Crestline Soaring Society

Nice day for late October between Santa Ana wind episodes.

Clear warm high pressure day, wind at 750 launch SW 8.
A tandem and another glider worked up a bit from below as I was setting up.
Launched a Sport 2 175 into a light cycle at 14:25 and tried the bluffs, then the tree line, finding bumps but nothing really workable. Got lucky at 350 AGL over the north apron of the LZ and caught one drifting toward the VASI and then above launch altitude over the bluffs; great relief. It continued up slowly to about 3800 MSL, staying really well-defined the whole time. Worked the east side of Cloud Peak, and above 4500 or so the thermal drifted to the south a little, weakening and getting quite wide. Later thermals had the same behavior, eventually taking me to just over 5100, for a 3100 foot overall gain. There were a number of PGs and HGs in clusters over points along Marshall. I guess it never really blew in at Crestline. I sank to 2400 or so above the bluffs later and another slow climber got me high enough to go work Marshall some more. Tight cores and pushing out with high-siding were the order of the day. Landed into about 10 MPH south at 16:00.

GPS track images and flight gory details on my website.

Good Flying,
Ken Howells