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Flight Articles from Saturday, 4/1/06 (in order of posting time stamp)
[Tony De Groot] [Hansford] [Jimmy Z] [Bob Ramey] [Bob Anderson] [John Lyon] [Terry Taggart]

Bob Anderson (aka yna / Cougie / BobA)
Saturday 4/1/06

Smoking Day !!!
Lap from the Eleminator to Santa Ynez Peak to Ramero to East Beach

photos: http://spaces.msn.com/bob-shots/photos/

This day was a day you could take advantage of - although not easy to get up at first.  Best flights go out to Scot-tay, Jah, and Terry.  Scot-tay for best out and return:  Eliminator to Santa Inez Peak to Noon Peak and then back to East Beach for awesome climb-overs.  Jah for best season save, after flushing to Parma, climbed out from 200' over, to then fly out to Santa Inez Peak and then back to East Beach.  And then Terry, farthest distance, flew out to Santa Inez Peak, then East, way back to Upper Ojai, landed at the "Happy School."

I leap-frogged with Terry much of the way turning back at Romero.  I followed him across the 154, stopped in light lift above the 154, then again at the Play Ground (rock garden), before committing to Lizards Mouth - where the smoking lift began!  Cloudbase above 5200' easily... Caught up to Terry at Condor Point out front.  Left him there, drove into Broadcast Peak, then Santa Inez Peak, turned out front and boom!  Hang on, take me to heaven baby, the strongest lift on the range, 1600 feet/min, SCHWEET!  Turn back above cloudbase and straight line back across Condor out front, under cloudbase, saluted Hammer on his way out West.

Terry caught me at Painted Cave, I left taking the high road to VOR, Terry flew out front, reaching for West Bowl.  I turned at the at VOR, then No-name, headed for Cathedral via West Bowl.  Hammer flew to Santa Inez Peak, then passed me on the return around No-Name, I followed back to R&R.  Several gliders circling up to cloudbase.  I slid in, saw 'em leave and went to into the White Room, straightened out, confirmed I was headed East, and punched out, dead on the Thermal Factory.  Tiger was boating around, I dove for Shadow, sucker lift, went for Montecito.  Hammer was specking out just over the back.  Terry out in front.  I went right around the top, around back and boom - hang on, some rowdiness there, spun out up and diagonally back into broader lift...head to Romero, passed Hammer already on this return to Montecito.

I dove on the Romero Road Cut, had a long moment, then I took a long route out to East Beach... I toured the Training Hill and Ledbetter Beach, after getting to 4200' way out in front of the Round House... At Ledbetter, I took a photo of Jon Blake kite boarding with three others along with a WHALE !!!  Guy Linghburg skyed out and took the same tour confirming my photo target.  Tony the Tiger, off first, up for 4 hrs, got up from 1200' to 3500' from the beach!  Little John flew round and round, up and down, a complete (new standard) lap, then across the pass, then back, eventually joining with the crew at East Beach... including Annodille, Jim Wickstrom, Carl Cameron, Dan Munger, Roland, JJ, JR, Kip, Guy, and a host of others.

So many people landed at East Beach, Hammer's truck took two round trips to Parma...Jimmy Z spent two and half hours in and out of the clouds, having a great time, saw him pumped at Parma on the way home.  Cloudbase progressively rose out to the the West.  And eventually, I couldn't help myself but just start blasting thru 'em, climb in and out of 'em, and cork screw right into 'em.  The edges were always close to the lift, and they were smooth, thick, and creamy in there.  No problem keeping the wings level, and looking down at the compass rosette on the 5030, sweet - can't hit a thing when your a thousand over and no one else is out front ! (constant new position on the radio helps here)

Cloudbase started at 3600' above the wires above the Holly Hills, 4300' at Painted Cave, 5200' at the Gun Club, then 5800' at Santa Inez, although you could climb up the north side of the clouds, while later, 4400' would be in the clouds above Romero Road Cut...  Max Altitude 6364 ft Max Climb 1648 ft / min Max Sink 1222 ft / min Flight Time 2 hrs 55 min 3 Glorys 2 White Outs > 15 seconds (NoName & RR) Many White Outs < couple seconds

Cheers! BobA

PS Many years past, on a fine lap flying day, I spotted EJ on his Mtn bike standing at the Romero Road Cut.  Completely seizing the opportunity and pumped from having just made the second turnpoint on likely my first lap, I swooped on his ass.  I pulled in, and spun a high speed turn banked past vertical right over him, wing tip pirouette, a wang if you will, coming around just watching him just cheer, both arms raised pumping triumphantly, straddling his bike.  The very next words I heard from him were, "MAN I GOTTA GET OUT THERE !"  To that, I dropped his ashes in that place.  In the same manner of flight, only I spun into a very strong thermal and just cork screwed tightly right into heaven.