Sylmar Hang Gliding Association

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0Y8NTDWc9g[/youtube]
A nice Jimmy Hendrix song too. I found the clip in my archive dated June 2002. Watermarked with flyaboveall.com at the end

D,

If not that day, I remember a few like it. I was amazed on how many Paraglider pilots showed up from Santa Barbara. One occasion I was flying my HPAT, using the paragliders as a slalom course as they slumbered along the ridge.

Like the video, every weekend the crowds were big. For my first couple of years I would fly everyday the weather allowed. Many times in the evenings, I would fly my Dream, along with tomS on his falcon or Russ on either his TRX or Predator. Many of the new pilots may have never seen Russ on a hang glider, but there was a time where he almost always flew hang gliders (In the video, Russ is the guy coming in on his predator, while in the background, a blue Paraglider lands in the wash). If he wasn’t flying them, he was doing needlework on them.

In those days, the wash was different then it is now. If you remember, we had to stop on the bottom where the ramp is, get out of our gliders and look for incoming hang fours before scurrying across to the trees. Many pilots would be scattered in groups from the old gazebo to the tree we have named, “ The Barrio�, yelling some form of encouragement to some poor soul who failed to look..."RUN!"

After they had a few beers, it sounded a little less loving…�Get the F*%# out of the way, Move Moron, F*%#ing run A#%hole…hurry.

Those at the safety meetings were yelling; Puff, Puff, Cough…Choke, “Hey man, don’t be thoe hard on them…they’re moving.� Puff, Puff, Cough…choke.

Good memories back then.

Does anyone remember what year was Brown Sunday?

I think Seabass might know, but it was like a scene from the Wizard of Oz.

I thought a few pilots might die that day.

I haven't seen anything like it since.

For me it was awesome, because I was a newbie on one of my early solos and I got to 11K on a Falcon. I was literally blown away. Hungry Joe in the LZ warned everyone to land somewhere else, but I didn't hear it, and I wouldn't likely have pulled that off anyway. Coming in, the wind was switching violently with virga over the ridge and many pilots landing simultaneously in opposite directions. I chose going north, as it was less crowded and the wind was that way the last time I looked. I came straight down in the south wash like a helicopter from about 100 ft. The whole time facing other pilots who were just swirling around the LZ. All I broke was my flight instrument, which hit a rock. The buoyancy was epic and we were scattered like the Jews. A lucky day for all.

I came across my old logbook today and found Brown Sunday in there: September 30th, 2001. I was a Hang -2 with 15 hours of flight time. Entry says: Max. alt = 10,722. flight time: 3 hr, 11 min. - Convergence - Gust front ends day".

My best flight prior to that were 53 minutes and max alt 4700ft, so this was my first big day flying. Lil' baby bird got all caught up in a storm.

I'm still just a baby bird, but I have started to shave......my back.