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Sunday 12/22/2013 [Weather] and [Flight Articles] by  [Aaron] & [Sundowner]
Flight Articles by Tim Barker on [Friday 12/20]  & [Saturday 12/21]

Sunday, 12/22/2013
Flt 1 ~ EJ's to Westbowl to Stevens Park (San Roque)
1 1/2 hours airtime, launch at 10:35, land at 12:05
Flt 2 ~ Skyport to East Beach
Sled Ride, no turns, launch about 1:50
Trango

Sundowner's Flight Report, see also [Weather Archive]  [Photos]  [SD Track Image in JPG ] or [Google Earth KML]

2 full busses, Eagle and Fly Above All, rolled from Parma about 9:45.  Breathing up light at the Rock.  Some wind from the east at EJ's.  Launch on the ESE spine, bob toward La Cumbre Peak, but nothing to climb in, so reach across for Westbowl.  Good downwind glide across and spoon the east side, but had to dribble down to the low front point to hold on between 25 and 27.  Not much wind below 3K.

Did a lot of circles for a half hour before moving over to the west front point, which was not working as good.  Stuck for a half hour before finally getting back up to 27.  Head back to the east front knob which was working better now, up to 29ish.  Wanted 31 to reach across toward Cathedral, thinking it might work better further east.  Other pilots started probing around, covering Westbowl and Cathedral, but it wasn't working above 3K.  Tried the west front point again for variation and to kill a little time, hoping it would continue to improve, but flushed out.  Got back up out front a bit and played back in for the low west knob, but flushed out a 2nd time.  Dribbled down to land in the Stevens Park field next to San Roque Road at 12:05

Pack up in the shade and hike 100 yards to the stop light on Foothill Road at 12:30.  Took 3 rides to get to the Skyport.  The first ride was with a young girl in her late 20s.  She dropped me by the fire station at 192 and Mission Canyon.  The next ride was with young man and his mom in a Leaf (all electric).  They detoured a bit to drop me by the stop sign at El Cielito and Gibraltar.  The next ride was in the back of an open pickup towing 3 motorcycles, a dad and his 2 young kids.  They got me to the Skyport a little before 1:30.   Waited about 10 minutes for each ride, plus 30 minutes travel time and a half hour to pack up...  back on launch in less than an hour and a half after touchdown.  The open pickup ride was pleasant and comfortable with a nice view... comforting to know I was going back to launch with a reasonable chance to reach for East Beach in the late heat of the day.

While waiting at the stop sign for the 3rd ride, I observed several pilots climb out near Parma, getting close to 2K or better, likely enough to reach the Beach.  No one was staying up at the Antenna Farm.  Most of the EJ crew had fallen back for better launch conditions at the Skyport.  There were a few straggles left.  Helped a couple get off.  Repots were of a few pilots breaking even for awhile, but no one climbing out at launch.  Robin was off before me.  She marked a buoyant patch and kept going after a 360 or two.  She found the Parma thermal and climbed above 2 but didn't play across the Riviera.

I pulled a glide direct for the Monastery Fan, down the canyon without detouring toward the Round House.  Did ok with a few glide extenders but didn't blunder into anything worth turning for over Parma.  Cleared the Riviera easily and veered a little left, giving up on the Junior High, but keeping Franklin School within reach while eying Cleveland School on East APS.  The wind south of the Riviera was light from the west, so I went with it for awhile, but kicked in a little crab angle to hold a line toward Dwight Murphy Park across the freeway next to the zoo.

East Beach was looking doable, so I cranked in a little more crab angle trying to reach the grass.  The wind on the beach was out of the WSW about 10ish.  Could have fallen off to the left and gotten there higher, but I had just enough to round the palm trees at the end of Milpas and set down on the grass.

Jeff Ross offered to give me a lift back to my Toyota at Parma, but he didn't need to go to Parma.  Called Robin to check in.  She and Allison agreed to bring my car to the beach on their way out of town.  Home about 3 PM.

The weather was a letdown, but the air was easy.  I bit on-guard in the light crossing laminar wind up at EJ's, but down lower, there weren't any lurking air sharks so the day was nice despite the limitations.

Click for full size [Track Image] or Google Earth [KML File]

2 full Vans (Eagle and Fly Above All) loading at Parma ↑
Unloading at EJ's Launch ↓

LZ on first flight.↑ Stevens Park next to San Roque Road, below The Cater Water Treatment Plant / Caution, landing is down hill so approach slow.
I did a slow butt bounce on the far (uphill) side of the field and walked down to pack up in the shade. No power lines ↑

East Beach LZ on 2nd flight. ↓  I actually landed 100 yards toward Ventura because I couldn't reach further upwind into the WSW low level flow.
Jeff Ross packing up with the Skyport in the center background. ↓

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