Walt's to Big Pine flight, 46 miles

This was my first flight from Walt's point in the Owens valley. There is a tradition that hang gliders meet there on Memorial Day weekend, so I was hoping to join them at least for one day. Forecast was bad and promise overdevelopment by 2:00 pm at Saturday and I did not had a lot of expectations, but still want to had a short flight. I left car near bailout LZ and some HGs give me a ride to launch (Thanks!). Launch was already full of HGs assembling their gliders at 9:00 am and I was able to reserve only a small space, just enough to lay down my PG. I launched second at 10:14, got up quickly and start my journey. Beautiful snow peaks, lakes, amazing terrain and, of course, I forgot camera at home. I try to stay high all the flight and monitor clouds development and wind velocity. At 12:00 clouds was OK on the west side of valley and OD on east and north of Bishop. Wind velocity began to increase significantly, flying on trim speed, my ground speed occasionally reach 70-75 km/h, which mean that it equals to my air speed. I headed toward highway 395 to land, but catch a thermal just a mile short of highway and decided to made a last leg to Big Pine for easier retrieve. Landing was spectacular, almost with zero ground speed going through thermal bubbles I miss my intended LZ, clear of bushes, by few meters and spend about 20 minutes retrieving my wing from bushes and cactuses on 30+ km/h gusty wind. Unforgettable experience. Another HGs give me a ride to my car (Thanks again!), but first we stopped at grocery store to get some food and visited thermal springs near Bishop. Rain started around 3 pm. Total flight distance 74 km (45 miles), duration 2:22.

GPS track on Leonardo:
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/206563

US Paragliding Nationals, Dunlap 2009

We had Northern California XC League meets in Dunlap for many years, but most of tasks was in the Dunlap and Squaw valleyes and full potential of site was undiscovered. Jug did a really good job bringing top pilots to this place and pushing the boundaries. Unfortunately most of the tasks was similar to each other, we go west to flats and then south using the same route. Good thing about tasks is that we did not spend a lot of time in the Dunlap valley and I hope we can keep this in following league meets as well. Most of pilots stay in St Nichols Ranch, which was a great place to stay. I definitely enjoyed this comp., learn something new, had fun and want to say big thank you to Jug. Great job!

Photos:
paraplan.ru/photos/thumbnails.php?album=3260

Results and other info:
Official site

Timo's video

Marshal to Palmdale flight, 61 miles

The plan was to go west from Marshal with light east winds. I join RebarDan to try back side of the San Gabriel mountains and Jonathan try to go in front of it. I was lucky to met RebarDan and Wally on LZ and they give me a ride to launch. I launched 10 minutes after Dan and got high quickly. I flew to west towers and catch up with Dan there. Cajon pass was a most tricky part in the whole flight and I was not sure I could connect after crossing. But I got lucky one more time and find thermal after pass. Then I made a big mistake going on glide without getting all altitude. I follow road to Wrightwood and terrain is going up, so after second glide I almost land, but try to ridge soar and finally catch thermal and never got that low in the rest of the flight. After Wrightwood flight becomes easier and I was able to enjoy by scenic views of San Gabriels snow peaks. I had a radio contact with Dan and Wally and keep going west. After Palmdale I got lower again and did not stay over ridge, because there were a lot of power lines back there and I have to stay in front. There were no thermals for a while and I also start feeling light head wind, and 10 miles after Palmdale I landed. Flight distance: 99.7 km (61.9 miles). Dan made 132 miles to Central valley and Jonathan 66.8 to Kagel. After 4 hours Dan and Wally pick me up, we had a quick dinner in Palmdale and headed back to Marshal LZ. I got home about 1 am. And it's my personal best so far!

GPS track:
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/187831

Photos:
http://paraplan.ru/photos/thumbnails.php?album=3180

Related Crestline forum topic:
Overview of April 20th & 21st

Kagel to Mt. Lukens flight, 8 miles

Day before Faiz ask me if we can fly to Pasadena from Kagel. Forecast was ok, so we try. But, as it typically happened forecast is forecast and reality is reality. After launch I could not get more that few hundred meters over the top of the mountain. However I keep following few HG's and made it to the west side of Mt. Lukens. Cloud base was so low, that I did not try to fly toward the peak and just land on river wash. I should probably try to come back, which was absolutely possible and all HG's made it back to Kagel LZ. Ok, next time.
GPS track:
http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/182158

Photos:
http://paraplan.ru/photos/thumbnails.php?album=3154

Marshall, two XC flights, 24 miles

Prediction was for good chance to fly west from Marshal to Kagel and beyond, so this time I did not join XC League and fly by myself, actually with Jerome most of the time.

First flight. I launched at 12:46, just after Rebardan and few other HGs flew away quite high. Easily got 1 km over launch and first try to join Jerome for heading east toward Dam, but it was too much east wind (well, as expected), so we took another climb and head east. The most critical part was to cross Cajon Pass (about 10 km). I start gliding from near Pine Mt. and first half went just fine. Over I-15 I try to hook into weak thermal and noticed significant drift from north. All my attempts to connect with Cucamonga mountain range fail and strong north wind flush me out from the mountain to the valley. There was quite windy, I landed almost vertically. Jerome made it to over mountain, but ended with same result. When we finish packing gliders retrieve was already there.
GPS track: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/175808

Second flight: Launched at 3:51 pm and could not get up for awhile, but eventually did. Go back to Crestline, then took a boomer near Billboard to 10196 ft and go to Pine Mt. Just before Pine I noticed how fast my ground speed increasing (+10km/h within one minute), which means that east wind was still there, so I turn around and fly back. Jerome was already over Arrowhead peak and fly toward Dam. Then he got low near McKinley and this allow me to catch up with him. After two thermal we had enough altitude to make Harrison, so we did. Then split again. I flew directly toward Dam over sunny mountains and he over shaded foothills. Just before Mentone was good thermal, which could allow me continue fly down range, but I choose to land (retrieve was already there and time was >6pm).
GPS track: http://www.paraglidingforum.com/leonardo/flight/175809
Thanks a lot to Lisa and Jerome for fast retrieve!

Photos:
http://paraplan.ru/photos/thumbnails.php?album=3140

Zippy (HG) made 96.5 miles from Marshall to Santa Paula, CA. He also was flushed from mountains after Cajon pass, but just keep going over the valley and made it back to mountains later:
http://www.crestlinesoaring.org/forum/20090407/2122

SoCal XC League, Marshall, March 2009

John Scott (HG) predicted good weather to try Kagel to Marshall flight, but Dean call SoCal XC meet at Marshal, so I was in doubt until 8 am at Saturday and finally went to Marshal. It was north wind (not flyable) until 2:30 pm, but then we launch and go on course. I had slow start and did not care about time, task was easy and only trouble was strong west wind. I made few mistakes:
1. Forget start time (3:45 or 3:50?), so lost 5 minutes.
2. Did not pay attention for sink rate and thermal instead of following Dean using nice convergence line with almost zero sink.
3. Forget that its 1 km radius (not 0.4 km) over last CVS turn point, so did not go directly to it from Towers and flew upwind to Cloud first, which cost another 10 minutes.
After task flew another 2 hours for fun, got to 7+K. Good training before National in Dunlap. I should write down the task.

GPS track: www.xcontest.org
Photos: www.paraplan.ru
Results: www.usxcleague.com

As for Kagel to Marshal flight 9 HGs try to do it, 4 made it to goal, 2 within 2 miles, 1 landed below Cuc and 2 near San Dimas.

Sky Port to power-lines flight, 20 miles

At Saturday I had my first thermal flight on the new wing Axis Venus 2 in Santa Barbara. Weather was good except of light east wind. Launched at 11:00 and hang out between R&R and Antenna Farm for about one hour. Then follow Tony Deleo on his Atos and another hang glider. They go low and fast. I try to be conservative and get all altitude that I can before each transition. After Montecito peak there was no clouds and base was just little bit higher then top of the ridge. I made it to power lines then east wind become stronger and I turn around and fly back. On the way back I join Dean & Co. for Santa Claus Ln beach landing. Nice flight except of one nasty frontal collapse.

GPS track log
Photos