Normally I love to fly at Mustang or Box...but it is pretty hot outside. Tomorrow I have an appointment and for the weekend I hope that we are enough people to fly Miller at Saturday or Sunday morning..if not I might go with you on Saturday

I'm interested in going to Miller Saturday or Sunday if you get enough interest.

Wind conditions look light it could be good.


Andy

We will be flyinh Mingus on Sat morning- your welcome to try a new site?

Eric
405-3814

I flew Box yesterday (Thursday, July 30). I was too lazy to hike to the top in the heat, so I waited at the first knoll. The wind was gusty as predicted-- 5 to 20 mph. At sunset, conditions really mellowed out - at bit too mellow- and I launched. I was unable to get any decent lift. Even though it was a fairly short ride, any flight at Box is fun.
I was hoping to fly Mustang today, tomorrow, or Sunday, but the weather looks unfavorable. My skill levels (even after some practice kiting) are not what I need to be comfortable at Miller for anything except an early morning sled ride. For the time being, I will stick to Box, Mustang, and maybe a trip to the craters at Flagstaff.

Lew,

I think we have a SAHGA pilot going to the craters this weekend thru Monday mid day.
Call me I`ll hook you up!
SAHGA Flight Director
405-3813
Eric

I could be interested in a early morning flight at Miller or maybe BlackJack Canyon(long drive to outside Safford but very little hiking-basically a drive up). if we have a light SW.

Eric,
The telephone number you gave on your message seems to be wrong. I won't be going to the craters this weekend.

Guido,
I know it is hot out, and there is a 20 % chance of a thunderstorm, and Box is a tough climb, but I could get talked into climbing to the top if you are interested. Being an old man, it takes me a long time to get to the top, so if you are interested call me before noon. My telephone number is 749-1296.

Sorry, but I do not feel strong enough for that hike (still suffering from a cold). When I look on current wind conditions it looks that winds are even stronger than yesterday. I will drive up to Phoenix for shopping and look further. If we are not enough to fly to Miller tomorrow, I might going to the craters too since also a bunch of AHGA people are going to fly there.
regards Guido
Phone No. 520 461 3520

How about a Mingus report?


AM

I got one:

I arrived pretty late at the craters (around 18.00 p.m.) and the next minute I was sitting on the platform of a Dodge RAM to drive up. The people I met were awesome!..... That evening I could make 2 flights...basically extended sledrides, but the glassoff was wonderful.
I also met Jorge from Columbia who convinced me to check Miller sunday morning. So I drove to Mingus and arrived late (after 10.00 p.m). I bought a six-pack of beer to introduce myself at the campfire but unfortunately all pilots already went to sleep (...).
Sunday morning things developed slowly: There was almost no wind at the launch and the flags showed opposite directions most of the time...Most of the PG pilots needed several attempts to launch. I waited till 11.00 am and got a nice cycle to launch. I felt a little uneasy because others warned me that it can get pretty rowdy at noon. But all went fine and I could climb to 11400 ft, then it became pretty bumpy. So I bailed out, enjoyed the view, flew some maneuvers (spirals, little wingovers...) and landed before 12.00. All in all a great weekend. Will do it again with Birgit at one of the next weekends....

Guido

Glad you got a good one, Guido!

Saturday was a good day at Mingus. Eric and I got there around 10:30 AM to find a lot of gliders already set up. We said hi to Allen Housel and Preston Wood, got briefings about landing at Cottonwood Airport, then unloaded and found spots between the trees.

Eric helped Preston Wood (and others) get launched. Preston has flown Mingus once before, but today he got off and quickly started going up. He had a great flight, getting to maybe 10,000 or so (launch is at 7800) and eventually flying out to the 10th Avenue LZ. I don't know exactly how long he was in the air, maybe an hour? Nice flight.

I was among the last group to launch, going at around noon. I took off in moderately brisk conditions, headed to the point, and after a bit of messing around hooked a decent thermal up to around 11000. There were a couple of gliders working their way back over the back, so I followed. There was lift everywhere by then. I bailed out of a big thermal at 14300 because it was getting too cold for my long-sleeved t-shirt. The high cumulous clouds were drifting slowly out of the south, maybe 5-8.

Once over the back I lost my visual on the other gliders, so I headed west along 89A. Eric had decided not to fly and was following in the truck. Another HG joined up with me out in the valley and we drifted northwest about 5 miles, but because Eric and I had stuff to do in the afternoon, and I had no idea what was in front of me in that direction, I broke off and headed back southwest toward the fairgrounds, passing over the gliderport about a mile north of there. I eventually landed a bit west of the intersection of 89A and Fain road, having been warned by Eric that I was entering the class D airspace around Love Field (Prescott Airport).

I landed on an old road cut on little hill top just as Eric was driving up. Unfortunately, I misjudged the wind on the ground and got caught landing downwind in a east cycle. The resulting whack didn't damage the glider but I got a couple of little boo-boos in the rocks. Still, a fair trade for a nice flight and my first over-the-back at Mingus. 15 miles XC, 1 hour 20 minutes.

I don't know where everyone else ended up. I saw at least two HGs headed northwest toward Chino Valley. I heard that someone got 49 miles, but I don't know who that was.

Thanks for retreiving me, Eric, and helping me pack up. Sorry you didn't get to fly.