Friday, 1/4/13 Flight Articles by: [Andy Dainsberg] [Marty Devietti] [Aaron LaPlante]

Andy Dainsberg
Friday, 1/4/13

Article Copied from http://scpa.info/bb/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2739

fri: ej bowl to ojai propeller field and other great flights
by andy dainsberg » Fri Jan 04, 2013 8:02 pm

Met up w Marty who was gunnin to fly. We hit up the full Eaglevan to EJ bowl. Easy, light up cycles. I was feeling non-committal for a couple reasons but also didn’t see a lot on computer to get hyped about; which is how you get I think after so many seasons if u like to look at interpolations and try to match them to the conditions you experience. Most at launch were looking at it the right way enthusiastic and positive. I think we started launching at 1130ish. Hey- I got my annual bonehead blown bushes launch out of the way- No biggie, could almost pull up from where I was but how f-ing dumb. I think I need smelling salts at launch sometimes- when I’m feeling non-committal…

Anyway, I was up and out and straight East. Met up w/ Bader at Tfactory - East with low4s. Down range I found the thermals to be pretty nice, consolidated and workable just everywhere I turned. The flow and drift was in our direction which made it pleasant. Crossed the power lines with 44ish and up to 53 ish at Noon. Marty and Greg were probably a few miles behind as they had tagged the VOR before heading East. I thought if I could just stay ahead of the R11 and IP6 I could atone for my zombie launch technique-lol- even if I did have a monster head start! (always find something competitive I suppose!) Marty and Greg flew like Siamese twins the whole way I think- pretty cool! Not much lift tween Noon and Whiteledge but good glides at least.. I had to scratch the face of Whiteledge but got over her and then surfed the bumps down past the 33 to @ 50ft over the Nuthouse launch. “Easy” up and out with lift and tailwind persisting.

Nice high 4s thru Ojai to Twin Peaks. Couldn’t find enough to cross straight over easily to lower west repeater so I worked it up Chiefs spine in not exactly “chief spine escalator” conditions. It was past 330 and lift was in ebb mode. I got a couple hundy over the point and crossed over Chiefs launch to West Repeater along the high road- but pretty low actually. I think it may have possible to cut from where I connected the spine over to E repeater and at least make St Thomas, but I didn’t feel like pushing it. Cruised down to Lower W repeater, found no lift, then pushed back over to twin peaks.. Got a little more alt and pushed out to the propeller field. Marty and Greg landed there too...

Dave had landed at Padaro and grabbed my truck to retrieve- thanx a mil. I would have to call the scenery and flying awesome today: Lots of pilots exploring East and West. 4 hrs, max alt @ mid5s. A nice little winter day…