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FlyBC "Site of the Day March 2020 Archive"
FlyBC back at Woodside today!
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| 03-31-2020 |
 Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mainly cloudy with 40 percent chance of showers. High 9. UV index 4 or moderate. 240° @ 25 kph 1200 metres Savona is perfect because there is no shuttle required and students can "hike & fly" all day long and get really good with their ground handling skills while separated from each other. We have not been flying Bridal or Woodside much due to the shuttle issues, but others have been busy flying. The road to Woodside is horrible with nasty cross-ditches and many ruts caused by excessive traffic. 03-27-2020 to 03-30-20
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|  Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Periods of rain. Amount 5 mm. High 8. UV index 2 or low. 240° @ 35 kph 1200 metres No one is flying here due to the weather and the request by WCSC to suspend flying at local sites. Jeremy has been flying in AB though and sent me this nice video.  Slightly off topic but it is still flying and if you scroll to 17:00 you can see Harrison Mills and landing an airplane at Sandpiper Golf Course (back when you could get dinner there). 03-26-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mainly cloudy with 60 percent chance of showers. Windy. High 11. UV index 5 or moderate. 240° @ 35 kph 1200 metres But there were some people flying in Morrocco this week! 03-25-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: A mix of sun and cloud. High 12. UV index 5 or moderate. 240° @ 15 kph 1200 metres We decided to go Cross Country Skiing today which turned into a disaster for me. I fell once on my back on the ice before getting onto a groomed run/track which actually straightened out my back. Then a few kms further, on a nice track I fell backwards again as my skis went out from under me but much harder this time. I was able to get back up and continue on our route. Ibuprofin and Aleve got me through the day and I was able to walk into town for some exercise. The Island Pilots are already going into withdrawal. 03-24-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Showers. Risk of a thunderstorm and hail late this afternoon. High 9. UV index 1 or low. 240° @ 15 kph 1200 metres FlyBC is closed until April 18th and not offering shuttles due to the COVID-19 social distancing/separation requirements laid out by the government. From WCSC Directors: As pilots, we're all familiar with balancing risk and reward. The current risks to ourselves, loved ones, the free flight community, and our larger society is such that we ask pilots to temporarily refrain from flying club sites. Refrain from hang gliding and paragliding! The healthcare system is close to being overburdened and is getting worse. Both search & rescue and injury treatment may be limited or unavailable and will pose significant additional risk to both yourself and the responders. Congregating on launch is not social distancing, carpooling and sharing the ride up is not social distancing. This applies to both regular flights and instruction. Best replacement for flying Health Authorities are unanimous in recommending everyone to stay home and avoid social contact. Highly recommended articles and podcasts: https://www.cloudbasemayhem.com/corona-virus-critical-choices-in-a-critical-time/ https://xcmag.com/magazine-articles/how-to-survive-the-coronavirus-layoff/ https://www.straight.com/life/1375486/covid-19-how-enjoy-bcs-beautiful-outdoors-responsibly-while-social-distancing https://xcmag.com/news/paragliding-and-hang-gliding-hit-by-coronavirus-pandemic/?fbclid=IwAR3ecapXO2s-jYfEtgqrE25m5J6kzrEhnfm01gSBrUe_G0JwRVFVT97agjw Unfortunately, many people who are still in denial about the pandemic are flocking to the fewer remaining outdoor entertainment options, crowding trails etc. Don't be like patient 31 who single-handedly caused 80% of South Korea's infections by irresponsible socializing. If you choose to practice ground handling or kiting, please be aware that WCSC park usage permits have been suspended in many locations (see below). FlyBC is closed for kiting too until April 18th. Fraser Valley Repack clinic is postponed For those who have paid for the April 4th Fraser Valley Repack, We'll maintain your registration for the rescheduled event, or you can request a refund by emailing events@westcoastsoaringclub.com. Stay tuned for dates! Monthly "Last Friday of the Month" meetings are postponed. We are considering holding online presentations instead, we will let you know if that works. In-person training isn't recommended. Governments are already ordering various non-essential businesses to shut down. Please avoid in-person interactions with students, especially indoors and in vehicles. This outbreak will take a while to blow over, but a return to normal in the future can only happen if we do our part now. Municipal parks closures Our municipal park permits for Diefenbaker Park in Delta and Cleveland Park in North Vancouver are temporarily suspended as all users are not permitted in these parks. Pilots should NOT use these areas (including kiting or ground-handling) until advised otherwise. Diefenbaker will be reassessed on April 30th, 2020. Municipalities are closing other parks every day, we can't inform you of every closure. Please confirm with local authorities before using open spaces in the community. Membership fees At the last AGM we decided to slash regular membership fees in half due to increased membership last year, hoping to grow the membership even further in 2020. At this point we are still committed to maintaining the discounted pricing with the understanding that 2020 will likely not see the expected membership growth due to the epidemic. We planned our finances for an emergency like this, we have enough reserves to pay for all necessary fees to keep the club going. Stay safe. Stay home, so we can get back to flying sooner! The WCSC Board of Directors Copyright © 2020 WCSC 03-20-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Showers. Risk of a thunderstorm and hail late this afternoon. High 9. UV index 1 or low. 240° @ 15 kph 1200 metres 03-22-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Woodside Forecast: Sunny. UV index 4 or moderate. 240° @ 10 kph 1200 metres 03-21-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Woodside Forecast: Sunny. UV index 4 or moderate. 240° @ 10 kph 1200 metres 03-20-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Sunny. UV index 4 or moderate. 240° @ 10 kph 1200 metres We were not doing shuttles for everyone's safety. 03-19-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Wind chill minus 12 this morning. UV index 4 or moderate. 240° @ 5 kph 1200 metres 03-18-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Sunny. High 11. UV index 4 or moderate. 240° @ 5 kph 1200 metres A group of pilots hiked up to Benny Lower on John W's new direct trail and they said it took about an hour to get to launch. Martin N and Kevin A planned to fly back to Woodside and left a vehicle here at Eagle Ranch. They made it in great time despite an obvious inversion around Woodside earlier. Here is Martin's tracklog.  Peter S had a far more radical loop coming out from north of Hemlock Valley and on to Woodside and almost back to Dewdney. 03-17-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Sunny. Wind northeast 20 km/h High 9. UV index 4 or moderate. 040° @ 25 kph 1200 metres 03-16-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Sunny. Wind northeast 20 kph this afternoon. High 9. 040° @ 20 kph 1200 metres 03-15-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Sunny. Wind northeast 60 km/h gusting to 80 diminishing to 30 gusting to 50 this afternoon. High 9. Wind chill minus 12 this morning. UV index 4 or moderate. 040° @ 65 kph 1200 metres Wout has been gone since October and he wanted to kite so I offered him kiting on top of Woodside. He got one inflation and was off and flying like he had never been gone! Conditions allowed for some thermalling for the students. Colleen & Derek were out for a later flight and got high.  03-14-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Sunny with NE wind warnings. High -1. UV index 4 or moderate. 040° @ 65 kph 1200 metres It was quite pleasant in the Loft while we were fitting harnesses and inspecting gliders despite the cold and howling winds! SupAir has a new EN-C ship ready to fly in 2020! Prices have not been set yet but I am sure it will be competitive with Ozone and Gin. 03-13-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Sunny with NE wind warnings. High -1. UV index 4 or moderate. 040° @ 65 kph 1200 metres 03-12-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Cloudy. High 6. UV index 1 or low. 240° @ 15 kph 1200 metres 03-11-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mix of sun & cloud. High 6. UV index 1 or low. 240° @ 35 kph 1200 metres 03-10-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Cloudy. Periods of rain beginning this morning. Rain mixed with wet snow this morning. High 6. UV index 1 or low. 240° @ 35 kph 1200 metres 03-09-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mainly sunny. Fog patches dissipating this morning. Wind up to 15 km/h. High 8. Wind chill minus 6 this morning. UV index 4 or moderate. 240° @ 15 kph 1200 metres I was all set to load up the gear and head up in one of the shuttle trucks but then I got a call that Chris was bringing out a co-worker for a tandem flight. Plan changed and Bev headed up with a truck full and I waited for Chris. No loss as only Alex R had launched by the time we got there and folks were not rushing to get launched. Alex of course was already high behind launch even before the eagles came flying, A few other solo pilots launched as we got ready in the back. I got Jess in her harness and she was ready for a long flight wearing an electrically heated jacket (turns out that was a good choice). We had a great launch as Jess can run and we started climbing immediately. The air was crisp and cold and the thermals were not strong or well defined yet so we had to crank it pretty tight to stay climbing. We were flying the Ozone SwiftMax today and we were lightly loaded but no wallowing in the stronger thermals and decent trim speed when circling with others. Jacek got this shot of us on the tandem as we climbed out together near launch.  We flew for an hour and by then my hands were frozen despite wearing winter gloves and we flew all over the mountain before heading out to a bouyant landing at Eagle Ranch. Dennie was also flying tandem and we got to thermal with them some too before he landed at the HG LZ. Alex led the group over to Sasquatch Mtn. and back and Jacek and Martin N were over there grovelling for some time before they climbed out from as low as 350 metres.  Jacek kept flying and we were back on launch doing a retrieve when he came in to top-land (his first time!). No retrieve needed for him! Alex and Greg also top-landed to warm up and Alex drove Derek's truck down after Derek launched. Bev also launched and there was abundant lift on the mountain and over the valley so everyone had great flights on the second round. Alex had the most number of points today leading out to Agassiz Mountain early and then doing 2 Sasquatch uns and two top-landings.  Spring is defintely here but the weather is closing in with rain for at leat til Saturday afternoon. FlyBC is an authorized distributor for Ozone , Nova Paragliders , Kangook Paramotors, SkyBean Varios, Gin , SupAir, Flytec/ Naviter, Blackhawk Paramotors , Wills Wing. 03-08-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Cloudy. Rain beginning near noon. Becoming windy this afternoon. High 10. UV index 1 or low. 240° @ 45 kph 1400 metres Nineteen pilots on launch for a long time before anyone took off and they had sled rides. It was around 4 pm that pilots got off and got high . . . and cold! I took a little girl tandem around 5 pm and we had a nice boaty flight all over the Woodsid area, and landed softly in NW winds at the Ranch. 03-07-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Cloudy. Rain beginning near noon. Becoming windy this afternoon. High 10. UV index 1 or low. 240° @ 45 kph 1400 metres 03-05-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Cloudy. High 10. UV index 1 or low. 240° @ 15 kph 1400 metres 03-05-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Cloudy. Rain beginning near noon. Becoming windy this afternoon. High 10. UV index 1 or low. 240° @ 45 kph 1400 metres 03-04-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Cloudy. Becoming a mix of sun and cloud this morning. Windy early this morning. High 9. UV index 3 or moderate. 240° @ 20 kph 1400 metres Bev took Alex & Tom G up earlier as I got held up in Chilliwack at the airport checking out the SkyMaster after a long two month hiatus. Sean & Brian B arrived after Bev and I took them up in my truck. We drove through rain, hail and gusty winds to arrive on top to wait for about an hour for the winds to abate. Alex launched first, then Tom, Sean, Brian and me. Tip of the Day #1: GoPros can snag your lines so be ready to kill the wing when it is strong or you might get pulled off out of control. I killed the glider fast when mine got caught today! Everyone climbed out fast with Alex topping out at 1400 metres (just like the RASP predicted). I was of course flying everything new: Ozone Swift 4 L, Radical 3 harness that I had not adjusted first, big fat leather mitts, and a balaclava that kept covering my eyes but after a few minutes I got everything sorted out in the air and had a nice flight up to 1200 metres. Here is a pic of Tom and Alex climbing in front of launch.  Sean was thermalling at the South Knoll and forgot the part of the course about staying upwind and he felt out of the lift too far back and was headed for the trees when Alex gave him some pointers and he just made Riverside LZ. Tip of the Day #2: Figure 8 in lift when it is windy or do a Racetrack Pattern when 360-ing spending more time upwind and making a fast turn back into wind. Fortunately for Sean he had enough lift to get him to a safe LZ. Alex's first call was to head to Harvest downwind as Sean was quite low in the lee of the South Knoll. After an hour or so I radioed Bev who was standing down after a few aborts to see if whe would pick me up at the Ranch as Derek and Martin were headed out. I came over the valley at launch height despite the +20 kph of SW wind and the LZ was a bit active with South winds. I had a nice touchdown near the circle. Alex was still soaring around when he took this nice picture.  Tip of the Day #3: When it is gusty/windy in any LZ stay far downind of trees or obstacles to avoid any possible rotor areas. We took Derek and Martin up in Bev's newly repaired rig and I got my truck and watched Derek and Martin launch and go up. Alex & Tom had landed and were headed to the Sasquatch Inn but Brian was still aloft flying Colleen's Taska and was trying to climb out above the Ranch when I went to the Sasqutch Inn. Derek and Martin got at least an hour and were high when I last spotted them. Spring is here! 03-03-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mainly cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers. High 7. UV index 3 or moderate. 240° @ 25 kph 2000 metres I stopped in at Pitt Meadows Airport and there was no one flying as the clouds and fog were right down to the runway. Back at Eagle Ranch it started raining heavily in the afternoon. 03-02-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mainly cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers. High 7. UV index 3 or moderate. 240° @ 25 kph 2000 metres Meanwhile at Blanchard WA folks were getting 45 minutes plus of thermic soaring in light lift. 03-01-2020
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| Woodside Forecast Woodside Forecast: Mainly cloudy with 30 percent chance of showers. High 7. UV index 3 or moderate. 240° @ 25 kph 2000 metres I got a call from BC Ambulance looking for information and thru the WhatsApp Group I located the group who were all fine. |
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1253 Kilby Road, Harrison Mills, BC V0M 1L0 Cell: 604-618-5467 E-Mail: FlyBC E-Mail |