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FlyBC "Site of the Day February 2014 Archive Page"
Mexico was very good to us this Month!
"I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else." - Winston Churchill
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 Guadalajara MX Sunny. High 29C. Winds SW at 5 to 10 kmh. La Ceja was getting busy as the guys had breakfast as the Mexican National PG Comp starts on March 1. After breakfast we went to the main Tapalpa Launch and got set up in nice SE cycles. Lars had kited here but not flown so he was excited & scared all at the same time. Lars did a few reverse inflations and when he looked good I said "GO!" and he was off and soaring. It was more south out by the gulleys and he was getting pushed around so I told him to fly out to the Piano LZ where he arrived with the same altitude as launch so he could play with the approach. He had a nice long final and soft touchdown. Ben was having some inflation issues and we drove down to get Lars and head to San Marcos. We arrived at San Marcos to huge dust storms and dust devils popping off all over the lakebed, so we headed to the hotel to get Ben a new set of contacts as he got something in one eye. We met Camilo at the Pemex behind San Marcos and we were on launch at 4:45 pm and it was pretty strong +25 kph. Camilo launched his old Swing and was climbing straight up, it was clearly too strong for our guys.
Dad & Lalo were up high and Camilo was now down at Chelas Beer store. It calmed down enough for Ben to kite but the air was weird and he wasn't having much success. It was turning south on launch and below we had a dust storm start up from the south that was colliding with the northerly flow on the ground and everything got dusty in the air but Dad & Lalo were above it all.
 Mexican PG Nationals Report - Stefan reported in that he & Russell B had made it to the practice goal of Kordich Airfield with Russell landing just ahead of Stefan. Both are flying FlyBC supplied Ozone Delta 2s. The task was La Ceja - Amacueca (out near the libramento) - Kordich Airfield. Hard task but they made it before the dust storms.
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| Guadalajara MX Sunny. High 29C. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 kmh. Lars launched first and had a really nice soft flight with a perfect landing in the salt flats.
We were all alone for the first flight but the Americans arrived around 11:30 and the skies were crowded for some time.
I launched Lars after an overview of ridge rules and he was doing well staying away from the crowds to the north. As they got closer to Lars, I suggested he head out to the fields out front to soar around and he found a nice thermal and was soon way above everyone and tracing the thermal very well (on his fifth flight!).
I watched the entire group land before sending Lars out to Kordich's LZ. Ben had launched by now and got very little lift and was heading out too. It was lifty to the south of the LZ so I suggested an upwind approach and Lars found the sink . . . big sink but he had lots of time to setup a nice approach and he landed on the grass with the softest landing ever. Ben was in the same spot right behind him. We went for lunch in Acatlan to kill some time as it was now mid-day and not student friendly. Yes, we even have rules in Mexico. No launching in +20 kph winds. No mid-day thermal flights unless it is cloudy and stable. We got back to launch after 5:30 pm and it was too windy to safely launch the guys, so we waited and Herminio showed up with his friend Samual and they rigged up the tandem for a double basejump and were off in light NW winds and they both departed the glider over Kordich's and had safe descents. We set Ben & Lars up and Ben got off and was in the LZ just before legal dark. Lars had an abort that took some time to sort out and it was now too late to fly so we drove down. Meanwhile, reports came in from Tapalpa that they flew to the Cross Ridge and got hammered by the north winds and flew back to top-land, amazing that both opposing sites were working.
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| Guadalajara MX Sunny. High 29C. Winds WSW at 15 to 25 kmh. We arrived on launch at 1130 am and it was cycling in nicely. Lars launched first and had a nice sled ride into the Kordich airfield and tested out the SupAir Escape2 airbag as he slid in on his butt. Ben went next and got some nice soaring in as I drove down. The next round was more thermic and we sent Ben first (good thing) as it was turbulent near the LZ where the thermals were "popping". Ben caught a good climb from a few hundred metres and was soon above launch. He was working the lift like a pro and his new vario app was working well for him.
He chose to land at Colleen's favourite field just west of the Pemex that has the tall grass and some horses. It was gusty from the NW and he got worked a bit on landing, definitely too strong for Lars' skill level but it was a good flight for Lars to watch.
Herminio and a few others were flying already and we watched Herminio do a top-landing on tandem at San Marcos and it was strong!
We watched hoping for a slowdown on the launch winds but it never abated and the folks flying were heading straight upwind and not losing any height even past the Cuota Highway. So they were spiralling, B-stalling and anything else to get down before dark. There are five paragliders in the next shot, but you have to zoom in to find them in the lower band of clouds.
Where were the Yukoners? Sitting in the tailwind at Tapalpa all day I guess?
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| Guadalajara MX Some early morning breaks in the overcast, otherwise cloudy. High 29C. Winds W at 10 to 15 kmh. It was a good call as we crested the hill before noon and we had perfect cycles of 10-15 kph from the SW. Ben got ready first and was off and trying to soar the hill but it was too light. Nice setup and approach for his first San Marcos landing in a year. Next up was Lars, ready for his first solo flight after a hard day of kiting yesterday on Tapalpa Launch. Lars had a perfect forward inflation and nice style as he left the hill and settled back in thee harness for some practice turns.
Perfecto!
Conditions were a little spicier so I sent Lars first before it got too strong. Good call as he got off with a drift to the trees on the north but missed then with some smooth braking, and then it got really strong for Ben to launch. Lars had a nice flight down to the LZ which was now blowing NW so an entirely different approach and a perfect landing for flight #2. Ben was having some issues as the wind on launch got thermic & switchy but he was off and again trying to soar but it wasn't happening close into the hill. I suggested flying out to the lake as it was shady on the hill but a but sunnier out there and he was almost in the LZ when he caught a good climb and his Android Vario App (Samsung S3) started beeping and he was soon above launch. As he was doing well and clearly did not need my guidance I drove down and retrieved Lars.
We went for lunch at Guerro Plus in Acatlan as it was too strong to fly til later. When we arrived back on launch the American Tour Group of SF Bay & San Diego pilots were on launch and it was still strong & north. We watched an experienced pilot on a Zero 15 not make the LZ due to the winds, so we waited. another pilot went on on a Zion 19 and made the LZ. There was hope. Herminio showed up with a basejumper and they did a tandem flight but they didn't have enough height for a safe exit so they did some heicopters instead. We packed up and went for dinner as it blew down, but we had a very successfull two flights today!
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| Guadalajara MX Sunny. High 29C. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 kmh. The IBIS models showed Sw in the AM with SW in the PM. We watched a few people launch at the Tapalpa Launch and Stefan defined it as "rodeo time", but we were kiting new student Lars (from the Yukon) & Ben W from Poco to get them tuned up. Ben has been away from paragliding since last year here in Mexico. Lars was doing great for his first day matering the FlyBC Reverse Technique like a pro! Ben had a few so-so inflations (he later admitted he was nervous), and then he took off and showed the locals how to climb out on his Rush III. The plan was to have him fly to the big Cross Roads LZ which is not easy but he got there with lots of altitude and had a super landing in SE winds. We packed up Lars' Buzz Z4 and headed down to get Ben tp head to San Marcos. Meanwhile Stefan & Derek P were skying out on their Delta2s.
Snow affecting Vancouver Travelers
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| Guadalajara MX Sun and clouds mixed. High 28C. Winds S at 10 to 15 kmh.
Phillipe launched first and was climbing on the north side of launch in light thermals. Camilo launched his tandem and was scratching his way into Kordich Airstrip.
I hiked in about 15 minutes to where I thought he should be but never found him, despite being able to talk on the radio. He said he was almost out so I hiked back down rather than miss him on the trail. I went back to the truck and got a beer and hiked back and met him on the trail and carried his wing the last bit to give him a break.
Camilo got a ride back up and was ready to do the last tandem when it went East on launch??? After a 45 minute wait we finally got some cycles and they were off and flying. Again they didn't catch much lift but two HGers that went ahead of Camilo got to 'base at around 4000 metres.
I arrived at GDL at 5:30 pm, to find Ben's flight was cancelled. WTF? He was on another flight that arrives at 9 pm, and Lars comes in at 9:45 pm so this will work out. When Ben arrived one of his bags didn't, so he was advised to wait for the next plane (hopefully Lars' plane). Now Lars' plane showed delayed until 11:45 pm. Off for a beer while waiting and eventually Ben's bag & Lars made it around 12:30 pm. We were off and on the way to the Hotel finally, long day! Meanwhile back in BC (photo courtesy of Gerry L).
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| Guadalajara MX A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 29C. Winds light and variable.
James launched first and caught a climb out by the big hump and was climbing nicely. Benn launched right after James and was above launch immediately before heading out to join James' thermal.
Poncho (a local tandem PG pilot) took off with a passenger and was climbing with the boys on his Ozone Magnum II (rasta colours just like Benn's Rush III). Camilo took off with a passenger and was also soon above launch in then magic morning air.
Camilo was not to be outdone and had a similar top-landing. The only thing missing was the movie sound effects (cue up screeching tires and breaking glass LOL). Meanwhile, back in the house thermal James & Benn were up to 2600 metres and working the cores well. Camilo & Poncho were soon back in the air and Huevo arrived below launch with another tandem from La Ceja and the air was filed with pretty colours. We had to get back to check out the guys from their hotel room by 1 pm, so they headed out to the Cross roads LZ and they made it with lots of height. The boys got 1:45 of thermalling staying high the entire time, even above the local tandem jockeys. Good Work for having just 45 flights! On the way back to Jocotepec on the Cuota we saw some wild dust devils on the San Marcos Laguna.
We got back to San Marcos around 3:30 pm and the dust storms were still on the lakebed, but lots of hangies were setting up.
We watched one HG tandem fly off and it was strong south wind and no lift as they disappeared around the corner. Huevo took off on his Ozone Magnum II and was also soon in the same sinky air and not penetrating even though he had a large passenger (hmmm).
El Chante is typically a morning site but it fase due south and that was what the winds were doing. We arrived on launch around 4:15 pm, and Philipe was very excited to fly this site! He was our wind dummy today. The wind lines on the lake showed strongish south winds but no white caps. Launch cycles were strong & gusty but I think it was mostly thermic gusts as it was so unstable today. We could see the dust storms were topping out above the San Marcos ridgeline so made a good call leaving San Marcos. Philipe launched and went straight up on his Swing Core3 comp ship. Everywhere he went was ``up``.
We helped pack up as it was getting dark by now. There was a ``wave cloud`` deteriorating over San Marcos as the sun sent down.
Meanwhile back at the Ranch, Colleen reports snow.
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| Guadalajara MX A mix of clouds and sun during the morning will give way to cloudy skies this afternoon. High 29C. Winds light and variable. We arrived to calm conditions and no birds so we just waited in the sun til just after noon. It was the first time here for Benn & James and we had a site briefing and then they took off and soared around with some birds for 40 minutes.
By the time I got down to the LZ, Derek was on final so we waited for him to pack up befor eheading back up the hill. Justin had flown a short flight and top landed. The second flight was better for Benn & James and they climbed high above launch before heading out to land. We regrouped with Stefan's group for a BBQ at Pinares Tapalpa as Elise & Grant arrived too from the Yukon. Everyone is here avaoiding the -30C temps back home. Woodside Report - Andrei, Gary P., Derek, Klaus, and I flew as much as we wanted this afternoon. Flight times were an hour plus. It was the cold that brought us down. Altitude gains to 3300 feet and a west wind of about 15 kph. Nice abundant butter smooth lift everywhere - Martin N
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| Guadalajara MX Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 29C. Winds W at 10 to 15 kmh.
Phillipe is here from Belgium after surviving a few weeks videoing the Valled Comp and flew with us today. He is flying a Swing Core3 comp glider and it really shows how well comp gliders glide as he was on the south ridge before I could even start driving down!
We went for lunch in Joco and then back to San Marcos for flight #2.
Blanchard Report - Hola Jim. Mi amigo Derek y yo volamos El Blanshardo hoy. Era estar en Mexico - Martin N
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| Guadalajara MX Sunshine and clouds mixed. High 29C. Winds W at 10 to 15 kmh. I managed to see the sunrise over Lake Chapala as I drove into town.
Up San Marcos and we arrived on launch at noon to perfect winds coming straight in at 10-15 kph. Neither Benn or James has flown since getting signed off in July, so they were a bit rusty but both got off cleanly, although I tried to get Benn to stop for a C line tangle but the Rush 3 flew fine with some "dishing" when the right brake was pulled.
After about 1.5 hours they landed as they were getting hungry. SO off to Acatlan with Gringo David for pizzas. James was a bit dizzy from his flight and a long drive yesterday, so we headed back to the Hotel for a siesta. Reports from Tapalpa said that is was working there all day too?
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| Santa Barbara CA Partly cloudy. High 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. It was a rare day here as the east & west winds converged and Chad took the lift to 200 feet over launch on this small training hill.
After that session, I headed to Wilcox on the coast and watched some of the guys ridge soar in close until they were all on the beach. It looked like a photo shoot with all the Delta2s the same colour!
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| Santa Barbara CA Partly cloudy. High 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Tapalpa Report - Stefan was gloating about a nice flight on Facebook and he made it to 4600 metres and did a 90 km dogleg flight almost to Guadalajara and partway back to Tapalpa.
Ozone offers an apology for the EnZo2 controversy.
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| Santa Barbara CA Partly cloudy. High 71F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. First on the agenda was taking a 2 person Surrey for a pedal on the waterfront.
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| Santa Barbara CA A mix of clouds and sun. High 21C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 kmh.
Valentine's Day was memorable with the town full of people out dinner and we were caught in a huge traffic jam from LAX to Santa Barbara so we took Pacific Hwy 1 north to Malibu and stopped for a nice Italian Dinner.
The EnZo2 Controversy in Brazil has concluded in all EnZo2 pilots being scored zero for the Superfinals. Cross Country Mag article.
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| Agassiz BC Rain ending late this morning then cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers. Amount 5 mm except 15 mm near Hope. Becoming windy this morning. High 7. There is a huge new clearcut starting right at the bottom of Woodside Road to the first spur road at 1 km. Watch for logging equipment near the road. We arrived on launch to find strong NW winds, which was sheltering the windsock at the back of launch. It was blowing 40+ kph. I didn`t even want to bring out the Zero. We setup a new socket for the windsock on the south side of launch and then headed down as it looked pretty wild right thru til dark.
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|  Agassiz BC Snow mixed with freezing rain changing to rain this afternoon. Snowfall amount 5 cm. Windy. High 6 except plus 2 near Hope. But Derek called to try to get me to head out to Woodside as he and Martin were heading out around noon. Martin bagged two flights on our demo Nova Factor and Derek drove as it was marginally soarable with north winds aloft. The Ozone ZERO - Mini-wing from Ozone Paragliders on Vimeo. We have an Ozone Zero 17 speed wing in stock for demos now.
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| Agassiz BC Snow mixed with freezing rain changing to rain this afternoon. Snowfall amount 5 cm. Windy. High 6 except plus 2 near Hope. Never Come Down from Brett Hazlett on Vimeo.
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| Agassiz BC Snow mixed with freezing rain changing to rain this afternoon. Snowfall amount 5 cm. Windy. High 6 except plus 2 near Hope. We had some breaks in the snow and we could see launch but by the time we got organized it had socked in and then started raining.
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| Agassiz BC Cloudy. 30 percent chance of flurries in the afternoon. High plus 1. It looks like the Ozium Harness fits a lightweight reserve best as I was having issues getting a MayDay 16 to fit in. The MayDay 16LT fit perfectly. It is not the actual reserve volume, rather the bridle on the MayDay 16 that was too big, so that can be modified easily. Gary P arrived when I was setting up the harness and I drove for him so he could get his aviation fix today. Light outflow in the Harrison Mills area but light up-cycles at launch. Not a bump in the air.
Elk was in the clouds so I don't know it the "Hike&Fly" pilots got in any flights?
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| Agassiz BC Mainly sunny. Windy. High zero. PWC in Valle de Bravo Mexico - final day - Click here for the final results after todays Task 6. It was the final day of the Mexican PWC and once again Valle delivered its typical awesome weather; today cloudbase was reported higher than usual and a bit more racing compared to previous days. This time a classic 85 km task bringing pilots back to the lake LZ in plenty of time for downloads and rest before the awards ceremony in the evening. The task once again allowed pilots to choose their route depending on weather conditions and the specific placement of the convergence. Indeed, before the start a group of pilots opted to do their waiting on the south ridge, rather than at Espina/Crazy, possibly to get a better advantage, or maybe just to escape the crowds and mayhem that accompanies a Crazy Thermal wait-start! Yassen (who was free flying) was about 10 minutes in front of everyone else coming into goal, but the main gaggle thundered into goal after 2h:12min of racing, almost 37 kph average speed.
(Note these results are assuming the rankings don't change in the next few hours as the Boom 9 and IP7-24 issues have yet to be resolved.) - Nicole Valle task 2 the flight from Philippe Broers on Vimeo.
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| Agassiz BC Mainly cloudy. Clearing near noon. High minus 1.
Denis launched and was soon above launch but it looked bumpy! It was a bit leeside at launch altitude.
I caught a few thermals out front, also over the new clearcut near the bottom and also over the Construction Zone area. The corn field was bubbly too, but I had no problem making the Ranch and had a nice soft landing. By the time Martin got down, Denis had top-landed, which he said took some patience and skill. Tom Chromy had launched after Martin went home, and was doing quite well at 4500 feet but he said it was rotory below that and he was cold! Kevin A arrived and I offered to drive for him. It was blowing SE at launch but he got his Alpina 2 up with ease and powered off. I drove down and I never saw him until he landed.
Some nice flights today for those who could brave the cold! PWC in Valle de Bravo Mexico - Click here for the results today Task 5. Penultimate day at the Mexican PWC and 88 km of classic Valle! Reports of wind and turbulence at the start. Many pilots landed around the 1st TP at Aguilla, including one pilot who tossed his reserve and ended up in a tree. The 31 km radius around the Villa Victoria TP meant it was essentially a slightly curved line so pilots could tag it pretty much anywhere east of Valle, depending on how the sky was looking and what other pilots were choosing. Many chose the less-than-direct option to stay with the convergence and successfully reconnect with the Mesa for the push to Santa Maria and Divisidaro. The lead changed many times during the race with Norway's Ronny Helgeson leading the way initially but the gaggle caught up with him midway. In the end 60-odd pilots made goal with several others landing at the Valle LZ but after the task deadline. Tomorrow is the final day and it would appear glider certification issues are once again rearing their head...this time with the IP7-23's load-test report possibly being done incorrectly, and the Boom 9's risers not being completely identical to the test-report...the investigations are ongoing and hopefully everyone will know more by the awards ceremony tomorrow night, assuming there is anybody left flying a suitably-certified glider by then ;) Overall results can be found at http://pwca.org/results/results/e_1_1.htm?ts=140207193204 And Brett's and Eric's SPOT tracks are at http://xcfind.paraglide.us/map.html?id=24 - Nicole
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| Agassiz BC Sunny. Windy. High minus 3. Wind chill minus 17 this morning. But tomorrow is looking good for a sledder at least! PWC in Valle de Bravo Mexico - Click here for the results today Task 4. Today the task committee opted to send the pilots first to the southern ridge (where many of the tasks have gone), and then way to the north to Villa Victoria, about 30 km NE of Valle. Total distance 93km. This last part was especially interesting since it took pilots over territory that hasn't been yet used in a task (that I know of, anyways). Reports of cloudbase around 3700m and beautiful cu's for those that chose the eastern route to goal. I had time today to watch the final part of the race using the Flymaster livetracking (which today was only a 1-2 second delay), meaning it was almost like watching a live video game: I was able to watch as Brett Hazlett? raced the lead gaggle into goal just behind Germany's Pepe Maleki. It was also very cool to watch pilots slow down as they got low and started searching for lift (the paraglider icons will start turning in circles to mimic thermalling) and then speed up as they realized they had goal on glide with a nice 25 kph tailwind. A few pilots landed just shy of the CESS and goal, and many notable pilots also landed out, meaning today will likely be their discard day. After searching for Eric Olivier?'s icon I saw he was still in the game whilst most others had already landed and eventually his icon showed him gliding into goal with only 100m to spare. So today we had both Canadians make goal, congrats to both pilots! Results are at http://pwca.org/results/results/, and for those that want to watch the race via livetracking tomorrow, try http://new_live.flymaster.net/public/318/. Brett has clawed his way into 10th place overall while Eric has managed to break the top 100 after today's goal. Friday and Saturday remain and with only ~120 points between 10th and 1st place, it's still anybody's game! - Nicole World Cup valle task1 monday from Philippe Broers on Vimeo.
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| Agassiz BC Sunny. Windy. High minus 3. I left Redding CA at 8:00 am, and saw no snow thru the Sisikyou Pass and in fact no snow anywhere. Even Mt Shasta was pretty bare at the high elevations which is partly why there is a drought in California. No snow means no precip and the reservoirs are drying out fast. I stopped for gas in Salem OR, and a quick lunch and otherwise drove straight through at 75 mph (125 kph). No car problems thankfully especially with the temps at -5C all the way. Portland & Seattle traffic was awful as usual but there was a happy vibe in SEA after the Superbowl Win! I pulled into the Canada Customs at 8 pm and the border guard was too cold to talk about what I had on board and waved me through. His little window was open right into the 25 kph east winds. Good to be back in Canada for a few days, but we are leaving for Santa Barbara on the 13th for the Ozone Meetings and then back to Mexico for 2-3 more weeks to end the winter season. PWC in Valle de Bravo Mexico - Click here for the results today Task 3. PWC Mexico task 3 was a bit longer than the past two, 90 km, involving some flatland flying, some mountain flying, and a Mesa portion which allowed the pilots to choose their entry and exit points depending on how the sky was looking and various personal strategies. Also this time the goal field was Quintanilla's rather than the lake, perhaps to avoid the very high water level and also give pilots the chance to see, from the ground, more of the countryside they are always flying over! Slightly less than half the field in goal today, some landing out due to the blue hole on the way to the first TP, and some pilots landing just meters short of goal. Those that took a more circuitous route following the convergence seemed to do better vs those that took the straight line. At one point Ozone team member Felix Rodriguez was in first place according to the Live Tracking but the results showed him in Second Place on his old Ozone EnZo. Brett made goal in just under 3 hours, while Eric landed near Avandaro, just shy of the last TP. SPOT page is at http://xcfind.paraglide.us/map.html?id=24. They are now halfway through the week with 3 more tasks to go, and if the Valle weather holds up they are gonna get 6 tasks in! Valle is one of the few flying sites where you can reliably have 6-7 tasks which is one reason why it is such a popular place for free flying and comps in winter - Nicole Good crash compilation from Europe makes us look good around here! Thanks to Tom Chromy for finding it! Crashcompetition from dBoemstroafer on Vimeo.
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| Monterey Mostly cloudy. High 52F. Winds NW at 10 to 15 mph. I got the Suburban all packed up and was ready at leave at 9 am and it would not start! Battery was dead! That explains the rotten egg smell I was getting after a long drive, one of the cells must have been shorting out? Fortunately, there was a mechanic next door to the hotel and they lent me a booster pack to get it started and they had a new battery that fit. After the replacement I was on the road to Sand City and hoped the 15+ mph forecast holds true. I arrived at one of the launch spots and light winds, so off to breakfast and later still light winds, so off to Marina to the north.
I decided I needed to get moving so I plotted a course to "The Dumps" aka Mussel Rock in Pacifica CA hoping that by the time I got there it would be coming in better. Nope, when I got to Pacifica it was just as light as Sand City so I stopped for lunch and after lunch it was still light. Some desperados were kiting and trying sled rides to the high tide line but even a guy tried a Magnum Tandem flight solo and he sunk down to the beach.
I got to Redding CA around 9:30 pm and bedded down for the night to prepare for the last 700 miles to Vancouver tomorrow morning after a long day of parawaiting. PWC in Valle de Bravo Mexico - Click here for the results today Task 2. Task 2 of the Mexican PWC: A similar-length task of 74 km which took pilots across the expanse to the Llano TP, followed by a swing around the Butterflies and a return across the Mesa to the 3 Kings side, before overflying the lake to the usual LZ. The high pressure seems to be sticking around making for rough punchy air and many reports of collapses, cravattes, and cascades as pilots fought through the inversion to finally get to 3600m. In the end more than half of the field made goal, with a significant chunk of the no-goal folks landing out on the way to (or around) Llano. (On previous trips to Valle I've found that area to be rather a sinkhole and a common landing-out spot...fortunately there is a town right there with easy access to the highway back to Valle!) If you could survive the Penon-Llano glide then it looked like you had a very good chance of making goal. Today the organization opted for a conical end of speed section with mixed reviews (some good, some bad). Time will tell whether CESS (vs. ESS) becomes the norm in PWC's or not. Brett H made goal on his Gin Boomerang 9 which arrived luckily in time for him to fly as his EnZo2 got banned at this comp. As always, you can see Brett's and Eric's tracks at the Canuck SPOT page http://xcfind.paraglide.us/map.html?id=24 and the daily and cumulative results are at http://pwca.org/results/results/. You can also follow along at the FB page "PWCA". - Nicole
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| San Diego Showers in the morning, then clearing with ample sunshine in the afternoon. High near 60F. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. It looks close on a map but California is a big place! I arrived at Bates Launch south of Santa Barbara at 12:30 pm, and saw 3 HGers in the air doing pretty well (but parked heading North).
I watched on guy kiting his 16 metre Ozone Firefly and when he launched he plummeted to the beach with barely a turn missing the gap.
I watch a few other guys on smaller wings get a few passes and then land on the beach . . . too windy for a regular wing but not windy enough for a speed wing. I didn't have a speed bar on my light harness so I just watched as local instructor Chris G took off on a 16 metre Firely and said it was pretty strong! I decided to keep driving north hoping to get to Sand City by dark. I got to Sand City to perfect NW winds (15-20 mph) but it was dark already. Did I mention California is a big place, even going 75 mph! Tomorrow is forecast to be the same strong NW winds so I will give Sand City a try around noon. PWC in Valle de Bravo Mexico - Click here for the results today Task 1. Well it's time for another wintertime PWC with Canucks attending, this time in Valle de Bravo (Mexico) with Brett Hazlett? and Eric Olivier? representing Canada for this round. Tragically a couple of days ago, during a free flight, a member of the Polish team died after a massive collapse/surge event with his reserve not deploying in time. Out of respect the organization decided to postpone the official practice day (and thus the first actual task) by one day, which meant today was the first task. Enzo 2's are now not allowed at this comp, which means all the pilots previously flying the E2 are now either flying a borrowed or rented glider (unless they happened to bring a second backup glider), or else they are not participating in the comp anymore. Therefore the glider models listed on the results may be inaccurate for the first few days until the organization updates what the former E2 pilots are actually flying. Today's task was a 75 km zigzag back and forth across the Mesa and to the east of the lake and Saucos area. Roughly half of the field made it into goal between 2.5 and 4 hours. Apparently the lake level is quite high which means the LZ is smaller than usual...a sure crowd-pleaser when the gliders are coming in fast and furious with the actual landing area getting smaller and smaller as pilots take up space packing up! Two reserve tosses before the start, one due to a mid-air (the other pilot landing safely with only 3/4 of a glider left and the rest ripped off) and the other reserve due to a collapse/cascade event. Hopefully that will be the extent of the carnage...already enough for this week. Brett made goal while Eric landed (along with a big chunk of the field) coming back from the Elefante TP. You can also see both Brett's and Eric's SPOT tracks at the Canadian SPOT page http://xcfind.paraglide.us/map.html?id=24 - Nicole
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| Guadalajara Abundant sunshine. High 18C. Winds S at 10 to 15 kmh.
Torrey Pines Report - Jim arrives at 4 pm to see Robin Marian kiting his Delta 2 L in moderate south winds but no flying for Jim today. Maybe tomorrow if it doesn't rain!
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| Guadalajara Abundant sunshine. High 18C. Winds S at 10 to 15 kmh. I tested the injector - good with 45 ohms. Must be the wiring or the computer as I get no pulse at the wires. During the last few days of driving up San Marcos I had a new clunk that sounded like a bad shock. As I traced the wiring back to the computer I found the mount for the computer had broken at the welds and the computer was lying on the frame rail and had damaged the wire to #3 injector. I don't have a welder here and I will have to take off the front grille to access the welds , so a bungy cord worked pretty well to keep the computer in place and absorbs the bumps pretty well too! I am yearning for a pre-1991 Suburban without Vortec and IFS! |
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