SCPA & SBSA Discussion Board

The day was clear, but warm up high. The lapse rate was so so, but pilots reported good climb rates. The lapse rated seemed better up high. Not much wind along the coast range. Perhaps a little east early, but light west pushed through in the afternoon. It blew Santa Anna down the Santa Clara River.

The Eagle Bus did a pickup at East Beach before heading up hill to EJ's with 19 soles on board (room for one more?) from Parma a little past 10 am. Several other vehicles were already at launch when we arrived, so the initial batch was about 25 PG pilots. Another car load of PG pilots (Chris Heckman and company) arrived at EJ's after the first crew was off, so there were close to 30 PG launches from EJs. There were a number of visiting pilots from San Francisco and Europe (Switzerland).

Everyone got off ok, but the early cycles were light from the east. Midway through the launch queue it clocked around to come straight in with a little more gusto, maybe 5 to 8 or 9. Aaron did the early (11 am) light cycle cross from the east honors followed by Chad. The first gaggle got up good at launch then higher over La Cumbre Peak before rounding the VOR turn-point. Aaron turned at Divide Peak on his eastbound leg and got back to Summerland on an upwind glide. Neal and Tim Barker went to Ojai with Tim having a plumbing issue that took him out of the mountains with good altitude to land at Nordhoff High School in light wind from the south. Neal ran into a headwind from the east before fizzling at Thatcher School about 2 PM.

Numerous other pilots went east to about the Power Line Crossing, but opted to fly out rather than reaching for bigger altitude eastbound over the higher peaks through Casitas Pass. The lead gaggle got into the mid to upper 6s over Divide Peak. I think at least a few pilots had their personal longest flights eastbound.

Aaron collected the Eagle Van from Elings in the morning and took Uber back to his car from Summerland. Eagle Chase collected the Ojai pilots, and Chris Ballmer's Dad Bruce was picking up pilots in Carpinteria. Edward Skow was on chase in Max Hogan's truck running down HG pilots

Saturday was similar, but launchable from EJ's earlier with pilots reporting the mid 6s.

One PG pilot deployed in front of EJs from marginal altitude. Fast Eddie is still looking for Willy (competent and highly experienced HG pilot / instructor) who is unaccounted for as of 4 PM.

Hopefully we will hear from Willy soon and anyone else willing to share a recollection of their day.

Sunday evening update: I heard from Aaron that Willy landed by his vehicle at East Beach about 4:30, which explains way he was still unaccounted for at 4 PM (he was still airborne).

I haven't really been flying enough to compare lots of days, but if I could pretend, I would say today was one of those super easy, warm, buttery smooth fun-shakes of flying goodness...with two free supplements: i'll have... flying with friends and basically no wind all day. Yummmmm....



Had my PB from Skyport to Carpinteria, landing at Cate school (not on purpose of course) after bailing at what the Trigger GE map calls Noon Peak... but i'm not sure i gotta look it up.



2 hr flight, 15 straight line miles, height was 4800


I learned (or at least observed):

- the first lifting/movement of the day can be the best. we watched aaron/chad/bob p. and neil or timmay? all spec (and i do mean speck ) out in the first mondo thermal of the day right off EJ peak, then drifting to LaCumbre. Be ready to launch, unless you want to help others off, so that if those first critical minutes look too good to pass up... you aren't caught with your pants down.

-we help eachother on launch. We are hooked up into these harnesses with lines no on should ever step on... so if you haven't or don't plan on hooking up, and no one else already is... go and lend a hand, it makes it easier for the launcher, and quicker for the rest of the waiting line...

- was my radio squelch all jacked up? all day on the radio all i heard was continuous screeching. i don't think my volume was too high... maybe i need to read the manual.

- being a local is starting to pay off. I didn't want to fight traffic after launching at EJ, so went straight to LaCumbre, since the day was obviously lifing large, went to the saddle and promptly climbed out to altitude. After a few times, I've learned that the saddle is a hot spot and usually produces, getting confident about it, and then also cathedral and the tit are there always as backup.

- starting to get a pattern is helping... it's kinda getting into my brain. I've been known to wander, and still do, even on this trip I took a couple chances on some places I though might be producing, weren't, and set me back mainly some time. But, the patterns work... stay over trigger/peaks and spines and you'll be richly rewarded. AND bonus is you can also score on some random thermals breaking off in valleys sometimes to boot, but just in transitions.

-Patience pays big dividends. Ok so maybe I'm a little ADD, but it's hard to sit and turn in a thermal for so long sometimes...i want to move downrange, find something new, explore the space... problem is we are bound to gravity and our American diets, and need as much fat air as our fat bodies require to stay up... (ok so that is not technically accurate of course and wing loading is something totally controllable if we really want)...

A couple of my local thermal incidents which stood out to me... as follows:


A lot of the good thermal goodness was due to the well formed, no-cross-breeze, decent lapse rate conditions, but a lot of my observations were that my new wing (Katenga XC by UP) is much more efficient in turning and especially climbing. I get lots more height in a climb tit for tat compared with the Buzz, and that I know because I've flown the Buzz for well over a year...plus... Lighter wing loading. Thinner airfoil. Plus mayayyyybe I'm learning something about finding and staying in thermals... maybe.

Also notice that this thermal was past Castle Ridge Road cut where the 'usual trigger is'... and it was in a random looking spot (to me at least, i'm sure the locals know better)... again... lift is where you find it as the saying goes. If you're going up, turn. So I did, and who cares if it's not a peak... I got hundreds of feet higher... awesome.

Now, for the end part of the flight... the Powerline Ridge.

It was a little intimidating, I admit to get this far. Where am I? Who am I? What am I? This is where I kind of started to worry, freak out, or whatever. Not because the wind picked up, or thermals lost strength, or i was getting lower...but mainly just the mental game was starting to be over... I was spent...

plus, I was acting like an XC pilot for awhile, but now, I realized I'm not one. I'm a schlep. A putz. A faker. A wannabe. Of course not entirely all true, but in my mind I was convinced that I am too new of a pilot, too inexperienced, to go any farther... the throat of the dragon, tiger country was roaring below and wanting to eat me for dinner

so basically ... over the powerlines... and when the next thermal didn't just come easy...I used that as my excuse to exit stage left...



Yeah, I know, it's no more 'dangerous' flying...in fact it's even higher, and fatter... guys were already passed off to Ojai, and at 6k and higher... and i had chase to make it even easier...

But this is a mental game if it's a game at all... and I was ready to cash out my chips, get my money and go home ahead of the house... don't like that analagy... more like, glad to have had the opportunity to dance with mother nature and bow out gracefully this time.

Clean launch, clean landing, good day.

How were other dudes/and dudettes flights today. I saw the usual deltas up and higher than anyone, amazing to watch hang gliders, very impressive... for now i'm still good with being a hungry hippo.

Peace.

wow!! thats a proud send ballmer! awesome flight amigo!

your radio may be too close to your vario causing squelch like sounds/issues

Great day with tons of people in the air. Chased Aaron and Chad UP to 6K over La Cumbre before following Aaron west to the standard westbound turn point of VOR. Aaron took the low route back spooning the hill right into La Cumbre. At thermal factory we had Timmay with us for an eastbound run for whiteledge and beyond. Tim and Aaron always seem to leave the thermals sooner than I do. I can't help but topping up a little more. If its 500 up I stick with it until it slows down. Thinking this will put me in a better position. Trying to fly fast on transition I always think I will overtake them or at least catch up, but somehow we end up together, which is really the plan anyway, flying as a group. Got a stellar climb off Montecito to 4700+, but still chasing those guys to Castle before reconnecting, me on the high road and them working the low route. Fun flying as a group down to power lines. Playing with the convergence of the west push quite a bit at this point, it was a little rock and roll at times. Aaron dove deeper east and so we pushed on and got a great climb at divide to 6600. At this point Aaron peeled off fopr a return al the way to summer land. Timmay and I continued east into a 5 to 6 mph headwind from the east southeast. But with that altitude it was no worries rounding whiteledge. Timmay landed Nordhoff with plumbing issuees. SD drove retrieve and picked him up there. I continued on to the Nordhoff massif and was able to make progress without turning circles too much. East southeast at this point but not too strong. Ended up getting a little low pushing into the wind at the Thatcher school and put it down in a nice green soccer field. SD and Laura with Timmay were there just as I finished packing up. What a day! Super fun flying with friends. Much thanks to SD and Laura for driving crew!

gracecab wrote:... Had my PB from Skyport... to Cate after bailing at what the Trigger GE map calls Noon Peak... but i'm not sure i gotta look it up...

Chris, congrats on your PB. I review of your image confirms you bailed from Noon Peak. I did a markup of your image to clarify some of the names.

gracecab wrote:... was my radio squelch all jacked up? all day on the radio all i heard was continuous screeching....

Aaron wrote: ...your radio may be too close to your vario causing squelch like sounds/issues

Chris, I concur with Aaron. I had a similar problem when I started flying with a Flytec 6020. My speaker mike was picking up noise from the Flytec so I had to stop using the speaker mike and move the vario away from the radio. No such problem the Flytec 4005, but the 4005 is a simpler instrument with no GPS like the 6020.

flychild wrote:Great day with tons of people in the air.

Nice photos Neal. Thanks for sharing the view.

After reading the past post about getting through the Casitas Pass, that part about Noon Peak... being patient and that it pulses, sometimes have to wait a looonnnngggg time... that is where I bailed and I was so close... it was keeping 0s on the ridge there...but not knowing what to expect, and what if I started to sink down the side of the abyss.... all the What Ifs bit my ass... So, next time i'll leave there with 4500 or more promise.