Eight aloft

It was a great day for slacking on Tuesday, and we had eight flights.  The conditions were blue with good lift to 7500 feet, and you could get to 9000 if you were lucky or patient.

Karl (HK) finally recorded a flight, and here it is:

You can see that he flew around for a whilc, and then went up to North Haverhill.  Good flight, Karl!

Peter (67), who doesn't need any instruction on thermalling, flew for a couple of hours, and Henry (3J) was up for almost as long.

Meanwhile, Dennis (DC), Mark (HG), Moshe (RU), Greg (JD), and Dan (EA) combined for a grand total of about 2000 kilometers! Dennis and Mark went to the White Mountains and got sort of stuck there for a while. Moshe went his own way (south, mostly). The others went west to the Greens and had a great time running up and down the ridge over there.

Eight flights on a Tuesday, more than either of the previous weekend days. Perhaps we should rename ourselves the Post Mills Slacker Club.

Our crack weatherman, Moshe, predicts that tomorrow will be even better.

Solo slacker steals the candy on Halloween

On Friday, October 31, Halloween day was all treats, no tricks for sole slacker Lane. A rare light and local schedule Friday made available this terrific late season treat. Here's the story...

 My work schedule sent me to a jobsite in Pike, NH. While there, "skyballing" the morning weather began revealing an ever more interesting sky...long, streety cloud banks, both sharp-edged and convective looking, separated by "windows" of blue sky. As the morning wore on these conditions persisted to where I finally called Rick to enquire of his towing availability. "Come on over!" was the welcomed response.

Arriving at Post Mills, we were staged by 1 PM and ready to launch the 1-23. By then, things were looking somewhat less desirable with cloud growth producing more shading of the weakening October sun. After a lengthy discussion about where and how high (or even whether to delay the launch), the decision was made to go now. So off we went, intending to take a high tow up between two cloud banks north of West Fairlee. Climbing in this area, it quickly became evident that we were ascending into a box canyon of clouds. This was an exhilarating tow with highly banked turns to keep within the confines of the cloud corral. Upon release, I began exploring the edges only to find smooth 1 and 2 knots down. Two circuits brought me to where I could duck under the dark cloud bottoms...and that's where the fun began.

Under this menacingly dark gray cloud band, I discovered abundant lift of from 1 or 2 knots to as much as 7 knots!
There was a patch of sunny ground on the copper mine and as the flight developed, I began to associate this lift with any sunny ground, as wane as it might have looked. Up near cloud base, any section of the cloud that had a feature, such as concave bottom, or was extra dark or had a patch of swirly smoke underneath, usually meant strong lift. At cloud base, it often took thermaling at 80 mph to keep from being sucked up into the cloud!

After a while of this I was satisfied that I could leave the West Fairlee area and explore around a little. I headed south over Tug Mountain, mostly in light sink until at the south end I caught more rising air. A few turns in, I decided to light out for the east ridge where there was more abundant sunshine.

Arriving there at 3000AGL, I found choppy air that confirmed what I had learned earlier: any sunny ground was producing lift. I had several 2000 - 3000 foot climbs back up to the cloud bases at 5200 feet. In one thermal I caught up with 2 red tailed hawks and circled with them for a short while.

I decided to try crossing the Connecticut River over to the Orford , New Hampshire area where there was another patch of sunny ground. Arriving on the fringe of that area with 4000 AGL, I decided that prudence dictated turning back towards Vermont rather than pushing things looking for lift. A retrieve just would have put a damper on what was turning out to be a thrilling, unexpected late season gift. Back over the east ridge at 2000 AGL, I encountered the same results as before - light but workable lift that began to scratch me back up. I'm sure I could have regained cloud base again and really wanted to because I had a strong desire to explore an area of open sky to the south with some of the last sunshine bearing on the ground and a sharp edged cloud band on the far side of it.

But alas, by this time my bladder was threatening to explode and I was forced to terminate further exploration. 80 MPH back to the airport soon burned off excess altitude and saw me at pattern entry height. A long, smooth pattern ensued (at no time in the flight was it ever very turbulent nor did I find much by way of really sinky patches), followed by the best feather light touchdown of my season. I taxed up to the trailer area and to my surprise, was met there by Rick sitting in the golf cart. After a quick visit to the bushes I came back and gave Juliet a kiss on the nose and considered giving Rick one too. Flight time was 2 hours even.

My thanks to the sweetest glider I've ever flown, 3Juliet, and Rick Sheppe for being a friend, a tow pilot, available, and living across the street from the airport.

If this be the final flight of the season, it was a beaut!

Weekend report June 30 - July 6

It was a long weekend, especially if you count the preparation phase.

The preparation phase

MONDAY
Pete and Rick drove to Franconia and delivered 3J and RU.

TUESDAY
Pete and Rick drove to Franconia and delivered PM and the golf cart, and drove back home.  Then they went back to Franconia by air with the Blanik in tow, and returned to Post Mills by air.

WEDNESDAY
Pete and Rick took the day off.

THURSDAY
Evan drove from home to Franconia and dropped off his car and trailer. Andy flew to Franconia in the Champ, picked up Evan, and brought him back to Post Mills. Evan then flew the towplane back to Franconia, towing nothing. Karl towed the fuel trailer from Post Mills to Franconia. Pete drove his truck back to Franconia, towing nothing, and checked in at the establishment across the street from the airfield. This completed the preparation phase. Rick took another day off.

The flying phase

FRIDAY, the Fourth of July
The first day of our encampment was cold and fairly miserable. Henry took a couple of practice flights, which involved towing up to the ceiling of 1500 feet AGL and gliding back down.  Andy towed. The Franconia towplane was having some engine troubles, and their club asked ours to provide some tows.  This is a Fourth of July tradition.

SATURDAY
Saturday started out overcast, cool, and quite windy.  We initially thought it would be a loser of a day. Fortunately, the wind was on the ridge, and everyone who wanted to get in the air did so, with the exception of Henry, who spent the day helping everyone else fly.

The sun broke out in the middle of the afternoon, and several pilots made it into the wave. Tim (AT), Skip (JS), Dan, (EA), and Paul (S1) posted good flights, but the best one was by Andy Lawrence (PM), who reached 13000 feet. The Blanik flew several times, with Bill instructing. Rick and Dakai made it to 8100 feet on the last flight of the day, and landed at 7pm.

In all, we had 21 flights on Saturday (including a few tows for FSA, whose towplane engine was still not yielding to the ministrations of their mechanic). Andy did all the tows, allowing the other three PMSC towpilots time to enjoy their day.

Thanks to Judy's last-minute organizing, we had a traditional cookout in the back yard of the Kinsman Lodge, where a few of us were staying and a few more were camping out. A lot of people contributed, and a few probably still owe Judy a small amount for groceries. The evening ended with some low quality fireworks and some high quality stargazing.

SUNDAY
Sunday was a beautiful day from end to end. Tim (AT) took off first and was one of the last to land. He went up north and made it up to 13000 feet. Evan (T8) and Dan (EA) made it to similar heights. Moshe (RU) spent several hours practicing low saves in the vicinity of the airport, and Skip (JS), Dennis (DC), Pete (3J), and Andy Lawrence (PM) chased each other back and forth on the ridge. The Franconia club again benefited from our visiting towplane, as the consensus on the status of their engine converged on "ruined." For the third day in a row, Andy did all the tows, for a total of 46 for the weekend.

Greg organized the retrieval of all the equipment. Thanks to the hard work of Pete, Karl, Angelica, Annie, Andy Lawrence, and Andy Lumley, everything got packed up and brought back home by the end of the day.

Monday it rained. A perfect weekend. 

The only thing left to do was the laundry.

Private Pilot

After making the drive from Boston and taking a couple of practice flights yesterday, Dan MacMonagle took his flight test with Bill Stinson today, and passed with flying colors. Congratulations, Dan!

Rick and Thomas are happy to get rid of another student, and our whole club is grateful to Bill for being willing to serve as our region's FAA examiner.

After his test, Dan celebrated with a 93 km flight in 3J.

Five days in a row

We've had some really great weather recently. The slackers and the regulars combined for another "five day weekend," ending yesterday, with a total of 31 flights.

WEDNESDAY
Tim (PM) took a high tow on Wednesday, hoping for wave. The forecast said it was a possibility, but the wind had died down by the time he took off. He turned it into a nice 3.5 hour flight in thermals, visiting Goose Pond, Cookeville, and Strafford.

THURSDAY
Dennis made the trip to Post Mills to work on patterns and landings. After the last one, there was nobody left on the airport and no hurry to put the glider away. We stood around talking and enjoying the late afternoon sun. A perfect day to be outside in a beautiful setting.

FRIDAY
Dan and Greg showed up and Karl flew in. The weather was good, but the thermals were a bit widely spaced. Greg had his first extended flight in PM, and Dan flew 3J for about an hour - twice.

SATURDAY
It rained a bit on Friday evening, and the forecast for Saturday was pessimistic and completely wrong. The day turned out fine for flying, if not for soaring.  Tim towed early, and Andy took over for the rest of the day.

Kevin started things out by flying PI with a guest and then had to leave. Mike and Sonny showed up to help out but didn't fly. Greg and Andy Lawrence had short flights. Mark had a good day: 3 flights in two gliders with two instructors.

But the best time was had by Dennis Cavagnaro, who made his first solo in a sailplane!

It was a bit too cool for a water dunking, so we used leaves instead.

Dennis saw me coming with the bucket, and he didn't know it wasn't water.

SUNDAY
We had another frontal passage Saturday night, and Sunday was windy. We put student flying on hold, hoping that it would calm down toward the end of the day. In the meantime, we had a day of maintenance, standing around, and socializing, with a little bit of flying thrown in.

Tim, who started our five day weekend, finished it off with another 2 hour, 114km flight in PM. He heard Evan on the radio somewhere in New York (Evan, apparently, is slowly making his way home after finishing second in the Region 4 contest. Good job, Evan).

Karl made it to 7000 feet in 3J, and found so much lift in the pattern that we thought he was going to land somewhere else.

Then something strange happened. The wind and the lift both quit in the middle of the day. Late launchers Skip and Mike found nothing at all, and flight instruction suddenly became possible. John Lippman had a pair of flights with Thomas, and Bob flew with Rick. Dennis capped off the day with his second solo.

Five straight days of flying. Congratulations to all.  Anybody want to go for six?

Slacker report

We had a pretty good day of flying today, but it was never a sure thing.

The towplane was down for maintenance yesterday, and we knew that Andy, who was doing the oil change and the brake job, was out flying in the Champ. Our hopes for flying on Friday sank when Andy returned just at sunset on Thursday.

However, late that night, Andy reported that he had finished the work on the L19 after dark, and he said that it was ready to fly on Friday (thanks, Andy!)

The lightweights, Dan, Dennis, and Greg, took advantage of the opportunity to fly, and Tim was able to tow. Dan (3J) and Greg (PM) launched at around 1pm and were able to stay in the lift for an hour or so. Dennis and Rick took some pattern tows in the Blanik. Bob showed up at the end of the day to help launch Dan on his second flight of the day in 3J.

After flying, Greg spent some time cleaning PM, and Dan siphoned gas into the airport tank. The two of them are planning another gas run tomorrow. Thanks, guys!

Weekend report June 16 - 17

On Saturday two unexpected things happened. We had cumulus clouds and Lane showed up. In case you haven't been flying with us for 20 years, Lane Cobb was the first person to join the club after it was founded in 1988. He was quite active until 2005 when he took a short break from flying that lasted till this weekend. It's great to have him back.

In addition to being a superb pilot, Lane is an excellent source of flying stories. We reviewed some of them at the cookout Saturday night. If you haven't heard the one about his final glide into Post Mills in the 1-23, or the one about holding his breath at 18000 feet in the 1-26, or hopping over the road in the 2-33, or re-installing his instrument panel in mid-flight, or being infested with bird lice, be sure to ask him.

The first three people to arrive at the field were towpilots. Not sure what that's about. Evan found a detached spring in the L19 exhaust system, fixed it, and towed all day, including a long cross-country tow at the end of the day when he could have been drinking beer. Thanks, Evan!

The best round-trip flight of the day was turned in by Moshe (RU), who took a 225 km tour of Vermont. He crossed over to the Green Mountains at Stockbridge, went north almost to Morrisville, then home. He made his last climb at Spruce Mountain where he elected not to divert over to New Hampshire to join Paul. That turned out to be a good call. Here's a picture he took somewhere over Hancock.

Paul (S1) set out on an ambitious trip with turnpoints in northern Vermont and at Mount Washington. Things were going well until he flew into a stable airmass at Whitefield and plummeted to the ground, thereby demonstrating the wisdom of the old adage, "If you find yourself flying over the cumulus clouds, it's best to turn around."

Paul's cell phone battery had just enough juice in it to make two calls, one to Marsha to let her know that he'd be late for dinner, and the one that got to Evan in time to organize an aeroretrieve.

Tim (PM) had a nice two hour flight early in the day, but it wasn't recorded properly for some reason. After a quick turnaround on the ground, Andy (PM) took off and flew up to Mount Moosilauke, a 109 km flight that included an escape from Dean.

The Schleicher team of Skip (JS) and Thomas (ZP) weren't able to come to the cookout, so we didn't get to hear their stories. Skip flew 81 km. As Thomas was landing, he did a good job of keeping his eye on the towplane taking off in the opposite direction. It wasn't close, but we should all be more alert for this situation on no-wind days.

For the third day in a row, local flying was more difficult than cross-country flying. The thermals were widely spaced, and if you found yourself between two of them without the option of pressing on straight ahead, then you probably were faced with a short flight. The successful local pilots were the ones who found a lucky thermal and loitered at the top. These included Greg (3J, new type), Tim (PI), and Dennis (67, PI). Lane and Rick tried to leap between two thermals in the 2-33, and paid the price.

All in all, a good day at the airport. The happiest moment was when Rick found his wallet on the runway after it had fallen out of the 2-33.

The cookout started right on time, which was before Paul and Evan returned home, and before Moshe was finished preserving a few yards of gap tape. Eventually, the party included

Andrew, Andy, Christopher, Dennis, Ella, Evan, Gordon, Jane, Judy, Keith, Lane, Marsha, Mary, Mike, Moshe, Nancy, Paul, Peter, Petey, Rick, Sherry, and Sue.

Thanks go to Mary for her cooking and organizing and to all the contributors. Special mention to Dennis, who elevated the PMSC cookout experience by bringing a platter of shrimp!

The airmass was getting a little stale by Sunday, our fourth flying day in a row. But it was another fine day to be outdoors in a beautiful setting, never mind the haze. Eleven club members turned up, and eight of them flew. It was a good old fashioned local soaring day, with all the racing gliders remaining in their boxes. The best two hours of the day were between 2pm and 4pm, and Greg (3J) and Nancy (PI) took full advantage. The rest of us sat around in the screenhouse and watched the next generation of glider pilots (Sawyer and Andrew) fly a really weird RC glider that seemed to be immune to damage.

The day ended on a high note when Bill Swartz gave his Dad a ride in the Blanik.

Happy Father's Day!

Weekend report June 9 - 10

We realized how spoiled we'd become when we lost the previous weekend to weather, and our mood didn't improve as it continued to rain into last week. By Wednesday, however, the forecast for the weekend took a turn for the better, and so did our mood. We are so fickle.

The weather on Saturday was even better than forecast, and it actually caught us by surprise. We weren't prepared for moderate lift to 7000 feet, and in the end, no one tried anything ambitious. There's a carpe diem lesson in there somewhere.

The big event was Greg's first solo in a real aircraft. He accomplished this in less than a month, and it would have been even quicker if it weren't for the delays he encountered getting his Student Certificate from the FAA. Anyway, he put on his lucky magenta-purple-orange flying shoes and took the Blanik up for an hour.

The 1-23 spent much of the day in the air, with Steve and Bill taking turns. Bill went farther, but Steve got higher. Skip, Thomas, and Karl also had local flights.

Moshe (RU) finally brought his new glider to Post Mills, and flew it 124 km. He came very close to landing at a deserted airport, but Greg and our new friend Dan stuck around long enough to help him tie down.

Sunday's weather was almost as good as the day before, but this time we were slightly better prepared. Evan (T8) took the prize with a 317 km flight down to the south. He did a nice job of touching down gently after we told him that his tailwheel had come apart on takeoff. Moshe, Paul, Rick, Andy, Andy, Skip, and Nancy took second place with a total distance of 533 km. Thomas came in last, as usual, because he had no flight log. This time his excuse was equipment failure, if you believe him. Sonny (LT) had a similar problem, but we believe his stories more than Thomas's.

Our newest member, Dennis Cavagnaro, flew with Rick and Tim in the Blanik (separate flights, duh...). Dennis is another highly experienced hang glider pilot. They seem to be everywhere these days.

Finally, the 2-33 saw some action with Karl (solo), Sam (2 lessons), and the best ride passenger, ever.

4 Days in May

For some reason, it all came together for us at the end of last week, and we were able to string together four straight days of flying.

The Weekday Slackers kicked things off by flying PM around Vermont on Thursday and Friday. Thursday’s weather was clear blue with a moderate west wind. Tim took off before noon, intending to fly a 300 km task with a first turnpoint at Morrisville. Progress upwind proved difficult, so he changed his plan and went due north, eventually reaching Burke Mountain. He turned around and cruised handily down to Lebanon where he got clobbered by sink, probably due to wave. One last desperation climb allowed him to get home, with a total distance of 244.61 km (the reason for the precision will become clear, below).

The next day, the weather was about the same (3 knots in the blue to 6000 feet), with lighter winds. Two unbelievable things happened. Rick, if you believe him, flew to Catamount and Mount Garfield and returned with some story about a total GPS failure and no flight log. Meanwhile, Bill and Greg made an unbelievable eight flights together. This is definitely a Post Mills record for lessons in a single day, in both the instructor and student categories!

The actual weekend started with a rush of members seeking Flight Reviews and field checks. It was nice to see Nancy, Paul, Keith, Andy (not that one or that one), Doug (3J), Rich, and Christopher getting their first flights of the season. The hotshots Tom (TH), Skip (JS), and Thomas (ZP) raced around in their fancy gliders – and Bill (PM) raced around in the club’s fancy glider (after he gave 4 more lessons). Altogether we made 16 flights on Saturday, all towed by Andy (that one), including one as check pilot.

Saturday was also a good day in Florida, where Tony (7H) set out, presumably, to beat Tim’s distance from Thursday. He came up short, flying a mere 244.13 km. Better luck next time, Tony!

The first PMSC cookout of the season was well attended (20) and well supplied with food and beverage. Thanks to all who contributed, and thanks to Mary for cooking and for keeping the whole thing under control.

On Sunday the weather was a bit hazier and weaker, but still good for soaring. Keith towed all but one of the nine flights. Nancy and Moshe completed their Flight Reviews, which leaves only two to go, and Karl and Sonny got their field checks. An interesting cooling phenomenon happened in the middle of the day. Without any warning or clouds, the lift suddenly quit, and the three gliders in the air at the time all landed. Keith noted that the wind had shifted to the east, so it was probably an incursion of cold air from the river valley. What made it interesting is that an hour later it was going again, and the last two flights of the day were over an hour long, with landings after 6pm.

Update (5/22/12): Evan (T8) just posted his Sunday flight from the contest in Pennsylvania. 343 km in thermals "on the plateau." This beats both Tim and Tony for the weekend distance title. The contest ends today, so Evan should be home soon.

All in all, it was a great 4 days in May. Notable accomplishments were Greg’s 8 flights, Bill’s 14 flights, and all the towing done by Andy, Keith, and Doug.

Finally, if you get a chance to fly in a two-seater with Moshe, as Karl and Rick did on Sunday, you should not pass it up. Moshe is a master of thermaling, and it’s worth paying for a tow just to see how he does it. You can observe a lot just by watching.

Also, if you want to know the proper way to put the gear down in the Blanik, just ask Keith.

Weekend report July 30 - 31

After a slow day Saturday (one flight in 3J by Bill), Sunday turned into a good day for cross-country flying.

Paul (S1) and Tim (PM) flew to Mount Washington and back while Sonny (LT) was taking a 175 km tour of central Vermont. Constrained by time, Skip (JS) and Andy (PM) made extended local flights.

Man of leisure

Luckily for us, Pete Dodd decided to get away from it all and reestablish a presence, temporarily, in Post Mills. Pete's idea of a great vacation is to rent a rudimentary cabin on a grass strip, work on gliders all day, and occasionally go flying. We are lucky to have such a hardworking volunteer.

He heads back to Maryland tomorrow, so we'll have to wait till the Gorham encampment to take advantage of him again. Thanks for the visit, Pete!

(We used Pete's high-res camera to take these pictures. Click on the photos to admire the detail).

Tour

Here's where Tim went today:


It took him a while to get off the plateau north of Post Mills and into the high ground. He then elected to head to Franconia, then Littleton, and eventually back home. All the good climbs were out in the flats, and in fact, the Franconia ridge was no help at all. It just goes to show you that you can't trust conventional wisdom when it comes to soaring. Another 168 km for our team. Good flying, Tim!

Pete (3J and PM) and Tom (TH) flew locally, but were unable to get connected to the clouds, which stayed frustatingly out of reach for most of the day.

Meanwhile, back at Morrisville, Moshe (RU) flew 103 km, not quite enough to get back home.

Some good weather at last

With only five days left, the month of May made a belated attempt to redeem its reputation today.

We had 5 knots to 6000 feet, and at one point Andy (PM) saw 7 knots on the averager during his 150 km flight. Tom (TH) had a similar report when he landed after his 2.5 hour flight. Bill disappeared in 3J, landed when nobody was looking, and disappeared in his truck, so I guess we'll get his story later. Moshe (RU) got a late start at Morrisville, but had a nice flight.

But the best flight of the day was Tim's (67). He found a climb above cloudbase, cruised up to Bradford, then back to the Elizabeth mine, and basically raced around the local area, getting the most mileage possible from a 2-33.

Here's hoping that June's weather will be true to May's reputation.

Pete sneaks by the summit

Weekend report September 11 - 12

Another one-day weekend.

Saturday was clear with 6000 foot cloudbases. The clouds dried up early, but the lift continued right up till sunset.

On Saturday Andy took an "early" flight in PM, and landed early by choice (something to do with fatherly duties). His flight was long enough to beat Tom (TH) by less than a kilometer on the OLC. It's a good thing he didn't know it at the time.

Mike (PM), Rich (3J) and Christopher (3J) all flew locally. Paul K and Rick had a nice long flight in the 2-33, but they spoiled Bill's plan to take a guest up for a ride. Someone suggested that a radio would have been useful in that situation.

The best flight of the day was a tossup between Evan's long distance flight (T8) and Sonny's long duration flight (KX). You decide.

The Saturday cookout was cooked outside, but we moved indoors for dining purposes. It's getting to be that time of year.

Sunday was cool and overcast. Nobody showed up!

Mike takes a day off

Congratulations to Mike, who made a 239 km flight to Mt. Madison and back on his first cross-country flight of the year.

On the same day (Friday), Matt flew 3J for three hours and 94 km. Skip made a similar flight in JS, but his flight recorder conked out 41 minutes into the flight.

Weekend report July 17 - 18

On Saturday, Doug and Matt combined to fly 15 tows. Matt got a chance to fly a glider, but Doug didn't. On Saturday, Tim flew 16 tows without relief and without getting a chance to fly a glider.

Our sport depends on our towpilots. The next chance you get to thank one, please do so.

Weekend report June 18 - 20

Well, it wasn't an official long weekend, but the Slackers made it into one.

On Friday we divided our forces and flew at Sugarbush and Post Mills. It was the first time in memory that PMSC members talked to each other in the air while flying from two different places. Tim (PM), Evan (T8), Matt (89), and Kevin (6Q) took off at Post Mills and enjoyed some nice flights in variable conditions. Evan made it to Mount Washington and announced that he expected trouble getting back. His crew didn't get too excited, and sure enough, Evan got home in time to do some towing.

Meanwhile, Tom (TH), Rick (S2), Thomas (ZP), and Tony (7H) got three tows for the price of four at Sugarbush. We ran up and down the Mad River valley, which seems to be the thing you do there.

On Saturday, back at Post Mills, we found the summerlike conditions were sufficient for local flying and lessons, but not quite good enough to go anywhere. Evan and Bill (3J) gave it a shot but elected to stay local. Our new students - Chris, Paul K, Alexander - got two flights each and all made good progress. All 14 flights were made possible by our new towpilot, Kent (Thanks, Kent).

Saturday ended with a great cookout, attended by

Andrew, Andy, Anne, Bill, Creighton, Dirk, Ella, Elinor, Evan, Gretta, Ian, Jill, Jill, Judy, Kent, Kevin, Marsha, Mary, Mike, Nathan, Olivia, Paul, Paul, Peter, Petey, Sonny, Sue, Sue, Thomas, Tom, Rich, Rick

and the food and beverage providers deserve special emphasis.

The three-day warming trend continued through Sunday. We made seven flights on a pleasant but windy day. Thanks to Thomas and Doug for instructing and towing.

Double Slacker Fail

Matt landed out today. He was too embarrassed to show his face when his crew arrived. He kept mumbling something about how he'll never be as good as Tony on cross-country days.


But just as we were getting ready to leave, Tony showed up and landed in the same field. Here he is wondering why we didn't bring both trailers on the first trip to the field.

All in a single season

Here's a picture of Christopher at the conclusion of his first flight in 3J. He had a nice 50 minute flight at the end of the day today.

That makes three new types in a single season. He wants to go for four. His next objective is the big one: the Schweizer 2-33.