Sunday, June 17, 2018

The Clouds Will Open Wide

While our local heroes were racing, sprinting, learning and volunteering at the paragliding nationals in far off Oregon, the humble home crew scored eight straight days of cross country flying from Kahana, in a wide variety of challenging and fun conditions, from super strong to super light, from trade winds to southeast sea breezes, from long leisurely loops to mad dashes away from rain squalls. Thanks to the heroes: we probably owe this great stretch of weather to your sacrifice. And thanks to all our home front participants and retrieve drivers! We landed in almost every possible spot we know!


2 comments:

Thom said...

The lighter winds are due mostly to me buying a Zero so I could fly in the higher winds we were facing. First day out of the bag and I didn't get to fly it but it got flown, by a lighter pilot.

So your all welcome but why was no one flying MPU yesterday. I got there late, the regular crew of Frank & One-Eye, Ike was in the air and then myself. no Superman, no Maui Doug where are you bunch of slackers, well slacker was in the air but I mean the rest of you.

Thanks for the ditty Alex and as always your award winning videos.

Hopefully today.

JK said...

From one of those that was and will forever be learning at the Rat Race / Applegate Open, I can say we all blush at the reference to "heroes". This is especially true when my heroes are on Oahu enjoying the good flying made possible by our departure. I look forward to delving in to the lessons learned from AO. It was an amazing week of challenges, triumphs and mistakes. It's always so very much fun! I plan to volunteer at Chelan while two of my Oahu heroes (Dave & Jorge) compete, and maybe soon after that I can enjoy some fine flying weather at home. It's been too, too long a time away. Thanks for word on the good conditions, Alex. My FOMO and get-home-itis are at new highs. Enjoy the good conditions, my Oahu heroes!

On a side note, I made goal just once in 7 days, and I will always remember how I was shown the way. The glide to goal was on a heading of SW and on one of my flight instruments (FlySkyHy & LiveTrack24) on an extension of that course, was home (Hawaii). Marc and Alex, were flying an early flight that day, 2300+ miles away and were superimposed on the edge of my map, right over goal. As is usual by this stage of my task, I was alone. But it felt like I had two of my wingmen with me as I mashed full bar on final glide. It's always sweeter to share your flight, and even more so with your heroes.