First flight at Laguna. We arrived so early that the wind was blowing lightly over the back. It switched on at 10am from the east with the first thermal cycles coming through.
Laguna is definitely a one pilot launch, so it took a while for everyone to get off. I was about sixth to launch, and the first 40 minutes was spent scratching on the spines, then after the 5km transition to Granite, at the swirls.
Slowly pilots climbed out from Granite one by one. Len and Alex first on their higher performing wings, then Mark Graham and myself got up and away. Aaron, Jerome, Russ and Jason Cinch were in the next group.
I caught Mark on the big transition to Vulcan, heading for a beautiful cloud street. Once on that cloud street, it was straight line in lift to the VOR.
At the VOR I wasn't sure what to do. There were two convergence lines. One headed further north to Palomar. The second was quickly forming to the east over Hot Springs mountain. I could see Len up ahead right in between them, climbing high up between the two cloud streets.
Not being that familiar with the way the convergence works and now on my own, I decided my goal for the day was Warner Springs. I didn't much like the way the cloudbase was developing fast and low at between 7500 and 8000ft over Hot Springs Mountain.
Some of the terrain to the east along Hotwater Springs Mountain is pretty remote, so I flew very conservatively and landed at Warner Springs close to the road and Pacific Crest Trail crossing. I landed like a helicopter in the now 25km/hr sea breeze.
Laguna is definitely a one pilot launch, so it took a while for everyone to get off. I was about sixth to launch, and the first 40 minutes was spent scratching on the spines, then after the 5km transition to Granite, at the swirls.
Slowly pilots climbed out from Granite one by one. Len and Alex first on their higher performing wings, then Mark Graham and myself got up and away. Aaron, Jerome, Russ and Jason Cinch were in the next group.
I caught Mark on the big transition to Vulcan, heading for a beautiful cloud street. Once on that cloud street, it was straight line in lift to the VOR.
At the VOR I wasn't sure what to do. There were two convergence lines. One headed further north to Palomar. The second was quickly forming to the east over Hot Springs mountain. I could see Len up ahead right in between them, climbing high up between the two cloud streets.
Not being that familiar with the way the convergence works and now on my own, I decided my goal for the day was Warner Springs. I didn't much like the way the cloudbase was developing fast and low at between 7500 and 8000ft over Hot Springs Mountain.
Some of the terrain to the east along Hotwater Springs Mountain is pretty remote, so I flew very conservatively and landed at Warner Springs close to the road and Pacific Crest Trail crossing. I landed like a helicopter in the now 25km/hr sea breeze.
Aaron, Len, Russ and Alex skimmed the mountain tops sandwiched between 6500 ft mountain and 7500 ft cloudbase before the terrain opened out a bit at Chihuahua Valley. Jason wasn't so lucky, losing lift and having to push out over the wooded foothills making probably 10km/h ground speed. He ended up spot landing on a vacant lot in Warner Springs in windy conditions. Skilled flying indeed.
Greg Hunter followed the east side of the convergence, and said later he was planning his two day hike out, as the east side of Hot Springs mountain has no retrieve roads and no water.
I was happy with Warner Springs as a my goal and first Laguna flight, even though the course went on 40km further to goal at Lake Hemet.
Dimitri landed at the conservation camp a few km further on having taken a line much further out over the Henshaw plains and then getting hammered by the strong wind.
The others climbed out again over the Chihuahua valley, and then once over Anza flew for 15km/h at 8000ft under convergence clouds without losing any height before jumping over the final mountain range south of Mt Thomas to highway 74.
Goal was apparently obscured by clouds with dangerously strong lift underneath, so I think one actually reached it, and incredible 87km flight for the four pilots that made it into the valley and down to Mountain Center.
Greg Hunter followed the east side of the convergence, and said later he was planning his two day hike out, as the east side of Hot Springs mountain has no retrieve roads and no water.
I was happy with Warner Springs as a my goal and first Laguna flight, even though the course went on 40km further to goal at Lake Hemet.
Dimitri landed at the conservation camp a few km further on having taken a line much further out over the Henshaw plains and then getting hammered by the strong wind.
The others climbed out again over the Chihuahua valley, and then once over Anza flew for 15km/h at 8000ft under convergence clouds without losing any height before jumping over the final mountain range south of Mt Thomas to highway 74.
Goal was apparently obscured by clouds with dangerously strong lift underneath, so I think one actually reached it, and incredible 87km flight for the four pilots that made it into the valley and down to Mountain Center.
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