FlyBC "Site of the Day Archive for October 2009"
"Only a paraglider pilot knows why a dog sticks its head out a car window." - ?
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Woodside Report - too windy for any form of "foot launched flight" today, gust to 35 knots. Blanchard Report - later in the day it got soarable, for Delvin and some HGer and an Eagle.
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Woodside Report - rain and low cloudbase all day. |
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Woodside Monsoon Report - heavy downpours all day, so good for tiling and not much else. |
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Woodside Report - it looked pretty lame after 2 hours on Tuesday, so no flying today instead I did some tile/grout work. |
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Woodside Report - I was in Surrey moving the new MiniMax Ultralight until noon when I arrived at the Ranch to meet Derek. Derek's original plan was to hike up with Alan but he got delayed and Alan hiked up solo. | We weren't in a big rush as Alan said he almost sunk out after flying for 10 minutes and it was pretty dark on the mountain. Wiley showed up and another pilot from Ontario so we headed up by 1 pm. Alan was still in the air and to the north, reporting +4 m/s lift in places and significant NW drift. 
Alan soaring with the Eagles at Woodside - photo by JPR I launched first and was soon heading north to grab some of the great lift when I saw Alan lower and heading south. I scratched around the north clifs maintaining but below launch when I saw Alan heading west towards the sun, and I started to follow him until I saw he was getting nothing but sink, so I headed to the South Knoll. I was joined by 2 eagles at the South Knoll and they took me to 'base as Derek launched. As I got sucked into "the White Room", I saw Alan orbiting around the Ranch maintaing but not getting up despite full sun there, while I was climbing at +4 m's in the shadows. Best filt of the year on a cloudy day in October! I got on the Big Ears to descend and I was still climbing and could see down but not horizontally and last time I saw Derek he was down low so I spiralled out of the clouds from 950 meters. As I got lower I saw derek had climbed out to 'base too but we had good separation. I flew around for 45 minutes and tried a few top-landing approaches but the sun came out and it was very lifty at Launch. I was getting cold and Alan was now down at the Ranch as I flew out arriving at the Ranch at 600 meters, as Ian J landed in his Rans Courier aircraft. I had a nice landing after flying between the goal post trees for "fun" and hitting the circle. The plan was to drive Martina and Alan up in the Van to retrieve Derek's truck when Derek came on the radio to say he had top-landed and he would drive down to get us. Rob S arrived at about the same time as derek and we all drove up for Round 2 with Alan driving. Flight number 2 was even more fun, and just as cold! By the time everyone was at Launch, Daryl had arrived with Dennis already in the air at 'base. We launched as did late arrival Kevin A. and we were soon 7 PGers in the air. Daryl counted as many as 28 eagles in the air with us at once and they were having more fun that us, swooping and fighting each other and most ignoring us. After an hour of soaring I was getting cold again and Kevin, Dennis and Daryl had top-landed to drive down so retrieves were not an issue so I flew out. Lifty all the way out again, but windier from the South. Nice landing conditions in the circle. Great times! - Jim
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Woodside Report - very wet and windy when we left the Ranch to head to Vancouver at 9 am. | Derek said it was clearing up at 1 pm, but judging from the gusts in town, it would not have been safe flying before dark. But tomorrow looks perfect!
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Chelan Report - we headed up the Butte around 10:30 am, and it was coming straight in from the East, so off went Derek, Martina, Colleen, Martin N, Adrian and Cynthia all in a row. Nice smooth air, no lift and light winds in the LZ in contrast to yesterday's windy and rough air. | 
Colleen just off the east launch at Chelan - photo by JPR Then off to Peachland to drop off some goodies to the grandkids and home to the Ranch. The 97C Connector was snow and ice until the Princeton turnoff, and foggy. Winter is here already! Here is the Chelan Webcam Link for those who can't make it to Chelan hit the Smart Conttrol Button and then scroll down to Butte Up Close to see if anyone is flying. Bear Attack 2009 
Bear induced damage - photo by ? Apparently a bear attacked this plane while parked in a remote field up here in AK. Pilot had not cleaned out the inside after a long fishing trip and the bear smelled it. 
Bear induced damage - photo by ? He had 2 new tires, 3 cases of Duct Tape and several rolls of cellophane delivered. Then went about repairing the plane so he could fly it home. Gutsy to say the least. 
Ready to fly home after duct tape repairs - photo by ?
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Chelan Report - we arrived at launch around 11:30 am, and we were the only ones in costume. Pilots were already well above launch and it was gusty but launchable. | We were freezing our butts off on the Butte so we went back for normal clothes and by the time we got back up, it got too strong to fly so off to lunch with Nicole who top-landed before it blew out. Reports from the LZ said 35-30 mph from the south. We were getting reports from the Airport Ridge that Alex R, Martin H, Mia and Jeff were 600 feet over launch. We were now back on top and Colleen, Adrian, Nicole, Martina and Cynthia got to fly down. The Party was a blast with our "Barbie Theme", pictures here (be prepared) . Thomm's Woodside Gloat Report - Well, I know one thing for sure; I will never look at Barbie the same way again!! Yikes!!! I headed out to your place Saturday with intent to fold up my glider that had been drying out in the barn. Then thought, hmmmm good time to stretch the lines. Just as I was finishing up, I heard a vehicle drive up outside. It was Rudy then followed by Jason. They were going to head up to launch as it looked like it was blowing up nicely. I had low expectations with the cloudy with blue holes conditions but tagged along (with my wing of course) and arrived to light to moderate slightly cross west cycles. Jason launched first and then Rudy, they both pretty much headed straight out and landed. I launched and scratched out front and finally worked it enough to get above launch and then climbed in very light but fat air to get about 200 over and ridge soared until my feet were frozen. The best part of the flight was an Eagle flying very close to me for quite a while. I had concerns he was pissed at the big orange bird and was going to sink those long talons into the wing. He was within 15 feet of me several times, over under and beside me and then he finally disappeared.(no friggen camera of course) Coming into land was like a spring day, the sun was now out on the ground at the world famous “Eagle Ranch” and it was a really punchy rockin ride from about 50m right until I landed .Total air time 1:20. When I went back up to launch later to drive talking to Tom C, he said he was watching the eagle flying around me and one time was coming in from behind(where I couldn’t see him) and had the feet extended but thought maybe he was just slowing down to the pathetic speed of a human constructed device. In any event it was really cool. Jason and Rudy headed up for another flight and were rewarded with soaring flights around 45 minutes as well. They had big smiles at the Sasquatch later. Yesterday (Sunday) was the same conditions but no-one around until it started to drizzle around 1pm - Thomm. Jason's Woodside Gloat Report - We arrived at 1030 and Thomm Was already there working on his wing in the barn. We looked up toward launch and it looked clear and then seconds later it was socked in. Thomm said let's just head up and see how it goes. Crystal drove and Rudy, Thomm, and myself climbed into the FJ and headed up. Once on top it was beginning to break open and consistent west cycles were funnelling up. It was cold but we hooked in and off we went. I flew first then Rudy then Thomm. Rudy and I had sled rides but Thomm launched at the perfect time and by the time we returned back to the top, he was just heading out because he was too cold. We got to the top for the second time and Tom C and his students were at the top. Joining all of us was Gary and his crew, Ken with us, and a few other pilots. Rudy launched first with a picture perfect take off. I was right behind him. Soon we where above launch and there we stayed for over an hour. "Smooth as a baby’s bottom" I yelled down. Soon there was 6 or so pilots in the air. Oh and the eagles…. A good dozen flying with us! Seriously, many of us this day attested to having the eagles fly so close with us that we could almost touch them! Often they where leading us around Woodside! Ask anyone who was in the air, today was "Such a great day for flying!" - Jason
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Chelan Report - after a rainy drive, the weather dried out in Wenatchee, all the way to Chelan where cloudbase was obsuring launch on the Butte. | Here is the Chelan Webcam Link for those who can't make it to Chelan hit the Smart Conttrol Button and then scroll down to Butte Up Close to see if anyone is flying. Doug M tried to fly the Airport Ridge but no sooner were they laid out than the winds died. We were forced to meet at Delvin and Pam's condo for a party later. Belated Woodside October 18 Video from a local pilot - Woodside Fall Flying
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Woodside Report - cloudy, flyable but lame conditions so I spent the afternoon loading up for Chelan, where we will be until Monday. |
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Woodside Report - I was out getting the Suzuki ready for Chelan, roof rack installed and it was raining hard. Later it cleared up around 3 pm, but I was already back in Vancouver delivering gear to folks, so I don't know if anyone flew. |
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Woodside Report - I was out around noon, low clouds still obscured launch and no one was around so I did some chores and drove to Surrey to play with the new MiniMax Airplane, which will be home soon as the rain stops (5 days). | When I was out at Walter's field, one of the pilots that had flown my MiniMax prior to me getting it told me a great MiniMax story. He and another pilot offered to drive an older gent up to Cache Creek to pick up a newly purchased MiniMax (not mine), that had long range tanks and a Hirth F33 engine. Weather conditions were not great so they suggested a few circuits to check out the aircraft and the old gent hopped in and taxied it out to the runway and took off. They watched as he flew west over Highway 1 and continued out into the distance and disappeared. They tried him on the radio but no response so they hopped in the car and raced after him. Cloudbase was less than 200 feet on Highway 1. They encountered a flag person somewhere near Spences Bridge and stopped to ask if they had seen the MiniMax fly by? The flag person said it just passed overhead if it was a yellow plane. They raced on further and caught up with the plane and followed it down the Fraser Canyon towards Hope and now had him on radio. They came into Hope and ceilings were now 100 feet and they urged him to land at Hope Airport, only a scratchy response came back as he continued west along Highway 1 past Hope into the soup. They managed to keep up obviously speeding and they came near Chilliwack Airport and ceilings were still 100 feet or less, and the pilot got the radio working better and he said he was continuing on past Chilliwack. Now the plane kept going in and out of cloud as they approached Sumas Mountain, and he kept going which would have been in Abbotsford's control zone but he was too low to be a conflict with anything but geese. They kept him in sight and as they approached the Port Mann bridge ceilings were even lower and he said he was diverting to Pitt Meados along the Fraser River and he disappeared and they couldn't keep up along the slower roads. The boys in the car called Pitt Meadows tower and they hadn't seen him yet, but were getting calls from motorists reporting a low plane in trouble! They hung up so as to not get implicated with this law-breaker. Apparently, they kept going to King George Airpark as this was the destination and their other car was there anyway and when they arrived . . . here was the old gent and his new MiniMax tied down and safe. They asked how he got there from Pitt Meadows and he said he had to fly under the Port Mann Bridge and along the Fraser River until ceilings got better and then direct to King George Airpark. He was completely unfazed by the flight while his chase crew had several more grey hairs and were worn out! That MiniMax was bought and sold several times and eventually was destroyed by weather as it wasn't hangared. It would have been a good plane if it had been kept indoors.
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Flight Report for the new MiniMax Ultralight - I spent from 11 am until 3 pm, readying the bird, checking everything carefully from one end to the other and by 3 pm the skies lifted enough to do a few test circuits. | 
MiniMax 1300 at Walter's hangars - photo by JPR The engine was recently rebuilt and run-in for 45 minutes but no flights so Jeff, the only guy locally that has flown the MiniMax suggested a few circuits to ensure everything was okay before XCing to Harrison Mills 45 miles away. Ian J suggested an entire day of "touch & goes" at King George Airpark to get everything squared away before landing at a smaller field like Eagle Ranch. Both were smart calls! I did 2 circuits in close to Walter's strip at 152nd & 60th Ave in Surrey, and the MiniMax ran great, good temps. Takeoff was brilliant with super acceleration and it hopped into the air even in no wind within 100 feet. And climb! At full power an easy 1000 feet a minute! And very easy to control, not jerky just smooth stick pressures at all speeds. On circuit #3 and feeling confident I went further east on climbout and at 300 feet the engine lost power and despite adjusting throttle position it was not keeping me in the air so I circled back west towards the runway, which was on the other side of a high dike and rather than risk the glide I chose a nice hayfield on the east side of the dike and made a perfect deadstick landing in a fairly rough part of the field. Nice thing about taildraggers is that if you keep the stick back to your lap even in rough ground it keeps the plane upright and it won't dig in. I called the owner on the cell to let them know where I was and they came out with tools. Now I was only 500 feet from the hangars but because of the irrigation channel they had to drive several miles and hike in, so it took some time. We opened up the spark plugs and they looked good. Compression was good, but we couldn't see sparks. We checked and disconnected the kill switch/mag switch and still no spark. Fuel was ample and carb was full of fuel? After putting everything back together it restarted and ran fine? I hate intermittent problems but we still didn't see good sparks in the daylight so perhaps the charge coil is going. I took the plane to the far end of the hayfield and took off to the south and it took way more than 100 feet on the soft, rough ground and once clear of the dike I headed straight into Walter's strip so we could do more testing before re-flying tomorrow. Still a good test run. I got my short field emergency landing into rough strip signoff (#1), I got my short field rought strip takeoff signoff (#2) and I got my " landing into the sun so you can't see anything " signoff back at Walter's strip (which is way rougher than Eagle Ranch) (#3). If she keeps running on the next flights, it should be out at the Ranch Tuesday afternoon after we change the fuel and retest the compression. 
MiniMax 1300 back at Walter's hangars - photo by JPR New Pemberton Launch Progress - we have been hearing lots from BCHPA and the WCSC about the funding and progress but here is real proof! Looks good but still too many trees for the Pembie Muppets!
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Woodside Report - a slow start to the day as clouds kept obscuring launch (launch temps and dewpoint were forecast to be very close until after noon). We went up at noon with Dan for day 2 of his 2 day beginner course, after a day of extensive ground handling, another day of flights with 3 solos last weekend, and today Dan logged 4 more solos in mixed conditions. | Thomm was first of the mountain today and had a nice cloud-surfing flight for 32 minutes. 
Thomm surfing the clouds at Woodside - photo by JPR A few others arrived mid-day and were rewarded with -4 m/s sink all the way to Riverside. Ian J arrived in his Rans Courier and showed me where to land my new plane, tight against the goal post trees on the smoothest part of the field. Ihor arrived with his brand new kit of goodies and launched a perfect forward launch on his new Addict II. Welcome back, we missed you this season! 
Ihor is back at Woodside - photo by JPR I was done and on my way to Vancouver by 6 pm. Nice day for those who ventured out, no rain and mellow conditions for training flights. Wouter's Holland Report - After weeks of bad weather we finally had a day with nice weather and perfect conditions for towing. This might be our last good day this year and soon the fields will be to wet too. A couple of tandems and about ten solo flights just to refresh my acro a little, hopefully I'll catch up and progress from this level fast next year! You must be looking forward to Mexico! - Regards, Wouter Dutch Flying
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Woodside Report - I was out all day delivering stuff in Vancouver and buying an ultralight in Surrey so I missed most of the rain at the Ranch but it was pretty wet all day with mixed thunderstorms and lightning . |
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Woodside Report - Heavy rain and fast moving clouds meant an inside work day. | Time to start shopping for a costume for the Women's Fly-In while it isn't flyable, it happens next weekend.
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Woodside Report - Woodside was flyable but I started a tiling job around noon when no one showed up and was still tiling at 3:00 pm when Martin, Martina and Jason arrived and no one had a 4x4, shame as it is the last flayble day til Sunday based on the last forecast. | Belated Kamloops Report - The local Kamloops Hill is an easy and enjoyable place to fly (Strawberry Point/Dome/Little Dome). The drive up is only 15 mins from the main road and the LZ is directly below launch. There is plenty of opportunity to fly along the mountain with loads of alternate LZs along the highway. The local pilots are VERY friendly and love the company of new pilots. Some of them have been flying well over 10 years now. The hill had not completely turned on Saturday, thus all the flights were sledd ers. But with the hill being a quick drive up, easy for any vehicle, I got in a second flight before thanksgiving dinner. On a side note, I was picked up on my first launch sideways and dragged a bit along the hill. Locals said that as I launched a cross wind came up hard . . . . So much for first impressions! But they said that I was a good pilot and that I must have had some good instruction…. Thanks Colleen..lol - Jason
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Woodside Report - at times I thought it was flyable and then a big gust would blow through the Ranch. The clouds were going by pretty fast too. |
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Woodside Report - too windy for words! Up to 70 kph gusts from the North all day and night, rain forecasted for later finally came around 4 am. Winter is approaching fast, so start your travel plans soon. This year we also have a good excuse to avoid Vancouver during the 2010 Winter Olympics as the city is expected to be shutdown for traffic and security control. | Ozone Swift Test Report - Swift- "Mountain wing of the Decade". When I confirmed the rumours about the Ozone Swift with Jim Reich from FlyBC I became very excited about the philosophy behind the concept. Ozone has always had the ability to recognize and carve out the “right” design for specialized piloting, I view it as a "Zen" in their design. My interests fall in the somewhere in the genre of para- hiking, mountaineering and big ascents. I own an Ozone Mantra II for Xcross and the rock solid Ozone Geo II for exploration flying. The Geo was the tip of the iceberg for Ozone innovation, as this lead to a new line of thinking for mountaineering flying from speed flying; to the ultra light series (I flew the 2.3 kg Ozone UL 19 from Mt Baker – thank you FlyBC). However, in my opinion, there was a missing link; a wing with a solid base for safety (like the Geo) and performance responsiveness (Mantra). Then came along the Swift. The maiden flight on the Swift was on a warmer than usual Fraser Valley October day with excellent winds. There was a small group of friends, all exceptional pilots at Woodside launch to include Kevin A, Alex R., Rob S. and Nicole M. With these pilots in the air I was able to fly side by side, up and down to see how this bird would compare. As I unfolded the wing it is immediately obvious how simple the lines cascade and sensible the color coding, great when untangling in an alpine field. The launch was perfect; very light going up, straight and easy to ground handle. The first thing I noticed as I turned right was how light the controls were, the second thing I noticed was the effortless weight shifting and how quickly I was in tune to a flat and fast turn. With sharper turns and easy 1.2 meter lift, I was easily above launch and in the band width of the other pilots. I thought "very impressive, indeed, for a DHV 1-2 wing! With the Geo I would have taken much longer to get here! ". The speed was the surprising part, although I did not have a GPS and cannot verify exact speed, I was easily weaving in and out and with the other pilots with much faster high performing wings, (not say I was racing - these pilots are some of our best , I was only observing). While flying I performed the standard “easy” stuff; big ears, wing over, spiral symmetric collapse with predicable and fast DHV 1-2 responses. After over an hour it was time to land this bird in the Riverside LZ with everyone else soon to land with me. Kevin asked what did I think, I said that this was “the mountaineering wing of the decade”, it meets all my criteria for high altitude and the pure joy of flying. I am looking forward to taking this wing into some “smoking” condition at Casa del Pilot in Mexico to see how the bird flies. Ozone really got it right with the newly released Swift paraglider, with awesome all round performance, speed and design with the lightest possible material. Although the Swift (M) is a mere .75 kg lighter than Geo (MS) it flies completely different and I can carry an extra 10 kilos of gear, light more and warmer sleeping bag! Again, Thank you Jim! - Brad Henry
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Woodside Report - we stayed home and were rewarded with 6 nice student flights and one nice tandem with potential new student Morgan. Leeside when the sun was blocked but good cycles when sunny. | Hedley Report - Robin and Rudy didn't get to fly as it was too gusty, even too strong at Iron Mountain in Princeton. Flora Peak Report - After being under the weather for the last ten days, I needed some training catchup so I invited Brad Henry to join me on a parahike up Flora Peak (above Chilliwack Lake) today. The hike was much easier than the snowy experience I had with Carl D last February. We hiked from 500-1800 meters in under three hours arriving to find perfect SE thermals. Brad launched first and immediately gained altitude and started soaring the summit. I launched and we both played around the summit for 10 minutes before venturing south to the next unnamed summit. Brad went over and came back and then I did a run. As I reached the ridge two things happened at once. I saw a nice big black bear running for cover from the huge "Swift" soaring overhead. The second thing was that I entered a small tight thermal which I never would have been able to core on my previous mountain wing. The Swift stayed in and I wound it up as the thermal grew stronger. Within minutes I was two to three hundred meters over the ridge and getting cold! Brad radio'd from Flora peak saying he was feeling pretty chilly and was going to start making his way to the fire break LZ. I told him I would cruise west towards Williams Peak, several k to the west. Brad reported shortly after that he had landed in fairly turbulent conditions above the LZ so I was even more encouraged to land somewhere else. I arrived at the ridge significantly below the summit pyramid but was encouraged by the ravens soaring to the west. Sure enough I hit another light thermal and worked it, getting more and more excited at the possibility of getting to summit height (2100 m). Ten minutes later, I was much higher than that. I could see that I was level with nearby Welsh Peak which is 2400 m+ and I could see Harrison lake! I told Brad that I was heading west, and I followed the Williams/Ford Ridge eventually waving at some hikers on the Ford Mountain Lookout. Now the Forestry Nursery was in plain sight and although I didn't get any lift on the west shoulder of Ford Mtn, I flew over to Mercer hoping to get back up and cruise on to Thurston and Elk. Alas the lift was gone and after some scratching, I made my way out to the nursery choosing the western most field closest to Chilliwack Lake Road. After a nice soft landing, I packed my gear and found my way out to the road where Brad arrived five minutes later. We were both buzzing from the great flight, but even more so from the great performance and stability we felt from our new Swifts. Ozone you've made a winner! Jim from FlyBC, thanks for getting them for us! - Kevin A Biff and Brad Do Flora Swiftly from Kevin Ault on Vimeo.
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Woodside Report - we decided not to trek to Hedley as our group organized way too late, and stayed in Harrison Mills instead. | It wasn't flyable all day due to the nasty NE winds but it was sunny and we got Turkey dinner ready and finished chores. Hedley Report - Robin and Rudy got two nice sled rides at Hedley while the Pembie Pilots went to Iron Mountain and "sky-ed out" to 2600 meters with Norm watching and drooling as he had no driver! The Pembie folks tried to get to Hedley but the lift was just around Iron Mountain with sink behind it, so they were denied.
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Hedley Report - I decided quite late that Hedley would be the place to be leaving at 9 am as the Ranch was blown out, to meet Robin and Rudy and a few others on the road. I was cruising down Hwy 3 when Ruy passed me and I tailed him all the way to Princeton, letting him take the radar beams. | No tickets and I was soon in Hedley watching the first pilots take to the air and staying up at 11 am. 
Hedley Launch from the Church LZ - photo by JPR As soon as I found Rudy and Robin I loaded up the Suzuki and we headed up the hill. Launch is at 1400 meters giving a 900 meter vertical flight and it was cold on launch! That night the valley floor hit -10C and the water froze up in the shower at the Pub Campground. 
Hedley Launch Meadow - photo by JPR We arrived on launch to see a few Pembie pilots getting ready and Rudy tried the first launch attempt getting "hoovered" off launch twisted the wrong way and he flew about 20 meters sideways before he hit the brakes enough to land on the slope. His second atttempt was great and he was in the air climbing. Robin had a flawless launch and was soon chasing Rudy down to the LZ. I met a young kid on launch named "Shaeffer" who had been with Peter C but Peter launched leaving the kid cold and crying on launch because his mom had flown down. I took him down in the warm Suzuki and we passed his mom going back up so I told her to grab another flight while I waited at the LZ for Robin and Rudy to find a ride back up to relaunch and I would watch their landings. I then went to town to get some lunch snacks with Shaeffer. I was still suffering from a cold and needed to stay warm. 
Shaeffer in the Church LZ with the Bullet he was kiting when he got bored - photo by JPR Robin launched first and was floating all over the valley and had a beautiful landing into the wind, apparently many of the Pembie folks have never seen a windsock before as they landed downwind? Rudy was one of the last off the hill and the sun was disappearing in the LZ and it was soon all shadows and cold but he floated around for 20 minutes before a perfect no wind touchdown. Tom C was one of the last pilots to land and he was waiting for Bev to drive his truck down, Norm was last seen heading to Keremeos but was later in the LZ. 
Rudy over the Church LZ - photo by JPR
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Savona Report - we made an early call and were on the road to Savona by 11 am, as it was too windy here in the Fraser Valley from the NE . | Ryan and Jozef C joined me and Ryan had one thermic flight off Oscar's Upper and an XT-16 (Bullet) flight off the Toilet Bowl ridge and we had 2 hours of most excellent kiting before dark. Ryan then completed his exam and got an 83% to finish off his Novice Rating, from Oct 1 to now for a record 9 days to complete with crap weather in between. 
Ryan kiting the Ozone Mojo3 at Savona - photo by JPR Updated Woodside Mayhem Report - I guess I was too subtle with the tree landing report yesterday. I received many calls wanting to know more details but there wasn't much to tell. Mike D (60+ flights, Novice rated) launched earlier and was scratching around too low and was seen sinking out into the HG field. He paid Nicole the $20 fine when he got back on launch and set up to relaunch. It was nice soarable conditions with mixed lift and sink, some thermals. I was not on launch when he got low but Vernon was working at the Construction Site and watched Mike scratching down low and even though Vernon only has 7 flights he already knew Mike was in trouble, problem was Mike didn't. Mike said he was in zero lift, just maintaining when he hit a sink pocket and had no where to go as he was boxed in by trees all around and he settled into the top of the tallest 50 meter tree. He secured himself with some slings and assessed the situation. He had a radio and cell phone and was secure. We were alerted by Nicole in the air, who was also reporting Al (The Hammer) was in trouble on the wrong side of the North Ridge in strong south winds. She was a busy girl trying to fly and direct the rescue units! Al eventually landed on a sandbar in the Harrison River picking one where there was a fishing boat. He charmed a 70 year old man into giving him a ride to Eric's beach after the man carried Al on his back to the boat in 3 feet of water. I had students still flying so I told Mike to sit tight and I would bring a rescue rope and tools back to his location. By the time Vernon and I got there Mike had climbed down to 5 meters with his slings but there were no more branches. I left Vernon with a slingshot, and some dental floss to get a rope up to Mike. Mike was soon on the ground and the tree falling began. Two trees were dropped and in the process the wing was shredded in half. No big story, no big collapse in rotor, just bad decsiion making trying to stay in the air when it wasn't happening. The same thing happened a month ago to Tonya's student when he also landed in some trees in the same rough location but fell all the way to the ground safe but with 10 blown out cells on a brand new glider. The ironic thing is that after Mike landed in the tree the conditions were much better and he could have gotten a ride back up and stayed in the air for 2 hours like Kevin and the rest . . . if he would have flown out sooner. Lesson learned!
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Woodside Report - "The Ozone Swift is going to be the Mountain glider of the decade" - Brad Henry, world renowned mountaineer and pilot, IT executive and frequent dental patient.
| Well, here's my two cents worth. In a nutshell, the Swift offers both performance and confidence. I flew for 2.25 hours today at Woodside launching at about 3:30 into air that was initially quite dynamic - reasonably strong lift for October (4.6 m/s) and lots of sink (5 m/s). That there was lots of sink was attested by the bright red and yellow fabric in one of the trees close to the road down near the highway. Despite its "light" feel when launching, the Swift was rock solid in turbulence and the brakes had quite a bit of nice progressive pressure. The Swift launches effortlessly in light or strong winds. Once airborne, I found that it sliced into the thermals very well and very flat, especially with a little outside brake. The speed of this glider is very obvious. On my first flight, a sled ride last Tuesday, I left the hill following Martina on her A2 who was above me and within a minute I was quite a distance in front. She seemed to have a slightly better sink rate, but today that didn't matter at all. The Swift and I reached over a thousand meters today and when I needed to get away from the sinky places, I was gone. Big improvement from my last 1/2 wing. I think Brad is absolutely right. The Swift is going to be a great all-round wing that I could (will) take to Mt. Aconcagua, Mexico, Mt. Cheam, and good old Elk. I really love the fact that I get all this performance in a 4 kg wing. - Biff Romulus, aka Don Alto Gusto, aka Kevin . Seymour Report - Paddy and I have been flying Seymour Mountain (area) - two flights this year so far. And I’m impressed at how much nicer it is than Grouse Mountain. Even though both mountains are close together, they are so different. The only bad or good thing about Seymour, depending on your point of view, is the need to hike to the launch. Yesterday, I launched from the first peak before Seymour Peak and I had a really nice flight. You feel so far from the city but so close at the same time – it is hard to describe. After launching, I went to Dog Mountain to soar for about an hour then almost to Rice Lake before landing in the gravel pit - Miguel B For Sale: 1/2 of a Vulcan for a really good price. The rest of it is at 0.5 kms on Mount Woodside. See Mike D for details. 
Modified Vulcan for sale - photo by JPR
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Woodside Report - it was a lot of work to get Ryan 2 flights with all the east wind but he managed well. Adrian also came out to fly and he got one flight and I was to take his brother tandem but we were denied for Ken's flight as it went catabatic late in the day. | Other desperados included Martina, Martin N, Norm (driver), Tom C and Steve D, Steve D wasn't motivated to launch in lame cycles so he drove down too. Brad H arrived late to try his new Ozone Swift but was also denied as it blew +10 kph down the hill.
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Woodside Report - another great day towards Ryan K's certification course as he approaches 15 flights in a week. We started flying Woodside by 11 am, and it was fairly strong cycles requiring good reverse launching skills. | Unfortunately, the winds were mostly South which didn't yield much lift mostly hard to penetrate sinky air, but he logged close to 1:30 today in 5 flights landing his last flight at legal sunrise time. Kevin came out to try his new Ozone Swift which he ordered in his unique colour scheme. 
Kevin's new Ozone Swift - photo by JPR He was flying with Martina and they both headed out fairly low but made the Ranch with ease. Ryan had to do a non-standard approach as it was sinky over the Construction Zone area so the plan all day was to fly North over the highway and then into the corn field. It was"bloody cold" today on the hill, winter gloves needed just to guide students. Mexico is calling soon! FlyBC's Mexican Tours link here . A week or more ago, we removed the Honda Accord from Launch to speed up the bureaucracy process of who had to tow it, I just found the video we took of the procedure and captured this picture of us dragging it up the hill out of launch. 
How to tow a Honda with a poly rope - photo by Martina
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Woodside Report - the plan was straightforward but the agenda was tight. | Annette brought her sister Ruth all the way from Winnipeg to do a tandem on October 5th. This had been booked for months and the weather had to cooperate as Ruth had to be on a plane at YVR at 6 pm. Annette called in the morning to check and I said come out despite the +40 kph outflow winds from Harrison Lake. They arrived at 11 am, and it was still howling. New students Ryan and Trevor were also waiting and it was too windy to kite, plus the hay was being gathered into silage for the last crop of the year, so by noon we figured the day was done so lets go to the Sasquatch for lunch. At least Ruth can get a taste of the country life in Harrison Mills. When we left the Sasquatch around 1 pm, I noticed it was calmer. Over the Harrison Bridge there were no whitecaps. As we arrived at the Ranch, the wind was light SE (normal). I checked the socks on launch and there were up-cycles and we loaded the Van for the first trip of the day. Colleen was going to take Ruth tandem with Annette following them solo, as I would be left guiding the students because Ruth had to leave by 3 pm, that left about an hour to fly and pack up. as I said before . . . tight schedule. Colleen and Ruth launched perfectly and were trying to soar in all the normal house thermals but just maintained, as Annette got into the launch slot and followed them out. 
Colleen and Ruth on the Magnum 38 - photo by JPR 
Annette launches her Ozone Rush perfectly - photo by JPR Actually, Annette never turned she just headed straight out and by the time she got to the Construction Zone she was above launch and climbing fast, so Colleen/Ruth joined her and they were soon climbing in the leeside thermals over Duncan's at +5 m/s. 
Annette up high without turning as usual, Colleen & Ruth lower - photo by JPR After about 20 minutes of soaring around the Valley and not getting down and the clock was ticking, so Colleen had to get Ruth to hold "big ears" to get into Eagle Ranch. Strong NW winds for a non-standard approach pretty much parked over the Maple Tree on final. Annette landed 5 minutes later but they got nearly an hour of soaring! Colleen admitted later that she thought I was "mad" for having Annette and Ruth drive so far out on an outflow day, but I was vindicated. Colleen reported back that the conditions were "intermediate to advanced" and that Ryan with 8 flights and Trevor with no flights should stand down for a bit. So we were packing up to go kiting at the Ranch when Rob S called on the radio that he was approaching Woodside. I told him to come straight up and we would drive his truck down, so we waited on top. As Rob arrived, so did a high thin cirrus layer of cloud. This slowed the launch cycles but it didn't go outflow at launch. Rob got ready fast and was soon in the air on the R09 and he also went to all the normal house thermals and by the time he arrived at the construction zone it was just maintaining his altitude. He tried hard but just maintained at 300 meters at the ridge before landing at the Stonehenge Circle in light SE winds. Flight time 18 minutes or so. Denied! But at least now the students could fly! Ryan was off first for his 9th solo flight with a perfect reverse launch and he was climbing all the way out. Trevor bought a wing from a friend and had been out kiting several times with them so we just kited on launch til he got a solid wing and he was soon up and above launch. His flight was smooth and he had a perect approach out to the Ranch where Colleen guided him in to the circle. I drove down and retrieved Ryan, Trevor and Vern (another new student) and we were soon back on launch for student flight #2. Again, perfect cycles and launches from all three students at 5:30 pm. Nice light landing conditions too. One more retrieve and we were back on launch at 6 pm for the last flight. Three more perfect launches and landings to round out a great day. Total of 1 tandem and 9 solo flights on an "iffy" day, but mother Woodside delivered yet again! Alan decided a hike to Bridal Upper was in order, but he left his wing at home and he said there were light cycles up at launch but didn't think it was soarable there. He said there was ice on puddles from the Saddle up to Upper on the road surface. Odd because Woodside Launch seemed warm and I was in short sleeves all day and comfortable so the cold layer was much higher than 670 meters.
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Pemby Report - Locals are saying maybe flyable 2-3 pm when thermals kick in. They'll need to kick in pretty good. It's now 2pm and we have 20k winds blowing downhill. James, Phil, Mark & Dan have decided that sleeping is the best option. Pic was taken in a lull. We remain hopeful - Rob H.
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Parawaiting in Pembie - photo by Rob H. Woodside Report - gusty NE winds all day, trees down on many roadsides, and it was even hard to drive the Unimog back from the Unimog Hospital as it was very cross on Hwy 7. Unfortunately, I didn't head to Kamloops area as Environment Canada was calling for strong SW winds in the day, but the locals had good flights . . . read below. Terry's Kamloops Gloat Report - Wow what a day. A personal best of three hours. I think Edwardo is still in the air. Four hours for him. All pilots having flights over 1 hour. Tim, Terry, Harold, Dave, Derek, Ed, Jim, Willy, Sigrid. Ed, Derek and myself launched and where in the air for about 1.5 hour when Tim, Jim and Dave arrived at launch. Soon all six where in the air circling each other. Ed flew all the way over to Mnt. Paul. and returned to make a low save and climb back up to the top of the stack. After 2.5 hours I was getting tired and needed to land. It took over half an hour to get on the ground. At times I was full Big Ears and still going up slowly. The LZ was punchy but manageable. What great day flying for all the pilots. This is such an incredible sport! - Terry B. Derek's Kamloops Gloat Report -I'm not one to send out reports, but.................. Today was the day we have all dreamed about. All the local pilots were out. 1.5 to 4 hour flights. This was a culmination of the years of yearning. Amazing when it all comes together and everyone gets high with a huge smile - Derek B
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Horsefly Report - a group of hopefuls went up to check Horsefly for the first time, but when they called Rob for a wind report I think they decided to not fly . . . good call . | We were kiting the smallest wings we had in the Eagle Ranch LZ and the students were still getting dragged (XT16 and Prima 22). Later we pulled out some small regular gliders as it got less windy but it was never flyable all day. The "Women's 18th Annual Halloween Chelan Fly-in" this year will be on October 24th-25th. For those of you that have attended this party in the past, you all know what a great weekend it is. For those of you who have not attended, YOU ARE MISSING OUT!!! It is a weekend of laughs, games, costumes, great friends, and hopefully-awesome flying!! We will, once again, have a friendly competition including spot landing and the infamous bomb drop. There will also be the world famous "chili cook-off", prizes awarded for best costume, and recognition for "The Woman of The Year"! The Halloween Fly-in is an 18 year old tradition that started at Saddle Mountain and eventually wound up being in Chelan. It is held as a fund raiser for NWPC to support the various sites that we fly. It started, and is still held, to honor our women pilots. There will be camping available for up to fifteen tent sites, made available at Kenny Rectors orchard across from the airport. This will be provided for a small fee, and donations are strongly urged to be made to Ken himself, or to Doug Washburn who will collect for Ken. (Unfortunatly, camping at the airport is no longer allowed) The truck BBQ will be available again this year, and the party on Saturday will be held at the pilots lounge at the Chelan airport. So all pilots, set that weekend aside in your schedule and start working on those costumes!! It is also a potluck affair so plan on bringing your favorite dish. Kegs of beer will be provided so let's party!!! EVERYONE IS WELCOME!!! More to follow!! - Kevin White, NWPC Prez PS- Volunteers are always needed for this event to be successful. If you are willing to help out please e-mail me back. The work of many makes lite work for everyone. My goal is that everyone gets to fly so please help out if you can.
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Savona Report - day 2 of a successful Road Trip to Savona . | Pavel had to work and Irene went home too early so that left Ryan to fly by himself. We started at 9:30 am at Lower Deadman's Launch and the plan was to fly down to the mid Valley LZ which requires an offroad retrieve. Ryan launched in a nice cycle and was heading upwind and climbing, so I suggested running to the Toilet Bowl which he did and he was soon landing at the bottom by the road. I headed down and Ryan was packed up and halfway up the road to the top when I arrived. Back to Deadman's Lower again for flight #2. This time the cycles were even better and Ryan was in the air and climbing again. I had him hug the ridge in tighter and he was soon above launch and headed to the Crash Pad LZ. Launch is at 750 meters and the Crash Pad is at 550 and 2 kms away for a 10:1 glide (you are not going to make it without lift and a tailwind). Ryan had to circle the LZ for a while to go down and he had another brilliant landing on top. Back at Deadman's Lower again for flight #3, and this time Ryan went upwind and away from the LZ but he again made it to the Crash Pad with ample height and many S turns to land. Winds in the LZ were 15 kph+. 
Ryan heading to the Crash Pad at Savona - photo by JPR Last flight we went to Deadman's Upper Launch where you can now drive right to launch. Ryan had been practicing reverse launches between flights and he did his first reverse launch at Upper Launch and had another great flight having trouble getting down at the Crash Pad as it was so lifty, but patience got him down softly. We went to lunch and met Wiley there as a rain cell went through and then the winds picked up. We showed Wiley the launches and LZs but it was too strong so I headed down to the Ranch at 3 pm, and Wiley went hunting and Ryan went home to Kamloops. A great starting weekend for Ryan with 8 flights in two days and perfect landings every time.
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Savona Report - good east winds for the Dump Ridge . . . if you have an XT16 with you which we didn't . | As it was too strong for beginners we raced to Ashcroft to try Coyote Ridge, but we were denied entry by a cowboy that works for the GVRD. He didn't have the owers or the paperwork required to let us enter the site. Plus it was pretty light there so back to Savona and the Dump Ridge where Pavol and Ryan both bagged a flight. After Ryan landed the winds switched to SW so we headed to the Toilet Bowl. Two flights each off the Toilet Bowl for them and Irene showed up later and brought her wing up and ran straight into a dead tree near the edge which is now removed (it was pine beetle dead already anyway). I knew I brought the chain saw for a reason. No damage to her wing and she flew down to the bottom after sorting things out. We then drove to the top launch which you can now drive all the way into thanks to some creative individuals. It was blowing over the back and no one felt very sure of getting off there so we headed back down to the Toilet Bowl for a flinal fling off the mountain. Good day and we were in the Pub by 6 pm, but no soaring for the newbies. Maybe tomorrow. A video from Terry Butcher this week in Kamloops - Click Here
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Woodside Report - Vern, Irene and I headed up to Launch around 11 am, nice cycles and definitely soarable. | Good conditions to practice big ears to escape cloudsuck at times. We flew 4 flights but did not match Alan D's 3 hours of airtime. The last flights were completed by 6 pm. Now off to Savona tomorrow. |
FlyBC Paragliding Past Site of the Day Reports
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
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