S K U N K E D

Cody and I flew the Short Divide on Saturday. We knew before hand it might be a gamble given the soaring forecast. There weren't very many other options for flying because of the over development and possible thunderstorms in the area.

We launched around 4:30pm, a little late probably. I was the first off. I was scratching from launch to landing in the powdery, downhill, plowed bailout field. I actually pulled off my landing with several long strides, sinking past my ankles in the loamy soil with each step. I did drop the control frame on the last step.

Cody launched after I landed. His flight was shorter than mine. Cody executed his perfect crosswind landing, specially developed for this LZ.

Saturday Lisa V and myself had Heber to Ourselves. Mike Glassgow was along as driver. Heber hasn't been flown much this year. in fact, I believe Lisa and I were the first hangs to fly there a few weeks ago this season. The conditions were similar Saturday as it was a few weeks back - with a bit more moisture. We launched around 1:30pm into a thready 8-15mph wind. It wasn't a gimme! The thermals were hard to core. They were small and punchy with a definite shear cutting the lift off at 10.5k. We groveled around for an hour in the turbulence, then finally Lisa found a great core out front. Finally full turns in consistant 500 -1000 ft. per min. lift. We took that one to 13.5k and I headed over the back. Lisa hung back and rung out the thermal, climbing to 14.5k. We met back up over the cement plant outside of Park City, and worked some light cores until a fatty landed us over Rockport Reservoir at 14k again.

There were great cumulus developments on route, and several climbs took me close to cloud base. Back to the southeast heavy OD was dumping rain and hail over parts of the Uintas. The storm cells were not a threat given the distance from our route.

After topping out over Rockport, we headed N.E. to Coalville where my flight ended. Lisa flew a few miles further, up Chalk Creek, and landed in a great field in the narrow valley.

Great flight, awesome visuals, good friends!!



Bruce over launch.



Buce getting ready



Bruce launching



Lisa Verzella launching.

Steorts Arete

My friend Arno Ilgner Came out for the Outdoor Retailers show this week. Arno is the author of the the Warriors Way climbing books. Not only is he a successful writer, he's not to bad of climber either. I had the opportunity to break my two year climbing slump.

I Love This Place!

Cody, Dan M and I had a quintessential Randolph session on Friday. We arrived on launch around 2:30pm and were all airborne an hour later. The conditions were really perfect with the wind coming around t-boning the hill half an hour after we launched. It could have been a great XC day had we planned it out and brought a driver. Cloud streets were lined up heading straight out to Oyster Ridge. Oh well, we made due with 2+ hour flights. Definitely a flying site that deserves our praise!!

Oh, and of course Don Pedros in Evanston post flight!!


Archived picture of the ridge

2011 King Mountain Championships

June 11 through the 17 I was in Moore, Idaho for the 2011 King Mountain Championships. It's a hang gliding comp that happens every year at one of the greatest flying sites in the world. This year there were about 70 competitors at the comp, which is a good turnout for a hang gliding comp. Our team took second place in the comp. Lisa Verzella, one of the team members, placed fourth overall and had an outstanding 100 miler during the comp. Paul Alen, another team pilot got longest flight of the meet - 125+ miles. I must say, I was in awe of my fellow team mates. Most of the comp days saw big over development. Pilots willing to fly the tasks took on additional weather related risks.



Lisa Verzella, me and our awesome driver Sharon Lepardi (color girl).



Upper launch



Lisa launching



Our team Me, Lisa Verzella, Paul Alen, Sharon Lepardi and K.C. Benn.

FAVORITE THINGS- flying randolph

This is a vid shot last month at Randolph. The Bear River is way out of it's banks, and the flooding is evident. The regular LZ is under water, so we had to use the alternate LZ close to the hill.

Beautiful as always!

More Inspo

here's a vid I took from Saturday -

Inspo Photo Session

I got out to Inspo on Saturday. With the sky showing the possibility of overdeveloping, I continued, believing the incoming high pressure would dry things out later in the day. When I got to launch a PG instructor was launching students - about 8 to 10. Most were getting high, a few several grand over launch. As I set up, the the sky began filling in, and by the time I launched there was over 90% coverage. Surprisingly, there was strong lift everywhere.

I met a photographer and his wife on launch. They drove my car down. He was kind enough to send me the pics he took -

Thursday 5.5.11

Cody and I got out Thursday for some great spring flying. The Short Divide was on. We set up in soarable winds, and were soon in the air enjoying smooth lift. Both of us got high enough to fly down to Gunsight Peak. A high level cloud formation spread out and effected thermal production later in the flight. We landed at the Chevron station close to I-15.

A friend of Cody took some shots from launch.




Cody over launch


Cody somewhere over the ridge in back.

Spring at Inspo

It was great to get out to the mountains after a loooong winter. Exceptional views and great thermals. Lisa V is seen on her bag near the end of the vid. Great climb0out!

TODAY

It's been a slow start for flying this year. Most mountain sites are still snowed in. Makes one appreciate the Point of the Mountain.

Today I was out early. I was able to take advantage of the mornings strong pre-frontal conditions.

Very Funny.......But True!

Just a pic from the archives.

The following courtesy of Sherry Williams.

Only two blacks were newly elected to congress this cycle, and both are Republican. Ret. Army Lt. Colonel Allen West is from southern Florida, a bastion of the Democratic Party. He won in a walk. Check this out.

This new Congressman was an extremely popular commander in Iraq. He was forced to retire because during an intense combat action a few of his men were captured. At the same time his men had captured one of the guys who were with the Iraqis who captured his men.

Knowing that time was crucial and his interrogators were not getting anywhere with the prisoner, Colonel West took matters into his own hands. He burst into the room and demanded through an interpreter that the prisoner tell him where his men were being taken. The prisoner refused so Colonel West took out his pistol and placed it into the prisoner's crotch and fired. Then, the Colonel told the prisoner that the next shot would not miss. So the prisoner said he would show where the American service members were being taken. The Americans were rescued. Someone filed a report on incorrect handling of prisoners. Colonel West was forced to retire. Colonel West was just elected in November 2010 to Congress from Florida. During the elections he was part of a panel on how to handle or how to relate to Muslims. You will see his answer here.

Here is one of the new congressmen from Florida explaining very definitively in just over a minute the truth about Islam.

Wills Wing Poster Boy

A surprise last month when I received a text from Lisa V, "wow, great full page spread!". Turns out Wills Wing used a pic Ryan Voight took of me at Heber this past summer. The ad is a nice full page spread. The pic was also used for the USHPA annual hang glider calender.

December at the South Side

I usually don't fly after the middle of November. It's just to cold and the motivation isn't there. In fact, the last few years the end of October has been the end of the flying season for me.

This year's been different. We've had some unseasonably warm weather that's given the opportunity for some late season flying. Yesterday and today the abnormally warm temps got my flying juices moving. Yesterday, John L., Sam, Cal and myself flew in great conditions at the SS. Today it was stronger. I did the unfathomable and actually got set up before the sun came up. The sunrise was amazing! Sam, John and I managed an hour of sorties with multiple top landings in reasonably smooth air. I even climbed up even with Blue Balls in the pre-nuking conditions. By 9:30 it was over with gusts pegging over 35mph. Very worth the effort.


Sam gets an unwanted obstacle on one of his landings.


Notice Sam in the upper right hand corner.



John L. was heard saying, "at least we can say we flew".

Flock Of Birds

A lil' vid of flying in Salt Lake 2010

The New CPR

A very interesting development in the delivery of CPR. As a member of the PCMR Ski Patrol, I wonder if or when proffesional rescuers will adopt this new technique?

11/02/10

Yesterday Dan Moser and I drove out to Randolph. The conditions were a bit iffy, with most wind forecasts calling for light west. We were joined by Matt Shoemaker and his parents (potential tandems). Later on Shadd, Ryan and Carl showed up. As we set up the wind slowly clocked around from NNW to WNW and the Glass once again faithfully turned on. Everyone got over an hour of smooth evening soaring, even Matt with a passenger - his mom.


Matts Mom.

Hmmm!