Paragliding Video (Raw) Mt.Woodside, BC - 2016-06-05 - Flight 1 - Gin Carrera Plus with MOHOC @ 1080p/60

Despite dire warnings of strong lee-side and murderous lapse rate - conditions were student benign (two schools were launching students throughout the day here and at Bridal Falls across the valley)
...
A scratchy sled run sort of day.

MOHOC Video Demo: Paragliding Woodside with the Gin Carrera Plus

Paragliding 103: HPAC Novice/P2 vs. Asymmetric Collapses

Asymmetric Collapse

The asymmetric collapse, an inevitability of learning to fly in thermic air. We learn to first mitigate and then prevent them by flying in increasingly active air, preferably under instruction.

Mitigation can come by way of active weight shift and braking technique. The ultimate goal is collision avoidance, be it with the ground, terrain, or other pilots.

Another means of mitigation is wing selection (passive safety). A lower EN/LTF rated wing can help reduce the aftermath of the collapse. An instructor is the best place to start with deciding which wing is best suited to the pilot. That said, the first steps we take as a pilot-in-command is making and accepting responsibility for own decisions. The more information the new pilot has, the better the decision they can make.

The basic certification system (EN/LTF) is not perfect, as per Divide 'EN', Conquer. But the certification system is continually evolving. Part of this evolution is the trial testing of wings by the DHV using a data logger and documenting the post collapse behaviour beyond a simple change of direction/pitch.

DHV Safety Class

The core of the DHV Safety Class is a trio of safety ratings per wing: symmetric collapse, asymmetric collapse, and spiral dive. In addition, notes are provided on altitude loss, G forces experienced, cravat and cascade tendencies. It is these notes that are of interest.

Below are the DHV Safety Class Notes on unaccelerated asymmetric collapses for common paragliders used in the Fraser Valley (Vancouver) for student and novice pilots:

The source for these values and notes can be found under the DHV Safety Test webpage.

In addition, the suitability for training and manufacturer notes regarding the target pilot are included to give a more complete picture. This data was pulled from the manufacturer webpage and user manuals.

Wing Made/Model	Height Loss	Pitch Angle	G Force	Training Suitable	DHV Notes	Manufacturer Notes
Skywalk Mescal 4	20 - 29 m	-60 degrees	2.4G	Yes	Massive collapses and maximum deformations usually recover with little diving and course change.	Suitable for beginners on the training hill, the MESCAL4 also offers lasting satisfaction for ambitious hobby pilots for their first XC flying experiences.
Icaro Cyber TE	30 - 39 m	-65 degrees	2.3G	Yes	Relative moderate reactions, moderate dynamics	Beginners who are looking for a fun, but performant and fast glider, that—nevertheless—still is gentle and easy to fly, will find a good companion in the new Cyber TE.
Ozone Mojo 4	40 - 49 m	-65 degrees	2.3G	Yes	Greater height loss and course change angles than other [...] gliders.	The Mojo 5 is designed for new pilots. First and foremost it is a safe, fun, and easy high-performance wing suitable for students in training but ideal for the newly qualified.

Wing Made/Model	Height Loss	Pitch Angle	G Force	Training Suitable	DHV Notes	Manufacturer Notes
Ozone Buzz Z4	30 - 39 m	-60 degrees	2.3G	N/A*	Moderate dynamics, height loss < 40m. Maximum collapses result in large pitch forward dives and occasional opposing collapses, but without course changes.	The Buzz Z4 is an ideal choice for pilots who fly approximately 30-50 hours per year [...] .
Skywalk Tequila 4	40 - 49 m	-75 degrees	2.9G	Yes	Difficult to collapse to measurement field limits. Marked rotation with dive angles of up to 75° for large collapses. Opposing collapses observed with occasional cravats and course changes.	The T4 is quite forgiving, making it the right choice for talented beginners.
Icaro Instinct TE	40 - 49 m	-75 degrees	2.9G	Yes	Without using special collapse techniques the wing collapses very steeply and has high rotation and pitching dynamics, resulting in opposing collapses and cravats on both wingtips.	Since it performs at a very high level, but is also very pleasant and well-behaving at the same time, the Instinct TE is the perfect glider for all pilots who want to feel comfortable in the air.
Icaro Wildcat TE	40 - 49 m	> -75 degrees	2.6G	No	Height loss is average for its class, but reactions are very dynamic, dive forward angles are severe and course changes are rapid. The canopy folds steeply, creating a lot of resistance and turns abruptly and dives forward steeply. Total height loss was average for the class. Generally the canopy shows a tendency to dive forward steeply which often leads to cascades and cravats.	Recommended flight experience: 20 - 30 flying hours per year.
Gin Atlas	50 - 59 m	-60 degrees	2.3G	N/A*	Relatively low dynamics (pitching, G-forces, sink velocity) for its class, but delayed recovery resulting in higher height and course changes. In some cases, recovery had to be aided with a little pilot input.	The Atlas is suitable for beginning to intermediate pilots.

* There is no clear indication regarding suitability (or lack there of) for training. Consult your instructor.

Side note: notice any differences between the DHV and Manufacturer Notes?

The HPAC Novice/P-2

The current Hang Gliding/Paragliding Association of Canada (HPAC) requirement to be awarded a Novice/P-2 rating includes the following prerequisites:

B. Prerequisites

• Paragliding P1 Beginner Rating
• Thermal Endorsement or the Coastal/Ridge Endorsement

 The Thermal Endorsement includes the following:

• Demonstrates proper directional control and correction of full (i.e. 50% of the wing span) asymmetric collapses.

Anyone flying in the Fraser Valley will receive their Novice/P-2 with the Thermal Endorsement (due the lack of a consistent Coastal/Ridge Soaring Site). 

Under the current HPAC requirements, the Novice/P-2 candidate who satisfies the Thermal Endorsement will have demonstrated the proper response to a 50% asymmetric collapse. 

Re-read the above descriptions of asymmetric collapse behaviour and ask which wing would you want to be on with less than 25 flights and asked to demonstrate the 'proper directional control and correction of full (i.e. 50% of wing span) asymmetric collapses'. Demonstrating a response means experiencing the collapse to then demonstrate the proper response.

I suspect if this requirement was fully enforced by HPAC, we would see very few students on EN B wings.

It is better to have a wing you can grow out of than one you need to grow into.

A Paragliding Playlist

Early Saturday morning, expecting record breaking heat. The forecasts are confused, some indicating strong winds, others much more mild conditions.

Assume worst case, be out early to maximize odds of getting in the air before the arrival of the valley wind tempest.

0745 hrs - car packed up, sitting in the drivers seat and fishing through some old burned CDs from a decade plus ago. The faded out sharpie on one is barely legible, so I pop it in and take a four wheeled acoustic time machine.

16B feat. Morel - Driving to Heaven

Not hard to tell there is an upcoming holiday. The roads are busier than normal with folk heading off to Harrison Lake to camp. Traffic is manageable and I am fortunate not to get blocked by a freight train travelling inland, the tracks of which cross my path twice.

Arrival at FlyBC, the lot is empty. Everyone is either in Pemberton or Chelan.

No early students this weekend either. Odd. With the rapid onset of summer, the valley has become rather stable and prone to blowing out shortly after noon. This daily blow out is forcing student flights to occur in a very small morning window. I would have thought they would be eager to get out and flying.

What are out in increasing abundance are the skeeters. The car provides refuge until Jim appears and starts to mill about. Following Jim into the barn, multiple boxes of Sup'Air and Ozone product pop into view.

Jim starts unpacking and sorting this verifiable Christmas day for any pilot. As boxes are emptied and sorted, I have a chance to pick Jim's brain on the business and instructional aspects of the paragliding industry. Unexpected educational opportunity.

In the midst of this, I query regarding the Carrera Plus line set to see if it has arrived.

No dice. *sigh*

Jim points out that if it wasn't for the change in the riser geometry, we could have the line set fabricated rather than wait on Gin. Frustration grows after what has been a six week wait and I begin to ask in earnest about switching back to Ozone - maybe grabbing a lightweight B to use for hike and fly (along with the start of spring) and then wait for the release of the Delta 3.*

The boxes sorted, Jim returns to the house.  I lounge about until a pickup pulls in with a rather lost looking couple. Even money they are tandems.

Yep. Tandems.

Thirty minutes pass and the Atlas is loaded up with kit. A student finally pulls into the parking lot, but his body language hints he is not particularly eager to fly today. I can fully relate from my student days - I was the penultimate problem student and it is a testament to the patience of Dion at iParaglide that I made it through. I hope this student eventually finds his eureka moment as I fortunately did.

Sans student, the Atlas crawls relentlessly up the mountain. Driving to Heaven.

KMFDM - Superhero

At the top of the mountain, there is no escaping the growing heat. The two TMs (tandem masters), their charges, and I gingerly hike down the incline into the main parking area. Voices creep over the last climb to the launch area,

"Iwannagohome!"

"In a few minutes."

A family greets us as we crest the last climb. A trio of children are pacing about making it clear that staring at a haze filled valley floor does not constitute a valid use of their summer vacation.

A small collection of kit belonging to a new addition to our local flying community sits off to the left. I greet the gent (and manage to immediately forget his name for the first of three times that day) and answer his stream of queries about LZs, areas of lift, and obstacles.

It takes little time for the TMs to gear up the passengers, lay the wings out, and get set for launch. Dennis is off first and quickly finds himself in a flush cycle. Jim follows Dennis after the passing of the interloping cirrus. The hoots and hollers of Jims passenger shatters the stillness of the valley as I begin the machinations of aircraft assembly.

A faint engine noise off in the distance, a 4x4 making its way towards launch.

I wonder for a moment and return to getting ready.

Wing laid out and clipped in. I glance up to see a growing collection of neophytes appear, followed by a smaller number of tandem masters. A voice pipes up, "We have to stop meeting like this, you're leaving when I show up."

Definite deja vu. Martina is driving for Kevin and Andrei.

The cycles are now weakening and demonstrating a noticeable cross wind component due to the northern valley outflow.

A short puff of direct in wind prompts Kevin to announce, "Looks good". I suspect that is his hint to get the show on the road, they have paying customers and I am blocking up launch.

The trick to nailing a perfect launch is twofold - good kiting skills and a proper cycle. Kiting skills I know I have, the cycles - well there is not much one can do with 90 degree cross unless the goal is to kamikaze a stand of trees.

As the TMs start to unpack, I am hyper vigilant for the lack of wind on the left side of my neck (being back on to launch for a reverse pull up).

Finally a good one. A quick pull up, check, turn and three steps. Airborne. For the crowd of neophytes, a Superhero launch.

BT - Believer

The afternoon, Bridal Falls.

Gary, the gent whose name I still forget (by now I have learned he is a former skydiver, current speed flier, learned PGing in California, and lives in North Vancouver), and I camp out in the only shade to be found on launch. Eventually the valley wind will be blocked by the influx of thermic cycles, enabling us to launch. But for now we wait. I lose track of time, having fallen sleep until a pair of gents and a lady add to our number.

Several birds of prey circle overhead clearly marking climbs up along the ridge. Still no cycles.

The radio squaks to life, the accent sounds eastern European.Where there is one, there is often a hoard. Free for all ridge rules can be expected.

No time is wasted. We have a thirty minute opportunity to get ready and launch before the (potential) hoard arrives.

Gary and the two late additions are quickly away. The lady is going to drive the truck down. This leaves the gent whose name I can't remember and myself.

The cycles die.

NOOOOoooooo!

An impromptu fire pit in the upper corner of the lower launch lane leaves me with minimal room for a reverse pull up, even with a good cycle. This lack of wind means moving to the upper lane or flipping for a forward.

Forward it is ... with 15 feet of runway. I won't claim it was a pretty launch, but I managed to get away without taking any trees with me.

In the pod, I quickly turn left to face west and advance on Alan's Ridge. This spine is the stepping off point to benching up onto the plateau leading to the main ridge line connecting Cheam and Elk. Getting to Alan's Ridge requires the traversal of a bowl that is a mixing pot of thermals churned by the valley wind.  One of the members of our crew from a few years ago used to refer to this area as the washing machine, having discovered some potential additions to the SIV training regimen. Gary has already climbed up and is working towards the main ridge line.

The mixing bowl.

The decision to fly sans vario today means I will need to focus on feel to find lift and follow up with visual confirmation against terrain as degree of success. The Carrera thermal autopilot does its job flawlessly, the nose hunting towards nearby thermals and driving in. The churn makes for very disorganized climbs with the risers going slack at one point and necessitating a sharp jab of brakes. The wing threatens to frontal but settles back into place.

A presentation by Russell Ogden of Ozone comes to mind, one in which he comments on keeping a close eye on the wing in turbulent conditions to catch collapses as early as possible. I am normally one to go by feel when flying, using visual to keep an eye out for changes in conditions, climbs, traffic, and terrain.

But airspace is relatively unobstructed today and there is a decent lift band well out front of launch along the ridge. Maybe a good day to be made a Believer.

Empty airspace in front of launch. Great time to experiment.

IIO - Rapture (John Creamer & Stephane K Remix)


In front of launch, an airborne metronome flying like clockwork. East to west, west to east.

The lads heading for the LZ.

The air is clear of distractions, two of my counterparts already setting up to land and Gary well up on the plateau. The only thing I need to keep an eye out for is the tandem laid out (the 'hoard' turned out to be a false alarm - simply a father and son duo looking to get a flight in together).

Pushing to the outer edge of the lift band, I double check no one is around and crane my head back as best I can with the tail of the Impress 3 pushing my helmet to one side.

And watch.

The wing above is in continuous motion, reacting to the medium within which it exists. Small nudges forward and back of either one (yaw) or both (pitch) wing tips. I go hands up and leave the wing unhindered, still watching. The movements become more pronounced.

Wing based hypnosis.

Reigning the wing back in with a little brake, I impose my will on these small movements. When the right tip moves forward, I try to limit it with a small application of right brake. Same with the left. It feels strange to be applying brake inputs based on visual stimuli rather than brake/riser pressure especially when the wing and lines are dampening the output.

Odgen mentioned he uses this sort of technique in rather rough air more for collapse management, but I can also foresee value when working an inversion and trying to get a sense of where a thermal might be pushing through some distance off. The wing may start reacting with small otherwise un-felt nose twitches to the surrounding air being drawn in.

A lot more experimentation is needed, staring in Rapture, before I have this technique nailed down.

Sasha - Wavy Gravy

The sun edges towards the horizon.

Downshift.

Still in an experimental mood, I glide out over the highway. The soft, light lift from the concrete river makes for a sort of smooth Wavy Gravy-esque ride, a far cry from the toss and turn we have been finding mid day at Woodside. At a loss to explain why I don't come over here very often, I make a mental note to try to end every morning at Woodside with an end of day trip to Bridal.

I don't have quite the height to try again for the new gas station to the north of Hwy 1. My last trip with this source rendered a really nice thermal back up to launch height. Next time for sure, I promise myself.

Cross back over the golf course to hear the distinct thwack of a tee off.

Press on to the LZ.

Light winds and lifty. Figure-8 the tree line.

Line up with the wind sock for final and allllmost kick the cones demarcating the landing target.

Another great flying day comes to a close.






* A subsequent whine fest on my part on PG forum has drawn the attention of the Gin Canada distributor, so hopefully it will get resolved soon.

Back in the saddle: Part 2 (with the Skywalk RangeAir)

The wind sock goes from limp to a south, to a southwest, back to limp. The wing 'breathes' with the rise (the nose rising, A's tensioning ) and fall of the cycles (nose rolling over, A's going slack).

A cycle presents itself - going from a south to straight in southwest. Pull up and the high AR (aspect ratio) of the wing makes itself felt. Half the wing orients south, the other half more west.

Herding wingtips.

Having experienced this a few times while kiting the Delta2, I ease off the right side brake and let the lagging side 'snap' back into alignment. Kite for a second to let the wing settle, turn, and kite another second to be sure everything is good to go (an instructor from Germany mentioned letting the wing settle a second after it reaches the apex).

The cycle ebbs as I start the run. Airborne, touchdown, airborne, touchdown, airborne and away.

Long runways and weak days go hand in hand.

Two tries and I'm in the pod of the Skywalk RangeAir. The RangeAir is an extra light airbag XC harness. I have been a huge fan of airbag based back protection after watching a low airtime pilot spin a wing at tree top height, have it surge, pendulum him underneath then drop him hard. Running over, I fully expected to find a corpse. Instead the pilot was standing up and brushing himself off. The airbag harness absorbed the brunt of the fall.

The catch to an airbag system is that it needs to be inflated (by ram air) for it to work. Maybe not particularly well suited to those who are likely to suffer a drop launching such as a student who lacks the kiting skill to manage a wing or a comp pilot who doesn't have the luxury of being picky about the cycle they launch in. But for those in the middle, it is a viable option if weight and pack volume are limited - hike and fly pilots along with the globetrotting crowd come to mind.

As for the effectiveness of airbags - give this spreadsheet a gander. The lower the G force value listed (in column H), the lower the impact force passed onto the pilot. 'Schaumstoff' is foam based back protection (as opposed to airbag).

Back to the RangeAir, comments sent back to the dealer include:

A few observations - the weight and pack volume phenomenal. I can fit the harness + reserve in the Gin concertina bag with the Carrera. The reduction allowed me to drop to a 90L pack (from a 130L) with the possibility of dropping to a 70L. The loss in overall weight has me on the cusp of downsizing to a small wing.

Setup is a bit fiddly. I found the best way to accommodate is leave everything attached and loosen the shoulder straps for step in/out. Extra attention to the speedbag closing lines is needed in this case during donning - they like to pop loose.

The speedbag is very easy to get into post launch - I don't need my foot leash like I do with the Impress 3.

The chest strap appears to be non adjustable. I found out how much wider I normally run the Impress 3 in comparison when I near line twisted myself up leaning in aggressively on entry to a tight core.

I am leaning towards saying the Range Air provides more feedback vs. the Impress 3 but need more airtime to be sure.

Two additional features of note - the reserve is front mounted, which satisfies the growing comp requirement that the reserve be reachable by either hand. The front mount also eliminates the possibility that pilot weight in a hammock harness (as opposed to those with a seat board) will interfere with reserve extraction. There is also the matter of an underseat reserve potentially placing a non compressible perch between the pilot and the ground. The first thing that will hit may well be that  un-deployed reserve, prevent the remainder of the body from absorbing any impact - driving the entire impact force up into the spine. Something to think about - is the underseat reserve under your spine or your upper legs?

The second is the flight deck/front mount reserve container that is held in place by attaching to the chest strap. This helps eliminate the possibility of launching without having the leg straps done up. I had crossed paths with a fellow Impress3 owner who had launched with the flight deck secured but not the leg straps. The small snap shackle held them in long enough to get into the harness, but the shackle design would not have held them long if they could not hook their feet into the speed bag (based on comments from a harness designer back in 2012).

RangeAir

Flight Deck/Front Mount Reserve Container

Reserve Container Flipped. Leg straps tread through.

Two step speed system.

Speed bag closing loops

Opening for hydration bladder.

Velcro and securing tab for Spot or micro vario.

Back to the flight.

The trusty spine.

After a few beats back and forth, there isn't much out here yet. I try my goto trigger, the spine to the north. There is some lift, but not much. Time to push out.

The vario shows a south wind @ 8kph (2 m/s). Climbs are also 2 m/s. Add that to a 1 m/s sink.

Quick mental math time: 2 m/s horizontal vs. 3 m/s vertical. Move upwind, but not much today.

And I find it, 5 seconds of climb along a southerly course. A turn right and I fall out the side. Get it around quick then begin to widen the turn. More chirps from the vario. Tighten it up and we have a core.

Bring it around. Bring it around.

399 m.
400 m.
401 m.
401 m.
400 m.

An inversion establishing or did I just lose the core altogether?

Widening the turn again, looking for a way to keep climbing.

The Carrera starts 'sniffing'/edging right. I align the wing with it and feel myself being sucked in.

Another climb, this one breaks through and gets me to 460m, but has me pretty far north. Zero chance of making Riverside, still a chance of making the Ranch. Time to push out, keeping some margin for error on a day the winds are forecast to climb quite a bit. Not a lot to be found, again bouncing off an invisible ceiling around 400 m.

Not much from the farm buildings today.

Eventually, gravity claims both the wing and I as we set down at the Ranch.


The afternoon is punctuated with a bit of kiting in the growing valley winds. Attempts at A+C'ng the Carrera is met with frustration as the wing repeatedly tries to horseshoe. Hopefully the C+ addresses this, as this is my go to technique for stronger mid afternoon conditions.

No point in fretting about it until I have the new line set installed.

Otherwise a good day to be back in the saddle.

Back in the saddle: Part 1

A year and a half of doctors, specialists, insurance intermediaries, and drug coordinators to finally be able to have this view:

Health was slowly but surely worsening, bringing flying to a halt at the end of last season (the season in itself became more or less a write off after France). A brief respite was offered last Fall with one drug but with side effects it was not destined to become a long term solution.

But then hope. A drug regimen that could bring back a quality of life not known since mid 2013. There are risks (some potentially fatal), but what is the point to quantity of life if there is no quality. So here I am, plugged into an IV and getting pumped full of chemicals with one plan in mind - getting back into the air.

Cut to the following morning. FlyBC is the immediate target, the launch on Mt.Woodside is the ultimate goal. Upon arrival, things are little slow starting - the crew are awaiting students and tandems alike. It doesn't take for Jim and I to cross paths. Jim passes on that the Carrera+ line set kit should be in within a week. Aside from a few quirks - the initial brake travel deflects the centre trailing edge while leaving the tips unaffected (making it difficult to sense collapses without going well into the brakes) along the extremely short amount of play between the B+C risers (making A+C launches in strong conditions tricky) - I'd be singing praises to the moon about this wing with the feedback, handling and performance it has for a B. That said, rumblings from the interwebz hint that the kit might have swung the pendulum too far the other way - taming the tiger to the point of making it a house cat. For a few hundred dollars, I'm willing to take the chance.

Lounging in the barn, eyeing the launch webcam.

Looks like Degas is already up top and launching a pair of self landing students. The early days of being under instruction and having to be up at 5AM. Don't worry chaps - it gets easier (both with respect to flying and not having to be up before sunrise).

Then a 'Here!'

A dark mass hurtles my way.

A t-shirt. A new load of FlyBC branded wear just arrived. 'Shut up and Fly' remarks the back. Be in the moment, not a detached bystander I take it to mean. Very fitting in our social media age where posting about the event tends to trump the experience. Yes, I see the irony.

People filter in, the van fills, and we're off.

At launch, nary a wind this morning.

Oh well.

Tandems first, students second, then moi. I'm not being polite, just pragmatic. Students make good thermal markers - send enough of them out, they are sure to find something.

A few good launches, a few amazing launches (funny how you can spot the gifted ones fairly early) and Jim heads off to start collecting everyone at the LZ.

I hear a truck making its way up the road. This early in the day, odds are another school.

I like to think of schools as coming from one of two trains of thought - the German or the French.

The German school will lay the unattached wing out in the centre of launch and check every individual line from karabiner to attachment. Then they will clip in, perform their 15th preflight check, and wait. And wait. And wait. The elusive perfect cycle is out there.

The French on the other hand will preflight the harness and wing before packing it away. Then pull everything out, still attached, don the kit at the back of launch, preflight it again, and carry their rosetted wing out. The mass is tossed mid launch. The wind is used to work the wing into shape. The wing is then pulled over head, kited, and checked. If everything looks ok, they are gone.

Why do I mention this -> If a French school pilot gets in front of you - its no big deal, they will be in the air in a minute or less. If a German school pilot gets in front, break out a novel because its gonna be a while. The German school pilots are more commonly known in these parts as launch potatoes (I admit I am a reforming launch potato).

I fear this school might be of the German mindset and quickly get kit ready. The trucks pull into the parking lot. A FJ? I recognize it as belonging to Martina. Sigh of relief. No launch potatoes.

An entourage follows Martina up. Friends/family of a neighbour of hers who is going tandem.

No pressure. You only have your mentor and entourage watching.

A lesson in why kiting is an important part of launching soon follows.

Paragliding weather: Many watches

There is an adage,

'A man with one watch is on time, a man with two is confused.'

In the case of weather forecasting for paragliding, it is quite the opposite. The greater variety of sources for weather outlook one has at hand, the greater the chance of avoiding a 'better to be on the ground wishing one was up there rather than being up there and wishing one was on the ground.'

In the case of the Fraser Valley, we are very fortunate to have a number of tech savy pilots who want to help us have as safe a flying environment as possible.

Case in point:

Last Sunday, the wind forecast from Environment Canada looked particularly inviting:

* Note times are in UTC/Zulu.

Nil winds @ 3,000 feet. Looks like an awesome flying day for the Vancouver region.

But if we step beyond Environment Canada and look at the Rapid Refresh (RAP) data from the NOAA, visualized by Phil Ibis's display tool for Woodside, we see something a little different -> winds from the S/W at 15 knots. That certainly isn't nil winds when trim speed for most wings is around 20 knots. Launching would be challenging in the likely gusty conditions.

Yet another source, Canada Rasp from Andrew Berkley and Peter Spear, provides a sense of how the airflow is setting up in the valley.

Launch is at the lower edge of the reddish zone in the centre of the map (30 to 35 kph). The further west one goes, the wider the valley and lighter the wind (as can be seen by the trend to green).

Two sources contradicting our assumption of light winds based on the Environment Canada forecast for YVR.

So how did it turn out?

Note the far windsock. This was a brief lull in amongst the quintessential 'salmon swimming upstream' dance by both windsocks. Launch was rather blown out. The pilot wisely packed up.

The lesson, have many source 'watches' for weather data and pay particular heed when they are not in alignment. Might save an afternoon or more.

Sled run for one, sled run for all.

Day two with my sheep in wolfs clothing (the recently acquired Gin Carrera Medium in Apple).

The atmospheric sounding for the day is looking promising with moderate lift to above launch height and an ever increasing prefrontal inflow. Get out early and stay up all day is the plan. Too bad reality doesn't always mimic the forecast.

Arriving at the FlyBC Ranch, I see a number of cars parked about but zero activity. Maybe everyone has already headed up the hill?

A quick peek through the spyglass reveals the Russian collective up on launch, but no sign of Jim or crew.  A few wings eventually launch and make their way down to the Riverside LZ. From the direct route they take I suspect lift is as elusive as ever today.

Half an hour passes and a truck pulls up carrying one of our 'long lost brethren', Robin, who has been pulled away by the real world for the last season and a half.  We catch up on how things have been and Robin provides some suggestions on shows to watch to help kill time as the long white cloud of winter dampens flying. Gary and (the other) Martin soon arrive and we make our way up to launch.

Up top appear a few other faces we rarely see these days - Mia and (the original) Martin. Must be a special event bringing everyone out.

And that there is - an ash scattering.

One of the local landowners, Joe, who had been a big part of the flying community passed some time ago and his family wanted him to enjoy one last flight. It would be another few hours before that flight was due to occur, but folk were making their way up to launch and getting a first sled run in before the main contingent arrived.

The first flight off was uneventful aside from the nuisance of the brake line 'ball' on the right toggle getting fished through a pair of twisted C lines. Basic preflight failure - not following the line from the toggle to the 'swivel' after an abort. Not impressed with the loss of the flight, I make a point of swinging further south over the ranch to put myself in clear view of anyone in the parking lot - hoping someone might look up and hang around a few mins while I pack up.

The gambit pays off as Jim pulls the 'bus' around into the LZ and a few students hop out to give me a hand quickly packing up the wing.

Round 2.

We arrive to find a decent size crowd on launch just as the Joe's ash flight is about to take off. They are away without incident and head south-ish. Another tandem quickly follows suit (I suspect a second family member). It is certainly a perfect day to see Joe off - not a cloud in the sky and silky smooth air.

My flight was another of non drama - smooth inflow, little to no lift. A textbook student first flight day.

Landing, I figure I am done for the day and have the car packed up. Robin lands and starts discussing with Martin about the possibility of time for yet another go at it.

6.2 aspect ratio in an EN B, who would have thought?

Round 3.

The cycles are dying off in the setting sun. The Carrera is as easy a wing to forward launch as any and I am away knowing this will be yet another top to bottom. Might as well make the best of it and it's varying degrees of speed bar all the way down.

An amazing weekend to break in a new wing, catch up with old friends, make new ones and, most importantly, to send one of our 'family' off.

If the season ended here - it would be on a perfect note.

*contented sigh*

Take some Gin (Carrera), add some Apple, shake (Part 2).

...

not even packed up and the Atlas pulls up in the landing field. The query from the cab, 'heading back up?'

That is an affirmative, Ghostrider.

Back on top of the mountain and every one is milling about, not a wing in the air.

Curious.

A gust comes through rustling the trees and ... blowing downhill. Ah, so ka.

An hour later, having gotten my fill of jawboning with local and student alike I realize that we are starting to see marked lulls in the downhill flow of wind. There is going to be rotor at some point away from the hill, but the sound of the wind in the trees hints at peak speeds less than 20 kph. Definitely choppy, but manageable.

I recall a piece of advice from Chris over the summer regarding boundaries and a shrinking flight envelope. If we never test our comfort zone, the conditions within which we are willing to fly will continually shrink until even the tamest of conditions will be perceived to be beyond our ability. In other words, from time to time we have to be willing to go to where there be dragons.

Begin pre-launch montage.

And so the cycle begins of waiting for the elusive lull, hoping the mountain doesn't go completely katabatic before I can get away.

I feel the slightest hint of uphill wind, the flag at the bottom showing wind coming in, the sock beside me limp. Its enough and I am off.

3...2...1... cue 'Highway to the Rotor Zone'.

I drift rapidly to the left and turn quickly right 90 degrees to face into the wind coming over the ridge to the north. The aggregation of the wind being driven up and over that ridge line has me parked in its lee. I am not entirely sure how far this compression extends, so the thought of a straight downwind run leaves me iffy with the river in that line of flight. I feel my best chance is cross wind it and face west again. My active flying skills gets their first real test since France, with the wing rolling, yawing,  and pitching about in the turbulent churn. It is under these conditions I get a better sense of the pitch stability of the Carrera. On the Delta2 I would have my work cut out for me with the wing reacting to the gusts in a series of sharp pitching motions. The Carrera remained more or less overhead, freeing some mental effort from having to be hyper vigilant in trying to prevent a full frontal via an errant gust. The roll on the other hand demanded more attention, with one cross wind gust announcing itself with a rapid twacking of the fabric in the speed bag of the pod followed by my losing the left quarter or so of the wing.

A minute of riding the chop and I am in dead calm air. Jim had chimed in on the radio suggesting pushing further south towards the Riverside LZ as opposed to my drive west, pointing out that the wind would die off quickly as I move further downwind from the northern ridge. In retrospect, it would have provided an increased chance for success over my eventual route towards the Ranch LZ.

Lesson learned.

After the mountain tried its hand at shaking up a Gin/Apple martini I feel that one could sum the wing up as "feels like a 'C', recovers like a 'B'".

Take some Gin (Carrera), add some Apple, shake (Part 1).

Tuesday, a peek in the inbox reveals, "Still interested in trading in your Delta 2?".

Jim has a potential buyer looking for a preowned Ozone Delta 2 Large, I'm looking to downsize, and the demo model Gin Carrera M is up for sale.

We might just have the makings for a deal.

By end of day we certainly do as I am lighter a Delta 2 plus some cash and heavier one Gin Carrera in apple.

Courtesy of Gin Gliders.

The weight loss that drove the downsizing had been root caused by the specialist the day prior (a genetic conspiracy it would appear) and meds prescribed to get it and a plethora of other symptoms under control (one of the more notable being nausea that would take hold in less than 20 mins from the time of launch).

Saturday morning. While the side effects of the meds are still a bit of a nuisance, I am starting to feel better than I have been in several months.

Only one way to celebrate this fortunate turn of events, pile the kit into the car and bee line for the hill.

Upon arrival, the LZ is virtual ghost town with Jim having taken the students to the training hill pending the establishment of the afternoon inflow. Knowing there might be an hour plus wait I wander the Ranch and chance upon a pair of pilots waiting for a ride, chatting them up in sequence to help kill the time.

The beep beep beep of a Nissan Atlas backing up heralds 'go' time and we all pile into the van for the first run of the day. The skinny on the Line group for the local club hinted that most folk would be up in Pemberton thus leaving us an uncrowded hill for what might be the last weekend of summer.

The crew is a mixture of first time and low air time pilots, plus moi. The nervous energy of the first timers, as they come to grips with the magnitude of what they are about to do and the sense of empowerment that will surely follow, leaves me with both a smile and sense of envy. How many of us on those first few rides up the mountain were not thinking at some point, "why am I doing this?", only to have any and all doubt disappear within seconds of landing?

Left to my own thoughts - how is my stomach going to handle this? The wing is smaller than my last and despite the EN-B rating, it is much more talkative (reactive to turbulence). Much like the first timers, I need to cast doubt aside and simply trust that it is going to be fine.

At the top we find waiting for us (the other) Martin and a pair of ladies that typically fly Bridal Falls on the south side of the valley. With the sun inching lower on the horizon each day, north facing Bridal is finding itself more and more in shade thereby driving the regulars to south facing Woodside. But even with this trio added to our ranks, Woodside is far from becoming a beehive of activity today.

The femme fatale duo launch first, followed by myself. Getting settled into the swing of things takes longer than normal as I try to align how I would fly the Delta 2 with the handling of the Carrera. It doesn't take long to realize that I need to let the wing do its thing and more or less just 'shut up and listen'.

Allowing the wing to sniff out the sporadic collection of 0.1 and 0.2 m/s climbs, I again have Kelly's advice playing in my head about mirroring the air but keeping energy in the carve. The wing turns in much quicker than the Delta2 and yet I find it more reluctant to dive if I am bit heavy handed on the initial turn in. Following what appear to be a trio of buzzards, I claw and scratch my way back up to launch height. By this point I am half an hour into the flight and my stomach is handling things remarkably well. Two more pilots have since launched and all have or are in the midst of landing.

Then the -2.4 m/s flush.

No matter where I go, the mountain is singing some Celine Dion track whilst I am being drilled to the oceans floor.

To the LZ it is. Nary a climb on the way out, but it matters not as I arrive with height to spare.

Thus ends what is easily my best flight since the last day in France at St.Vincent.

There is hope.

Flying Fast Forward 2014

The 2014 season is well under way with:

The Ozone Chabre Open in Laragne, France.

XC Course with Chris White and crew of Jocky Sanderson's Escape XC in Sederon and St.Vincent les Forts, France.

A bit of thermalling at our home sites Mt.Woodside, Agassiz and Mt.Mackenzie, Pemberton.

Video: Woodside Paragliding 2014

A short collage of footage from a pair of flying days at our local hill, Mt.Woodside.

Fizzy Easter

Easter Sunday morning and the club LINE chat group was abuzz aplenty.

Despite dire forecasts, including "Paragliding not recommended today in Vancouver, Chilliwack, Whistler, Pemberton, Bellingham or Seattle.", options were being put forth - Blanchard, Whitby, Pemberton and Woodside.

By 1030 a consensus with a group heading for Woodside, expecting little more than sled rides. The weather this season has frustrated many of us to the point that we will take whatever airtime we can get.
A glance out the window hinted there may be more than sled rides in store, with the sky starting to clear. A coin toss of sled rides vs. overdevelopment.

Take a chance, indeed.

Noon. Meeting up with George, Martina, Lee, Andrei + 1 (I wasn't sure of Plus One's name, he was rather quiet), we pile into one vehicle and make our way to launch. It doesn't take long before Norm, Bev, Alex and Nicole appear and round out the days hopeful airborne cohort.

The sun is more or less absent with high cloud. The winds contradict the macro forecasts and are in fact consistent with CanadaRasp and the Phil Ibis windgram -> light W to S/W.

George is first off, as usual, and heads south. He is quickly followed by Lee and Martina and the trio of Skywalk wings scratch their way along the south knob.

And find lift, light lift, but lift nonetheless.

Even with the sun blocked out, the combination of high lapse rate (forecasted by the Ibis wind gram up to 800m) and the ambient light is enough to form thermals. Looks like a textbook example of what Kelly would call a fizzy day with frequent, short lived, wide gradient thermals and a low cloud base.

Now queued up on launch is Tonya, all smiles with her brand new polychromatic Sky Country EN-B 'Scooter' (I suspect a chant of 'Faster! Harder! Scooter!' would be lost on this crowd).

Tonya launches and heads north in opposition to the Skywalk triumvirate. Looking at how quickly she climbs out, I gather north of launch is the place to be.

I follow Tonya, both in queue order and in turning north. The mini ridge separating launch and the north rock face is working, though requires a decent amount of commitment by way of kicking tree tops (see 'short lived' in the description of fizzy conditions). A number of figure eights later and just above launch height, I glide south to line up with the clear cuts and what the Flymaster Nav has guesstimated to be the wind at this altitude.

Lone behold the Flymaster delivers.

It doesn't take long to cross 1100m to the S/E of launch.

In the process of the climbing out, I am joined first by Alex, then by Nicole. The gravity defying duo begin the trek along the mountain towards Agassiz and I entertain the thought of joining them. Noticing how small a gap there is between the top of the mountain and cloud base, this would leave me little margin for error -> either ending up in the white room or cutting the edge of the CTR over Agassiz prison.

I stick with boating around above launch until my stomach and cold get the better of me about an hour later and I head to the ranch to land.

Bev had already landed, packed up, and about to get a ride back up from Derek for another go.

Round two it is.

Launching around 3PM, the cloud cover has cleared to the point that hard edge shadows can be seen.

More lift!

Take a calm fizzy day, add sun and we end up with wings that are both shaken and stirred. While the climbs were not particularly strong (topping out around 3 m/s), the edges were now honed sharp - especially low over the new north clear cut.

A pair of small thwacks dictates a change in gears.

Bank it up and hold on.

My biggest weakness in this sport is my utter lack of patience and there are few things that test that patience more than circling forever in sub 1 m/s bubbles. So when fate smiles and provides me with a decent climb, I am all over it.

Only to have fate frown.

It is 330 and I need to be packed up and on the road by 4 to be able to make it to the in-laws for dinner.

While cut a little short, all in all a great day and not a single sled ride.

It has begun...

Slow starting.

Apt understatement of the year when used to describe how the season is shaping up.

A particularly long and dry autumn of yesteryear found itself offset by an equally wet and long late winter/spring. The result: Three months giving up a grand total of two flights.

Under normal circumstances, this would not be of much concern - the flying season will start when it is good and ready. But these are not normal circumstances. The Chabre Open and the 100km XC course are just around the corner and I admit at the beginning of this week I was not feeling particularly optimistic about being prepared given the trend.

Strange how an opinion can change so much in a single day.

Tuesday's forecast? Promising. Lapse rate is unstable to launch height at 600m followed by varying degrees of conditional instability up to 2000m. Winds from the S/W @ 6 knots changing to W @ 14 kts late afternoon. All in all, a little rock and roll down low through out the day with climbs becoming wind torn as the day progresses - nothing I hadn't dealt with before.

There is little doubt that it will be flyable, so at the crack of dawn I email into the office and let folk know I will be taking a half and half. Half day of work from home (from 6 till 11) followed by a half day of vacation (11 onwards).

Fast forward to noon, the passing of logging trucks punctuate the serenity I enjoy while sitting at the base of Mt. Woodside. A SUV eventually pulls in and the driver, Gary, suggests sticking around as Kevin was on the radio and not more than five minutes out.

When we clear the final rise, Woodside launch unfolds to a flurry of activity. A dozen plus paragliding pilots in varying states of readiness mill about, soon joined by a quartet of hangglider pilots. An apparent hive mind, realizing with the weather as of late that today is an opportunity not to be wasted.

The first half score of pilots are quickly off and heading west towards Sasquatch while the remainder of us pause, an unexpected wind now blowing over the back.

Wait.

Wait.

Wait.

Wonder if we will end up sitting here till nightfall, destined to become grue bait in the fading light.

The battle between wind and thermal continues for what feels like an hour before a victor is declared. The victor grants me a launch window and I waste no time getting up and away.

I quickly head north towards the rock face house thermal only to find it churned up and climbs demanding an increasing active flying payment. I can climb here, but wonder if the gap between launch and the south knoll might provide more consistent (and comfortable) lift.

Venturing south to find smoother lift, I climb and bump against what appears to be an inversion at 1330m. This would certainly help explain the lack of cumulus formation over Woodside while many of the higher mountains are already popping off clouds.

The patience battle begins, playing out with the ebb and flow of sink and lift. In due course I am joined by both a blue Niviuk (Claudia)  and an orange one (Paddy). Guy on the green Maverick makes a brief appearance and begins to work back towards the peak of Woodside. Having not been much above 1400m at this site and zero experience working the back ridge towards Harrison, I wait rather than follow Guy - convinced the inversion will break.

Patience is eventually rewarded as stair stepping higher with the terrain behind launch, a 3 to 4 m/s climb breaks through and takes our mobile of gliders up and back towards a newly forming cloud.

At 1800 m an eagle joins my climb, but quickly flies off to the N/E. Continuing my circle, I keep an eye on the eagles progress as it flies to about one third of the distance between Woodside and Agassiz mountain.

And begins to circle.

A quote from a far too short lived sci-fi series of the 90's comes to mind: Take a chance.

Leaving everyone else behind, I hoof it to my new thermal marker to find a climb waiting.

Claudia and Paddy soon follow suit.

Eventually we glide our way to Agassiz Mountain, locate another climb and cross the valley book ended by Harrison and Agassiz to arrive at Bear Mountain.

Bear Mountain. The stepping off point for the big Fraser Valley crossing that links our two main flying sites - Woodside and Bridal Falls. Flying to Bear is akin putting your toe in the deep end of the pool. Once you fly there, you know at some point you are going to have to go on faith and dive in.

Take another chance?

The increasing wind has other ideas and turns Bear into a bit of a rock concert. Out of our trio, Paddy fares the best and is able to land on the windward side of Green Hill. Claudia ends up low, but through sheer tenacity manages to eek out enough of a climb to make the open fields to the south of Bear. I am in the wind shadow of Green and chance upon a potential low save about 50 m over what is a good LZ. Mind you working low, small, sharp edged thermals when one should be setting up to land is a sure fire way to spin a wing. Common sense invades my plan for flying glory and I set down.

A call on the radio from Paddy indicates that James is on his way with the truck if anyone needs a retrieve. Score!

A small step towards the rite of passage that is the Fraser Valley crossing, but as they say...

Sic parvis magna.

The flight.

First day back at the local paragliding hill...

...and this is what the parking lot by the LZ looked like.

Pilot: OK.
Wing: Unknown.
Top of 100 foot tall tree: Gift Wrapped.

And the view from the top (no paragliding photo is complete without the essential foot in shot):