Aerochris

Windy 1.8.12

2012-01-21T19:57:00.001-08:00

Big Sur Wild Cattle Launch "Hang Waiting"

2012-01-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

MLK Jr. Weekend

2012-01-18T20:16:00.000-08:00

Managed to get in three full days of flying this past weekend...off to a good start for 2012!

Saturday (1.14.12), we headed to Ed Levin for sledder conditions. Brian and I started out the day by setting up the speed gliding course for Ed Levin Speed Gliding 2012. Needless to say, the course is set up, now all we need is people to show up for the event. Afterward, Urs, Pam, George, Brian and I drove to the top, set up our birds, and had fun flights. I decided to see how far I could glide south over the golf course and head back. I seem to have a 500 foot margin of error on my glide judgement, so next time I'll extend further south to see how low I get on the way back. There is always a hillside to land on, of which I've been practicing lately.

Sunday (1.15.12), Funston was the call. I was at the Fort setting up the T2C at 9AM with the winds already soarable. After a couple 1/2 hour practice flights to taste the air, conditions finally developed and I enjoyed a nice 1 hour flight in super buoyant, but building, conditions. By around 2PM, it was time to consider landing, so I did. The conditions continued to build toward being blown out, so Brian, JT, and I headed to the Boulevard sans Ben Dunn for a beer and a bite. Ben will be back soon, though. I mentioned him just to see if he is reading this!

Ha!

Monday (1.16.12) was a day off for me, so I headed back to the Fort for a nice late PM mellow northwesterly COLD shear. I decide to fly the Sport 2 this day and really enjoyed the smooth northy conditions. John Simpson and Firefighter Quinn joined me in the air. The golden light at the end of the day bouncing off the cliffs is still dancing in my head.

A nice weekend with over 3 1/2 hours of airtime set my head right for the work week!

Waddell 12.29.11

2011-12-30T17:06:00.001-08:00

CRV Meets a Redtail at Ed Levin 12.18.11

2011-12-19T19:38:00.001-08:00

Ed Levin 12.17.11

2011-12-18T07:58:00.001-08:00

Had some fun at Ed Levin yesterday...

Crossing the Valley at Dunlap 9.24.11

2011-12-14T07:38:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Grandpa Russ!

2011-12-11T07:04:00.000-08:00

Docking at Funston

2011-12-07T21:40:00.000-08:00

A fun little video from this year's NorCal Free Flight Film Festival...

Charlie's Most Awesome Video

2011-12-04T16:54:00.000-08:00

Our good friend and fellow ACP / hang-glider pilot made this cool video for the NorCal Free Flight Film Festival.

Epic California from flybig on Vimeo.

Rainy Day Fun 11.20.11

2011-11-20T17:01:00.000-08:00

Not much flying today due to the rainy weather, so Wendy and I headed into the City for some fun at the San Francisco International Auto Show. It has been a few years since we'd kicked some tires, and I must say, I walked away uninspired with the new models...still happy with my 2009 Toyota Tacoma and Wendy's 2002 Honda Civic...no need to rush to the dealerships!

The Academy of Art had a great display of vintage cars that held my attention, more so than the 2012 models. Below are a few pics of the various models...all works of art, which is probably why The Academy of Art had them on display

1932 Stuz DV-32 Super Bearcat

1935 Auburn 851 Speedster

1938 Talbot-Lago T150-C Speciale Teardrop Coupe by Figoni Falaschi

1963 Buick Riviera

1954 Chevrolet Corvette

1962 MG A 1600 Mark II Coupe

1950 Jaguar XK120 Alloy Roadster

1932 Ford Model B-150 Station Wagon

1961 Lincoln Continental Sedan

1941 Buick Roadmaster Convertible Coupe

1948 Lincoln Continental Coupe

Afterward, we headed over to the 21st Amendment Brew Pub, had a bite and a couple beers...

Fun day kicking tires and having a beer!

Waddell 11.13.11 (An New Day)

2011-11-14T12:12:00.000-08:00

Well, the ACP's were in full force yesterday at Waddell...

A who's who of pilots made the trek down and up the coast to our favorite bluff:

Tom Low
Brian Foster
The Flying Canuck
Mark F.
Dave Simms
Jimmy F.
JT
CRV

We kicked sand and rocks for about 5 hours, then noticed the wind picking up to soarability. Mark was first off with Tom close behind, then Brian launched his new U2 with a big smile. 3 gliders provided a good margin of space given the lift band yesterday. After Mark and Tom landed, I launched and played in the air with Brian for a little while, then top landed. JT launched after me.

The Canuck gave it a go, too, and decided to try out his fly-on-the-wall landing skills soon after launch. He did well, but will probably try soaring next time he is at Waddell...

I launched a second time in lighter winds and ended up on the beach with a nice hike back up to get in my exercise for the day.

Beer and burgers after with the Canuck and Brian...good time.

Waddell 11.12.11

2011-11-12T21:30:00.001-08:00

It was a Bay Area tour today...

With his engine light on, JT showed up at my door step asking for a ride to wherever it was flyable. So, we loaded up and headed to Mission to hook up with the Canuck. It was over the back at Mission, so we all headed to Ed Levin where the ceiling was 200 to 300 below launch.

Undeterred, we drove over 17 to Waddell...we must fly somewhere today!

As we headed up Hwy 1 and got nearer the Bluff, we noticed white caps sprinkled out over a very northy wind streaked ocean.

Undeterred (again), we set up our gliders...Dave Simms showed up soon after. JT was itching to have a go at the air, whatever it was today. Confidently, he hurled the mighty Ram Air off and appeared to be doing well. After a few passes, he yelled down, "It's holey!"...or something like that. I wish JT would get an open-face helmet so I could hear what he is saying when he yells down to us at Waddell. JT then ventured into no-mans land toward the highway and was immediately served to the beach.

I drove down to retrieve my fearless friend and we headed back up to launch.

Dave was all suited up and ready to go, and so he did. He had similar luck as JT and was on the beach after about 8 minutes. Invigorated by the two flights I'd just witnessed, I had to get out and try me some of that sweet Waddell air, and so I did. 8 minutes later, I was on the beach.

3 flights at Waddell...beer after...good time.

Wish you were there...

John Simpson Makes a Cool Video

2011-11-11T11:21:00.001-08:00

John Simpson on Hang Gliding - XOLA.com from In A Tree Productions on Vimeo.

Dont' ask...Don't tell...

2011-11-01T18:22:00.000-07:00

Waiting...

2011-10-25T23:06:00.000-07:00

Chelan 2010

Great Balls of Fire

2011-10-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

Ryan, CRV, and Ben...

Saturday we decided to give Tam a shot...and...all got sledders!

It was fun...we could have gone to DIABLO and skied out, but we do that all the time...it was time for some sledder action.

I love flying Tam because it always justifies me flying to the beach.

Time: Sledder
Altitude: Launch

Fan Update

2011-10-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

A lot of you have been asking, "Where is that most awesome hang-glider pilot?"

I have been busy with various projects, delivering babies, solving world hunger, homelessness, issues in the Middle East, North Korea, and Florida.

One of my projects was to build a blog for my grandmother, Nancy Moyer.

You can view her blog HERE...

It is a labor of love to say the least and chronicles recent life chapters she has written via email to my mother. She is on Chapter 19 and has not reached being a teenager yet in the 1930's. More to come to say the least! Anyway, it's a good read for those interested in an ACP's family history.

Grandma Nancy, affectionately called "Gaga"...not Lady Gaga, just Gaga...

***

Flying-wise, I've been slaying it at Mission, Ed Levin, and Dunlap.

The flight at Dunlap was more notable...flew for 2 hours...crossed the valley 5 times...made it over to Sampson and Delilah not once but twice. This was a really rewarding flight in that I was flying more aggressively than normal. When I say aggressive, I mean with greater confidence that I have in the past. I was able to look at land masses and say, "There'll be lift there!" Sure enough, there'd be lift "there" after I had been cruising along on glide from the prior thermal...good time.

That night we camped in the LZ at Dunlap, howled at the moon and had an overall good time...no flying the next day. It was time to head home and call it a weekend.

Jim, Walter, and Lee, with Vikram in the background...

John predicting greatness for the day...

Terry deciding whether or not to eat Jim...

Hanging out on the ramp launch before a good day of flying...

***

Last weekend we flew Ed Levin and Mission...both were fun flights with some good thermal practice for the winter flying season.

Ed Levin's flight was a lesson in not wasting time...when it is good, just GO! I tend to dawdle at times and miss out on the good flying window. Regardless, that day, I had a decent flight and worked a broken, ratty, thermal above the 1200' hill for a good while, then landed and had a beer.

The next day we all flew Mission. I was second or third off the hill and immediately got drilled to the LZ...It was disappointing, but I felt I should show everyone where all the sink was so THEY could have good flights.

Fortunately, I was able to catch another ride up and had a decent second flight with a nice rewarding low save over RC Hill. The lesson of the day was not to give up and work whatever lift you have. I get more enjoyment from a flight involving a low save and a climb back up top than anything.

Happy pilot after low save...

Ich bin durstig...

2011-09-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

I am thirsty...

The Flying Canuck and I decided lunch and a beer at Haus Staudt in Redwood City was a better choice than hooking into our trusty birds, so that is what we did.

This is a little hole in the wall hangout with a huge selection of beer on tap and brats for lunch...

You can sit inside or outside in the biergarten...

A good day hanging out with the Canuck...

My Trip to Minnesota...

2011-08-16T21:01:00.000-07:00

The past weekend I visited friends and family in Minnesota...

Duluth and Northfield, Minnesota to be exact.

It was a great trip, and I always see the area with a different set of eyes each time I visit...

***

Friday, August 12th...

The redeye to MSP...

My plane landed at 6:30 AM...I hopped in my rental car and made the trip to Duluth to see my cousin Russ Stewart and his lovely wife Danielle...the drive to Duluth was partially interrupted by a 1/2 hour nap to compensate for the 2 hours of sleep I had the previous night...I can't sleep on a plane for the life of me...probably because I am flying it subconsciously.

Russ had to work the better part of the day, so I did some exploring prior to our get together...

The lighthouse and Lake Superior held my attention for quite some time...

Then, it was time for lunch...

After lunch I headed down to Sky Harbor Airport...

...and checked out the float planes.

Afterward, I finally met up with Cousin Russ and his lovely wife, Danielle...

...and we ate sushi until it poured out of our ears.

It was a lot of fun to see Russ and Danielle. Russ and I are second cousins and the same age within about a year of each other. Russ is from the Stewart side of the family and we rarely, make that never, spent any time together until this past weekend. It was like meeting a long lost brother to some extent. Meeting Russ and Danielle made me appreciate the family members I have all the more...it's time to start staying in touch.

After dinner, we headed up to Russ and Danielle's place, a 100+ year old home they are renovating along the hillside of Duluth. I didn't take any pictures, but trust me, this is a labor of love for the both of them. A home built 100+ years ago surpasses much of the quality and workmanship we see nowadays...bullet proof foundation, strong walls, great character...very similar to the occupants who now live in it. It's like the house was built for them...waiting for Russ and Danielle to occupy it someday.

After hugs and handshakes, it was time to hit the road and commit myself to the 3 1/2 hour drive back down to Northfield...with radio blaring, a cup of coffee, and the windows rolled down, I headed south...

***

Saturday, August 13th...

9 hours of sleep sure beats 2 hours of sleep...

Like I said, each time I visit Minnesota, and Northfield specifically, I see the area with a different set of eyes...

This time I zeroed-in on the little alleyways of my hometown...

The riverfront area in Northfield has been rejuvenated with walkways, restaurants, and pubs in the last couple decades...one can still escape through an alleyway, though, when needed...

Later that evening, I met up with good friends Jeano and Karin...I couldn't ask for a better threesome...

; )

We had a few beers at The Cow, slayed the pinball machines at The Rueb-N-Stein, then ended the night with pizza at Basil's...a perfect evening with the best of friends...

***

Sunday, August 14th...

Although Grandma's birthday is on the 15th, we decided to bring in year number 91 on Sunday instead...we all brought little gifts and cards for the woman affectionately known at "Gaga"...

Mom, Dad, me, Uncle Mike, Aunt Wendy, and Cousin Stewart ate grilled chicken, corn on the cob, and salad, then wolfed down icecream cake in honor of "Gaga"...

***

Monday, August 15...

The last day of my 4-day adventure was spent killing time with family and dreading getting back on an aluminum tube bound for San Francisco. For how close we all are, we live very far apart; but it is by choice, and I wouldn't trade where I live for anything. I've always wanted to live on either coast, and that is what I got.

Happy 91st Birthday Grandma Nancy!

Thank you for a nice visit...I love you all and hope to see you soon!

Some Pics from 7.31.11

2011-08-02T21:40:00.000-07:00

Our Minnesota friends Greg and Megan Haeg (with their newest son, Frank) stopped by the Fort this past Sunday to say hello and took some pictures...

Megan will be doing a tandem flight next time she is here...

It was good to see them, and nice to prove that I'm not dead or kept in a freezer as many in Minnesota think!

; )

Well, back to the freezer...

; )

Funston: 8.1.11

2011-08-02T13:00:00.000-07:00

Conditions looked good for a trip to Funston on Monday...besides I had to pick-up my Sport 2 for the coming weekend trip to Yosemite.

The air was light, but buoyant, so I launched and boated around for 15 minutes.

Sidewire insisted on me flying his glider (T2C) and he flying my Sport 2. I told him no...this ACP does not share gliders. He was upset, but later got over it. I think we're still friends.

After 15 minutes I landed...

I really wanted to fly down to the base of Westlake again, but opted to keep my XC flying to just the ridge and a nice top landing.

I ordered some new lower sidewires and a new bright lime-colored nose cone for the Sport 2 today, as well...

If you don't own a Sport 2, go buy one now...end of story...just go get one. They are a great glider to fly and compliment the T2C really well.

ACP out...

Funston: 7.31.11 (More XC to Westlake!)

2011-07-31T19:32:00.000-07:00

I just can't seem to get enough of that sweet Funston XC hang gliding...Today I dominated the ridge for quite some time, then pulled on 3/4 VG on my trusty Wills Wing Sport 2 and headed south.

Rumor had it there was a shear setting up above Westlake, so I had my crosshairs set on maybe landing by the pier at Pacifica...

Or, better yet, maybe I could land at Taco Bell in Pacifica. A taco after a nice long XC to Pacifica would have tasted great today!

As I headed along the lower dunes, I could feel the nice southy winds resisting my Sport 2's penetration. ACP's hate it when we can't penetrate, but we keep heading south nonetheless.

Brad was along my right flank as I made my way down toward Westlake. He had a great smile on his face...almost as if he KNEW I was going to go far today!

For some reason I couldn't get up at Westlake...

ACP's, even when they can't get up, will still continue onward...

I whipped my trusty Sport 2 around, worked the lower dunes a little more to get a little higher, then decided to head on south toward goal...

The winds were still quite south, just like last Sunday, but I continued onward despite not getting up...within minutes I was on the beach...again.

I wasn't sure if I had hit the 1/2 way mark, so I decided to walk back to launch this time as opposed to last Sunday. Nothing beats hiking on the beach with a nice light Sport 2 and coccoon harness. Dogs were really excited to see me and I them, as well...I love dogs that run up to me on the beach!

After about 45 minutes of hiking, I saw a familiar neon yellow jacket running toward me...Wendy was on her way to congratulate me on my awesome XC!

I hiked the glider back up to launch with an assist from JT, Wendy, and some guy who just wanted to help. I then dried out my clothes, and went for another flight after all the handshakes and high fives for my awesome XC flight to the base of Westlake...again.

Mark Grubbs was really impressed and compared my flight to Westlake today to the 100-miler he had in the Owens Valley once...at least I think that is what he was saying...not sure exactly.

Anyway, I'm home now and drinking a beer after a great dinner with Wendy.

We had a great time seeing some old friends from Minnesota today, as well.

XC Distance: Really far!
Altitude: Really high!
Flight time: Really long!

Boogity, Boogity, Boogity...can I get an AMEN?!

Funston: 7.29.11 (Slayin' the Ridge)

2011-07-30T18:09:00.000-07:00

Friday kept me at my happy corner office for the better part of the day. I was itching to get out, though, and tear it up with the regular Funstonites and McClure boys. Finally, I was able to make a clean break and raced to the Fort...plenty of time to spare.

When I arrived, there were gliders in the air and conditions looked really similar to previous days this week.

Not wasting any time, I set up the Sport 2 and got up in the air. The smooth laminar air at launch was a joy and the buoyant lift was everywhere albeit a little south.

Westlake was a nice smooth elevator ride up to 900 feet + MSL before we even reached the gap...the trip back would get you over launch at about 500 feet MSL...super fun. Charlie Fiebig's 75 year old dad got in a tandem flight with the infamous Ben Dunn. Charlie chased Ben and his dad around the dumps as I boated around in the Sport 2.

I shot a few landings and buzzed things just like prior day's flights. My finale was an elevator landing at the launch area from about 75 feet...beer afterward and dinner at The Boulevard in Daly City with the McClure boys who came to fly for the day.

Glenn Zapien's "Red Eye" glider...hard to see the eyes in this picture, though...

Another fun day in the air...

1st Flight: 1 hour, 5 minutes
2nd Flight: 42 minutes

Funston: 7.28.11 (Total Domination)

2011-07-28T21:46:00.000-07:00

The winds looked good today for an after work flight at Funston, so that is where I headed...

When I arrived, gliders were in the air. Enzo was returning from Westlake and Steve was slayin' it on my old Super Sport. I quickly set up my glider and got up in the air. Diev was soon to follow with Brad, Sidewire, and a few others...great time.

The ridge was super buoyant with a lift band that extended way out over the water. The fog layer was at about 500 feet and the air was nice and cool...my favorite conditions to fly in at Funston. As I type this post at 9:45 pm, the ridge is still soarable no doubt.

The Sport 2 at rest...

I shot a few landings and buzzed a few people and had a great time...

1st Flight: 31 minutes
2nd Flight: 1 hour, 5 minutes
3rd Flight: 32 minutes

Friday is looking good, too...see you there!

Funston: 7.24.11 (Going the Distance)

2011-07-27T19:42:00.000-07:00

Reeling from the XC miles logged at King, I couldn't help but grab some more XC mileage at Funston this past weekend.

So, I did...

Launching in light conditions, I made a couple passes along the ridge north of launch, then headed to the south bowl. Lightness was evident of the lift that was lacking abundancy, but I carried on south toward Westlake...man was I going to log some mileage today!

With my wingtip along the edge of the lower dune, I bravely continued south toward my goal, The Dumps.

The lift was no where to be found, though, so I opted for the bailout LZ at the base of Westlake just before the gap. Now that I was at the bailout LZ, and half way between my goal and launch, it was decision making time...do I walk back to launch or persevere forward and hike my glider another mile to my original goal, The Dumps. Being an ACP, never surrendering and never giving up, I hiked my 72 pound bird with 30 pounds of harness gear to The Dumps.

Goal!

What a great flight...flying XC can be so rewarding and the retrieves can be so unpredictable, too! While I was breaking down my trusty Wills Wing T2C, a nice man walked up to me and said, "I have a van in the parking lot with a rack...I can give you a ride and we can strap your glider to the top."

Thank you nice man! Can I help you move that sofa into the back of the van, too?

Fortunately, just as I was wrapping up my trusty Wills Wing T2C, Carm and Bob came trotting down the hill and offered me a ride back to launch and all my fellow pilots...many, of which, were blown away by the XC flight I'd just flown.

But, the day wasn't finished yet...

I set up my trusty Wills Wing T2C again, opted to not go XC, and dominated the sky for another hour...

I have titled today's flying adventure "tenacity"...bang!

King: Days 5, 6 & Beyond!

2011-07-20T21:56:00.000-07:00

Where do I begin?

I could wrap up the entire week at King by simply stating Team ACP slayed it and dominated everyone and everything between San Mateo, California and Moore, Idaho.

But no...

That would be cheating our fans out of the details and dirt they love to read.

So, I'll continue in my own humble way to provide a wrap up of the week at King...Team ACP style.

Team ACP...lined up and ready to dominate the bailout LZ with ACP CRV taking up the rear, as always...

Team ACP was torn between flying with the World Team in Italy or enjoying the company of Team Bobbleheads in Idaho. We opted for sharing the air with Team Bobbleheads in Idaho. Our friends in Italy will have to fly on and represent the USA on their own this time around...

Team ACP had other business to address...

Team Bobblehead's patiently awaiting their mentoring session from Team ACP...

Bobblehead and ACP in training Bruce striking a pose for the camera...

Bobblehead and ACP in training, Ben, pointing to goal...the bailout LZ.

Team ACP at first felt a little ashamed of the level of domination exhibited at King. Some pilots asked us to "back off" and give others a chance...

So, we did...big time!

The bailout LZ became home base for Team ACP during the week at King. There are many advantages to simply getting drilled early on in a flight. Number one is we get to the beer earlier, and number two, we saved a huge amount of money on gas by not having to drive far for our retrieves. ACP's Trey and JT screwed up a couple times by flying just beyond Elbow Canyon uprange on route one. They apologized profusely and made up for it by getting drilled a few more times to the bailout LZ later on in the week...beer was on them needless to say!

ACP JT just prior to screwing up and flying far early in the week...

ACP Trey prior to mistakenly flying just beyond Elbow Canyon on day five after a full week of bailout LZ domination...Trey bought beer after his flight on day five...

Team ACP's offical photographer, Dave Aldrich and Team from D-Focus, gave us direction to head on down to the bailout LZ...so we did.

I did really well at stirring up the dust in the bailout LZ, as well as the airstrip at John Kangas' property a mile away from the bailout LZ...In fact, the flight to Kangas' airstrip was a mistake on my part as I could not penetrate to the bailout LZ, rather getting blown downwind.

ACP's...we may not always be able to penetrate, but we'll always go down.

But, I digress...

ACP Ryan dropping a fine fingerbang just prior to getting drilled to the bailout LZ. On day six, Ryan totally screwed up and flew to the MacKay Airport claiming he "couldn't get down"...

Ryan knew there was no excuse for such sloppyness...

Team ACP made amends with our brother afterward when he stocked each refrigerator of his fellow Team ACP members with lime-flavored Bud Lite...style points to say the least!

Nothing quenches a thirst more in the bailout LZ than a nice cold lime-flavored Bud Lite...

ACP CRV positioning himself at launch with the bailout LZ in his crosshairs...

ACP in training Wayne admiring his next glider, a Wills Wing T2C...

ACP Ryan giving ACP in training Bruce a lesson on how to set up an approach at the bailout LZ...

ACP Trey practicing his sign language at the park in Moore, Idaho...

ACP JT was at the ready with the camera to capture Trey while he practiced his sign language...

Team ACP lined up and ready to go...to the bailout LZ!

Ryan going over last minute details with Wendy prior to his retrieve from the bailout LZ...

Wendy never had to worry about driving far with Team ACP!

I actually brought oxygen to this meet...not sure what I was thinking. The only time I used the stuff was when I mistakenly released it from the tank while breaking down my glider in the bailout LZ. The rush of air up my nose at first was startling, but later felt nice in the sweltering heat...

ACP in training Wayne kept hanging around our gliders...almost like an overly-friendly Yellow Lab puppy. By the end of the week, JT decided to simply take him home...

So, that is it...there is not that much more to say.

Team ACP came to King...we dominated the air and now we all are home blogging and prepping for our next adventure. Hang-gliding is like that...one big unpredictable adventure that delivers life experiences forever etched into our memories.

Until next time...bang!

King: Days 3 & 4

2011-07-15T06:56:00.000-07:00

The flying at King this year has been fun, although I have not flown that far, nor has Team ACP. But, I must say, the laughs are more than I've had at any flying meet, and damn do we all look good.

Day 3 Ryan, Trey, and I got in three flights, yes, three flights. JT got in two flights and ACP Team member Brian chose not to fly...all good in the ACP Brotherhood.

"Landing out" at the Kangas Airstrip just up from the bailout LZ...

On day 4 Team ACP opted not to fly due to the over-developed weather...it was good to have a day off from our usual slaying of the sky, though...watching the various systems develop up and down the valley is spectacular.

Although not nearly as color-coordinated as Team ACP, the Bobbleheads (shown above) have been flying extremely well...

Today is Day 5 at King and I'm itching to do something in the air...more later.

King: Day 2 (cont'd)

2011-07-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

Day 2 at King delivered some uncooperative winds and wind direction so the day was called off by meet officials. 3 people decided to fly, including ACP Trey. Trey gave it a good go slaying it all the way down to the bailout LZ.

ACP JT...

ACP's Trey and Brian...

Team ACP driver Wendy and ACP Ryan...

The gliders of Team ACP...

Tomorrow is Day 3 and conditions are expected to be good. Team ACP has some flying to do in the next 4 days...

Bang!

King: Days 1 & 2

2011-07-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

Well, day one at King was fun and eventful. Team ACP launched later in the day. Two of us made it to Elbow Canyon, one made it to the mouth of Rams Horn Canyon and two of us decided to give the bailout LZ a go. You decide who did what and who flew where.

I had a hang-gliding first where my harness zipper got jammed and would not unzip. I was wearing my thin pants with the zip-off legs and th

e material got caught in the zipper around my upper thigh. Fortunately, the Z5 harness comes with an emergency handle to separate the velcro panel that the zipper is attached from the harness boot. This, I learned, requires both hands and a lot of leverage, but can be done when in panic mode to release my landing gear (legs). All was good and I enjoyed day one of King from the bailout LZ as can be the case at King. Mr. Foster joined me in the bailout for the autograph signing session with all our fans.

Team ACP slayin' it at launch...

Team ACP meets the Bobbleheads...

Breaking down in the bailout with Brian...

Day 2 is upon us...stay tuned for more flying updates!

Flight time: Not much to report
Altitude: Not much to report

King: Day 1

2011-07-11T06:42:00.000-07:00

There is a good turnout of pilots this year for King. Last night, meet organizers put on a nice BBQ for everyone with hot dogs, elk burgers, and the usual other BBQ side items...good time. Trey tried to get in a glass-off flight and learned what it means to get properly drilled King style. Ryan raced off to the bailout LZ with BBQ food in tow and maybe a beer or two for our ACP team member. Things were running late, so we headed back to the hotel room here in Arco to get some much needed rest before today.

Today's weather has some over-development that is headed toward the northeast, so we'll see what flying we have today.

More later!

Arrived at King

2011-07-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Wendy and I arrived at King yesterday around 4:30 after a 4 to 5 hour drive and a nice visit with Wendy's nephew, Ben, and family in Jerome, ID.

Home for the week...

The drive was effortless and it is good to be back in Idaho. Elevation here in Arco is 5320 MSL for those interested in elevations and such.

Everyone has trickled in...Brian and JT arrived late last night and are still spooning in their hotel room. Ben and Wayne arrived around 8 or 9 last night and set up camp in Moore with Ryan and Trey. Ryan and Trey arrived pretty early yesterday, were first to set up camp in Moore, and got a good jump on the party with Wendy and I yesterday evening...

More later...

Chuck's Fly-In at McClure 2011

2011-06-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

I forgot I had taken this video during Chuck Butrym's Memorial Fly-In a few months ago at McClure...the conditions were "epic" as we say.

Chuck's Fly-In at McClure 2011 from Chris Valley on Vimeo.

Thermaling at Up Chuck 2011 (McClure)

2011-06-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

Parts 1, 2, and 3

Here

Here

and

Here...

Funston Drama and Good Flying 6.25.11

2011-06-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

I spent the better part of the morning studying for an exam I am taking this coming Wednesday...I needed a break, though, and headed out to the Fort to hook up with my flying buds.

Conditions were overcast and strong, but it looked good. I felt some mist on my windshield on the drive over, so opted to fly my trusty Sport 2 with Dacron everything...the T2 was to remain on my truck today...need to keep that bird in tip top shape for King domination in a couple weeks anyway.

But I digress...

The Canuck arrived in shorts and a t-shirt as always, but he had his game face on I could tell...Urs was there, too, and had his game face on, as well.

We all had game faces...

It was time to fly...

Not so fast...

I was all set-up, hooked in and walking out to launch when I looked to the south and saw a new H3 auger into the ice plant just south of the south bowl. He came straight in like a lawn dart from about 40 to 50 feet due to rotor off the upper plateau above the lower dunes.

Too low, too slow, and in the wrong place at the wrong time...

I walked my glider back to the bushes...Urs raced over and joined me and Diver Dave for the drive down toward the stables to see if our fledgling H3 was OK...fortunately he was fine, but he had rung his bell pretty well.

Not a good thing to see...but, as is true with many hang-gliding incidents, this was totally avoidable...lesson learned.

Back to flying...

As I hooked in I set a task of a 3 hour flight. The thought came into my head as I was fiddling with my gear...yes...3 hours will be my task for the day.

So, I launched and flew for 3 hours enjoying the varied ceiling height and company of others in the air, as well. The conditions ramped up some, switching WSW to WNW toward the end of my flight time. I had a good time watching everyone else race down to the southern cliffs, then race off without me...I was in my own world today. Tom Low and Doctor Darrell put on a good aerobatic show for me, as well.

Afterward there was beer and a burger with the Canuck at the Burlingame Brewery...home now and happy.

Flight time: 3 hours, 3 minutes

Funston and ACP JT 6.23.11

2011-06-24T17:02:00.000-07:00

The winds looked promising in the late afternoon for a flight after work at Funston on Thursday...

ACP JT was there tearing it up in his Moyes, but reported that he landed as the air was a bit choppy. For JT to say air is choppy means the air is choppy...quite possibly unflyable.

So, I loaded up my gear and headed to the Fort hoping to join JT in the choppy air. When I arrived JT was practicing fingerbangs underneath his trusty Moyes topless glider. He was really on a roll, so I was apprehensive to interrupt him. When he saw me, though, it was like fending off a Labrador Retriever puppy...JT really likes to see his friends.

JT and I threw down some fingerbangs for a while and chatted about the air while I set up my trusty T2C. Hands down, the T2C is the best glider in the world...far better than Aeros and Moyes gliders.

But I digress...

Urs decided not to set up and was swilling beer like there was no tomorrow...seriously, that guy can drink beer when he wants to. I almost joined him, but wanted to get in a flight.

But I digress...

Once in the air, I could tell it was going to be some good training for King in the coming weeks. The ridgeline had invisible 50 foot tumbleweeds rolling along which made for some great lift and greater sink in some areas...not a good day to scratch close to the ridge.

JT headed south toward Westlake and I soon followed. As I was working my way down to join JT, I noticed he was heading back to the north...no bueno was the air at Westlake apparently. I stuck it out there for about 10 minutes hoping to break through the choppy ceiling and into what I hoped to be a nice shear...no shear was to be had, so I headed back north rolling along in the choppy air.

My landing was spot on as is typical with ACP CRV...JT brought his bird in with his usual ACP prowess...enough said.

Now it was time to lecture the newer H3's on ridge soaring right of way and proper form. The lecture went really well with Jonathan and Victoria thanking ACP CRV and ACP JT for our extreme knowledge of ridge soaring rules and etiquette.

But I digress...

One more flight was to be had for the evening, so off it was with JT and CRV to enjoy a few more minutes of crap air at Funston...it was a great time with beer afterward.

1st Flight: 36 minutes
2nd Flight: 6 minutes

Bang!

The Weekend Flying 6.18 & 6.19 (Funston & Dunlap)

2011-06-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

The weekend started out with WSW conditions at Funston. I loaded the trusty Sport 2 on the Canuck's truck, and we blazed off to the Fort.

Ward was the only pilot there when we arrived, and it looked like it was going to blow out, but the wind backed-off and the white caps on the ocean never developed into anything threatening.

Time to launch...

It was fun playing down on the lower dunes with the Sport 2. It reminded me of flying at Marina in my Falcon. Working my way up to Westlake was effortless, but there was definitely a strong southerly component to the wind at Funston on Saturday.

On the second flight, heading to Westlake was slow (12 mph ground speed), but you could ease the bar out and just float south gaining altitude along the way...I'd never really flown in such conditions at the Fort before, so Saturday was a good time.

1st Flight: 48 minutes
2nd Fight: 34 minutes

***

Sunday, Dunlap was the call as XC Skies showed that day as the most promising...I met up with Paul, Karl, Ryan, Trey, and the Berkeley crowd for a fun day.

We were up at launch by about 12:30 and set-up ready to go by 1:30 or 2. The cycles were blowing in nicely. Paul had been up for a couple hours in his paraglider by the time we all were finally launching.

Once in the air, the thermals were punchy and had a snakey drift to them that was frustrating at first, but eventually I / we got the hang of everything and worked our way around the ridge hopping to various landmarks the valley has to offer...challenging, but fun air to fly in.

Looking down on launch and over the back...

Over the back...

Obligatory self-portrait from the day's flight...

It was good to turn some circles...well worth the 7 hour round trip!

Flight time: 2 hours, 6 minutes
Altitude: 6610' MSL

Getting Psyched!

2011-06-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

Bang!

King is just around the corner and Team ACP is ready to go!

I've been in a 4-day seminar in Sacramento this week, so I've had plenty of time for strategery at King. In other words, it's go time for this ACP...

Yes...go time!

Go where you ask?

Go far...that is what I'm talking about!

They'll have the extend the morning pilot's meeting by another hour this year to accommodate Team ACP's prior day's flying stories.

Bill Soderquist and Kurt Bainum step aside! Scot Huber? Scot who?

Team ACP will no doubt be dominating the skies and drinking all the beer...in fact...just mail us the team award now...really...just drop it in the mail...call the event, because that is how it's going down this year at King!

What's up with that big monkey anyway?

A Beautiful Sight

2011-06-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

When ACP's take to the sky, beautiful things happen...

Ryan's girlfriend, Dr. Wheaton, took this most awesome picture of Ryan and me at Funston this past Monday. This was Ryan's first flight in his new T2C...

Dr. Wheaton was truly impressed.

King...beware...domination is on it's way and our name is Team ACP!

Funston 5.28.11

2011-05-28T20:26:00.000-07:00

A couple videos from the day HERE, and HERE...

I thought it might blow out today at Funston, but the high winds and rain held off long enough for about 2 dozen pilots to get their fill of some really nice air.

Mr. Lilledahl played around at Westlake with me for a while...

Then Mr. Foster and I had a good time chasing each other around and taking pictures in between our usual aerial domination!

Bang!

1st Flight: 5 minutes
2nd Flight: 48 minutes
3rd Flight: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Two more days of a 3-day weekend...yeeha!

Funston 5.24.11

2011-05-26T19:59:00.000-07:00

After a bit of a dry spell in the airtime department, it felt good to get up in some decent conditions at the Fort this past Tuesday. It was time for some good flying to shake off the blues...

Mom and Dad were there, too, and shot a few pics of me and the Sport 2...

I got in some much needed landing practice...

I took 20 minutes to shoot about 8 or 10 landings...nice to blow the cobwebs off...thought I was filming things, but forgot to insert the SD card in my GoPro.

I love launching at the Fort...

John Simpson was tearing it up, too...

Marginal Mark got his fill of fun Tuesday evening, also...

1st Flight: 35 minutes
2nd Flight: 1 hour, 15 minutes (Nice shear to 1000' MSL)
3rd Flight: 22 minutes

Rest in peace Crystel...you'll be missed.

Lots to say...

2011-05-21T19:22:00.000-07:00

Someone's bicycle apparel modeling career has taken off nicely...

2Kee, Urs' dog, was a big hit today at Funston...

...and Brian Foster had a perfect roll while breaking down his glider last weekend at McClure.

Tomorrow, Funston will be good and I will fly...

Dent B Gone

2011-05-09T16:04:00.001-07:00

A couple months ago, I managed to back my truck into an oak tree at McClure...the damage was minor, but things like this keep me up at night, so I had to have it fixed...

ACP Dirk recommended I call Paintless Dent Removal by Sal - Dent Expert...

Sal had Patrick Carr, from Automotive Touch-up Company, address the paint scratches first...

Patrick did a good job of making the paint look nice again...needs a bit more buffing, but overall, I'm happy with the job...

Then Sal worked his magic by pulling and pushing out all the dents...

Good as new!

Funston 5.8.11 Mother's Day

2011-05-09T08:35:00.000-07:00

Strong westerlies were predicted for Funston on Sunday, so that is where many ACP's headed...those who arrived early were treated to some decent flights without the 30 mph launch conditions...

At one point in the flight, I thought it might be a good day to see how far south toward Pacifica I could go...About 1/2 way to the pier, lift petered out and it was time to head back north.

I managed to work my way a pretty good distance south into Pacifica regardless...

The first flight delivered a shear to 1315'...the second flight of the day delivered a shear to 1476' with super smooth conditions once we got above the mixing layer...

There was a nice stack of gliders in the second shear with me yesterday...Eric Mies, Tim West, Chris Cornbill, Doctor Darrell, and Patrick were all boating around with me.

The day delivered two really great flights in conditions that continued to build throughout the day. At the end of the second flight, Tim West and I raced back from Westlake. I brought it into the LZ from that final glide for a nice landing. The beer was 50-feet from where I parked my glider...great day!

First flight: 44 minutes, 1315' MSL
Second flight: 46 minutes, 1476' MSL

Mom and Dad arrive Tuesday morning for a month-long visit...Mom says she wants to visit all the tunnels in the Bay Area, so that is what we'll do...

; > )

Funston to Mission 5.7.11

2011-05-08T08:05:00.000-07:00

The day started out early at Funston. I arrived with Jon Blome and Paul already setting up and ready to go. The windsock looked perfect with a few white caps sprinkled on the ocean. As I was setting up Jon and Paul had already landed...crap. The day was looking like leeside shear conditions, which could get better, or just stay the same. JT and Lindsay showed up and we decided to still give it a shot. I gave the air a go and lasted a good 11 minutes before I got tired of flying over 100' tall tumble weeds. JT hopped in the air, even headed down to Westlake, but decided it was too lumpy for even his taste.

Some videos of JT launching and landing HERE and HERE...

Video by ACP JT of our day at Mission HERE...

After our flights, JT and I, as well as Dirk and Urs, decided Mission Ridge may provide better flying conditions, so we packed up our gear and headed to the East Bay instead...

Flight time: 11 minutes

On toward Mission Ridge!

Conditions had ramped up at Mission Ridge, with winds blowing 25 mph at launch, but overall it looked like good flying, so we headed to the top and set-up our gliders. Karl, Mark Grubbs, Bruno, Paul Gazis, Carm, Steve Rodriques, and Roy were already there, some having already flown.

I launched first of the second group that had arrived, but the clouds turned dark and the ceiling dropped too much for my liking, so I landed after 11 minutes. I had an OK launch, but was more happy with my top landing.

We waited out the conditions and, sure enough, the sky opened up for a little more flying. JT was eager to get in the air, and punched off in the strong conditions. I, fortunately, didn't drink the beer I had just opened, and gave chase joining him in the air...a great flight in strong conditions mixed with some cloud suck.

JT and I boated around, then landed in the lower LZ with smiles on our faces.

Two flights: 42 minutes

As it turns out, those who had waited it out at Funston were treated to some nice smooth conditions later in the day...good!

Everyone got to fly and had fun.

An ACP's Parents...

2011-05-04T18:46:00.001-07:00

Arriving soon to the west coast!

Bang!

Say no more...

Windy Hill 5.1.11

2011-05-04T09:23:00.001-07:00

Cousin Tom called me and said Windy Hill could be good this past Sunday. There was a fairly consistant easterly flow to the winds which can make for some good flying at Windy Hill...or...it can make for some really not so good flying at Windy Hill.

Wendy and I had our fill of fun at REI and TJ Maxx buying crap that we needed, so the phone call came at the perfect time. We raced home. I tossed the glider on the truck and Wendy hopped on her bike. The plan was that Wendy would ride up Old La Honda Road and do the retrieve while I raced to get my glider set-up. It was already late morning, which is about a couple hours later than we usually get going to fly Windy.

I got to the top and set up my glider fairly quickly. The wuffos were everywhere asking questions about hang-gliding and all that. I, of course, obliged and patiently answered all their questions. Within about 1/2 hour I was ready to punch off...the cycles were still coming in pretty well.

There was a lot of lift when my feet left the ground at launch, but there was also a lot of sink, as well. I tried to stay in tight along the bluff at launch, but was not comfortable with the rowdy air...time to head out and find some other air to play in.

There was a fair amount of sink everywhere I looked, so I headed to the LZ. North of the LZ I found a couple bullet thermals that brought me within a couple hundred feet of launch...not bad...I was pleased. That pleasure was short-lived though as the thermals were really broken and had a significant amount of drift.

Time to land...

In my haste to get up to launch, I didn't set up a wind streamer in the LZ. The Windy Hill LZ is a postage stamp area to land, and it can be really easy to get boxed in with few options. There are quite a few pilots with solid flying skills who don't like to fly Windy because of the landing area. I've always had confidence landing at Windy, though, and may have been testing my abilities a bit too much by not setting up a streamer.

As I was setting up my approach, I opted for the usual uphill downwind approach. Midway through my "downwind" leg, I changed course and opted to land in the opposite direction (downhill / more upwind) as I could feel the air had quite an easterly flow. Everything was looking nice with the change in course. I had good speed and was at the right altitude, maybe a tad high, though. The LZ felt really active with thermals popping off left and right. Remember that thermal I hooked before landing? That came off the LZ.

As I made my turn to final I got popped up and turned into the trees along the southern edge of the postage stamp LZ...I mean really popped. I thought I was going to have a tree landing, a first in my flying career. I got the glider turned, though, but was too high to accomplish a landing within our LZ...survival mode. I'm not going to write where I landed in this post, but let's just say I had a wonderful football field hike with my glider in 4-foot tall grass...quite the workout.

Lessons learned:

* Take the time to place a streamer in the LZ
* Remember to drop all VG when landing at Windy
* See first bullet point

Overall, though, I was happy with how the landing turned out. It was one of those landings where I didn't give up and just kept flying the glider, going from Plan A to Plan D in a matter of seconds...no broken metal...no hurt pride...just an exciting flight, that's all!

Flight time: 12 minutes

Afterward, Wendy and I headed to the Alpine Inn and had a burger, hog dog, and beer which sort of knocked me out...I was beat from the hiking I had done with my 72 pound bird.

The pictures below will give you a good idea of how tall the grass is now in the LZ...

More Bling Please!

2011-04-24T14:57:00.000-07:00

I took the day to tidy up some loose ends and complete a project I had on the back burner for some time...installation of the carbon stinger for the T2C.

A work of art to say the least...

I just had to drill a couple holes and attach the elastic cord to the stinger and I was good to go...Overall, a pretty easy project.

Next project: Apply ACP leading edge sticker custom made by John "JT" Taylor...

Fun Day at Ed Levin

2011-04-23T19:36:00.000-07:00

The great Karl Almendinger put on a BBQ today at Ed Levin...with the good vibe of a BBQ came some great flying.

The Canuck and I headed up early for a mid-morning flight after launching two Berkeley H2's...they did really well and we were soon to follow...

The Canuck was able to work some light lift around the the 1200' hill...I chose to strafe the 600' hill and burn it in for a nice landing...the Canuck was soon to follow with a nice landing, also. While we were breaking down our super hero flying machines, ACP's Wayne Michelsen & Brian Foster rolled in with some cool tunes and serious attitude...the finger bangs were flowing and we headed up to the top for some more.

By the time we arrived at the top again, it was soarable. The boys and girls set up quickly and got us some more.

I launched the two H2's again and they had fun first time soaring flights at Ed Levin...fun to see.

The Canuck and Brian launched and got up quickly...after getting my glider set up, I was good to go.

The lift was fun to work, almost easy until I got low over the 600' hill...there was a mix of ridge lift mixed with thermals that had a hard time making up it's mind...eventually, I got up again above launch...very fun!

The Canuck had helium in his bones today and got up to 3800' while the rest looked up to him...damn the Canuck!

Mr. Foster had a good flight....slaying it as he always does.

Karl was doing well judging landings in the LZ until the 2nd bottle of wine, then all hell broke loose!

A great day...life is good.

Two flights: 47 minutes

I am amazing...

2011-04-04T19:07:00.000-07:00

There are times when even I amaze myself...

For instance, this past weekend, I drove to McClure with the Flying Canuck and the next Ryan Goebel, Chad Bogardus...an amazing trio of pilots to say the least.

We hooked up with the locals up at launch around noon. Chad was first off in some challenging conditions, then the Canuck was soon to follow. The flying was a little tempermental...moody if you will.

I was third off and immediately became concerned that someone might drink all the beer in the LZ. I opted to avoid all lift and made my way to the LZ within about 10 minutes...just in time...the 12-pack was still there...not even touched...I had saved it from consumption.

Next weekend, who knows how well I'll fly...it will be high and far, though, because that is what I'll choose to do.

Flight time: 10 minutes (give or take a minute or two)

Here is a video that the next Ryan Goebel, Chad Bogardus, took of my slayin' it into the LZ...

Damn I'm good...

; )

Videos from Funston 3.26.11

2011-03-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

Shot these videos last Saturday at Funston...Each one is pretty much the same perspective, but you get a good idea of how smooth the air was that day.

Video 1 HERE
Video 2 HERE
Video 3 HERE
Video 4 HERE

Funston 3.26.11

2011-03-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

The weather cleared Saturday and delivered some pretty decent flying conditions at the Fort for all of us to enjoy.

I was able to catch these two gliders mating over at Westlake...Note also the "dormant" slide along the back yards of the homes below...it's just a matter of time...

The ever-growing slide licking its way toward the church...

Another wingtip shot looking toward the City...

John Simpson came up to say hello...

View toward Pacifica...

View to the north...

A great reason to stay out of the way of departing SFO traffic...

A great day in the air...

The first flight was nice and smooth with super buoyant air, but there was some weather developing a few miles out on the ocean. Sure enough the wall of grey sky moved its way inward, so we hustled to the LZ and hunkered down while it passed dropping a little rain. Afterward, the flying conditions were a bit more choppy, so I cut my flight short at 26 minutes and decided a beer was a better option.

1st Flight: 1 hour, 2 minutes
2nd Flight: 26 minutes

King Bound in 2011

2011-03-25T23:47:00.001-07:00

There is a team of pilots that will be heading to King in July. We are legends in our own mind and will dominate the skies, or the beer cooler, whichever comes first.

See you at King in 2011!

Team ACP: Trey Kropp, Ryan Goebel, John Taylor, Brian Foster, and Chris Valley...putting the "I" back in "Team"...

More on the King hang gliding event HERE...

McClure Thermaling Part II

2011-03-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

My last trip to McClure, I had a really fun 37 minute flight that included two memorable thermals in somewhat light and marginal conditions.

This video HERE is Part II and includes a cameo by a red tail hawk that paved the way toward me getting back up to launch after having been unzipped and getting ready to land...great time.

Part I is HERE if you'd like to watch that again...you know you want to, so just click on it and watch it one more time...go ahead...don't be shy.

Oh, I get it, you can't stand watching me slayin' it and totally dominating the skies...is that right? Yes, that is the reason. That is OK...just click on Part I, watch it again, take notes, and let me know how I can help you dominate the skies, as well. Domination is a skill to be shared, not coveted all to myself.

Aerochris Goes HD

2011-03-22T20:10:00.000-07:00

Finally got my HD camera editing software set-up...still working on effects and all that, but so far I like CyberLink's Power Director software.

Here is a video thermaling up at McClure a few weeks ago...

Slayin' It at Funston

2011-03-21T07:48:00.000-07:00

Well...sort of.

The weather took a little break from the pummeling rain and opened up the skies for some soarable conditions yesterday at the Fort. I broke out the Sport 2 and got in 4 decent launches with 3 good landings...you do the math.

It was a good time, though, to get some passes in before the rains march their way in again for the rest of the week.

Airtime: Don't know
Altitude: Don't know

Ed Levin Speed Gliding Wrap Up

2011-03-13T20:19:00.001-07:00

A great weekend was had with some really skilled flying by all participants of the speed gliding event...

Day one we were able to run the regular course and each pilot, 18 total, was able to get in a run on the speed course before conditions became too windy...

Day two, Brian and I decided to alter the course due to the building southerly wind conditions both at launch and in the LZ...We opted to forgo the altitude gates, told pilots to stay high, and ended the course at the 300' hill wind sock to allow for a safe approach in the LZ...Our plan worked very well with the 12 pilots able to make it for the second day of the event...

Results:

Rookie Class:
1st, John Hollander, Falcon 3, 2:55.78, DNF, -----
2nd, Mark Suttie, Falcon 225, DNF, DNF, -----

King Post Class:
1st, John Taylor, Ram Air, 1:53.2, 1:36.6, 3:29.8
2nd, Jason French, WW U2 145, 2:03.8, 1:57.7, 4:01.4
3rd, Mark Mulholland, Freedom 170, 2:19.8, 2:25.5, 4:45.3
4th, Robert Booth, Sport2 155, 2:08.2, DNF, -----
5th, Johnny French, Sport2, 2:14.8, DNF, -----
6th, Jim Bowe, Litesport, 2:26.9, DNF, -----

Open Class:
1st, Brian Horgan, Combat, 1:28.6, 1:18.6, 2:47.2
2nd, Kenny Brown, Litespeed, 1:38.9, 1:14.1, 2:52.9
3rd, Eric Froehlich, T2C 154, 1:43.2, 1:25.6, 3:08.8
4th, Ben Dunn, LS RS 3.5, 1:41.6 (+2 gates X 10 sec = 2:01.6), 1:13.8, 3:15.5
5th, Diev Hart, Litesport, 1:52.6, 1:38.2, 3:30.8
6th, Wayne Michelsen, Laminar Z8, 1:54.5, 1:39.6, 3:34.1
7th, Dirk Moris, U2 145, 1:47.3, 1:49.8, 3:37.2
8th, Zac Majors, T2C 144, 1:35.9, DNF, -----
9th, David Royer, Litespeed, 1:44.2, DNF, -----
10th, Pete Welch, Laminar MR2002, 2:12.1, DNF, -----

Here are some pictures I shot over the weekend...it is the people we fly with that make hang-gliding so much fun...looking forward to next year's speed gliding event in 2012!

Winner of Open Class...Brian Horgan

Diev

Diev

Brian & Ryan

Ryan

John Taylor

Brian & Ryan

Wayne Michelsen

Doug & JT

Whack...happens to the best!

Lindsay dropping some major f-bangs after her tandem flight with Ben

She just wouldn't stop!

Ben Dunn

Wayne Michelsen

Until next year!

Ed Levin Speed Gliding 2011

2011-03-12T19:23:00.000-08:00

Well, after much delay due to Mother Nature, we finally got off a decent round of flights with the 18 pilots who showed up today...it was great fun with some really good, safe, runs.

I was doing the timing today at the start gate and created this video of the "slighty" quicker pilots who shot pass me today...

Tomorrow is day two and I hope we get at least one round before we wrap this up until next year...

Stay tuned!

McClure 3.5.11

2011-03-06T20:45:00.000-08:00

Trying to get in a flight before the rains on Sunday, I opted for a trip to McClure this weekend.

I stopped in Waterford along the way to pick up Brian Horgan, then we were on our way...a truckload of ACP's.

Conditions were looking promising, but there was a high cloud layer that blocked out the sunlight just long enough to make things a little more challenging. KM was first off, then everyone else punched off in due time. I decided to hang back once I saw a few people sinking out after about 45 minutes or so.

Then, the cycles started trickling up ever so lightly as the sun started to peek through the high cloud layer.

Once I was satisfied with my cycle I decided to launch and hooked a pretty decent, but light, thermal that got me about 500 to 700 above launch. My patience seemed to have paid off today. I worked what I could along the ridge line searching for birds thermaling and hovering over the rock masses for whatever lift I could find.

After about 25 minutes of flying I started to sink out and headed toward the LZ...

Unzipped, I started setting up my approach when I saw a red tail circling below me...good sign. I headed on over and, sure enough, there was lift to be had...what a lucky break. The red tail had chosen a nice light thermal above the LZ to hand to me, so I took it. Within about 10 turns, my feathered friend had climbed above me, but that was to be expected. I didn't take it personally and enjoyed the added 15 minutes of airtime the thermal gave me.

Within time, the lift topped out and conditions were back to light, so I headed on back to the LZ for a nice landing and a beer or two. The LZ party was great fun, and dinner afterward was fun, as well, with Will, Robert, Walter, Vikram, Pam, and KM.

I crashed in Glen's trailer at Shore Fun, then had breakfast in Coulterville with the locals. The rainy drive home was fun.

Blogs are so much better than Facebook...

Flight time: 37 minutes (I minute less than Walter!)

Anchor Steam Brewery Tour

2011-03-03T19:24:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, our good friend Crystel Stanford set up an Anchor Steam Brewery tour for Brian, Christina, Urs, Ben, and me...it was like Lego Land for adults.

Our tour guide, Tom, explains the fermenting process...

Brian was stoked to be standing by some hops...

We toured the lower level of the brewery and got to see the cooling tanks, bottling, filtering, and packaging...

Hops...

Heaven...

Hardware...

Signs, banners, and old advertisement...

Big Brother and the Holding Company toured Anchor Steam when I was about 2 or 3 years old apparently...Janis was looking good, as always...

Ben modeling his new "iPhone"...Brian approving...

Brian holding Christina's bag...

An old GMC Anchor Steam Brewery "mascot"...

Vintage wall sign...

We got to sample every beer they had on tap...not once, but a few times!

This was the most fun I have had in a long time...thank you Crystel for making it all happen!

All photos taken with iPhone...

Tam 2.27.11

2011-02-27T21:31:00.001-08:00

Tam delivered some soarable conditions today with a mix of broken thermals.

If Lindsay Lohan was a thermal, she would have been a Tam thermal today...

***

The morning email threads resulted in me and the Flying Canuck racing up to the City to pick up Enzo. After a quick stop to grab a sandwich for the day, we were on our way up to Tam.

Enzo launched first and I was soon to follow...the Canuck was close behind...

Soon we were above launch watching the Sonoma Wingers set up their gliders...

It only took 5+ years of flying Tam, but I finally got a picture looking down on launch...

Fun day...

I have been giving Tam a little more of my time this season in-lieu of other sites like Mission and McClure. Tam can be a fickle site, but no matter what you get, the flying is always great...landing on Stinson Beach is one of my favorite hang-gliding experiences.

Finally made the Mt. Tam soaring log too...

Flight time: 50 minutes
Altitude: 2414' MSL

The Evening Shift

2011-02-21T20:19:00.000-08:00

As I'm racing down Skyline Boulevard, I see hanggliders and paragliders high above West Lake. I'm already late for my evening shift at Fort Funston. I hope I hit the stop lights right to get an extra 3 minutes of airtime this evening.

I'd hate for The Boss to be upset with me.

He doesn't like it when I'm late.

I continue driving and notice the ocean has a perfect orange peel texture to it - clear to the horizon. The air is smooth with plenty of lift - I can tell. I step on the gas as the light turns yellow behind me. One more stop light and I'm there.

The Boss is waiting.

You see, I work the evening shift at Fort Funston, and I take my job very seriously.

I get lucky and find a parking spot right up front...more time saved. The Boss is smiling. You'll have to accept a nod as hello for now...I'm running late. I don't like to keep The Boss waiting. I hope you understand. Besides, we can talk later.

We always do...

It's time to stuff battens into my glider...leave me alone.

The Boss tells me it's been good the whole day. I continue to stuff battens into my glider. The Boss approves...can't be in that big a rush, though. The Boss tells me to do a thorough pre-flight. I know this, but simply smile and get to work. I then hook in and walk out to launch. The Boss is walking along side me, hands clasped behind his back, checking out my glider and smiling. I start my long-stride run toward the cliff edge, and in no time, I'm on the clock. I made it with a minute to spare. Catching the tail end of that yellow light really paid off.

My evening shift has begun with plenty of sunlight left, too.

The Boss nods with approval and gives me a thumbs up. I'm on my way.

The Boss tells me to join all the others who were able to show up for work this evening. So, I head on down to West Lake in the super buoyant air. Is this a shear? It feels like it, but I never really noticed any significant line on the ocean. Maybe this will be a nice mellow shear...my favorite. The evening shift is going to deliver something different tonight - I have a feeling.

I continue to climb effortlessly. Sure enough, The Boss ordered a nice mellow shear for us to play in - one of the perks that comes with working the evening shift once in a while. The Boss knew this, but didn't tell me. I join the rest of my co-workers.

I love this job.

I hope The Boss doesn't mind if I work late this evening.

February Flying

2011-02-21T09:07:00.000-08:00

Where to fly was the question this past Sunday.

Diablo, Mission, Tam, and Funston were all looking good.

We opted to give Tam a try, but the gate at the top was locked due to snow and marginal road conditions (same with Diablo), at least by California standards. A great write-up by Gerry P HERE for those who decided to hike their gliders in at Tam. They got up in the air and 1000' above launch...well deserved. Some historic pictures where had from the air by Gerry in the link above.

The rest of us decided to head back to Funston...that also was a good call.

I had three flights yesterday afternoon...On my third flight, I headed on down to an almost vacant Westlake for some much needed airtime. Diev and I had two fun games of "chicken" that I hope he got on tape. Otherwise, it was just fun to be in the air for my first long flight of 2011.

Three Flights: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Altitude: 1094' MSL

Achievements of 2010

2011-02-19T10:59:00.000-08:00

2010 was a year of great achievements for my hang-gliding buddies...who can forget the domination that took place in the Owens Valley?

Who knows...next year maybe we'll fly all the way to the bailout LZ on Whitney Portal Road!

Link to this incredible moment HERE...

Or, here:

ACP's Go Biking

2011-02-17T20:18:00.003-08:00

Here's a little video I threw together of a recent bike ride...

View HERE...

Or, here...

The Fort 2.16.11

2011-02-16T19:16:00.000-08:00

Today we thought Funston might be working. I took a 1/2 day off work to try and get some much needed air, but when I arrived the winds had ramped up a tad too high for me. Marginal Mark was in the air, but had launched sooner when winds were in the low 20's or thereabout. Diver Dave put on a fun show and it was great to hang out with everyone during a sunny time of the storm cells that are rolling through the Bay Area this week.

I made a video, too...bang!

Click HERE to see it...

Or here...

Flight time: 0

Ed Levin 2.13.2011

2011-02-13T20:16:00.000-08:00

Ed Levin looked like the place to go today, so that is where we headed. Winds were expected to be WSW with maybe even a little more south predicted, but the pre-frontal conditions never really materialized as we had hoped...some good flying took place though regardless...

Ryan was really looking forward to ordering a new T2C...you can tell by the smile on his face!

We had not been flying much that last few weeks. This weekend seemed to get our heads all dialed-in again with some nice launches and landings...

Two Flights: 17 whopping minutes!

Bang!

Tam 2.12.2011

2011-02-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

The masses braved the construction work in the City and drove up to Tam for a nice flight. Tam delivered it's sledder-type conditions, but all had fun.

John setting up his glider with ACP concentration...

The beach was as much fun as the flying...

John anxiously awaiting someone to give him a high five...

A lot of fun can happen in just 9 minutes of airtime...it was good to blow off the cobwebs and hang out with good friends. After we packed up, we headed up the the Mountain Home Inn (along Panaoramic Highway) for a beer, then John and Brian and I headed to Hola! for Mexican food and more laughter than I've had in a long time.

Wendy's New Bike

2011-02-06T10:39:00.001-08:00

Winds prevented us from having the speed gliding event this weekend, so Wendy and I went for a 30-mile bike ride over to the Windy Hill LZ in Portola Valley.

It was a nice day and Wendy's bike looks sweet!

Getting What We Can When We Can Get It...

2011-01-23T19:21:00.001-08:00

...or the something like that.

The Canuck and I headed out to Ed Levin today to see what the day's conditions would deliver.

Winds were light and over the back...

...so we set up...

...and headed to the ENE facing launch. But, the winds decided to trickle in from the WSW, so we headed over to the WSW facing launch.

The Canuck was first off and made his way to the LZ after boating around the 300 and 600 foot launches for a little while...(the first person to find the Canuck in this picture will be rewarded with an awesome year of flying in 2011!)

I was next to launch. Conditions made for sledders, but it was good to get in a nice solid launch and landing today...got The Monkey off my back for the week.

After our flights, I observed Kristy Hardy on her first flight off the top...she was stoked and had a good time. Once again, another observer bringing joy and happiness to the flying community...totally ACP!

Flight time: 7 minutes

Looking Back at 2010

2011-01-20T18:45:00.000-08:00

Although I flew fewer hours than in 2009, I'd have to say 2010 was a satisfying year overall.

Flight Time: 73 hours, 20 minutes
Number of flights: 123 (not including a day or two of numerous touch and goes at Funston)
Longest Flight: 3 hours, 25 minutes

2010 Started out with a nice flight at Windy Hill and ended with a couple nice flights at Big Sur. In between, we traveled to Chelan, plus I added Crestline and Dunlap to my list of sites flown. Hopefully in 2011 I'll add another two, maybe three, sites to the list.

John "JT" Taylor checking out the conditions on the ramp at Dunlap

This year I'd like to push for 100 hours and get in some greater XC miles...maybe break my 10-mile barrier at Owens or even surpass my 37-mile personal best that I achieved at Chelan in 2009. Maybe this will be the year for all that.

Wing tip shot over McClure...

"Skying Out" over Mission Peak...

2010 seemed to be a year of low-saves and working thermals more efficiently, being patient and not giving up. Despite a poor showing at both the Owens Valley and Chelan, I have to say 2010 was a good year, hanging with good friends and making the best of whatever cards Mother Nature dealt.

How could I forget the debut of Slayin' It! as well?!

I even went for a sailplane ride with fellow HG pilot Matt Epperson.

And, let's not forget my "epic" flight at Windy Hill on Veteran's Day...

I'm sensing 2011 will be another year of aerial domination!

There's a lot to be thankful for in this sport and with life in general...

Yes...2011 will be a good year!

Fly Safe!

Ed Levin Speed Gliding Lives!

2011-01-11T19:06:00.001-08:00

Mr. Foster and I, with the help of the Flying Canuck and Wayne "Base Tube Breaker" Michelsen set up the speed course for Ed Levin Speed Gliding 2011 this past weekend...

We harkened back to a revised version of prior speed gliding courses and think it'll be a fun time for those who participate.

The start gate is at the base of the SW launch area and allows for a nice long, bar stuffed, entry into the course...then comes the fun.

At the first turnpoint, you need to make a hard right turn around a cluster of oak trees and dive down toward the second turnpoint...then it is on to the 600 foot hill for an altitude gate that leads you to the 300 foot hill.

After another altitude gate at the 300 foot hill, you're home free except for one more turnpoint prior to the finish line.

Ed Levin Speed Gliding 2011 will happen February 5th & 6th...be there!

Bringing in the New Year...ACP Style!

2011-01-02T19:11:00.001-08:00

The New Year was brought in at Big Sur with a great group of pilots who made the drive and braved what Mother Nature had to offer...

Casa de Valley for the weekend...Wendy and I rented a 22-foot travel trailer this time around. It towed great and made the inclement weather fun...

At Wild Cattle launch, the Unknown Pilot made an appearance letting us know which way the wind was blowing...

This year we landed at Harry's Ridge to say goodbye to 2010 and hello to 2011...

10 pilots landed on the ridge for some great photo-ops...

Then we flew down to the LZ...one drive up and two flights.

Happy New Year!

McClure 12.27.10

2010-12-27T22:53:00.000-08:00

Rolling the dice on McClure today seemed like a good idea, so I headed out for a day trip in between the rains hoping for a decent flight. I hadn't been to McClure for quite a while and needed to refill my soul with...well...with McClure!

Will, KM and I had the entire site to ourselves with a few other locals, Jimmy, Chuck, and Jerrod offering to drive for us today.

While we were setting up, the clouds started to develop a little more and things were looking good...As I was setting up and getting my harness ready, I noticed I had forgotten the battery to my camera...good omen...it was going to be a good flying day.

KM launched first and was getting up in the south bowl...Will launched second, found not much to the north, then was getting up in the south bowl, as well. It was a launch and turn left kind-of day, so I followed everyone to the south bowl.

This was a really rewarding flight because I was working stuff that was not being handed to me on a silver platter. For the first 40 minutes I'd get above launch a few hundred feet, then get below launch a few hundred feet, then above launch again.

My persistence paid off with reaching cloud base at a little over 3000 MSL.

The eagles were out today, also, and it was fun to see KM working with them in the south bowl on his return trip from Horseshoe. Will was playing at cloudbase for the majority of his flight, it seemed, taunting me.

The three of us landed and were stoked with the day. I have not flown as many hours as last year, but have had a number of satisfying flights more than making up for the lack of airtime in 2010.

Maybe I should forget my camera batteries at the Owens in 2011!

Flight time: 1 hour, 6 minutes
Altitude: 3032' MSL

Tam 12.24.10

2010-12-24T18:57:00.000-08:00

It has been almost a full month since my last flight...I'd been missing some of the good flying days in and out of the rains that had been rolling through the Bay Area recently.

Ben Dunn and I thought A-launch at Tam would be good today. With winds predicted SSE, we decided to give it a go. When we arrived, launch was blowing 20 to 25 mph with cloudbase a couple hundred feet up.

We set up quickly with cloudbase becoming variable, but with enough breaks for it to still be a go.

Ben was off first and I was soon to follow. The air was a ratty mix of ridge lift, shear, and thermal...a wonderful mix of air to blow the cob webs out of almost a whole month of not flying...all of it felt really good today.

Out in front of B-launch with Ben working lift...

I spent a majority of this rather short flight above launch...

As quickly as it had begun, it soon ended...within 17 minutes, I was on the beach after what felt like an easterly cycle, but with a big smile knowing we had both flown in some challenging conditions for Tam.

Tracey hung out with us today, also, and made the day all the more enjoyable by not only driving for us, but for just hanging with us, as well.

A great Christmas Eve!

Flight time: 17 minutes...

Tam 12.11.10

2010-12-12T07:17:00.000-08:00

Conditions were looking promising for Tam on Saturday, but the Weather Goddess had other plans for us ~ hang-waiting...

There'd be no flying today due to heavy low lying fog and the wind blowing over the back...it was a beautiful day nonetheless...

Happy Birthday Russell!

Mission 11.28.10

2010-11-29T20:22:00.000-08:00

A great group of pilots showed up to fly Mission this past Sunday...the ACP Airforce was in full swing...

Urs

Paul

Carm sporting her ACP gear...

George

Brian, Ryan, and Wayne playin' it cool...

A lot of other pilots were at Mission this past Sunday, too, but no pictures...it was time to fly.

The soaring conditions were marginal, but we all had high hopes of something turning on at some point during the day. Typically in WNW conditions, we launch and turn right to work the ridge line toward the north. Sunday's conditions were pretty switchy, so I turned left after launching instead.

Working my way to the south I was hoping to find something...anything.

About five minutes into the flight, I found a small broken thermal just above the hiking trail about 1/3rd the way down the hillside. Working what I could, I managed to get above launch, then above Mission Peak. The thermal seemed to top out a little over 3000' MSL...not bad and pretty lucky as far as I'm concerned.

So, what do I do when I get nice and high in marginal lift? I pull on 3/4 VG and dive that glider right back down to launch to show everyone how cool I am!

That's what I do!

Then I sink out, too!

Not quite...I worked some more marginal lift down low as best I could for another 8 minutes or so. It was good to get in the scratching practice and even better to hang with some good friends.

Note to self: Next time you get high...stay high!

Flight time: 33 minutes
Altitude: 3015' MSL

A Break from Tradition

2010-11-25T15:12:00.001-08:00

For the last decade, Wendy and I have been going to Stinson Beach for Thanksgiving. Prior to my taking up hang-gliding, we'd go to the San Francisco Auto Show, then go to the beach. The last few years, I'd drop Wendy off at Stinson, she'd then ride her bike up the Bolinas / Fairfax road, connect to the ridge road, then over to launch. I'd then fly down, and we'd eat on the beach.

This year we broke from tradition and headed to Windy Hill instead...

Windy Hill is a sweet little flying site located along Skyline Blvd above Portola Valley. I got a late start today and didn't get up to launch until 11am. I trudged the .2 mile hike with my glider up to launch. The muddy trail made the hike a little treacherous with the 72 pound glider on my shoulders, but I finally made it up to launch.

Meanwhile, Wendy was riding her bike from our place in San Mateo into Woodside and Portola Valley, then up Old La Honda Road to Skyline and on to where my truck was parked at the Windy Hill Preserve.

I set up fairly quick in the cold conditions, but knew I should have arrived an hour earlier...I had quite a crowd at launch, but got off with little wait. As soon as I launched, I heard a voice yell "Hi Christopher, have fun!" That was Wendy having just arrived at launch to say hi.

The thermals were fairly broken and I could not make any use of the dwindling ridge lift. I managed to get in a couple turns in a thermal, but got dumped out just as quick as I got in. Making my way down toward the LZ I tried my usual reliable thermal spot, but no luck today. I found a bird that I thought was thermaling, but he was on a beeline to the north...forget it.

I worked my way over to the LZ and was glad I took the time to put up the streamers today...the wind was from the ENE and blowing pretty good...no downwind uphill landing today...I'd have to thread my glider through the oak trees and get it down low on the postage stamp LZ for the usual downhill upwind landing. Swinging out wide over the friendly neighbor to the north, I got the glider below treeline on my base leg, made a low turn on final for a stress free no-stepper landing with a few hundred feet to spare before the treeline along Portola Valley Road.

Within 15 minutes of my landing, Wendy was in the parking lot with the truck and my beer. There were lots of happy people at Windy today and lots of people asking questions about hang-gliding and such. It was fun to share the day with everyone.

Windy has it's challenges...staying up is the first challenge. Landing is always the second challenge, but rewarding when done well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Flight time: Not worth mentioning
Altitude: Does it really matter?

Free Stuff Giveaway...

2010-11-14T15:34:00.001-08:00

UPDATE: It is hard to believe, but all of my stuff has been given away. This goes to prove that people like my junk, and like touching my junk, too!

Went through the garage today to lessen the amount of "stuff" I have...

George Carlin had a great routine on "stuff" HERE...

Tired of having too much stuff, so below is a picture of hang-gliding stuff I'm giving away...

Yes, giving away. I don't need it. I don't want it. None of this stuff is making me a better pilot or a better human being, so it is yours.

Stuff I'm giving away:

* Gunnison Glider XC Harness Bag
* Gunnison Glider Tie-Down Straps
* 4 12-foot Yakima Tie-Down Straps
* Wills Wing Z5 Harness Bag
* 2 Wills Wing Stock Carabiners
* Wills Wing Haul Back Tool
* Complete Sail Repair / Sewing Kit
* 3 Small Size Bags (Would come in handy to put all this stuff you feel you need)
* Assorted Schedule 40 PVC Tube and Curved Fittings for Camera Mounts
* Small Size First Aid Kit
* Hook Knife Sleeve
* 3" Remora Knife with Plastic Sheath
* Two Icaro Visors (Smoke and mirror type...minor scuffs)
* Old School Flytec Instrument Mount for GPS and Vario
* Manfrotto Camera Mount Clamp
* Minolta DiMAGE G400 Digital Camera (4 mega pixels with charger...needs SD card)
* Petzl Headlamp (Runs on 4 AA batteries)
* 6 Velcro D-Ring Glider Straps
* Nostalgia-type German Shorty Carbon Fiber Helmet (Not recommended for hang-gliding or any activity where you would like your brain to survive even minor impact...size large)
* Flytec Vario Mount (base only...from a time way back when I piled in at King and destroyed my vario mount)
* 3 Assorted Clamps by Tek Flight Products

You can have all this stuff, or just some of this stuff...my stuff is your stuff!

The Price of Fruit

2010-11-12T18:59:00.001-08:00

There must come a time in our lives where the price of fruit becomes so meaningful it stops traffic, or at least the flow of traffic in the express checkout lane at Safeway.

This morning, rushing to meet up with Brian at Windy Hill, I made a quick trip to Safeway to get Wendy some Popsicles for her sore throat. This can't take long, I thought. I raced into Safeway, grabbed the Popsicle box that didn't have lime Popsicles (Wendy hates lime Popsicles) and made my way to the express checkout lane. In front of me was a lady buying some apples...I could hear her say, "$2.99 a pound?...But, the display said they were only $1.99 a pound..." or something to that effect.

"Price check for Check Out 1...something, something, apples, blah, blah, blah..."

I have to hand it to the checker...he was one cool dude...way cooler than me in this situation. He then called in two more checkers as the "express lane" was now 12 deep due to this lady's fixation with the price of apples. Sure enough, the price came back confirmed at $2.99 a pound for the apples.

"I don't want them, then," the lady said...

What was more amazing was the gridlock this lady caused due to her unwillingness to pay $1 more for a pound of apples...one bloody dollar! Twelve people deep in the express checkout resulted in two, TWO, people being called off break to get traffic flowing again.

The lady walked out of Safeway...mission accomplished!

Fast forward to this evening...

I am in the Safeway express checkout lane...again...buying some beer, Grape Nuts, and instant oatmeal. I am third in line, and guess what? Seriously, take a guess! Another lady was debating the price of fruit with the checkout guy. This time though the fruit de jour was raspberries and blackberries. Apparently, there was confusion whether blackberries had the same discount price as raspberries. NOPE! Blackberries were full price today, which put this lady into a complete tailspin. All I could do was stand in line and smile, realizing I have experienced something few humans experience...two completely different ladies debating the price of fruit in the express checkout lane at Safeway on the same day.

Windy Hill 11.12.10

2010-11-12T18:04:00.001-08:00

Windy Hill went back to being a little more fickle today for Brian and me...

We got in extended sledders, working last minute bubbly lift above the LZ, with the added bonus of seeing a bobcat, as well.

Brian caught the little "kitty" making a break for it as he came in on final. Have a look off the tip of Brian's boot and you'll see the bobcat looking up at what must have seemed like a giant hawk swooping down on its prey.

Picture by Brian Foster

Good time with beer and an early afternoon breakfast at Alice's Restaurant afterward...

Windy Hill is truly a gem of a flying site...hope nobody finds out about it!

; > )

Flight time: 12 minutes

Windy Hill 11.11.10

2010-11-11T16:07:00.000-08:00

Windy Hill can be a fickle site at times...

Winds were from the ENE and seemed to ramp up to around 12 to 15 mph at launch. I was set-up and ready to go before 11 am today. Once I found a decent cycle, I was off, hoping for whatever Windy had to offer...

I couldn't stay in close to the knob right off launch, so headed out toward the ridgeline to the north. I could feel the air was fairly buoyant...a mix of thermals and ridgelift, my favorite. I thought I might just get an extended sledder at first, but found a nice bubble of something above one of the grape fields at the 1/2 way point between launch and the LZ. I dumped my VG and worked what I could of the broken thermal...the day seemed to get better from there on out.

Mt Umunhum is south toward San Jose and just off the tip of my vario in this picture, the farthest range you can see...

Looking north toward San Francisco...

The scenery was beautiful once I finally settled into the flight...

Looking down on launch and the parking area...

Looking south toward San Jose...

View over the back toward San Gregorio and the ocean...

Decided to top land today for a change...

Breaking down your glider near your truck after top landing at Windy Hill is a rare treat...

Wendy, tired of hanging around the house with a head cold, drove to the LZ hoping to see me land, but I was still in the air. She had to look up to find me today. She drove up Old La Honda Road to join me while I was breaking down the glider for some great company and breathtaking scenery up on the ridgeline.

Afterward, we headed down to the Parkside Grill in Portola Valley for a beer and lunch...we were a little late for their lunchtime menu, but they sat us down anyway and made us feel at home...too cool!

This day / flight will stick with me for quite some time...

Airtime: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Altitude: 2503' MSL

Choices...

2010-11-09T21:48:00.000-08:00

Launches are optional...

Landings are mandatory...

Wonderboy / Mike Bomstad shot this footage of me landing HERE at Chelan. Take a look at the trees and you'll see how much the LZ was cranking this day. Not many people chose to fly this day, the first day of the meet at the Chelan XC Classic this year.

A few other landings from that day, as well...

Here, here, here, here, and here...

...and, lets not forget the Flying Canuck's landing from 2009!

A Different Kind of Soaring 11.6.10

2010-11-07T08:10:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I have to get away from the ACP hang-gliding groupies and refresh my soul. Signing autographs and such was giving me writer's cramp...The pressure of meeting John Taylor's ruthless deadlines for Slayin' It! was really taking its toll.

I needed some "me time"...I needed to try something new, something different, but it had to have something to do with flying...

***

For the last twenty years I have wanted to fly in a sailplane. Fellow hang-gliding pilot / firefighter and all-around great guy (and fellow ACP) Matt Epperson offered up a spot on the Duo Discus this past Saturday. Matt has been flying sailplanes for a little over a year in addition to hang-gliding. I've been following Matt's sailplane adventures on his blog and had been itching to go for a flight.

Matt doing the pre-flight...

The Duo Discus...

Before we were towed up, though, I had to take note of a father with his young daughter and the flight park cat getting a ride on a golf cart...

Either the daughter or the cat will make a fine pilot someday...

Before long, we were under tow, heading west toward St. John and Snow Mountain peaks, Mendocino National Forest, and Indian & Bear Valley areas...

A controlled burn along the way made for a great wind direction indicator...

We released from the tug at around 5500' MSL and started hunting for areas of lift...right off the bat we were finding 300' / minute sink...no worries...Matt does this all the time, right?

At this point, and assuming we didn't find anymore sink, we'd still make it back to the airport with 800 feet to spare above the 1500' AGL aiport landing space. The glide with a sailplane takes some getting used to compared to hang-gliders...

Within about 10 minutes of hunting and pecking, Matt was feeling some bubbles of lift from the predicted wave conditions that were supposed to happen. We were still "low", but the beeping sound of our vario indicated we might actually have a decent flight today...

Before long, we had gained 2500', and had reached 8000' MSL, as Matt worked the wave-like conditions...

Then another 1000'...

Then, finally, 12,500' MSL...

The air temperature at 12,500' MSL was below freezing, but the Duo Discus had somewhat of a greenhouse affect and kept us much warmer than the outside temps...the effort it took to get to our max altitude was similar to working a light, but buoyant shear, at Funston. At least that is what I have to compare Saturday's flight.

The view from 12,500' MSL looking east...

The view from 12,500' MSL looking west toward Clear Lake with Indian Valley Reservoir in the lower portion of the pic...

Matt offered to let me fly, but I was content to sit back and enjoy the ride. I was really impressed with his flying and command of the sailplane...amazing what he has learned in a little over a year of flying these things. I can see myself taking lessons someday and joining him in the air.

After about 3 hours, we chased the long evening shadows back to the Williams airfield. We had 7 mph cross winds and Matt brought the Duo Discus in for a sweet landing.

Happy Chris...

Airtime: 3.5 hours
Max Altitude: 12,500'+ MSL

A Tam Halloween

2010-11-02T21:01:00.000-07:00

Sometimes the best of flying doesn't always involve a lot of airtime...I've learned that over the years of my hang-gliding career. This past weekend was an example of how much fun hang-gliding really is for me.

Saturday, we all made the call to give Ed Levin a try. Most of the pilots were heading up to the top, but a few of us wanted to give the 600-foot launch a try, then see if we could work our way up the hillside with the others. In other words, we'd earn our soaring flight rather than just drive to the top to give it a go. Well, as Brian stated at launch while we were setting up, "I bet 50% of us will make it up today." Those weren't his exact words, but he was pretty much right. Of the five pilots who gave the 600 a go, 2 were able to get up and stay up. I was not one of those pilots to get up and stay up on Saturday; but, I'm going to give this type of flying a little more attention in the future, especially during the upcoming months when Ed Levin can deliver some really good conditions.

Sunday, Halloween, we all chose to go to Tam. Over a dozen pilots showed up and we all were spread between A, B, and C launches. Conditions were post frontal, and the flying looked favorable...

Brian, Wayne and Phil Ray made a go for A launch while Gerry, Ben, and I thought B launch would work...the Berkeley crowd headed for C launch. Brian, Wayne, and Phil were off first at A launch. It was fun to see them work their way along the ridge in front of us, getting what they could. Wayne seemed to be maintaining pretty well. Gerry launched next, then Ben, then me...We were a bit late in the day and may have missed out on the better conditions, but that was OK.

***

There is a type of landing called a "beat up" in hang-gliding where the pilot gathers a lot of speed, then swoops down on the downwind portion of the landing pattern, gets within a few feet of the ground, then eases the bar out for a nice 180-degree turn back on final for a landing. When peformed well, it is a fun landing approach, and even more fun when a flying buddy has a camera to catch the action. When peformed poorly, a lot can go wrong really quick. I've been laying awake at night for the last 6 months thinking of ways to do this maneuver. It really is all about energy retention and gaining enough altitude at the end of the swoop (beat-up) to make the 180-degree turn back to final. It is really important to have 110% confidence in your equipment and what that equipment will do for you with you at the controls. A topless, high-performance glider is a key ingredient. Anyway, I decided Sunday was the day to go for it. How many videos can I watch of others doing a "beat-up" before I have to try it myself? Flying buddy and ACP extraordinaire, Brian Foster, caught the action HERE...

After the flying and hanging out at Stinson, we headed to the Mountain House along the road back down the Mill Valley...this is a really cool pub / restaurant which is just pretentious enough to make it humorous, but fun at the same time. No doubt, ACP's will be heading back to the Mountain House to impress the "locals"...

Winter flying season is here!

McClure Oktoberfest 2010 Landings

2010-10-18T21:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick video I threw together of this past Sunday's speedrun landings at McClure...I was first to launch and had some time to get set-up midway along the chute for some nice landing video.

McClure Oktoberfest 2010 Landings from Chris Valley on Vimeo.

Oktoberfest was great fun this year with a great turnout of fine pilots and people to hang with...I took Thursday and Friday off work, also, and got in two really nice flights those two days.

Oh the Humanity! (Part II)

2010-10-11T05:03:00.000-07:00

Another weekend of slayin' it in the Bay Area flying scene has come and gone.

Saturday, ACP's Brian Foster and Tom Low and I flew Windy Hill for extended sledders and burgers and beer at Alice's Restaurant on Skyline...The Flying Canuck was kind enough to drive for us as he didn't have his paperwork completed. So, the four of us enjoyed hanging out and discussing various methods of piling in if one were to box himself into a tall grove of redwood trees along Skyline Road. ACP Tom was convinced he could pull off what I call the "Don Garlit's drag racing maneuver" whereby one keeps his chute in hand, then releases it at the last second for a drag racing chute deployment. Tom claims this has worked once for him, but that it is a method that requires practice. Brian on the other hand felt a safer method would be to deploy one's chute from about 100-feet up, then hope for the best as he floated down amongst the tall redwood trees. The Canuck and I felt an even safer method would be to not fly into the redwood trees to begin with, but that is still up for debate.

Sunday, the ACP's made the best of pre-shear, post-crap winds at Funston. The goal, apparently, was to launch and try to top land. I missed that memo and thought everyone had decided to land on the beach, so I led the way. ACP's Brian and Diver Dave helped me carry up as the party moved to the launch area instead of the beach.

All was good and the quesadilla and beer tasted great afterward.

Cheers!

Oh, The Humanity!

2010-10-07T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well, I'll put it this way...last weekend I flew.

I flew at Ed Levin for an epic 7 minute sledder.

And, I flew at Mission ridge for an even more epic 15 minute flight in air that felt like 100-foot diameter tumbleweeds rolling across the sky. The funny thing about the Mission fight was that right off launch I got a couple hundred feet above Mission Peak, then down again, then up again, then down again...so I landed...done...time for a beer.

The link HERE is of Brian Foster dropping in a text book ACP landing in the Mission LZ.

Bang!

The ACP Newsletter Debut

2010-09-29T12:46:00.000-07:00

John Taylor, Ryan Goebel, Brian Foster, and I have been busy writing recent articles for Slayin' It, the new Ace Comp Pilot (ACP) newsletter.

This was in response to demand from the flying community to read more on what it means to be an ACP...yes...the demand was that great, thus the newsletter.

This month's article features an article by Brian Foster explaining the benefits of having an ACP sticker on your helmet. Even a Hello Kitty helmet can by ACP certified with the proper sticker. Ryan Goebel waxes philosophic about how to treat your lady while on a flying trip. John "JT" Taylor interviews ACP Eric Froehlich. Eric loves to ease one out before each flight...don't we all? Then, finally, I rate specific flying sites based upon helmet sticker criteria.

Click HERE for a peak at Slayin' It...hot off the press!

Bang!

Crestline: Day 4 Recap

2010-09-28T12:50:00.001-07:00

Many of my fans have been writing asking how my flight was on Day 4 at Crestline...

Well, I flew for a 1/2 an hour, then piled in like a total ACP animal upon landing. Infact, I wouldn't really call it a landing, but more of a controlled "skid" that went abruptly into a WHACK! I faired well and the glider came out of it all without a scratch or broken downtube. After my display of ACP landing prowess, I erupted into my usual tyrade of self-abuse and swearing to the delight of all the locals.

I'm looking forward to flying Crestline again, though. The days spent with Wendy were really fun and I'll be slayin' it again at that site in short time.

Today I get to have an ACP endoscopy at 4 PM...

Crestline ~ Day 4

2010-09-17T08:16:00.000-07:00

The winds today look to be from the south, 6 to 8 mph...could be a good day for flying. XC Skies is calling for higher thermal tops than yesterday with lift above ground looking better, too...

We'll see what the conditions bring for my last day of flying here at Crestline...

Crestline ~ Day 3 of Flying

2010-09-16T20:14:00.001-07:00

Day 3 started out with potential for some great XC flying...Upon driving up to launch, though, one could see a fairly significant inversion layer at about the 4500' line...it could be a great day if I could stay above the inversion layer (highly unlikely), or it will be a lot of work bumping my way along the ridge above Marshal...

I was above launch in a few minutes, but the lift was intermittent and soon I was below the ridge line trying to get up again...not to happen this flight, so I headed out toward Marshal, similar to Wednesday's flight...

Once out to Marshal, I thought I'd be on the deck sooner than expected, but was able to work a few thermals back up to the inversion layer where I was promply knocked practically unconscious each time I made it up to 4400' to 4600' MSL...After about an hour of this, I decided it was time for a beer and landed...there is a lot to learn at Crestline and this week has been a great education.

The Wills Wing boys were testing there newest production of gliders for soon-to-be owners. It was great to see all this brand new gliders in the air today.

Flight Time: 1 hour, 13 minutes.
Altitude: 5600' MSL

Last day of flying Crestline tomorrow, then heading back home on Saturday...It has been great meeting the local pilots in this area and we'll be looking forward to future trips to this flying site.

Crestline ~ Day Three

2010-09-16T10:43:00.000-07:00

Day three at Crestline is calling for much lighter winds from the WSW / West, so we'll see what that brings for flying conditions.

Today's "task" for me will be to see how far I can fly out and return.

More later...

Crestline ~ Day Two

2010-09-15T20:40:00.000-07:00

Wendy and I met up with local pilot, Jonathan Dietch, at 1 pm up at launch today...the day's task was to, hopefully, get in an XC flight.

Oh, such high hopes...

After getting the driver / communication thing down, Jonathan and I launched. Right from the get-go, I was struggling to stay up above the ridge line. I couldn't seem to find anything substantial for lift no matter how slow or determined I flew. After about 15 minutes of watching me struggle, Jonathan made a dash to the east for his XC flight.

I went into survival mode...

There is a gap one must cross between Crestline launch and Marshal to make it to the LZ. If one gets low, you need to creep around the Marshal ridge. If you can't make it, you plant yourself on a bailout LZ toward the mouth of the canyon. I didn't want to land in the bailout, so I fought and hunted for lift all I could. I was able to find a bubble of something to get me over the lower portion of Marshal ridge within glide to Andy Jackson Flight Park LZ...that was the good news. The bad news is that I had only been in the air less than 25 minutes. I really wanted to fly for more than a half hour today.

I could not find much in the world of thermals along the lower portion of Marshal ridge. I headed out to the LZ, unzipped my harness, and prepared to land...well, the beer will taste great when Wendy arrives in the LZ. It is a shame to beat the driver to the LZ.

At about 200 feet AGL, I was eyeing what approach to take when I felt a slight bubble of air...beep, beep, beep went the vario. I pushed the bar out and gently worked the very light bubble of lift...beep, beep, beep...the vario kept indicating lift here and there, so I kept working what I could...up 50 feet, down 75, up 100 feet, down 50...this went on for about 15 minutes. I was getting tired, but didn't want to give up.

Finally, the thermal(s) became more defined and I was getting 100 feet up per minute, maybe 200. Then 200 became 400 feet up per minute...Hope was within sight.

The LZ became smaller and smaller...I was winning the battle, but not out of the trenches.

With little warning, the right side of my wing banked high and the vario was going off like crazy...I hard-banked to the right and had about 1000 feet up per minute to work. This went on until I reached 6100' MSL. At about 5000' MSL, I decided to zip up my harness again and get back into XC mode...

Oh, such high hopes again...

At 6100', I decide to chase Jonathan to the east, but was losing close to 750 to 1000 feet by the time I got to Hwy 18...time to turn-around and work Marshal for more lift...that was how the day went...get low along the western portion of Marshal, hook a boomer, get high, then get low again...a great lessen in patience and thermaling today.

Jonathan had a great flight today with 40+ mile out and return flight...hat's off!

Flight Time: 2 hours, 8 minutes
Altitude: 6100' MSL

Day 3 at Crestline tomorrow...

BANG!

A Change of Plans

2010-09-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Originally, Wendy and I were going to head down to San Diego Thursday of this week. We've decided to stay here at Crestline and get the most of what this area has to offer, then head back home on Saturday...less driving and more flying makes sense. Besides, Wendy found a swimming pool at CSU San Bernadino to get some laps in during our stay.

Crestline is an amazing place to fly with great XC potential. Andy Jackson Flight Park is one of the nicest LZ's I've ever landed. Nothing beats landing and breaking down one's glider in nicely manicured grass.

Today is Day 2 of flying here...Wendy will get in some laps in the pool and we'll see what else the day delivers.

More later...

First Flight at Crestline 9.14.10

2010-09-14T21:33:00.000-07:00

Wendy are I arrived at launch around 2:15 with no pilots present. The winds were blowing 15 to 20 mph as expected. Some birds were up, but not soaring too high above the ridge. Lift was predicted to be about 500' above the 5000' launch today.

I grabbed my glider and began setting up. Within a few minutes, local pilots Mark and Kim arrived with Brent, their driver for the day. I felt a little more at ease to have some local folks present for my maiden flight at Crestline...

First pic of the flight toward the back of Crestline...

Kim launched first, then Mark...they were up in no time, so I grabbed my glider real quick and, with Wendy on wire assist, was up in the air to join them.

Andy Jackson Flight Park is the green patch of land below my wingtip...

The air was a mix of ridge lift and broken thermals, plus there was a little texture to the conditions, but no death grip needed for today's flight.

Right off launch I got well above the ridge line with Mark and Kim. I did have one low save between Crestline and Marshal launch, managing to find a nice little boomer that got me back above ridge height again...that was one of a few high points in this flight.

After about an hour of ridge soaring, I decided to head out to Marshal and was rewarded with smoother thermals and more enjoyable ridge lift. I boated back and forth, extending each glide to the outer reaches of what the ridge had to offer. Toward the 2-hour mark of the flight, I could feel the conditions begin to glass-off, but there was still a ridge lift and thermal component to contend with, as well. The air was a mixing bag of stuff to play with on this flight.

After a couple low save thermals, I decided to head on down to the LZ for a nice first landing at Crestline...looking forward to what the next few days have to offer here.

Flight Time: 2 hours, 26 minutes
Altitude: 6072' MSL

I can now offically add Crestline to my list of flying sites...

Hike around Lake Gregory

2010-09-14T21:13:00.001-07:00

Before heading up to launch today, Wendy and I went for a little walk about Lake Gregory...I wouldn't call it a hike, but more of walk where we looked at ducks and stuff like that...kind-of like the Courtship of Eddie's Father type of stuff, but more for a married couple.

Lake Gregory

Someone in this town has a great sense of humor...

Two-thirds of the entire top floor balcony is for the "Deluxe King Suite" of which Wendy and I are staying...nice digs for this trip!

A Room with a View

2010-09-14T10:31:00.000-07:00

Our Deluxe King Suite is working out great here during our stay in Crestline...the view from our top floor suite is really nice and the neighborhood is quiet. It's fun to find a place online, make reservations, then see what you get...we scored with this place.

Top floor balcony view...

In a few hours, Wendy and I will head up to launch and see what the day brings with regard to hang-gliding here at Crestline. I've wanted to fly this site for a few years now, and it is good to finally be here. I've touched base with a few locals, and the conditions look pretty good for today...

More later...