Saturday, August 11, 2012

Milk Run

I got the perfect day to try out my new wing on Friday: a gorgeous day with a variety of conditions, ranging from light, easterly and thermic, to brisk and northerly. Clouds were initially sparse and super high, but they increased in number and dropped their base as the day progressed. I flew with Bill, Woody, Roland, Joey, Jim and Lake. Later on Bonnie and Rich came out to fly. Roland hiked and flew three times, Woody twice!

I stayed up for almost five hours, doing my best to dial it in and get comfortable under this new machine. I was lucky to fly in a nice mix of thermals and ridge lift, and I also got to play with some familiar upwind transitions. I crossed the bay early and tagged Kualoa, and after I'd been there a while I was super stoked to see Bill waft into sight around the corner of Kaaawa.

It looked like a day that might be good to fly to Makapuu, but I wasn't going to push it on my first flight on this alien spacecraft. Bill landed at the Ranch to meet his friends and Bonnie for a tour. I flew back to Kahana and then continued on to Punaluu, benching up there for an easy return trip. That was the easiest chronic double out and back ever! Might have to just start calling that the Milk Run. I guess that's appropriate for a wing that Thom says looks like a fruit loop.



Meanwhile Lake had crossed the bay, headed for Kualoa, so I followed him there. He returned to Kahana, and I started back, to Kaaawa, but then a big line of black clouds on its way in made me think I'd have more time if I landed at Kualoa instead. Plus I don't want to have to land this new baby on the sand if I can help it. So I blazed back to Kualoa and landed at the nice grassy beach park. A security guard came up and asked: don't you know you're supposed to land at Sandys? Man, did I wish I'd landed there! I apologized, explained that I'd landed to avoid the incoming rain, folded up and got a quick ride back with Bill.

5 comments:

nightshift said...

That is one beautiful wing.

Duck said...

Nice looking wing Alex! Sorry to have missed Friday's milk run--happy to have made Saturday's! Was a lot of fun chasing you all around Ko'olauloa.

Thom said...

They have nicknamed this one the Fruit Loop. Most of the comp guys & gals fly this very wing and have had nothing but raves.

Alex you must now do the round the island loop. no more of these milk runs!!!!!

KNA to Turtle bay. Back then somewhere sneak over to Makaha across the Scoffield planes then to Hawaii Kai. Koko to MPU then you can call it a milk run from there back to KNA.

Do that and Doug will be coming back!!!

Alex said...

Apparently this color combination just glides better than the others. It's floatier, like puffy cereal rings bobbing in milk. Speaking of milk, I think this wing comes to us straight out of the milky way. It must be made with Alien Space Ship (A.S.S.) technology.

Bon Bon said...

Nice one...I love the wing!

I remember this day. I was watching you guys fly over me while I was on the fishpond at Kualoa.

I filmed FlyStrong landing in the front pasture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8kfZlBEduE

Then we shoved his wing in my car and he jumped on my jeep tour with his friends who were visiting. As we were finishing the tour, we saw Alex landing at Kualoa Beach Park. I received a text saying he had to land due to rain coming in. I told Bill to give you a ride back to Kahana and I would take his friends on a tour through the valley.

I got to Kahana for a quick, late flight.