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Aviation Forum / General / Soaring / July 2009Got Big Thermals?
Our weather in central Texas is the best it's been in 10 years. I can only hope it'll hold up through the week of the upcoming Region 10 South Soaring Championship (Aug 9-15th). For the last 5 weeks we've had a number of members with Greater Houston Soaring and Soaring Club of Houston (the contest sponsors) earn their Gold and Diamond distance badges. This past Saturday Ken Sorenson of SCOH put up an 800K-plus flight on the U.S. OLC. Yesterday thermals around our club pushed up over 6,000ASL (our field elevation is 125ASL). If this pattern holds up (and there's no reason to think otherwise) we're going to have a heck of a contest. Come on down and enjoy a first-class airport, a lot of hospitality, and hopefully some serious racing conditions. Learn more at www.houstonsoaring.org/2009R10. My contact info is on the site. Just two weeks to go... I can't wait! Bob DeLeon Region 10 Contest Manager > Our weather in central Texas is the best it's been in 10 years. I can > only hope it'll hold up through the week of the upcoming Region 10 [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > Bob DeLeon > Region 10 Contest Manager Clearly you are getting our Colorado weather;^( Good luck with the contest. Frank Whiteley > > Our weather in central Texas is the best it's been in 10 years. I can > > only hope it'll hold up through the week of the upcoming Region 10 [quoted text clipped - 21 lines] > > Frank Whiteley Thanks Frank. While you're at it... send us your Colorado temperatures. There are days lately when the CU bottoms start glowing orange around 4:00P :) > > > Our weather in central Texas is the best it's been in 10 years. I can > > > only hope it'll hold up through the week of the upcoming Region 10 [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > temperatures. There are days lately when the CU bottoms start glowing > orange around 4:00P :) This season has been more like Wisconsin or Minnesota. Tomorrow's high is forecast to be 74F and Dr Jack's is so blue, like the local pilots. The grass is green though. I spent over 16 hours on the tractor during our recent CAP glider academy mowing the winch area and runways, and that was after other members had mowed for many hours. Frank > > > > Our weather in central Texas is the best it's been in 10 years. I can > > > > only hope it'll hold up through the week of the upcoming Region 10 [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > > Frank This was interesting. Yesterday morning I opened the glass sliding door and leaving the screen door closed to the patio. I turned on the house fan. When I returned to the screen door about a half hour later, moisture had been collecting on the screen and rivulets of water were running down it to the floor. I noted only one local flight on OLC yesterday for all of Colorado. That's about how it's been too many days this year. One the other hand, normal Houston summer humidity reminds me of Adana, Turkey, only worse;^) Frank Michigan/Ohio/Indiana had the coldest July (and crappiest Soaring) on record. Absolute proof of Global Warming........eh, I mean the Next Ice Age....wait that was the 1980's. Crap, how are the PhD's going to get their grant money now? Oh I remember now, starting 2009 it's called "Climate Change", nice and vague, no data needed for that theory. > Michigan/Ohio/Indiana had the coldest July (and crappiest Soaring) on > record. Absolute proof of Global Warming........eh, I mean the Next > Ice Age....wait that was the 1980's. Crap, how are the PhD's going to > get their grant money now? Oh I remember now, starting 2009 it's > called "Climate Change", nice and vague, no data needed for that > theory. Blame it on the Sun Spots (or lack thereof): http://www.tgdaily.com/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=42006 TT (a phud who does not get any climate change funds) you should have been in Nevada last week.. ye haw.. thermals to Class A, fighting to stay below 18K MSL.. Cloud bases around 20K MSL But the ground varies between 5500 and 12K MSL BT On Jul 27, 10:42 am, Bob D <bobdel...@windstream.net> wrote: > On Jul 27, 10:11 am, Frank Whiteley <frank.white...@gmail.com> wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > temperatures. There are days lately when the CU bottoms start glowing > orange around 4:00P :) This season has been more like Wisconsin or Minnesota. Tomorrow's high is forecast to be 74F and Dr Jack's is so blue, like the local pilots. The grass is green though. I spent over 16 hours on the tractor during our recent CAP glider academy mowing the winch area and runways, and that was after other members had mowed for many hours. Frank Here's a shot in my glider at 17,200 ft, in a 10+knot thermal (the vario on the right is not working). http://griderpirate.smugmug.com/gallery/8856884_nuHoT#603835393_pZkNk This was over the Monitor Range North East of Tonopah, July 15th (or maybe 16th) > you should have been in Nevada last week.. ye haw.. > thermals to Class A, fighting to stay below 18K MSL.. [quoted text clipped - 49 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Uncle Fuzzy, Uh, gee, thanks. That's what I've always wanted. I feel so much better now. If I could, I would reciprocate with a photo of my panel. At 1,000' agl. In a 0.0 "thermal". Waiting and waiting and waiting for it to build in a crescendo to the BIG 1.5 knotter that I know is really there. Oh yea, it's in the blue. Sun is bright. Sun is hot. Sun is beating down and I don't know why the damned canopy just doesn't melt away. As I said, if I could get the photo, I would. But in those times, I'm a bit too damned occupied with flying the glider and don't have time to find the camera and actually take a picture. But, as they say, "you get the picture." PhotoShop not required... :-) Ray Lovinggood Carrboro, North Carolina, USA > Uncle Fuzzy, > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > Ray Lovinggood > Carrboro, North Carolina, USA Got it. You have my deepest sympathy. OTOH, for the same reasons, I don't have pics of my panel when I'm 800 AGL in 110 degree heat working a 1/2 knot 'keep alive' thermal. Of course, the 110 degrees is OUTSIDE my Grob Solar Sauna. Inside is another story. Another, more typical shot from my "Ugly Duckling" Speed Astir: http://griderpirate.smugmug.com/gallery/8856884_nuHoT#603921793_8DKrW I do envy those who fly over green, (and land on grass strips! (one of the things on my 'bucket list)) but I love my desert thermals. Cheers, > > Uncle Fuzzy, > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > - Show quoted text - ROFLMAO - you two made my morning :-) BTW, I always thought the Speed Disaster was kinda cool looking... As a former Astir CS owner, I looked up to the flappy version. ROFLMAO - you two made my morning :-) BTW, I always thought the Speed Disaster was kinda cool looking... As a former Astir CS owner, I looked up to the flappy version. _________________________________ It's not such a "Speed Disaster" when he's already 50km down course and you are just getting off tow 4 aircraft behind him. That's why it's called a "Speed" Astir... LOL BT > It's not such a "Speed Disaster" when he's already 50km down course and you > are just getting off tow 4 aircraft behind him. > > That's why it's called a "Speed" Astir... LOL > > BT That assumes the guy who owns it knows how to put it together. I once watched someone struggle for over two hours in the hot sun and ultimately give up. You have to know how to line things up in the Astirs or it truly is a Disaster. > > It's not such a "Speed Disaster" when he's already 50km down course and you > > are just getting off tow 4 aircraft behind him. [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > ultimately give up. You have to know how to line things up in the > Astirs or it truly is a Disaster. Uh, yeah. It took me a long time to rig when I first got it, but it isn't rocket science. Now I rig more quickly than any other glider on the field. I don't think I'd want to try it with a one man rig though, too many things to line up at once. I need one assistant for 5 - 7 minutes. 20 minutes from opening the trailer to PCC is about average. Add 1/2 an hour if I'm filling up the wings. |
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