FlyBC "Site of the Day November 2009 Archive Page"
"“Being normal is another way of saying that your not living up to your true potential.” - Travis J Hedrick
Aloft @ 3000' NOAA Sounding CYXX | Rate /1000' | Forecast calc using SOAR8.XLW | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| (stable) |
Woodside Monsoon Report - as forecast it started raining by 1130 am, and hard. Even driving was difficult as it was gusty and lots of pooled water on the roads. Later it was sunny and calmer but no one was out at the Ranch so I worked on Bus Electrical stuff cleaning up the cab for better glider storage. Biff and Brad's new Colorado Video shot last weekend Biff and Brad Do Denver, CO from Kevin Ault on Vimeo.
|
| (stable)
Woodside Report - we had a dry window around 1 pm, for an hour but only Wiley showed up and left before I could talk to him? It looked pretty lame wind wise. | I was working on the Bus Project and it is gonna be a Grand Ride when we are done! Be on the lookout for parts buses in backwoods BC during your travels as I need some exterior parts. Golden Colorado Report - Brad and Biff (Team Aconcagua) reporting from Lookout point a 6500ft launch above the mining town of Golden Colorado. Nice cumis, light thermals made for 2 nice flights. Apparently we were rebels at this protected site, that require waivers, sponsors etc. 
Biff & Brad, still looks chilly - photo by BH So we left early to break away from the local PG crowd. Brad reporting from Colorado. To you . . . Jim
|
| (stable)
Boulder CO Report - Brad and Biff flew today at Granger Banks Boulder Colorado training site. | We did the 500 ft vertical hike for training and Kevin was rewarded with 20 minute soaring flight following Granger about 700 ft above launch. 
Kevin getting ready to fly Boulder CO, looks chilly - photo by GB We hiked and flew four times and then drove back to Denver to Benny's Mexican restaurant for the best margaritas this side of the Rio Grande - Kevin aka Biff.
|
| (stable)
Woodside Report - the day looked really sunny early on and then it clouded in over Woodside, typical of when the dewpoint is so low. | We went up around noon: Derek and Martina, Justin K, Garry H, Gary K, and myself in the Unimog. Good to blow out the carbon once in a while to keep the Mog internals lubed and dry when it has been sitting so long. We arrived to a low cloudbase, in fact we started seeing clouds around the Lower Launch switchback. 
Lots of clouds on launch today - photo by JPR Every now and then we could see the Fraser River, so that was enough for Garry H. He set up and launched and was soon in the soup. Martin N was on the ground and didn't see him come into the clear until the Construction Zone. We got bored of waiting and went down to lunch leaving Gary K, John M and Dennis R on launch. We saw them all in the air as we got to the bottom. Sled rides all around, not worth getting a wing wet or doing a retrieve for. 
The Ranch was sunny all day, nice to get some Vitamin D - photo by JPR
|
| (stable)
Woodside Report - not raining today, so I did some outdoor work getting ready for winter. | Painted the remaining floorboards in the "4x4 Superior Bus" after dark. Technically it looks like the Ford 460 motor and automatic transmission may be a bit too long to mate to the transfer case, from initial measurements but it is the right choice for reliability as the Ford E40D tranny is supposed to be the strongest ever built. No problem cause I won't have time to do the transplant until I get back from Mexico in March.
|
| (stable)
Valley Report - huge rain cells over Abbotsford, kept me in Vancouver all day. This weather is getting boring! |
|
| (stable)
Riverside Gate Report - Al (the new WCSC President) Thielmann arranged to purchase a gate and hardware to install into the new road to Riverside. | I offered to help and called Alan D too, and we met at noon to start the project. 
Al and Alan at work, one post installed in concrete - photo by JPR We had the two posts installed, braces constructed and nailed in and gate installed by 1:30 pm and then tried to get down the road in Al's FJ. 
Al removing some deadfall from the Riverside Road - photo by JPR Alan and I walked to road to Riverside, while Al drove down. The road is in good shape despite all the rain, but I recommend 4x4 vehicles only during the winter. 
Riverside is now vehicle accessible, there will be a lock on the gate and keys will be available to paid up Riverside Pass Holders - photo by JPR After the work party, we drove up to Woodside Launch so Al and Martin N could bag a flight but we got up too late and it was pretty lame, plus it started drizzling on us so we drove down.
|
| (stable)
Valley Report - another wet day, great for searching for body leaks on the Bus, which is now tarped over untilI get a dry day to reseal the windows. | Floor is welded and painted ready for new plywood and vinyl flooring, but I had better focus on cleaning the Barn for the Party on December 5th. Belated Elk Report for November 14 - scroll down to Nov 14 for Daryl's tale of Elk at its best.
|
| (stable)
Elk Report - This is Ken Hurley, Keith Britz and myself on top of Elk training for Mt Aconcagua. Christine and I left the tandem in the car this time. No viz from the valley - Brad . | 
Brad, Ken and Keith on top of Elk Mountain - photo by Christine
|
| (stable)
Woodside Tandem Report - Robin had a professional videographer come out to Woodside at 9 am to try and film some inflight footage from my tandem for a Lego Artist documentary. | It looked promising at 9 am, however I was still in my PJs after sleeping in. By the time we got the car loaded up and on the way up the hill, it started raining, and snowing higher up. 
Robin readying his Mantra M3 in the snow - photo by JPR We persevered and froze on top and we gave up twice but eventually it cleared enough to take off. 
Ben readying his camera in the snow - photo by JPR 
Colleen helped lay out the Magnum tandem as I got ready - photo by JPR Ben and I launched first on tandem and went north trying to find some ridge lift as Robin launched. 
Woodside just before we launched, it was clearing - photo by JPR We headed back to launch lower than Robin and his M3 clearly had a better glide, so we only got shots from below. We hit some snow squalls on the way out, and then it turned to rain, so we were pretty wet when we landed at Stonehenge. Colleen flew right after us and had a nice blizzard flight landing near the Eagle in the cottonwoods on our east property line. Checking the time we saw we had time for one more tandem with a tighter formation hopefully, with Robin launching first and we were to follow him videoing all the while. We launched right after we saw Robin coming back for the north and went into a tight formation immediately. He was in the sun so I went behind him to the left and we hit some sink so he had to "big-ear" down to us a few times. We had a nicer flight in sunny conditions so it was a success, landing again at Stonehenge to video Robin's landing. I think the footage will be awesome! The guys packed up and headed to a Lego Show in Agassiz and we packed up and headed to Spences Bridge for some in-law time with Colleen's sister at the Old Packing House Restaurant in Spences Bridge (which her sister manages). Jim, Colleen's Bro-in-Law, was playing at the restaurant so we ate, drank and sang along til they closed. 
Jim Ryan at the Old Packing House - photo by JPR Kevin's Elk Report - Saturday, November 21. I went up Elk with Daryl and Don Scaman, my partner for Aconcagua next month. Originally, I planned to take Don for a tandem but after last night's storm, I scaled it down to a hike. We carried our wings up for the training. Arrived on top to pretty strong gusts from the southeast to about 30km/hr. Little trick I learned in Nam: we went to the morning launch and hiked down about 30 meters were the wind dropped about five km/hr. I launched first and even though I got picked up and dumped, the Swift waited patiently while I stood up and took off almost vertically. 
Kevin on Elk - photo by Don Scaman Daryl had a similar but more graceful experience. We got about one hundred meters over launch and played for 30 minutes. Tried going to Thurston but there was a lot of east wind. Lovely long glide out to Eddy's which took another twenty minutes for a fifty minute flight. 
Kevin over Elk - photo by Don Scaman A video from Gerry Lamarsh . . . when it was much warmer and drier! Mt. Woodside B.C. Paragliding from Gerry LaMarsh on Vimeo. ps: This super Gin Zoom glider is for sale on the Demo/Used Page above
|
| (stable)
Valley Report - lots of rain. |
|
| (unstable)
Valley Report - heavy rain all day in the Fraser Valley. | I spent a few good hours spent on the Bus Project to get it ready for parking at the Ranch, some floor panels patched and sealed but I am going to need the welder so it is homeward bound. I am going to have to focus on preparing the Barn now for the big Holiday/End of Year Party on Dec 5th which is approaching rapidly. The theme is Mexican, a first for a Christmas Party for us, so plan to wear something Mexican.
|
| (unstable)
Woodside Report - oddly, it was good all morning but I couldn't talk Alan into coming over due to the wind warnings. | I was also a bit worried about getting caught in the air, so when Martin N showed up we went to work on the Bus instead. It was dry until about 2 pm when snow and rain started at Eric's barn. Great progress today on the Bus Reno today! Martin pulled out the plywood flooring which was bolted through the steel flooring with machine screws and nuts, so it was pretty hard to peel the boards off and keep them intact enough for templates for new wood. The floor underneath is in good shape, with a few holes to patch up where plumbing had been installed. While Martin was peeling the floor, I was installing the new fibreglass panel on the passenger side. It fit well and is sealed with the right automotive seam sealer that the factories use, so it should remain weather-tight. A few more coats of bondo applied to the roof patches last night, but sanding will have to wait for a few months as I am getting evicted from the Barn tomorrow in preparation for their Barn Dance. The bus will be weather-tight enough to store for the winter, ready for the motor transplant and seat installation in March 2010. Just in time for the new season!
|
| (stable)
Bus Reno Report - we definitely weren't flying today, but I was able to put the bus outside to sand the roof before
installing the patches to seal up all the regulation stop light installations that were cracked and damaged allowing water to enter the cab. | I found a really nice set of Tour Bus seats (reclining high back type), from a Bus Charter company in Hope and I picked up 20 seats for free! They are Grey with Red accents on black frames that are compatible with the Superior Chassis mount points, some welding may be needed around the wheel wells or I may create a facing arrangement like the Mog near the wheels. When I came out of the Barn last night around 8 pm, it was snowing heavily in Harrison Mills! Winter is here and Mexico is calling. Snow is lingering in the Eagle Ranch LZ this morning at 8:30 am.
|
| (stable)
Woodside Report - it rained hard and was very windy. | Flood watch in place on some BC rivers due to this "Pineapple Express" front coming though. Calgarians will be happy as they are getting a "Chinook" as is Saskatoon. Good thing I have a dry barn to work on the bus!
|
| (stable)
Valley Report - lots of rain mixed with snow at times, thanks to neighbours Eric & Liz just off Mill Road, I am able to work on the Bus inside one of their big barns. | I am sealing up the roof and sides to make it water-tight while we are away in Mexico. New roof vent installed and fibreglass mold for the sidewall is complete, the parts will be made in the next couple of days ready for installation and primer coats. If anyone is out on the road and you see some old buses parked in yards in BC, let me know. I still need some regulation seats for safety compliance.
|
| (stable)
Elk Mountain Report - The winter parahiking has started on Elk Mtn. I have to say the Swift is pleasure to hike with, the light weight makes is a perfect pair with a light harness. Hiked Elk on saturday and launchrd from a winter wonderland. The winds were coming straight in , with small thermals popping up everywhere! I was able to keep a level flight path with launch with the Swift soaring from Thurston to the west end of Elk - Brad | 
Brad soaring Elk Mountain on his new Swift - photo by Christine Another Elk Report - I Arrived at the top of Elk sometime around 11:30 the wind was cross from the South east. It didn’t feel strong, but it was cold very thick air. Armed with my new down jacket under my flight suit I reversed and was lifted off the top of the mountain in my own personal elevator. After several passes over to the east side of Thurston my hands started to feel like lumps instead of fingers, so I opted to play on the top of Elk. I flew along the top, dragging my feet in the snow, and landing to bring the precious warm blood back to my finger tips. The flight lasted an hour and a half. The air was hands free smooth at two hundred meters over launch. I had the entire mountain to myself. Flying Elk at its best - Daryl S Woodside Report - only a few desperadoes came out today, but the forecast was wrong as it didn't rain til long after dark. Long Lost Kelly showed up around 9 am, along with Thomm and they went up to Woodside Launch around 11 am, and while it had snowed, they were able to get to the last parking area in Kelly's Xterra. It was coming in so good they went back and got their wings after lunch. 
Thomm launching at Woodside - photo by KLR It was a short, cold flight requiring a drying session in the barn later as the snow was melting on launch and got everything wet. 
Sasquatch Mountain shot from Woodside, nice snowline - photo by KLR
|
| (stable)
Woodside Report - interesting weather with hail, lightning, thunder, rain, some snow all within 15 minutes. | Colleen said it was snowing on Hwy 7 crossing from Agassiz, and snowline was almost down to the highway at times. Elk is reporting 2-3 feet of snow on the hike up. Winter is here and Mexico is looking better and better everyday. Only 3 weeks to go.
|
| (unstable)
Woodside Report - I took a 600 lb load of Bus garbage to the Bailey Dump near Prest Road as no one showed up by 10 am. | There was east wind but the day was shaping up with some instability as clouds formed on all the peaks surrounding the Ranch. As I got back to the Ranch at noon, I saw Wiley setting up his paramotor and came out to help him get launched before heading up the mountain with Jason, Norm, Nikolai and my wing. Dennis was at the top as was Alan D. Alan launched first and was climbing to motivate the troops. One by one everyone was in the air but only Alan got above launch . . . except for the Eagles. Jason and Norm did well for the conditions, staying above Dennis who struggled near Riverside. As I was not sure how to retrieve, I drove down as pilots were heading out to land, except Alan who was still above launch. Wiely was loading up his motor into his truck, after having it "conk out" with a suspected burned piston. 
Alan just above launch at Woodside, with a local flier - photo by JPR I made one more trip up the hill with Wiley, Martina, Steve D (who launched after I drove down as he brought his own car up after 1:30 pm), and Alex W. It looked rather lame at launch but not blowing down so I headed down to move the Bus to a dry barn at Eric & Liz's farm, so I could prep the fibreglass molding for tomorrows promised monsoon. The bus starts and moves on command, and I tested the transfer case and 4x4 controls in the parking lot and they are operational. The pilots had a short flight and had to do forward launches but they flew and it was sunny all day long, nice change after 5 days of rain and 5 more to come.
|
| (stable)
Woodside Report - it was a busy day for Mother Woodside. | Thomm arrived by 10 am and I was 2 hours behind him, still en-route from East Van, with a stop to purchase a donor vehicle for the new 4x4 Bus. Thomm said it was too strong at 10 am, great at 11 am, and we arrived at launch at noon and saw one un-named pilot sledding to Riverside. Good cycles at launch, but Thomm only got 4-5 passes and was soon heading down in freezing rain. Desperado! 
Thomm just below launch at Woodside - photo by JPR On the drive down, I saw Peter's group heading up all squeezed into a Rav4, with Andrew's face glued to the rear window with a glider behind him. We watched them sled out later, and we weren't that motivated as it sprinkled on and off, and cycles at launch looked lame. Alex W arrived as did Norm and Bev, and we were soon stripping the interior of the new Bus. Alex figures it should be named "The Beast", but we will have a naming poll later. Martin N thinks it is the Grateful Dead's old tour bus. 
The interior as it was when I bought the Bus, all camperized - photo by JPR Part by part, the wooden interior walls and partitions and seats were dismantled. We found 1973/1974 Whitehorse newspapers in the floor, indicating the approximate date of the camper creation. Nuring assistants could earn $6804 per annum in 1974 in Whitehorse according to one ad. Bananas were 6 lbs for a buck. Bev looked good wielding a sledge-hammer, and she made short work of the camper walls. 
Some of the work crew near the front section of the bus - photo by Thomm Some parts needed careful dismantling outside the bus to ready the parts for recycling at the Bailey Dump. 
Alex carefully removing the stove from some wooden structures, note trailer load #1 of garbage - photo by JPR When we opened up the boxes that surrounded the rear wheel wells, we were greeted with years of mice infestation. I was then the only worker on the job as people feared "Hanta Virus". I donned a mask and vacuumed out the mice houses and was soon down to bare wooden floors. 
Trailer load #2 destined for the Bailey Dump - photo by JPR Sometimes you have to have a vision for a project and look beyond the obvious blemishes of a vehicle. Once stripped to the bare walls, it is easier to see the layout of the seats and cargo area. The cargo area is so big that it can accomodate a bed, and a small fridge and stove for overnight trips to the interior, with enough room for 16 gliders too. A cage will be built to keep the gliders out of the passenger area. Proper regulation bus seats will be installed to keep Transport Canada happy. 
The interior after stripping, need some paint and TLC to repair years of neglect - photo by JPR I found a 1990 Ford Cargo Van with fresh 460 EFI V-8 and rebuilt Automatic Transmission that will provide the horsepower. I was hoping for a carbureted 460 but they are too old now and mostly worn out, so I am going to have to learn how to wire an EFI system into an old rig. Fortunately lots of computer savvy hot-rodders have websites dedicated to these swaps. A lazy person would order a Painless Wiring Harness for $599 USD but that is more than the donor vehicle cost! Rewiring the existing harness to fit the Bus should be a few days job, but with the forecast rains I will have some time to do the wiring.
|
| (stable)
Vancouver Report - there was lots of rain today and not much but driving around doing errands. | South Florida Paramotoring Report - I met up with Carlos from South Florida PPG on North Beach Miami. Carlos is a great guy and was really happy I called to get the logistics from them before running off into the sky as they have worked hard with the Ft. Lauderdale airport in securing their flying. Can you believe we took off from the beach at the end of one of their runways? I was told what I had to do and given the phone number to the Ft. Lauderdale tower where I had to call and get permission. I called and gave them my expected flight time and the direction of my flight and then was given clearance. I set up and said good bye to Carlos and took off. I flew from North Beach to Ft Lauderdale and back over a period of just under three hours. I could see Stingrays, Manta rays, and either Tarpons or Sharks not sure which as they were below the surface. Big anyways. You don't realize just what is really swimming with you in the water until you fly over it. It was an amazing flight in South Florida and I look forward to flying here again. Here is a video from my flight in Miami. Justin K.
|
| (stable)
Ferry Report Day 2 - I got up early and nothing was open again, so I drove west towards Savona on the #1. I was getting 90 kph on the GPS and the speedo works but reads a bit lower than true GPS speeds. | Again I was going well until the long hill past Tobiano Resort and I stalled out on the hill right near the rest stop. I was able to get it relighted and I crawled into the rest stop to check the fuel filter. The contamination was gone, probably sucked thru the carb, but I was getting air bubbles in the fuel and a partially filled filter. It needs a fuel pump! 
Savona Hill Rest Stop area, at 6 am - photo by JPR Where does one find a fuel pump at 6:00 am? The closest Lordco is Cache Creek, so I gotta keep driving. It drives fine on the flats and down hill where the fuel requirement is lower, but on the hills it is starving so it took quite a while to get to Cache Creek. After a stop at the Deadman Road turnoff to rest, another 2 beside Hwy 1, I made it to Cache Creek by 7:30 am, so more gas and some food for me! 
Resting at the Cache Creek Lordco - photo by JPR Lordco is a great store, cause they have everything in stock . . . even for a 1957 Ford B700 Bus. The WCSC has an account with a 30% discount from retail that I use, and all you can too. The account number is 337220 for future reference. I got a new airfilter, an an electric in-line fuel pump and more oil. This thing sucks oil, probably a few bad rings in the engine, but it is getting replaced anyway for a big diesel before spring. The install took about 45 minutes and she started right up! On the road again towards home, only another 180 kms to go on an old bus. I was getting 90 kph on the flats and everything was going well past Ashcroft Manor, but then I started smelling acrid plastic smelling smoke? I pulled over and checked my wiring to the fuel pump and it was intact and no other signs of a problem but the nose usually doesn't lie. 
Cornwall Mountain from the Bus - photo by JPR I got back in and started to drive past Cornwall Mountain and I was taking this picture when the smell got really bad, and the cab was filling with smoke. I pulled over to the side of the road fast and the engine died and I opened the hood to see flames along the main wiring harness! Shit, where is the fire extinguisher. Oh yeah, right near the door. As I went in the cab to grab the extinguisher I saw flames under the dash too! I tried to empty the fire extinguisher there first and it was empty. I should have grabbed the camera first cause I got no shot of the fires. Barring the fire extinguisher, the next remedy is remove the ground on the battery to stop the shorting circuiting and that worked and I was able to blow out the flames. Now to find out what happened? The wires under the dash were going to an aftermarket ammeter gauge, probably wired in the 60's. That was installed properly, but someone had run a heater powerline off the ammeter that was disconnected by the previous owner and left open to short out if it hit ground as they were redoing the main control box that has all the interior lights, fans and electrics running to it. The fan power line started shorting to ground and started the whole mess to melt down, and with no fuse the wires became a heating coil and burned the wiring up. After ten minutes of pulling out the burned wires and re-routing the charge circuit back to the battery as stock, I was able to fire up the motor and continue on my merry way. Good thing I took electronics in College! And worked on many old cars with a generator and conventional wiring. No need to call BCAA yet! I stopped at Boston Bar for another fuel top-up, and 2 more litres of oil and a snack and it started to rain. I wonder if the fire took out the wiper motor wiring? They worked and well as it got more rainy further south towards Hope. I tried to be polite and pull over on the hills but I am sure there were a few angry motorists because there were many construction stops along the way too. I breezed past the Hope Weigh Scale, as you don't have to stop if you are a BC Bus. Actually this unit is registered as a Motor Home, because it is currently equipped as such with a bed, fridge, stove and eating nook, all of which is coming out on Wednesday to prepare the interior for 16 seats and glider storage in the rear. Through Agassiz, I slowed down but forgot to pump the brakes at the Esso and almost rolled through the intersection (no one there), as this is one heavy beast. Almost home only 10 kms to go! The Woodside Hill is the worst. I hit it going almost 95 kph, and was soon downshifting to second gear, and then into first (granny low) and I was crawling. I guess I over-reved the engine, cause it wasn't happy and decided to stop. It has a great parking brake, so could get out and check the radiator. It was not boiling over but the oil breather was smoking, so I checked the oil level and it needed 2 more litres. after refilling and a short rest I was rolling again and it was soon all downhill. I turned onto Mill Road and almost fell over as the drivers seat is not secured to the floor, I gues that will have to be attended to after all the interior work is completed. 
New Bus in its new home at Eagle Ranch - photo by JPR This is a winter project requiring some special skills: New engine and transmission (preferably big block diesel and automatic) to mate to existing transfer case and 2.5 ton axles. Body repairs and prepping for undercoating the undercarriage and body. Mechanical work on brakes. Electrical re-wiring with modern fuse panel to reduce fire danger. Interior work to install 16 seats and a cage to keep gliders from coming forward into the passenger area. 32" flat panel TV and sound system installed for long trips. and then it will be Woodside and Bridal bound for 2010.
|
| (stable)
Woodside Report - I headed up to Kelowna to pick up the new FlyBC Shuttle Machine with my daughter and
Colleen was staying back to work, but apparently the skies opened up and Thomm talked her into going up for a flight.
Picture and video to follow when we can get Thomm's new iPhone hooked up. | New Shuttle Ferry Report - I picked up the unit in North Kelowna and headed north to Kamloops around 4:30 pm. The lights were all working, and I had a full tank of gas . . . what could go wrong? It had not been driven for 2 years and it is 52 years old, so I chose the Fraser canyon route to be close to parts stores and gas stations. All was going well except it was very dark past Falkland and many deer on the road, but this unit is so high it would roll right over the biggest Buck or even a moose. I made it to Kamloops by 6:30 pm, but that long hill on the #1 was slow going and it felt like it was starving for fuel and I had to go slow. I noticed some fuel contamination in the fuel filter at the last gas stop, so I was going to find a filter but everything was closed so I stayed at the Holiday Inn on the west side. 
Safely at rest in the Holiday Inn Express Parking Lot - photo by JPR More excitement tomorrow.
|
| (stable)
Woodside Monsoon Report - it rained heavily and the snow line is down to 1000 meters on the surrounding mountains. | Florida Paramotoring Report - Justin Kyllo has been doing the Championship BBQ Circuit and has been winning big prizes in the Southern States! He took some time out in Miami, FL to go motoring and called last night very excited as he completed a 3 hour cross-country flight with the local motorheads. Pictures and video to follow but he did send this picture of a manta ray as he flew overhead. 
Manta Ray off the Florida Coast - photo by Justin Kyllo
|
| (stable)
Coquihalla Report - I drove up to Kelowna to buy our new 4x4 Shuttle Bus and was dealt some nasty icy weather on the #5 and the 97C. | Sunny though in Kelowna with gusty South winds all day. The drive back was equally snowy with many stuck cars and semis, WINTER IS HERE! I made a deal with the owner to finish some critical work to get the Bus home, hopefully Monday. Any good backyard bodymen around, mechanically it is sound just a bit of a "sows ear" paint-wise. 
The new Bus has 2.5 ton axles front and rear and dual wheels to hold 16 pilots and gear, no more getting left behind - photo by JPR Cool video from Germany
|
| (inverted)
Woodside Monsoon Report - yes it rained hard all day and got very windy in the afternoon as forecast. It looks like this is hanging around for Fridy too, extending thru to Kamloops area. |
|
| (inverted)
Woodside Report - I thought it even looked too strong and too NE for Horsefly as I drove to the Ranch, especially around Mission. | After an hour or so at the Ranch, things calmed down and when I looked in the telescope it was blowing in. Adrian, Jason and Benoit all came up and had a short flight. Jason had to go back to work, so the second flight it was just Benoit and Adrian (now up to 22 flights), and it was still coming up despite cloudy skies. Everyone went home and I did a few chores, but I think it was flyable til dark. Sumas Report - apparently the Sumas gates have been removed or locked open, so anyone can drive up and fly now. LZ is still the end of North Parallel Road east of #3 Road. This happened September 9th, but one of the WCSC Directors forgot to mention it to the rest of the Club? Saddle Mountain, WA Report - Some pilots got nice flights today!
|
| (stable)
Woodside Report - strongish north winds at the Ranch and at Harrison Bridge, and cold, yet occasional peeks at the windsock on launch showed no wind.
It might have been launchable but not soarable and probably bumpy near the hill. | I spent a few hours tuning up the Unimog and it runs beautifully now as the plugs were "carbon'ed up" and a few vacuum leaks were discovered after the clutch repair. I test-drove it back to Vancouver to be sure and it topped out at 95 kms on Hwy 7. My apologies to the WCSC for not making the meeting, I took Colleen out for Sushi and too much saki meant I shouldn't drive to New West. Congratulations to the new "West Coast Soaring Club Board" which includes: President - Al "The Hammer" Thielmann Treasurer/Secretary - Veronica Dubak Membership - Bev Lawlor Safety - Ted Ingham Sites - Alex Raymont Events - Maria-Claudia Sandoval Webmaster - Robin Sather Competitions - empty Director-at-large - empty
|
| (stable)
Woodside Report - I arrived at the Ranch around 11:30 am, to find Wiley and Martin N waiting to fly. It looked pretty lame in the telescope so I did a few chores and then we went up in Wiley's truck as I was working on the 'Mog and the Van. | We arrrived up top to find a squall line had formed and there was snow falling on Sasquatch, Vedder and Elk Mountains all around us, and it was gusty and cold. This all happened in 15 minutes! We brought up the extra spikes and 2 sledge hammers and we re-secured the Nylex Mats on launch and drove down in a monsoon rain. Denied but safe.
|
| (stable)
Woodside Report - a nice sunny day for November 1st! I didn't think the lapse rate would yield much lift, but somehow it warmed up enough to bring on some great thermals. | Despite the sunny skies, Woodside was pretty quiet today. We have 3 truckloads of 7 pilots per flight, and a few others that chose to drive up themselves. One ``cheater`` on an ATOS showed up too! Rudy and Irene were the only FlyBC students, which is a pity because conditions were great for training including thermal training. There were some light showers creating nice rainbows but that didn`t stop the flying as it was just over Harrison Mills while the mountain remained in sun. 
Alan at cloudbase 900 meters over Woodside - photo by JPR There was some excitement when an ``unnamed`` Zoom pilot was heading out low over the Construction Zone when he disappeared from my view. Later there were reports of a paraglider in a power line at the Construction Zone, so several people went to investigate. Apparently the pilot was looking for real estate down low as he landed in front of the last house overlooking Duncan`s, and his wing was hooked on one of the plant hangers sticking out of the lamp standard. 
Unnamed pilot at Harrison Highlands - photo by Jason I had a flight later and managed to get 30 minutes but never got above launch. I need to fly more for these light days, even Jan was above me on his 4th tandem flight! A nice flight even later, landing in no wind at Stonehenge to save my wing from getting too wet. Elk Report - I ventured up Elk with Ivan, Larry, and Daryl today, arriving to find cloud, lots of it and thermally formed. Launched my Swift in one of the breaks and began to weave and bob among the clouds from east to west sinking gradually. Eventually found consistent lift at the west shoulder and began to get over the top to the point where the other parahikers could see me again. The guys launched and we spent about fifteen minutes sharing the clouds, the lift and the sink until only I remained. I topped up once more on the west shoulder and left at about 1600 meters. I completed a nice big loop around the Ryder Lake area before touching down at Eddy's with a big smile hidden under my balaclava. Great day for those mittens! - Kevin
|
| (unstable)
Woodside Report - too windy for any form of "foot launched flight" today, gust to 35 knots. | Blanchard Report - later in the day it got soarable, for Delvin and some HGer and an Eagle. |
FlyBC Paragliding Past Site of the Day Reports
September 2009 Site of the Day archives - more decent flying weather with a few road trips to escape wind by heading to Savona.
August 2009 Site of the Day archives - best flying conditions in years with little rain. My first hike up Cheam with pals went well.
July 2009 Site of the Day archives - the FlyBC SIV in Revelstoke was a blast, 280 SIV flights and only one wet pilot intentionally that is. Jeremy wished he had landed in the water.
June 2009 Site of the Day archives - dry all month locally so lots of flying, Al has been test flying the new ShotGun launch near Stave Lake having great flights out to Woodside.
May 2009 Site of the Day archives - local flying is getting great with nice XC's! Bridal was working well. The new bathroom was installed in the Barn at Eagle Ranch enriching the FlyBC experience.
April 2009 Site of the Day archives - we escaped the local weather by flying in New Zealand for 3 weeks. We will be heading back soon!
March 2009 Site of the Day archives - we were flying locally in snow, relying on Derek's sleds and chains on the 'Mog to get up Woodside.
February 2009 Site of the Day archives - the Worlds PG Championships in Mexico was hard work for the Canucks, the tasks and speeds were unreal.
January 2009 Site of the Day archives - Manzanillo, Mexico was a BLAST, many new sites flown and we have a new tour Destination for 2010.
December 2008 Site of the Day archives - the annual FlyBC Christmas Party was a cold success with Head over Heels entertaining us all night. And we left early for Manzanillo, Mexico on Dec 28th.
November 2008 Site of the Day archives - some soaring between rain storms, and it was pretty dry in Agassiz.
October 2008 Site of the Day archives - we went ot the Women's Fly In on Chelan for the annual Halloween Costume Fly-In, great conditions there to offset the wet month on the West Coast. Steve Fosset's crash site was found in Nevada after a year of searching.
September 2008 Site of the Day archives - great student conditions at Woodside and Bridal all month, with 10 students getting signed off this month, a record.
August 2008 Site of the Day archives - our second SIV Course of the 2008 season went well at Sale Mountain near Revelstoke (except for a few water landings and minor injuries). Wet all month at Woodside except the weekends.
July 2008 Site of the Day archives - our first SIV Course of the 2008 season went well at Sale Mountain near Revelstoke.
June 2008 Site of the Day archives - a few good soaring days at Bridal, lots of new students this month.
May 2008 Site of the Day archives - the cost of gas is keeping pilots at home and the weather isn't helping either. One good XC in May for me, leaving Woodside with Norm and Martin H and ending up at Elk at 1600 meters before landing by Hopyard Hill. 3 hours and 85 kms later by the GPS.
April 2008 Site of the Day archives - worst weather in years but we flew every day we could.
March 2008 Site of the Day archives - more snow and still hiking to launch at Woodside! But some major airtime for the locals committed to coming out to fly.
February 2008 Site of the Day archives - more snow in BC than I can remember in 25 years of living here. We are still hiking to launch at Woodside!
January 2008 Site of the Day archives - worst weather in years so we went to Mexico and logged many hours of airtime, while it snowed heavily in BC.
December 2007 Site of the Day archives - worst weather in years so we went to Mexico on Dec 29th for three weeks.
November 2007 Site of the Day archives - Colleen and I went to California to fly the new Falcon A-16 Advanced Ultralight prototype and it flew very well. Some good soaring days at Woodside, some folks were still trying to fly Bridal but that is a waste of time this late in the season.
October 2007 Site of the Day archives - mid-air at Woodside caused Martin H some paraglider damage, some great soarable days. The Women's Fly In was a success with the Canuck Team taking top spot for the theme of "Celebrities in Rehab".
September 2007 Site of the Day archives - we re-discovered and flew 'Horsefly' Launch for the first time, some mayhem at Woodside due to tree-suck, lots of good soaring in afternoon glassoffs, a great Indian Summer until late in the month when the rains came early. Derek, Martina, Robin and Diane went to Europe. Kirill went to Australia for a paramotor Fly-In.
August 2007 Site of the Day archives - fun two weeks at Mara Lake, followed by steady flying at Woodside and Bridal, making up for the dismal spring and summer.
July 2007 Site of the Day archives - good flights at Bridal, some mayhem at Woodside from visiting pilots.
June 2007 Site of the Day archives - more crappy weather on the weekends. Some awesome flights between showers as Norm and Thomm flew to Mission on the last day of the month.
May 2007 Site of the Day archives - flyable every weekday, but the Fraser Valley XC Comp got crappy weather on the weekends, although it was student flyable.
April 2007 Site of the Day archives - good flights are starting. Some complete triangles from Woodside to Bridal and back, some "musical triangles" from others.
March 2007 Site of the Day archives - fifth month of crappy weather on the Coast. We went to Santa Barbara for some flights, and to dry out. Some good days were also recorded locally.
Febuary 2007 Site of the Day archives - fourth month of crappy weather on the Coast. So we stayed in Mexico.
January 2007 Site of the Day archives - third month of crappy weather on the Coast. So we went to Mexico to fly Colima, Tapalpa, and San Marcos, while Brad and gang headed to Tenacingo, Mexico.
December 2006 Site of the Day archives - more ugly weather on the Coast. Severe winds damaged trees and property so not much flying happened. Some good flight reports from local PGers travelling world-wide.
November 2006 Site of the Day archives - the wettest November on record. We flew a few good flights but mostly we were rained out.
October 2006 Site of the Day archives - lots of good days with 3-4 hours airtime. The Women's Fly-In was on again in Chelan with about 18 Canucks, and a good day Saturday with 85 registered pilots.
September 2006 Site of the Day archives - still soarable in the Fraser Valley, little or no rain. Colleen is back flying! Some mayhem in the valley.
August 2006 Site of the Day archives - a great flying month everywhere, we had a super successful SIV clinic at Mara Lake with everyone SAT-ing and heli-ing.
July 2006 Site of the Day archives - road trip to Lumby, then on the 8th Colleen spun in below Gloria cancelling her summer plans (but she is recuperating well).
June 2006 Site of the Day archives - the Valley dried out, and we flew most days and every weekend.
May 2006 Site of the Day archives - more rain that ever imagined in the Fraser Valley. Very few soaring flights and even less XC.
April 2006 Site of the Day archives - the Easter Bunny was "run over" on Kilby Road, plus the train wreck on April 1.
March 2006 Site of the Day archives - a new pilot was born, Chloe. We also flew a few days between showers, some long flights up to 4 hours. A few Out & Return Flights to Deroche and Bear.
February 2006 Site of the Day archives - another wet month with some soarable days (2).
January 2006 Site of the Day archives - some flying on Elk and Woodside, smart pilots headed South for great Mexican or Chilean flying.
December 2005 Site of the Day archives - some flying on Elk and Woodside, smart pilots headed South.
November 2005 Site of the Day archives - rain, snow and not much flying.
October 2005 Site of the Day archives - Women's Fly In in Chelan yielded two soarable days before the snows hit.
September 2005 Site of the Day archives - dry most of the month. Some great 4 hour flights at Woodside getting to cloudbase most days. Three crash-landings in the same clearcut by pilots scratching too low, but no injuries.
August 2005 Site of the Day archives - road trips to the Interior gave us an opportunity to rag out some gliders at FlyBC SIV 2005 (Part II). Also a great road trip to Savona.
July 2005 Site of the Day archives - good flying all month, no rain but some windy days shut us down. The Willi started in Golden with a few good days, but one tragedy as Charles Warren perished in a crash near Harrogate.
June 2005 Site of the Day archives - too much rain, but good days to fly between showers.
May 2005 Site of the Day archives - our Instructor/Tandem seminar yielded some good flying. Our May 2005 SIV Clinic had a good turnout, with many wet wings/pilots! Many nice flights at Woodside and Bridal, with some long "out & returns" at Bridal.
April 2005 Site of the Day archives - some great soaring at Woodside and Bridal. Sad news from the US Hanggliding Nationals as Chris Muller crashes at goal.
March 2005 Site of the Day archives - we had to head out of town to Savona a few weekends due to wet weather on the Coast. Wetter than normal according to Environment Canada.
February 2005 Site of the Day archives - some good soaring despite early time of year. Flights as long as 3 hours at Woodside, some good flights at Whidbey Island for first timers, too!
January 2005 Site of the Day archives road trips to Mexico, not much flying locally due to strong north winds and rain. Record rain kept Eagle Ranch quite wet for kiting.
December 2004 Site of the Day archives a dry month with some good soaring including a fantastic day on Dec. 11 where we thermalled for 2+ hours!
November 2004 Site of the Day archives more record rain. We installed a fireplace in the barn to keep pilots warm between winter flights.
October 2004 Site of the Day archives more record rain, but sweet soaring between showers. Many new students signed up and making quick progress. We missed the Women's Fly In for the first time in 9 years, and there was some interesting flying on the Sunday!
September 2004 Site of the Day archives rainiest September on record for the first 3 weeks, made flying difficult. But Alan and others logged some pretty nice flights later in the month. Lots of student tandems for both Colleen and Jim.
August 2004 Site of the Day archives Great Maneuver/SIV/ACRO course at Mara. Jack got wet! Some great soaring at Woodside. Norm made it 68 km from Mara to King Eddie, Derek made it from Lumby to Enderby the opposite direction for 67 kms. We also did our BC roadtrip from Ashcroft to New Denver, and flew everyday.
July 2004 Site of the Day archives the Willi was on at Golden. We missed the mayhem due to work and school commitments but Norm did a great job representing the West Coast.
June 2004 Site of the Day archives Canadian Nationals came off with many great rounds. Pemberton-Whistler Championships were blown out most days so we headed to Cornwall.
May 2004 Site of the Day archives great flying at Woodside and Bridal. We held a very successful SIV Course at Mara Lake, and hope to run another one in August if they keep the forests open.
April 2004 Site of the Day archives good flying in the Valley. The Fraser Valley Cross Country PG Series was successssful.
March 2004 Site of the Day archives Nicole won in Brazil, otherwise the month sucked for flying time.
February 2004 Site of the Day archives some local flights extended to an hour with vigourous scratching above the trees. Good paramotor month.
January 2004 Site of the Day archives Mexican road trip yielded 20 hours of flight and a wet Canadian January kept most local pilots on the ground.
December 2003 Site of the Day archives we flew a few times but it got really cold at the end of the month as we prepared for a gala New Year's Party for 40 of our close personal friends and neighbours.
November 2003 Site of the Day archives windy and wet with the odd good soaring day, not many pilots out these days.
October 2003 Site of the Day archives Women's Fly In was great fun, some good soaring days mid-month, most of the students are signed off.
September 2003 Site of the Day archives good conditions until the last days of the month when it got stable. Most days were flyable at Woodside or Bridal.
August 2003 Site of the Day archives Forest closures made the end of the month a non-flying period unless you headed to Blanchard. FlyBC SIV 2003 was a great success with 9 stunt pilots and no deployments or crashes.
July 2003 Site of the Day archives we flew most days early at Woodside until it got windy, then over to Bridal. Good Golden flying reports from the "Willi".
June 2003 Site of the Day archives we flew most weekdays at Bridal, Woodside worked most weekends. Bridal Air Races had one great day with only two tree landings!
May 2003 Site of the Day archives not a great weather month on the coast, especially on the weekends but a few pilots managed to get some great airtime at Bridal. The Nationals were held in Lumby and it didn't rain!
April 2003 Site of the Day archives rain for 28 of 30 April days, but we managed to get a few flights in between showers. Even the golfers were complaining!
March 2003 Site of the Day archives some high spring flights in early March, but not a great weather month. Still no HPAC Insurance!
February 2003 Site of the Day archives some nice long spring flights in late February. HPAC Insurance expired on Feb 14, so many pilots stayed home instead of getting USHGA coverage.
January 2003 Site of the Day archives lots of rain all month in BC so we bailed and headed to Tapalpa Mexico for three weeks. Norm and Lucille had a great XC flight the first day we arrived.
December 2002 Site of the Day archives lots of rain all month.
November 2002 Site of the Day archives not a great flying month, lots of rain in the beginning and then super stable and inverted for the balance of the month. Even the Savona Road Trip wasn't that great. Looking forward to Mexico!
October 2002 Site of the Day archives Still soarable some days, great fun at the Women's Fly In 2002 in Chelan. Allan logged 15 hours and only flew a few days. Most of the students are ready for signoff soon to get ready for Mexico trips!
September 2002 Site of the Day archives Still soarable most everyday! Some scary incidents at Woodside. Fun flying at Ashcroft.
August 2002 Site of the Day archives More spring-like days with super lapse rates, great fun up-country at Revelstoke and Mara, with some good XCs for all.
July 2002 Site of the Day archives Some spring-like days with super lapse rates, but still rather wet at times.
June 2002 Site of the Day archives another rainy and windy month with great lapse rates, some great flights at Bridal with some getting above Cheam Peak. The Club Cup was nearly rained out but they got one valid task in on Sunday June 30.
May 2002 Site of the Day archives an extremely rainy month with the more spring mayhem, another reserve deployment at Lil Nick and a pilot crashed at the top of Deroche Mountain, uninjured but with a ripped glider and long hike down the mountain. Colleen placed 5th place at the Canadian PG Nationals in rainy Lumby!
April 2002 Site of the Day archives a rainy month with the usual spring mayhem, one reserve deployment at Woodside and a pilot hit a parked car at Bridal LZ, fracturing his leg.
March 2002 Site of the Day archives a few great days days with lots of snow and rain mixed in.
February 2002 Site of the Day archives two epic days already (4.5 hours and 2.5 hours!).
January 2002 Site of the Day archives Mexico vacation shots, some local flying but it was wet on the coast.
December 2001 Site of the Day archives pretty stable locally, wettest December on record, some good days sprinkled thru the month.
November 2001 Site of the Day archives pretty stable locally, had some good days at Woodside +2 hours, lots of rain later in the month.
October 2001 Site of the Day archives pretty stable locally, but great flying at Chelan at the Women's Fly In.
September 2001 Site of the Day archives starting to get pretty stable, more sled rides forecast for October.
Aug 2001 Site of the Day archives Mara, Bridal, till some great flights locally
July 2001 Site of the Day archives Road Trip Month, Golden, Mara, points east!
June 2001 Site of the Day archives Great Month, 3 hours of airtime for some pilots every time they flew Bridal Lower! Some getting up to 6 hours in a single flight!
May 2001 Site of the Day archives Unstable Month, 2-3 hours of airtime for some pilots every time they flew Bridal Lower!
April 2001 Site of the Day archives Rainy Month, not as much airtime for some pilots
March 2001 Site of the Day archives Spring has Sprung!
February 2001 Site of the Day archives Spring is in the Air!
January 2001 Site of the Day archives - Mexico Flying Trip
December 2000 Site of the Day archives
November 2000 Site of the Day archives (great month for airtime!)
October 2000 Site of the Day archives
September 2000 Site of the Day archives
July - August 2000 Site of the Day archives
June 2000 Site of the Day archives
March - May 2000 Site of the Day archives
| FlyBC Home | Paragliding History |
|
Box 79, Harrison Mills, BC Canada V0M 1L0 Mobile: 604-618-5467 E-Mail: FlyBC E-Mail |