Saturday, 5/11/13 [Weather] and [Flight Articles] by [Ron Faoro] & [Sundowner] [Susan Frank]
[Saturday photos] Sunday's Flights [Marty Devietti]

Ron Faoro (The Spin Doctor)

Saturday, 5/13/13
9200 at over Chiefs Launch

Article copied from: http://scpa.info/bb/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2821#p8473
posted by Faoro_Ron » Sat May 11, 2013 6:21 pm

Spectacular Glide, More Spectacular Chase

Sometimes it's a benefit to go first and today was one of those days. OJ drove his Suburban with a dozen people on board up to Chief Peak and everyone got quiet seeing the cumi's developing over the ridge early. Bob Peloquin and I were first off around 10:45 AM and we easily climbed out in what felt like convergence directly in front of the Chief. Within 15 minutes we were over nine grand, thinking about XC. Actually, Bob had another commitment, but I was going somewhere. From 9,250 feet, I could see the sparkling turquoise gem of Jamison Lake far to the west behind Carpinteria. I could also see a beautiful street of clouds stretching north over Ortega Ridge and Dry Lakes back toward Pine Mountain. The clouds circled east along the Pine ridge and then bent south back toward Chief Peak. I imagined a round trip that would be a first for a paraglider. We had talked since yesterday of diving over the back from White Ledge and using Old Man Mountain to get back to Pine. So I turned west and got on glide: Zero sink for miles and a strong tailwind, pushing my ground speed to 30-35 mph. So far, so good. Little did I know I was on final.

I reached Nordhoff Peak with 8,500 feet and crossed the 33 with over 6K, remembering last week's double dip - going back and forth through the Pass twice in one afternoon. Carpinteria and Santa Barbara were still shrouded in clouds, but I was headed northbound after getting established at White Ledge. I reached above Bump Two on the glide from Chief Peak! Unfortunately, I had two 360's left in the bag as I found nothing there or out over Taft Ranch. With cumi's everywhere and such promise, I was on the ground by the 150, 53 minutes after launching. Tom Pipkin kindly picked me up and took me back to the high school. There I commiserated with all the pilots who weren't as fortunate as Bob Peloquin and I and never got above 7K. But Tom Truax was out there scrambling with a tandem passenger, Susan, trying to get high enough to go OTB. The rest of us went to Papa Lennon's to drink beer.

All the time at the restaurant, we didn't hear from Sundowner. I knew that meant he had probably succeeded on his second attempt to get high at the Topa Topa Bluffs. Sure enough, the next report was that he was shooting for Thorne Point, the last peak at the east end of the Pine ridge. I told Bob Hurlbett we had to drive back to Rose Valley to check on their progress. Bob got a six pack of beer and we drove two cars up the 33 to the top. Fortunately, Bob had heard a report of the tandem heading for Lockwood Valley, otherwise I would have turned around. Bob headed back for a prior engagement and I dropped down the north side of the 33 and took the Lockwood Valley Road. When I had cell reception, I called SD and found he and Susan had just landed in Lockwood Valley at the road to Mutau Flats.

Once again, Sundowner has made history by being the first paraglider (in a tandem no less!) to connect from Chief Peak back to the Pine Mountain ridge and beyond into Lockwood Valley. Nice flight Tom and Susan!

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