July Hangola

Ellis Kim

Tuesday, July 3
still out West. Allen Sparks, Bruce Engen and Gary Smith are still out having fun. This time at Slide Mountain, Lake Tahoe, where Allen and Bruce flew in pretty rowdy air to 10,200 feet (not sure if AGL, MSL or what).

Wednesday, July 4
out West. Lakeview, Oregon: Allen, Bruce and Gary flew Sugar Mountain. Nice flights, gains to 10k. Then flew Black Cap overlooking the Lakeview for nice evening glass offs and landing near their campsite.

Thursday, July 5
Woodstock. Nasty at launch. John McAllister flew and reported nasty air. Some pilot launched anyway and toplanded, treerash, but no major damage to body or glider.

Friday, July 6
High Rock. Ed Reno and Mark Cavanaugh scratched around in rowdy air and got sleds. Then tried again and got to play in abundant thermals from 2k to 5k over. Mark actually flew to Waynesboro and back. Over 2 hours each.

Saturday, July 7
Point of the Mountain, Utah. Bruce Engen launched at 7:30 am into 20 mph winds. 40 mins and a wonderful toplanding (must be easier than at Woodstock). Allen Sparks launched into 10 mph, scraped around for 15 mins and came in for toplanding, slid a bit and got a rash (shoulda worn long pants).

Ridgely. Raean Permenter got to launch in the short window, and proceeded to leave everybody in the dust for a 40 mile XC. Rich Green launched and went XC, aka 'finding massive sink and not making it back to the flightpark'. He landed across the road.

Fisher Road. Mark Cavanaugh did some site maintenance until Paul and Deb showed up. All got to fly. Mark puttered around on the ridge at 100 to 300 over for 1:50.

Sunday, July 8
Pulpit. Tom McGowan, Ed Reno and Mark Cavanaugh all waited until late for conditions to improve and the front to blow through. Each got about half an hour airtime. Tom had the day with 700 over.

Monday, July 9
High Rock. Bob Gillessee and Allen Sparks flew. Bob pulled off a low save over the railroad tracks and got an hour and 3000 over.

Wednesday, July 11
High Rock. Winds 15 mph, gusts to 20. Mark Cavanaugh launched in 12mph lull. Suggests to use ropes for wire crew in those conditions to be able to get closer to edge. Didn't like his launch. Got 1800 over and an hour of flying. Strong but smooth conditions.

Wednesday, July 11
Woodstock. Late flights. Terry Spencer and Bruce Engen ran the ridge and got 3600 over and 2.5 and 3 hours. Joe Schad got 4700 over and a nice first flight on his Formula. Gary Smith showed up even later and got a 30 min flight.

Thursday, July 12
High Rock. Kelvin Pierce had a nice after work flight, 1:25 and 1400 over. Steve Kinsley had a nice loong flight, Danny Brotto got to launch at 8:00 pm after helping wire crew everybody else. Eddie Miller didn't fly at all due to lack of wire crew.

Friday, July 13
High Rock. Lucky day? The after work crowd had some nice evening flights: Allen Sparks reported an hour in ridge lift, having launched at 6:00. Kelvin Pierce launched at 6:15 into slightly rowdy air. He got 800 over and 1:25. Susan Pierce had her first flight from the Rock in years. Launched after 8:00 pm and had 35 mins. Mark Cavanaugh got 1:15 and 1200 over. "Also-flews" include: Dave Proctor, Jose Thellachae, Dave Green, Bruce Engen, Brian Hardwick (cloudbase!), Steve Kinsley, Bob Gillessee, and Doug Henderson.

Friday, July 13
Ridgely. Rich Green went 41.7 miles. Ric Niehaus hit the deck (or so it was reported. Hard to believe, isn't it?) Chad towed up to 15000 feet and did loops just about all the way down.

Saturday, July 14
Pulpit. Bacil Dicker, Dave Proctor and Mark Cavanaugh fought in ratty way North cross. Bacil took the day with 1k over. Mark eeked out 30 mins rotor surfing.

Saturday, July 14
High Rock. Cast of thousands. Brian Hardwick took the day with several trips to cloudbase for 4100 over. Kelvin Pierce flew for 1:20 and 2700 over. Susan Pierce had another flight at 8:00 pm for 25 mins. Allen Sparks got 2900 over and 1:45. Ed Reno and Bob Gillessee got the same thermal to about 3k. Juergen from Germany had his first flight from the Rock on a sport borrowed from Bob Gillessee. Mark Cavanaugh got 2:00 and 300 over. Cragin Shelton got 2:00 and 2000 over, buzzing launch repeatedly. Dave Johnson got 2:00 without vario. Others who flew (the list might not be exhaustive) were: Carlos Weill, Steve Kinsley, Mark Cavanaugh, Ed Reno, Bruce Engen, Jose Thellache, Steve Krichten, Steve Padgett, Joe Gregor, Kurtis Kemerer, Lewis Truitt, and Joe Brauch. Some unknown pilot ran out of LZ and landed in the trees. Hmm... no bodily harm done.

Saturday, July 14
Ridgely. John Muldoon left at 1:10 pm. Got to 5600 over and landed in Fenton. Fred and Raean Permenter, Rich Green and Ric Niehaus all went XC to the beach. Matthew Graham went 5 miles and got a ride back from the landowner. His second flight was longer but to his disappointment only netted 3.7 miles, but 4200 over. Brian Vant-Hull netted a mile XC. Would have been longer, but he had tried to make it back to the park. Also flew: Karen Carra and Geoff Mumford.

Saturday, July 14
Woodstock. 5-15mph, cumies. Greg deWolf got 4000 over and 2:20 mostly hanging out between route 11 and 81. Racing to the North Point and back.

Saturday, July 14
Manquin. Ellis Kim sledded out, but got a nice high truck tow: 1550 feet. Terry Spencer and Tex Forrest flew and eeked out a little airtime.

High Point. Christy Huddle, Adam Arkfield, Doug Wakefield, Dan Tomlinson, Marvin Presley, Jim Rowan, John McAllister all got nice soaring flights and landed in Zirk's LZ or next to Barton's. Jim Rowan got to Augusta for 30 miles.

Cumberland. Dan Tomlinson shared a thermal with an angry looking raptor. Escaped unscathed with 2:15 and 1700 over.

Sunday, July 15
Manquin. Ellis Kim practiced her landings off truck tow. Sleds for most pilots. CHGA exceptions were Greg deWolf and Terry Spencer who managed to stay up for a bit.

High Rock. Early launchers Susan Pierce, Carlos Weill, Steve Padgett, Ed Reno all sledded. Danny Brotto got 1k over. Evening lift turned out nice and Dan Tomlinson climbed to 3400 over at the rock pile and staid up for 45 mins. Bob Gillesse joined Dan and Cragin Shelton and Juergen followed. Cragin got 400 over and 23 mins. Ed reno tried again and found sled city, but made up for the non-eventful flight with an interesting landing.

Ridgely. John Muldoon landed in Denton this time. 3700. Brian Vant-Hull landed 1.5 miles from the airport, re-earning his restricted landing field signoff. Ralph Sickinger had two sleds and a 30 min flight. Rich Green got 12.7 miles and 1:24.

Pulpit. North cross. Most bailed to High Rock. Mark Cavanaugh and Steve Krichten gave it a try when it straightened out a bit and were rewarded with nice XC flights, after some desparate scratchings. Mark Cavanaugh got 1:50 and 6000 MSL and 11 miles. Steve landed a little south of Boonsboro (that's farther, but I don't know how many miles exactly)

Thursday, July 19
Mt. Will, Maine. Marc Fink, after a rugged ride to launch across wilderness (read 'no roads') on an ATV, managed to launch into a puff of a cycle to scratch up to 5000 MSL and be rewarded with breath taking Maine vistas. Did a couple of out-and-returns and landed after eating up all of LZ space with his topless. Decided drogue chutes are nifty things to have in Maine restricted LZs.

Saturday, July 21
Ridgely. Cragin Shelton got one sled and one 30 min to 4500. Fred and Raean Permenter had the only XC of the day fighting hard for 19 miles. Lewis Truitt got a couple of flights. Pilots who had nice long and high flights were: John McAllister, Tom McGowan, Dave Proctor, Mike Chevalier, Doug Rogers, John Muldoon, Danny Brotto, and Geoff Mumford. Also-flews: Joe Gregor, Bruce Satatis, and Adam Elkins.

Manquin. Strong east cross resulting in sleds for Terry Spencer and the locals.

Fisher Road. Left cross. Mark Cavanaugh got a 15 min flight scratching fiercely and landed in the used-ta-be-tertiary.Tried again and got 1:15 scratching on the ridge, never more than 200 over.

Sunday, July 22
Manquin. Terry Spencer hooked a thermal off truck tow climbed to 5200 and had to come down after 92 mins due to biological pressure. Cragin Shelton had two tows and a nice low soaring flight.

Friday, July 27
Bill's Hill. Bruce Engen and Terry Spencer took their sleds like the men they are. David Zuchero also had a nice evening sled finally ending his long string of no-airs. Matthew Graham and Ellis Kim flew their bags for the first time at Bill's. All, including Karen Carra, who whuffoed, engaged in some site maintenance.

Saturday, July 28
Jack's. Straight in, gusty 10-15. Cloudbase 4700. Cragin Shelton flew for 2:12 getting 1250 over. Dan Tomlinson for 1:48 and 2000 over. Danny Brotto also flew, but I have no stats for him. John Muldoon had a nice little XC and landed at a truck stop.

Fisher Road. Dave Proctor - 2k over, landed at Ritchie's Knob. Tom McGowan got 1350 over and landed at Ritchie's Knob. Mark Cavanaugh ended up there, also. Bacil Dickert got an hour and landed in Anna's LZ, coming in hot and getting nervous about the low telephone wire.