| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| Follow @flybc |
FlyBC "Site of the Day February 2018 Archive Page"
Woodside looks good sometimes in February, very good!
|
| 
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
@ 3000' in knots |
Rate °C/1000' Cloud Base in Meters |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2-28-18 |
 Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Rain ending this afternoon then cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. High plus 5. 400 metres 2-27-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Rain ending this afternoon then cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. High plus 5. 400 metres 2-26-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: A mix of sun and cloud. 40 percent chance of rain/flurries this morning. High plus 3. 1200 metres I had a check ride to renew my Ultralight Instructor Licence which we could not complete last October as it was too rainy, fortunately I kept my hours up last year with the XC flight in the Lil Buzzard and associated dual time at KGA and Langley, so the check ride was the final formality and I passed and am now current again! Yippee! Now we just need good weather to get out and fly some circuits. On the final circuits we got some ice on the windshield and the engine felt kind of rough but we completed the ride without incident. 2-25-18
|
|  Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: A mix of sun and cloud. 40 percent chance of flurries this morning. High plus 3. 1200 metres 2-24-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: A mix of sun and cloud. 40 percent chance of flurries this morning. High plus 3. 1200 metres 2-23-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Snow. Amount 2 to 4 cm. High minus 1. 200 metres It snowed hard all day and night and we have 20 cms of new snow.  We had a visitor playing in the snow today.  2-22-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Sunny. High 3C. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 km/h. 1000 metres When I was driving west the wids in Abbotsford and Langley were quite gusty but at KGA it was calm east wind. I have not flown out of here with east wind before so it was novel. We headed out to the practice area for some stalls, forced approaches and upper air work over flying Langley Airport where it was gusting NE at 17 - 20 knots. No small planes flying today. Oddly out near Stave Lake it was not choppy at 3000 feet, just a few bumps around 500 feet when I was doing engine off apporaches into Farmer's Field. Did about 2 hours of airwork and survived flying the Ikarus C42. Even with cabin heat it was rather chilly in the air.  2-21-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Mainly cloudy. Snow late this morning. Windy early this afternoon. High minus 2. 1000 metres 2-20-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Mainly cloudy. Clearing late this morning. Windy early this morning. High minus 2. 1000 metres But James & Paddy went flying at Seymour and had great high and long flights landing cause they were cold. This is Paddy's track.  And James' track shows he ventured a bit farther over the Inlet.  And further south Andrew B is at the PWC in Bright Australia, see if you can pick out his Ozone Zeno in this shot!  2-19-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: A mix of sun and cloud. Becoming sunny this morning. Windy this morning. High minus 1. 1000 metres The road up is pretty icy so good tires are required. Someone ventured down into the parking lot before us and made it out but we parked on top. Derek launched first and caught a nice leeside bubble further out and was at 1000 metres as we all launched.  Bev launched in front of me and was looking for lift in all the wrong places, the lift was further out and NE flows so the clearcuts out front were working.  I got above launch a few times but could not get higher and Derek floated way up high, a few rough patches but otherwise buoyant and smooth.  Landing at the Ranch were smooth in NW winds, but you could not scratch at the Highlands or you would not make it. Ask Brian! Oddly higher up Derek said he had a tailwind, so it was defintely leeside. 2-18-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Cloudy with sunny periods. High 3C. Winds NE 40 kph. 1200 metres 2-17-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Light snow. High 2C. Winds light and variable. 1200 metres 2-16-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Snow. High 1C. Winds light and variable. 1200 metres 2-15-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Coudy with sunny periods. High 4C. Winds light and variable. 1200 metres 2-14-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Coudy with sunny periods. High 4C. Winds light and variable. 1200 metres 2-13-18
|
| Woodside Forecast Harrison Mills Forecast: Coudy with sunny periods. High 4C. Winds light and variable. 1200 metres Then after dark it started to snow! 14 cms in places around the Lower Mainland. 2-12-18
|
| Manzanillo Mexico Sacramento Forecast: Cloudy. High 17C. NW winds at 30 to 45 km/h. 2200 metres  The Van ran very well on this total trip of 20,000 kms round trip, that is 4800 kms each way to Manzanillo and another 10,000 kms of road tripping and flying once there. 2-11-18
|
| Manzanillo Mexico California Forecast: Sunny. High 15C. NW winds at 25 to 45 km/h. 2200 metres  2-10-18
|
| Manzanillo Mexico Colima Forecast: Sunny. High 32C. SW winds at 10 to 15 km/h. 2200 metres The roads were not too busy at that hour and I had to stop for a few army checkpoints but uneventful all the way to Nogales AZ where the border lineup was about 20 minutes at the east crossing. I arrived at New River AZ north of Phoenix at 10 pm. I slept in the Van near where I was picking up a new paragliding tow winch, rather than risk getting stuff stolen at a motel. Not bad timing on the drive, made it here in 27 hours including sleeping!  2-9-18
|
| Manzanillo Mexico Colima Forecast: Rain in the morning, cloud in the afternoon. High 27C. SW winds at 10 to 15 km/h. 2200 metres I took the Cuotas north and there is a new road west of Guadalajara that cuts off and hour of city traffic, especially helpful on a Friday night. I arrived in Mazatlan at 11 pm, caught a motel and some food and was asleep for the night.  Meanwhile back at Woodside a group of pilots braved the cold and flew Woodside, including Colleen who managed to cobble a kit together out of our school stock. Here is a shot of Peter S flying his SupAir Taska and he managed at least an hour soaring the South Knoll.  2-8-18
|
| Manzanillo Mexico Colima Forecast: Sunny. High 32C. SW winds at 10 to 15 km/h. 2200 metres I caught a ride up with Jonathon who had student Renault here from Montreal. Renault has been training for 3 years now and has 20 high flights and 40 paramotor flights and is doing very well. I launched right after Renault and we stayed together for most of the flight, although at one point he was very low over the last hump looking like he was going to land in Piscila but he clawed his way out with Jonathon barking commands to him over the Mexican channel. When I saw Renault in the sinky cycle of air, I was high enough to head north to the flats and some yummy clouds. But apparently the clouds were farther away and I got just a few beeps over the black fields. Better than not flying! 2-7-18
|
| Manzanillo Mexico Colima Forecast: Partly Cloudy. High 29C. SW winds at 15 to 25 km/h. 2200 metres I took a cab to meet Jonathon at the meeting place and we arrived on launch to find the Canucks getting ready. Nice conditions according to the wind socks but the air around launch was swirling around so a few aborts. I also had a few aborts with a perfect wing overhead and then having it snatched to one side or the other with no way to stop it. I got a nice cycle on my third try and I had a tangled outer A-line but did not notice it until Don H radioed to me that I had a dimple. It was on the right side and I like to thermal right so no problem as I climbed out. Glen and Bruce were up high to south as I climbed above launch and then everyone converged over launch to climb together until high enough to head SW. My glide over to Mesqua was fine but no lift until just past the irrigation canal which is pretty low and I got a few turns in but did not climb out. Jonathon and Renault were on the ground north of the soccer field. There was a fire close to the field showing SW winds but as I did my approach the winds were NE, probably due to the fire and thermal activity. So I can in hot and tested my back protector with a nice butt skid - I need my ankles for the upcoming season. By the time Bruce and Don landed here it was not +20 kph SW, just bad timing on my part. The Canucks wanted to see Pelican Bay in Manzanillo so we headed off to check it out. All the way there it looked like lame winds, but when we got to Pelican Bay it was perfect . . . +22 kph straight in as Fabian launched first. I followed as soon as he cleared the lift band, using a Cobra Launch to minimize the drag effect. I was climbing through 200 metres quite fast.  I flew for 30 minutes and no one else had launched so I came back in and top-landed to say it was good.  I thought I saw "cats paws" but it was just the shadow off the CUs forming over the water. Don & Glen then launched with some heavy duty ballasting and they were climbing high and far as it got more thermic. They had a sweet flight and everyone had safe landings and we were off just as it got dark to a local seafood restaurant. Nice days here are counting down as I have to get back to get some work done at home. 2-6-18
|
| Manzanillo Mexico Colima Forecast: Partly Cloudy. High 29C. SSW winds at 15 to 25 km/h. 2200 metres Jonathan was driving back down as he forgot his helmet back at home. The BC/AB contingent was in the air and just above launch and it was getting very windy so they headed North. I launched in a lull and was going straight up and backwards. My GPS track looks very strange during this vertical climb.  I had my shortest flight ever here in Colima (8 minutes) as even with +200 metres over launch it was all sink heading NW. I just cleared the rim of the river and landed in a nasty field. I had to walk to the Soccer Field to catch a ride to my Van. The clouds were looking good but the wind was just too strong.  The BC/AB group had mixed results but Don & Bruce & Glen got up to the clouds earlier and toured near town. It still beats sitting in the rain despite a short flight. 2-5-18
|
| Manzanillo Mexico Colima Forecast: Partly Cloudy. High 29C. ENE winds shifting to SSW at 15 to 25 km/h. 2200 metres Richard's last flying day ot the trip and he did well again. We got some early climbs but the most fun was in the back bowls to the south of launch. Scratching in close to the rocks and cactus was the pattern until we had a nice thermal release that got us above launch. Instead of letting the thermal drift me back over the antennas, I pointed out to where Jonathan was climbing on his Magnum II tandem. Wrong choice as when I got to where he had been climbing, there was no lift. We worked out front of launch for sometime and then I headed out to find the house thermal but it was weak. I scratched around for 15 minutes and landed in the Piscila LZ, and soon Jonathan and Renault were in the LZ with me. Richard stayed in front of launch and bailed north to the Mesqua LZ. 2-4-18
|
| Manzanillo Mexico Colima Forecast: Partly Cloudy. High 32C. ENE winds shifting to SW at 15 to 25 km/h. 2700 metres We arrived to a very busy launch with many local pilots, and the Canuck Contingent. Oh and lots of hikers and spectators. Richard had a great, well controlled launch and climbed out quickly. Richard flew for over an hour and landed far from any normal LZs but his SPOT sent me the location and I had to do some creative navigation to find him. 2-3-18
|
| Manzanillo Mexico Colima Forecast: Partly Cloudy. High near 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h. 2700 metres We snagged a ride with Jonathon as my Van was in a body shop getting some work done and it was not going to be ready until 5 pm. There was also Gilles, Gilles mother, Renault (Jonathan's student) and Richard & I in the truck. As per normal we arrived to NE winds and we waited til 1 pm to launch. Gilles launched first on his Ozone Delta 3 and scratched until he found the house thermal way out towards the LZ. I launched after Richard and I watched him way down low, kicking trees. His shadow was very close to him! Gilles waited for us above launch but then got bored as we took to long too catch up to him and he headed NW. I found the same thermal as Gilles and rode it to above launch and allowed myself to drift back towards launch but the stronger cores were out front, so I went back for a second climb and then Richard had climbed out and was above me. Great low save to get out of the low point he was in earlier . . . persistence paid off. Renault had launched and was bobbing around with us too as Jonathon guided him from launch before launching himself. I was watching Gilles head NW and he was climbing over the river which is normally sinky. So I headed that way too as the ceiling was just above launch today. I found the climb weak over the flats and got impatient . . . key phrase today was "never leave lift".  As I was climbing slowly and went back to the original trigger point it was gone and I was soon in the LZ at Mesqua Beer Store. I saw a large group at the soccer field watching me land, kind of normal except that it was all Canadians! Bruce B and entourage were there with folks from Lumby, Calgary and Kamloops all hee to escape the winter. Good thing I ran out a good landing! Richard came in behind me after exploring the flats for a bit longer and he entertained the Canucks as he fell on his knees on his landing run to a huge cheer. Gilles was on final when he climbed out again for about 10 minutes right above the LZ. Jonathon & Renault landed at Piscila Piano LZ. We went to the body shop and my truck was not ready, but close. Jonathan had a bent bumper that was closing off his ability to lower the spare tire and the workers fixed it with Richard's help.  2-2-18
|
| Manzanillo Mexico Colima Forecast: Sunny. High near 28C. Winds SW at 10 to 15 km/h. 2400 metres Richard flew and had a really nice flight, out-flying the locals while I was dealing with car and other issues. Jonathon and another local pilot ended up in the Piano LZ, so Richard followed Gilles north and they landed out by the main highway to Manzanillo.  The weather is shaping up nicely for the rest of Richard's trip. 2-1-18
|
| Manzanillo Mexico Colima Forecast: Cloudy. High near 25C. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 km/h. 2400 metres We arrived on launch at noon to NE winds and not much lift out front. We waited and at 1 PM I saw some rain forming out to the west. It was far away and we were sitting in some sun, but I felt a few drops of rain as I was lounging under the Ant Tree. And then the skies opened up and we were runnng for cover, with Richard running with his wing which had been drying out on launch after shaking out some Manzanillo Sand. We packed up Richard's wing after the deluge passed, and headed into Colima for lunch. While we were eating lunch the sun came out so we headed back to La Cumbre Launch around 5 pm and Richard got a short flight to dry out his wing. |
FlyBC Paragliding Past Site of the Day Reports click to select the month and year you wish to review.
|
1253 Kilby Road, Harrison Mills, BC V0M 1L0 Cell: 604-618-5467 E-Mail: FlyBC E-Mail |