Saturday, 4/20/13 [Weather] and [Flight Articles] by [Tim Barker] [Tom Pipkin] & [Sundowner]

Tim Barker
Saturday, 4/20/13

Skyport westbound to The Alternator
then eastbound to Power Line Ridge
and out to Carpinteria

Article Copied from http://scpa.info/bb/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2804#p8411
by timobarker » Sat Apr 20, 2013 8:43 pm

What a gorgeous day! We were lucky to be alive to fly in SB today! The sky was clear, the air was warm and the lift was consistent and everywhere.

I think the defining element of the day was the wind. We launched after 11:00 at the skyport into a south east wind. The wind took Aileron and I down to Alternator, where we met the west wind and our ground speed diminished to 10 mph or so. It was a bit gusty. We turned around and rode the sweet tail wind back to the R and R where Bart was soaring high on what I perceived to be a convergence.

We continued east, occasionally passing the west wind and finding ourselves in east wind and more than once, finding that sweet convergence spot that would take us up over 4k.

We found some excellent convergence at shadow. The lift was smooth and everywhere. But, when I got to the other side of that lift, I found some of the biggest sink I've ever experienced in SB. My glide ratio went to 2:1. From Montecito to the power lines, Aaron and I took turns leading the way, although I don't think I ever looked down on Aaron. He was always above me???? You flying with helium?

After Romero, I didn't stay too long at any one spot. The air was trashy around 4k and I never felt it was necessary to climb big because it was going off everywhere. So every time I bumped my head into the trashy air, I went on glide to the next spot.

From the power lines at 4300, I drew a line along ridges, crabbing the whole time east of snowball ridge. I got hammered by the west wind the whole way. I was at 2500 at snowball. By the time I hit the 101 I was around 600 ft. So, I turned around and landed in a farm field across the street from the Girls Inc fields. I could have landed there, but there were field games in progress.

What a fun day! The weather forecast was right on and the view was spectacular. Did anybody else notice the lupin and poppies that we were flying over? Sweet!