Crestline Soaring Society

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.

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.

I'm pretty sure I put the nosecone on my UltraSport before I launched, but it wasn't there later in the flight. I did a couple of sets of wingovers after launch, so it's possible that it came off after/during those, but the velcro was by no means worn out. I launched Crestline at 14:45 on Sunday, June 22, 08. There were a number of other pilots at launch, and I was the first to launch. None of the pilots I later asked said they had seen it. If I left it on the ground it was windy enough that it might have blown into the parking lot. Maybe some spectator kid found a funky new hat.

Chris and Tom placing rebar 'pins' in the new section of wall.

Kenny Westfall wields the big chainsaw while Mike Z. and Alan C. assist.

Mike was covered with foxtails once the area below launch wasn't.