FlyBC "Site of the Day Archive Page for December 2010"


Happy New Year!

Quote of the Day:
“There is a fine line between hobby and obsession" - unknown

Locations of visitors to this page



Date
Site
Forecast
Winds
@
3000'
Lapse
Rate
/1000'
Cloud
Base
Comments
12/31/2010
In LA for New Years Eve
Los Angeles: Sunny. Highs near 60. West winds around 5 mph.
270° at 3 knots
-2.5°
(unstable)
3000 m
New Years Eve - we were headed to Marshall to fly when we stopped at the Proud Bird Restaurant to check out what was happening there for New Years.

What a great place for an aviation nut! Static displays of war birds from WW I thru to current fighter jets all around.

By the time we finished lunch we ran out of time to head to Marshall and it looked very stable despite the rains.


P-38 in front of the Proud Bird Restaurant - photo by JPR

We had New Years Eve dinner there and had a nice time for New Years but could not get a cab home so we hitch-hiked.


Colleen in front of the Proud Bird Restaurant trying to get a ride - photo by JPR

12/30/2010
In LA
Los Angeles: Clearing. West winds around 15 mph.
270° at 6 knots
-2.5°
(unstable)
3000 m
San Diego Report - we headed to Torrey Pines and hoped for some nice soaring as it was post-frontal and along the way I started hearing a weird sound in the rear axle. Yikes!

We stopped at a Tire & Brake place and they determined it was just the rear brakes rubbing on the drums and we got that repaired. No FlyBC trip is complete without a stop at a repair shop. I knew the brakes were getting low but ran out of time in Canada with Christmas and all the other chores.


Suburban in Oceanside CA - photo by CMV

We didn't miss out at Torrey as the winds stayed pretty North and probably not soarable as we went to the Oceanside pier for lunch and it was not soarable there and we were 20 miles from Torrey.

12/29/2010
In LA
Los Angeles: Heavy Rain. Highs near 60. West winds around 35 mph.
270° at 6 knots
-2.5°
(unstable)
3000 m
Shopping Report - with the weather turning ugly we went on a hunt for a movie and shopping. Gulliver3D was pretty funny, and we got to shop for some post Christmas deals in LA.

12/28/2010
In LA
Los Angeles: Sunny Highs near 60. West winds around 5 mph.
270° at 6 knots
-2.5°
(unstable)
3000 m
Marshall Report - we headed east towards Marshall and after a mall visit and an oil change we were at the LZ mooching a ride. We arrived on top at 3:30 pm and had a nice 45 minute soaring flight landing just before dark to a beer supplied by Rusty.

Tomorrow is rain and a mellow day.



Valle Gloat Report - Normando reports 2:30 soaring at Valle and making it to the Lake LZ on his Delta. Not missing the rain I guess???

12/27/2010
Heading south to LA
Los Angeles: Partly cloudy. Highs near 60. West winds around 15 mph.
270° at 6 knots
-2.5°
(unstable)
3000 m
Road Report - In Sacramento I decided to pick up a new paramotor from Paratoys as I have several new paramotor pilots coming to Mexico to train this winter.

I selected the Black Hawk 120 as I have some bigger dudes coming down . I haven't flown it yet but there are great reviews on it, some are even doing tandems with it!

I made it to LA in time for dinner with Colleen but the roads were packed with holiday travellers. The new Suburban (1994 model is getting 20 miles/US gallons) is running well.

12/26/2010
Heading south to LA
Los Angeles: Partly cloudy. Highs near 60. West winds around 15 mph.
270° at 6 knots
-2.5°
(unstable)
3000 m
Road Report - heading to LA down the I-5 was fast until I started getting sleepy around Sacramento, where I stopped at a rest stop and slept til dawn.

12/25/2010
At the Ranch for Christmas
Agassiz: Rain. Amount 10 to 20 mm. Temperature steady near 6.
160° at 30 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1000 m
Santa Report - we must have been very good as Santa brought us a haul of gifts! and lots of folks over for dinner too!

12/24/2010
Chilliwack for Shopping
Agassiz: Rain. Amount 10 to 20 mm. Temperature steady near 6.
160° at 30 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1000 m
Road Report - 320 kms of drivig today for last minute shopping and to get Aaron moved into his new house.

12/23/2010
Chilliwack for Shopping
Agassiz: Cloudy. 40 percent chance of flurries this morning. Windy. High plus 4.
160° at 29 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
2000 m
Coquihalla Report - I drove up to Kelowna to get the grandkids and it was ugly on the 5 and 97C.

12/22/2010
Chilliwack for Shopping
Agassiz: Cloudy. 40 percent chance of flurries this morning. Windy. High plus 4.
160° at 29 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
2000 m
Valley Report - Derek & Martina drove up to launch and it was launchable but the road was pretty icy at the top.

12/21/2010
Chilliwack for Shopping
Agassiz: Cloudy. 40 percent chance of flurries this morning. Windy. High plus 4.
160° at 29 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
2000 m
Valley Report - great day for shopping and no flying locally. Even California is getting rained out!

12/20/2010
Chilliwack for Shopping
Agassiz: Cloudy. 40 percent chance of flurries late this morning and this afternoon. Windy. High plus 2.
150° at 25 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
2000 m
Woodside Report - NE Winds all day and strong. Snow in the late afternoon.

Mexico is calling as soon as Christmas is completed!


Air Canad Flash Mob at YVR - flying related



New Ozone Ad for those of you that don`t get USHPA Mag - photo by Ozone

12/19/2010
San Diego CA
San Diego: Partly cloudy. Highs 58 to 63. Light winds.
210° at 3 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
2000 m
Paramotoring Report - I left Curt and Peter in San Diego to continue flying after they had 15 flights and were doing well, as they had a few more days of vacation planned.

I was in the Cottonwood Mall when I received a call from Peter that his Dad was flying the Paratoys Quad on the 30 meter wing when the engine died (it turned out it ran out of gas), and he was having trouble coming down. Despite the drag of a stopped prop, cage & Quad he was climbing wherever he flew over Ocotillo Airport. It was smooth but lifty and he thought pulling brakes would get him down, unfortunately he didn't read the part of the manual about minimum sink brake setting!

After they called me I advised heading away from the airport area to a treed area, and he found some sink over a trailer park and he descended into the airport (deadstick) after 45 minutes. Great way to save fuel!

Apparently the landing was not into the wind as he flipped the Quad after he touched down and broke an axle. Learning how to fix a paramotor is part of the fun.



Dan's Report - stolen from FaceBook, Danger Dan flew with his pal in a Cessna 170 from Boundary out to the Valley and got some great shots of Woodside. Apparently the outflow winds made a few low passes near Woodside a bit "dicey".


Dan's view of Woodside Launch today - photo by Danger Dan


Dan's view of Woodside Launch today - photo by Danger Dan

12/15/10 - 12/17/2010
San Diego CA
San Diego: Partly cloudy. Highs 58 to 63. Light winds.
210° at 3 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
2000 m
Motoring Report from CA - after a marathon drive that took 20 hours, Peter & I were in San Marcos, CA but we arrived too late to make it to Salton Sea so off to dinner and drinks, to prepare for an early morning.

We planned to head to Salton Sea as rain was forecast on the coast, and sure enough we were in rain all the way to Palm Springs, nad arrived to light winds and blue skies at Salton Sea.

After a careful pre-flight, Curt was clipped in to the 30 meter Paratoys glider and Quad and he had a few aborts, but then he got in the air and did 3 passes before landing. Peter was much calmer on the ground and had 7 flights by the end of day, to Curt`s 6 flights. I even grabbed a footlaunched motor flight on the Paratoys MZ34 powered unit mid-day when it blew too strong for students. We left at 5:30 pm, tired and dusty but all smiles.




Paramotoring at Salton Sea on a Paratoys Quad - photo by JPR

12/14/10
Woodside is looking wet this morning
Agassiz: Cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers this morning. Showers beginning early this afternoon. Fog patches dissipating this morning. Temperature steady near 7.
190° at 11 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1600 m
Valley Report - snow and rain.

12/13/10
Woodside is looking drier this morning
Agassiz: Cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers this morning. Showers beginning early this afternoon. Fog patches dissipating this morning. Temperature steady near 7.
190° at 11 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1600 m
Valley Report - monsoons.

12/12/10
Woodside is receiving rain for a few days, as is the rest of BC
Agassiz: Rain at times heavy ending this afternoon then cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers. Amount 40 to 50 mm. Wind becoming southwest 40 to 60 km/h near noon. High 12.
210° at 40 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
700 m
Monsoon Report - it rained hard most of the day and night. Huge lakes have formed all around Agassiz and there appears to be some damage to homes below Woodside as debris came down the mountain. I haven't driven up to assess the road yet, perhaps later Monday.

12/11/10
Woodside is receiving rain for a few days, as is the rest of BC
Agassiz: Cloudy. 60 percent chance of showers this morning. Rain beginning late this morning. Amount 5 to 10 mm. Fog patches dissipating late this morning. High plus 5.
160° at 20 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
900 m
Valley Report -Woodside rained later in the day, it was possible to fly but I was busy working on a wood working project indoors. Snow line is just above Bridal Lower Launch but expected to lift to 2000 meters as the pineapple express hits in the next few days.

12/10/10
Woodside is receiving rain for a few days, as is the rest of BC
Agassiz: Showers. Amount 5 to 10 mm. High 7.
240° at 8 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1000 m
Woodside Report - I was resigned to not getting to fly the motors today, as the forecast was grim. I headed to the bus depot at 10 am, and it looked nice in Chilliwack, light winds and a bit of blue sky. By the time I got back to Harrison Mills . . . it was raining hard and that lasted most of the day.

Martina, Rob & I teamed up to do the West Coast Soaring Club "Turkey Run" dropping off "thank you turkeys" to landowners that graciously allow us to land on their fields. Martina is going to post a Google Earth file of all these fields for the XC folks for next season.

12/9/10
Woodside is receiving rain for a few days, as is the rest of BC
Agassiz: Showers. Amount 5 to 10 mm. Temperature steady near 6.
190° at 30 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1000 m
Valley Report - another wet day in the Fraser Valley. Winter is upon us fully now. Just counting down to the trip to Mexico soon.

12/8/10
Woodside is receiving rain for a few days, as is the rest of BC
Agassiz: Periods of rain. Amount 5 to 10 mm. Windy. High 9 except plus 5 near Hope.
190° at 42 knots as the jet-stream touches down
-2.0°
(stable)
1000 m
Woodside Report - magically the sky went blue around 10 am, and there was no wind. You could see the upper level winds were strong and that blew the clouds away.


New Paratoys Quad ready for test flight, running it up against the fence - photo by JPR

I decided it was now or wait over a week to fly the Quad and new Paratoys wing for Curt. I taxied the Quad out to the field and got all clipped in and was off and flying! as I climbed to tree top height the wind was strong from the SE, so I stayed close to the field (always a good practice when testing a new motor). I did some circuits and had a nice landing right where I took off from. Nice unit, with excellent stability on the ground and in the air.

I taxied the Quad back and then took the Paratoys footlaunch unit out to the field and I was assessing the winds and they had switched to SW. As I was getting ready to lay out the glider, I heard some noise coming from the road? Mower? Train? Vehicle? Then I noticed the fir trees starting to sway as the first gust front hit the Harrison Mills area. As it got stronger I rethought the plan to test the paramotor and headed back to the barn. Soon it was raining with hail embedded!

At least I had one safe flight today.

12/7/10
Woodside is receiving rain for a few days, as is the rest of BC
Agassiz: Periods of rain. Amount 5 to 10 mm. High 7.
160° at 33 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1500 m
Woodside Report - a bit gusty at times. I got the Paratoys Quad built and was running it around the field for 15 minutes running in the MZ34 motor. I even ran it down Kilby Road to Burt's and the horses found it amusing as I cruised past. Brakes would be nice on pavement! When I got the footlaunch unit ready, I was going to take it for a flight but it started to blow strong from the NW.




Neat video from Havana, Cuba
12/6/10
Woodside is too strong from the north for flying or kiting
Agassiz: A mix of sun and cloud. Becoming cloudy this afternoon. Windy. High 7.
100° at 15 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1100 m
Woodside Report - it looked flyable when Martin N dropped by, but I was busy building Curt & Peter's Paratoys Quad & Paramotors in the barn. A lot of parts in many boxes eventually looked like the finished product - weight and balance hang check completed, now we just need a dry day to test fly them before heading to San Diego to train them both.



Elk Report - Tom Chromy reported an icy hike up and a soarable flight above launch (on Facebook).

12/5/10
Woodside is too strong from the north for flying or kiting
Agassiz: Increasing cloudiness this morning. Wind northeast 40 to 60 km/h. High plus 5.
100° at 7 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1100 m
Woodside Report - another strong outflow day, not as bad but not flyable at Woodside. I spent the day cleaning up after the party and storing all the extra beers that didn`t get emptied.

Thanks again for all the dishes people brought, all the food got eaten rapidly!

Pictures from the FlyBC/WCSC Extravanganza here from Cynthia .

Martina`s Pictures from the FlyBC/WCSC Extravanganza here .


Some folks having fun on speedwings in Hawaii
12/4/10
Eagle Ranch for the WCSC & FlyBC Party
Agassiz: Sunny. Wind northeast 30 km/h increasing to 40 to 60 this morning. High plus 3.
100° at 10 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1100 m
Party Report -Woodside was blown out all day and night. We lost the door on the bathroom for some time as a gust blew it off the hinges. I did a hasty repair and had a 45 gallon drum filled with water placed to catch it for the rest of the evening.

It was frickin' howling from the North, but toasty in the barn as we kept the fireplace stoked and the propane heater running upstairs for the band.

Pictures from the FlyBC/WCSC Extravanganza here from Cynthia.

Martina`s Pictures from the FlyBC/WCSC Extravanganza here .

A few folks didn`t make it out due to scheduling and health issues, and we missed you all!

12/3/10
Woodside for Hike & Flyers
Agassiz: Cloudy. 60 percent chance of showers this morning. Clearing this afternoon. High plus 4.
190° at 3 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1100 m
Woodside Report - Woodside was looking beautiful today although we were in Chilliwack getting food and supplies for the Party.

Louise called and we saw her car at the bottom but didn't see her in the air, but if she flew it looked quite nice with thermals and small CU developing.

12/2/10
Woodside for Hike&Flyers
Agassiz: Cloudy. 60 percent chance of showers this afternoon. Fog patches dissipating late this morning. High plus 5.
090° at 5 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1500 m
Woodside Report - Derek and I drove past the icy part another 1/2 km and the road looks better. Someone drove on the ice with chains and broke up the ice. It rained again last night so maybe it has iced up again, so we will check later on Friday for an update on the road situation.

12/1/10
Woodside for a possible Hike&Fly
Agassiz: Cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers. High plus 5.
080° at 2 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1500 m
Woodside Report - Chris B and I were headed up to launch at 1 pm, and at 3 kms the road got icy (like a skating rink) and as we went further we finally spun to a stop. We carefully backed down the hill to turn around at Lower Launch. Please be careful going up there if you don`t have chains! We drove back down and I am organizing chains for the fleet for the weekend.

11/30/10
Stay home til Thursday
Agassiz: Rain at times heavy. Amount 20 to 30 mm. High 6.
200° at 30 knots
-2.0°
(stable)
1000 m
Valley Report -heavy rains all day.










FlyBC JDC Porosimeter - we purchased a JDC Porosimeter for required DHV Glider testing. Many pilots retire their gliders after a few years as they suspect the fabric to be porose. The JDC Porosimeter does a scientific test on the fabric and determine the degree of porosity by measuring the time it takes to pull .25 litres of air thru a 35 c/m area.

New glider cloth - 400 seconds. If a glider reaches 10 seconds it is considered unserviceable.

We are offering a free porosity test during December 2010, extended due to the weather.

A full Paraglider Testing Service with porosity testing, line stretching and cell cleaning and inspection will cost $100. This should be done annually, best in the spring after wet winter flying is completed.


Testing Lee's new SkyCountry Discovery III with the JDC Porosimeter - photo by JPR


Inspecting Tonya's SkyCountry SCorpion on the FlyBC Glider Rack - photo by JPR

FlyBC Paragliding Past Site of the Day Reports

November 2010 Site of the Day archives - we had some sweet soaring flights at Woodside, and a really cold cold snap that limited flying for a week or more.

October 2010 Site of the Day archives - we had some sweet soaring flights in October at Woodside, and Robin flew to Hope in less than an hour!.

September 2010 Site of the Day archives - the wettest September in history had us running up to Savona and points east to fly, but we "got-er-done".

August 2010 Site of the Day archives - unstable conditions made for some great days at Benny and Woodside. Al & I had a Delta Day with me stealing Colleen's Small Delta and he on a Large one and we went over the back to Seabird on a strong day.

July 2010 Site of the Day archives - fantastic road trip to Revelstoke for 11 days of SIV Training and super weather.

June 2010 Site of the Day archives - wettest June on record so road trips to Savona a few times. Deltas are rolling in now!

May 2010 Site of the Day archives - nice flying in the Valley.

April 2010 Site of the Day archives - worst April in years weatherwise but we managed to do some awesome tandem groups and some nice flights with Justin, Nicole and Norm flying to Mission late in the month.

March 2010 Site of the Day archives - Crappy weather in the US on my return trip from Mexico. But when I arrived back at the Ranch there were some great days soaring Woodside.

February 2010 Site of the Day archives - super flying in Mexico for the FlyBC Mexican Tours. Good XCs. The locals were already flying at Mother Woodside back in BC due to the warm weather!

January 2010 Site of the Day archives - nice flying in Mexico for the FlyBC Mexican Tours. Good XCs.

December 2009 Site of the Day archives - our first time in Mexico for a full December and we flew everyday. 40-50 km XCs from Tapalpa.

November 2009 Site of the Day archives - very few flights as we had record rains and high winds.

October 2009 Site of the Day archives - Women's Fly-In in Chelan WA with the Barbie Theme, took first place honours again! More good soaring flights of 2 hours plus on special days.

September 2009 Site of the Day archives - more decent flying weather with a few road trips to escape wind by heading to Savona.

August 2009 Site of the Day archives - best flying conditions in years with little rain. My first hike up Cheam with pals went well.

July 2009 Site of the Day archives - the FlyBC SIV in Revelstoke was a blast, 280 SIV flights and only one wet pilot intentionally that is. Jeremy wished he had landed in the water.

June 2009 Site of the Day archives - dry all month locally so lots of flying, Al has been test flying the new ShotGun launch near Stave Lake having great flights out to Woodside.

May 2009 Site of the Day archives - local flying is getting great with nice XC's! Bridal was working well. The new bathroom was installed in the Barn at Eagle Ranch enriching the FlyBC experience.

April 2009 Site of the Day archives - we escaped the local weather by flying in New Zealand for 3 weeks. We will be heading back soon!

March 2009 Site of the Day archives - we were flying locally in snow, relying on Derek's sleds and chains on the 'Mog to get up Woodside.

February 2009 Site of the Day archives - the Worlds PG Championships in Mexico was hard work for the Canucks, the tasks and speeds were unreal.

January 2009 Site of the Day archives - Manzanillo, Mexico was a BLAST, many new sites flown and we have a new tour Destination for 2010.

December 2008 Site of the Day archives - the annual FlyBC Christmas Party was a cold success with Head over Heels entertaining us all night. And we left early for Manzanillo, Mexico on Dec 28th.

November 2008 Site of the Day archives - some soaring between rain storms, and it was pretty dry in Agassiz.

October 2008 Site of the Day archives - we went ot the Women's Fly In on Chelan for the annual Halloween Costume Fly-In, great conditions there to offset the wet month on the West Coast. Steve Fosset's crash site was found in Nevada after a year of searching.

September 2008 Site of the Day archives - great student conditions at Woodside and Bridal all month, with 10 students getting signed off this month, a record.

August 2008 Site of the Day archives - our second SIV Course of the 2008 season went well at Sale Mountain near Revelstoke (except for a few water landings and minor injuries). Wet all month at Woodside except the weekends.

July 2008 Site of the Day archives - our first SIV Course of the 2008 season went well at Sale Mountain near Revelstoke.

June 2008 Site of the Day archives - a few good soaring days at Bridal, lots of new students this month.

May 2008 Site of the Day archives - the cost of gas is keeping pilots at home and the weather isn't helping either. One good XC in May for me, leaving Woodside with Norm and Martin H and ending up at Elk at 1600 meters before landing by Hopyard Hill. 3 hours and 85 kms later by the GPS.

April 2008 Site of the Day archives - worst weather in years but we flew every day we could.

March 2008 Site of the Day archives - more snow and still hiking to launch at Woodside! But some major airtime for the locals committed to coming out to fly.

February 2008 Site of the Day archives - more snow in BC than I can remember in 25 years of living here. We are still hiking to launch at Woodside!

January 2008 Site of the Day archives - worst weather in years so we went to Mexico and logged many hours of airtime, while it snowed heavily in BC.

December 2007 Site of the Day archives - worst weather in years so we went to Mexico on Dec 29th for three weeks.

November 2007 Site of the Day archives - Colleen and I went to California to fly the new Falcon A-16 Advanced Ultralight prototype and it flew very well. Some good soaring days at Woodside, some folks were still trying to fly Bridal but that is a waste of time this late in the season.

October 2007 Site of the Day archives - mid-air at Woodside caused Martin H some paraglider damage, some great soarable days. The Women's Fly In was a success with the Canuck Team taking top spot for the theme of "Celebrities in Rehab".

September 2007 Site of the Day archives - we re-discovered and flew 'Horsefly' Launch for the first time, some mayhem at Woodside due to tree-suck, lots of good soaring in afternoon glassoffs, a great Indian Summer until late in the month when the rains came early. Derek, Martina, Robin and Diane went to Europe. Kirill went to Australia for a paramotor Fly-In.

August 2007 Site of the Day archives - fun two weeks at Mara Lake, followed by steady flying at Woodside and Bridal, making up for the dismal spring and summer.

July 2007 Site of the Day archives - good flights at Bridal, some mayhem at Woodside from visiting pilots.

June 2007 Site of the Day archives - more crappy weather on the weekends. Some awesome flights between showers as Norm and Thomm flew to Mission on the last day of the month.

May 2007 Site of the Day archives - flyable every weekday, but the Fraser Valley XC Comp got crappy weather on the weekends, although it was student flyable.

April 2007 Site of the Day archives - good flights are starting. Some complete triangles from Woodside to Bridal and back, some "musical triangles" from others.

March 2007 Site of the Day archives - fifth month of crappy weather on the Coast. We went to Santa Barbara for some flights, and to dry out. Some good days were also recorded locally.

Febuary 2007 Site of the Day archives - fourth month of crappy weather on the Coast. So we stayed in Mexico.

January 2007 Site of the Day archives - third month of crappy weather on the Coast. So we went to Mexico to fly Colima, Tapalpa, and San Marcos, while Brad and gang headed to Tenacingo, Mexico.

December 2006 Site of the Day archives - more ugly weather on the Coast. Severe winds damaged trees and property so not much flying happened. Some good flight reports from local PGers travelling world-wide.

November 2006 Site of the Day archives - the wettest November on record. We flew a few good flights but mostly we were rained out.

October 2006 Site of the Day archives - lots of good days with 3-4 hours airtime. The Women's Fly-In was on again in Chelan with about 18 Canucks, and a good day Saturday with 85 registered pilots.

September 2006 Site of the Day archives - still soarable in the Fraser Valley, little or no rain. Colleen is back flying! Some mayhem in the valley.

August 2006 Site of the Day archives - a great flying month everywhere, we had a super successful SIV clinic at Mara Lake with everyone SAT-ing and heli-ing.

July 2006 Site of the Day archives - road trip to Lumby, then on the 8th Colleen spun in below Gloria cancelling her summer plans (but she is recuperating well).

June 2006 Site of the Day archives - the Valley dried out, and we flew most days and every weekend.

May 2006 Site of the Day archives - more rain that ever imagined in the Fraser Valley. Very few soaring flights and even less XC.

April 2006 Site of the Day archives - the Easter Bunny was "run over" on Kilby Road, plus the train wreck on April 1.

March 2006 Site of the Day archives - a new pilot was born, Chloe. We also flew a few days between showers, some long flights up to 4 hours. A few Out & Return Flights to Deroche and Bear.

February 2006 Site of the Day archives - another wet month with some soarable days (2).

January 2006 Site of the Day archives - some flying on Elk and Woodside, smart pilots headed South for great Mexican or Chilean flying.

December 2005 Site of the Day archives - some flying on Elk and Woodside, smart pilots headed South.

November 2005 Site of the Day archives - rain, snow and not much flying.

October 2005 Site of the Day archives - Women's Fly In in Chelan yielded two soarable days before the snows hit.

September 2005 Site of the Day archives - dry most of the month. Some great 4 hour flights at Woodside getting to cloudbase most days. Three crash-landings in the same clearcut by pilots scratching too low, but no injuries.

August 2005 Site of the Day archives - road trips to the Interior gave us an opportunity to rag out some gliders at FlyBC SIV 2005 (Part II). Also a great road trip to Savona.

July 2005 Site of the Day archives - good flying all month, no rain but some windy days shut us down. The Willi started in Golden with a few good days, but one tragedy as Charles Warren perished in a crash near Harrogate.

June 2005 Site of the Day archives - too much rain, but good days to fly between showers.

May 2005 Site of the Day archives - our Instructor/Tandem seminar yielded some good flying. Our May 2005 SIV Clinic had a good turnout, with many wet wings/pilots! Many nice flights at Woodside and Bridal, with some long "out & returns" at Bridal.

April 2005 Site of the Day archives - some great soaring at Woodside and Bridal. Sad news from the US Hanggliding Nationals as Chris Muller crashes at goal.

March 2005 Site of the Day archives - we had to head out of town to Savona a few weekends due to wet weather on the Coast. Wetter than normal according to Environment Canada.

February 2005 Site of the Day archives - some good soaring despite early time of year. Flights as long as 3 hours at Woodside, some good flights at Whidbey Island for first timers, too!

January 2005 Site of the Day archives road trips to Mexico, not much flying locally due to strong north winds and rain. Record rain kept Eagle Ranch quite wet for kiting.

December 2004 Site of the Day archives a dry month with some good soaring including a fantastic day on Dec. 11 where we thermalled for 2+ hours!

November 2004 Site of the Day archives more record rain. We installed a fireplace in the barn to keep pilots warm between winter flights.

October 2004 Site of the Day archives more record rain, but sweet soaring between showers. Many new students signed up and making quick progress. We missed the Women's Fly In for the first time in 9 years, and there was some interesting flying on the Sunday!

September 2004 Site of the Day archives rainiest September on record for the first 3 weeks, made flying difficult. But Alan and others logged some pretty nice flights later in the month. Lots of student tandems for both Colleen and Jim.

August 2004 Site of the Day archives Great Maneuver/SIV/ACRO course at Mara. Jack got wet! Some great soaring at Woodside. Norm made it 68 km from Mara to King Eddie, Derek made it from Lumby to Enderby the opposite direction for 67 kms. We also did our BC roadtrip from Ashcroft to New Denver, and flew everyday.

July 2004 Site of the Day archives the Willi was on at Golden. We missed the mayhem due to work and school commitments but Norm did a great job representing the West Coast.

June 2004 Site of the Day archives Canadian Nationals came off with many great rounds. Pemberton-Whistler Championships were blown out most days so we headed to Cornwall.

May 2004 Site of the Day archives great flying at Woodside and Bridal. We held a very successful SIV Course at Mara Lake, and hope to run another one in August if they keep the forests open.

April 2004 Site of the Day archives good flying in the Valley. The Fraser Valley Cross Country PG Series was successssful.

March 2004 Site of the Day archives Nicole won in Brazil, otherwise the month sucked for flying time.

February 2004 Site of the Day archives some local flights extended to an hour with vigourous scratching above the trees. Good paramotor month.



January 2004 Site of the Day archives Mexican road trip yielded 20 hours of flight and a wet Canadian January kept most local pilots on the ground.



December 2003 Site of the Day archives we flew a few times but it got really cold at the end of the month as we prepared for a gala New Year's Party for 40 of our close personal friends and neighbours.



November 2003 Site of the Day archives windy and wet with the odd good soaring day, not many pilots out these days.



October 2003 Site of the Day archives Women's Fly In was great fun, some good soaring days mid-month, most of the students are signed off.



September 2003 Site of the Day archives good conditions until the last days of the month when it got stable. Most days were flyable at Woodside or Bridal.



August 2003 Site of the Day archives Forest closures made the end of the month a non-flying period unless you headed to Blanchard. FlyBC SIV 2003 was a great success with 9 stunt pilots and no deployments or crashes.



July 2003 Site of the Day archives we flew most days early at Woodside until it got windy, then over to Bridal. Good Golden flying reports from the "Willi".



June 2003 Site of the Day archives we flew most weekdays at Bridal, Woodside worked most weekends. Bridal Air Races had one great day with only two tree landings!



May 2003 Site of the Day archives not a great weather month on the coast, especially on the weekends but a few pilots managed to get some great airtime at Bridal. The Nationals were held in Lumby and it didn't rain!



April 2003 Site of the Day archives rain for 28 of 30 April days, but we managed to get a few flights in between showers. Even the golfers were complaining!



March 2003 Site of the Day archives some high spring flights in early March, but not a great weather month. Still no HPAC Insurance!



February 2003 Site of the Day archives some nice long spring flights in late February. HPAC Insurance expired on Feb 14, so many pilots stayed home instead of getting USHGA coverage.



January 2003 Site of the Day archives lots of rain all month in BC so we bailed and headed to Tapalpa Mexico for three weeks. Norm and Lucille had a great XC flight the first day we arrived.



December 2002 Site of the Day archives lots of rain all month.



November 2002 Site of the Day archives not a great flying month, lots of rain in the beginning and then super stable and inverted for the balance of the month. Even the Savona Road Trip wasn't that great. Looking forward to Mexico!



October 2002 Site of the Day archives Still soarable some days, great fun at the Women's Fly In 2002 in Chelan. Allan logged 15 hours and only flew a few days. Most of the students are ready for signoff soon to get ready for Mexico trips!



September 2002 Site of the Day archives Still soarable most everyday! Some scary incidents at Woodside. Fun flying at Ashcroft.



August 2002 Site of the Day archives More spring-like days with super lapse rates, great fun up-country at Revelstoke and Mara, with some good XCs for all.



July 2002 Site of the Day archives Some spring-like days with super lapse rates, but still rather wet at times.



June 2002 Site of the Day archives another rainy and windy month with great lapse rates, some great flights at Bridal with some getting above Cheam Peak. The Club Cup was nearly rained out but they got one valid task in on Sunday June 30.



May 2002 Site of the Day archives an extremely rainy month with the more spring mayhem, another reserve deployment at Lil Nick and a pilot crashed at the top of Deroche Mountain, uninjured but with a ripped glider and long hike down the mountain. Colleen placed 5th place at the Canadian PG Nationals in rainy Lumby!



April 2002 Site of the Day archives a rainy month with the usual spring mayhem, one reserve deployment at Woodside and a pilot hit a parked car at Bridal LZ, fracturing his leg.



March 2002 Site of the Day archives a few great days days with lots of snow and rain mixed in.



February 2002 Site of the Day archives two epic days already (4.5 hours and 2.5 hours!).



January 2002 Site of the Day archives Mexico vacation shots, some local flying but it was wet on the coast.



December 2001 Site of the Day archives pretty stable locally, wettest December on record, some good days sprinkled thru the month.



November 2001 Site of the Day archives pretty stable locally, had some good days at Woodside +2 hours, lots of rain later in the month.



October 2001 Site of the Day archives pretty stable locally, but great flying at Chelan at the Women's Fly In.



September 2001 Site of the Day archives starting to get pretty stable, more sled rides forecast for October.



Aug 2001 Site of the Day archives Mara, Bridal, till some great flights locally



July 2001 Site of the Day archives Road Trip Month, Golden, Mara, points east!



June 2001 Site of the Day archives Great Month, 3 hours of airtime for some pilots every time they flew Bridal Lower! Some getting up to 6 hours in a single flight!



May 2001 Site of the Day archives Unstable Month, 2-3 hours of airtime for some pilots every time they flew Bridal Lower!



April 2001 Site of the Day archives Rainy Month, not as much airtime for some pilots



March 2001 Site of the Day archives Spring has Sprung!



February 2001 Site of the Day archives Spring is in the Air!



January 2001 Site of the Day archives - Mexico Flying Trip



December 2000 Site of the Day archives



November 2000 Site of the Day archives (great month for airtime!)



October 2000 Site of the Day archives



September 2000 Site of the Day archives



July - August 2000 Site of the Day archives



June 2000 Site of the Day archives



March - May 2000 Site of the Day archives



FlyBC Home Paragliding History



FlyBC Airsports
  Box 79, Harrison Mills, BC  
Canada V0M 1L0
Mobile: 604-618-5467
Skype: flybcpg
E-Mail: FlyBC E-Mail