Low and slow

The stats sorta tell the story of today:
Airtime: 45min
Thermals: 5
Accumulated climb: 579m
Max height: 929m

However I did get high enough to take some pics of the first snow on the peaks!

Backyard xc

Today was a super-cool day of flying - I really felt like I made the most of the air that was around me - all but the start, that is. I launched just after BrianW and KarlT but instead of climbing up to the bottom of the inversion (around 1,100m) with them I spent the next 10-12 minutes scratching around below launch height. As I got lower I started the death-drift down Emily, but finally connected with a thermal half-way down the spur and stuck to it (tight little sucker it was too) all the way to the inversion layer.

I spent awhile drifting around over launch trying to get up through the layer, and watched Brian & Karl (who were always 100m or so higher...) fly over towards Little Mystic - but I was a bit to low to join them and didn't have the speed or the glide of their wings. They spent awhile circling at what looked like below ridge-height and I eventually lost track of them. I think they eventually landed in the landing paddock after some low work past Little Mystic - I doubt I'da made it back from there!

I'd been eying off Clearspot - wondering if catching a thermal from there would get one up above the inversion layer. Eventually I broke through the 1,100m layer and got up to 1,270, where I hit another layer (this looked about as high as Brian & Karl had got), and headed off towards Clearspot as all the lift in the area died. I didn't head directly towards it, as the top of the hill looked higher than I was, but to the spur running up it from the right. A good glide saw me to the spur, where I found a really light climb. I drifted along it up the spur-line - but got a little too eager and left it to fly into the clear spot. This was a mistake, as there was nothing lifting off from the peak and sink just before it.

For one moment I considered landing on the peak and waiting for a good cycle to come through before re-launching but wasn't totally sure I could re-launch (and clear the trees) and by the time I'd thought this and looked at the trees I was too low to try it so I headed back down the spur.

I gained enough height from a secondary knob to make it back to the end of Marcus - after which a flat glide took back back to the takeoff at about launch height. The air that was flowing up Marcus was lifting off, but very lightly, and I circled in it for nearly 20min for a height gain of 400m or a climb rate of around 0.4m/s. Slow work, but going up slowly is way better than going down and I knew it was near the end of the day.

There were three wings layed out on the takeoff, and as I flew around I realized why they weren't taking off - it was blowing lightly over the back. A bummer for the guys on the ground, but kinda cool for me as I was flying in some light local convergence. One of the guys unable to launch even drove my car down to the landing paddock!!

After a nice boat around above the hill I headed down to the landing paddock as well. Flight time 1hr 45min, max height 1,270m, max climb peaked at 4.2m/s.

Top-landing on Mystic

Nice winter thermalling today - I flew for a little over an hour in conditions that gradually became lighter and lighter. There was a very light wind from the North and since it was all very smooth in the bowl (and my car was parked on launch) I approached for a top-landing.

My first approach was too high so it was back along Emily to loose some height.

Usually I've found that you need to aim to be landing in the bushes below launch and as you come in for your final approach you'll be lifted up to the right height to land on the astroturf (if you aim for the astro-turf you'll be lifted several meters above it and be just too high to plonk it down). However this time there was no lift on that final slope and as I didn't actually want to land in the trees and bushes below launch I had to break off and gain some more height.

There was some light lift dribbling up one of the gulleys so I soared back and forth through this tiny patch for several minutes until it lightened off as well. Grrr.... I just need 20m more height... I drifted over towards Marcus and there was more lift there!! Hooray, back in the game!!

A couple of turns later and I had enough height to try again. This time I got it right, anticipating the height gain on the final approach, flying right in to the back left corner of the take-off before turning for a perfect touchdown - Woohoo!!

Such a good feeling to achieve what you've aimed for after clawing back from where it looked impossible!! Max height 1,150m, max climb (1st one) peaking at 4m/s.

Check out the funny clouds in the pic - I wonder what they mean????

Stable weekend

Sleddie yesterday from Mystic (some pilots got above launch briefly, by the time I picked another pilot up from the LP, got back to TO and launched it was just sled rides), another today from Mt Oates and yep, the forecast of stable conditions is dead on. sigh. Pic launching from Mystic.