Another diamond in Minden

Wave kicked up again this afternoon in Minden, and Morteza Ansari, who
has been chewing his fingernails all January and February waiting for
his chance, got up here from the Bay Area in response to our wave
alert to give it a try. He launched in SoaringNV's LS-4 just after
lunch, got off tow at 7,600' MSL (2,900' AGL) and poked around looking
for some strong, smooth lift. The Minden West window as already open
for another SoaringNV glider, so there was no delay as Morteza worked
up to 18,000 and beyond. We had excellent visibility again, with
clouds only up to around 12,000', so remaining clear of clouds was not
a problem. About an hour after launch Morteza decided he had enough
altitude for the diamond and the Lennie pin, so he headed home.
Analyzing the trace after his flight it appears he turned around at
around 26,500', for a total gain of approximately 18,000'.

Congratulations, Morteza! It's fun to see someone succeed at this.

The wave also looked good for some cross country flying, but the
flight we were planning had to be postponed due to a scheduling
problem.

It's looking like there's more good wave coming, so if anyone wants a
heads-up, drop me an email and I'll put you on our wave alert list.

Fred LaSor
SoaringNV
flasorATfrognetDOTnet