Hey Nathan, caught you launching a few weeks ago. 

Thanks for the pic Tom, similar scene today and about same flight time, unfortunately. Soderquist, as usual, put up a great fight scratching today and looks like he got an hour of “close air support” flying and is flight of the day.

That’s the one, Alan. Being on a PG in same lift with a sailplane feels like diving with a whale (a fast one) or something. A much larger, more efficient and very impressive craft that Pilatus is.

Thanks for sharing that, Brian! It brought back lots of good memories of the people and flying.

I think what you are referring to is at the bottom of the middle bowl. It was nice of the city to offer it. However it’s an awkward spot and potentially dangerous on North days… pilots will tend to stage and land somewhere that works more year round.

Some trees have regrown, and homeless are in/near that area. Flying over, one can see the tents and trailers etc among the vegetation, but it’s less than, say even 5 years ago, as the city occasionally does a sweep.

Spike does have an LZ next to there, in part because he likes to scratch the e-cone all the way down if necessary. One time while he was breaking down his wing, one of those homeless, a huge dude, came after Spike with a pipe or something. Bunch of sherriffs tackled the guy pretty quick. That’s unusual though. (Usually they take an hour to get there, at least they did last time one was threatening me, of course i was ready for anything and didnt mind, just calling Sherriff as courtesy to the tweaker). But yes homeless are still there.