Flight Articles from Saturday, 3/4/06 (in order of posting time stamp)
[Sharon Sweeney] [OJ] [Ron Meyer] [Bob Peloquin] [Randall McCormick] [Andy Palmer] [John Scott] [Kabir] [Dean] [Mike Preston] [Scotty]

John Scott (aka South Side)
Saturday, 3/4/06
Eliminator to Piru
~ 49 miles (~ 36 LFSD points)

Judging by the number of post it must have been a good day :-)  First HG off after 3 or 4 PGs.  Up at launch, if not terribly high and then over to the Factory and the already reported trashy air.  Up to 4,200 ft and the race was on.  As seems to be always the case for me a bit of a struggle on the west spine of Montecito and so over to the east side.  Quick climb back to 42 and then east bound to chase down Dean who was already on his way to Castle Ridge.  Other than one tester behind Mobile Point and another at Noon Peak I made it to the Pass pretty easily.  Up to cloud base eventually at Noon and again out in front of West Divide and then over to White Ledge where I finally was able to catch up to Dean.

For what it's worth, twice now I have been with pilots climbing out above the the actual ledge of White Ledge.  On both occasions where I stayed west out above the front point the other pilot has stepped back along the spine below the peak. Where I got up and over the two pilots never connected and had to scoot around the front to the far east point.

Anyway, I think I got to 5800 above the high point and then it was east bound to Bump Three.  Actually got a nice boost right above 33 that got me easily over to the point before the Pyramid.  Nice climb out there and another one just short of Nordhoff and then over to Twin Peaks (nothing at Three Stooges so I came in below the ridge).  Quick climb to cloud base and then over to Boyd's, passing both West and East Repeater without stopping.  Boyd's wasn't its usual self so I fudged over to the next spine (forgot the name) where I climbed out to cloud base again and then headed over to Santa Paula Peak.

I didn't get up above the ridge of Santa Paula until the far east side.  Left for Fillmore with 5,600 ft.  From there it wasn't anything more than a series of extended sled rides to just short of Piru, 49.3 miles from launch.  There I had to sit and watch as not one, but four other pilots (one being Dean) fly overhead. To take the sting off I kept on telling myself that if my LZ was goal I won the day by at least a half an hour.  Of course, Hammer being the first over my head, probably flew down to Santa Ynez Peak first.  Maybe I can just say five of us landed in and around Piru :-)  Anything to stroke the ego.

Flight Articles from Saturday, 3/4/06 (in order of posting time stamp)
[Sharon Sweeney] [OJ] [Ron Meyer] [Bob Peloquin] [Randall McCormick] [Andy Palmer] [John Scott] [Kabir] [Dean] [Mike Preston] [Scotty]