Flight Articles from Saturday, 7/8/06 (in order of posting time stamp)
[Diablo] [South Side] [YNA]

John Scott (aka South Side)

Saturday, 7/8/06
Walts Point to Janies
~ 101 miles

It's a little tough to follow a 200 mile write-up, but I did pass the century mark by 1 mile with a flight to Janie's.

Like Tony, my original intention was to stay on the Sierras with Hammer and YNA.  I didn't connect at Birch Mountain so I couldn't cut the corner over Coyote Flats in order to make Mt. Tom.  I got up nicely at Round Mtn. out front, but I just seemed to be in a better position to make the crossing to the Whites rather than continue on the Sierras.  A line of wispy clouds running south to north in the middle of the Valley helped make the decision.

Came into the Whites below 7k just north of the Bishop airport.  There was some really rough air at that altitude, but I eventually got into something that got me back up to 13k.  Just then the ole motion sickness kicked in; about 30 miles from, what has been for me, the elusive 100 mile flight from Walt's.  Fortunately, the Whites were really going off so I was able to just dolphin fly the rest of the way in.

Hammer and YNA continued on the Sierras landing at Lee Vining and the Mammoth airport, respectively.  Hammer being knocked down by the overdevelopment ahead of him in Bridgeport and YNA by the west wind that blew through by the time that he got to the Mammoth area.

Speaking of overdevelopment, the Owens really put on a show in the late afternoon.  First, about an hour and a half after I landed, the winds started gusting 40+ out of the north (it was light south during my flight).  On the drive back it was blowing 40+ due east at Chalfont and 40+ due west at Bishop; gusting due south just north of Independence and then due north just north of Lone Pine.  And of course there were the spectacular lighting strikes.  I don't think I have ever seen so much weather.

John

P.S. Just wanted to thank Hammer and Phoenix for going out of their way to pick me up.  At the time, they knew that Tony wasn't going to be landing anytime soon so they felt sorry for me and spared me the long turn around.

P.P.S.  Pokie is the one that really needs to do a write-up :-)

 [Top of Page]  [Home]