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Meeting Minutes, News, & Articles

SDHGPA May 2015 Meeting

5/18/2015

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SDHGPA Mixer & Meeting May  21st 2015 

6:30 BBQ & BYOB Mixer ($5)
7:30 Gen Meeting & Clinic Topics:

Where:  127 S. Rios Ave, Solana Beach CA 92075 
(Greg's SDHGPA Club House down side driveway)
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On Glide from Vulcan VOR to Warner Springs and beyond to Lake Hemet this past weekend at Laguna Photo: Russ Detwiler

Reminder: SDHGPA meetings will be on the Third Thursday of the month for the rest of 2015 unless otherwise posted on the SDHGPA Calendar (http://www.sdhgpa.com/sdhgpa-calendar.html)

Gen Meeting & Clinic Topics:

1.       Site Report
Palomar:  Outhouse & Work Party Update

There is now an SDHGPA provided and maintained outhouse in the Main Palomar LZ. Please look after this as if it is your own and let us know if there are ever any issues with it.

A big thank you is extended to Bob Barry, Dave Whitehall, Bill Helliwell, Charlie Jancic, and Robin Sutton-Brown for heading out Mid Week and doing Site Maintenance in preparation for our SDHGPA Spring Fly-in. Also a big thank you is extended to Peter Hill for the use of his lawn mower.

Bob Headed out on Wed and mowed the Main LZ BBQ & tear-down areas. Dave Whitehall also went out on Wed to mow the Bail-out LZ. It took Dave 3 hours and two near death experiences to himself and the mower. The Bail-out is now in great shape!

Charlie Jancic, Robin Sutton-Brown, and Bill Helliwell headed out on Friday to take care on the Main Launch. Charlie & Robin mowed the main launch flatter areas while Bill tacked the steeper HG launch windows with his weed whacker. 


2.       Safety Report & Discussion Topic:
Safety in Flight & Pre Flight Round table discussion: 
(lead and facilitated by Dave Metzger )

We will be asking for eye witness accounts of a few recent incidences and then asking for advanced pilot commentary on incidences this year at Little Black, Palomar and an SIV Clinic.

We are not looking to grill or put said pilots on the spot, but to focus on the situations that induced the incidences & How we should be flying our Mt sites to avoid repeating.

Locations & Speeds to Fly / Active piloting

Two incidences were similar in that both were induced by flying too slowly trying to stay up in less than ideal locations: Shallow Slope, Faces off axis to the wind then rotor and or thermal pitch induced stalls.  The Key take away should be "effective ridge lift flying at mountain sites" "We are continuing to see many pilots flying in inappropriate locations to prevailing conditions at our more complex non simple ridge sites like Little Black and Palomar".

This is worth repeating as we are still seeing way too many looking for lift in all the wrong places.
•                    http://www.sdhgpa.com/minutes-news--articles/sdhgpa-meeting-minutes-3-26-2015
•                    http://www.sdhgpa.com/minutes-news--articles/effective-ridge-lift-flying-mountain-sites
Example from Henry Baker's Fly-in Photo - Over Launch: Effective Faces to Prevailing Wind Indicated by gliders on launch.   
Questions:
  1. Are any of the low gliders flying effective faces?
  2. So what faces and terrain should we fly in the Mts?
  • It all depends on the prevailing wind direction and wind shifts.
  • The fly-in Day of the Photo was a West wind day . . .
Other examples from this past weekend at Laguna: 
  • Those that flew to effective faces perpendicular to the prevailing wind and thermal drift climbed out at Grant;
  • Those that did not landed
Reserve Safety and Preflight Checks:

Then there is checking reserves, attachments, and speed bar + other line routings.  All included in complete pre flights.

It would be good if Peter and Angela could give us their 1st hand accounts to Ziggy's tragic incident in that they were there at the SIV clinic.
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Checked you Laundry?

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Little Black XC - OTB North Route

5/12/2015

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May 9th 2015 Flight Report by Steve Rohrbaugh
This past Saturday conditions looked to be setting up perfectly for an attempt at flying XC from Little Black. Forecast for the day indicated a possibility of being another record day if the conditions cooperated and all the stars aligned just right.

From past flight attempts along this route, the hardest part of this route is making the transition out of the San Pasqual Valley. 

But getting to San Pasqual Valley is a great beautiful 12 mile XC flight all in it's own! 
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Stoneridge Country Club golf course from 3.3k at cloud base looking back to LB.
Little Black to San Pasqual Valley : 5-19-2015
As it tuned out, the expected post frontal conditions were playing hide and seek at Little Black . . . and were a bit more elusive then predicted.

I arrived around 11 and conditions were already on and pulsating between partially sunny to fully clouded over.  Gate was locked due to it raining for the prior 1.5 days, so there were some hanging out there.  (When the gate is locked, the the Park is still open. However the Rangers prefer for us to park over in the Ball Field Parking lot and hike over vs blocking / partially blocking the locked gate. They like the Road to dry out for a couple of days after a rain prior to unlocking the gate for vehicles.)

Conditions early looked good to 3k if your could work the small thermals before it turned to solid overcast.  Early, there were many sun patches allowing for small growing clouds to form with bases around 2-3k indicating the lift was there and it was working.  By the time we got up on launch, lots of the open sky had filled back in. 

The early lift eluded many that launched shortly after as the clouds thickened back up completely shading out the early heating.

The key to climbing out at Little Black was working the effective SW faces to match the prevailing SW winds. This combined with turning tight enough to grab and stay in the small tight thermals in a complete 360 once having the ground clearance.  


By doing so, I managed a nice 12 mile OTB XC to San Pasquale Valley before running out of sun by tracking and flying from sun spot thermal to sun spot thermal along my selected route. For the most part, I was able to stay ahead of the completely shaded over areas until San Pasqual Valley. 

The Thermal by Thermal
The 1st good thermal and climb out of Little Black was out in front along the SW spine of the 800. This took me to 3k and drifted with that back behind the towers. This was feeding a cloud that had a higher base then clouds on each side of it just to the West and East. This took me to 3.5k 1/2 way back to the 15 were the airspace steps up.

There was significant sink on the back side of Little Black and I jumped onto 3/4 speed bar until well past the 15. At that point I was on glide for Landing at the Rancho Bernardo HS or Bernardo Heights Country Club. In route, just over Camino Del Norte at 2k msl, I picked up another solid thermal and took that back up to cloud base at 3.5k. That 1st thermal always sets the pace for the day in this flatland flying segment.

From there, went on glide toward  Stoneridge Country Club golf course and Starvation Mt while working slightly more north / cross wind to allow for thermal tracking drift further down the route. This would buy me some margin without worrying about being pined up against the Ramona Airspace later. Once again at ~ 2k I found another nice thermal to 3.3k over Old Coach Rd.

Then again on a cross wind glide vectoring for the Wild Animal Park. The next thermal was on the West spine of Starvation Mt. This was a nice but week thermal with significant drift. If it were not for having to stay clear of the Ramona Air Space, I would have stuck with that thermal as it was drifting toward a nice large sunny area on the north side of Ramona back near and well past Charlie's house. Problem is, that area is right smack in the Air Space on the north side of the airport.  That thermal did however give me enough at 2.6k to comfortably enter into the San Pasqual Valley without rotor concerns and enough left over for a stress free glide to the Northern side of the Valley.

Once there in the Valley I was about 1-2 miles West and behind the sun patches. This left me with no heating or workable lift beyond a buoyant glide down the valley's north ridge line. There was also no effective ridge lift along the North side of the valley were I was expecting there to be lift along the west facing features due to relatively weak prevailing W winds. Without getting any lift along the way and realizing the winds were very light for any type of sustained ridge lift, I could not safely make the next jump over some power lines and onto the west facing side valley. 

I landed in the Sana Ysabel Creek Wash at the 78 crossing bridge. Just as I was landing, I was greeted with a few spits of rain that fortunately did not mount to much more then a few drops.
Last 1/2 of flight glide segments Video
Flight Stats:
Linear distance 12.0 mi (11.0 mph)
Max Distance 12.6 mi (11.6 mph)
XC Distance 14.1 mi (12.9 mph)
Duration 1:05:22

Max alt (ASL) 3522 ft
Min alt (ASL) 419 ft
Takeoff alt (ASL) 1164 ft
Altitude gain 2358 ft
Max speed 37.3 mph
Mean speed 16.9 mph

Big thanks to Dmitri for the retrieve!


Track Log for the Day and the North XC Route out of Little Black
This route requires Flat Land thermaling skills and glide ratio judgment while threading available safe landing options. To add to the challenge, This route also typically requires cross wind glides to get around the Ramona Air Space.  

Notice West thermal drift in comparison to NE glides on this most recent flight. This route is easier with a SW tail wind, but still usually requires cross wind work to the north. The benefit of this North route is that it avoids Miramar approach Air Space ceilings to the south.
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5-9-15 Flight Track w/ Ramona Air Space Overlay
Some other Notable flights along this route making it to the San Pasqual Valley from Little Black with similar lines:  http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/compare/1155133,831460,518775,315702,867622
XC Map and Way-point Files are available in the Members Only sections: 
SDHGPA Route Maps & Waypoint Files

Conditions we are looking for to Fly XC from Little Black:
Screen Shots of 5-9-15 & Using theFlight Prediction tools on the SDHGPA WX Dashboard

Those that flew Little Black later in the day or re-hiked up were well rewarded with flights lasting till sunset with altitudes to 2k late in the day. 
Picture
Fred & Joseph Enjoying the Late Evening Glass-off Into the Sunset.

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Palomar Spring Fly-in - Report

5/2/2015

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BIG THANKS TO ALL PALOMAR SPRING FLY-IN VOLUNTEERS
First off, I would like to extend a big thank you to all those that pitched in to make the SDHGPA Spring Fly-in a huge success and enjoyable event. There were too many to name, But I would like to thank some of those that stepped up for a lion share of the work.
Site Maintenance
A big thank you is extended to Bob Barry, Dave Whitehall, Bill Helliwell, Charlie Jancic, and Robin Sutton-Brown for heading out Mid Week and doing Site Maintenance in preparation for our SDHGPA Spring Fly-in. Also a big thank you is extended to Peter Hill for the use of his lawn mower.


Bob Headed out on Wed and mowed the Main LZ BBQ & tear-down areas. Dave Whitehall also went out on Wed to mow the Bail-out LZ. It took Dave 3 hours and two near death experiences to himself and the mower. The Bail-out is now in great shape!

Charlie Jancic, Robin Sutton-Brown, and Bill Helliwell headed out on Friday to take care on the Main Launch. Charlie & Robin mowed the main launch flatter areas while Bill tacked the steeper HG launch windows with his weed whacker. 

Fly-in Prep
A spectral thanks you is in order for Doug Poirier for doing all the Pre shopping; Angela Albota for helping to coordinate, and Jody Lund for helping with all the odd and ends finishing off all the planning details. Special thank you goes to Greg Hunter for making a special trip out for some of the missing items.

Then there are all those that also brought out BBQs, tables and pitched in to make it all happen. With everyone help, the Fly-in was a fantastic success!
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SDHGPA 2015 Spring Fly-in @ Palomar

5/1/2015

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SDHGPA Spring Fly-in @ BBQ Saturday, May 2nd, 2015
Weather as of Friday looks good, see below for Forcast
Check this page for updates up to day of fly-in.
Site: Palomar 
Where: Palomar Main LZ
(Pala Roberts Ranch - 15450 California 76 Pauma Valley, CA 92061)  (map)
Meeting in Main LZ around 11 for BBQ set-up and dropping off supplies. Then driving to launch around 12:00.  However, we do not feel like there is a rush to get into the air unless you are an XC hound trying to go someplace. See forecast below.
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This will be another great event!!!  
For those that have not been to Palomar in the past year, we have greatly improved the site with the Pala Tribe: We now have two great launches, Main Launch has also been improved with steeper HG launch windows to the SW and West; an improved large bail-out LZ; and a great large LZ down in the valley that is PG and HG friendly  with a long run-out into the wind that is easily landable even with an ATOs. 
Photos From Jan Fly-in @ Palomar
SDHGPA Membership is required to fly Palomar and for this event BBQ.
(Full Annual Membership or Visiting Pilot membership is valid for this event. However Visiting Pilots will not receive gate codes & must fly with Full Annual Members for access)

Palomar & Fly-in Info:
Meet at Main Palomar Pala LZ
Pala Roberts Ranch, 15450 California 76 Pauma Valley, CA 92061 ( 33.323150, -116.99440000 ) 

Review the Palomar Site Guide as there have been updates over the past few months.

Park in Designated Pilot Parking areas per the Site Guide. Do not park in front of or block the Roberts Ranch Building Roll-Up Doors or Shade Structure.  Parked cars in Main Pala LZ, Palomar Main Launch, and Smiley Launch must display the SDHGPA Member Vehicle ID/ Gate Pass. 
Carpool to both launches from the Main LZ to minimize cars on launch. Max 4 vehicles may be at Upper Smiley Launch. Main Launch is preferred for both HG & PG pilots. 
When parking at main launch, park in designated parking area and fill the most NW slots available. Try to keep top landing approach path free of cars.

Active Launch Windows: Use mountain etiquette and do not setup in the Active Launch Windows. Only enter the Launch Windows with your gear if and when you are ready and intending to launch. If in Launch Windows or Top landing Approach areas, be cautious and aware of flight activities in all directions.
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Main Launch Use Zones
Prime Launching times for Palomar recently have been from 1-5 with flights extending till dusk.  Those launching at 4pm weekend before last reported having great flights with abundant lift. Those flying early in the day and at peak heating reported strong and turbulent conditions. (Please choose suitable launching times and conditions to your skill level) (Some P2 & H2s have been heading out and getting in early training flights before 10am and landing before conditions ramp up. Then having great late afternoon into evening flights)

More and Complete Site Info:
SDHGPA Site Guide: http://www.sdhgpa.com/sites-guide.html 
Palomar Site guide: http://www.sdhgpa.com/palomar.html

Post Flying BBQ:
Main Course will be provided by the club however it is primarily a potluck; so plan to bring an appetizer,  side dish, salad, or dessert to share.  Please also bring any drinks you might want. BYOB
Jody & Doug have volunteered to coordinate the BBQ but they need help from others with: set up and break down. Also, if you have tables or a grill that you would be willing to bring, that would be great. Ideally, we would like these things coordinated by mid day on Friday so that everything runs as smooth as possible on Saturday. 
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Please comment below or contact us at [email protected] to help with the event logistics planning. We will then add you to the Planning group email.

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Weekend Mountain Flying Forecast

This weekend looks like a couple of great days for flying. Weather will be clear and warm.

The forecast on Sat is for West wind possibly up to 15 mph between 1 and 4 then backing off into the evening.. Lift at 600 fpm will get to 6,000'+.   Deeper Back on Palomar and the other mountains, there will be a convergence. Lift at 1,000 fpm will get over 12,000'. 

We expect Saturday to be very similar to Friday, only a bit less wind. We do not expect there should be a rush to get into the air on Sat.  Charlie reported the Friday to be very good. He waited to launch until 3:30 due to strong winds earlier and flew till 5:40 getting to 7.5K out over the valley. He reported that it was hard to get down. Larry and Author launched an hour later not liking the winds till 4:30. Charlie reported that they were still in the air and above the towers as of 6:30.
 

On Sunday, we expect a cooling trend will reduce the soaring conditions and increase the Westerly push for Sunday. Palomar will have 12 mph Westerly wind. Lift at 500 fpm will get to 5,000'. Again there will be a convergence in the East County, but it might be a little too far East for a Laguna launch. In the afternoon wind will be West at 14 mph. Lift at 700 fpm will get to 11,000'. Palomar or Horse will both work and look very good if the winds stay at bay.

Bill H. & Steve R


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USHPA 
(United States Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association)
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