To: SanDiegoParagliding@yahoogroups.com From: "tadhurst" Date: Tue, 03 Sep 2002 16:38:13 -0000 Subject: [SanDiegoParagliding] Horse Canyon 9/2/02 Reply-To: SanDiegoParagliding@yahoogroups.com It was a warm and sunny day is eastern San Diego County. . . I visited the Laguna launch at around 10:30, and the wind was upslope at 8 with gentle thermals. After testing the air with my Boomerang (a Zagi-like RC plane), I launched from the end of the parking lot, and turned left around and under the upper launch. The upper launch is a sooty mess, and is too small for my paraglider. I got some lift to ~500 over. I tried going over the hill behind the hang launch - not much there either. So I landed at the end of the road next to my car. Gary, Dave M., James and Meghan were on their way to Horse Canyon. My soaring predictor indicated soarable to 18,000 with a thermal index on only 10. Should be smooth and high. So I joined them. When I arrived on top, the wind was quite cross from the North. We waited for 15 minutes or so and noted several good upslope cycles (~8-10 mph). I decided to go first, as I was not expecting a great flight. The wind was cross, the thermals too gentle. In addition, I had lost my vario at Blossom the day before. I don't need it to thermal, but it is very handy once you get high and want to get higher. I was wearing shorts and a tee shirt, and I had on my batting gloves. Gary commented that it could be chilly at 10k. I had no reason to think I was going to get there. I launched at a little after 12:00. I turned north into stiff north wind. No lift was found, so I quickly turned south and ran for the cones. I arrived ~100 ft over the dirt road, and worked some ratty little thermals up to the top of the cone. There the thermals smoothed out and I was able to turn. On the second set, I got good smooth lift under a cummie to 6.5k. I had turned my GPS on in altitude mode. It is particularly important to know how high you are at Horse because the commercial jets on their way to Lindberg field pass right over the site between 8k and 12k. I tried to work my way back over launch, but the north wind prevented that. I returned to the cones even with the top, and a several minutes later found myself at 7k drifting southeast under the cummie. I thought about landing at la Posta, but I noticed that the wind had shifted and was now out of the west. I worked my way back over launch with ~500 ft AGL. Some hang guys were setting up below me. I caught a good thermal and was soon at 7k and drifting ESE over to Kitchen creek road. I then sank back to 6k and noticed James above me at ~6.5-7k as I worked my way back over launch. My radio's battery died. I caught another good smooth (as predicted) thermal. As I approached 8 k, I noticed a commercial jet pass overhead. I turned north toward Laguna with the goal of landing at the Laguna launch. I was on glide and sinking as I approached Sunrise Highway. I got down to 5k and had chosen as an LZ the open field below that was adjacent to the Highway. I then caught another smooth thermal and got back up to 8k. This was good, it would ensure that I could get to the clearing on the highway about a 1.5 miles from I-8 - an easy pickup spot. I headed on glide to that spot, but caught another thermal under a small cummie. What a great day. As I passed thought 10k drifting ESE I let out a whoop. I knew I could make the Laguna launch, which was easily visible. I figured that if I was still high over that launch, I would shoot on toward the Warner Springs Gliderport (landing there is by special arrangement only!) I was still in the gentle thermal. I passed through 11k, 12k, 13k. At 13.5k I decided to go on glide to goal. I was not going to allow myself above 14k. I put on full speed bar and pointed toward the goal. Still climbing! I tried big ears, but passed through 14k. I tried a spiral, but not a deep one. Still going up. As I passed through 15k, I reached for the B-lines, and pulled to my chest. Still going up. I buried the B's - going down! The wing was quite dynamic, and I couldn't hold the B's for long. At one point, the B's were jerked from left hand, and the right tip of the glider was caught in the now inflated left side. I started into an asymmetric- fold spiral. Not wanting to pass out, I full stalled and cleared the caught tip. I passed through 16k and into the bottom of the cloud. I grabbed high on the B's and buried them. I dropped out of the cloud after being in it for 10 seconds. The max altitude was 16.3k. I could not hold the B's for too long, so I went to REALLY BIG big ears. (I thought about Airplay-Marty's story about tying his speed bar to the B-line mallions, but I didn't want to take 60 seconds to do this while going up). This was very dynamic, and I was holding altitude between 15-16k. I returned to deep spirals, coming out only to breathe, blink, get my bearings, and move my fingers. I changed directions every now and then. I stared at the GPS and worked hard to figure out if the numbers were changing down or up. At one point I noticed three sailplanes circling perhaps a few thousand feet below me. I never saw them again ­ I wonder if they ever saw me. As I passed down through 12k, I came out of the spiral and applied the speed bar, which promptly broke. Not the bar itself, the line that connects to the A-riser. Back into sprials. A few minutes later I was extremely happy (again) to pass through 10k. I came out of the spiral and noted that I was not going up. I put in big ears and relaxed. I told myself that I needed to breathe for several minutes before I tried to land. I needed time to clear my head. I had a handful of landing options available. I could still reach the Laguna launch, but I choose the Radar Dome to the south of it. There were people there - at least there were cars. I boated around for 15 minutes or so. The wind at the Radar dome was weak and E. The landing was uneventful. The people cheered. I got a ride to the general store at the highway, made a couple of phone calls, and waited for my cell phone to ring.