Crestline Soaring Society - HG

7/12/08 fly-in

airhead — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 22:34:16 -0500

Another great CSS fly-in!

Crestline, Sat/Sun, 19/20 July

Ken Howells — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 23:41:43 -0500

Saturday was clear, a bit smoggy, not too hot - normal summer day. Inversion rather low and pronounced.

Six of us launched from Crestline within a short period (I launched the UltraSport 166 at 15:03) and soon we were all at Billboard working the one thermal. That was pretty fun. I got to 5700 so I headed for Pine and several followed. We looked all over for lift but there wasn't much, so everyone left. I kept topping out at barely over 5000 so I finally left too. Marshall complex was soarable but it was hard to get good climbs in. Best thermal was 500 FPM in the bowl way out front of Marshall, a tiny core drifting to the NE. I worked in the east bowl for a few minutes and finally flew over the top of Marshall, where I saw the PG pilots waving and pointing to the LZ. I saw the big white "X" out, indicating we had to clear the air for emergency operations. I saw no smoke anywhere. Flew low over a rigid wing at Cloud and yelled that we had to land, then dove for the LZ and spotted the fire truck and glider in the approach area. I did a big left-hand approach around the fire truck and landed between the HG and PG spots with 1:08 airtime. Then they rolled up the X because they were going to take him to the hospital in an ambulance instead of a helicopter. Ugh.

HG article in Crestline paper

Stan — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 10:58:49 -0500

I was talking to some visitors at the Crestline launch on Friday. One said there was an article about our club in the local paper. Can anyone reproduce it here?

It was a nice flying day. Topped out at 6800+.

-Stan

Marshall, Thu, July 3, 08

Ken Howells — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 21:44:17 -0500

Hot and clear. Two brown smoke layers in the distance a little above the marine layer; smoke from the fires in Big Sur and west of Santa Barbara.
Wind 0-5 ENE at Marshall at 10 AM. Launched T2 154 from lower SW in a lull. LZ almost soarable. Longer lulls at Marshall later, so 11:30 T2 launch was a little easier.

At 13:30 solid SW 5-10 most of the time. Able to launch the U2 160 from the top SSW. Got into a thermal near the windsock (good look at windsock!) and climbed to 4600 then 5300 as it drifted slowly NNE. Got to Crestline at 5000 and floated across the face to below Billboard. Snagged a developing core and got to 6000 after a few minutes.

Tues. 6/24 and Thur. 6/26/08

Ken Howells — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 22:57:31 -0500

Tues:
Warm post-heat-wave day. Two inversion layers evident - the marine/smog layer squashed down low, as usual, and a second layer at just above 5000 MSL, evident from the Cajon Pass brush fire smoke spread horizontally toward the south. Clear air in between. Quite east at Marshall at 9:30 AM and too strong for the upper SE launch, so we went to Crestline, where it was less cross and actually ridge soarable. Later we could launch of the S and SW launches from Marshall.

Elsinore 6/21 and 6/22

eteamjack — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 23:06:40 -0500

Tough weekend at Elsinore. Some really good flights and some really short flights. Sat began to blow down around 12:15. At times it looked like there would be no flying. An occassional upslope would turn the sock around and gliders began to launch thinking it was now or never. 10 minutes after everyone launched the wind changed direction again and blew up for at least another 30 mins. The majority got flushed to the LZ.

Crestline, 22 June 08

Ken Howells — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 00:14:37 -0500

It was blowing pretty good up at Crestline at 14:00. The Simba graph says it gusted to 30 a few times, but it seemed like it was mostly 15-22 or so. I launched the US 166 in a lull at 14:45 and climbed a few hundred right away. Got to 6200 near launch but lost it quickly heading east. Others launched, climbed up and stuck there, then headed east. I was trying to drift toward Top Town for the jump to the 18/138 interchange but kept peaking at about 5700; I don't like to head east without 6k to start.

Fatality at Sylmar Today (Sat. 6-21-08)?

NMERider — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 01:09:33 -0500

Does anyone know more deatils about the reported fatality at Sylmar today?

http://cbs2.com/local/Hang.Gliding.Death.2.753918.html
Jun 21, 2008 4:39 pm US/Pacific
60-Year-Old Man Killed In Hang-Gliding Accident

LOS ANGELES A 60-year-old man died in a hang-gliding accident near El Cariso Golf Course, according to a city fire official.

Authorities received reports of the accident at 2:55 p.m. in the 12000 block of Gridley Street, said d'Lisa Davies of the Los Angeles Fire Department.

6-18-08

rebardan — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 15:08:02 -0500

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.

Saturday, 14 June

Ken Howells — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 10:59:12 -0500

Hot and not a lot of wind. Only gliders flying at 14:15 were two PGs at Marshall; no one but me standing on the peak. Got up at 15:00 from Marshall easily and went back to Crestline (a crowd was setting up there), where it was barely ridge soarable. Pine was barely happening. A pass over Marshall triggered the big sink to below the 750. Found a squirrelly little core and rode it for 12 minutes, gaining 2500 feet. The sink must have been all over, as several PGs and HGs streamed in below me as I started the climb and a few of them got hold of it. Landed Marshall at 16:07.