Flying from Mentone

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By NMERider at 2010-01-10 20:31

Today was forecast to be pretty darned good along the Crestline Ridge. It started out looking like it too. It was warm and the there were light SW surface winds. Many of us reserved spaces on the noon McBus. Around 11:30 AM the wind started blowing from the NW around 10-15 MPH. Rob arrived and acquiesced that it was unlikely to switch up-slope. Rebardan, Dusty and me headed for Mentone, 14 miles East of AJX. We took the 210 East and exited at 5th Street then headed East until we were directly across from the service entrance to the Seven Oaks Dam and just shy of the bridge. Parking was by the locked gate to the entrance to the big R/C field. We loaded up on Rebar's truck and headed up the nicely groomed gravel road that runs just behind the Calvary Church property a few hundred yards West of the LZ.

The wind was blowing straight in at launch at 1-7 mph. Dusty launched first in his PG and was able to get a little higher than launch then eventually sank out behind the ridge and headed for the LZ. Dan launched his Litespeed and lost about 350' before hooking a nice little thermal along the spine to the South-East. I lost sight of him while hooking in and walking to launch. I waited for a cycle and had a nice launch but was unable gain more than 33' and that was from 200' below launch. I landed near where we parked after 5 1/2 minutes in the air.

As I was descending I spotted Dan at launch height and said my, "shucks" as I didn't know whether he was still aloft while I was scratching to stay up. The conditions were weak and the slightest error would cost the flight this time of year in marginal conditions. Launch is at 2,823' MSL and only 959' above the LZ at 1,864'.

According the Dan, this site has good potential in mild Santa Ana North-westerlies. Bruce flew his Atos at least 50 miles during a cold, post-frontal condition and last year, Dan scratched his way back to Andy Jackson, 13 1/2 miles West.

Dan was able to retrieve his truck from launch and return to the LZ in 40 minutes. That's a pretty fast turn-around, so it may be possible to get in more than one attempt to get up when the days are long enough.

The linked images show a panoramic view from the LZ and my flight track. I have also attached my flight log with waypoints embedded.
Mentone LZ Panorama
Short Flight at Mentone