The Skydog Report

Tuesday March 31, 2015 Oded and I are on a plane at six in the morning from Rochester NY and we arrive at the Ranch at one pm. OK so we are starting Demo Days a bit early and Steve Pearson will be here on April 15 for the Festivities. The sky looks good so we set up and are being towed up by 2 pm. There were three flights before mine and Fay Barber towed me into some great lift that took me up to four grand within ten minutes. Mike, Oded, Rick and Linda were soon in the air along with a few others and everyone was getting into some good lift. My flight was interesting in that immediately after I released I noticed that my 6030 was making an awful squawking noise and seldom made the going up sound that I am so used to although the needle showed that I was often in lift so I was pretty annoyed with the noise. Thinking about it later, I should have tuned the volume off. After an hour I see that Oded is heading for the landing field and I was so tired after a night of only two hours sleep that I followed Oded and we both landed. Linda Salamone and Rick Bremmer were still high under the cummies as we watched for another hour and then there was another glider in sight and it was Tom Lanning who had just flown from Quest and the three of them landed around 5:30. The lift had been strong but quite punchy and Linda said that the rough air had smoothed out for an hour and then became rough again. My flight was 1 hour and 16 minutes up to 4,140 feet and enjoyable but Oded and I were both to tired to enjoy the bumpy lift. We went to sleep early to be ready for Wednesday which is forecast to be another good day.

Wednesday April 1, is another sunny day and tandems are off at 8 am but shut down by 9 due to wind. By 11 there are lots of cummies but the wind is like 8 to 18 0n the ground so we wait until 2 and then the wind is lower so I try to get some interest going but in the end I am the only one to fly. Paul takes me for a rowdy tow to 2,000 feet where I get kicked around and release. I am flying with two varios today so that if my 6030 is still making the unusual noises, I will be able to turn the volume off and listen to Oded's older Flytec. Well the 6030 is still squawking so I turn the volume off only to find that it is still making that awful noise. Oh well, just put up with it. Just to the west of where I released I see three birds circling so I join them and get into the lift that takes me up to 3,500 and then I am back over the ranch so I head into the wind which seems strong and bumpy but I find that I am moving forward at ten mph and I get to the next cloud and boom into the lift again. This time I feel more confident that I can get back upwind when needed so I take this baby up to 4,320 feet ato which is almost base and I cruise around there for a few minutes. Although the wind felt quite strong I could easily work my way upwind so I did this a few times. Oded has been talking with me on the radio asking how the conditions are but he decides to wait until tomorrow which is forecast to be lighter winds. After an hour I decided to get down for a safe landing and am concerned about the mechanical turbulence that will likely be in the landing field but I needed to get down before the sea breeze kicked in so I headed for a blue hole in the sky and circled down over the trees at the east end of the field. Sure enough it was quite bumpy at 100 feet but when I got down to about forty feet it all smoothed out and I came in for a smooth slow touch down. I enjoyed the flight but it is not so much fun without our buddies in the air. My Flight time today was 1 hour and 8 minutes. Looking forward to some easy lift on Thursday. After flying today Mike Barber check out my 6030 and called Steve Kroop who immediately knew how to stop the squawking. Mikey turned off the stall alarm and that should fix the problem.

Thursday April 2, 2015 We got off to a late start like 2:15 pm and I took the first tow as the others were looking for a dummy and I was it. Being a bit rushed I forgot to start the GoPro and as soon as I was in the air Oliver came on the radio -"Hey Bob, You forgot to star your camera". Well that put me off some but I got over it and Paul let me off in broken lift and I was in search mode getting down to 900 feet ato until I found a bubble coming of the grass at the east end of the field and it worked into a good one getting me up to over three grand. By then Rick Bremer, Mike Barber and others were in the air so I had some help finding more lift areas. After about 40 minutes I see Oded getting towed up and we join up for a bit. At about one hour into my flight I get together with Mike Barber and we have a real nice time working together over the orange groves which were giving of the most beautiful orange blossom fragrance. I just love that smell. Mike and I top out at over 4 grand and then I see Rick in front of the sand pits so I cruise on over and join him for a while and then Oded joins us and we get up to base at 5,200 around 3:30 pm. Oded and I decide to fly to the hospital and back and that tuned out to be easy so I went again on my own and came back smiling. Oded had just shown me how to use the 6030 to determine if we could make it back to the Ranch so that was interesting for me. After I came back to the cloverleaf we all use a black bottom cloud that eventually took us up to 6,340 feet ato. Finally just before 7:30 I see Rick and Oded landing and I am down to 1,200 feet and I follow them into the landing field. What a magical day. My Flight time today was 5 hours and 10 minutes.

Friday April 2, 2015 is simply amazing. Morning tandems and solos went well. Mikey Barber and a student Jim from Colorado get up first at 1 pm. and I follow and Paul Harrison Puts me into a nice thermal that builds into a monster taking me up to 4 grand and Mikey and Jim are up there and a grand higher so I work under Mikey and finally get to base at 5 grand. I was ready to take the big step of flying to Quest and beyond and was waiting for Oded as we had planned to go there together with help of the radios. Well it took a hour before Oded was towed up and made it up to base with me. I had been hanging around about three miles north of the ranch but I had to fly closer to Wallaby to get together with Oded and then Oded gave the word "Lets Go" and he said that we should head west along Dean Still to Hyw 33 but the dash to the cloud street to the west was too far for me and I retreated back to the lift north of the ranch. Oded caught some good lift about five miles west on Dean Still road so I did not see him for another hour or so. As I often do, I found some not wanted sink and worked my way down to a landing at the ranch. Oded also landed and had a snack before going up again. This flight for me was 2 hours and 15 minutes up to 5,511 feet ato. When I landed Linda Salamone was ready to launch so I hooked in and took off behind her. Paul put me into another good one and I worked it up ever so nicely and at four grand I radioed Linda asking where she was and she replied I am at 5,200 feet and above you so I struggled and did not get up to Linda's level. The Oded radioed from the ground asking how condition were and I answered that it was very lifty so Oded got towed up and within a few minutes he was up with me and Rick Bremer who also took a second tow.  Rick and I had been thermalling for top spot and often changing places on top. Well not really on top as Linda stayed up a grand above us most of the time. Aric Paulson was up there too and having a great time. Wayne Ripley and a couple of others were up at 5 pm also but I am not sure who the others were. At six pm Oded says lets go to the hospital on 27 so away we went but we did not quite get there and got into some sink so we race back to the good lift at the cloverleaf and took it up to five grand again and along came Linda almost always a grand above us. Rick had scooted off to the east and I could see that he was doing very well over the Omni complex. Only one time and only for maybe five minutes did I get up close to Linda but then I must have made a mistake and she was high again. Oded was staying up with Linda sometimes. OK so now it is after seven pm and we are wondering when it will end and the four of us would be grounded for the day. We were all vying for last to land and finally I landed first at 7:50 and the sun had dropped below the horizon and it was a big beautiful red  glow sinking below the horizon as we came in to land. Linda came in next and then Rick scooted in just before Oded so Oded wins the honours. My Second flight was 3 hours and 15 minutes up to 5,623 feet ato. I am sure the others could come up with more exciting stories from the day but you will have to ask them to do that.

Saturday April 4, 2015 Mike Barber and Jim went up first and it looked like they were doing well and at 1:30 I got up with Fay Barber towing me to 2,200 feet in some rowdy air. I was able stick with the thermal and took it east at 12 mph to over the warehouses and east of Hyw 27 close to the Omni Golf resort getting up to 5 grand. I saw two other gliders over the Ranch about six hundred feet above my level but I was staying with the cloud that I was under. After 35 minutes Oded was on his way up ad soon he radioed that he was at five grand and I moved ahead toward the Ranch to meet up with him. We got close enough to be visible and on Oded' suggestion we went past the cloverleaf but it was blue beyond Hyw 4 so we next flew over the orange groves where Oded got into another good one but I was getting low so I tried to find lift over the Ranch but by now there was a big blue area all around the ranch so I slowly lost altitude and finally landed after 1 hour and 37 minutes and had topped out at 5,921 feet. After about twenty minutes Oded was landing and Scott took another tow but sledded out. A couple of the Moyes boys also landed and the day was over.

Sunday the wind was too high as forecast so Oded and I drove to Quest Air where the Swamp Klassic was just getting started. The wind was gusting from 15 to 25 mph and the first group of pilots got off but only a few were able to conquer the conditions. I took a bunch of photos that I will post on a separate page.

Monday April 6th is another beautiful day with big cummies. Wayne Ripley, Oded Kalir, Ben Desormiers and myself head on down to the soccer field takeoff and I am elected to go first and Paul Harrison takes me up to a thermal that is taking me up at two hundred feet per minute and I get up to 3,000 feet and bumble around as the others get towed up. All but Oded land within twenty minutes and I am on tow again and Paul puts me into a good one and I work it up to base at 4,235 feet ato and I have encouraged Oded to come over the orange groves with me and he does and we both get up into the soup and quickly get out of it. We go searching toward the cloverleaf at 4 and 27 but things are weak over there and Oded finds some decent lift over the warehouses and I try to join him but I miss the boat and bumble around again until I landed after 49 minutes. Oded is still up so I want to go again and Paul tows me up again into good lift. This time I have some good gains up to 4,064 feet ato and Oded has landed as he feels that the thermals are to strong for his liking and Oded had 1 hour and 15 minutes. I continue having some fun and after 45 minutes I am in sink and can't find a way up again so I land and try to convince Oded to go again but he sends me off alone again and I don't get much lift this time and land after 22 minutes. Oh well, I tried and enjoyed some wingees on my way down.

Tuesday April 7, 2015 and the tandems are ripping up the sky at 8 am. We get ready to fly by 1 pm and Ben gets of first and then Oded gets up and I am next. I don't stick on my first tow and only get 12 minutes so I get in line behind Mike Barber and Paul tows me up again into a decent thermal but I don't see Mikey or Oded anywhere and Aric is on the radio from the ground trying to help me find the best lift. Oliver takes a great flight and finally wangs it down for a perfect landing. Today it is easy to sink out between the lift cycles but I hang on and hear that Mike and Oded have left for Quest Air and then a few minutes later Oded comes back at 1,200 feet agl and works hi way back up over the orange groves and he joins a sailplane in a good thermal and I also join them. It was a majestic sight and if we only had the cameras on it would have been a great visual memory. After that good cycle I lose out again and land after 1 hour and 8 minutes with Oded following me in to good landings. Oded ends up getting almost two hours airtime.

Wednesday April 8, 2015 and Oded is anxious to get in the air earlier today so that we can try to fly to Quest Air so by 1 pm we are in line and ready to go. I get up 3rd and Oded next. I burble around and find a sink hole and land after 22 minutes after being at 3 grand. I get in a short line again and see that Oded is getting high and after Mark Bourbonnais gets up Fay Barber tows me up into a good area of lift and I can stick with it up to four grand and eventually to base and I am looking for Oded but he has already left for Quest and then Oded comes on the radio saying "I am 5 grand over Seminole glider port" and so I am just north of the ranch when I see Jason Williams thermalling so I join him and we work together nicely for about an hour getting to base and then shooting ahead in the east wind over to Hyw 27 and catching another cloud and taking it to base. We did that maybe five times and we were over Sand Hill Road and I was thinking that maybe Jason was going to fly to Quest but we never did head out. I headed back to the Ranch and got down to 900 feet ato and found some lift over the orange groves and took it to base at 5,329 feet. Wow, that felt good after almost having to land. I played in the lift for a while longer and Oded had radioed to say that he had landed at Quest so I went down to the ranch field and drove Quest to pick up Oded. My second flight was 3 hours and 13 minutes. The group of pilots at Quest were just starting supper so we stayed and had a bite and then we were off to Wallaby for the night. Thursday morning we will go to Quest and Oded will attempt to fly his Atos VQ back to Wallaby.

Thursday April 9, 2015 and another sunny day with light winds and Oded and I have booked aerobatic sailplane rides in the morning. Wow, that was so exciting and amazing flying up side down and doing all the manoeuvres. After the ride at Seminole glider port we went to Quest where Oded had left his Atos VQ last evening and he flew out of Quest today and almost made it back to Wallaby so I picked him up at 474 and 27. I had been in the air at Wallaby for 1 hour and 45 minutes and up to 5,807 feet ato when I got the call on the radio with Oded saying "I am safely down in a pasture, please come get me" so away I went and got Oded back to Wallaby.

Friday April 10, 2015 and blue skies. Jean Martin has offered to let me fly his new T-2 so we get it ready to fly. We installed the carbon leading edge stiffeners and changed the hang loop and then added two GoPro cameras as Jean Martin wanted video of his wild sail colors. I am used to my T-2 154 so I was a bit anxious about flying the 144 but all went well although I did not stay in the available lift and my first attempt only lasted 24 minutes so I tried again after lunch break at 4 pm. This time I did catch some good lift over the warehouses and took it up to 3 grand but then I lost it and finally landed after 33 minutes. Jean Martin on a WW S-2 flew for two hours and Linda Salamone had almost two hours with Rick Bremer having another four hour plus flight.

Saturday April 11, 2015 is another nice day in Florida with light winds from the west southwest. Wayne Ripley, Scott, Jean Martin and myself got into the air around 1 pm and Wayne and I got into some good lift and stayed with it following the cloud heading north east until we got close to sand mine road and then worked back upwind over the ranch and took another couple of climbs and then Wayne went down and I followed after 1 hour and 8 minutes and I was up to 4,800 this flight. When I landed Rick Bremer asked how it was and I said great fun so Rick and I decided to get up there and John Martin and Scott followed. Fay towed Rick up first and the engine quit at 2 grand so Rick was searching for lift while trying to drop the rope on the landing field because Fay had left him with rope in her emergency landing predicament. Fay raced for another tow plane and was soon ready to take me up. Fay took me to a climbing thermal and I worked it desperately and took it to the north east over the warehouses where the lift became very nice like 600 fpm. I could see Rick struggling down at 600 feet above the ranch and I expected that rick would be landing soon but he worked it very well and in 20 minutes we were thermalling together way to the east of Hyw 27 and above the Omni golf resort and past that up to 5,300 feet ato. This was all nice but felt that the lift was weakening so I decided to work upwind and over the ranch but found nothing and I landed after 1 hour and 20 minutes. Rick landed a half hour later and said that I should have stayed east as the lift continued and got better again. I really need to put a long string on these great pilots so that I can follow them. Anyways I was happy to have another good flying day. at seven in the evening we had a strong storm and we could see it coming after we landed.

Sunday April 12, 2015 has cummies building by noon and we are in the air by 1 pm. I find good lift after release and take it up to 3,500 feet but after an hour I am back down to 1,600 feet but luckily I find another source and take it up to over four grand. I have Jean Martin and two Connecticut pilots Kevin and Don with me but they loose the lift early and I get lucky and stay high the best being 5,500 feet ato and my flight was 3 hours and 30 minutes. Good day.

Monday was cloudy in the morning and around 1:30 the sky opened up and it looked like it might be good but I could not entice anyone to get going and by 4 pm it clouded over again so no flying today. Jimmy Kolynich from Elmira NY flew in Monday evening and Oded is leaving for home Tuesday morning.

Tuesday April 14th and a blue sky morning and I get a few photos of the tandem and solo pilots in the morning. There is a group of about eight pilots from Connecticut here today and at 12:30 the line starts and two of them get into the air before I do. Paul tows me up to 1,500 feet and waves me off in a small thermal. I work it over the orange groves and finally to the north and up to 2,775 ato and I see the others landing and I also get into a no lift zone and land after 30 minutes. I am right in line again and second after John Martin and Fay Barber takes me up to 2,000 feet and I find a good one just to the west of where Fay drops me off. I work it to the north and over the sand pits and after 30 minutes I am at 3,786 ato and at base. I stay with the cloud for a half hour and Steve Arndt joins me with his beautiful sailplane and we circle for a minute and then he heads south. Steve later tells me that he had a fantastic day running the cloud streets for four hours. Dean Williams was also with us in his sailplane. I can hear the fellows on the radio announcing at what height they are and where the lift is so I take advantage of the information. I finally try a run to the south and make it to Hyw 4 and have small climbs but nothing substantial so I move over to the east on my way back to the Ranch and after 1 hour and 11 minutes I am on the ground and in line again. This time Paul takes me up and into a good one south over the orange groves and the lift is strong and I get up to 4,061 feet ato and as usual I find sink and land after 30 minutes. I am so tire from getting up at 4:15 am that I need a nap and I do just that.

Wednesday morning is sunny with lots of tandems and by 1pm we are ready to fly again. Paul puts me next to a nice thermal and I work it up to 2,700 feet ato and I watch as a few other pilots get into the air. After 22 minutes I am on the ground and ready for another tow at 1:30. This time Fay Barber puts me into a nice one just above the ranch and I work it up to base at 4,100 feet and soon Tom Lanning is thermalling with me just below the clouds. We stick together for ten minutes and then Tom takes off to the south and I don't see him again until landing after a 45 minute flight. Back in line again and Paul puts me in decent lift and I watch as JK is towed up and we work a thermal over close to Hyw 27 and I take it back quite a ways while JK works forward finding very little lift. I did not realize it but Tom Lanning was just above me and after 30 minutes I was on the ground again. Tom comes in right after me. I think that Tom's flight was two hours. Steve Pearson is here and he helps Jean Martin to get his new T-2 ready for Jean Martin to take his first flight on the new glider. All goes well and Jean Martin has two nice flights on the T-2

Wallaby - Wills Wing Demo Days 2015

Thursday April 16, 2015 and it is a cloudy morning with a low ceiling so the morning tandems and solo flights do not get off. Clearing starts around 12:30 and we fly by 1:30 pm. I was third off and it was hard for me to keep in a core although Paul dropped me off in lift. I used the first bit of lift but only gained about 300 feet and then into search mode until I landed 19 minutes later. OK so in line again and now my friends from 35 years ago John and Christine Slagle from NY show up for a look at Hang Gliding. John flew with me in the seventies in NY and was one of the best pilots around. Same thing again only this time Jean Martin was towed up beside me and he got into the same lift as me but Jean Martin found the centre and stayed in it to base at 3,200 feet ato. while I drifted out of the lift and sunk our with another 19 minute flight. I think that Jean Martin lasted about 30 minutes. Well, I feel like such a dummy so I go again and this time I finally find a good line of lift and take it to base at 3 grand and then fumble around and finally lose it again with a 26 minute flight. Jimmy Kolynich flew his Atos VRS for 30 minutes and got to base.  Jimmy was shooting a GoPro and got some real nice shots. Shortly after we all landed the cloud covered the entire area and by 4:30 pm it was raining. A Demo Days dinner tonight so that will be fun.

Friday morning the tandems get off early and by 1 pm the prime time boys are on their way to launch. They send me off first to check things out and I do a 20 minute almost staying up flight. Others follow and I see that some are sticking and away I go again and this time I get into a good line and after ten minutes I am at base and it is sucking real good so let's get down out of the mist. Jimmy K. is up with me and we exchange top spot for a while and then JK finds sink along with the other ten pilots and I watch them land as I stay high over Hyw 27 for a few more minutes. One poor fellow could not make to the intended landing field and landed to the north of the warehouses or maybe it was a short XC. Who Knows Eh. The cloud cover completely shades the area and I am doomed to set down at The Ranch with a 40 minute flight after having been up to 3,172 ato near base.

Saturday morning has the tandems changing take off locations with wind changes and finally after an hour or so we go for breakfast. The sky looks great and I plan to go skyward at 1pm and we start loading the van with Oded's Atos VQ for our ride home on Sunday morning. Around noon I hear the dragonflies start towing pilots up and I expect that they are going a bit to early so I continue loading the van. OK so now at 1 pm I get in line for a tow and after waiting ten minutes and watching other pilots having soaring flights a big black cloud forms to the west of The Ranch at take offs are shut down until the rain stops. I get my T-2 under the Big Top tent so that it won't get wet for the trip home and after a couple of hours the sky looks OK again but not with cummies but I am eager to get a final flight in before loading up to go home so I ask Malcolm if he will get me into the air and he obliges. Fay gives me a good ride up to 3 grand without a beep so no soaring for me but I will have fun and I wingee it down from 3 grand and come in for a nice landing close to the breakdown area. That was only a 14 minute flight but much fun for me. In the evening, Friday and Saturday parties with live bands were at Wallaby Ranch and it was great. It has been a wonderful three weeks of flying and I have logged 33 hours of airtime. The Friday and Saturday night parties were a blast as usual. Thanks to Malcolm and Wills Wing.

Lauren Carder Entertainer Video

Jean Martin Flies His New T-2 For First Time

 Simon

3

 Kevin Byler

Larry Graves

13

 Mark Droy

Mark Herman

Peter Judd

Peter Judd

 Steve Pearson, Joe Bostic and Jay Darling

Malcolm and Tia

 Amazing Sunset At Wallaby Ranch

Jean Martin - Switzerland

 Lance

Jean Martin

Oded Kalir

Jean Martin

Lance

 Bob Lands Jean Martin's New T-2

Gaggle at Quest Swamp Sport Klassic

Bob Lands Jean Martin's t-2

Return to Hang Gliding Index

Return to Front Page