Falcon League

Post by **Ken Andrews** » Thu Jun 04, 2009 4:29 pm

Saturday, June 6 is a Falcon League day! The weather forecast says 20% chance of rain, so this might be Mother Nature's hint that we should scout out LZs behind Santiago Estates.

Plan to meet at 11:00 in the LZ. We'll load up gliders, depart for Santiago, and hike around there for a bit. If the clouds break up, we then drive on and fly from Kagel. If the weather is gray and liftless, we still fly from Kagel. By launching in pairs simultaneously from the summit and the paraglider saddle, perhaps we can try formation flying to compare glide ratios.

jdevorak · Post by **jdevorak** » Fri Jun 05, 2009 10:25 am

I will be there. I have hiked that area many times. It is a difficult hike out. I prefer the christmas tree farm which is a short hike to a dirt road. We can discuss pros and cons saturday. I have just recently come to realize that part of the task for the Falcon League was to land out. I have been remiss. I intend to make a stonger attempt to land at the bee hives before the "call to beer" gets the better of me.

Post by **Ken Andrews** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:53 am

Yep, tomorrow, Saturday June 20, is a Falcon League day. I have no particular plan in mind, but it sure would be fun to fly to West Towers and back on a falcon. Plan to meet in the LZ at 11:00 if you're interested.

jdevorak · Post by **jdevorak** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 11:58 am

My harness is in for repairs. If it is done I'll fly. If not I would drive for any League members.

max · Post by **max** » Fri Jun 19, 2009 12:11 pm

J I have a spare harness with no parachute so if you going to fly only hundred feet above ground you don't need a parachute

Post by **Ken Andrews** » Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:24 am

The Falcon League may be a little slow getting started this morning. It will probably pay to wait for the June gloom to clear, Joe Greblo and I may not make it back to Sylmar by the stroke of 11:00, and the days are long anyway. So kick back, have another cup of coffee, read another chapter of your favorite Dennis Pagen book, and we'll get airborne in due time.

JD · Post by JD » Sat Jun 20, 2009 7:36 am

Have fun today, fellow Falconeers. I'll looking forward to the next round.

greblo · Post by **greblo** » Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:25 pm

Falconeers; I kind of like that name.

stebbins · Post by **stebbins** » Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:06 pm

That sounds too much like Falconers, I think, which means something else.

Falconians? Falconites? Falconauts? That last isn't bad.

I do like Falconeers better, though.

And there's always Falconators, but let's not even go there.

ericbrown · Post by **ericbrown** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 10:50 am

Are we falconeering this Saturday? I'm finally going to be able to participate and it looks like it might be a nice day.

dhmartens · Post by **dhmartens** » Wed Jul 01, 2009 12:32 pm

It would be interesting, but maybe not politically savvy, to fly a falcon league from Mt Wilson down to that strip of wash east of Eaton Canyon. Then extract to the east, drive south, and back to Sylmar without ever having touched the airspace or walked or driven on Pasadena city property.

JD · Post by JD » Wed Jul 01, 2009 1:21 pm

dhmartens wrote:..........down to that strip of wash east of Eaton Canyon............

We'll have to land atop one another. I have dibs on last in. You can be bottom.

Let's launch from the 1500 and land there.

jdevorak · Post by **jdevorak** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:45 am

Tomorrow is a Falcon league day. I would like to glide with some others to see if these racy uprights make a difference.

Post by **Ken Andrews** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 9:02 am

Jay is right! After being disrupted by the Utah trip, the Falcon League is back on schedule this Saturday. You know the drill: be in the LZ at 11:00, with a single-surface glider and a sense of adventure. I'm still kinda thinking about West Towers and back...

JD · Post by JD » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:33 pm

Ken Andrews wrote:.......I'm still kinda thinking about West Towers and back...

That'll be a tough challenge. I'm getting my gear ready. Say, can we top land at the 2200 and wait for better cycles if we need to?

max · Post by **max** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 12:51 pm

Jonathan with your XC experience you should have no problems getting there and coming back, beginners like me having trouble to keep up with you guys. Ken put me on the list.

Don · Post by **Don** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:24 pm

Max,

Remember, if you "land out" you will have a reduced chance of stepping on a Doggie Land Mine!

max · Post by **max** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 2:51 pm

Don I'm already afraid to show up all those dog owners going to show up and they're probably going to let the dogs loose on me,I'm going to a higher Irvine also personal security guard

ericbrown · Post by **ericbrown** » Fri Jul 17, 2009 5:49 pm

crud. i can't make it tomorrow. someone get a video of max if he top lands on the 2200. his last one was...uh...entertaining!

have fun

Post by **Ken Andrews** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 8:12 pm

Well done, Falcon League pilots! The lift wasn't great, and the ceiling was about 4100 feet at best. Our goal today, informal as always, was to fly to West Towers and back. While I was busy sinking out at Kagel, Jonathan Dietch and Max Wagner crossed to Towers, and Jay Devorak made a low save over Volcano. At the 1500, it was Jonathan and Max's turn to scratch low, while Jay caught up. Soon after, Max reported by radio that he was at West Towers at 3500 feet. Sure enough, down at the end of the range and very low, there was a speck of a glider. The word in the LZ was, "That's crazy! A Falcon can't get back to the LZ from there!" And that, of course, is exactly the point of the Falcon League. While Max worked his way back east, Jay also tagged West Towers, no higher than Max was, and Jonathan ventured somewhere west of the 1500 as well. All three pilots succcessfully returned to Kagel, and Max had another close encounter with an out-landing in his run to Lances and back.

Count this as proof that at our home site on an ordinary summer day, good pilots on single-surface gliders can accomplish some challenging cross-country flights. Pretty cool.

Sylmar Hang Gliding Association

Falcon League

Falcon League

Falcon League, Saturday June 20

Falcon League, Saturday June 20

Falcon league, Saturday July 18

Re: Falcon league, Saturday July 18

Landing Out & Land Mines

Falcon League report, July 18