First flight to West Towers

OP · Post by OP » Sat Feb 12, 2011 6:25 pm

Saturday, February 12th. 1 hour 8 minute flight.

1. First thermal in the Kagel bowl. 3200 to 4400. Leave going East.
2. A few turns over trash. 4200 to 4600. Leave going East.
3. A blip over lances. Getting low, don't imagine making home LZ on glide. Return towards trash.
4. Reach the SE side of trash @ 3000. Climb with Hungary Joe to 5500. Leave going West.
5. Reach Towers at 4300 climb to 5300. Leave reaching West Towers and turning back.
6. Black arrow shows where I unzip and go upright for Hospital LZ when I notice a LAPD squad car sitting on the hillside above the LZ watching everything. The top of the hospital building appeared to be equal to me down at 2000MSL, 450AGL when a confident thermal full of swifts pulls me upwards. NME joins the thermal. Leave back towards the hillside for higher ground @ 3400.
7. Back on the hill side NME and I climb in a small core to 3600. Leave towards the East.

Aiming to make to just make the dam, the buoyant glide got me safely back to home.

JD · Post by JD » Sun Feb 13, 2011 12:48 am

OP was doing an awesome job thermalling and I caught a couple of nice images while waxing his tail.

BudRob · Post by **BudRob** » Mon Feb 14, 2011 8:05 am

Orian,

Next time you fly to the "West Towers", fly directly to the ridge out in front of it, the place where your track log shows you making one or two 360's. THAT is where we fly to when we say we got to the west towers, not the actual towers. As you found out, there is almost never any lift over the towers themselves. Had you flown there initially on this flight, you may not have found yourself having to make that great save.

Rob

stebbins · Post by **stebbins** » Thu Feb 17, 2011 10:24 am

Also, if it is windy (especially in a SS glider), you can get stuck back there.

JD · Post by JD » Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:27 pm

stebbins wrote:Also, if it is windy (especially in a SS glider), you can get stuck back there.

George, Orian is flying a Sport 2 155 now and it performs very well. Also, Orian's thermalling skills are very good.

He knows that he needs to walk all the local bailouts and methinks that it's time to organize some group, bailout walks like we did when Ken started the Falcon League.

Cheers, Jonathan

OP · Post by OP » Thu Feb 17, 2011 9:41 pm

Thanks guys for the advice.

Rob: Now that I know, that ridge in front of W. Towers sure is more inviting that the venturi troubled peek above the 14 interchange. I'll stay out there.

Stebbins: I knew I was in confident glide to the hospital LZ which I have walked before. But you are right, going that far back sure kills the glide fighting the canyon venturi.

NME: I wish Tom was still here. We could walk and weed-wack some of the LZs that surround Sylmar. Any day that is not flyable, I'm down to walk the LZs and improve their condition.

stebbins · Post by **stebbins** » Thu Feb 24, 2011 1:27 pm

Cool.

I just remember a long-time pilot flying a Falcon back there and ending up getting stuck. And he didn't even have the excuse of being a newbie...

Didn't know you had a Sport 2.

I remember I was back there once long ago (in an Aeros topless, I think). It was surprisingly difficult to get out. Other times it was no issue. That darned venturi...

Glad you had a great flight.