Nice flying day in New England Tuesday

[Dave Nadler]

Attempted 750km. Possibly could have done it
if I continued south past Mansfield towards
Plymouth for the last turnpoint...
See ya, Dave "YO electric"

Well, it wasn't quite as good a day as we hoped. As I
thought, the early high cloud presaged overdevelopment.
Launched first, shut motor down at 1200 AGL in a nice
thermal that took me over 4k. Headed out over Wachusset,
which was too far to the west, and wasted time in the blue.
XA took a better line staying with the clouds to the east
and got to Jaffrey first. Connected with the cloud and
started moving after Mt. Manadnock.

There were solid climbs but not super streeting.
Looked like Uvalde but the cores were not consistent.
And there was too much cloud, and minor OD and
slow cycling.

I stayed west of the course to Jay Peak to stay with the
streets and eventually crossed into the Rt 100 valley
with Hwy 89. Inconsistent lift and terrible looking clouds
up by Belvidere, plus way behind schedule for 750km,
so I turned a bit beyond Morrisville.

XA was not far in back of me but gave up near
Montpelier, maybe turned Sugarbush ?

Followed the clouds to the west of Sugarbush, bounced
past Chittenden reservoir and topped out over 9k near
Killington. Passed Rutland and found good lift for a while,
but it was really OD'd with high clag down past
Manchester center. I was thinking North Adams but
it looked bad to the south, and also along the route
home further south.

Doug Jacobs reached Morrisville a bit after me. He
stayed further east heading south, and turned for home
10 miles east of Manchester Center.

I wimped out and headed east near Bennington VT
after getting lower than I was happy with and taking
some scruffy 3 knot thermals. Followed the clouds,
hooked north by Keene NH, and DJ reports he's following
a street south past Sterling. I followed a different
street down to Mansfield, running and bumping without
turns at 8k - 9k - almost final glide home from Mansfield !
The clouds looked weaker past Mansfield and I was
freezing, so I turned north. Followed the street up to
Fitchburg, then flew on home and spoilered down...

DJ went to North Central, for a total of 399sm.

According to StrePla - OLC, I did 707km / 440 miles
(or an FAI triangle of 660km / 411sm)

2 minutes of engine run plus 7:20 of soaring.
Never saw another glider in the air all day !
First launch and last landing (again).

Where was everyone ? Sterling was deserted
when DJ and I landed ! Nobody to have a beer ??

Next time lets hope for a little less moisture aloft...

See ya, Dave "YO electric"

Sterling flights on OLC including today:
http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightsOfAirfield.html?aa=STERL1&st=olc&rt=olc&c=C0&sc=&sp=2010

[Herb]

On Apr 21, 7:55*am, Dave Nadler > wrote:
> Attempted 750km. Possibly could have done it
> if I continued south past Mansfield towards
> Plymouth for the last turnpoint...
> See ya, Dave "YO *electric"
>
> Well, it wasn't quite as good a day as we hoped. As I
> thought, the early high cloud presaged overdevelopment.
> Launched first, shut motor down at 1200 AGL in a nice
> thermal that took me over 4k. Headed out over Wachusset,
> which was too far to the west, and wasted time in the blue.
> XA took a better line staying with the clouds to the east
> and got to Jaffrey first. Connected with the cloud and
> started moving after Mt. Manadnock.
>
> There were solid climbs but not super streeting.
> Looked like Uvalde but the cores were not consistent.
> And there was too much cloud, and minor OD and
> slow cycling.
>
> I stayed west of the course to Jay Peak to stay with the
> streets and eventually crossed into the Rt 100 valley
> with Hwy 89. Inconsistent lift and terrible looking clouds
> up by Belvidere, plus way behind schedule for 750km,
> so I turned a bit beyond Morrisville.
>
> XA was not far in back of me but gave up near
> Montpelier, maybe turned Sugarbush ?
>
> Followed the clouds to the west of Sugarbush, bounced
> past Chittenden reservoir and topped out over 9k near
> Killington. Passed Rutland and found good lift for a while,
> but it was really OD'd with high clag down past
> Manchester center. I was thinking North Adams but
> it looked bad to the south, and also along the route
> home further south.
>
> Doug Jacobs reached Morrisville a bit after me. He
> stayed further east heading south, and turned for home
> 10 miles east of Manchester Center.
>
> I wimped out and headed east near Bennington VT
> after getting lower than I was happy with and taking
> some scruffy 3 knot thermals. Followed the clouds,
> hooked north by Keene NH, and DJ reports he's following
> a street south past Sterling. I followed a different
> street down to Mansfield, running and bumping without
> turns at 8k - 9k - almost final glide home from Mansfield !
> The clouds looked weaker past Mansfield and I was
> freezing, so I turned north. Followed the street up to
> Fitchburg, then flew on home and spoilered down...
>
> DJ went to North Central, for a total of 399sm.
>
> According to StrePla - OLC, I did 707km / 440 miles
> (or an FAI triangle of 660km / 411sm)
>
> 2 minutes of engine run plus 7:20 of soaring.
> Never saw another glider in the air all day !
> First launch and last landing (again).
>
> Where was everyone ? Sterling was deserted
> when DJ and I landed ! Nobody to have a beer ??
>
> Next time lets hope for a little less moisture aloft...
>
> See ya, Dave "YO electric"
>
> Sterling flights on OLC including today:http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightsOfAirfield.html?a...

<<<Where was everyone?>>>
Dave,
I don't where everyone else was but this working stiff dragged himself
to work in the morning through the inspiring Chicago traffic and spent
his usual 10-12 hours making sure the US is supplied with tasty
Croissants and Danish Cakes.
What am I doing to deserve the insults of questions like 'where were
you yesterday' and 'you sure missed probably the best day of the year'
- yada, yada, yada... Do I want to know in excruciating detail what I
missed - not really. Do I enjoy reading accounts of great flights
that are well told and make me look forward to my next x-country?
Yeah, kinda...

Herb, J7

[Tony[_5_]]

Very nice flight, Dave. Congrats.

Tony

[Papa3]

On Apr 21, 2:56*pm, Herb > wrote:
> On Apr 21, 7:55*am, Dave Nadler > wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
> > Attempted 750km. Possibly could have done it
> > if I continued south past Mansfield towards
> > Plymouth for the last turnpoint...
> > See ya, Dave "YO *electric"
>
> > Well, it wasn't quite as good a day as we hoped. As I
> > thought, the early high cloud presaged overdevelopment.
> > Launched first, shut motor down at 1200 AGL in a nice
> > thermal that took me over 4k. Headed out over Wachusset,
> > which was too far to the west, and wasted time in the blue.
> > XA took a better line staying with the clouds to the east
> > and got to Jaffrey first. Connected with the cloud and
> > started moving after Mt. Manadnock.
>
> > There were solid climbs but not super streeting.
> > Looked like Uvalde but the cores were not consistent.
> > And there was too much cloud, and minor OD and
> > slow cycling.
>
> > I stayed west of the course to Jay Peak to stay with the
> > streets and eventually crossed into the Rt 100 valley
> > with Hwy 89. Inconsistent lift and terrible looking clouds
> > up by Belvidere, plus way behind schedule for 750km,
> > so I turned a bit beyond Morrisville.
>
> > XA was not far in back of me but gave up near
> > Montpelier, maybe turned Sugarbush ?
>
> > Followed the clouds to the west of Sugarbush, bounced
> > past Chittenden reservoir and topped out over 9k near
> > Killington. Passed Rutland and found good lift for a while,
> > but it was really OD'd with high clag down past
> > Manchester center. I was thinking North Adams but
> > it looked bad to the south, and also along the route
> > home further south.
>
> > Doug Jacobs reached Morrisville a bit after me. He
> > stayed further east heading south, and turned for home
> > 10 miles east of Manchester Center.
>
> > I wimped out and headed east near Bennington VT
> > after getting lower than I was happy with and taking
> > some scruffy 3 knot thermals. Followed the clouds,
> > hooked north by Keene NH, and DJ reports he's following
> > a street south past Sterling. I followed a different
> > street down to Mansfield, running and bumping without
> > turns at 8k - 9k - almost final glide home from Mansfield !
> > The clouds looked weaker past Mansfield and I was
> > freezing, so I turned north. Followed the street up to
> > Fitchburg, then flew on home and spoilered down...
>
> > DJ went to North Central, for a total of 399sm.
>
> > According to StrePla - OLC, I did 707km / 440 miles
> > (or an FAI triangle of 660km / 411sm)
>
> > 2 minutes of engine run plus 7:20 of soaring.
> > Never saw another glider in the air all day !
> > First launch and last landing (again).
>
> > Where was everyone ? Sterling was deserted
> > when DJ and I landed ! Nobody to have a beer ??
>
> > Next time lets hope for a little less moisture aloft...
>
> > See ya, Dave "YO electric"
>
> > Sterling flights on OLC including today:http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightsOfAirfield.html?a...
>
> <<<Where was everyone?>>>
> Dave,
> I don't where everyone else was but this working stiff dragged himself
> to work in the morning through the inspiring Chicago traffic and spent
> his usual 10-12 hours making sure the US is supplied with tasty
> Croissants and Danish Cakes.
> What am I doing to deserve the insults of questions like 'where were
> you yesterday' and 'you sure missed probably the best day of the year'
> - yada, yada, yada... *Do I want to know in excruciating detail what I
> missed - not really. *Do I enjoy reading accounts of great flights
> that are well told and make me look forward to my next x-country?
> Yeah, kinda...
>
> Herb, J7- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

We have a saying in Aero Club Albatross courtesy of our very own Tony
Benson: "It was a miss your mother's funeral kinda day." Well,
Tuesday was better... it was a "miss your own funeral kinda
day."

Talk about adding insult to injury. I was sitting in my office here
in central New Jersey with its northwest facing windows looking at a
cloudstreet (more like an 8 lane super highway) that disappeared off
in the distance. I made a mental note to myself along the lines of
"coulda gone straight to Harris Hill without turning...." About 15
minutes later, my phone rings. One of our under-employed members felt
inspired to regale me with tales of just how great a day it really
was. "Best day in a decade... had a solid 11 kts to 8,000...
feet..." And the killer... "I just flew a street for 40 miles way up
past Scranton. No turns out OR on the way back..." Yeah.
Thanks.

P3

[Dave Nadler]

On Apr 22, 9:42*am, Tony > wrote:
> Very nice flight, Dave. Congrats.
>
> Tony

Thanks ! I'm still kicking myself for not continuing further
south, I didn't realize I was so close to 750km having
gone into "tourist" mode hours earlier. Need to work
on not circling so much; StrePla says I spent 17%
of the time circling - almost 1:15 not going anywhere...

Friday (tomorrow) might be good too !

See ya, Dave "YO electric"

PS: Antares Rules !