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LP and I arrived on Thursday afternoon to very cold and very windy conditions. Intermittent snow flurries hounded us from time to time and we retreated into the cab of LP's Land Cruiser.
We did fly in short bursts, though. LP flew his Scout Bee (flying wing) and I flew my Combat XR (flying wing). We went to Greer for a great dinner at Molly B's. We "camped" on top of Greens Peak that night, me in my 4Runner and LP in his Land Cruiser. It was a cold and blustery night, but the clouds had cleared enough earlier for us to see the conjunction of the Moon and Venus.
Dan, Ed, and Richard S arrived on Friday, a much improved day. The wind was high, though--about 20 to 30 mph most of the day.
There was carnage.
Ed was first into the trees with his Scout Bee. From launch to tree impact was maybe 20 seconds. The plane ended up on the ground, though, with no damage.
LP also put his Scout Bee in the trees--also without damaging it.
Richard S was flying his old 2-meter Alcyone, putting it through its paces for the first time in years. He flew quite a while, but on setup for landing, a gust of wind slapped it to the ground from about ten feet up.
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On Wednesday, October 1, Dan, LP, Brian T, Ken, Kirby, Olive, and I went to La Bajada for some slope flying. The weather and wind were Goldilocks--not too hot and not too cold, not too blowy and not too lully. I'm guessing that the wind speed ranged from about 10mph to about 18mph.
Dan flew his 60" Cookie, Martin Wing, and Red Wing.
LP flew his Orangutan, Scout Bee, Libelle, and Brian's LeFish.
Brian and Ken flew their Libelles.
Ken also flew his PopWing, though briefly.
Kirby flew his Easy Glider and his Blaster.
I flew my new (used) Combat Wings XR flying wing
and my HalfBad.
In a first for me at La Bajada, no one "landed" below the lip--there were NO walks of shame! In addition, though some of the "landings" were quite un-hissy, there was no damage incurred by any of the planes flown the entire day! Everyone got lots of stick time and at one point all six of us had a plane in the air.
If any of you who were there have any pictures of the event, please email them to me off the list and I'll add them to this post.
--Slope Mother Rocky
Dan flew his 60" Cookie, Martin Wing, and Red Wing.
LP flew his Orangutan, Scout Bee, Libelle, and Brian's LeFish.
Brian and Ken flew their Libelles.
Ken also flew his PopWing, though briefly.
Kirby flew his Easy Glider and his Blaster.
I flew my new (used) Combat Wings XR flying wing
and my HalfBad.
In a first for me at La Bajada, no one "landed" below the lip--there were NO walks of shame! In addition, though some of the "landings" were quite un-hissy, there was no damage incurred by any of the planes flown the entire day! Everyone got lots of stick time and at one point all six of us had a plane in the air.
If any of you who were there have any pictures of the event, please email them to me off the list and I'll add them to this post.
--Slope Mother Rocky
We had a great turnout for our Father's Day outing to La Bajada. Attendees were as follows:
Kirby and Olive brought an Easy Glider, but a wiring gremlin prevented them from flying it.
LP flew his Bee wing, Slope Monkey, Libelle and Brian T's Le Fish.
Dan flew his yellow Cookie-ish vee-tail and Omega 1.5-meter.
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Kirby and Olive brought an Easy Glider, but a wiring gremlin prevented them from flying it.
LP flew his Bee wing, Slope Monkey, Libelle and Brian T's Le Fish.
Dan flew his yellow Cookie-ish vee-tail and Omega 1.5-meter.
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The trip to South Baldy Peak starts with a drive to Socorro and then west toward Magdalena. You turn left and go up Water Canyon on a long, but well-maintained, dirt road. LP had tried to fly here a year or so ago, but after five minutes it was so cold that he couldn't feel his fingers and had to quit. I think he said that was on a warm November day at lower elevation.
It took about 2 hours and 45 minutes to drive to the small parking area outside the gate.
No private vehicles are allowed past the gate. The walk to the flying site is about 300 yards. At over 10,000 feet, and carrying all of your planes and gear, it'll test your cardio-vascular system.
The view from the top is spectacular. (Click on the black bar above this picture, then scroll your screen left and right to view the full width.)
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It took about 2 hours and 45 minutes to drive to the small parking area outside the gate.
No private vehicles are allowed past the gate. The walk to the flying site is about 300 yards. At over 10,000 feet, and carrying all of your planes and gear, it'll test your cardio-vascular system.
The view from the top is spectacular. (Click on the black bar above this picture, then scroll your screen left and right to view the full width.)
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Memorial Day 2012 -- Greens Peak outing
Due to conflicts and predicted heavy winds, we had a smaller club turnout than usual. Dan, Terry, and I joined Dawson, Surfimp, Swiss Peter, three guys from Phoenix, and Chris and his father-in-law. Saturday followed through on the predicted high winds. There was little attempted flying--none by us. Sunday, however, was a different story.
Terry arrived early and promptly put his Wing Warrior in the trees. My PVC poles came to the rescue.
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Due to conflicts and predicted heavy winds, we had a smaller club turnout than usual. Dan, Terry, and I joined Dawson, Surfimp, Swiss Peter, three guys from Phoenix, and Chris and his father-in-law. Saturday followed through on the predicted high winds. There was little attempted flying--none by us. Sunday, however, was a different story.
Terry arrived early and promptly put his Wing Warrior in the trees. My PVC poles came to the rescue.
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On April 1, 2012, LP, Dan, Richard Shagam, and Rocky went to the La Bajada slope site...
Dan concentrates before turning the Blue Sloper downwind for a landing behind him.
The Blue Sloper on final approach.
The La Bajada Bomber flies! (This was an old, severely damaged wing given to Dan by Fred McClung mated to a fuselage from Rocky's barn and all-flying stabs from something-or-other.)
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Dan concentrates before turning the Blue Sloper downwind for a landing behind him.
The Blue Sloper on final approach.
The La Bajada Bomber flies! (This was an old, severely damaged wing given to Dan by Fred McClung mated to a fuselage from Rocky's barn and all-flying stabs from something-or-other.)
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On Saturday, July 16, 2011, LP and I embarked on a slope expedition to the Gunnison, Colorado, environs. Though the wind forecasts for the weekend were bleak (3 to 5 mph), we maintained hope. LP loaded 14 planes and I took 5. I inadvertently left the tails to my Alula, Weasel, and Kaze 40 on my workbench at home. LP had an extra Alula tail and I cut a Weasel tail out of 5mm depron that he had.
Our first stop had been recommended to LP by a Colorado sloper as worthy of investigation. We christened the site "Gobbler Peak" after the sounds of a turkey we heard while there. As predicted, winds were light and we flew the Alula and DIU in the direction labeled "1st flights" below.
The landing areas were not ideal--either hard, wing-grabbing sagebrush or rock-littered earth with sparse grass. Great views, though.
We did some exploring and tried another ridge, but the road was 4wd only and the landing areas weren't any better. We moseyed back to the first location but the wind had changed and we settled at the "Evening flights" slope. More DIU and Alula action...
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Our first stop had been recommended to LP by a Colorado sloper as worthy of investigation. We christened the site "Gobbler Peak" after the sounds of a turkey we heard while there. As predicted, winds were light and we flew the Alula and DIU in the direction labeled "1st flights" below.
The landing areas were not ideal--either hard, wing-grabbing sagebrush or rock-littered earth with sparse grass. Great views, though.
We did some exploring and tried another ridge, but the road was 4wd only and the landing areas weren't any better. We moseyed back to the first location but the wind had changed and we settled at the "Evening flights" slope. More DIU and Alula action...
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LP arrived Friday. Big wind. He flew his Whirlwind (big, molded plane--pictured below at La Bajada),
then stripped a flap servo on landing. There was also a slight delam on the stab. He spent the night on top of the mountain and said the wind didn't relent all night long.
As Richard said, Dan & Richard, Terry, and Rocky arrived Saturday. Dawson (Flagstaff), Mark (Showlow), Rick Palmer (Springerville), and Hap (Tucson) were there also. The wind was 30 to 40 mph. No wimps allowed!
Dawson flew an LEG Spindrift,
his Le Fish, and a Zagi (or some similar flying wing). As always, the rest of us were mesmerized watching Dawson's flying skills and acumen. His snap rolls transitioning into flat spins with the Spindrift are amazing.
LP ripped up the sky with his Stingeron (right LP?), and danced his Bee II (flying wing), and Scout Bee (larger flying wing).
Mark flew a Moth (plank).
Terry flew the Schweitzer 1-26,
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then stripped a flap servo on landing. There was also a slight delam on the stab. He spent the night on top of the mountain and said the wind didn't relent all night long.
As Richard said, Dan & Richard, Terry, and Rocky arrived Saturday. Dawson (Flagstaff), Mark (Showlow), Rick Palmer (Springerville), and Hap (Tucson) were there also. The wind was 30 to 40 mph. No wimps allowed!
Dawson flew an LEG Spindrift,
his Le Fish, and a Zagi (or some similar flying wing). As always, the rest of us were mesmerized watching Dawson's flying skills and acumen. His snap rolls transitioning into flat spins with the Spindrift are amazing.
LP ripped up the sky with his Stingeron (right LP?), and danced his Bee II (flying wing), and Scout Bee (larger flying wing).
Mark flew a Moth (plank).
Terry flew the Schweitzer 1-26,
...Continue Reading
