Another Flying Day in the Northwest
The day looked like it was going to be shut down inland 
due to cloud cover so we headed to Blanchard, a little hill over looking Puget Sound. As we arrived the clouds were breaking up and the sun was getting through enough to give us hope. I launched first and found some zero sink in front of launch. I circled hoping it would build but nothing much was happening and I went off looking for something better. Not finding any other lift near the hill I headed out towards the LZ where we had seen some birds getting up earlier. Unfortunely I was already low on the hill before heading out and by the time I arrived over the fields I was only about 400' agl. Unzipped and ready for landing I had just enough altitude to do one pass over a likely thermal source to the SE of the LZ. It was either going to be working or I was going to land. My wing rocked and the nose pitched up as I hit the disorganized lift. I turned, gain a few feet then fell out the side. I continued struggling and eventual gained 100' before the lift began to consolidate. Now I was in t
he thick of it and it was on up to cloudbase and over the back towards interstate 5. I followed the retreating CUs to Lookout Mt to the east before landing and hooking up with Jeff and Andy. The CUs were retreating farther inland and Jeff and Andy, who had sledders at Blanchard, wanted to give Big Johnson a try. I hadn't been there before and agreed to drive for them. It was windy with strong gusts on launch but they both got off with no problems and enjoyed a beautiful sunset flight.
due to cloud cover so we headed to Blanchard, a little hill over looking Puget Sound. As we arrived the clouds were breaking up and the sun was getting through enough to give us hope. I launched first and found some zero sink in front of launch. I circled hoping it would build but nothing much was happening and I went off looking for something better. Not finding any other lift near the hill I headed out towards the LZ where we had seen some birds getting up earlier. Unfortunely I was already low on the hill before heading out and by the time I arrived over the fields I was only about 400' agl. Unzipped and ready for landing I had just enough altitude to do one pass over a likely thermal source to the SE of the LZ. It was either going to be working or I was going to land. My wing rocked and the nose pitched up as I hit the disorganized lift. I turned, gain a few feet then fell out the side. I continued struggling and eventual gained 100' before the lift began to consolidate. Now I was in t
he thick of it and it was on up to cloudbase and over the back towards interstate 5. I followed the retreating CUs to Lookout Mt to the east before landing and hooking up with Jeff and Andy. The CUs were retreating farther inland and Jeff and Andy, who had sledders at Blanchard, wanted to give Big Johnson a try. I hadn't been there before and agreed to drive for them. It was windy with strong gusts on launch but they both got off with no problems and enjoyed a beautiful sunset flight.
posted by Darren Darsey at 11:23 AM
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