SLC-2: Francis Peak

Aftre breakfast we headed north. Stacy had been in contact with a guy who hadpt up a 'windtalker' on Francis Peak and it was looking good. But he told as also, that it would be blown out later in the afternoon.

Francis Peak launch

Conditions on launch: NW (which is perfect) and 11 to >15mph wind, which is the upper limit I can handle safely. I had a surprisingly good lauch consodering the conditions, and right from the start it was climbing well. BUT: the problem on Francis: due to the nearby Hill AFB, we are not allowed to climb above Francis Peak (with its clearly visible radoms) and that's only about 200m above launch :-)
So flying accelerated I just headed away from the mountain, trying to avoid the zones with very strong lift. Up there it was a bit 'sporty'. Furter out and lower it  became much smoother but then also the lift 'disappeared'.

looking back tolaunch

Hart couldn't recognize the LZ from the air; he landed north on a nearby golf course ;-)

LZ and golf course (but not where Hart had landed)

As it was way too early for a re-launch, we checked in at our motel while Stacy talked with his contact about the best options for an eevening flight: the 'V' or again Francis.
We decided for Francis and picked up Mike at the LZ; Hart had offered to drive the car down.
When we got to launch the wind was still perfect, but stared to die down quickly so that in the end I had to make a foreward launch.

Mike

Mike

We found one (!) thermal, where we could turn in minimal lift, gaining 2-10m per circle...

SLC-1: Point of the Mountain (PotM) -South side

As wa to be expected, Hart and I awoke very early (due to the jetlag) and at 0630 Stacy came to pick us up for the first flight of this trip: PotM. Even befor sunrise, rather many pilots were already kiting or getting ready. This is very typical of this site, which works best from (even before) Sunrise until about 0900.

before sunrise

Hart

During the first flight, the wind was just enough to stay up, but due to the many pilots I couldn't always stay in the lift band so I sunk out. Stacy came to pick me up for a re-launch.

Stacy (green LittleCloud) and Hart (rt ide)

This time the conditions were much better and it was no problem staying up...

Breakfast at the 'Serving time Cafe', a restaurant inside the female prison, where they allow soon to be released (lady) prisoners to work.

(InReach) Tracks

On WAP (Where Are the Pilots) you can see now both (Hart's and my) track on the same map page.

Only the actual day is automatically shown; in order to see older tracks, you must tick the appropriate box.
NOTE: not all tracks are tracks from flights; sometimes we track also our travel by car/ foot ;-)

A huge thank to Thomas Blatter (CH), who has created this page. As far as I know it's the only page where it is possible to display several tracks from different sources (Spot, InReach, Flymaster) on a single webpage. There is also a app for your smartphone available.

First impressions

On the positive side: as I had already mentioned: the speedy and efficient immigration at SLC.
On the negative side:
- it took us close to 2 (!!) hours until the staff at AT&T had set up and sold us our 2 prepaid SIM-cards :-((
- checking-out at the cashier at Walmart, where we stocked up on water/ drinks etc: total amount 11 something USD: the cashier was unable to break up the 100dollar bill I had given her, so the we gave her exact change. BUT as she already had entered 100dollar in her machine, she had a problem;
- also in the next shop I had to wait about 5minutes before my 100dollar bill could be broken up...

Hart was getting a little impatient; Stacy just rolled his eys in desperation...

Travel

Apart from the delay out of ZRH, travel worked withour a hitch:
ontime departure in AMS, smooth flight (Delta 767-300) with good (even some excellent) food, some sleep on the plane, early (!) arrival, fast/ efficient immigration :-))

Track AMS-SLC

first course with Thai-Curry soup: excellent!!!

Manitoba

Rocky Mountains

Utah

SLC

It turned out that the immigration officer had been flying hangliders 25 years ago...
Due to the early arrival, Stacy didn't make it in time to SLC, so we took a cab to our hotel in Lehi (near Point of the mountain) where he had arrived just a few minutes ahead of us.

USA'18: ready for departure :-)) -slow start :-(

Tonight the  'PG USA 2018 -adventure' will start by flying from ZRH to AMS, where tomorrow morning I'll meet my friend Hart(mut). He'll be arriving from DUS and then we'll fly together to SLC. There Stacy is supposed to meet us at the airport...

The wx fcst for the first week is looking great (though rather on the 'warm' side)  :-)

Unfortunately I'm experiencing a 'slow start' as my KLM-flight ZRH-AMS is delayed by 3 (!) hours: 2220 instead of 1925...
On the aircraft we were informed about the reason for this delay: heavy TS (thunderstorms) over AMS, which had even closed down operations for a while.
In the end I arrived 2 hours late at the hotel (for a short night).

Scuol

After having recently selected several times a 'bad' or unsuitable TO, today I finally was in the right place :-))
I left home early by car and drove to Klosters, from where I took the train to Scuol; the reasoning behind this: I did not have necessarily to land again in Scuol in order to retrieve my car, leaving me with more options for my flight.
Getting to Scuol, already more than a dozen gliders were soaring above Motta Naluns.
I was finally ready to launch shortly after 1100 and after my 'usual warm-up' of about 30 minutes I started heading West, up the Engadin Valley.

looking West towards Susch

Cloudbase rose steadily and in the afternoon reached 4000m: my max Alt: 3880m.

Flüelapass

 

Samedan Airport, St.Moritz (and lake); Silvaplanersee, Bernina

Originally I had thought that I might be able to fly to Piz Corvatsch and eventually also towards Piz Bernina; but approaching Samedan, I was not convinced that I actually could get there so I turned around (42.5km form launch).

Piz Kesch (3418m), Keschhütte SAC

Zernez

Zernez looking SSE: Ofenpass, Swiss National Park

In Zernez I decided to switch to the right side of the valley: this turned out to be a major mistake, as afterwards I encountered a lot of sink in locations where I didn't feel comfortable...

Schloss Tarasp

Actually I didn't like it at all, so I didn't try to continue further East/ down the Engadin and thus extending this triangle. I was aware, that I'd needed to push East for only another 7km in order to make 100k.
Landing was a bit tricky, as the wind was changing between East and West...
But all in all still a great flight of almost 90k in 4hrs 15mins.

Arosa - more 'noFly'

Unfortunately the north wind persisted also for the next 3 days. Only on Thursday it would have been possible to launch (more or less) safely.
Thursday was also the first day 'Napa' was allowed to venture outside.

More Info can be found here  (sorry - german only).

Those familiar with the site can clearly see that launching would have been 'tricky' - to put it mildly ;-)

But on all days the views have been stunning.
I'm of course well aware, that going to some other launch (like Crap Sogn Gion or Pizol) would have 'solved' this problem  ;-)

Arosa - noFly (wind) :-(

Screenshot from https://weisshorn.roundshot.com/ (updated every 10mins)

That's the way it looked at 1230 today. But (as I already feared when leaving home) the wind 'didn't play along'. So I just reinstalled the windsock (that's me on the roof with the windsock- sorry hard to see) and put a wind indicator further down in the 'Rööslihang'. Tomorrow hopefully another try...

USA 2018 -the plan in detail

If all (especially the wx) goes well, then this will be (most of) the sites we plan to fly:

Ebenalp

Almost exactly 1 year after my stupid accident here on the Ebenalp (when I broke my left wrist) I came back for a really nice flight: cloudbase > 2500m, nice thermals (up to 5m/s), generally not too much wind.
In the gondola up to launch another pilot had told me that he would try to fly past the 'Säntis' to Amden (on the Walensee), then East along the 'Churfirsten' towards Walenstadt/ Sargans and from there back to Ebenalp/ Wasserauen.

...on this launch I broke my wrist  :-((

Säntis (from Ebenalp)

Once I had launched and could see that it was not too hard to fly away, I tried to 'follow' this plan (more or less)...

Churfirsten/ Unterwasser

Churfirsten (left side)/ Walensee/ Walenstadt

I didn't fly all the way East towards Sargans/ 'Gonzen', as I feared I would not be able to make the crossing back towards 'Säntis', so I got all the altitude I could above 'Hinterrugg' and turned back...

Säntis/ Unterwasser (on the way back from Hinterrugg)

Säntis

It has been quite a while that I had been able to pass the 'Säntis' - actually even twice today :-))

'Hoher Kasten'

To extend the flight a bit I passed the launch at Ebenalp and turned around only after having passed 'Hoher Kasten' (more to the NE).

Scuol (day 2)

What a day: excellent visibility and conditions: after 1230 there was strong lift almost everywhere :-)

Forecast auf fivl.it

So strong in fact, that it took me close to 30mins to get down ;-)
These strong conditions (of course) meant, that there was a strong wind to be expected for landing; which it was: rather strong and gusty from the west.
With more 'punch' (from my part) it (probably) would have been possible to go almost 'anywhere'...

looking south-west: Ortler (lh side), Bernina (center/ right)

3475m and not at cloudbase...

looking east: lower Engadin// Austria

Bernina Group: Piz Palü, Bellavista, Piz Bernina, Piz Roseg

Ortler

looking west towards Scuol/ Motta Naluns (launch)

Scuol (day 1)

4 days here in Scuol (or 'Schuls') in the (lower) Engadin valley.

- Thursday: conditions have not been too bad, just the west wind could be felt a bit. It even 'overpowered' the normal valley wind (from the east) after I had landed, so I didn't go up for a second flight.

at launch

looking west : Ftan

Schloss Tarasp

(Arosa Weisshorn)

Although it was a beautiful day here in Arosa, with regard to flying I didn't expect too much when I took the gondola to the Weisshorn: northerly winds and not too much thermal activity...

...and so it turned out: for this launch I'd need 'perfect' conditions (wind straight on the nose, just the right strenght), but it never felt 'right' so after a short hour I packed up :-(( 
Maybe next time the condtions are more suitable here.

NNW-launch; cliff launch, you don't want to make any mistake(s) here

USA 2018 - the plan

...only 2 months to go   :-))

>>  5.Sept. - 11.Oct. 2018

The plan is to fly to SLC via AMS, where my friend Hart(mut) will be joining me for the flight. We'll be together for 3 weeks (30.Sept), when he'll return from LAS to DUS. Initially also my friend Andy had wanted to come along for part of the trip, but very unfortuntely he recently has 'grounded' himself for the months to come :-((    (> 'Guati Besserig!!)

After a couple of days in SLC we'll drive north to fly Sun Valley/ King Mtn/ Jackson Hole; then south towards Dinosaur; east towards Glenwood Springs and Villa Grove. One week will be spent at the Red Rock Fly-in in Richfield. Stacy will be with us for part of the trip (Dinosaur-Ritchfield). On the way to drop of Hart at LAS maybe some flying at Cedar City or St.George.

From LAS I'll be heading to the Owens Valley (Bishop) for a week of flying together with Kari Castle.

The last days I'm planning to explore some sites in the Bay area/ SFO.