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Weather Archive and Summary for Friday, 8/27/2021
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Late Day Pine South Side with Rookie P2 Pilots

Friday was a good day for green P2 pilots flying from the Pine Mountain South Side Launch.  We arrived at the top about 4:40.  The north launches were light and variable, and the south launch was cycling in from 5 to 10ish.  Pilots were getting airborne just before 5 pm and all 5 pilots were airborne on their first pull within 12 to 15 minutes including:  Chirs Turek, Jochen Frey, Taylor Giordani, Ian Moore, and Chris Collins. 4 of the 5 pilots were on “A” gliders and were mostly newish P2s with most having logged only than a few high flights.

The coaching advice on Friday was to fly the glider before getting comfortable in the harness.  If you are going up at launch than go left immediately and stay close to the hill for ridge lift, and if you are not going up then go straight out before veering right toward Farro’s Knob.  All 5 pilots were able to get 1 to 200 over launch in the ridge lift.  4 of the 5 were then able to intercept the spine above launch altitude with the last pilot falling out of the ridge lift after a few passes (turning in the sink rather than turning in the lift) and eventually flew out from 100 below launch.  The lift over the spine was weak but broad.  No one “cored up” in a thermal, but some of the pilots got 5 to 800 over launch flying straight on their glide out toward the river an Jochen a 1,276 foot thermal climb to 7,224 MSL (100 over launch height) on his glide out toward the river.  The rocky bluffs out front above the road were convecting and drawing so most of the pilots were able to stay up as long as they wanted.

Preflight Perceptions

Posted to the SBSA Telegram Chat on Friday, 8/27/2021

SD at 09:01
Pine looks good enough for high probability late day P2 south side launches today (Friday). I might be available to crew/coach if some of the newer pilots want to dip their toe? If so, 2:30ish at the high school… We would want a head count for logistics, and a vehicle…

Chris Turek at 09:02
I am a new P2 and would definitely be available for that!

Jochen (wave) Frey at 09:04
I would love to join Tom - I'm also a new P2.

Garcia at 9:08
If there is a good size crew going you guys can take the eagle van from Santa Barbara if one of you is coming from here and then heading back in the evening.  That would make logistics a lot easier on you guys.

Taylor Giordani at 09:11
I would be up for Pine tonight.

Ian More at 09:35
P2 interested in pine

SD at 10:11
Looks like we have 4 somewhat confirmed pilots (maybe 6?) and the Eagle Van, I’ll be leaving from the Eagle Shop about 1:25ish.  Planning to have Jochen leave his vehicle at the shop so he can take the Van back to the shop at the end of the day.  If you are leaving from SB or Carpinteria, we can collect you at East Beach or Viola Fields (1:50ish), or plan on Nordhoff about 2:30ish.

The relative barometer is mildly high, the inland surface temperature is hot (near 100 degrees mid-day), the airmass is dry (no clouds), the lapse rate average, and the wind is forecasted to be light from the south, which translates into somewhat robust mid-day launch cycles, then fading later in the day.  Top of the lift based on the lapse rate is only about 9500 MSL, but hoping for some airmass convergence boost and maybe a lucky late day release.  There is some potential that the Cuyama River could dominate late in the day and push over and from the NW, but by going a tad earlier (than the typical 3 PM mid-summer Nordhoff meet time) as the daylight curve steepens down toward the equinox, confidence is high that we can get everyone off from the south launch… better to be a half hour early and need to wait than be a half hour late and squander a significant investment?  If the west does push through, launching late from the south side can be problematic because launch is on the east side of the main trigger spine so sunset glides from launch could be upwind into the lee and into the sinky shade… S unset launches from the 5650 north launch don’t have those issues, but I don’t think we will to use the north launch today.

I will post an update around noonish…

SD at 10:38
As of now we have 4 pilots and 1 crew, which will fit in a smaller vehicle.  If we get more pilots then we will take the Eagle Van which isn’t likely to overfill, but it’s more cost effective to use a smaller vehicle for a small crew, so if you are onboard for Pine this afternoon, please check in by 1 PM so we can adjust the logistics as needed.  As of now I think we have Chirs Turek (will meet us at Nordhoff), Jochen Frey (will meet me at the Eagle Shop), Taylor Giordani (will carpool from?) and Ian Moore (will carpool from?)…

Taylor Giordani at 11:28
I will meet @ nordoff

Ian More at 11:30
I’ll meet y’all at nordoff as well

Jochen (wave) Frey at 11:38
I’ll meet y’all at nordoff as well

Jochen (wave) Frey at 11:55
I’ll meet y’all at nordoff as well

SD at 12:14
Pine launch is about 2 hours from SB and the primary south side LZ is about a half hour closer, so if everyone is packed up by 6:30 or 7… It might be possible land at Nordhoff today, but I wouldn’t count on it

Currently only 4 pilots confirmed, so if no one else checks in (by 1:15ish) we will not take the Eagle Van and squeeze into a more economical vehicle…

Chris Collins at 12:32
If I’m not too late, I would like to join in on Pine. I can meet at Nordoff high school.

SD at 12:36
OK we will take the Eagle Van and have room for plenty...

SD at 14:10
Departing Viola 10 min late

Cracka at 18:41
Thanks Eagle for the boost to VOR this morning.  A packed van plus another vehicle to the top.  A few first time high flights in buoyant air, a tandem and lots of stoke.  Blowin in nice 5ish se at launch.  I think Lormier and I were airborn by 10:30 which was too early as we were quickly in the foothills of the foothills chasin swallows to stay aloft.  Chucklin fun challenge.  Wind was L/V.  The last of the bunch off about 11:30 seemed to have climbed out at launch.  Hopefully the 2nd rounders blasted off.

Wayne Wicks at 19:42
How was Pine this afternoon?

Chris Turek at 20:30
Pine was amazing.  Couldn’t have had better guidance and intro to the site.  We had a green crew (me included) but all had a great time!  Looking forward to all of the future flying to come!

Joshua Moore at 21:22
Awesome!!  I’m going to come to town on Sunday or Monday and stay a few days, hopefully I can get a pine mtn flight, have really been wanting to fly there

Jochen (wave) Frey
 Pine - Tom (sd) did an amazing job getting the 5 greenhorns (me one of them) onto the hill, in the air, and back down safely.  Launch towards the south, most of us found decent lift somewhere along the way.  Not sure where the lift topped out, but I topped out at 7,200ft.  I think most, if not all of us, and ended the flights with ridge-soaring at Sandpile...

Not sure if that answers your question @Ready4Launch ... but I'm still frothing from my first one hour flight with some real lift in the middle.

Thanks SunDowner

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