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Dave Patterson
Sunday, 9/6/2020

Pine SS / Late Day Sledder

Reference: [IGC Text Data File] and [Google Earth KMZ File] or [Ayvri Web Animation]

Article Copied from SBSA Telegram Postings in reverse chronological order

Posted (PM) by Dave Patterson at 5:39:12 PM on 9/7/2020
sounds good. I was trying to avoid waiting in the heat, and my greediness there possibly cost me a great flight. But as you say, nobody got hurt and I learned a lot.

Posted (PM) by Tom Truax (ala SD) at 5:35:48 PM on 9/7/2020
Dave, regarding your decision to fly.  You got off the hill OK In weak conditions.  I think it was a good choice to launch and give it a try.  Doesn’t sound like you hit too much turb, just a lot of sink.  Worst case is you land short and hike, which most of have done.  You didn’t get to cloudbase or fly to the beach, but you built your experience at relatively low risk.  I’d usually rather fly down than drive or hike down.  Plus, as you indicated, you might have gotten lucky and blundered into a big weak fat smoothie over the valley…

Next time go a little earlier and be willing to wait.  Budgeting a little time buffer is cost effective.  Most of the experienced pilots will tell you that they would rather get to launch early than late… and don’t be shy about contacting pilots who are already at the site to assist in your evaluation of the continually evolving weather conditions.  I had to guard my phone battery yesterday, but I usually try to answer my phone…

Posted (PM) by Dave Patterson at 5:17:19 PM on 9/7/2020
Tom - I basically reached the same conclusion.  I think it was transitioning to NW as I launched.  I was picking up W as I flew out and then later N; I didn't feel much rotor directly but my sink rate was impressive and consistent.  Adding to the problem was the fact that a big part of the valley was shaded by a large cloud, and had been for half an hour or more before I launched.  In retrospect I should have recognized I was too late driven down, but I thought I could get out into lift over the valley, which is often good long after it starts blowing N at launch height.  Lesson learned though; next time I'll be sure to get to launch early enough

Posted by Tom Truax (ala SD) at 5:11:12 PM on 9/7/2020
Dave I suspect that a 5:15 launch was too late for the time of year and the day?  Had you launched at 4 PM you might have been able to climb high and take a tailwind to the beach.  As Eddy indicated you likely got a poor glide toward the knob because the NW flow was starting to overpower the SE wind that was more prominent and amplified by the strong convection earlier in the day.  On my way downhill to chase Jeff I checked the wind at the intersection of Lockwood Valley Road and Hwy 33 about 1:50 PM.  It was coming upriver from the NW about 5 to 10ish as is typical and expected, and gusting to 15 further down river.

With building flow from the NW late in the day, you were likely in broad lee side sink without enough heating to hold back the subsidence, and the east side of the knob spine was in the shade.  5 o-clock or even 6:30 launches might work nice in June and July, but we are approaching the fall equinox in September, plus the local forecast was for it to clock around and transition from SE early in the day to NW at launch altitudes late in the day…

Posted by Dave Patterson at 9:14:58 PM on 9/6/2020
Yeah we walked up. Calm or maybe 1-2 over the back 5 minutes before I launched
And calm at the old N takeoff

Posted by Fast Eddy at 9:14:34 PM on 9/6/2020
Did you stop and be sure it wasn't blowing over the back along the North by the old take off or where you come through the trees on to the front side?

Posted by Dave Patterson at 9:12:33 PM on 9/6/2020
Pine end of day was honestly pretty bad.  Very light cycles coming in (maybe we were late?), and then lots of sink everywhere; for the first time I didn't even make the spine W of launch, and had to go around Faros.  I expected a nice glassoff with pretty high tops but we got anything but.  Chris didn't launch on my recommendation.  The early birds called this one right!  Nice flying everyone

Posted by Tom Truax (ala SD) at 9:07:02 PM on 9/6/2020
How is Pine at the end of the day on Sunday?

Posted by Chris G at 2:11:16 on 9/6/2020
Dave Patterson and I going up to Pine for the glassoff if anybody wants to join.

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