Falcon League

surfinseth · Post by **surfinseth** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 8:42 am

are you going to do any flying?? I have contacts for Maui & Oahu

just let me know

best,

Seth

Post by **Ken Andrews** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 4:30 pm

This Saturday is scheduled to be a Falcon League day, and I'm pleading for suggestions. The forecast says 20% chance of rain, and probably launchable but with some chance that the wind stays north all day. If anyone has a suggestion for adventure, I'll try to help make it happen. If anyone else would care to launch the 2200 (and cloudbase is high enough), I'm interested in that too, but I won't drag anyone there against his will. At a minimum, I'll fly a Falcon from Kagel and would welcome company. Please offer better suggestions. Thanks.

surfinseth · Post by **surfinseth** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 4:43 pm

could we launch Big T?? if the wind from the south we could possibly soar the face & plan on landing in the big T wash....???

whichever I am down to do a falcon flight!!

ericbrown · Post by **ericbrown** » Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:14 pm

Im in for Saturday. I say we watch the wind and if it's light enough I'd be up for trying the 2200.

JT · Post by JT » Thu Apr 23, 2009 5:16 pm

FYI
I think Seth means Lukens. If not, you should know that BudRob, Mike Hayden and I rode up to the top of Big T two years ago to find we couldn't identify the old launch for all the growth. There is no open access for a work crew to drive up for clearing. There may be a potential launch from a ridge behind the face of the mountain but it would be for topless L/Ds only. At one time, the Forest Service Liaison group was speaking to the USFS about opening the road to Big T. That got Lukens and Towers on to a permit but I think Big T was forgotten; Lukens was close enough. Larry Chamblee or Greblo may know more. If it could be opened and cleaned up, Big T would be a great place for the pilots that are concerned with the long glide from Lukens to the wash. Those who frequent it from Kagel know the area as a prodigious thermal producer.

stebbins · Post by **stebbins** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:38 am

JT wrote:....At one time, the Forest Service Liaison group was speaking to the USFS about opening the road to Big T. That got Lukens and Towers on to a permit but I think Big T was forgotten; Lukens was close enough. Larry Chamblee or Greblo may know more. If it could be opened and cleaned up, Big T would be a great place for the pilots that are concerned with the long glide from Lukens to the wash....

I was in that meeting with the USFS. (Actually, several of them.) My recollection is that the issue is the cost of fixing the road. The USFS has a limited budget for road maintenence (even less now) and that road is way way down the list. It was so far down the list that they basically said "It isn't going to happen this decade, if ever." If someone has an idea how to get the road fixed, then I am pretty sure the USFS would be fine with us flying there. Anyone have some spare cash sitting around we could use for a targeted donation?

On the other hand, they do reevaluate from time to time, and reprioritize the list. While the odds are very low that the Big-T road (or roads) would move up the list very far, it is worth asking every couple of years.

But for now, I think Lukens is the best we can do.

stebbins · Post by **stebbins** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 6:41 am

Ken Andrews wrote:This Saturday is scheduled to be a Falcon League day, and I'm pleading for suggestions. The forecast says 20% chance of rain, and probably launchable but with some chance that the wind stays north all day. If anyone has a suggestion for adventure, I'll try to help make it happen. If anyone else would care to launch the 2200 (and cloudbase is high enough), I'm interested in that too, but I won't drag anyone there against his will. At a minimum, I'll fly a Falcon from Kagel and would welcome company. Please offer better suggestions. Thanks.

Marshall? Last night the forecast showed it W or NW at Kagel, but only WSW at Marshall. And Marshall does take a West better.... The altitudes looked good too, although a bit windy. Of course, I haven't checked the updated forecast, so ....

JD · Post by JD » Fri Apr 24, 2009 7:51 am

Lukens, West past the 5 by Falcon, Saturday?

usairnet.com just updated and is calling for S/SE winds of 11Kts at Van Nuys on Saturday. Partly cloudy w/ 3000-6500 base. Why don't we all try to launch Lukens and fly past the 5 Fwy and see if any of us can bench up on the Santa Susana range? As long as everyone's radio is working and we have a driver. I now own 2 spare radios just to be sure.

Jonathan

surfinseth · Post by **surfinseth** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 8:03 am

I was thinking big t. I have just always looked at it thinking that we could launch of almost any south facing edge.

is the south east wind the direction that helps things converge off Lukens?

what is the asl/msl of the launch at Lukens?

I'm thinking Lukens will be under cloud cover. we have a better chance at the 2200

Word,

Sether

JD · Post by JD » Fri Apr 24, 2009 8:37 am

Lukens is about 5,000' MSL. In a S/SE wind I launch and then hook a left to get into the bowl, East of the antennas which can be a powerful thermal trigger. The 2200 looks launchable Saturday but may be at the downwind end of things unless we try to make the big jump to Oat Mtn, 10 miles away. Lukens to Oat would be 21 miles and a tremendous challenge based on the current forecasts.

surfinseth · Post by **surfinseth** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 8:42 am

we could plan on landing at olive view. launch the 2200 and fly to west towers if possible & back to kagel, or land at olive view???

JD · Post by JD » Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:24 am

surfinseth wrote:we could plan on landing at olive view. launch the 2200 and fly to west towers if possible & back to kagel, or land at olive view???

We'll have to call it in the morning after the forecast updates. Let's keep our options open. I'm now praying that I get over this virus in time to fly.

surfinseth · Post by **surfinseth** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:27 am

does herpes clear up that qiuck???

Post by **Ken Andrews** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 9:41 am

Based on the replies, here's a plan. We'll meet in the Sylmar LZ at 11:00, load gliders and gear, and look at cloudbase. If Mount Lukens is feasible and the wind isn't too much against us, we'll launch there and fly west as far as possible. Getting home to Sylmar will likely be an achievement on Saturday, but as always, I admire those who plan for even more than that. If Mount Lukens doesn't look launchable, then backup plans include, in approximate order: launching the 2200, launching the 1500, launching Kagel, giving up and going to lunch, or hiding under an umbrella in the LZ and drinking beer.

Here are a few miscellaneous facts. The USGS quads declare the summit of Mount Lukens to be at 5074 feet. So far as I know, there's no vehicle access or realistic launch site at Big T. Based on that understanding, the board has not pursued a permit to launch there. Past West Towers and just across the 5 and 14 freeways, the Sunshine Canyon Landfill is a good LZ. It's a decently big, open, flat dirt area, elevated considerably above the highways. Retrieve requires climbing a fence, and hoping your driver finds the Balboa Blvd. freeway exit from either the southbound 5 or southbound 14 amongst the tangle of the interchange.

surfinseth · Post by **surfinseth** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:01 am

I have always seen that spot and wondered..... is it landable? Ken, you have landed there before right?

sometime we should think about doing some coastal soaring with the falcon league. we could even go up to Marina!

another suggestion would be to try to fly at Cyucas (SP?) north of Morrow bay, Big Sur, even Funston !

Sether

ericbrown · Post by **ericbrown** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:19 am

XCskies is showing (probably unrealistically) high tops of usable lift on both the GFS and NAM for Saturday. It's also showing a lot of west in the wind. Probably will make more sense to launch from the west and go east with the tail wind.

surfinseth · Post by **surfinseth** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 10:25 am

lets try the 1500 or 2200 back to Kagel...

I have always wanted to launch one of these spots because of all of the history.

we should all go fly Delta hill in Palmdale too !!!

Word,

Seth

JD · Post by JD » Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:38 am

ericbrown wrote:XCskies is showing (probably unrealistically) high tops of usable lift on both the GFS and NAM for Saturday. It's also showing a lot of west in the wind. Probably will make more sense to launch from the west and go east with the tail wind.

XS-Skies blows for SoCal. The latest update for Van Nuys Airport is now S/SE at 11Kts and 6500 to 12K could base. They show Burbank with S/SW at 11kts and 3.5-6K base. That all suggests Lukens to God-knows-where to the West.

No more kisses from you, Seth!

surfinseth · Post by **surfinseth** » Fri Apr 24, 2009 11:47 am

who knows... it might be a great cloud day, and we may all make it back to kagel !!

time to get stoked !!! it's on !!

ohhh did I send too make smileys??

word,

Sether

are you guys mad about my signature? just keeping it interesting / real !!!

JD · Post by JD » Fri Apr 24, 2009 2:11 pm

surfinseth wrote:............are you guys mad about my signature? just keeping it interesting / real !!!

If I simply read your signature aloud it sounds just like this: "Surfin Sether, Yes I am a better pilot than you!" Since I haven't flown with you enough times to know one way or the other, I'm not sure that I'd tell you something like that. It's bad enough that you put me on Acyclovir but please, don't put me on a pedestal too.

just keeping it interesting / real !!!

If you really want to clown around then, http://www.hanggliding.org may be the right place for you. I'm sure you'll get along great with the McClure gang.

Sylmar Hang Gliding Association

Falcon League

Hawaii??

Falcon League, Saturday April 25

falcon league

Re: Falcon League, Saturday April 25

big t

2200 to olive view

Re: 2200 to olive view

falcon league

Falcon League, April 25

landing at Sunshine

good call E

Lukens

Re: Lukens