Prez-Sez

Joe Brauch

·  A slow month for me! Very challenging conditions seem to prevail. Extremely light ridge lift at Woodstock requires a very strong run to get the most out of a flight. A light day at the pulpit requires smooth coordinated turns with persistence to stick with that "no-lift" thermal 'til it supports you better a little higher on the ridge.
·  These are the days to hone your skills. When you have light winds on launch you have to run hard to get your airspeed, remember... you should run that hard in any condition. That hard run with a smooth take off might gain you that extra 20 feet to keep you in the little lift band at the top of the ridge. It can mean the difference between a sled and a very fun day trying to stay up in light lift. Also do not forget on these really hot days that the air is a little thinner, which increases your stall speed just a bit. Keep that speed up on landing.
·  When flying in light lift you are testing your senses and your abilities to fly smooth. Very light thermals need to be finessed into giving up their lift. Sharp turns or high siding to correct too steep an angle will not be forgiven. You will just get dropped like a 200lb sack of Dacron. Feeling the lift seems to work better than waiting for that vario to tell you that you are going up. My last flight at the Pulpit really improved my skills in these light conditions. So go ahead, try that light winder! I am glad that we have these "older" (I mean wiser) pilots to push us snot-nosed "younger" pilots off in marginal conditions. It really helped me; I recommend it fully.
·  Finally, I would like to congratulate the new 2's and welcome them to the mountains. It is really neat seeing these new pilots develop their skills. Keep bugging those observers, they love it!
·  Run hard and thermal slowly!