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Articles from Saturday and Sunday, 1/13 & 1/14/2001  [SD Saturday]  [SD Sunday Flight]  [SD Sunday Reserve Deployment]
[Ron Faoro Sat & Sunday] [Tom Beidler Comment] [Benson Flight] [Benson Observation] [Kevin Dumain Reflections]

Sunday, 01-14-2001

Sundowner's flight article
The Bypass to Carpinteria High School
Bonanza

Another fun day.  Up the hill with 12 pilots in Topa Chase.  Stop at The Bypass to check, coming up at 2 to 3 but blowing down at the Skyport.  Lighten the load by one pilot and launch with a good front pull up at 9:50.  Round the Round House a little below and get to the spine above The Rock 100 below the top.  Wiggle up above and core to 31.  The clouds were held out front by the north wind and you could climb up the north side.  Speed bar upwind to The Factory and hold on but couldn't core up.  Flush out and core up off the Antenna Farm again, a little higher.  Connect to The Factory and climb up the north side of a cloud to 44.  Tried to go to the Skyport but too much north wind so went to Cathedral instead.  Bounced around and head  back upwind with 38 thinking The Tit would work because the clouds were starting to pop off the lower spine of the R&R.  Still too much north wind.  I thought I would drop below the north wind but was still in it down around 28.  A bit of mixing going on with lee side turb south of the ridge and a sheer zone where the upper level north was meeting the lower level stuff.

I was on guard but got whacked anyway.  Deployed and landed in the deep thick brush above the power lines.  Time check about 10:30.  Still plenty of daylight.  Took about 2 hours to get the gear in the bag.  Thought of going down hill but progress was slow in the thicket.  I decided to go uphill because some hikers had hollered over after I crashed.  They recommended going uphill and said there was a trail on the ridge line.  Got to the trail and took it down the power line service road.  The wind was from the west so I headed over to that side and found a runway with a drop.

Re-launched about 1:30 and climbed above cloud base to 35.  Headed east and crossed Parkers with 28.  A little low but it was downwind.  Came in low at the power lines in front of Montecito but couldn't get up.  Continued toward San Yisdro Pt. and got up from 15 on the ridge before the point.  Got to 38 at Ramero but the upper wind was from the NE and I was gun shy without a reserve.  I went with it and blew out to the freeway.  Down below it was west and I angled back to the NE for Polo Ridge.  No lift so a down wind Randy Glide to Carpinteria High.  2:30

SD