Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
David Webb General MemberThanks Chris. I saw your order come through – you’re good to go.
David Webb General MemberThanks Don. I’ll have to wait for confirmation from Jeff on that.
In the future (and to everyone else), please don’t drop money in the mail slot. We’re not using that anymore – moving all transactions to the website makes a LOT of things much simpler (no one has to pick up and carry cash to the bank, the storage shelves and memberships get automatically cataloged and tracked without someone having to keep track of it on paper, and reminder emails get sent out automatically to you when it’s time to renew).
David Webb General MemberAll great points, Tim. Regardless of wing type, I think we can all agree on:
- Always clear your turns! ESPECIALLY when you’re in the approach pattern and ESPECIALLY late in the day when lots of pilots are coming into AJX, your head should be on a swivel.
- If you’re not comfortable with a crowded approach, consider postponing your launch until the air traffic clears up a bit, or (if conditions and your skills are good), stay up and away from the pattern until it thins out before making your approach.
- The approach pattern is DEFINITELY NOT the place to get more air time. Once you’re in it, you should approach and land as efficiently as possible. Not sure if this is the preferred spot, but if I get close and I’m either too high or still encountering lift, I’ll move into the clear area northwest of the LZ and west of the powerlines to burn altitude, as that tends to be upwind of the LZ late in the day (making it easy to move into the pattern once I’ve gotten down a bit). Also, if the pattern all of a sudden becomes mobbed with pilots, I can easily aim for the bailout on the SW corner.
We have an established traffic pattern, which creates expectations for all of us (we expect the HGs to be generally on the East side, and the PGs to generally be on the West). This isn’t really up for debate. I’m a somewhat greener pilot, but I don’t see how the approaches could be modified to make them more efficient or safe. We have to work with the terrain and weather features that we have and stick to the well-established pattern – it’s when pilots “go rogue” that we have problems. Would be like if I decided one day to start driving on the other side of the road because I thought the Brits were onto something great. Crashes would happen.
David Webb General MemberFuture will produce that day’s NOAA NWS forecast data – just like if you look at the graph for the current day on the site, it’s the thicker line extending out to the right from the current time. That same data can also be seen in the forecast graphs on the right side of the weather page (under the windgrams). You can also see past and future data in the graphs by selecting a date underneath the graph (in case that part wasn’t clear).
David Webb General MemberIn-depth analysis of the paracouch.
David Webb General MemberCopy that – thanks for the reply, Jeremy.
David Webb General MemberThanks Shaggy!
David Webb General MemberUpdate: issue was a network outage with hologram (SIM card provider that enables the cellular connection to TMobile and ATT), not the station, or the station vendor’s site. Their services are coming back online gradually now, so should be up anytime. Link to hologram’s status page, for those that are interested:
They’ll get the 3 strike rule – 2 more and we’ll look at switching providers.
David Webb General MemberGreat timing, but appears to be some kind of website issue with the weather station vendor. Working with them to get it resolved asap. Temporarily switched back to the old Marshall station.
David Webb General MemberAlex – the figure 8’s are part of the PG pattern, and this established pattern goes to what Tim said about reasonable expectations of what the other pilots in the air are doing – this pattern is on our site briefings, should be getting taught to all students, and should be described anytime you’re giving a visiting pilot an in-person site briefing.
Not sure if you fly HG or PG, but PGs can’t nose down to lose altitude (not in a meaningful way, anyway – we’re not talking about speedbar or rapid descent techniques, as those are not advised close to the ground). We get “bumped” all the time, since thermals tend to kick off all over the LZ and especially in the approach area. The “box” that’s formed by the fence, the house, and the road give the PGs a safe area to perform sweeping turns (figure 8s) as they bring themselves down to the proper height to make their final approach to land. This is not a crutch but a simple and safe way of dealing with the reality of our wings and the weather.
David Webb General MemberBo/Kim – we take your concerns and comments very seriously. You make very valid points, and while we can’t really lock down flying or the LZ to only those with masks, as a club we can strongly encourage everyone to take proper precautions, such as safe social distancing, wearing masks/face coverings, and good hand hygiene.
Per this discussion, we took the opportunity to update the home page to include that encouragement, and to also make available O-fficial CSS branded face coverings. Check ’em out.
David Webb General MemberUhhh – after the sun went down?
David Webb General MemberBeautifully put, Jana, Jerome, and Tim. You did a much better job of pointing out quite a few important details about the approaches (not just the “what,” but the “why”).
David Webb General MemberAgree completely, Billie – I’d never suggest to not take the safer choice to land if something unforeseen/unexpected happens, but (just my opinion) thought that if you or someone that’s helping you out is concerned about dust devils in the LZ and your plan before you even launch is to just land on the wrong side, maybe that’s not a good time to launch.
David Webb General MemberGot a good comment and realized I should have included this above:
Yes – the approach pattern does change throughout the day as the wind clocks around (so adjust accordingly), but the short version of the above stands: if you’re concerned about dust devils in the LZ, strongly consider if you should launch in the first place. Please.
-
AuthorPosts