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What's new around the Vancouver Flying scene. | Date | Site | Forecast | Precip. | Winds Aloft 3000 ft. | Comments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| April 30 | Stay Home! The weather bites!! | Cloudy with showers. Risk of an afternoon thundershower. Wind southwest 30 to 50 km/h. Yikes!! | 100% POP | 220° at 26 knots | Very Windy all day. Did anyone fly??
| April 29
| Stay Home!
| SE 25-35 knots forecasted, locally windy!
| 100% POP
| 220° at 23 knots
| I saw the sun come out in Vancouver, nice puffy cu's but no one flew I guess. Too windy! - Jim
| April 28
| Blanchard/Whidbey
| Clouding over, SW 10-15 knots forecasted
| 50% POP
| 230° at 13 knots
| Whidbey Report - As Colleen probably told you already, I got the only flight at Whidbey today. One pass on the Landing before the Ranger shut things down. Apparently things are in process and it's likely we'll fly again - Ian J. | Lil Nick Report - Mark F., Ivan T. and I flew Little Nick 2 to 5 pm (MF 2.5hours, RS 1.5hrs., IT 0.5hrs.). The wind was approx. 20 kmph westerly, area was mostly sunny, thermals occasionally at approx 3m/s, MF went XC past Deroche, launch conditions were v. strong (vertical take-offs) and some thermals were a bit rough (penetration would decrease while busy trying to keep glider squarely overhead). Not beginner conditions - Rob Samplonious April 27
| Whidbey
| Clouding over, rain expected in the evening, SW 10-15 knots forecasted
| 50% POP
| 210° at 8 knots
| No FLy Report - I think Bridal got rained out, Blanchard had showers all afternoon, Vancouver got soaked and Whidbey was dry but had light winds - probably not a good fly day - Jim
| April 26
| Whidbey
| Clouding over, rain expected in the PM
| 90% POP
| 210° at 9 knots
| Whidbey Report - the Whidbey NOAA looked good from noon til about 4:00 pm when it lightened up. The rain didn't hit like forecasted, and Friday still looks like a Whidbey day - Jim
| April 25
| Bridal
| Sunny Breaks
| 10% POP in the Fraser Valley
| 170° at 7 knots
| Bridal Report - Gooood, very goooood!! Airtimes from 0:45 to 4:00 hours. Some stunts by Firebird Test Pilot Rob S!! | Everyone soared but two senior students who flew just before 7:00 pm. Max climb recorded was 5.8 m/s (1000 ft/min). Max heights of 1500 meters. Lots of out and returns. No accidents :-) A very good day all around and Hans caught a frog in the swamp! Bev checks to see if he is really a prince!! 
April 24
| Whidbey Island WA
| Rain changing to sunny breaks
| 70% POP in the Fraser Valley
| 200° at 12 knots
| Whidbey was on for a few hours, no pireps yet - jim
| April 23
| Saddle Mtn. WA
| Big Wet Front offshore for next five days will keep the coastal fliers grounded
| 90% POP in the Fraser Valley
| 210° at 14 knots
| Whidbey Report - Ian J called it for Whidbey yesterday! And he was probably right. All afternoon the wind was S or SW at 18 knots steady. I am sure someone got 4 - 5 hours of ridge running. No reports came back yet, so I can only guess. | Saddle Mountain is 2 hours east of Seattle on the I-90, take I-90 over the Columbia River, turn right towards Mattawa and the access to launch is east of Mattawa. FlyBC British Columbia's official APCO, Firebird, Gin and Ozone dealer will have various gliders available for demo this weekend. Simba M, Matrix M, Gin Bandit Small (all certified, placarded and ready to fly!). Two APCO tandems for demo, Futura 42 and Spectra 42. April 22
| Stay Home
| rain expected
| 90% POP
| 230° at 8 knots
| It rained all day in Vancouver.
| April 21
| Bridal (if you are good!)
| some rain expected
| 40% POP
| 230° at 8 knots
| Bridal Report - conditions were dicey at launch, some flew but had to forward launch to get off the hill. | Lil Nic Report - Greg Buckmaster, Jeff Rempel and Alex Penner flew their HGs for at least 2 hours in winds gusting at launch to about 35 km/h. They spent most of their flights up to 1000' over launch trying to get enough height to go back to Big Nic. Alex Penner landed somewhere near Deroche, Greg flew back to Deroche after climbing in a thermal to between 3000' and 3500' then flew back upwind to the Little Nic landing field. Jeff landed at Little Nic. About half an hour before sunset, after waiting 3 hours constantly re-measuring wind speeds, I observed the winds started to calm a little bit with the peak gusts 50%-75% of what they were in the prime time afternoon period. I setup my PG and launched about 7:15 pm. As soon as I inflated the glider and got it flying perfectly straight out I was immediately lifted straight up almost 100' and went very slightly backward (to actually be right over the road lookout). Within seconds when I let the glider fly faster, it started pulling forward away from the hill while climbing. That was an exciting adrenaline pumping launch. I soared for about 10 minutes always keeping forward of the hill in case the winds at the ridge crest would be so strong to push me back behind! I think that flight was pretty much at the limits of wind speeds for me! - Charles M. April 20
| Whidbey
| Pre-frontal
| 40% POP
| 290° at 9 knots
| Bridal Report - It was a terrible day at Lower Bridal. Sure people got up to 1600m ASL
in smooth lift, flew some out and return etc. etc. BUT we also saw TWO
visiting pilots seriously hurt in separate incidents - Rob Samplonious (ed.note.- the conditions were forecast to be strong winds in the Valley, sounds like the junior Korean pilot didn't have the experience or judgement to be flying in those conditions, especially landing in the area he did)
| April 19
| Bridal
| Sunny Breaks, possibled showers in the pm
| 70% POP
| light and variable
| Bridal Report - Lower Bridal: Take-off @3:45pm, max 800m over launch(went as low as 450m
below launch), 3.8m/s max lift, light winds in valley, straight-up
15km/hr @ launch, flew to Elk Mtn., Alan flew past Cheam also, top landed,
2.5 hrs. and 3 hrs. for Alan D - Rob Samplonius | Toronto Report - The cloud streets in Toronto were awesome, looked like 8-10,000 feet stretching for hundreds of kms. Of course I was without a glider or tow rig to get me up there :-( April 18
| Bridal
| Sunny Breaks
| 70% POP
| 230° at 7 knots
| No reports from Bridal.
| April 17
| Stay Home
| Rainy and Windy
| 100% POP
| 190° at 18 knots
|
Woodside Report - the WCSC has officially closed launch and landing areas around Woodside in accordance with the landowner's request for at least 2 months effective April 17, 2001. Please spread the word to the non-internet equipped pilots you may know. | Local Report - rain, rain and more rain!!. April 16
| Stay Home
| Cloudy with rain developing
| 100% POP
| 150° at 20 knots
| Bridal Report - Fred Carter hiked up an bagged a sled ride at 4:00 pm, before the rain. Overcast sky with no wind on the ground. | April 15
| Sumas
| Sunny with cloudy periods
| 0% POP
| 150° at 12 knots
| The day was marred by news of our fallen WCSC member, Igor. Our hearts go out to his friends and family. | Sumas Report - many PGers and 2 HGers flew Sumas today, no long flights but extended soaring. Everyone had safe launches and landings. We flew until 5:00 pm, students flew the last flights in smooth air landing at #3 RD. Bridal Report - after Sumas, a group of pilots flew Bridal, JF getting the SkyPig award! April 14
| Blanchard/Whidbey
| Cloudy
| 60% POP
| 270° at 9 knots
| Blanchard Report - NW wind, a few student flights before it got stronger. The wind was tearing the thermals apart making it hard to gain much altitude. Doug Beer probably had the longest flight time. | Bridal Report - most of the Fraser Valley Flying Team was out to Bridal. Reports of 2 hour flights and top-landings from Birthday Boy Ian J. Alan Dickie was still in the air when we drove through the border at Aldergrove. Ian was so happy he partied later that evening. 
The Cake!
The Dance!April 13
| Blanchard/Whidbey
| Cloudy
| 60% POP
| 270° at 9 knots
| Whidbey Report - Ian J and Kelly flew Whidbey early Friday and got an hour of airtime at Ebey's Landing. | Glen's Whidbey Report - What a day at Whidbey, checked the winds at Smith Is. before leaving and it was South. Me and the big dodge headed down. Went to Ebey Rd. first and it was blowing straight in. Soared there for 2 and a 1/4 hrs. The wind started blowing a little more from the west and got light. Went over to Fort Ebey. It was fairly light at first 13-15 k. But soarable, it was coming straight in there now. It just got better! 2 hrs 45 mins. with many touch and goes. It was sweet! The lift ban was huge, like Torrey Pines you could fly way out over the water. When I top landed at 6:00 and left for home it was still soarable. Had a smile on my face all the way home - Glen Taylor (stolen from WCSC Forum) Blanchard Report - 2 HGers and 10 PGers got lots of airtime on Friday. Launching at 2:00 PM, Colleen logged 2+ hours on the Bandit. JF flew a mini XC flight landing on the east side of I-5 (and had to hike back. Justin and JF logged some supervised tandems with Cheryl and Bev. Russ and Karen flew tandem for 1+ hours. Students got 3 flights off the south launch. The only one that didn't fly was me :-( too busy guiding and driving. April 12
| Whidbey Island
| Cloudy, rain later
| 80% POP
| 170° at 10 knots
| Pemberton Report - Alastair and Jim O flew tandem at Mackenzie taking the elevator up to 9000 feet! Looks like the place to be for Saturday and Sunday.
| April 11
| Blanchard (or possibly Whidbey)
| Sunny
| 0% POP
| 260° at 10 knots
| Whidbey Report - Whidbey Island was on! Conditions were strong but flyable all afternoon and then mellowed out a bit by evening. Flew the Fort and the NW site until the sun set, getting twice cliff height easily. Nobody else there but the eagles and gulls sharing the coastline with me. Great day of flying! - Nicole
| April 10
| Stay Home
| windy
| 70% POP
| 260° at 22 knots
| Site of the Day was down yesterday due to computer malfunctions from Toronto, should be online from now on - sorry for the inconvenience. JR
| April 9
| Bridal
| Cloudy with sunny breaks, snow on launch
| 20% POP
| 260° at 13 knots
| Bridal Falls Golf Course is good enough to let us land in the Driving Range. I think we should re-pay the favour by stopping in the Club House for a beer and food after flying, to show our appreciation. | FlyBC British Columbia's official APCO, Firebird, Gin and Ozone dealer will have various gliders available for demo this weekend in Savona. Simba M, Matrix M, Gin Bandit Small (all certified, placarded and ready to fly!). Beginner courses begin on April 6th in Savona. April 5-8
| Savona BC
| Cloudy, chance of showers
| 30% POP
| 080° at 5 knots
| FlyBC is conducting an Instructor/Tandem course in Savona for 4 days. A three day course has been organized to provide test subjects for the new Instructors to hone their skills. Stay Tuned for reports!
| April 4
| Bridal
| Sunny, HUGE LAPSE RATE -3°/1000 feet (hang on for the ride!)
| 0% POP
| 230° at 5 knots
| Bridal Falls Golf Course is good enough to let us land in the Driving Range. I think we should re-pay the favour by stopping in the Club House for a beer and food after flying, to show our appreciation. | FlyBC British Columbia's official APCO, Firebird, Gin and Ozone dealer will have various gliders available for demo this weekend in Savona. Simba M, Matrix M, Gin Bandit Small (all certified, placarded and ready to fly!). Beginner courses begin on April 6th in Savona. April 3
| Bridal
| Sunny, east in the am, may have to use Sumas as an alternate if too easterly.
| 20% POP
| 030° at 5 knots
|
Pemberton Report - EPIC day !!! Huge lift everywhere - interesting flying ! - Jim Orava, Keith, Mel, Chris, Derek | Vancouver Island Report - Dallas Road was on again! Jayson logged 5 hours over the past 2 days, it must be hard to study in those conditions! April 2
| Bridal
| partly cloudy
| 20% POP
| 320° at 11 knots
| Bridal Report - Bridal was great today! - Mark Fraser | We watched Derek do stunts up high at Bridal - Bev Vancouver Island Report - We flew Dallas today from 3 pm until SUNSET. . . . . . . . . . sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - looking forward to Savona - Jayson April 1
| Blanchard/Whidbey
| cloudy
| 30% POP
| 250° at 8 knots
| Lil Nick Report - Allan and I got an hour at Little Nick today, launched
late, scratchy to start but got really nice over the
top, up to 1050 meters, 4 m/s max climb, very
nice! - Mark.. | Blanchard Report - the Canadian Invasion happened yesterday, several truckloads appeared on Blanchard and took over the skies. Norm earned "SkyPig" honours for 3:08 and the highest altitude gain, several others got over an hour in the most buoyant air anyone has seen at Blanchard. There were gliders soaring over parts of the mountain that normally would not be within gliding distance of any landing field. Rob Polack top-landed at the south launch. Ben and Atousa both got their first Blanchard flights in! Blanchard advisory - land only in the designated LZ close to the road. We don't want the locals there to worry about H&M disease carrying PGs. Whidbey Island Report - Surprising nobody showed up at Whidbey yesterday as it was on in a big way (variable SW-NW 10-15 kts)!!! Alex and I had the whole place to ourselves so flew the Fort and the big NW bluffs up the coast for the majority of the afternoon. Got to pioneer a new NW launch and everything. Some locals showed up late in the day but other than that we had the whole place to ourselves. Where were you guys? Blanchard? Heard some chatter on 146.550 which we assumed must be coming from Blanchard? Hope wherever you guys were you had fun - Nicole McL Vancouver Island Report: April 1 Up the Skirt (??) Jayson, Claudio, Bruce, Julie, Wray and Gary hiked the 1/2 hour up Skirt Mountain to the new launch Jayson and Bruce cleared on Saturday. This is an old hangglider launch no longer used since the 4X4 road is long and deteriorated (40 minutes to drive, 1/2 an hour to walk). The 260 meter ASL launch is large and directly over the 250 meter long 30 meter ASL LZ. The LZ has ample off road parking and is 10 minutes from downtown Victoria. Claudio ballasted up with Bruce on his Tandem and launched into strong narrow thermals, immediately climbing over launch. Conditions deteriorated so nobody else got off on Sunday, but this is going to be a great site. Fast turn around time will make it good even for sled rides, with the additional benefit of cardio vascular conditioning. No cows, either - Bruce McG |
March 2001 Site of the Day archives Spring has Sprung!
