Weekend report June 21 - 22

Another terrific weekend for the club!

We expanded our operational footprint to three airports in two states, accomplished some good flight instruction, welcomed back an old member, and racked up over 3000 OLC kilometers.

Saturday started out with a quick trip in the Cub to Springfield by Kevin and Rick to help Dennis assemble his glider. When we left him, he was still looking for a towpilot. Fortunately, he found one later in the day and had a short practice flight. Afterwards, he was able to hangar the glider in preparation for further flying on Sunday.

Back at Post Mills, the conditions were good enough to get up and get away for one long (T8) and several medium sized (ZP, BA, EA, JS, S1, RU, PM) cross-country flights.

Two of those flights did not quite make it back to Post Mills. Greg and his guest Mike flogged the Blanik up to Franconia and landed at Dean on the way home. Andy Lawrence must have decided they needed company, and he landed there, too. In an uncharacteristic display of efficiency, the club leapt into action and executed two simultaneous retrieves, getting everyone home in time for the cookout (it didn't hurt that this was the longest day of the year).

The cookout was well attended:

Andy, Andy, Bill, Dan, Ella, Evan, Karl, Keith, Greg, Mary, Mike, Mike, Moshe, Paul, Peter, Petey, Rich, Rick, Sue, Sue, and Sue

and the only complaint was that we ran out of food again. Perhaps we should be better organized, who knows?

The flying on Sunday was even better. Iron Man (T8) was the first to take off, and the last to land. In seven and a half hours, Evan flew 600 kilometers, which is an all-time distance record for flights out of our humble airfield. Congratulations, Evan!

A 600 kilometer bow tie

Moshe (RU) took a 300 km trip that included the far side of the Green Mountains, an area gliders don't normally visit. Thomas (ZP), Greg (JD) and Dan (EA) chased each other around a quadrilateral with vertices at Mount Hunger, Burke Mountain, Mount Washington, and Post Mills.

Sonny (LT) flew our stock 100 km FAI Triangle (Post Mills, Harvey's Lake, Dean) and was happy to get home after a low save over Mallory Farm, a place with which he is familiar.

Skip (JS), who took off exactly 3 hours after Evan, flew a somewhat smaller bow tie course which included a low save at Dean. Andy (PM), and Doug (PM) combined to put another 200 km on the 304's odometer.

The local guys had a good time too. Henry explored the area in 3J for 2 hours. Dakai made his first flight as sole manipulator of the controls and kept the 2-33 in the air for an hour. Karl flew the Blanik three times, including an introductory ride for Matt Hausler, and an end-of-day flight with Lane that went to 7300 feet. Tim and Christina went for a short flight and took that great picture of Lake Morey and the river.

We were very happy to see Carl Hausler on the field again after a long absence. Although he didn't actually get in the air this weekend, he has told us that he wants to become active again. Welcome back, Carl!

The weekend ended the way it began, with a trip to Springfield (this time in the Champ) to see Dennis (DC), who had another nice flight in the Ventus.

That's it.  A very successful weekend with lots of happy pilots. Thanks to Doug and Andy for towing, and to Bill for instructing both days.

Weekend report May 17 - 18

After a dozen years or so, the Experimental Balloon Association springtime festival came back to Post Mills this weekend, and our club wasn't completely sure how to handle it.  The optimists predicted that we might be able to squeeze in a few flights on Sunday (after the event was officially over).  The pessimists, remembering the pandemonium of years past, were pessimistic.

The optimists were right! The balloonists and spectators were well-behaved, and, for the most part, the runway was kept clear of parades, sunbathers, and fire trucks Sunday afternoon.  Some say that this was attributable to the air traffic control services provided by Charlie Zue on Unicom (Thanks, Charlie!).  Others say that the fact that the revelers have aged 12 years since the last one had something to do with it.

The flying on Sunday was spectacular, with climbs above 8000 feet with pegged varios being reported.  So far, Greg (JD), Evan (T8), Sonny (LT), Skip (JS), and Dan (EA) have posted flights on OLC.  Evan, who wrote about the day (Thanks, Evan!), may claim yet another Vermont distance record.

Thanks to Andy for towing and to Bill Swartz for instructing on Sunday.

Eight miles short

Weekend report April 27 - 28

The season got off to a roaring start this weekend.  (Actually, last season never ended; our club members flew during every month since last April. This must be some kind of record!)

We had two excellent weather days, with a few clouds on Saturday and even fewer on Sunday. Light south winds and good lift to 7000 feet, with some climbs to 9000. Just as an indication of how good the weather was, on both days Skip came home after several hours of flying and found a 10-knot climb to 7000 feet right over the end of the runway.

On Saturday Paul (S1), Skip (JS), Tom (TH), Dan (3J), Greg (JD), and Moshe (RU) flew cross-country flights or "extended local" flights, but only four of them were recorded.

The rest of us did annual field checks and ground school, the latter performed while we were waiting for Sam to come back with the 2-33.  We also had time to swap stories and learn something about the life of an air traffic controller from our newest member, Toby Bucsescu.

Our cookout Saturday night was well attended, and as is usual this time of year, we ran out of food, but not beer.

Sunday was a banner day. We were fairly efficient, having learned from all the operational mistakes we made the day before. We wore out four towpilots. The golf cart died a couple of times, but we dealt with it. The hotshots flew a total of eleven hundred miles, including Evan's record setting flight of 575 km, and Tim's 137 km flight which began at 5pm.

For the weekend: 19 glider pilots, 4 towpilots, 35 flights.

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.

Weekend report May 26 - 28

For the third week in a row, the bad weather moved in just AFTER the weekend. May the trend continue into June.

Bill and Mike made local flights before the weekend, but the lift just wasn't there. Tony, on the other hand, pulled off a nice 260 km flight in which he visited one of his neighbors to the north, but decided not to drop in.

By Saturday our weekend airmass was established. The thermals were not well organized and difficult to identify, but they were everywhere. It was often the case that circling didn't work very well below a certain height. The clouds were short-lived and mostly not worth chasing. Despite all this, a few members got to 7000 feet. Tom, Greg, Sonny, Tim, and Tony posted flights on OLC. Tony's was his last flight of the season in Florida, and he has packed up for his summer trip out west.

It was nice to see Evan, who towed all 16 flights on Saturday, and it was nice to see Elizabeth who spent the day on the golf cart under the hot sun. At the cookout that evening Evan provided the beer and Mary provided the ointments for Elizabeth's sunburn.

The weather held through Sunday. The light turnout allowed Nancy, Tom, Greg, and Steve to make extended flights. The weather must have been a bit weaker at Morrisville, where Moshe (RU) made a 2-hour local flight.

By Monday, the prefrontal haze had moved in, but that didn't stop Kevin and Steve from practicing their low altitude thermaling skills in the Blanik and the 1-23.

NOTES:

1. We are trying to organize some ground school classes (probably at Lebanon airport in the evenings during the week). Stay tuned.

2. There are signs posted around the north end of the airport. Watch out for them. There will be dinosaur repairs going on this week. Watch out for nails and other hazards.

3. Kevin has discovered that the back of the front seat in the Blanik is adjustable. This should help with the left-knee-spoiler-handle problem.

4. Rick assumes that all the BFRs are completed.

THE NAG LIST:

1. We have developed a few maintenance items that need attention. Don't forget to volunteer to help with the 304 trailer, the Blanik instrumentation and canopy, the 1-23 instrumentation, new towropes, and the golf cart radio. Always be on the lookout for things to fix.

2. Try to keep the golf cart moving. We have been doing an inefficient job of moving gliders around on the ground.

3. We will move trailers and do some mowing next weekend.

4. It's OK to throw trash into the golf cart during the day, but don't forget to clean it out before going home. Also, don't forget to claim your water bottles, lunch boxes, flip-flops, and toys at the end of each day.

Belly up

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.

Weekend report July 9 - 10

(Updated to reflect corrections found in the comments)

Both days were beautiful.

On Saturday we divided our forces between Post Mills and Hanover Norwich. Half the crew went flying, and the other half assembled the 304 at the Montshire Museum (see previous post). One of us (Steve) did both.

The Montshire caper was a success, resulting in a bunch of kids and parents learning about soaring and about our club. Tim gets credit for organizing the event.

The glider made the transition from static display to flying machine in the late afternoon. Steve brought it home, reassembled it, and made a 2h45 flight that ended at 6:40pm with a dead battery. This made up for the weak effort made by Kevin and Bill, who went sailing on Lake Fairlee.

There was some good flying on Sunday if you got in the air early enough. Moshe (RU), Pete (3J), Evan (T8), and Sonny (LT) were able to do this and made nice flights. Sonny made his first trip to the summit of Mount Moosilauke. Local flights were made by Skip, Tom, and our new neighbor Al, who is thinking of joining.

Evan changed his mind about not going flying that day and wound up making a 276 km tour of northern New England. He was conservative in the boonies and bolder near the airports. He improved his speed by plunging into Franconia, where the lift is reliable. This is how it's done.

At the end of the day, Pete upstaged Evan's showy arrival back home by soloing the 304 (twice). Pete seems to be enjoying his vacation in Post Mills. You gotta love it when a club member's idea of a great vacation is staying in a cabin and working on gliders, trailers, and the golf cart all day. If he gets tired of renting, he could always buy a luxury vacation home in Post Mills.

Weekend report May 28 - 30

After one nice day of flying last week, the steamy August weather returned for the Memorial Day weekend. The unstable conditions caused overdevelopment during the days and scattered thunderstorms each evening.

For the second weekend in a row, the partying was better than the flying. On Saturday A gregarious gang of glider guiders, groundlings, and groupies gathered at the grill. The potluck meal featured a variety of entrees, representing most of the animal kingdom. The salads were good too, but the theme of the evening was definitely carnivorous.

Following a weather delay on Sunday, we were able to make four flights in the afternoon. There was a brief sunny period in which Tim made two attempts in PM and our newest member, Mike Stzrelecki got a couple of lessons. There were bumps, but no lift.

Monday was sunny, hot and stable at the lower levels. It would have been a nice day for boating or picknicking, but we stubbornly attempted to go flying instead. After painstakingly removing the fourth robin nest in a week from the towplane engine compartment, Evan towed Skip (JS), Bill (3J), and Sonny (LT). Sonny managed to stay up for an hour and seems to really be enjoying his new sailplane.

It's June already. What happened to our Spring?

Good flying, mediocre reporting

PMSC operations in Vermont got off to a great start today, according to my source (whose identity is withheld to protect his reputation as a reporter).

Steve, Evan, Thomas, Skip, Rich, Andy, Tom, Christopher, Bill, Skip and Lane (yes, that Lane) put on an old fashioned flying show at Post Mills, while the southern auxilliary squadron (Sonny, Doug, Paul K) chose to fly at Springfield.

That's all I know since my source neglected to say anything about the weather, the runway conditions, the nature and strength of the thermals, the number of flights, or where the gliders went.

My source did send me this picture, and I gather from it that there weren't many cumulus clouds today:


(This photo almost qualifies as a "Name that sailplane" blog entry, but I'll give it away by telling you it's an ASW-24).

The quality of the reporting is forecast to improve.