Friday, 12/26/2014 [Weather] and [Flight Articles] by [flychild] [Aaron] [Marty] [Dadam] [NMERider] & [Sundowner]
plus [Track Log & Photo Index] for the extended weekend

Neal Michaelis    aka flychild
Friday, 12/26/2014

Skyport to Lizards Mouth to Puckers to Nordhoff High School

Leg 1 ~ 9.6 miles / Skyport to Lizards Mouth
Leg 2 ~ 42.8 miles / Lizards Mouth to Puckers
Leg 3 ~ 9.3 miles / Puckers to Nordhoff Ridge
Leg 3 ~ 3 miles / Nordhoff Ridge to Nordhoff High School
Puckers to Nordhoff High School ~ 9.5 miles
Total Distance around 2 turn points ~ 62 miles
Total Distance around 3 turn points ~ 65 miles

Neal's Google Earth [KMZ] file, or [IGC Data] file [Photos] and [Nordhoff Landing Video]

Article Copied from: http://scpa.info/bb/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=3115#p9243
Posted by flychild » Sat Dec 27, 2014 10:06 pm

An epic day!  Lots of pilots flying high and far.  Tim and I chased Aaron west over the 154 as far as lizards mouth before hitting some west wind and turning back eastbound for the flight towards the pass and onto Ojai.  As we approached la Cumbre Dean come over the radio that he had top landed EJs and was about to relaunch.  Way to get it!  We had some easy gliding eastbound and a good climb or two to get us to the powerlines where we got stuck low on the ridge for a while.  Considered flying out to Bates at this point but went back upwind in search of a trigger that might work better than powerlines ridge which just wasn't delivering.  No deal.  Turned back to powerlines again, nothing.  Finally decided to continue east just a bit more in search of a climb before throwing in the towel and quickly got a climb that took me to divide peak, then stepped it up some more for the transition to the front of white ledge.  I was climbing while gliding up the front of the peak and over the pass.

Long downhill glide towards the 33 and onto the nordhoff massif.  Made it to the upper Ojai valley and just a short glide away from the Santa Paula ridge, but I was a little nervous about continuing on due to the east wind blowing down through the Santa Clara valley.  Turned back for Nordhoff high school where Aaron and Tavis had landed.  As I made it back to the Nordhoff ridge Tom was arriving from the west on the tandem with Stefan, his second flight of the day.  We landed at the high school, met up with Aaron and Tavis.  Peter drove retrieve. Thanks Peter!

5 hours 7 minutes, 65 miles around 3 turn points.  Awesome day flying with friends!  Doesn't get any better.

sky port crew (Aaron w/ new wing) ↑

 
Tom and Peter ↑

 
Westbound towards Lizard's mouth with Tim ↑ Click this image for larger (full) size

 
eastbound approaching VOR with Tim and Aaron? at the VOR ↑  Click this image for larger (full) size

 
eastbound towards the pass ↑

 
gliding into Ojai Valley after crossing Whiteledge ↑

 
Santa Paula ridge and peak from the upper Ojai Valley ↑  Click this image for larger (full) size

 
Nordhoff LZ with the crew and our ultra fast retrieve vehicle ↑

Video of Neal Michaelis by by Tom Truax

Friday, 12/26/2014 [Weather] and [Flight Articles] by [flychild] [Aaron] [Marty] [Dadam] [NMERider] & [Sundowner]
plus [Track Log & Photo Index] for the extended weekend

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