I think its Tuesday now - but I am not quite sure. I guess that is a good sign - once one forgets which day of the week it is, they are truly on vacation.
The forecast is starting to resemble what GV is all about - scattered clouds, light winds. There is a risk of a thunderstorm mid afternoon - but that is the norm here in the summer and nothing to really worry about. Where the appearance of a CuNim (Cumulonimbus -> thunder cloud) in the mountains would have pilots frantically looking at LZ options, here there are no terrain features to channel and focus the gust front. An unseen storm in the Rockies could be a threat to pilots a hundred plus kms away, but here, it is normal to be in the air with a solitary CuNim 30 to 50 km behind or to the side. Mind you when they start popping up all around, the usual rules apply - get down fast.
Up top, we settle into the usual wait routine -> cloud base needs to lift.
The cloud relents and Dean suggests slowly getting ready. Ever the calm, orderly one Dean is when it comes to getting kit ready. Quite the contrast to back home when the sound of a truck cresting the last climb to launch has one scurrying thinking its loaded full of launch potato students.
Then I spot the Germans starting to gathering their bags. Ain't no fraking way I am getting a repeat of this. Hoist kit, trot quickly on down to the nice part of launch, pull out the wing, and claim my space.
Get word we are switching both flying and retrieve frequencies due to interference the previous flying day. Unfortunately, everyone else heard as well -> we had occurrences in Annecy of other pilots hoping on the tour frequency and trying to tag along as the guides led the group around. There was an attempt to create a more secure implementation of family radio called XMRS (I think) that used spread spectrum. Basically the signal is spread across multiple channels keyed by a code -> Code Division Multiplexing - a trade off of higher user density within the band vs. battery life. The signal is pseudo randomized using a key code (akin to a channel - except your channel count could be in the billions) and reassembled by the receiver using the same code. No code, no listen in. Not quite encryption, but beyond the ability of a human to scan for and listen in. Sadly it never took off.
Anyways, Dean lays out next to me and Simon next to him. As we get ready, the conversation turns to hydration pouches - Dean pulls his 'Source' out for a gander - the big selling point in his mind is the ease with which it can be cleaned. Will give one a look when I get home - the hose connectors on the Camelback were too big to fit through the hydration line hole in the RangeAir, necessitating pulling the connectors off, threading through the hose, then reattaching (dear Skywalk - what kind of pouch did you test this thing with?). Needless to say I now have a slow water leak - dumping the water prior to retrieve is the short term 'fix'. Benefit number 2 of a front mounted reserve - if your Camelback starts leaking, it won't soak your reserve (Benefit #1 is having your reserve handle in your line of sight rather than fishing for it to one side and below - a byproduct bias from my jumping days with 'look, reach, pull').
Everything sorted. The gent with the blue Ozone Delta 2 walks by, hunting for a spot. Our Deutsch friends have long since claimed the remaining decent space on launch and are sitting on the ground in their harnesses, leaving scraps. Rosetting the wing, I call the Delta 2 over and offer up my slot. Dean will be first off today, so I can just lay out into his space once he is clear.
Hrm. Nil-ish winds. Another forward.
That said, I have a good feeling about today - I think we might actually go XC.
Onto Part 2
The forecast is starting to resemble what GV is all about - scattered clouds, light winds. There is a risk of a thunderstorm mid afternoon - but that is the norm here in the summer and nothing to really worry about. Where the appearance of a CuNim (Cumulonimbus -> thunder cloud) in the mountains would have pilots frantically looking at LZ options, here there are no terrain features to channel and focus the gust front. An unseen storm in the Rockies could be a threat to pilots a hundred plus kms away, but here, it is normal to be in the air with a solitary CuNim 30 to 50 km behind or to the side. Mind you when they start popping up all around, the usual rules apply - get down fast.
Up top, we settle into the usual wait routine -> cloud base needs to lift.
 |
| Left: a visiting American pilot that lives in Australia. The price/hassle of the tourist visa tends to discourage some Canucks and most Yanks. Especially with Mexico and Columbia as winter flying alternatives. |
 |
| Two guesses at the topic of conversation - todays weather or yesterdays flying. |
 |
| Jawboning is the order of the morning. This stuff will burn off, won't it? |
Then I spot the Germans starting to gathering their bags. Ain't no fraking way I am getting a repeat of this. Hoist kit, trot quickly on down to the nice part of launch, pull out the wing, and claim my space.
Get word we are switching both flying and retrieve frequencies due to interference the previous flying day. Unfortunately, everyone else heard as well -> we had occurrences in Annecy of other pilots hoping on the tour frequency and trying to tag along as the guides led the group around. There was an attempt to create a more secure implementation of family radio called XMRS (I think) that used spread spectrum. Basically the signal is spread across multiple channels keyed by a code -> Code Division Multiplexing - a trade off of higher user density within the band vs. battery life. The signal is pseudo randomized using a key code (akin to a channel - except your channel count could be in the billions) and reassembled by the receiver using the same code. No code, no listen in. Not quite encryption, but beyond the ability of a human to scan for and listen in. Sadly it never took off.
Anyways, Dean lays out next to me and Simon next to him. As we get ready, the conversation turns to hydration pouches - Dean pulls his 'Source' out for a gander - the big selling point in his mind is the ease with which it can be cleaned. Will give one a look when I get home - the hose connectors on the Camelback were too big to fit through the hydration line hole in the RangeAir, necessitating pulling the connectors off, threading through the hose, then reattaching (dear Skywalk - what kind of pouch did you test this thing with?). Needless to say I now have a slow water leak - dumping the water prior to retrieve is the short term 'fix'. Benefit number 2 of a front mounted reserve - if your Camelback starts leaking, it won't soak your reserve (Benefit #1 is having your reserve handle in your line of sight rather than fishing for it to one side and below - a byproduct bias from my jumping days with 'look, reach, pull').
Everything sorted. The gent with the blue Ozone Delta 2 walks by, hunting for a spot. Our Deutsch friends have long since claimed the remaining decent space on launch and are sitting on the ground in their harnesses, leaving scraps. Rosetting the wing, I call the Delta 2 over and offer up my slot. Dean will be first off today, so I can just lay out into his space once he is clear.
Hrm. Nil-ish winds. Another forward.
That said, I have a good feeling about today - I think we might actually go XC.
Onto Part 2
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