Diamond Heist

I can't bear the thought of three of our dearest pilots cooling their heels in jail right now. Scrappy, Fireman Dave, and Brent were arrested by HPD for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. At least that's how Thom described it in his cruel prank call to me after I left. Imagine what that was like for an anxious mother hen like me. But that fable doesn't diminish today's true tale: twenty pilots enjoyed another unseasonably perfect prefrontal day at the crown jewel of Oahu flying sites, the queen of wintertime conditions, Diamond Head. IN APRIL! I think we must have pilfered this day from next winter's storehouse. You know what they say: fly it like you stole it!

We dragged twenty pilots out on this unlikeliest of prefrontal April Mondays, and the luckiest first half of them flew. Ten pilots pulled off scores of exciting launches, soared long leisurely lines in all directions, made myriad textbook top landings into both slots, and showed off an entertaining variety of beach landings. Including one incredible downwind stuntman somersault. And we hobnobbed with all the scantily clad beautiful people out there. And while we didn't actually steal any wings, we did enjoy some fun wing swapping. Jorge tried Dave's U-Turn, and Scrappy tried Thom's Freestyle. No one asked to try my trusty old Peak 2, but maybe they were just put off by my creative homemade riser repairs. Or maybe they know that once they try that wing they'll never go back!

Thom softened the blow of his mean telephone trick in advance, by providing a couple racks of Dead Guys. Our other favorite Oregon export! I guess I have to be thankful for that. Also thanks to original cowboy Doyley for the early heads up this morning. Great to see original cowboy BJ out there as well. And Mad Dog too, fresh off the golf course! Those original cowboys have some stories to tell - I've only heard a few but I know there are more!

We keep saying this, but this time it's gotta be true: this cold front is surely the last gasp of this lazy, slacker wintertime season. What a bum, this winter! We honestly don't expect any more cold fronts like this until next December or so. In the meantime, we have a whole spring and summer of tradewind flying to cram into just a few short months! Let's get started!

Roll call for today's jewel caper: Fireman Dave, Jetflap Jeff (still generously on loan from Oregon), Bonnie, Alex, Thom, Brent, Scrappy, Jorge, Gaza, Nikki, BJ, Steve, Doyley, Ginny, Roland, Sharky, Five-0, CO Kevin (on the last day of his visit), Mad Dog, and student Luis. Hope I'm not leaving anyone out!