Crestline Soaring Society

I arrived alone at launch at 11:45. It was blowing from the north on the back flag, but blowing straight in on the E launch. I could see haze domes already set up real close to launch at 2-3K over. I launched at 12:00 and went right because of the north influence and used the thermals on the right side of the E bowl to get high enough to go over to the house thermal on the left side of launch. I got there at 500' over and worked it to 1500' over and started looking at the haze domes building nearby. I headed under one and was rewarded with strong, smooth, fat thermal going up at almost 900 fpm. I topped several of these thermals to day in the 7500' msl range. 7650 was my max altitude. Lots of sink though. I sank out and found myself on final to my house LZ when I found some zero sink about 300 over. I had to be patient but it paid off big. When I cleared launch level again I looked South and there is a small gaggle of buzzards marking a good one for me. I followed them up over 7K! Still no camera. Rats! Tomorrow for sure. I flew around getting high and sinking out for a couple of hours. I used two gaggles today and four indivual birds to help with the thermals today! I arrived back over launch at 5K. So I practiced some manuevers until I was in position to make a great top landing on the PG side of the E launch at 2:35 pm. I topped out over 7K a number of times. Nice and cool up there. Thank you again Birds of Elsinore.

typical warm and buoyant at marshall. tops in the mid 5s. no luck back at crestline so flew out the arrowhead spine.top landed the talon fine so tried it again and a left turn at a couple seconds before flare time took out my left downtube. fortunately the magic bus freighted the ship back to the lockup. thanks Diane.
also renewed membership in the scabby knee toplanders club.

Hello pilots,

I went to Iquique, Chile with a paragliding tour group in November, 2007, and I want to recommend this trip for 2008. Several pilots from the 2006 trip recommended it to me, and I am glad I went. Iquique is in the northern part of Chile and sits on the ocean at the edge of a desert. That makes it both a ridge and thermaling site, and it is one of the most consistent flying sites I have ever been to. You can literally fly every day for hours at a time.

I have a 2002 Windtech Serak and a SupAir Profeel harness for sale.
The wing is a size 27 appropriate for a pilot weighing 67-87kg.
The wing has approximately 80 hours and was tested by Rising Air and determined to be in good condition. It has one small L-shaped tear (1"x1") approx. 1.5' inboard of the left wing tip. The tear was repaired and is ALMOST undetectable.
The harness has a bit of wear and tear on it, but is in overall good condition with many years of life left in it.

We arrived at launch at 12:00. 2 HG's launched first, (they were set up when I got there), and then I launched at 12:30. It was lift every where. 5 min after launch I was at 4K msl. 20 min after launch I was at 8K, after 22 min, I was at 9K. The convergence was right there and going up from 900 fpm to 1200 fpm everywhere. I topped out at 9860' msl. Then it moved on over the lake and left behind 600-1500 fpm sink every where.