www.sahga.com

I'm going to go out on a limb here and predict a stinkin' hot weekend. I suggest we hang out someplace cooler, like at Miller launch (or above).

Early ADDS winds-aloft forecasts have it L&V at 6000 and 9000 Saturday morning, going generally west 5-10 in the afternoon. Theoretical top of lift is stratospheric, but there will be cummies in the area. Dr. Jack's OD potential forecast is iffy, because he's showing the edge of something right around Miller. So that remains to be seen.

Anyway, I'm certainly up for a Miller run if the forecast stays good. Anyone else interested?

John

I am definantly interested! i have yet to tame the beast. haha i have had multiple flights there but still not quite a good long soaring one.

It's not 'the beast', it's the officially named the
Miller Monster

and you'll know if you've grabbed him by the tail (or if he's grabbed you).

He lives right over the top of Miller Peak on hot summer days.

be afraid...
be very afraid...

I'll probably pass on Saturday, having a late night tonight and a strong aversion to dust devils on launch or landing. Hopefully the monsoon will show up and mellow things out in couple of weeks. Morey, have you been able to test fly the new bag wing yet?

It looks good for Miller.

We have a few new pilots and a tandem student, so we're leaving from Eric's house *very* early to get it all done safely.

If anyone wants to fly but doesn't want to leave town at 6 AM our current plans are to huck the low-time pilots off early, pick them up in the LZ around 9:00-9:30 AM and then return to launch for mid-day flying. So you can plan on meeting us there if you'd like.

Post here before crack-o-dawn tomorrow, or I can be reached at my cell 520 444 8105.

John

Haha the miller monster! sounds intimidating! well hopefully i can have a little wrestle with him tomorrow!

I am deffinantly in for tomorrow morning! i will call eric tonight and see if he wants to stop by the monument and snag me in the morning.

Looks good for tomorrow, let`s get going early.
Hit the road at 0600,. pick you up Shane at the monument around 0645.
I would like to get you and Rafael an early flight? Debbie is going an
Whitney ,any one else in??

Eric

Eric and his Tandem student Whitney, Shane Smith and I met up with Rafael Ramirez and his friend Debbie Hodge at the Miller LZ. We piled into Rafael's truck and headed up to launch. It wasn't even 9 AM when we got there but it was already blowing in briskly, with some gusts.

Whitney's lesson was not to be, conditions were already outside of limits for a tandem flight. She took it like a trooper and helped the rest of us get safely launched.

Rafael was ready first and the conditions were still (just) within his limits, so we waited for a nice cycle and he had a great takeoff, finding a thermal over the point and getting maybe 1000' over. He headed out and had a nice landing in the LZ around the time Shane was launching. He also waited for a decent cycle and off he went, getting a few hundred over but then not finding anything consistent enough to stay up in heading for the LZ for about 20 minutes.

I waited about a half hour, and then launched into a decent cycle, but had to scrape hard very close in to stay above launch. The first 45 minutes of my flight were basically scratching. Eric took off at noon or so, and found the same difficult conditions. Finally we both found workable thermals in Carr Canyon, getting up to 12000 or so before overdevelopment (and one uncomfortably close lightning strike) chased us into the valley. I ended up down around Three Canyons road working light lift. Eric was considerably above and west of me. He was going up pretty fast, I was finding it difficult to maintain. Now at that point, I should have turned and run back a mile west and joined him, but I pressed on east instead and ended up on the ground at the crop circles near Palominas road for 1 hour 50 minutes and about 9.5 miles. Shane, Rafael and the gang met me as I landed (thanks, guys!).

Eric was in what was obviously convergence lift, and was flying a line ESE toward Bisbee, slowly at first but as I finished packing my glider he shot ahead. Shane and I headed off to retrieve him while Rafael, Debbie and Whitney said their goodbyes and headed back to Tucson.

Somwhere around Bisbee we got confused about Eric's location, and lost some time waiting while Eric was actually getting ahead of us. When he told us he was passing Cochise College we got on it and drove fast to catch up.

Eric was flying through some <strike>crazy shit</strike> challenging conditions at this point, getting up to 16000+ and encountering some <strike>hail and ice</strike> weather, but was following the line of lift basically east. The OD was becoming general now, but Eric saw blue hole ahead and was headed for it to avoid getting caught in gusty landing conditions.

Eric landed at Douglas Airport about 5-10 minutes before we got there. Unfortunately he found strong, gusty conditions anyway, 30+ mph, under clear blue sky from a storm that was perhaps 15 miles to the east! We got there to find him still in his harness, holding the glider into the wind. We helped him get the glider turned around so he could finally relax. He got over 3.5 hours and a touch over 46 miles. An amazing flight.

Nice day, and perhaps the last real XC opportunity before the monsoon starts in earnest. Thanks again to Debbie and Whitney for the excellent wire crew help, to Rafael for the ride up and to Shane for retreiving me.

John gave a really good acount of the day except for he totaly gyped me 4 minutes of precious air time! haha jk. But it was a fun day i hadn't flown in a few weeks so i was happy to get a good launch and landing in.

Looking forward to seeing the latest helmet cam John!

P.S.
My dad says his wrist is getting better and wife permiting will be flying soon!

Miller Canyon 21 June 2008


Launched Miller around 11:30, with Whitney and Debbie’s help. We launched, Rafael, Shane and John earlier. Left the launch area at 14K flew with John to Palominos. He landed there. Worked the developing edge of a line of Cu`s up from 10K to 16K+. Headed east ward, towards Nacho along the border. Winds were light 6 to 8 mph east. Down to 11K west of Nacho, waited on the development to work back up to 16K. Went south of Bisbee and Bisbee airport, down to 10K. Climbed to 16K+ south east of the Bisbee airport, kind of a wilderness area. Glided into rain valley, past Cochise College at 12K+. Spent some time bucking the east head wind, 16K + ceiling helped. Landed at Douglas airport in a 30+ mph wind with clear sky`s ?
Eric

I only got one worthwhile bit of video this last time out, Rafael's takeoff from the southeast launch.

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