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Tuesday, 11/25/2014 [Weather]  [Track Log Index] and [Flight Articles] by [timobarker]  [Sundowner]  [flychild]

Tuesday, 11/25/2014
Leg 1 ~ 00.8 miles Skyport to the RnR
Leg 2 ~ 01.5 miles the RnR to the Thermal Factory
Leg 3 ~ 06.1 miles the Thermal Factory to the VOR
Leg 4 ~ 49.5 miles from the VOR to Fillmore High School
total distance around 1 turn point ~ 55.6 miles
distance from launch to landing ~ 44.2
4 hours 52 minutes airtime, (slow) Launch at 10:52:21, Land at 3:43:52 PST
Niviuk Icepeak 6

Sundowner's Flight Report, see also [Weather Archive] [Google Earth Track Log] and [IGC Text Data] or [Track Image] & [Launch Video]

I thought I might try and fly on Friday after taking a quick look at the weather for the weekend on Monday night.  Still pretty far out so I didn't invest much time, thinking the forecast would likely change before Friday.  I glanced at Tuesday's weather but couldn't budget a workday flight, so it was just a casual peek.  Then the phone rang about 8:30 Tuesday morning.  It was Peter letting me know that the Eagle Bus was scheduled for 10 am at Parma.  I told Peter that I appreciated the notice, but I had way too much stuff to attend to so there was no way I could justify playing hooky.  I did encourage him to fly and took another look at day's forecast while on the phone.  I tried to give him some advice on what to do off launch at the Skyport, but after about 10 minutes I realized that trying to coach from my desk was a stretch.  I figured that perhaps I could take the bus to East Beach, coach Peter, then fly home (Carpinteria) and only miss a few hours work?

Scrambled to collect my gear, and made some phone calls.  I needed to depart by 9:25 to make a 9:40 meet time at East Beach, so the bus idea faded from play, but it wouldn't be much longer to take the bus back from Carpinteria to East Beach to retrieve my car.  As I was loading my gear getting ready to pull away, Peter called back and said his car was having a brain fart and wouldn't let him in, and all his gear was in the car.  He thought he might be able to get his gear out, but didn't think his car was operational.  My justification for flying was evaporating.  I told Peter I could skip East Beach and pick him up.  We considered doing another tandem, but I didn't want to bring 2 sets of gear, and Peter needed sole experience in the mountains more than another tandem.  Got to Peters house and after fumbling around with the key thing for awhile, the problem cleared and we were off to Parma in separate cars.  I was 5 minutes late and Peter was a few minutes behind me.

Full load in the Eagle Van.  Was chatting away and forgot to check the Rock, but the Bypass seemed to be convecting up.  The Skyport was coming in good enough when we arrived about 10:30.  I set up in the poll position and was off with a clean launch 20 minutes after arrival.  The plan was to do a short lap to the RnR to evaluate the air, then come back for a top landing on the uphill road between Flores Flats and the Skyport.  I was a little concerned about the top landing part due to the high barometer which usually translates to punchy, and it was going to be my first mountain flight on the IP6, which is a higher performance glider, so it might be problematic to get the glider to settle in the buoyant air along the morning east face.

The air was punchy, and we couldn't get high early.  I could only tag 35 hundred at the RnR.  Went back to launch, eyeing the landing options.  Neal was climbing out front, so I joined him and got to 36, then went over to the Factory, which was only good for about 3500.  Went back in the canyon deep over Flores Flats to setup an approach attempt.  The glider was too efficient at trim speed.  I needed to slow it down into the mush mode more, but I was hesitant to get too slow due to the punchy air, and I'd never done a full stall on the canopy, so I didn't have a good feel for the slow end speed range.  I ended up overshooting, being a little too high and too fast.  The approach didn't feel comfortable so I opted to not to make another attempt, but considered possibly landing at EJ's.  Got back up and transitioned over to the RnR again.

It was working better now and I got to 41 at the RnR for an easy transition to EJ's.  The wind was light from the west, so normally 41 would be a stretch reaching uphill upwind toward La Cumbre Peak from the RnR, but the early glides had been good and the IP6 performance was impressive.  Got to the EJ spine ok, but there seemed to be a little drift from the north, so a top landing would be problematic in variable wind direction.  Ended up continuing westbound lower than my arrival.  Wiggled up to 47 over the at La Cumbre Peak and continued upwind along the back ridge against light flow from the NW.  Got a little higher over the Alternator (4870), so I continued on to the VOR.  The flow had more oomph from the NW further west so I got on bar against the west component but didn't fight the north component and drifted out across No Name on the glide.  Down lower at the VOR spine the lower level drift was up the spine.  There was a streamer pole at the VOR launch, but no streamer.  Continued on past the VOR cone a bit before turning eastbound to chase Neal and Tim.

The lower level drift was light from the west.  Wanted to get high, thinking I might have more of a tailwind, but I just wasted time on several attempts to transition up.  Fished back over West Bowl Peak, but ended up leaving from lower out front.  Diverted back to the RnR rather than running along the Tunnel Tit ridge, but the RnR was a bust and I came in below launch at the Skyport.  Getting a little frustrated with my slow pace, I started skipping along but made the connections easily despite marginal altitude, continuing eastbound from the Factory with only 3300.  Made pretty good time along Castle Ridge, not needing to stop much, but never got very high.  Crossing Ramero Saddle eastbound I passed under Tim Barker going westbound on his return leg from Power Line Ridge.  Slowed down along Power Line Ridge, wanting more altitude, but I was having trouble centering the elusive punchy cores.

Reached Noon Peak easily but got stuck.  Not low, just not enough altitude to continue on.  There was a weak cycle at the Trapezoid when I arrived, but the trajectory was shallow so I looked uphill, thinking I might try to follow the back ridge because the ridges had been working all day, but as usual, I came limping back out.  Finally found a core on the spine running SSE from the Trapezoid.  Climbed pretty good for about 3 turns, but only got to 44 hundred, drifting from the west.  Below my minimum, but Neal was opening up the lead and I sensed the day was getting late.  Neal had gone through Casitas Pass with good altitude earlier, getting to 55 at Divide, but the altitudes weren't as good an hour behind him.  Pulled another good downwind glide across the canyon and found some buoyant air over the saddle in front of West Divide, but only did one turn.  I opted to commit deeper for the SW faces behind the saddle because I had more confidence in the ridge lift on the windward faces than the elusive thermals I been falling out of all day, and the flow was across the saddle rather than up it.  Was able to wiggled up to the top of the hill.  I prefer to get over 5K at West Divide, preferably 55, but the best I could do was 47.

Peter opted not to fly due to the punchy air.  He offered to chase and was waiting for instructions at Bates, so I sent him toward Ojai along Hwy 150.  I came in about even with the SW Bump below White Ledge with 3600 and immediately connected, but only for a few turns.  Did the ridge lift thing again to work up the polished white face.  I usually thermal up the ridge and don't often get in that close so I had to marvel at the stunning geology.  Got my highest altitude of the day, just under 5K, over the ridge SE of White Ledge Peak.  Drift on glide east of White Ledge had a substantial component from the north, but down lower the drift was in toward the mountains.  Opted to turn into Bump 3 to tank up, but only got a little over the top.  The drift was from the SE, which seemed odd.  I was expecting drift from the west.  Perhaps it was a draw toward stronger lift on the ridge to the NW?  Neal reported that it was all SW further ahead.  Had enough to keep going, but found a better thermal over Bump 2 and got over 45, gaining 11 hundred feet in 7 turns drifting from the south.  The extra altitude made for an easy Hwy 33 crossing so I was able to go directly to Spine One.

Thinking it was getting late, I didn't bother to detour up toward Nordhoff Peak for more altitude.  I'd been getting exceptionally good downwind glides all day, so I kept going with marginal altitude and came in on Twin Peaks a few hundred below.  Got up to the top pretty easy in the smooth ridge lift, but the day seemed to be shutting down at 2:30 in late November.  Finally found a thermal out front a got a little over 4K for an easy downwind glide to West Repeater.  West Repeater can be fickle.  I still had almost enough altitude to keep going toward East Repeater, but I veered left off course to follow the buoyant air over the top of the front point.  I sensed that I might be able to search in the saddle behind the front point, but if that didn't work I'd be done, so angled back out and continued on toward the East Repeater front point with 36, which would normally be considered low, but once again I got a good glide and came in ok.  Though I was going to get up at East Repeater because I immediately found some ridge lift, but didn't find any thermals.  Searched out front a bit and started to turn for a bump, but changed my mind half way through and went with the drift across the canyon toward Boyd's.  Came in on the west face with 3100 and wiggled up a bit, then got to almost 33 trying to track a weak bubble across the face of the main bowl.  Went around the east corner with 32, thinking that with all the buoyant glides, I could make the college if I got a couple of skips in front of Puckers.  Peter was watching from Summit School and continued on toward Saint Thomas College when I left East Repeater.

Pulled a super good downwind glide (using 1000 feet to go 3 miles ~ 15 to 1) and came in below the bottom point of Santa Paula Ridge above the college with 2250 (about 1200 over the college).  Wiggled up a hundred in the late day thermal assisted cycling ridge lift, but then got stuck for 12 minutes with a low mark near 2K.  Considered giving up an flying out to land, but if I could just get to the ridge line a few hundred higher I might be able to join Neal in Fillmore.  After struggling with several cycles in various locations I finally got up enough on the south side to take it around the corner into the next bowl and the south faces were all working in the late day smooth air.  Spent another 17 minutes zigging uphill to the top of the ridge, topping out at 4700.  Skipped along even with the upper ridge for a short stretch, then fell below ridge line in front of the Peak west of Santa Paula Peak.  Continued on and skipped off the front of San Cayetano for the glide out to Fillmore.

Gave Neal and Peter a call on the cell phone.  Neal was in one of  the baseball fields across the street from the High School football field.  Got there with plenty.  It was 12 mph plus a few hundred above the trees, but little to no wind on the ground.  Dropped through the gradient for an ungraceful touchdown on plush green grass an hour before sunset.  Peter missed the landing by 5 minutes.

It was Neal's first flight to Fillmore, so we drove over to the Vons field to show him and Peter the bus stop proximity and washed up at the Burger King.  A quick stop at a health food restaurant in Ventura, then back to Parma for our vehicles.  Home by six.

Reflections

Didn't accomplish my objective for the day, which was to get Peter some solo mountain experience, but paragliding it is sort of a go with the flow sport, so we shifted gears and had a good day.  Neal was inspirational, pushing the pace and marking goal.  I was concerned about the potential for east wind in the Santa Clara River, but Neal checked the weather reports on his cell phone before venturing out the east end of the Ojai Valley.  He made impressive time, widening the lead despite it being his first time on the latter half of the course.  I had more airtime, but at the XC level the time scores are like golf where the lower number wins.  Peter was a great team player and encouraged me not to give up when I was stuck low at both Twin Peaks and the base of Santa Paula Ridge.  Peter can be a bit enthusiastic, and both Neal and I were a bit concerned about his aggressive driving on the return to SB, which I hadn't experience on previous outings where he was counseling patience.  Perhaps he was simply charged up after the adventure.

The day was a bit unusual for me in that I did more figure 8s than 360s.  Neal didn't seem to have as much trouble with the punchy thermals and dialed into the tight cores better than me.

The Glider / Ice Peak 6

Rob Sporrer had been prodding me to step up to a higher performance glider for about a year, but I was comfortable on the Trango.  I'd been noticing that everyone was getting better glides and a better sink rate, plus our 4th generation of local XC pilots were starting to get on course, so I recently took Rob up on his offer.  I didn't research gliders.  I trusted Rob's judgment regarding what would work for me.  I picked up the glider on November 6th, and kited it the next day, but didn't fly it until last Sunday Nov 19.  That was just a short flight at Bates in smooth weak ridge lift.  Tuesday's first mountain/thermal flight was a good workout with high barometric pressure but a decent lower level lapse rate yielding punchy thermals with a little wind, but nothing tricky.  Went most of the day without a tip fold, but did get lazy after a few hours and got mildly spanked once.  Getting spanked is often avoidable by staying focused on the pendulum, angle of attack, and energy, then responding quickly to manage when necessary.

I was wrong about not needing a more modern higher performance glider going downwind.  With the IP6 I was able to skip along below my previous minimum go altitudes with confidence.  I was more comfortable with my Trango's handling and gyration recovery, but I also had a lot of airtime on the Trango.  Seemed like the IP6 was getting behind me a little more, but that is probably a timing thing I need to consciously dial into.  The IP6 is flying at a higher speed and retains a lot of energy, so the stick thermals are amplified.  I'll need to experiment on managing how the dynamic energy transfer to potential energy correlates with the pendulum timing.

Bottom line, for me, now that I've tasted the sugar...  I can't go back.  I'll miss the simplicity and ease of my Trango.  I'll need to make some adjustments.  There are tradeoffs like; the higher performance glider is more difficult to squeeze into the challenging small LZs, and I may not be able to do font pull-ups after landing out, and the glider requires more care in packing and monitoring the skinny unsheathed lines, so getting out of the brush and trees will likely be more of a problem (so far, I've been able to land on the grass).

One thing about the higher performance gliders that is a little sad for me is that many of our lower performance gliders flights that seemed stellar at the time may now seem trivial.  It used to be a big deal to go over Casitas Pass, but now we can do it on slightly better than average days.  I still take comfort knowing that Diablo continues to hold the Pine Mountain straight line open distance paragliding record with a 139 mile flight that he did 15 years ago (1999) as a P2 pilot flying a Firebird Flame,  which paled in performance compared to today's rocket ships.

SD's Track Image ↓ (click for full size) and or view all the posted track logs for the day at the [Track Log Index]

Tuesday, 11/25/2014 [Weather]  [Track Log Index] and [Flight Articles] by [timobarker]  [Sundowner]  [flychild]

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