19	Colima at noon & Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - we arrived at Colima to see pilots already flying at 1130 am. We got to launch and the cycles were pretty strong but Greg did a great job with his first high flight launch and was out front climbing. Jonathon was in the LZ landing his students and offered to watch Greg & Zdravko. Derek, Delvin & Lee headed to the Soccer Field LZ after climbing out and Thomm and I drove down to retrieve everyone. It was a one flight day. as when we got to Pelican Bay back in Manzanillo, the winds were blosing from the south so we went kiting on the beach.
1-27-19	El Eden Dunes for kiting and short flights	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds S at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	El Eden Report - Playa El Eden is a set of dunes that face due South. We don't often get south winds here but today worked perfectly and Greg got many short flights off the top of the dunes perfecting his launches. Later in the day Zdravko arrived and he also got to kite his new glider - an Ozone Magnum 2-38.
1-26-19	Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Pelican Bay Report - we were heading to Pelican Bay to get Greg his first taste of kiting his new Ozone MojoPWR, and for Colleen to do some soaring . . . but we were denied because it was too windy. After some searching far downwind of the Bay we found a nice football field to kite in. Greg got the basics figured out for reverse kiting using As & Cs. The wind was still a bit gusty at times but he handled it well and after 90 minutes of kiting it was time to get him to the hotel to check in.
1-25-19	Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Pelican Report - I was doing car errands, looking for an oil pan for the Tracker as the current one is severely corroded and leaking oil through the rust? The mechanic found a used one in Quettaro so later in the week supposedly. I was finished my errands when Wofie called to say it was light but more westerly at Pelican Bay. So perfect! Someone lit the grass on fire in the past week so there is little good launch areas, butt Wolfie kept his wing out of the black areas. As you can see Wolfie got hoovered up the ridge quick fast. I launched after him, but had a cravatte that dragged me into the black area, I tried to get the cravatte out but it was stuck so I dropped the wing into the black grass to sort out the offending line Next inflation I was crab-walking to the edge and I was soon up with Wolfie. I flew for 40 minutes landing on the beach to pack up, and Wolfie hung in for over an hour. Idiot lift even way out over the ocean.
1-24-19	El Eden Dunes this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds S at 15 to 25 km/h.	180° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	San Marcos Report - Derek and the gang have been flying San Marcos the past few days because the winds are now SW in the area. Derek said he launched early at San Marcos and recommended the same to others but only a few got off before it blew out. Bev cauht a video of Normando launching and he got hoovered fast! Tonia posted a picture of her vario after she launched behind Derek, wow! She landed at the Cuba LZ with Derek. Normando said he lost his wing as it balled up a few times. No suprise with that strength of thermals! They all later flew at 5 pm after it calmed down at San Marcos and had nice soaring flights landing at the gas station behid San Marcos. Here in Manzanillo the winds are always the same: NE in the morning (catabatic) and by noon switching to SW (sea breeze and anabatic). Some days it is too strong to fly at Pelican Bay (our local ridge soaring site) as the sea breeze kicks in but it is usually okay for kiting practie down on the flats. Colima is one hour away and it offers the same conditions as Manzanillo, but it is a thermic mountain site.
1-23-19	Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: Mostly Sunny. High 28C. Winds W at 15 to 25 km/h.	240° @ 10	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Pelican Bay Report - I did a reconn trip to El Eden to check out the sand dunes there for the incoming students this weekend. The dunes are great, clean with just a few logs of driftwood to negotiate at the bottom. The winds were crossing from the West but it was launchable and will be perfect for first flight. From there I headed to Pelican Bay and arrived to see the birds pinned to the ridge and it was windy. No need to hike the ridge to check it out! The local guard says the bulldozer will be cleaning the road this week, but it looked like it was still being repaired. Reports from San Marcos said: Strong Lift at 5 pm. Rainer got 7 hours today including 3 hours of ridge soaring over San Juan Cosala! Back in Canada someone just posted a 2015 video of some pilots flying off Joffre near Pemby. I recognized Shaun & John immediately. Joffre Paragliders from 1st Mountaineers on Vimeo.
1-22-19	Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	San Marcos Report - Derek and the gang flew San Marcos today, as the winds set up for SW. Martin got a few hours before flying home to Jocotepec. He is the only one with a publicly displaying InReach Tracker. The sunrises here have been amazing. Today was totally overdeveloped by 3 pm at El Toro, flyable but with low cloudbase and CUs popping everywhere. Valle de Bravo Report - Kim & Mike went to Valle over the Christmas Holidays and into January 15th. They were there with Richard S and Gwen. All FlyBC Alumni with from 2-4 seasons experience and flying very well! Here is their video blog which forgot to mention how many times they made it to the Lakeside LZ.
1-21-19	Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Tapalpa Report - Derek and gang had mixed results at Tapalpa today. Martin N took off and had a sinky flight almost straight to the LZ. Others followed Derek and made it to the 40 km mark near the Cuota after crossing the Valley. Notable flights from Geordon and Jacek. Geordon just got signed off by FlyBC in September and he is already getting +40 km flights with no vario! Jacek is a second year graduate and he is doing really well too, but he got some great XC flights in Lumby this past year before coming to Mexico. Derek was the "Sky God" today with 5:25 of airtime and at least 75 kms of distance. Derek's flight path took him to the "Cross", across the valley to the Cuota where everyone else got flushed in South winds, but he caught a leeside thermal after following some vultures. He then went on to soar San Marcos and waited for everyone to regroup and they then flew San Marcos and joined Derek who later flew home to Jocotepec.
1-15-19 to 1-20-19	Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Mexico Report - Derek, Bev and Norm are hosting a bunch of pilots in Jocotepec, but we have not gone there due to the Jalisco State gas shortage. It has been flyable here in Manzanillo everyday but we have been vacationing and getting ready for the first group of students top arrive January 27th. Meanwhile back here at El Toro I did bag one flight last week.
1-14-19	Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Yoga Report - today was a yoga and car repair day. Yoga almost killed me and then I did errands and stopped at the shop that fixes car windows. The Tracker window regulators had been sticking since I got the truck, and they fixed them in a few hours and charged me 800 pesos. The forecast said it was going to be light winds but when we went to dinner at Las Brisas (the Breezes) it was soarable.
1-13-19	Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	El Toro Report - Derek offered up his Dodge to get Rainer, Zdenek, Colleen & I up to the El Toro Launch and Thomm offered to drive back down despite the last time we went up there! We got up early with no trucks in a hole and had to wait a bit for cycles. I took off first at 1130 am, rather early but some birds were thermalling already. I caught a climb by the powerlines at the toe of the west side of the mountain and hung out there geting back above launch. Colleen launched second and was headed my way when I saw a huge gaggle in a big climb right in fornt of launch and I headed to that gaggle. I got there too low to catch the climb, so back to the original thermal where we climbed together (Colleen higher at this point). She got some rough thermals and had to catch some surges, but my ride was rather calm. Colleen bailed after 15 minutes of scratching around and headed to the Beach LZ. I took out my selfie stick and did some videoing on the way out to the Beach too. Rainer, Derek and Zdenek got above launch immediately and they got to 1250 metres. Zdenek was having speedbar issues sohe headed out to the Beach too. Derek flew out to our condo at Vida del Mar (marked by the red arrow) and arrived there at 500 metres, all into wind. He made to the Beach LZ fine on the downwind leg. Ozone Swift 5 Report - I love the new Swift 5. It loves to thermal and it bites into weak thermals and climbs onto the big thermals. Yesterday I took it into big winds at Woodside. Ground speeds of 3kph most of the time without bar. From the time I launched to the time I landed not one wing tip flutter. Paddy was on his Artik 4. It is a C wing. He was on half bar and I was catching up to him on no bar. When he went on full bar I was on half and catching him. It was crazy big lift everywhere. I was at 1200 over the Ranch and bagged a thermal to 1440 before I got out. I was going to go to Harvest, then Riverside, and settled on the hang glider field. I was doing big ears, wing overs, half bar, full bar, no hands on the brakes, everything. The wing was completely rock solid. I find I am using weight shift more than the previous wings. Staying off the brakes or using minimal brake pressure. No surprises. Coming into the hang glider field Paddy said it was 'eventful'. I came into the field flying parallel to the highway and heading east. Got popped a few times and it felt leeside. The wing just floated in for a no step landing. Come to think of it. I doubt it's the wing. I think it is more my skills - Martin N
1-12-19	Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Pelican Bay Report - Derek, Rainer & Zdenek went straight to Pelican Bay and after Rainer got dragged a few times it was deemed too windy. We left for Thomm's Birthday Dinner and a beautiful sunset.
1-11-19	El Toro in Manzanillo, was the plan	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	El Toro Report - we had a plan to be on El Toro Launch before noon . . . but things fell apart quite quickly. Jorge's dad has a Toyota Tacoma 4x4 so we ere meeting at the Indio Restaurant LZ at 11 . . . but they were late by 30 minutes. Then Dad started driving up the road quite slowly as he is not used to 4x4-ing. He almost went in a few of the sandy washouts but we shouted direction in espaneol. We were 300 metres from the top when he did not see a big hole and we were stuck but good. We were high centred so we hatched a plan to fly down and get Shaun G's Tacoma and a tow strap and come back to tow the other Tacoma out. We hiked to launch and it was blowing in nicely so Colleen launched first and lost a wing tip for a second and made it out to the rocks where she was pinned in NW wind and had to speedbar out to the valley. Shaun got ready next as he was a priority to get his truck and he had a good inflation but as he pushed off the wing frontalled and he landed below launch unhurt but his wing was in the bushes. Jorge got ready next as Shaun was getting his wing out of the brambles, and he had one abort due to NW winds. The next inflation was good and he lunged forward and swung down through the trees but got away clean. I got ready as the winds steadily went more NW and I could bring the wing up fine but as soon as it got overhead it would frontal or go soft? Thomm was watching from higher up and he said it looked like a hand pushing down on the top of the wing as it got overhead. This was due to the NW flow rotoring over the slope. This happened two years ago when I got stuick on the mountian with no ride down, always happens after 1 pm, so get up here sooner than later. I tried over 10 times and it was always the same result. I had Shaun try the same 10 times or more once out of the bushes and we both had the same result. We were in the lee but the thermals were tracking up the hill just high enough to let us inflate but not fly off. The birds were soaring easily on the windward side, but the helipad launch we used to use has been taken over by a broadcast antenna so we don't have a NW launch anymore. We bagged up and hiked back to the stuck truck and Shaun ran down the mountain to meet Jorge who ahd managed to rent a quad to come and resuce Shaun to get his truck. Shaun and Jorge showed up at 6 pm with cold beer in Shaun's truck with a new towstrap. The actual towing was fast and efficient and there was a turnaround right there so we were on way down just as the sunset. This is the hole that we fell into, and it went down about 6 feet. Lesson Learned: Get up El Toro by 1130 am and launch before the NW winds kick in! And don't drive into the holes!
1-7-19 to 1-10-19	El Toro in Manzanillo, then on to Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Manzanillo Report - we have been lazy doing yoga and bike rides the past few days as Derek is in PV and Thomm arrived but is not flying so we were vacationing. Flying tomorrow.
1-6-19	El Toro in Manzanillo, then on to Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Manzanillo Report - we could not find Salomon for the keys or a ride up but it was too windy by noon anyway. Colleen and I had a vacation day and went shopping and later heard from Wolf & Stephan that Pelican Bay was blown out too. I picked up Thomm McE from the airport at 3 pm and he said it was a bumpy approach and landing and the final leg was nearly vertical!
1-5-19	El Toro in Manzanillo, then on to Pelican Bay this afternoon	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	El Toro Report - we met Wolfie at El Indio Restaurant and went to Salomon's house to either get keys or a ride up. He was home and agreed to take us up in his Toyota truck for 900 pesos (500 for the truck and 100 per pilot), and if you have seen the road lately it was worth every peso! We got to launch before noon and Derek, Colleen & Wolfie did some launch maintenance cutting trees and bushes while I got ready. Lame launch cycles and it is a short takeoff so it is nice to wait for stronger launch cycles. I did two tries and aborted when the wing did not feel solid. There were no birds soaring so that is a bad sign but we are here to fly and even a sledder here is glorious flying. When I did launch I got no lift until the end of the rocky section where I circled with some vultures for a bit but even they gave up after a few minutes. I was trying out a magnetic GoPro mount in the wing and got some interesting footage, more work needed on placement and angles. Everyone had short flights up up to 20 minutes and later Pelican Bay did not work, but it was a great day getting our first flights of 2019. Bev reported enjoying her first flight on Derek's old Swift 4 getting to 3000 metres at Tapalpa for more that an hour.
1-4-19	FlyBC is closed in Canada until March 1 2019, but we are going to be flying Mexico every day until our return.	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Colima Report - despite the SSE forecast we met up with Derek to fly La Cumbre in Colima. We thought we were late for the shuttle so we headed straight up in my Tracker. After we arrived on top we were the only pilots, but the rest of the trucks started coming up 10 minutes later. The winds were lightly coming up and there was one pilot in the air, but it was a short flight for them and they landed in the Piano LZ. Then the winds started blowing NE for a long time so we bailed and went to lunch in Centro. On our drive back to the highway there was still no pilots in the air? We drove back to Manzanillo and Pelican Bay for some soaring. I was elected wind tech and got ready and took off into what seemed soarable winds but after three passes I was on the beach. I was packing up when I saw Wolfie kiting on top (he had met us at the site as he was in Manzanillo on his motorbike). Wolfie took off got up and away and had a nice 1 hour flight.
1-3-19	Happy New Year! FlyBC is closed in Canada until March 1 2019, but we are going to be flying Mexico every day until our return.	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Manzanillo Report - we rode our bikes to yoga and back and by then I was too tired to fly so I had a nap til dark. No fly day!
1-1-19 to 1-2-19	FlyBC is closed in Canada until March 1 2019, but we are going to be flying Mexico every day until our return.	Manzanillo Forecast Manzanillo Forecast: AM Clouds/PM Sun. High 29C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h.	240° @ 8	-3.0°C (unstable) 1800 metres	Coaches Corner - FlyBC is closed in Canada until March 1 2019, and we are fully moved to Mexico til then. The sunsets here are amazing as is the flying.
12-29-18 to 12-31-2018	FlyBC is closed until March 1 2019, but we are back for Christmas hoping for a few flights	Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Cloudy. 40 percent chance of flurries this morning. Temperature steady near plus 1.	040° @ 15	-3.0°C (unstable) 800 metres	Road Trip Report - Colleen and I boarded a quick flight to PVR and arrived to hop in the Tracker and drive to our new winter house in Manzanillo. Meanwhile Martin N and a few others braved the cold and flew Woodside a few times. Stop in and say hi to Bob if you are in the Valley. Coquihalla Report - one last flight for the year from Simon who flew his Ozone XXLite 2 off three peaks in one day. #ironman Vida Report - I left for Vancouver on the 18th and left alex, Nicole and Derek to fend for themselves at Vida. Alex flew Pelican Bay and other others all flew El Toro a few times. But the flight here at Vida took some guts! And he survived a beach landing. The takeoff is a large lawn near the ocean. Here he is benching up in front of the condos. The ridge is not very contiguous but Alex made the jump over to the houses to the north.