Carey Lloyd

A Happy Youngster

What's Up

George

Malcolm and Amanda Landing

Youngster Flies with Malcolm

He Is Excited

Worth  Launching

Sara Maddox - UK

Brian Ridder and His Parents

 Aric Paulson and Pricilla Landing

The Skydog Report

Sunday the 23rd looked like a nice day but the wind aloft was way too strong so we visited other pilots and George Adams dropped by to say hi. This gives me chance get some photos together and Oded takes the van for an oil change. Looks like Monday and Tuesday will be very wet so I will likely report on Wednesday again.

Wednesday Morning is sunny but Wow!, is it cold, 39 degrees at 9 am and windy. The forecast says the wind will be 11 mph at 2 pm so we may get some flights in today. On Tuesday we went to a nature preserve in Boca Raton and I am posting some photos that Oded took while there.

A Friendly Gator

 Blue Heron

M

Bird Island

The Skydog Report

Wednesday and it is sunny but windy so we hope to fly after lunch when the wind subsides. Meanwhile I take some photos of the new gliders and new friends. By three o'clock the wind has gone down to about ten so we get out to the Oak Tree launch area and Trevor and Tom from Michigan get off first and I am soon in the air. We had expected the air to be raunchy but it seamed OK. After I towed up there was a steady stream of launches and most everyone stayed up. Scot Maue from Michigan and I battled for top spot for a long time trading places as we went. Some pilot in one of the new T-2-C demo gliders came off tow and zoomed up right through me and I wondered how he did that as we were in the same thermal. Who ever that was surely did well on that glider. Linda Salamone tried out one of the demo T-2-Cs and she easily got above me. Looks like I may have to get one of those Atos space ships to stay on top. My flight time today was 2 hours and 11 minutes and I got up to 3,923 feet in a blue streaky sky that we did not expect much lift from. I met a real nice couple from Austria, Gerhart and Martina Handle who have just received their new Wills Wing T-2-C 136 super gliders and they are very excited. The forecast for Thursday is cloudy with no rain so we will see how it goes.

Martina Handle and Wolfi

Martina and Gerhart - New WW-T-2-C s

Martina

The Skydog Report

Thursday - Sure enough, cloudy -, light wind and no rain. I spent the day taking lots of photos but without a blue sky the photos are not as nice as on a sunny day but I will post some soon. We have had great entertainment every evening with singing guitar players.

Friday starts out sunny but very windy so I will get at the photos today.

Eugene Bumbacco - Canada

 Wills Wing Demo Days 2014

 Lisa Pearson

Towing

Aric and Family of Flyers

Keith Blaylock

 Jeremy Maddox

Simon

 Simon

Jeremy

Simon

The Skydog Report

Friday March 28, 2014 is cloudy and two tandems go up but the wind is too strong so after breakfast the tandem clinic takes place and the rest of the day is spent visiting. Around 5 pm Mitch Shipley sets up his electric scooter tow and a few pilots get airborne in a fifteen mph wind. Great music again tonight with a super husband and wife playing many oldies.

Cloud 9 Pilots

Brian Deimling, Tom Niblock, Bob, Trevor Glidersleeve and Brian Ridder

Hang Glider, Tow plane and Balloon

Linda, Majo and Alaina

The Skydog Report

Saturday March 28, 2014 is cloudy again and windy but the party will go on tonight. A huge storm blew though around 2 pm and flattened the Big Top tent and made everything wet but the staff had it all cleaned up and ready for the Wills Wing celebration. Hey, the party was great and after Dinner and dialogue we danced to the music of a great five peace band.

A Fierce Storm Blows Through and Collapses The Big Top Tent

 Lightening Strikes Right in the Landing Field Close to the Buildings

Tom, Sister and Jackie

The Skydog Report

Sunday is sunny but windy again and I pick up Oded at the Orlando airport after a weekend with his family. By 4 pm the wind is dropping off and I get ready to fly along with two others. The wind was still 10 gusting to 15 and the tow was a little rowdy but I pinned off at 2,500 feet and I bumped into a thermal over the sand mines and stuck with it for a while drifting south east over Wallaby Ranch and then headed upwind looking for more and kept the T-2 up for 26 minutes. The other two pilots had similar flights and the one young fellow reported that he had a half hour. I took a second tow and lasted 25 minutes this time. That was challenging and enjoyable. Ryan Voight took video with his Quadra copter and it is very cool so I will get it online soon.

Catherine

The Skydog Report

Monday March 31, 2014 is sunny and lots of tandems and solo flights before breakfast this morning. Catherine from Quebec, Canada is here and Stephanie and Catherine took solo flights this morning. David Ledford came in this morning with his Honey Joni and an Electric sailplane. We  got in line around 1 pm and Oded got off first and stuck at 2 grand for a long time. I got off third and found some bubbles near the cloverleaf and followed them back over the ranch and after 27 minutes I found sink and landed. By now there were likely ten gliders in the air and they all seemed to be staying around 2,000 feet just to the north of the ranch. I got in line again and was off within 20 minutes and found good lift with the many other pilots, likely fifteen by now. It was a tight pack and we were flying too close many times. I had two close encounters and decided to travel a bit for more lift and that finally got me into sink and I landed after 45 minutes. Oded was still doing well but landed about ten minutes after me along with many others. Linda Salamone was up there today and again she topped out way above me and most everyone else too. I took a third flight along with Rick Bremmer but it was only a 16 minute sledder. That was it for today.

 Tom Just Below Skydog

The Skydog Report

Tuesday April, 2014 is sunny and lots of tandems and solo flights before breakfast again and twenty of us get ready to fly by 2 pm. Everyone was reluctant earlier because there were o cumulous showing but I said that some blue sky days are go so I went first and sure enough Paul put into a good one that I took up to four grand and I watched as the others were towed up. I was good being high and pimping off the gliders thermalling up. That kept me on top for a good forty minutes and then Tom Lanning and Scott L. got above me and we traded places for a while. Oded Kalir and Rick Bremmer both took two tows and on their second tows got into some good lift. Eugene Bumbacco was doing great on his U-2. Rick Mullins had a great flight along with most others. Sere from Poland was doing really well on his new T-2-C. I think that Scott L. Had the longest flight of the day with three and a half hours. I logged 3 hours and 9 minutes and got up to 4,550 feet. I think that Scott said that he topped out at close to five grand so a good day for all. We took some nice video today while flying so I will likely get that ready after I get home next week. Wednesday's forecast is looking even better so we will see.

Take Off

Malcolm and Majo Gularte

The Skydog Report

Wednesday is another blue sky day with no cumulous to show us the path into the sky. Tom Nejame gets off first at 1:30 and then Greg Ludwig and Serge in his new T-2-C. I am off next and get dropped off in decent lift and I take it up to three grand and I see others up at four grand and after some poor decisions I am on the ground after 27 minutes. I take my time and get in line again and Chris takes me up high to where other pilots are sticking at four grand. After a few minutes I have worked my way up to Tom Lanning, Serge, Lee Silver and others. We circle for a few minutes and a few pilots take off toward Quest Air and I stay in the lift over the Sand Pitts and in ten minutes the group come back low and work their way back up to me. We try pushing toward the Ranch and find sink so come back to the Sand Mines ad there is that column of lift again so I play there for a while and then I go for a run toward Hyw. 27 and I have no luck out there and finally I land after 1 hour and 13 minutes. In the landing area we watch as others finally work their way down. Mitch Shipley comes in with 3 hours and 15 minutes and the longest flight of the day goes to Rick Bremmer on his Phantom. Oded had a good two hour and five minute flight today. Rick is getting dialled into the Phantom and is liking it. I noticed that Tom Nejame got a ride back with Mike and Fay so Tom must have landed out today unlike the many other days when Tom comes back from a good triangle. The lift was broken up for the most part today with a few good cores that were usually tight.

Kimberly and Greg Ludwig - Texas

Oded Captures "The GrassHopper"

The Skydog Report

Thursday April 3rd is another blue sky day. Morning flights are uneventful and Jack and Jasmine from Colorado get in their first refresher flights. At 1 pm there a bunch of pilots set up and ready to fly but nobody is anxious to try their luck and the wind is a bit strong with some gusts up to 15 mph from the south. Finally by 2pm I drum up some enthusiasm and Serge and I head to launch at the north end of the driveway. Soon Tom Nejame comes there and Paul comes with the tug and Serge gets off first and get a good one that takes him to 3 grand and I am off and Paul drops me off in 300 fpm lift and I work it struggling to catch up to Serge. Tom gets into the air and struggles for 20 minutes to get up to 3 grand and from there on we are up and down and I get down to 900 feet near take off and finally dig my way back up. John Claude and another pilot come up to join us as we drift north over the sand pits. Heading back upwind was a struggle but I made it to the ranch a couple of times but finally get flushed after 49 minutes and I had been up to 3,377 feet and soon after the others are on the ground with me after a big sink cycle. After the lunch break Rick Bremmer takes his Phantom to launch and Oded and a few others come there to commit aviation. Paul tows us up over the pond to the south west and I find broken lift and take it up to 3 grand again and another similar flight for me with 40 minutes airtime and up to 3,028 feet ato. Tom Nejame and Oded in their Atos gliders duelled it out at the end of the day and Tom finally lasted one minute longer than Oded. I found the air pretty rasty and challenging.

Oded called Mark Frutiger at Quest Air to see if they could give me a try at water boarding and sure enough Jamie could let me have a go at it. Mark thought that with my barefoot and water ski experience, that I would catch on real quick but I only was able to survive level flight for ten seconds or so and I made a few turns so I will need more practice. It is a  interesting concept and hard for me to keep my balance. Oded took photos so I will post them soon. I was talking with Misael at Quest who had just landed after a three hour and fifteen minute flight and he said that it was fairly smooth up there.

 Tom Nejame and Oded Kalir Dual It Out For Last To Land

 Fly Boarding at Quest Air

Spinner on Right

The Skydog Report

Friday started off windy with puffy clouds so we waited as the forecast said that the wind would calm down by 3 pm. Sure enough by 2:15 the wind had dropped and about eight pilots were ready to fly. Oded and I got in at the end of the line and watched as others thermalled up. Paul towed me up under a nice cummie and I took it up to 4,200 feet and followed it back to Sand Mine road and Hyw 27. Now I had to get back to Wallaby Ranch and on my way I ran into some small lift and finally made it back. I saw Jason Williams thermalling near the Ranch and realized that Jason usually finds the best lift so I had best follow him and we flew together for ten minutes or so getting up to 4,200 feet but somehow I lost track of Jason and found some unwanted sink and landed after 40 minutes. I jumped back into line for a second tow and Paul put me into another good one over the orange groves and I worked it up to 5,300 feet where I again bumped into Jason and we had some good climbs together. Jason was heading upwind so I followed and we ran into another cloud street that was working well and we went to base again. Jason left the lift and headed farther up wind and I followed him for five minutes but I did not feel comfortable getting so far from home base so I went back to the clod that I had been circling in and used it again up to base. Net I headed north over the sand pits and across the valley where I found another good line and I took it up and noticed that Rick Bremmer was circling below me on his Phantom and the next thing I see is Rick has gained on me and he was heading farther north than I wanted to be so I headed back toward the Ranch again where I found sink again and I landed this time after 50 minutes and soon after Rick was grounded also. After landing I was wondering where Oded had gotten to and we looked up and Oded and Fin from Norway were high above the Ranch and a half hour later they both landed. Oded had a great flight of 1.5 hours and Fin had over two hours. I took a third tow but I only lasted 20 minutes this time. This had been a great day starting at 2:30 and we look forward to Saturday being fantastic for our last day in Florida this winter.

Morning Solo

Morning Solo

 Lift Off

 Jasmine Has Lift Off

Landing Approach

Rick Bremer - Aeros Phantom

The Skydog Report

Saturday April 5 and lots of tandems this morning. Tom Nejame is off first and I get off third at 1 pm and Paul puts into a cranking good thermal and I take it up to 4,700 feet 14 minutes after launch. That was a real nice thermal and from that high it was cool watching all the others take off and most had to work for it down low so I just got lucky with Paul's help. Cloud streets were nicely formed  so I scooted south to the hospital and north to Publix at Sand Hill Rd. and then across the valley over the orange groves staying above 4 grand at all times. I hit 5,784 feet at the one hour mark and then at 4 pm I got down to 800 feet as all the others were flushed. Fortunately I worked a small thermal back up to over 4 grand as all the after lunch pilots took off. Oded worked his way up and past me and then I lost sight of him. Rick Bremmer worked down low for a long time and then all of a sudden Rick was with me. Brertran showed up with his three pugs last evening and did two 2 hour flights today. There were a lot of happy faces in the landing area when I landed after a 5 hour and 27 minute flight. That is my third longest flight ever. Today was one of the best days we have seen in a long time.

Paul Lands First Solo Flight

Solo

 Skydog With Eugene in Front Close

The Skydog Report

Sunday April 6, 2014 the morning tandems and solo flights got off to a good start and Paul got his first solo flight but the wind increase around ten am and by noon it was blowing over 15 mph so we hoped for a decrease so that we could fly on our last day in the Sunny south this season. By two pm I was ready and eager and Tommy was on his way down the road to launch and I followed him and Serge. Tommy got up and away right off tow and Serge thermalled up and hung around. Paul towed me into a great thermal and I took it up to over four grand close to the sand pits and from there I moved across the swamp to the warehouses where I got up to 4,160 feet ato. Scott L. had a weak link break at 200 feet and landed deciding to wait until after lunch hoping that the wind would slow down. Mikey Barber had launched and headed for Quest Air. Serge and I traded places on top for a while and finally after 50 minutes I found sink and was on the ground. Serge had already landed and was telling Oded that it was very rough up there.

 We waited until after lunch break and I got ready and headed a group down the driveway to launch.

Paul towed me up first this time and got me into a great thermal which I took to over four grand. The air got real smooth and we all had wonderful flights and I am going to let Oded tell his story. Oded - After 4:30 Fay towed me up to 2 grand and dropped me into a nice thermal that started out weak and built into a good one up to 4, 500 feet. My Atos VQ is so nice in the soft lift and I seem to be able to float around all day and go places like never before. I saw Tommy Nejame scratching low over Hyw 4 after he had retuned from a flight to Quest Air and back. I was over the Ranch and crossed a large blue area to get over to where Tommy was flying. Tommy was able to get up to two grand and make it back to land at Wallaby Ranch. I had slipped down to 3,500 after crossing the blue hole but I worked up to 4,700 feet and then I scooted over to the warehouses where I encountered a girl flying a Litespeed and she was above me. OH NO, It's Linda Salamone. Linda sure does fly that glider well but I finally caught up to her and even got a little above Sky Queen (Princess). Now I see Mick in his Carbon Dragon flying over Sand Hill road so I head over there and we fly to Hyw 4. We took turns being on top but finally Mick was on top and I saw Rick Bremmer flying over the  sand pits so I join him and we fly together for a while and finally Rick lands. I worked weak lift at the end of the day at about 1,200 feet for twenty minutes watching everyone land and finally I swoop in for my last landing of this trip to Wallaby for this season. This was a sweet two hour and twenty minute flight to end our vacation.

Bob - This was a great day to end our trip and I really enjoyed this afternoon's smooth flight when I was able to get up to 5,620 feet and fly for 1 hour and forty minutes. We pack up by 9 pm and are on our way home.

Fin comp Pilot - Norway

 Aric and Student

Bob

 New Wallaby Parrot

Oded