https://vimeo.com/899386508

My first time back in the air in a while. It was mostly sunny and a bit warm with light SW flow. They were soaring up at Marshall Peak.

I drove to the 750 launch and decided the cycles were worth a try, though the peak gusts were a bit strong for me. I got out my gear and Linda S., who had hiked up with her gear, arrived. I tried a couple of inflations then got out of Linda’s way so she could launch. She popped hers up right away and flew off. I didn’t see how she did as I had various inflation failures. Finally got the PG aligned to the WWSW flow before inflating and got it overhead and stable in the diminishing flow. Got off launch at 15:10 with a few steps and settled in.  The plan was to fly more or less directly to the LZ and land, watching for vertigo and such along the way. There was a good thermal in front of launch but I ignored it. Got over AJX and did some figure-8’s to get down, feeling more in-sync with each turn. Landed into zero wind, on my butt, with the wing landing ahead of me just short of the HG cone. Linda kindly got the landing on video and even commented at the end.

A handful of PG’s flew from various launches and so did at least two HG’s.

I felt comfortable and at home in the air.

Great way to start 2024!