[Home] to paraglide.net [SD Log] [Amigo] [Activity] [Photo] [Comments] [Incidents] [Weather] [SBSA] [SCPA]

[Amigo] > [Logan Walters flight index]

Logan Walters
Monday, 3/11/2019

Reference: [IGC Text Data File] and [Google Earth KMZ File] or [Ayvri Web Animation]
Google Earth track measures about 29ish miles, with a max GPS altitude of 6631 Ft MSL

Bypass Launch to Gaviota

Flight Article Submitted by Logan Walters

ByPass- just short of Gaviota
Max alt. 6600
Distance 46km but my track did not start until I was already at the TF
AVG max climb 4.6m/s

Driving up with Neal, Peter, Brian Kaiserauer, Austin Cantrell, Chris Garcia, visiting pilots and met Gavin McClurg walking himself to launch.  The day was looking pretty stellar by the skew-t with possible strong NNE winds, but visually the day did not look promising.  It was hazy and blowing down (over 7mph) at Skyport.

Deciding today looked like it may never block we all quickly drove down to Bypass while the HGs set up at the Eliminator.  There was a geology bus parked on launch but luckily they moved by the time we were ready.  Light cycles but consistent coming up all sides.  They were very launchable and we all soon discovered they were better than they felt. (later we learned that Skyport started blowing in within minutes of us leaving)

Brian K was test driving the Trango for the first time in the mountains and he quickly ascended high above the Round House. I rushed to get off right after Pete.  We all climbed up nicely to about 3,800 ish before pushing back to the Thermal Factory.  Around that altitude we had to start dealing with the north wind and Brian decided he did not like the feel of it as he turned tail to the lower ground.  Peter on the other hand loves that action!

Peter and I climbed up and from TF with our ground track over the Bypass before starting to move west.  Peter then turned around!  (apparently he thought I was a visiting pilot, unaware of the terrain and forecasted strong winds, and he did not know I was on the IP6.  Turns out I'm a local pilot aware of the forecast, I'm not sure that makes it any better.

Smooth strong climbs with steady 10-18 winds from the NNE.  As I pushed past the VOR clouds were spaced but popping between the ridge and the beach, showing me the drift.  They were cycling in around 10 min and were consistent enough that I knew to stay high and head to the upwind side for a sure thing.

The flight was BEAUTIFUL, crossing Lizards Mouth for the first time, and with plenty of altitude.  Great climbs to almost cloud base and long glides, very unlike the normal SB flying.

I then attempted to push NW at the end of the cloud line and made my biggest error of the day.  Fighting into the wind to clear the ridge I was stopped in my tracks and decided that I better turn tail and take my beating.  Found a lee side climb just down the ridge that I was able to dribble away from the ridge with.  Then got pushed down hill more, and then more, then more.  I chased the birds around realizing they were turning tight and tucking their wings to fight the turbulence.  The IP6 did amazing and stayed open as I squeezed out and around the canyon, but it was not over yet.  The wind on the water was showing West over 10kts and the wind I was in was around the 15 range from the NE.  The shear came around 300 ft AGL and required some active piloting as I barely made a nice open landing field.  Garcia was there with his mom on the retrieve.

About 45 min later Peter came flying in and watching his wing move around looked about like what it felt like!  He then chose the same field I was in to land and then we proceed to Santa Ynez Airport to pick up Willy on his first OTB Santa Ynez adventure.  Apparently Willy flew the North side most of the day!

Reflection:

Looking back I would have tried to push into the wind after my last good climb near Santa Ynez Peak and I most likely would have cleared the ridge with the altitude to get me at least to Buellton and the Firestone tasting room.  But instead I made an angle for a lower ridge which was funneling strong North and gave me no chance of clearing the ridge.  This is now such an obvious mistake that I will learn from.  I was thinking at the time that my angle would give me best glide, which it did until I faced the wind at the end.  There was also a huge gap in the clouds with the next one not being until miles after the Gaviota Pass.

I have been slammed by wind in this zone in every type of aircraft (heli, plane, and now PG) and am going to try and better study it to find the best way around, likely being to go OTB earlier.

In this flight I was able to fly the top ⅓ of the sky which makes for a different game than I'm used to.  Watching cloud cycles and making moves based on them and angle from triggers was quite stimulating.

/ Logan

 

 [Top of Page]  [Home]