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Saturday, 1/31/2015 [Weather]
and [Flight Articles]
by [gracecab] [OJ] & [Sundowner]
plus SD's Saturday [Photos] Google
Earth [KMZ] file or [IGC]
Data File / and NMERider [Photos]
Saturday, 1/31/2015
The Skyport to Lake Casitas via
4 hours 44 minutes airtime, launch at 10:34 AM and land at 3:18 PM PST / first off / last down?
Niviuk Icepeak 6
Sundowner's Flight Report, see also [Weather Archive] [Photos] Google Earth [KMZ] file or [IGC] Data File
Wasn't planning to fly (as usual?) but Peter Richner called on Friday to say he was available for crew, and then John Scott called to say the weather might be promising, so I detoured away from my grindstone and took the bait. Was expecting better potential distance with the outside hope that we might be able to tag Santa Ynez Peak because Tim Barker was drumming up interest. Turns out we were stuck down low in the stratus iterations until 1 o'clock. Did finally transition to the back ridge to climb up the north side of the upper level cumulus to almost 6K, but ran out of time crossing Casitas Pass.
Met Chris Ballmer and Dave Bader at my house and we were mobile for East Beach about a quarter till 9. We piled 8 into Peter's Ford Expedition with 4 of the 7 gear bags tied to the roof. Seven or 8 HG pilots with full gear also assembled for the 9 am meet time at East Beach. They all loaded into Max Hogan's 5 passenger SUV. Dropped Chris's car at Parma at 9:22 and were on launch about 9:40. It was convecting up at both the Rock and the Bypass, but early cycles at the Skyport were weak and short so we opted to kick dirt for 20 minutes before slowly suiting up. The Eagle Bus had a 10:15 meet time at Parma so they didn't get to launch until I was gone.
The day had dawned clear of clouds but hazy with high relative humidity. Low stratus started forming shortly after sunrise. Cloudbase was tiered and out front early it was down near the Rock Launch (1500 feet) but by the time we got to the Skyport it had lifted up to 25ish. Higher stuff started popping over the mid points (RnR and Factory) so I pulled up at 10:34. A little crooked through the rotation, but I forced it and got away clean. There were plenty of clouds out front but marginal oomph at launch. I didn't hit anything worth turning for so I went on glide. The drift was slightly from the east so I angled for the Holly Hills because I wanted to bench up to the RnR and connect to bigger altitude over the back ridge.
I was down to the Seminary Spine of the Holly Hills before I found something going up. It was weak but I was able to step back to the power line point and then over to Tunnel Tit where a decent thermal went from 26 to 31 in 6 turns. I was above a fuzzy cloudbase but able to maintain visibility along north edge. Benched back to the RnR without losing altitude but I was only able to top out below 3400. Not really enough altitude to go anywhere other than Cathedral, so I opted to fly over launch to check out the activity where a large number of hang gliders from Sylmar were setting up. Nothing worth turning for over launch again, so back over to Tunnel Tit.
Cloudbase was lower and I was maxed out a little below 3K, so I opted to boat over to Cathedral rather than benching up above cloudbase. Ron Faoro had tried the lower SW spine below Tunnel Tit and I spotted him again over the lower hills in front of Cathedral. He opted to land at Robins (then went back up and flew to East Beach). I got to Cathedral low and didn't connect. Fizzled down to the front points and then back over to the Holly Hills. Easily worked back up to launch via the power line point, Tunnel Tit, and the RnR. Along with the better lift came increasing development. Started getting pinched against the rocks at the RnR and had to hug the terrain to maintain reference. Launch was pretty socked in but it was clear over Flores Flats. Tried to set up for top landing on the uphill stretch of road but had to turn away from my intercept due to trees. Came around the front of launch a hundred below and wiggled up to launch level in the fog. Went back into the canyon for another approach attempt but came up short again and had to fly around the front blow launch. I'd set up low on both attempts because the east faces had been buoyant all morning, so I thought I'd have trouble getting the glider to settle. The lift was fading in the shade so I apparently overcompensated by setting up to deep and low. I threw in the towel a hundred and fifty below launch and took a SSW heading back to the Holly Hills.
It was pretty shaded in out front and I had to hang on as the OD faded and the sun came back. Tahoe Eric was low on the uphill side of the Monetary saddle below the Round House. Someone else was hanging on over the Monetary but I think they finally flushed to Parma. It was darker at the Round House hill compared to the Holly Hills. Eric saw me doing better and opted to cross the canyon pretty low, arriving well below the lower point on the Seminary spine. He fished further west a bit and then went down at the Seminary (but went back up for a 2nd flight and flew to Carpinteria). It can be hard to hang on when the sun first comes back for number of reasons, so I dug in to avoid having to drive back up. Finally got back in the game around noonish after 20 minutes of making spaghetti, topping out over the Holly hills with 2600 from a low of 1950. Benched back to the Skyport via the usual route of the Holly Hill's power line point, Tunnel Tit, and the RnR.
Got to 33 hundred at the Skyport, and 34 at the RnR. The objective was to get to the back ridge and the lowest plausible route was to play for the low spine below EJ's that dead ends into the canyon between the RnR and Cathedral, so I used my altitude to fished around to the east side of the RnR, but had to limp back out to Tunnel Tit. The lower stratus was thinning some on it's 2nd or 3rd iteration and I got higher when I benched back up to the RnR again, topping out about 3500. Spotted some PG pilots launching from the EJ's as I fished around the west side of the RnR for a 2nd time and made a run for the low dead end spines in the canyon. Could only reach the first (east) spine, one short of the EJ spine. Normally going into the middle of the canyon low can be risky because there is often laminar draw in the middle of a canyons feeding the back ridge, but it seemed to be working good down low on Saturday without the mid canyon draw. I think maybe the higher tier clouds over the back ridge were feeding off a higher layer because they didn't seem to be drawing from the lower level. Anyway, go to the spine with about 33 and slowly fizzled down to 32. Did get a hundred foot gain over the low end but opted to use my altitude to boat over to ESE spine Cathedral, getting there with 3K. Gained 250 on the east spine and went looking around the west side again because I couldn't climb over the top. Searched all the way to the northern most west spine below the Thumb, but no luck. Did finally get back up from 28 to 3050 over the main SW spine, but still couldn't reach the top.
Took my altitude and went back to the Rock. Somewhere around that time I noticed a paraglider who had blown a launch at EJ's and ended up in the brush about 60 feet below launch. Kept an eye on him but didn't detect any progress in removing the canopy from display. It was working better as I arrived on the spine below Tunnel Tit. Worked a nice thermal up from 2470 to 32ish for an easy connection back to the RnR where I got to 3550, my highest altitude of the day so far. Did better fishing around the corner with the extra altitude and reached the to EJ spine with a little under 3300, about 500 below launch. The spine was weak, but mostly up and I was able to climb over the top of EJ launch. Surveyed the scenario, considering a top landing to help the pilot in the brush. He was alone with no one else around. I was concerned because he was just sitting there with his helmet on, and he'd been there for maybe a half hour or longer? I hollered down inquiring to see if he was injured, but he came back saying he was ok. Top landing looked doable, but the streamer on top was light from the WNW despite the upslope flow on the sunny side, so I was concerned that if I landed I might not be able to relaunch.
Boated over to La Cumbre Peak but the best I could manage was 3900, about a hundred below launch. Boated back toward EJ's to check on the downed pilot's progress. Noticed there was a vehicle in the parking zone. Hollered down again and he confirmed that the vehicle was his and he didn't need help. Broadcast a radio message indicating the status and the pilot came back on the radio confirming he was ok and was collecting his gear from the brush. Climbed to 46 over EJs, which was about cloudbase for the upper tier over the back ridge. Went ease along the northern edge of the clouds over the back ridge behind the RnR. Got to 57ish a little past the RnR, working up the north side of the clouds. Not much drift, perhaps light from the north so I kept a little north crab angle on my dolphin glide along the face of the clouds. Gained another hundred on glide and was up over 58 behind the Thermal Factory, then all downhill to Castle Ridge. Considered jumping over the back to stay out of the low front side scud, but the logistics were problematic so I committed to the conventional route.
Castle ridge worked good enough. Not much wind so had to make the thermals work, which seemed to be coming off the sheltered east faces with a little drift from the west. Threw out the anchor on the spine above the last Castle Point. There was one more back point along Castle Ridge, but it is a short spine and doesn't run down to one of the 5 Castle Points. My logic for making as stand there rather continuing on to the last point was that I'd rather flush from my current location because I would still have a chance of getting back up over the last Castle Point and with a little west wind it is a better line to get around Snowball into Carpinteria. Did about 18 turns to gain 700 feet from 3250 to a little over 3900, drifting from the WSW for an easy transitioned over to the west end of Power Line Ridge.
Arrived at Powerline Ridge a little below the west point but quickly climbed from 3650 to almost 5K in 2 steps. That was enough altitude to dolphin over to the back of Noon Peak rather than the Trapezoid. My logic for taking the deeper route was that it seemed like a good day to stay high and away from the lower ocean side haze. Most of the upper tier clouds were either over the back ridge or north of the ridge. Climbed right away at Noon, gaining a thousand from 4200 to 52, drifting light from the WSW for an easy connection to West Divide.
Got to West Divide about even with the top of the front point with 45 hundred and change. Dolphined through some buoyant air approaching the mountain, but it had been shaded in for awhile by a big cloud overhead (see photo). Somewhat alarmed not to find a thermal over the main spine, I considered continuing on to East Divide which was in the sun, but also not showing development over the lower spine. It was getting a little late in the day. With 45ish from West Divide and only a light tail wind at best, I'd intercept the SW spine of Whiteledge low if I didn't get a bounce off East Divide, and the lower spine of East Divide is notorious for not giving it up, which might have been why it didn't have development above it. I didn't want it bad enough to hike, so I opted to hold the high ground at West Divide and wait for something to pulse through. It can be long glide out from West Divide if the west wind is up, but on Saturday the west flow was light. The sun came back out, but after 10 minutes of struggling I had to give up with 4100 (400 lower than I arrived) and try out front. The saddle is often a convergence trigger, but not on Saturday. Finally found a dribble over the last prominent point SW of the saddle and hung on to my last hope. After 10 minutes of making spaghetti I had climbed back up from 3700 to 45. From there I could have made a play directly for Whiteledge because it was a better line further out front, but I opted to run back uphill for the high ground because it had been in the sun for awhile now. Got there with 4250 and was rewarded with a climb back to 48, but I wanted more so I went fishing after loosing the thermal. Eventually got back to 5200 drifting from the NW, still at least a thousand below cloudbase at 10 minutes before 3 PM.
Sort of took it for granted I'd get up at Whiteledge, and even if I didn't I'd likely have enough to clear the front hills to reach the highway. No joy over East Divide, which is typical. East Divide tends to work in the back, but not out on the lower spine. I'll head for the back of East Divide if I have bonus altitude leaving West Divide, but with more marginal altitude I'll go direct toward the SW spine of Whiteledge because if you detour for the back of East Divide and it doesn't work than you could come up short on the glide to Whiteledge. Anyway, I angled for a high intercept of the SW spine of Whiteledge. Got an ok glide and came in a little behind but well above the lower SW Bump. Hit some up air that seemed to be the downwind side of a thermal coming off the lower SW Bump, but didn't detour upwind for it. Opted to go left over the spine and run uphill, but didn't find anything worth a turn and had to bail right to squeak around the southern corner. Pretty much final glide out to the lake.
Having given up the high ground after 3 PM on a day that was working better up in the back, I figured I was done, so I got out the cell phone and gave Peter a call. He said he would be there in 40 minutes. The view was nice in the late day air. Ojai didn't have the coastal haze. The fields were a lush green and there was a huge cloud at 8 or 9K was over the Topa range. Had enough altitude to go a little further, but opted to boat around the entrance to the lake. There was a gaggle of turkey vultures marking a thermal. I used it a couple of times for 50 foot gains, and even tracked downwind a ways in zero sink, but the lake entrance is easy to find, plus it has public wash rooms and green grass. Touch down at 3:18 PM in the field just east of the lake entrance. If you land on the north side of Hwy 150 you have to deal with a large fence, but you can walk over a rope at the entrance to the field just east of the lake entrance. Took my time packing up and used the wash room to clean up. Peter pulled up as I was drying my hands.
Picked up my daughter and her friend Anika before heading to Padaro Beach Grill for a late lunch with Tahoe Eric, Dave Bader, Chris Ballmer and a bunch of the Sylmar HG pilots.
Reflections:
Perhaps a bit disappointing to be too late to reach the high altitude development over the Topa Range, but it was rewarding to get over Casitas Pass after a slow start. It was quite hazy down low in Santa Barbara, but I like flying on days with clouds and variations in the conditions. The scenery in the clear upper air on the north side of the clouds over the back ridge was a sharp contrast to the hazy stratus down low earlier in the day.
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