Lee Flies in Florida

News flash. Lee flies in Florida; world leaders meet to discuss what this dramatic event will have on world affairs.

It is a good thing Lee can see the humor in the frustratingly consistent bad weather he experiences during his Florida flying trips. Lee doesn't pick the time; he is limited to spring break at Tufts University where he is a professor. I'm sure we all have friends that (at times) seem to drag bad weather along with them.

Lee and I assumed we would soar and fly cross country together this week. However strong winds kept us and everyone else on the ground during the soaring part of every day this week. Lee, along with Dennis who was working on his towing skills, were out almost every morning just after sunrise to launch in the still air next the ground and then climb into the strong but stable wind above. Both pilots got more airtime than I did since I just stood on the ground and took pictures. Both pilots also got to tow through and then above a group of balloons that landed at Wallaby today.

Amy, Lee, and Dennis have headed home and I'm left behind with no airtime and more strong winds in the forecast. Hope springs eternal; maybe it will be soarable on Sunday.

Evil Tower

Amy and I are camping at Wallaby Ranch, the first of the three flight parks I plan to visit on this trip. The new "pole barn" is a nice addition to an already comfortable "reality-free zone". We spent the first day pitching the tent, unloading gliders, and catching up with all the transplanted New Englanders that call Wallaby their winter home.

Aside from a few early morning training flights before the winds mix to the surface we have been blown-out. On Wednesday we toured the "evil" Bok Tower. I call it the "evil tower" since I always lose GPS reception whenever I try to snag it as a turn point during the Wallaby and Flytec competitions. Me and my frustrated friends slowly sink out trying to get our GPSs to record a point within the turn point cylinder without flying into each other, the tower, or the trees below.

From the ground, the tower is anything but evil. The tower is surrounded by gardens designed by Fredrick Olmsted, the same guy that designed many of the public gardens in Boston. The tower is made of pink stone from Georgia and is decorated with beautiful wildlife carvings and a large sundial.

We sat in the bucolic gardens and listened to the bells in the carillon tower as puffy white cummies raced by in the crystal blue sky.

Maybe the winds will back down on Friday or Saturday.

Meeting Spring

I got impatient waiting for spring to arrive so I drove south to meet it. Amy and I left Massachusetts at 4:30am and headed south. Once the sun rose we started looking for signs of spring. We also placed our bets where the ground would finally be snow-free. We both thought it would be gone by the time we reached Maryland, but we still found snow in northern Virginia. We spotted our first daffodils, then tulips, and then much further south fruit trees in bloom and finally green trees. Spring unfolded before us in a single day.

The roads were dry and mostly empty, but the wind was howling and the temperatures cold. It was still in the 40s (F) when we entered Georgia. We had easy cruising pass the pretty lights of Jacksonville, but lost an hour sitting in a construction backup north of Daytona Beach. We finally reached Orlando 21 hours after we left. That bed sure felt good!

Spring Break (Away)

Gliders have been accumulating in my basement as winter-weary pilots snag a ride for their pride-and-joy to Florida with me. I had long conversations with Rodger and then Tim L., but Tim H showed up around mid-night one night, tossed his and PK's gliders on the ground, and left without even saying hello. I guess Tim didn't want to prolong the agony of saying goodbye to his glider!

I have been watching the weather and Sunday looked like the day to make my escape. The weather this week was a tease. The meager snow we got this season was disappearing in the late winter sunshine as temperatures climbed above 60F (15C). I enjoyed a nice run on without my usual layers of clothing, met with clients for the last time until May, and got the truck ready for "flying season".

Although I enjoyed the warmth, I knew the New England weather was getting ready to "sucker punch" us. I finally saw my front yard on Friday morning, but snow started falling around noon and by sunset the world around me was white again. I awoke to find 15 inches (38cm) of heavy wet sticky white goop smothering everything. Although Lee left this morning and the weather in central Florida looked reasonable for tomorrow, I was happy waiting for the storm to end before clearing the driveway and loading the truck.

I'm breaking out tomorrow at 4:30am.

Waking from Hibernation

Its been a long winter of "character building experiences" but the melting snow and sunsets after 5pm make me smile since I know flying season is just around the corner. I want to thank all the bloggers in Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil for keeping me (and the rest of the snowbound) sane with pictures and stories of their airborne adventures.

Although swamped with business issues, I spent a day last weekend talking about XC racing with five pilots ready to take the plunge into competition flying. Four of the five will be competing for the first time in the Sport class at the Florida Ridge meet in April. I wouldn't be too surprised if a couple more showed up at the last minute. I really believe the promotion of a Sport class is finally paying off. (Anyone at the East Coast Championships last year already knew that.)

Although I was thrilled with the flight at Mount Greylock at the end of last season, that flight is even more special now that I know the site will be closed for two years as they rebuild the road to the top of the mountain during the summer months.

Jeff suggested I review my 2006 track logs. Although I don't have logs for a couple dozen flights, I flew over 120 hours on 59 flights that I did have logs for. The mean duration was 2 hours. I flew 1079 straight-line miles (linear distance) and 3810 projected miles. I climbed 858,812 feet. My maximum altitude was 11,010 feet in Texas. Luckily my biggest sink (30 second average) -1353 feet/minute was offset by my biggest climb of 1501 feet/minute.

If I had to pick a single flight that still stands out, it would be the flight during the pre-Worlds in Big Spring where we flew downwind over crop land, cattle ranches, canyons, and small villages. For me it had the right combination of adventure, close-calls, stunning scenery, endless miles, and a rowdy ride home with friends.

Now its time to blow the dust off the helmet, chase the mice out of the glider bag, and recharge the electronics; spring is coming.