PARAFLY PARAGLIDING
BAJA FLIGHT LOG - 2000
2/12/00 We collected
everyone at the airport and headed to Black Mountain, where we encountered strong
northwest winds and a gaggle of experienced pilots on launch. Ken Baier, a local
instructor launched and rode some very buoyant air to 2,700 feet above launch. Several
pilots got to over 1,000 feet over launch. Ed MacLeod from our group got in a 20 minute
soaring flight. Chip and Ruth got in a flight from the top. The others practiced
inflations in strong winds at the bottom.
Karl soars the ridge at La Salina.
2/13/00 Sunday
was a delightful day. The more experienced pilots in our group all had extended soaring
flights from the ridge at La Salina late in the morning and early in the evening. The
beginners went to the sand dunes at Cantamar and got a lot of practice launching and
landing.
2/14/00 The ridge at La Salina was soarable in the
morning but we headed up to Black Mountain in San Diego to get our beginners some flights
from the top. We stopped at Torrey Pines on the way to Black. Most of our group climbed to
the 300 foot launch at Black, but the wind was southwest and it rained. We scooted back to
the ridge at La Salina in the afternoon, but it was too strong out of the northwest to
fly.
Ed flies over the Baja Seasons resort.
2/15/00 Tuesday was
another delightful day on the ridge at La Salina. All of our more experienced pilots got
extended soaring flights in the morning and again in the evening. The beginners spent the
morning at the dunes in Cantamar and then went up to Black Mountain in San Diego for late
afternoon flights from the top.
2/16/00 Our beginners were ready for their first
flights from the ridge. Karl and Rolf both got in good flights. Our more experienced
pilots got extended soaring flights in moderate to fairly strong thermal conditions into
the early afternoon. We returned to the launch site on the ridge in the afternoon and got
more flights in.
Walter "Bucky"Hines gets his first flight from the
ridge.
2/17/00 Strong
northwest winds prevailed all morning. We caught up on our reading and relaxed. The winds
subsided enough to launch by 4:45 and several of our more experienced pilots got soaring
flights up and down the ridge until it got light enough to launch the beginners.
2/18/00 A light on shore breeze prevailed all day.
Bucky got his first soaring passes in along the ridge and almost everyone got in multiple
flights until it got too light late in the afternoon.
Overall, it was a very successful trip. We flew six out of seven days and could have flown
all seven days if we had stayed put at La Salina instead of traveling to Black Mountain in
San Diego. Nonetheless, everyone had a great time in the warm Baja sun and some great
flying was had by all.
Please join us in February 2001.
Chip Zeiring builds a wall in preparation for launch.
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