Got my H3 on Tuesday, September 21st.
It was supposed to be a glorious day. The report was calling for climbs in excess of 9000' MSL. I sold my soul and risked losing both my wife and my job to get down to Lookout Mountain to try it on. Conditions looked really fantastic all day and as I was driving down there I was feeling very warm and optimistic. About 5 minutes out from the launch I noticed some darker looking clouds. Within 10 minutes of showing up at launch we heard the first peals of thunder and about 30 minutes later it was pouring buckets! Oops... there go my hopes for the day, washed down the drain.
At about 5:00 the rain cleared away and by 6:00 they had gotten out the planes to begin aerotow operations. I was only lacking 2 spot landings to fulfill the requirements for my H3 so I jumped in line to aerotow. My first landing was a beauty! No stepper just inside the line. One more to go and the pressure is building. By the second tow the air was starting to get rowdy. No worries, the last 300' were still pretty smooth. I come in a little high so I stuff the bar and bring it to the ground as fast as I can. I enter ground effect at speed and start to glide... and glide... and glide. There goes the spot.... now flare.... BINGO!!!! Perfect landing inside the ring and I've done it!!! I give a big ol' Tennessee shout of triumph and go over to share the moment with some friends. It was 13 months and 2 weeks ago that I took my first mountain flight as a newly minted H2 (novice pilot). Now, 122 flights later I have been certified as an H3 (intermediate pilot).
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Monday, September 13, 2010
Utah Video
I finally finished editing the videos from the Utah trip. Me and several other pilots all pooled our raw video before we left so I ended up with about 80 gig of video files from a variety of different perspectives. It made for a very entertaining set of videos! Far more interesting than the usual single camera, single angle style of video's that I'm used to. It was really difficult for me to trim the hours and hours of great flying over picturesque Utah down and in the end I still had a 15 minute long video. To make it easier to upload and download I broke it into three separate chapters... I hope you enjoy them!
Chapter one
http://vimeo.com/14930729
Chapter two
http://vimeo.com/14933473
Chapter three
http://vimeo.com/14933635
Chapter one
http://vimeo.com/14930729
Chapter two
http://vimeo.com/14933473
Chapter three
http://vimeo.com/14933635
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Goodbye Utah... until we meet again.
Well, I'm late in posting this. Life has a way of catching up with you fast when you return home from vacation! When last I blogged we had finished waiting around at Commodore all day Sunday but had never had the chance to fly. Monday was our final day and we had high hopes for a wonderful day at a site called both Crawfords and Randolph. I'm still falling asleep at night dreaming of this magical flight. It went down like this:
The forecast for Monday was looking ideal. The southerly winds that had been plaguing us were to pass and a nice northerly flow was going to come in offering some welcome instability and the perfect conditions for launching and soaring at Randolph. We finally got a decent night sleep and met up as a group at Ryan's place at about 11AM. On the way to the site we had to make a pit stop at the airport where Shadd allowed us to drool over the jets he flies for a living... lucky dog!
We made it out to the Randolph site by about 2:00 and proceeded to set up eagerly. Conditions looked a bit light but the afternoon was still warm and we had high hopes.
As the hours ticked by first one, then two, then three, then four pilots flew and could not stay up. Our high hopes were turning to despair. We waited for hours just hoping that the valley would start to lift and we would have a chance to soar this epic site. Finally as the sun was dipping low there were only three of us left who had not flown... me, Brandon, and Ringo. The three Southern boys. I finally decided that I might as well launch because in less than an hour it was going to get dark and I'd rather break down while there was some light left. I launched... turned right... and headed down the ridge. Something strange is happening... I'm not going down... I'm not going up... I'm staying right there at launch altitude. Ryan comes onto the radio and says "Paul, you're above launch. I THINK IT'S GLASSING OFF!!!" Sure enough, on my return pass I came back about 40' over launch and was slowly climbing higher.
Both Brandon and Ringo launched soon after me all of us seeking to make the most of our final moments in the air in Utah. Words cannot describe the nature of this flight. Having built our hopes up all morning, then having lost all hope in the evening, and finally discovering that we were in fact soaring after all led to a kind of dizzy euphoria. More than that however was the fact that this was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. The full moon was rising up behind launch while the glorious sunset was progressing in front of us. The air we were flying in was so absolutely smooth that you could literally float around hands off with confidence! As the minutes passed the lift slowly grew until it peaked at about 400' over launch.
We flew around as long as we could. With the air as smooth as it was we could play really close together. Brandon had more tolerance for it than me so I let him fly around me while I just maintained a steady course. Finally I decided that it was dark enough and headed out toward the LZ to land.
Utah was good to us. Even though conditions were not ideal, we still flew many times over our 5 days there. 3 new sites, 4 new LZs (top and bottom at the South Side). 7 flights and over 4 hours of air time. The country there is rugged and beautiful. I was left with the feeling that this is what free flying is meant to be... you and your hang glider alone in the vast expanse of mountains and air. The people of Utah were generous and enthusiastic about having us around... like family welcoming us home more than strangers welcoming guests into their lives for a time. I know I will make this trip again. Hopefully next time the weather will treat us better and we can taste some of that high altitude air!
As for me, this is a trip I will remember for a long long time both awake and in my dreams.
The forecast for Monday was looking ideal. The southerly winds that had been plaguing us were to pass and a nice northerly flow was going to come in offering some welcome instability and the perfect conditions for launching and soaring at Randolph. We finally got a decent night sleep and met up as a group at Ryan's place at about 11AM. On the way to the site we had to make a pit stop at the airport where Shadd allowed us to drool over the jets he flies for a living... lucky dog!
We made it out to the Randolph site by about 2:00 and proceeded to set up eagerly. Conditions looked a bit light but the afternoon was still warm and we had high hopes.
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| The view of launch at Crawfords from the LZ |
Both Brandon and Ringo launched soon after me all of us seeking to make the most of our final moments in the air in Utah. Words cannot describe the nature of this flight. Having built our hopes up all morning, then having lost all hope in the evening, and finally discovering that we were in fact soaring after all led to a kind of dizzy euphoria. More than that however was the fact that this was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. The full moon was rising up behind launch while the glorious sunset was progressing in front of us. The air we were flying in was so absolutely smooth that you could literally float around hands off with confidence! As the minutes passed the lift slowly grew until it peaked at about 400' over launch.
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| Three Amigos Over Randolph |
We flew around as long as we could. With the air as smooth as it was we could play really close together. Brandon had more tolerance for it than me so I let him fly around me while I just maintained a steady course. Finally I decided that it was dark enough and headed out toward the LZ to land.
Utah was good to us. Even though conditions were not ideal, we still flew many times over our 5 days there. 3 new sites, 4 new LZs (top and bottom at the South Side). 7 flights and over 4 hours of air time. The country there is rugged and beautiful. I was left with the feeling that this is what free flying is meant to be... you and your hang glider alone in the vast expanse of mountains and air. The people of Utah were generous and enthusiastic about having us around... like family welcoming us home more than strangers welcoming guests into their lives for a time. I know I will make this trip again. Hopefully next time the weather will treat us better and we can taste some of that high altitude air!
As for me, this is a trip I will remember for a long long time both awake and in my dreams.
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| Off into the sunset... till next year. |
Monday, August 23, 2010
Mighty Mouse
Another blown out day. As we have done every day in Utah so far we headed out to the South Side in the morning. The air was strong and chunky. Turbulent and kind of nasty. A couple of local pilots flew but we were advised against it and so we just hung out for a while. We had already set up so Ryan and Shad took the opportunity to show us how to flat pack a glider. Ryan also repaired my leading edge from the day before.
The forecast called for more ridiculously strong winds and rain so we made the call to head over to Ryan's place for some classroom instruction.
Ryan went over our launch videos from Camels in detail offering tips and advice. We then viewed some footage he had on his computer of landings and spent some time picking apart different landings for educational purposes. Ryan then showed us a bunch of his camera mounts for hang gliders and then suggested that we do a parachute repack so we can see how it's done. Ringo volunteered and off we went. Little did we know what was in store.
First we harnessed Ringo up and hung him from the tree. We shook him around to simulate a broken glider and he threw his shoot. Well done! Then we carried his chute down to the basement where we started to unfold it. As soon as we busted it out we noticed a kind of smell.... once we started opening the chute we figured out the source.
I can't imagine what Ringo must have felt flying all those months with the putrid stench of death in hist nostrils. Of course... he isn't called Ringo anymore. He shall henceforth be known as Mighty Mouse!!!!
That was pretty much it for Sunday. Ryan's Fiancee Desiree proved that she is the second coolest woman alive (second to my Karina) by cooking us dinner and then discussing hang gliding and beer with us while we ate. This marks the official end of the clinic with Ryan and let me tell you, it was worth it! Ryan and the Wings Over Wasatch crew are not only highly knowledgeable but they are also extremely accommodating. Every part of our trip has been well planned, well executed, and a total blast to be a part of! I hope to be able to come back and visit these guys again soon.
Even though the clinic is officially done we have one more day in Utah. Of course, Ryan and Shad are meeting up with us and taking us to a site called Randolph. The forecast is looking ideal and we are all excited about getting some more big air this afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes :)
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| Shad and Brandon flat-packing |
The forecast called for more ridiculously strong winds and rain so we made the call to head over to Ryan's place for some classroom instruction.
 |
| L to R: Zack, Dan, Brandon, and Ringo |
Ryan went over our launch videos from Camels in detail offering tips and advice. We then viewed some footage he had on his computer of landings and spent some time picking apart different landings for educational purposes. Ryan then showed us a bunch of his camera mounts for hang gliders and then suggested that we do a parachute repack so we can see how it's done. Ringo volunteered and off we went. Little did we know what was in store.
First we harnessed Ringo up and hung him from the tree. We shook him around to simulate a broken glider and he threw his shoot. Well done! Then we carried his chute down to the basement where we started to unfold it. As soon as we busted it out we noticed a kind of smell.... once we started opening the chute we figured out the source.
I can't imagine what Ringo must have felt flying all those months with the putrid stench of death in hist nostrils. Of course... he isn't called Ringo anymore. He shall henceforth be known as Mighty Mouse!!!!
That was pretty much it for Sunday. Ryan's Fiancee Desiree proved that she is the second coolest woman alive (second to my Karina) by cooking us dinner and then discussing hang gliding and beer with us while we ate. This marks the official end of the clinic with Ryan and let me tell you, it was worth it! Ryan and the Wings Over Wasatch crew are not only highly knowledgeable but they are also extremely accommodating. Every part of our trip has been well planned, well executed, and a total blast to be a part of! I hope to be able to come back and visit these guys again soon.
Even though the clinic is officially done we have one more day in Utah. Of course, Ryan and Shad are meeting up with us and taking us to a site called Randolph. The forecast is looking ideal and we are all excited about getting some more big air this afternoon. I'll let you know how it goes :)
Big Air
Utah is known for it's big air. Usually this refers to kick ass thermals that can take you like a rocket up to heights sublime. While we did get to experience some of Utah's big air, unfortunately it was the other kind... the kind that blows at 40MPH out of the South all day long for 2 days straight!! :( When we arrived at the South Side Saturday Morning it was looking decent. We all got set up and most of us flew. The air was rowdy though and I was feeling tired... a combination of jet lag, lack of sleep, and 3 hours of flying the day before. As I was putting the final touches on my glider and getting psyched up to fly a local pilot blew his approach and landed nearly on top of me!!! His right wingtip came down on my left wing tip. WTF DUDE!!!!! That's my glider!!!!!!
This incident combined with everything else kind of put me off of flying the South Side on this day. On the bright side no less than three local pilots gave my wing a thorough inspection afterwards further affirming the fact that these Utah people are generous beyond the scope of normalcy. In the end I decided to save my energy for the epic flight I had planned for the evening.
We headed out to Commodore in the afternoon. Commodore is another high mountain site. It's a bit more rugged being out in the desert. It has the feeling of being the kind of place you wouldn't want to have a bad landing out because it could be years before anyone came across your dried, bleached bones.
Another thrilling ride up a mountain track brought us to launch. A large rocky meadow looking out over the vast expanse of desert!
The scene on launch was not encouraging. The wind was blowing in quite briskly. When I say brisk I'm talking about 31 MPH!!! What's worse it was gusting. Lulls would die down to 0MPH and in an instant you would get slammed in the face with another 30MPH gust. We waited...
... and waited...
... but the wind never slacked off. We had some great conversations and told some stories. Ryan and Shad shared a ton of thermal lore and mountain flying tips and we threw stones at an old tin can.
I should have taken that morning flight at the South Side...
This incident combined with everything else kind of put me off of flying the South Side on this day. On the bright side no less than three local pilots gave my wing a thorough inspection afterwards further affirming the fact that these Utah people are generous beyond the scope of normalcy. In the end I decided to save my energy for the epic flight I had planned for the evening.
We headed out to Commodore in the afternoon. Commodore is another high mountain site. It's a bit more rugged being out in the desert. It has the feeling of being the kind of place you wouldn't want to have a bad landing out because it could be years before anyone came across your dried, bleached bones.
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| Commodore Launch As Seen From The LZ |
Another thrilling ride up a mountain track brought us to launch. A large rocky meadow looking out over the vast expanse of desert!
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| The View of the LZ From Launch at Commodore |
The scene on launch was not encouraging. The wind was blowing in quite briskly. When I say brisk I'm talking about 31 MPH!!! What's worse it was gusting. Lulls would die down to 0MPH and in an instant you would get slammed in the face with another 30MPH gust. We waited...
... and waited...
... but the wind never slacked off. We had some great conversations and told some stories. Ryan and Shad shared a ton of thermal lore and mountain flying tips and we threw stones at an old tin can.
I should have taken that morning flight at the South Side...
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| Moonrise over the Oquirrh Mountains |
Camels
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| Settung up on the South Side |
That afternoon we headed out to Camels.... our first mountain launch site. Here is our first view of Launch from the car... on the left of the frame just to the right of the fluffy white cloud.
The day looked promising and our hopes were high. The drive up the mountain was thrilling... we don't have roads like that in Tennessee! I must admit that when we first stepped onto launch my heart skipped a beat. Partly due to excitement and partly due to fear.
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| Standing on Launch at Camels |
Everyone had a great flight and we all ended up in the landing zone together with huge smiles and a sense that all is right with the world.
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| Brandon and Dan in the LZ with Launch in the background |
It's hard to describe but there's something about hang gliding in the mountains here that is just right... this is flying as it is meant to be. As an east coast boy and an east coast pilot I just can't get enough of these mountainous views and big skies. I'd say my first Utah mountain experience is something that will stay with me for a lifetime.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Flying the Legendary South Side
We finally got out to the Point of the Mountain South Side this morning. It was looking really good while we set up but by the time we were clear to launch the conditions had died down and it was no longer soarable. The South Side is only a few hundred feet high but eventually we decided to take a sledder. Not a legendary first flight in Utah, lasted about a minute, but nonetheless a flight. As we were breaking down our gliders a mighty rain blew in and drenched us all quite thoroughly!!
We grabbed some lunch and by the time we were finished the sun had returned and all the clouds that had followed us since arrival burned off in the next 20 minutes. Awesome. Back to the south side. Flew the South Side properly getting about 20 minutes of soaring. It was a new experience for me flying with Paragliders and I must admit I didn't like it. They fly a lot different than hang gliders and I found it difficult to predict where they were going to go next. I'm sure I could adapt given time by I hope I never have to :)
The day ended well with a rosy glow both in me and on the mountains. Having gotten 2 flights today I fee pretty satisfied. Tomorrow is going to be awesome with sunny skies predicted and our first trip to the mountains in the afternoon. Can't wait!!!
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| Drying Wings |
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| Sunny South Side |
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| Lots O' PGs |
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