We expected to get the towplane back on Wednesday, which would be in plenty of time for the forecast good soaring weather on Friday. In the end, however, there were delays and more things to fix than originally anticipated. As the forecast for Friday got better and better, we stood by nervously as Noah, Andy, Mark, and Don worked on the L19. It was finally back at Post Mills and ready to go on Thursday evening, and eleven Slackers got the word that Friday was a go.
The day started early, and we had four gliders in the air by noon. It was difficult at first, with light winds and an uninspiring ribbon of blue sky along the river. It wasn't too difficult for the high performance guys to glide out to the clouds to the west, but conditions were difficult around home. Despite this, Jeff (505) managed to stay in the air for 1.5 hours at the beginning of the day. He wasn't done yet.
We had a surplus of towpilots, and both Mark (PM) and Tim (BU) were able to go flying after towing. They flew together between Lebanon and Moosilauke, giving Mark his first real taste of cross-country flight in a glider.
Moshe (RU) and Peter (HG) flew west to the Green Mountains. Moshe came home via Franconia, and Peter reached 7500 feet after getting low near Bailey. It was Peter's first 250 km flight.
Meanwhile, the conditions back home improved, and Dave B (NT) and Jeff (505, again) flew for 4h35 and 3h11 respectively.
Leslie (H) flew for five hours and 162 km in the Libelle. He spent 45 minutes stuck at Dean on the way home, eventually landing there.
The longest flights of the day were achieved by Greg (JR), Shawn (SB), and Evan (T8). Greg and Shawn flew together for 450 km, with turnpoints at Jay Peak, Old Speck, and Mount Ascutney. Evan had the longest flight of the day (549 km). He flew along the Canadian border from Jay all the way to Rangeley, Maine before heading back to Post Mills.
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