What's new around the Vancouver Flying scene. | Date | Site | Forecast | Precip. | Winds Aloft | Comments |
| October 31 | Chelan (too rainy and wet in BC) | High 16 | 10% POP | 180 at 10 knots at 3000 feet | Pilot reports, please. We had so many pilot reports in October 2000 that my file size limitation was hit several times! Lots of great flight reports, lots of airtime which is pretty good for October in BC. Keep those reports coming, the site of the day page is read everyday by "ground-bound pilots" who have to stay at work. |
| October 30 | Woodside | High 15 | 10% POP (but another front is coming through tonight) | Light and Variable (9900) at 3000 feet | Woodside Report - Bev reports that there was great soaring again at Woodside. Norm was "top of the stack"! She flew twice and even loaned her Fiesta to Alex Raymont for a flight (Alex reports "the Fiesta is like a sports car"). No XC action just great buoyant air to get pilots above launch! |
| October 28-29 | Chelan | High 12 | 30% POP | Light and Variable (9900) at 3000 feet | Chelan Report - Colleen and I arrived in Chelan at 10:30 Saturday as it started to rain. We went to breakfast and when we came out it was blue sky and cumulus everywhere. We made it up to launch and had some excellent flying, launch was strong inflow winds and Colleen, Lars, Arlana, Bruce, and I had great flights. Colleen had the longest flight at 1:00. Sunday was good too! |
| October 27 | Chelan/Saddle Mtn., WA | High 12 | 30% POP | Light and Variable (9900) at 3000 feet | Chelan Report - Lars and Arlana tried to fly Saddle but it was blowing over the back. They ended up in Chelan too late to fly, maybe tomorrow. |
| October 26 | Woodside/Grouse | High 15 | 10% POP | Light and Variable (9900) at 3000 feet | Woodside Report - 13:00 - No wind at LZ. No wind to faint breeze at launch. Clouds thickening, no one else there, only a sledder at best, "so f*ck it! I went
home" - Ihor Eagle Update - I did see that they were burning slash up at Eagle launch. There were about 10 fires going on with 3 or 4 in the general vicinity of launch. The smoke went straight up about 400m then spread very slowly eastward -Ihor |
| October 25 | Woodside | High 16 | 30% POP | 050 @ 5 knots at 3000 feet, thermal cycles could overpower this leeside condition if it stays sunny for a few minutes | Pilot reports wanted! |
| October 24 | Eagle/Sumas | High 18, good thermal index for higher sites | 10% POP | 130 @ 9 knots at 3000 feet | Pilot reports wanted! |
| October 23 | Eagle/Sumas | High 14 | 10% POP | 140 @ 9 knots at 3000 feet | Pilot reports wanted! |
| October 22 (delayed due to lack of a computer this AM) | Woodside | High 16 | 30% POP | 220 @ 13 knots at 3000 feet | Woodside Report - We went up to Woodside, and got a few early morning students off before the forecast winds kicked in. Colleen took Bev and Cheryl tandem. The winds never came in, the longest flight was Thomm McE. maintaining above launch for some time. Everyone had to land to the north in the LZ - Jim Dewdney Mountain Report - on the way home today we stopped at the east base of Dewdney Mtn., to check out the heli logging operations. They are selective logging several cutblocks on the east side, dropping the logs in a sorting yard. We timed the cycles at 2.5 minutes per drop! The logs are huge and they dropped them precisely with an electric grappling hook. Perhaps a new launch is being developed for us?? - Jim |
| October 21 | Woodside (after Eagle Launch Work Party) | High 14, fog in the morning, with rain starting in the evening | 40% POP | 260 @ 9 knots at 3000 feet |
Woodside PG Report #1- got a few student flights in in the morning before it got too strong for beginners, so I took to the sky for a beautiful 2:29 long flight above Woodside. Lots of lift everywhere! Thought about going over the back until I saw Don Smith barely clear the ridge and wallowing in the bowl above the prison, so I stayed above launch trying several approaches to top-land but it was too bouyant. Ian Johnston and I flew landing just as dark descended on the Landing Field - Jim Woodside PG Report #2- Would have had a good time except for HG buzzing launch as I was about to inflate . . "This is a recipe for disaster! " Other than that it was sweet flying 'til dark - Ian Johnston Woodside HG Report - After a morning work party at the new eagle launch, I had a fun day at woodside ridge soaring/buzzing launch. Climbed out to 3800' ridge soaring the leading edge of a cloud bank with Barry Bateman. Greg Buckmaster, Don Smith and I planned on flying over the back towards Agassiz Mt. I topped out to 4100' on Agassiz waiting for Greg and Don to join me but couldn't wait any longer and glided to Bear. On the radio I heard that Don and Greg squeaked over the back of Woodside and got drilled in the back side rotor landing south of Agassiz. I top out to 3500' on Bear and glide to Hicks averaging 45 mph. downwind. Work the ridge lift up to 3600' on Hicks and glide over the top to Ruby Creek. On the Ruby Creek face the wind is blowing 2mph at 210 in the shade. Where is the funnel effect of the lower Fraser Valley? I end up landing at Ruby as the sun sets in the west. I needed 1 more flight to log for the Fraser Valley Year Long Competition that ends October 31 and got a 3hr. flight logging 22.5 kms. XC on Oct.21! - Dan Keen |
| October 20 | Stay home | Cloudy with showers. Risk of a thundershower. Wind southeast 30 to 60 km/h shift to westerly 40 to 60 km/h by the afternoon. High 14. | 90% POP | 280 @ 21 knots at 3000 feet | Heavy rain all day followed by strong westerlies. Not a flying day in the Fraser Valley. |
| October 19 | Woodside | High 14, fog in the morning, then rain starting in the late afternoon | 100% POP | 160 @ 10 knots at 3000 feet | Woodside Report - We went up to Woodside, outflow. No go, Up at launch it was blowing down quite strong. Norm and I did not get to fly but did take the Blazer up for her maiden run up the mountain - Bev |
| October 18 | Woodside | Mainly cloudy with showers. Risk of a morning thundershower. Afternoon sunny periods. Locally windy so check the Chilliwack windtalker before launching (792-1003/122.975 mhz). | 80% POP | 240 @ 13 knots at 3000 feet, maybe soarable?? | Woodside Report - Alan Dickey said it looked good around 3:00 PM, but didn't see anyone flying. |
| October 17 | Whidbey (wild guess) | Wind Warning in effect | 60% POP | 200 @ 22 knots at 3000 feet, too strong for mountain flying | Whidbey Report - watched the Whidbey NOAA page and the wind moderated enough that some good flights may have been accomplished, but I received no pilot reports yet this morning. |
| October 16 | Stay Home | Rain heavy at times | 100% POP | S.E. Outflow conditions | Pilot reports graciously accepted here! |
| October 15 | Woodside | Sunday Morning fog patches. Rain developing in the evening. Becoming windy. High 15. | 90% POP | 170 degrees @ 13 knots at 3000 feet | Woodside Report - the upper level winds never kicked in as forecast, we battled east wind at launch. But Bruce, Trevor, Hans managed to book 4 flights in buoyant air - Jim Eagle Report - Don Smith and a truckload of HGers went to Eagle to check it out because of the forecast winds, but oddly it was blowing 20-30 kms from the west making it impossible to launch. Don and gang are willing to manage a work party to cart some soil down to bury what is left of the stumps to make Eagle more HG friendly - any volunteers/helpers can email me at flybc@hotmail.com to find out what dates we will go back to finish the work. |
| October 14 | Woodside | High 16 | 60% POP | 280 degrees @ 7 knots at 3000 feet | Woodside Report - Colleen flew first at 10:00 am and experienced "wet wing syndrome" after a small cell let go on her flight. Bruce followed her after and missed the rain. Launch conditions were excellent to strong all day for more experienced pilots. At one point around 2:00 pm there were 15 gliders soaring Woodside in formation, all well above launch! Allan Dickie and I spent a few hours soaring the north side of Agassiz Mountain east of the microwave towers. Eagles everywhere! I had a few younger eagles using my top surface for target practice, tucking their wings in a dive and rounding out just above the wing and zooming in front as they passed me. I could tell by their smiles that they were just playing! Total airtime was 3:21, and it took 2:00 to thaw out afterwards. Lots of strong thermals, huge sink on the glide out. What month is this?? - Jim |
| October 13 | Stay Home and save gas! | High 14 | 60% POP | East Outflow Winds at 3000 feet | Pilot reports graciously accepted here! |
| October 12 | Eagle (AM)/Woodside (PM) | High 20 | 0% POP | Light and Variable at 3000 feet after noon | Woodside Report - Ian J and Norm L flew and experienced some lift with rough SE leeside conditions. No one else flew. Wind was gusty in the LZ after landing. |
| October 11 | Woodside | High 21 | 0% POP | Light and Variable at 3000 feet | Pilot reports graciously accepted here! |
| October 10 | Vedder Mountain (directions on WCSC site guide) | High 17 | 90% POP, Sunny in the PM | 350 @ 11 knots at 3000 feet | Pilot reports graciously accepted here! |
| October 9 | Stay Home | High 15 | 90% POP | 060 @ 9 knots at 3000 feet | Pilot reports graciously accepted here! |
| October 8 | Woodside?? | High 17 | Rain possible 90% POP | 190 @ 6 knots at 3000 feet | Woodside Report - Woodside was a dubious call (but better than nothing), Bev said that it wasn't launchable all day. |
| October 7 | Woodside (all day) | High 24 | Sunny, until late afternoon. | 170 @ 10 knots at 3000 feet, soaring forecast shows good lapse rate and thermal conditions! | Eagle Report - Colleen flew Eagle for the first time Saturday and she had lots of different landing fields planned, but chose to fly to the Woodside LZ instead!! No real thermals just buoyant air and a determined pilot. Kelly, Jim, Dan, Mark Fraser, Norm Lawlor, Hans Knoedler, and John Lambert also flew Eagle. Woodside Report - weak cycles started after 1:00 PM, 10 HG and 20 PG pilots had sled rides. It was inverted all day at about 1800 feet level. The forecast upper level winds never materialized. |
| October 6 | Blanchard (PM maybe) | High 19, hopefully the onshore breeze will counter the outflow winds, | Sunny. | 120 @ 22 knots at 3000 feet (YVR forecast) | Blanchard Report - no one has contacted me, but tracking the Bellingham NOAA reports for Oct 6 showed light southerly winds all day with highs of 19C, so it should have been good. |
| October 5 | Stay Home | High 18 | Mainly sunny. Locally windy all day!! | 080 @ 18 knots at 3000 feet | Woodside Report - I checked Abbotsford several times yesterday and it was gusting up to 18 knots from the NE! I doubt anyone flew anywhere in the valley - Jim |
| October 4 | Eagle (AM), Woodside (PM) | High 19 | Sunny, with morning cloudy periods. | Light and Variable at 3000 feet, another huge lapse rate means unstable air. | Eagle Report - six pilots went to Eagle Launch today to do some more cleanup. Brian rented a large chainsaw and dropped the remaining stumps. We seeded the ground with a mix of grasses to hold the soil over the winter. The wind was coming from the NE, crossing up to 90 degrees at launch, but the thermal cycles overpowered the wind enough for Alex Raymont, Alan Dickie, Rob Samplonius and Jim Reich to get out to test the air. Alex R soared the road and stayed above launch for quite a few passes before heading out. Strong sink and strong lift, although the strong wind broke up the thermals. Alan landed in a clearcut north of Echo Lake and had a good landing, the rest of us landed at the airport at SandPiper Golf Course. The golf course manager wants us to use the field directly north of the golf course in future so DO NOT LAND AT THE AIRPORT UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE! . A pilot landed on the #1 fairway a few weeks ago and the golf course manager, Chris, is quite upset about that incident. I tried calming his concerns but this will take some time to get him understanding that we too are aircraft! Woodside Report - later in the day Alex R got to fly Woodside and had a boaty, leeside flight, I tried but couldn't get off due to catabatic winds. - Jim |
| October 3 | Bridal | High 17 | Sunny, with morning cloudy periods. | 290 degrees @ 6 knots at 3000 feet, another huge lapse rate means unstable air (0 degrees at 6000 feet). | Bridal Report - Bridal was awesome yesterday. I had two hours of soaring in amazingly smooth, gentle and wisespread lift. Thanks for the call on Bridal! - Ian Mitchell. Woodside Report - I had an awesome flight! I went to the left of launch (Alex told me to go there and try it out so I did) and I went up I was so high up I saw the prison and from where I was looking from it was "so awesome!" Dad flew out and caught some lift on his way to landing, Norm had to fly down as he had a bad tangle in his brake line and had to untie it by hand after landing which was a bummer because he missed an awesome flight. Every one else was soaring, it was so cool "grin" I loved it! - Bev |
| October 2 | Blanchard | High 15 | Sunny, with morning showers. | 280 degrees @ 12 knots at 3000 feet, another huge lapse rate means unstable air (-1 at 6000 feet). | Pilot reports graciously accepted here! |
| October 1 | Woodside | High 18 | Sunny, with morning showers. | 280 degrees @ 13 knots at 3000 feet, huge lapse rate means unstable air | Woodside Report - Colleen and I gave up at 11:00 am, way too windy and launch was in the clouds. I got a phone call late in the day that HGers had launched at Woodside and were WAAAYYY UP HIGH! I am sure the landings were interesting! - Jim Bridal Report - Alex R. and I flew Lower Bridal Oct 1, 4:45 to 5:45 pm (A.R .1hr, R.S. 30min), light cross winds at launch, strong wind in air, ridge soaring mainly, 2 m/s, 960m ASL. Helped wire assist 5 HGs from Woodside into 40kmh+ gusty winds Oct 1 early pm - Rob Samplonius |
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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