Thursday….

I agree with all of Tim’s sentiments but must caution that the upper launch is always sketchy for hang gliders unless you go off the very top of the West side when the wind is SW. That portion is steep and it’s easy to see whether or not the wind is filled in by the swaying of the wild grass. We had a blown launch from just below there a few weeks ago by a pilot on a topless who was negligent and unfamiliar with the nuances of top-launching. I must further caution that another pilot on a topless was nearly killed after top-launching in thermic conditions. In general it’s just safer to walk down to either ramp and get into the airflow along a steep drop-off.

“It wasn’t me.” Bart Simpson

Bummer!!!! Sorry to see you go.

Thanks for all the maintenance you do along with the others. Without our information infrastructure I would not have known to change my Sunday plans and get on the 2PM Atmosphere van.

Short edit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RUtJk6eE6U4

I got set up and launched at 3:35PM from the top of Marshall at the West corner. I was flying my single surface floater HG. I climbed to 5600′ as I drifted back and avoided cloud suck on the way. I headed for the cloverleaf arriving at 5K and worked my way back up eventually topping above 58 at RnR. I may have been wiser to head out over the valley floor along the cloud bottoms but chose to cross the blue hole to Bayliss Park. I got there too low to connect and hit the cloud deck to the East. I soon found myself setting up to land in the park off of Old Waterman Cyn Rd and 18. I got a brief low save there and headed for the spine East of the resort. I connected there and climbed from 2500 to 5K as I drifted toward McKinley. McKinley wasn’t working and I jumped to Harrison which also wasn’t working. I worked the ridgeline with the homes on it South of Highland Ave and East of 330. I will remember this for the future because the ridge and the plowed field behind it are major thermal sources. I landed inside of a ground level thermal which carried me and extra 100′ or so. I plunked down getting my bar and pod dirty but it was fun playing in the ground thermal. Unable to get a ride or driver quickly I finally caught an Uber back. I gave the driver a good tip since he went through a lot of dust from the off-road people. Drove back to the field behind the American Legion hall and grabbed my wing hidden behind the trees with the GPS tracker inside and running.

There’s an online communication form for the next time this happens and it probably will given the difficulties for multitudes who live in SoCal: https://www.fs.usda.gov/contactus/sbnf/about-forest/contactus

Hi Alan,
I cannot tell whether you understood or responded to Vrezh’s concern that the Windgram display for Kagel Mtn is truncated 2,050′ above Kagel launch altitude. Please see the attached screen print which should have it’s Y axis more than 2,000′ lower.
Thanks for all you do!
Jonathan