I'll volunteer to drive down the mountain saturday John if there is any interest in Miller.

Thanks Whitney!
We have a driver, folks. Anyone available to fly?

I have planned to meet in the LZ by 9 on Sat morning, my Hg II students and I. Jared,Davis,Clay and Orrin and John L. your welcome to join us.


Eric

Excellent. I will see you in the LZ with as many baggers as I can scare up.

I plan on being there, and last I heard, Eric was planning on taking some students for their first Miller flights tomorrow.

The current ADDS forecast has 6000' and 9000' east-to-northeast winds 5-10 kts pretty much all day (earlier forecasts had it southeast and a little stronger). Dr Jack forcasts light stuff: 300-400 fpm lift, 7000-8000 top of lift, 6000-7000 for the -3 and winds in the low end of 5-10 kts, generally east.

John

Seriously inverted. Cap may be below launch level.
ADDS showing light east. Bak40 model saying 23kts. (Huh?)

I'll be there. Haven't decided which wing yet.


10pm update: Last month when 15-20kt winds were predicted, we barely had enough breeze to get off launch. Right now, it's hard to tell, as Launch may be above the inversion, where the winds are lighter. Below the inversion, they prediction is for the breeze to be squeezed and pretty strong. Over 20kts at launch.

I have little confidence in these predictions.

I'm happy to collect folks at Houghton and I-10 at 8:00. Please post, e-mail, or call me if you want me to stop there.

Whitney, do you have a ride to the LZ? If not, let me know where to collect you.

Thanks John I have a ride and I just roasted some pumpkin seeds so we will all have to toast tomorrow.

Saturday morning we ( Jared, Davis, Whitney, Clay and I), meet in the LZ around 0900, conditions were southery and breezy.
Orrin, Taylor, John L., Morey, Rafael, Debbie and John Wolf, arrived shortly there after.
We drove up to launch to find south winds of 12 to 15. Orrin set up to fly while the rest of us watched. I did not feel that south winds would be very pleasant to fly in. Orrin launched to find little or no lift and was on the ground in 10 minutes or less. It was still early and we waited to see if the direction would come around to a more favorable one. John L. drove down to pick up Orrin.
Several hours latter conditions improved- it was predicted SE all day, the sun was lighting up the south faces and the winds dropped off and turned in on launch.
Morey set up an flew, it looked good! Rafael was off next - he soared off the point for several passes then headed out.
I set up- the students set up my other three Falcons, an launched - soared off the point ( I could see John W. trimming bushes on the east launch- at a boy John W!) until John L. launched Jared Flurry - my Hg I student/C12 Army pilot! He joined me on the point- it was sweet flying with him! Davis launched next an made a couple of soaring passes out in front. Mean while Jared was on approach to the LZ and Morey guided his progress from the LZ by radio and he made a nice landing there! Davis landed behind me and again had a little assistance from morey. Davis had a great no stepper right on target! Clay was off next and he worked some lift over the spine- got a little north . He came in to land a little unorthodoxed it turned out well!

Soaren Orrin was last to land staying aloft a little longer than anyone else- some things never change!
My old friend Mike Wolford shot some video of the guys landing so hope to include a link to that soon.
Many thanks to a great ground crew/ drivers- Whitney- Debbie- John our new SAHGA/USHPA observer ( my launch director)- Morey my ground controler-!
Thanks for making the new guys feel at home!

Eric

Video of the landings shot by Mike Wolford in the LZ. Thanks, Mike!

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It was a crazy day for me. The first launch was the worst launch I have ever had at miller. It was crossing a little from the right. It picked the right wing up. I should have started correcting on my run pulling on the right down tube and running to the right. I let it push me to the left. Once in the air I pulled in and shifted my weight to the right. I had both hands on the right down tube anxiously waiting for my glider to start its turn to the right which it did. No lift in front of launch. I worked some lift over the spine heading out to the LZ. I ended up with 15 min. a slightly extended sled ride. Thanks to John I got a second chance to try again. The launch was good. I spent the whole flight below launch level. I managed to get 40 min. It was a great flight with a crappy landing. I had no speed coming through the gradient. I had the worst launch of the day, the longest flight of the day, and the best WHACK of the day.

Orrin