Blog Profile / Roger's Soaring Blog

Flight Review

It's been quite a while since I have posted... and over two months since I have flown. January weekends were busy with family and organization commitments, and the weather was not so great. Then in February we had a death and two births in my immediate family, so weekends were again taken up. Show More Summary

Mind the gap!

Some places, that means "don't fall in the gap between the platform and the train." In soaring, that means "don't get trapped when the Foehn gap closes under you." I've learned about it in training and read about it, but never experienced it until today. The RASPtable forecast showed possible wave from a southwest wind. Show More Summary

How can there be lift EVERYWHERE?

I haven't posted for a while, though I have flown. Things have been pretty busy... I'll catch up on some recent events in the next post (I hope). Today's forecast looked good, but with one caveat: NWS listed "broken cirrus" starting about 2:00 pm. Show More Summary

Friday the 13th? Bah! But still....

I read quite a few publications about flying, not just soaring, because I want to be the best pilot I can be. It's frequently stated that many accidents come about not because of a catastrophic event, but because of a "chain" of things that lead to a bad situation or bad decision. Show More Summary

Weird but it Worked

Sunday's forecast was for winds from the west or northwest north of the mountains, but from the south down in the L.A. basin. That made for a possible convergence at right angles right on the top of the mountains. It looked like there could be the possibility of mountain wave lift in places. Show More Summary

Working more than flying

I had not flown since my great wave flight in March... I've been busy with projects at home and various commitments on the weekends. A lot has happened in the last couple of months. Due to some mid-year leadership changes, I've been appointed President of our soaring club. Show More Summary

Mountain Climbing in a Greenhouse

We can never quite tell how a day will shape up for soaring. I went to Crystalaire this Saturday not even sure if I would fly, wondering if the weather would turn out like the forecasts, had a long wait for a tow, and ended up having one of my best flights ever! Winds in front of an approaching Pacific storm were forecast to be from the south. Show More Summary

Update on Blanik L13 situation

We are still waiting for the FAA to complete their assessment of a Supplemental Type Certificate that has been submitted to deal with the Blanik L13 airworthiness issue. It's been in process since about May 2011. The FAA's statement as of early February The STC applicant's description of the inspection and repair process The parts kit alone would cost about $8,700.

Seagull Soaring Index

I have a 2-meter "foamie" radio-controlled glider that I occasionally get to fly, mostly ridge soaring along ocean cliffs. It's relatively heavy, so it takes a pretty strong wind to keep it aloft, unlike the little Zagis and molded foam warbirds that have been developed in recent years. Show More Summary

More Hemet-Ryan shenanigans

The County of Riverside is determined to force gliders to stop operating at Hemet-Ryan Airport. The FAA ruled that we have the right to fly there, and ruled that the management must negotiate in good faith with us. But the FAA does not...Show More Summary

Flight # 300

Saturday was designated as a day for test launches on our winch after reversing the cable on the spool. The weather was broken clouds, not much potential for thermal lift. No one was expecting to soar, because we wanted to do as many launches as possible. Show More Summary

Mobile format

I've just turned on the mobile option for this blog. It's fully automatic - you don't need to go to a different URL. This should make it far faster and easier to read and navigate from your iPhone-type device, and I imagine from Android devices too. Show More Summary

Motion-induced blindness

A friend shared this link and I think it's worth sharing here as well. We're taught as student pilots that when we're scanning for traffic, we need to look at different sections of the sky for short periods and not fixate. The reason has more to do with our optic system architecture than with our conscious ability to recognize objects. Show More Summary

Review of 2011

2011 was quite an interesting year. It started off badly, but I had some terrific flights and gave some great passenger rides. It ended with our club returning to Hemet-Ryan airport on a limited basis.I had a total of 24 flights, four less than in 2010, but 18 hours and 12 minutes, which is more time. Show More Summary

The Winch is Back

After several successful weekends of aerotowing at Hemet-Ryan Airport, we decided it was time to start some winch launching. The tow pilot we've been engaging was not available this weekend, and it was probably the last weekend before everyone gets really busy with the holidays. Show More Summary

Winds of Change at Hemet-Ryan

The gliders have returned to Hemet! I've been too busy to blog lately, so I'll catch up now. Orange County Soaring and Cypress Soaring have begun joint operations. This was our third week of aerotowing, and my second week of flying. A couple weeks ago there was not much lift, and I only got a 23-minute flight in some convergence. Show More Summary

Historical Trends in Sailplane Activity at Hemet-Ryan Airport

In support of our negotiations with the County of Riverside regarding soaring at Hemet-Ryan Airport, I have conducted a study of the number of sailplanes based there from 1996 through 2009. The source of data for the study was historical...Show More Summary

Dual Flight over Early Snow

Friday brought a fast-moving cold storm to Southern California. Saturday looked to be clear skies and cool aloft with possible thermals to 9 or 10,000 feet, but also possibly windy to 15 knots, with the wind maybe too westerly to make good wave. Show More Summary

Hemet-Ryan Master Plan Includes Soaring - NOT!

The County of Riverside published their new Master Plan, along with an "Initial Study" that addresses environmental and other issues. The Plan is full of unsubstantiated assumptions, unsupported conclusions, and undisclosed motivations. Show More Summary

It's Complicated