FlyBC "Site of the Day Archives" - March/2003
| Date | Site | Forecast | Precip. | Winds Aloft 3000 ft. | Lapse Rate | calculated by SOAR8.XLW | Comments | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| March 31 | Lil Nic or . . . Bridal Lower if the upper level winds are lighter | Sunny Breaks with a few showers possible in the PM. High 11° | 30% POP | 240° at 19 knots | -2.5°/1000' (unstable lapse rate) | 850 m 2650 ft. |
Woodside Report - it looked beautiful in the AM, but I had to leave for Alberta before anyone started flying. Nice thermals were starting up the hill at 9:30 am. Watch for the weekend, good conditions forecast for Friday on. Cochrane Report - Greg H was seen thermalling above Cochrane Hill before the front rolled in from the north. March 30
| Coastal WA flying | Blanchard or Whidbey Island Cloudy with a few showers in the AM. High 12°
| 60% POP
| 230° at 28 knots
| -2.0°/1000' | (standard lapse rate) 950 m | 3100 ft.
Blanchard Report - looked like good conditions up to about 1:30 pm, when the rain hit. | Valley Report - rain all day, good weather to build the new outhouse (under cover in the barn!). March 29
| Woodside
| Cloudy with a few showers in the PM. High 13°
| 60% POP
| 190° at 10 knots
| -2.0°/1000' | (standard lapse rate) 1314 m | 4269 ft.
Woodside Report - the forecast can be very wrong. We planned a course this weekend, and kept it open to run ground school despite the weather and we ended up getting a tandem and some student flights in before it rained around 3:45 pm. Light cycles at launch and no wind aloft. Nice kiting breeze in the Eagle Ranch LZ getting Gary ready for his first flights. New outhouse facilities are started thanks to Rob S, who dug a great pit near the loafing barn.
| Sumas Report - several pilots spotted in the Sumas LZ around 3:00 pm, suspect they had sled rides because the forecast south wind never materialized at Woodside. March 28
| Sumas Mountain
| Cloudy with a few showers in the PM. High 12°
| 60% POP
| 160° at 10 knots
| -2.7°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 1019 m | 3310 ft.
Woodside Report -
Well it wasn`t an epic day ot there today but better than working!
High overcast with light cycles at launch.Small skinny thermals that really didn`t provide much workable lift.( unless your a topless hanglider) who flew for about an hour or so.Went back up to retrieve and was offered a second flight that was too hard to turn down sooooooo did the right thing and took the opportunity.Flew at zero most of the flight and arrived at the l.z. very high so scratched off some of the rust and did wingovers till almost getting sick.
Landed in very still air but smiling! Glad I got to fly as the forcast for the rest of the weekend looks lousy ! :( - Thomm M
| Sasquatch Inn continues their Friday night specials - last night they had Steak and Crab for $9.99! Beer was 99 cents a glass, too. March 27
| Blanchard WA | or Whidbey WA Cloudy with a few showers in the AM. High 10°
| 70% POP
| light and variable
| -2.7°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 809 m | 2630 ft.
Woodside Report - Norm called to tell me there were huge blue holes opening up, while I was sitting in the rain in town, so I was encouraged to head out. Norm and Bev showed up at 1:45 pm, and we headed up in the Suburban.
| We arrived at launch to find nice cycles, but maybe not strong enough yet but Norm had to be at work by 3:00 so he launched first and managed to stay above launch until I launched. We bobbed up and down getting to cloudbase which was about 800 meters, and then sinking down low before catching another thermal up. I was low on the way towards Riverside when I snagged a good thermal just before the rock slide and hung on to it through a blue hole above cloudbase while Norm was down at lower launch height before getting a thermal which took him towards the towers. It was confined flying due to the clouds but it was fun. We then headed out towards the little lake on the hill south of the bail out and checked out the new clearcutting, and Norm found a nice thermal for us to circle in maintaining over the hill for 10-15 minutes. As that thermal cycled down, I headed north to the bailout to see if the house thermal was there, but found only sink. I headed to Eagle Ranch low, but set a fast glide out and cleared the trees to the north and landed right in the middle of the field just ahead of Norm. Total flight time 45 minutes - Jim Bridal Report - Rob, Allan, Kevin and Derek flew in mild conditions, all getting above launch but not staying there for long. The clouds kept obscuring the mountain and the cycles died. March 26
| Bridal
| Cloudy with a few showers. Risk of a thundershower. Sunny periods developing. High 11°
| 30% POP
| 280° at 17 knots
| -2.7°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 800 m | 2900 ft.
Fraser Valley Report - looked like Blanchard may have been the place to fly. I was in Blaine at 11:00 am and it was windy but steady on the coast, inland at Bridal was blowing and gusty with the clouds moving very fast from the SW overhead. Woodside was very switchy in the Eagle Ranch LZ and the trees at launch were bent over. Jeremy and Derek were denied a flight, and Allan never left his home based on the valley winds.
| March 25
| Bridal
| Cloudy with afternoon sunny periods. A few showers mainly this morning. Morning fog patches. High 10°
| 30% POP
| 250° at 5 knots
| -2.5°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 1000 m | 3350 ft.
Bridal Report - Had to work but I live vicariously through Allan D. Unfortunately his timing was off today and he only had a short flight, and had to wait at the bottom for a ride which never came. In the meantime Rob S, Ian J, Derek and others flew for upwards of two hours. See attached report from Rob Samplonious:
| 7 pilots flew @ Lower Bridal between 1:30 & 4:45. Most pilots had 2 flights. It started out almost completely overcast then @ 2:20 the sky opened up. Initially lift was small, light & ratty, but after 3:30 it widened up & increased to 2.5 - 3 m/s. Maximum 400m over launch. Toplandings to drive down all the vehicles - Rob S Woodside Report - FlyBC only allows invited guests and students to land at Eagle Ranch and only after waivers and insurance checks have been completed. Do not fly from Woodside Launch unless you are able to glide to the "Best Landing Field". Do not use Eagle Ranch as a bail-out field, use the original Duncan Landing Zone near the highway, Bert Duncan understands that not every pilot has the skills required to make a successful flight everytime. The Woodside Outlanding Fee is still $20.00, payable to Bert Duncan (if you land on his property). March 24
| Woodside, leeside thermals!
| Clouds with sunny breaks this afternoon. High 10°
| 40% POP
| 150° at 12 knots
| -2.5°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 1400 m | 4650 ft.
Woodside Report - Spring-time flying at its best. | Norm, Nicole, Jim, Jeremy all flew PGs, while Dan, Greg and Jeff flew HGs. Norm wind-dummied and made us all cringe as he hit huge sink and trashy air to the left of launch, but used his superior skill to fly one ratty thermal out of their and got above launch quickly. Jeremy followed by heading right off launch and was quickly up to Norm's altitude. Nicole let the HGs launch first and then she and I followed Norm and Jeremy to cloudbase (right at 1450 meters as predicted by Soar8). I was getting pelted with ice crystals near the clouds and had to work hard to get to Nicole's height. Norm and Jeff were way out front while Nicole and I flew near the towers. Harold showed up later and had his best Woodside flight ever, 27 minutes in nice smooth lift. Jeff made it to Sasquatch and back a few times while the other HGs grovelled over the bailout (not able to make it to Bill Best's field). After an hour Norm and Jeremy flew out to land because they were frozen, I flew out from 1400 meters and spiral and played all the way down to land in fairly strong north wind at Eagle Ranch. Bridal Report - 7 pilots flew Bridal and Allan logged 1:30 before top-landing to retrieve trucks. He said they didn't get as high as the Woodside pilots but still had fun. Recommended Spring Flying Apparel long underwear (top and bottom) 2 layers of socks, one polyester, outer wool Wool Sweater Good SupAir Flight Suit (lined) Snow Boarding Boots or waterproof Hikers Snow Boarding Gloves (large is better) Balaclava or scarf to protect the neck You can fly for hours in this stuff and be comfortable, it is just too warm to sit at launch and in the LZ for very long. March 23
| Blanchard should clear first, Vancouver is calling for locally windy
| Showers easing to sunny breaks this afternoon. High 10°
| 60% POP
| 310° at 21 knots
| -2.5°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 800 m | 2650 ft.
Woodside Report - new snow on launch yesterday. Winds were very strong all day and even just before dark the trees at launch were swaying hard. We installed a Barn Owl Box in a tree on the SW side of the property, hoping to get the barn owl to move so we can board up the barn in preparation for a reserve clinic in April. | Whidbey Island Report - Nicole headed south for some parawaiting, way too strong (confirmed by Whidbey NOAA). March 22
| Stay Home, go skiing or boarding
| Wind southerly 50 to 70 km/h shifting to southwest 30 to 50 km/h this morning. Rain heavy at times easing to showers this afternoon. Additional rainfall amounts 20 to 30 millimetres. High 10°
| 40% POP
| 250° at 28 knots
| -2.5°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 1000 m | 3120 ft.
Woodside Report - Strong winds on the ground and at launch all day. Heavy rain at times.
| March 21
| Woodside, Lil Nic
| Showers tapering off. Possible sunny breaks. High 11°
| 40% POP
| 210° at 18 knots
| -2.5°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 1000 m | 3120 ft.
Woodside Report - Abbotsford NOAA Report showed excelent soarng conditions at Woodside during the afternoon hours. No pireps received however and I was working in Vancouver - Jim | March 20
| Bridal if it stops raining
| Showers. Windy at times. High 12°
| 50% POP
| 240° at 16 knots
| -2.5°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 800 m | 2500 ft.
Cochrane Report - I arrived at Muller's at 4:00 pm to see pilots kiting in severe east wind.
Then the wind switched and a few pilots were soaring in light south wind.
It was cold and I didn't feel like flying in my three piece suit, so I just watched. | Red Bull News - Chris Muller is now a Red Bull Airforce Member and he is heading south to do some events on PG and HG, he is welcomed by other Red Bull members - Chris Santacroce, Othar (OJ) Lawrence and will be flying in the new sporty Red Bull Helmets. We are planning a demo days soon at Eagle Ranch and Chris M will be showing off all his latest tricks - one called the "Ass Chopper" looks particularly scary! Bridal Report - there were some clear breaks in the PM, didn't get a pirep but no one wants to admit they are flying due to the HPAC Insurance debate. March 19
| Sumas may be a longshot
| Cloudy. Showers. Windy at times. High 12°
| 50% POP
| 150° at 36 knots
| -2.5°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 600 m | 2000 ft.
Valley Report - I was on a Zip flight to Calgary and expected it to be very bumpy out of Abbotsford, but I didn't feel a thing. I suspect the Upper Level Wind forecast was way off. Did anyone fly Sumas? - Jim | A short survey - a man (or woman) gets an email from ICBC. ICBC says their car insurance expires on Feb 14, 2003, despite the fact they are paid up until August 30, 2003. Do they: a) stop driving until ICBC sorts out the insurance policy. b) look around for other policies so they can keep driving. Email us and tell us what you would do. March 18
| Stay Home
| Cloudy. Showers developing this morning. Morning fog patches. Windy at times. High 10°
| 100% POP
| 210° at 11 knots
| -2.5°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 600 m | 2000 ft.
No pireps, and the sun only came out a few times. Road trip may be needed this weekend if the weather doesn't improve. We usually start training by April so it has to get good soon!
| March 17
| Woodside, Blanchard, Lil Nic
| Cloudy with sunny periods. High 11°
| 50% POP
| 210° at 16 knots
| -2.6°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 1500 m | 4800 ft.
Bridal Report - I headed out to the Valley at around 1:30 pm, hoping for a flight and if not to do some chores when I heard a few pilots on the radio at Bridal who managed to get 30-60 minutes in light elusive thermals. I didn't bother going up Woodside, which was in sun when I arrived, because I didn't have a retrieve driver. Also no birds were soaring so it probably wasn't too lifty - Jim
| March 16
| Work hard, don't waste a trip to the Valley, C & I are flying Point of the Mountain
| Periods of rain. Locally windy in the morning. High 11°
| 100% POP
| 190° at 20 knots
| -2.0°/1000' | (standard lapse rate) 400 m | 1400 ft.
Point of the Mountain Report - we woke up to heavy rain as a storm was passing from the west. We were in class at SuperFly until 11:00 am, and then we headed out to watch the "Motor Heads", a unique group of Czech and US paramotor pilots, as they flew a few miles south of the Point. Motor flying is banned at the Point, even if you are 1200 feet over. | We noticed the North Wind kick in so we talked Chris S to take us to the North Side. It was pretty strong for us mountain pilots, but there were a few locals flying. Mostly with full speed bar it looked like, so I took Colleen's XS Vibe and kited it on launch for a while and when I got to the edge, it was able to fly my bulk (100 kgs) and soar pretty well. I flew for about 15 minutes and it got lighter and I was getting lower and the locals started getting in very close on their normal sized gliders boxing me in as launch disappeared from my view. I was gonna be hiking for sure! Just then a thermal kciked off one of the gulleys and I was able to S turn my way above launch and soared a bit more before top landing. Then Colleen clipped in. Colleen had a sweet launch and immediately climbed above everyone, almost getting to cloudbase way out front, going backwards at times. She put on some "ears" and flew down to lose height and came in to top land but it was too lifty over the launch area and she flew out to soar to altitude again, before heading out to land at the bottom. I had a Vibe XL to fly and finally got the nerve to clip into it (because it was still very windy and we had no speedbars). I was kiting at launch trying to move forward in the gusts and got blown into one of the gulleys, not dangerous, just not elegant as I am definitely not used to kiting in 30km+ winds like the Point pilots. But I finally got forward enough to launch as had a nice soaring flight, getting quite high before top-landing behind the cars in the wind shadow as we had to head to the airport. Thanks go out to Chris Santacroce for the hospitality and it was great meeting the Point pilots with their various cliques! Did anyone fly the Valley? It looked pretty nice we we drove home last night. March 15
| Work hard, don't waste a trip to the Valley, C & I are flying Point of the Mountain
| Periods of rain. Wind southerly 40 to 60 km/h diminishing near midday. High 12
°
| 100% POP
| 190° at 20 knots
| -2.0°/1000' | (standard lapse rate) 400 m | 1400 ft.
We met at the South Side of the Point, but it was too windy to do anything but play with the kites. Rain tonight, maybe tomorrow will be flyable.
| March 14
| Work hard, don't waste a trip to the Valley
| Rain heavy at times. Further rainfall amounts 20 to 40 millimetre. Wind southeast 40 to 60 km/h. High 15 in the west to 10 in the east
°
| 100% POP
| 190° at 42 knots
| -2.0°/1000' | (standard lapse rate) 400 m | 1400 ft.
Point of the Mountain Report - we arrived at 8:00 am to see a pilot get blown back due to high winds on the South Side. Then we worked with a student in the LZ with Chris S. Later in the day COlleen and I flew the North Side before dark. | March 13
| Work hard, don't waste a trip to the Valley
| Rain heavy at times. Further rainfall amounts 20 to 40 millimetre. Wind southeast 40 to 60 km/h. High 15 in the west to 10 in the east
°
| 100% POP
| 190° at 42 knots
| -2.0°/1000' | (standard lapse rate) 400 m | 1400 ft.
Rain and more rain in the Fraser Valley. | Torrey Report - Brent P and Yefgeni A are in San Diego and phoned to gloat over soaring for 45 minutes yesterday. The day before they got an hour at La Salinas Ridge in the Baja! Point Report - we landed late but Chris S says the flying was good yesterday, just a bit windy. March 12
| Work hard, don't waste a trip to the Valley
| Heavy Rain. Locally Windy. High 11°
| 100% POP
| 180° at 22 knots
| -2.0°/1000' | (standard lapse rate) 400 m | 1400 ft.
The short cut between Bridal and Woodside was flooded last night! And it was howling strong winds all day. | I hope "The Point of the Mountain" is going to be better than it is here, see you next week! March 11
| Stay Home for a few days
| Rain. High 8°
| 100% POP
| 280° at 11 knots
| -2.0°/1000' | (standard lapse rate) 600 m | 2200 ft.
Sorry I missed posting the obvious, network problems from Red Deer, probably due to frozen phone lines :-)
| March 10
| Stay Home for a few days
| Rain. High 8°
| 100% POP
| 280° at 11 knots
| -2.0°/1000' | (standard lapse rate) 600 m | 2200 ft.
It rained hard. But the snow is melting.
| March 9
| Go Snowboarding or Skiing, enjoy the snow
| Snow changing to rain with periods of freezing rain this morning. Additional snowfall amounts up to 5 centimetres over eastern sections. Locally windy. High 8°
| 100% POP
| 220° at 24 knots
| -2.0°/1000' | (standard lapse rate) 600 m | 2200 ft.
Look what Eagle Ranch looks like today!
| 
March 8
| Go Snowboarding or Skiing, enjoy the snow
| Mainly cloudy with a few flurries. Additional snowfall accumulations 2 to 4 centimetres mainly eastern sections. Locally windy. Cool. High 2.
°
| 100% POP
| 100° at 11 knots
| -2.5°/1000' | (super unstable lapse rate) 600 m | 2200 ft.
Great boarding at Hemlock, very windy in the valley, 10 cm of snow at Eagle Ranch LZ.
| March 7
| Blanchard may be the only reachable site with the snow
| Snowy and windy. High 4°
| 50% POP
| 280° at 11 knots
| -2.9°/1000' | (super unstable lapse rate) 600 m | 2200 ft.
Forecast westerly winds for Juan de Fuca didn't materialize so Blanchard was a "bust". NE all day, but it didn't rain or snow there.
| March 6
| Stay Home
| Rainy and windy. High 8°
| 100% POP
| 270° at 29 knots
| -2.9°/1000' | (super unstable lapse rate) 600 m | 2200 ft.
Very windy in the PM, airplanes reporting moderate turbulence entering Vancouver airspace! | March 5
| Stay Home
| Rain and windy at times. High 8°
| 100% POP
| 280° at 31 knots
| -2.2°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 600 m | 2200 ft.
Bev says "Snow in Hope!" | March 4
| Lil Nic | don't forget your USHGA Insurance! Cloudy. High 9°
| 0% POP
| 280° at 16 knots
| -2.2°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 1000 m | 3200 ft.
Looked flyable all day in BC, but bloody cold in Edmonton!
| March 3
| Bridal | don't forget your USHGA Insurance! Sunny in the PM. High 9°
| 0% POP
| 340° at 10 knots
| -2.2°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 1000 m | 3200 ft.
Woodside Report - leeside, but strong thermals over the bailout field. 3-4 pilots flew into Eagle Ranch after soaring above launch for a while. | Bridal Report - A bunch of us showed up at Bridal as the cu's were popping and it looked good. Got up to launch to find it blowing down with some east wind still around. Waited a bit and the cycles started up, so we all launched and found lots of lift. Several of us got up and over the Saddle and Archibald; Alan headed towards Cheam, then the sun got hazed out so people started top-landing to retrieve. Nice lift, light at times, and it was cold (bring your woolies!)!! Bev showed up and reported similar leeside but nice lifty conditions at Woodside - Nicole Edmonton Report - minus 25 degrees with high winds from the North. We counted 10 cars in the ditch in one stretch of Hwy 2. I don't think the Albertans will be flying for some time based on the long range forecast. Brrrr! March 2
| Blanchard | don't forget your USHGA Insurance! Mix of Sun and Clouds, rain in the am, front is moving thru fast. High 8°
| 60% POP
| 300° at 18 knots
| -2.6°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 800 m | 2600 ft.
Blanchard NOAA reports good conditions from 10 am - 3 pm, no pireps yet.
| March 1
| Woodside | Bridal Mix of Sun and Clouds. High 10°
| 10% POP
| light and variable
| -2.6°/1000' | (unstable lapse rate) 1000 m | 3200 ft.
Woodside Report - several hours of good soaring was enjoyed by many pilots. It was windy in the afternoon and thermic over the flats on the way out to Eagle Ranch. No student flying yet as it was expected to be too strong. Big grins all around! | Bridal Report - several pilots flying Bridal, Nicole logged 1:30, Allan D logged 3 hours (as usual), pilots landing in the swamp which was rather wet. February 28
| Stay Home until Saturday
| Rain. High 9°
| 100% POP
| light and variable
| -2.0°/1000' | (standard lapse rate) 500 m | 1600 ft.
No pireps, but it was cloudy in Vancouver. | |
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 Clup 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
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