Falcon League

ericbrown · Post by **ericbrown** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 3:09 pm

Cool. It's looking like I'll be able to join the fun. Might not be able to land out since I'm helping set up for the party.

jdevorak · Post by **jdevorak** » Fri Dec 18, 2009 12:20 pm

Comming Saturday(12/19) a League day? If it's blowing down, maybe we can check out overtheback LZs on the way to S?

ericbrown · Post by **ericbrown** » Fri Dec 18, 2009 1:06 pm

All the forecasts are showing blowing down so I was planning on flying Sun instead.

JD · Post by JD » Fri Dec 18, 2009 7:54 pm

jdevorak wrote:Comming Saturday(12/19) a League day? If it's blowing down, maybe we can check out overtheback LZs on the way to S?

Supine Jim and I both got skunked at Ave S today in spite of the nice forecast. The wind was about 3-5 mph too light. I had a long, extended sledder on my T2. Hopefully, it's better Saturday if you plan to go. I have to work this weekend.

Post by **Ken Andrews** » Sat Dec 19, 2009 9:20 am

Jay is right, today should be a Falcon League day. But I might find other ways to spend the day than driving out to Avenue S. I'm sorry to fail you, and hope to see folks in the air at Kagel on Sunday.

ericbrown · Post by **ericbrown** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:07 am

It's been so long I can't remember, is tomorrow a falcon league day or was it last week? Will it even be flyable? Maybe I should've asked that first.

jdevorak · Post by **jdevorak** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 10:38 am

It has been a long time. The next scedualed day is Jan 30 but that schedual is not written in stone. Looks like it will tend north west tomorrow. Any intrest in taking the Leage to Ed Levin for the speed gliding contest on the 30th ?

ericbrown · Post by **ericbrown** » Fri Jan 22, 2010 11:10 am

Yeah it's looking iffy at best. I might take the sure bet and go skiing instead. Ed Levin sounds fun but I can't get away that weekend.

ericbrown · Post by **ericbrown** » Thu Jan 28, 2010 3:37 pm

Saturday looks soarable. We on? What's the plan? Looks like there's some west in the wind, maybe we go east again? Palm Springs?

JD · Post by JD » Thu Jan 28, 2010 4:30 pm

ericbrown wrote:Saturday looks soarable. We on? What's the plan? Looks like there's some west in the wind, maybe we go east again? Palm Springs?

Let's all land in the Dunsmuir Debris Basin at Dukmejien Park. I could use a long flight in a light glider for a change of pace. I also owe Greblo an instructional video to be shot on a Falcon and in a harness that alllows full upright. Good opportunity. The forecast looks very good indeed. Let's launch from the West Bowl, on the road behind the 1500.

Post by **Ken Andrews** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 12:04 am

Yes! After a bunch of disrupted weeks, this Saturday's a Falcon League day. I don't have any idea what our goal should be, but if the weather cooperates, landing at Deukmejian Park sounds like a great plan to me. Figure on 11:00 in the LZ.

greblo · Post by **greblo** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 8:06 am

Last I looked, that debris basin was full of debris. Someone ought to go check it out first.

ericbrown · Post by **ericbrown** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 10:06 am

We could shoot for an earlier start time and go walk it first. Or just meet there before heading to the LZ.

max · Post by **max** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 12:52 pm

I'm looking at the satellite photo everything looks nice and clean I will see you guys in that Lz

jdevorak · Post by **jdevorak** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 3:19 pm

Satalite photos are not updated that frequently. Maybe Ken can stop by and check Dukemagen on his way to Sylmar. I suspect it is full. Anyway, I'll be there before 11. It will be nice to have some competition. I won the last two days. Partly because I'm an exceptional pilot on the best equipment. But mostly because I'm the only one that showed up!

Don · Post by **Don** » Fri Jan 29, 2010 3:46 pm

jdevorak wrote:Partly because I'm an exceptional pilot on the best equipment.

A state of the art Falcon 3 and a Matrix Race harness !

JD · Post by JD » Sat Jan 30, 2010 12:06 am

jdevorak wrote:...............It will be nice to have some competition. I won the last two days. Partly because I'm an exceptional pilot on the best equipment..............

When did Sether take over your SHGA forum account?

JD · Post by JD » Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:14 pm

Thank goodness for Jay! I doubt I'd have made it back from Lukens without him. Lots of teamwork in the air today beginning with 150# visiting pilot Jason Boehm and his Falcon tandem and Mike on his Litespeed. Then Andy P marked the boomer at Trash that got me, then Jason up high enough to head for Little T. From there I was on my own other than keeping a sharp eye on Andy on his Litespeed who was getting higher and farther by the second but I could gauge the air downrange by watching him. Once I got to Big T there was little if anything workable until I spied a column of ravens out in front of Big T and I joined them and that got me high enough at 4700 to cross the Big T Wash. I arrived at Little Lukens at 3300 and it was working and got me to 4400. I worked my way down the spine and eventually got to 5300 and headed for cloud capped Lukens towers where I went from 4900 to cloudbase at 5400 and proceeded East and realized my hands were pretty cloud and I was too fatigued to safely continue to JPL and opted to turn back and see how far I could get. When I'd last seen Jason he was 300 AGL above Dino's plateau and I called in that he'd be landing soon and he got on the radio and corrected me. So I'm over Middle Lukens at 4400 and there's Jason at 4500 off of Little Lukens climbing well. Talk about the low save of the day! Turns out that he'd arrived equally low at Little Lukens too. I got back to 5400 and head for Big T. There was sink everywhere today with few patches of buoyant air. I got back to Big T at 4300 and hit sink to Middle T at 3900 where I joined up with Andy P and Jay D. Andy got up and went home while Jay and I worked back and forth to get up and get back. I finally topped out at 4700 while circling with Vrezh. I got drilled all the way to Little Lances where I arrived with 2700 and prepared to land at Glen Haven. I caught one last thermal which lifted me 300' as Jay came in from behind a few hundred feet higher. Once I hot 3000 I went on final glide through still more sink and got over the LZ wash as Vrezh hooked something from a few hundred over that lifted hin 2000'. I had only enough spare altitude for 2 S turns and then dove it in for a nice, no-step landing and let out a few whoops. I caught the whole flight on video that I'll try to edit in the next week or so.
Flight track and a few video stills here: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/297509

ericbrown · Post by **ericbrown** » Thu Feb 25, 2010 3:47 pm

what do we think about saturday? we getting rained out?

Sylmar Hang Gliding Association

Falcon League

No Falcon League Saturday, December 19

Falcon League, January 30

Best Equipment