Chris Grantham

Mt. Tom, Massachusetts
Late March, maybe 3/29 or 30/2006

So everyone keeps saying the flying in the NE sucks.  Even the locals.  That's never a good sign.  The weather hasn't been great but it hasn't been awful either.  Finally got a day that looked slightly above mediocre and got in touch with a few guys who wanted to fly Mt. Tom, a mixed ridge/thermal site in Massachusetts.  Peter Williams who has trained with Dixon and Bo, Chuck Stoner, who flew with us in SB/Ojai a few months ago and Jarret, who knew Christian from Woodrat and was up there last year, were going to show me around.

It was a 2 hour drive from where I've been staying up to Mt. Tom, then a 30 minute hike that makes the Nuthouse look like Everest.  When we arrived at the top it was decidedly OTB with very occasional cycles up the front. Launch faces NW so we needed to wait for the sun to clock around a bit.  After an hour or so of twiddling thumbs and trimming shrubbery it started coming up consistently and Jarret launched, scratched for a few seconds, then went straight to 2k.

Launch is only about 1200 ft and the LZ is maybe a touch over 200.  I launched and got up almost immediately as well.  The launch is probably one of the more difficult launches I've seen.  Not as narrow or committing as the nuthouse but covered in sharp pointy rocks, backed with gnarly trees, and a bit swirly.  Peter, who was trying my Kantega got caught in the stronger ugly air and wasn't able to get off.

Managed to get to 2500+ a few times in 1000 ft/min up cycles but the NW wind was picking up and you couldn't penetrate out very far.  Couldn't go OTB either due to the military airbase.  Got in a good hour and half flight before getting tired of watching sharp pointy rocks go by in slightly swirly conditions.  There are LZs everywhere so I'm hoping to get some good XC in one of these days. Hopefully a day it isn't blowing 20.

I'm off to Ellenville tomorrow and their sites and training hills look pretty good too.  Heard there was some good XC yesterday there as well.  It's going to be a good summer!