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

Tony Deleo (El Diablo)
Saturday, 7/8/06
Walts Point to 9 miles east of Fallon NV
206 miles ~ 7½ hours

With cumis forming on the Inyos @ 9:00 a.m, it promised to be an in interesting day with 3 pilots over 100 miles!  I'll let Southside, Hammer, Cougie, Pokie tell their own stories.  Eddie was there with three Kagel pilots and can furnish their details.  Takeoff 10:40 landing in 9 miles east of Fallon, Nevada nearly on Highway 50. 206 miles 7.5 hours.

Spent a great deal part of the day floundering around including flushing off the Sierras and having to work it up from 7,500' in Westgard Pass.  From The White Mountains I cut the corner to Lunning.  At Lunning to west of Gabbs I spent the majority of the time trying to out run the overdevelopment.  I considered landing west of Gabbs but saw the multiple gust fronts and the over development which was near me.  Thought better about landing.  Tanked up on altitude and went on glide for parts unknown.

Had wanted to go more northeast towards Austin but the whole area was over developing.  Trying to fly away from the rapidly approaching over-development I had 50+ on the gps and could still feel the cloud behind me trying to draw me into it @ 1500' p/min up.  Gliding in a head wind towards Fallon at the 196 mile mark it looked like I was going to be short.  Tanked up on week thermal to 8k and went on final landing straight in.

Carolyn was able to locate me by 8 after I had sent her first towards Hawthorne then to Gabbs and finally back to Fallon via Hawthorne.  In the air at Gabbs it was one of those times you wish you were on the ground.  Carolyn and I were treated to a spectacular lightning show that evening.  Definitely learned more from all the mistakes I made then the flight itself.