SKYDOG REPORT

SOGA Saturday December 17th, 2011

Tire removal day and Clive Beddell organized the group to help clean up a lot of old tires that were laying behind the hanger. Terry Ryan, Clive Beddell, Steve Younger and myself Bob grant gave Mac a hand to take the about seventy truck and car tires to the front lawn and put them into a large bin. Ken and Clive had previously pulled the tires out from behind the hanger so we loaded them on a trailer and brought them close the workshop and loaded them in the bin.

Steve, Mac, Clive, Terry and Mac's Pooch Rosie

Steve, Bob Mac and Terry

Bob's Bin Service

Some of those tires must have been close to 200 pounds

We filled the bin and another bin is required

The Last Load.

These Ones for the Next Bin

SKYDOG REPORT

SOGA Saturday November 5th, 2011

November 5, 2011 Gilles and I met at the SOGA field at11:30 pm and soon after Steve Younger showed up. It was another sunny day with no lift so Gilles and I took three flights each all about 20 minutes each. On Gilles last flight, I attached the new GoPro to his tip and Gilles to a nice video which is on Youtube at the link below.

SKYDOG REPORT

SOGA Tuesday November 1st, 2011

November first is forecast to be mostly sunny so Patrick O'Donnell and I arrange to fly at SOGA with fellow pilots Rick Hines, Terry Ryan and Gilles Rousell with Steve Younger towing us on this cool November day.

Terry is first off and we watch as he thermals close to the clouds at three grand and then Patrick gets a lift from Steve but as Patrick is leaving the cart his release pops open so he lands nicely and gets ready again and this time Patrick get up to 900 feet and his release pops again and soon he is on the strip again and we inspect his setup and find that he has routed the release cable too tight and it pops open when he pulls forward. Patrick gets another tow and sticks up near the clouds with my GoPro camera for a 28 minute flight. In the meantime Terry has landed and get back in line after a 35 minute flight. Next Gilles gets towed up near the clouds and has a good time for a half hour or so and Rick Hines takes off next and has the best time for today at 48 minutes. I took off last as I was setting up the camera for Patrick and my flights only lasted for 22 and 18 minutes. We all took two tows but the lift was spotty so not exceptional flights but good fun with great friends. We have a video that Patrick took while in flight and it shows a beautiful sky and Steve wingin around in front of him.

Setup Area at SOGA

Patrick Launches and the Release Lets Go

The GoPro on Patrick's Sport 2 Glider

Terry Being Towed by Steve

Terry assists Rick at Launch

Terry

Gilles Overhead

Steve Landing Te Dragonfly

Terry Landing

Patrick Skyout

SKYDOG REPORT

SOGA Friday October 7, 2011

Another fun day of flying at SOGA. John Pop and Terry Davidson joined me and Steve Younger towed us for a day of find what lift was available. It was a blue sky and Steve towed me first higher than usual looking for lift and finally I pinned off and when I got down to 2,000 feet I found a bubble back close to hwy. 6 and was able to play in it for a half hour and then I ventured over the landing area and by the time I got past the SOGA field I saw a farmer plowing his field so I ventured above him and got into some good lift that built to 500 fpm and topped out at 2,800 feet. I played around over the farmer for a long time and occasionally ventured away only to come back to the farmer's lift. Finally I worked my way over the landing area again and found nothing so I landed with one hour and thirty one minutes of Fun. While I was in the air John Pop came up and stayed for 54 minutes.

I took a second flight at about 4 pm and things worked out about the same except that this time Terry Davidson came up and we thermalled together for a half hour or so to the east of the field and then I left Terry and tried the farmer's field again and sure enough the lift was still there and this time I had got down to 1,100 feet and made it up to 3,450 feet and my flight lasted for one hour and eleven minutes. While I was thermalling over the plowed field Steve brought Maureen up and she was able to get a few good photos of me and also of Terry. It was a very challenging day for the three of us.

Skydog Wingin

Steve and Maureen

Skydog

Terry Landing

Skydog

Skydog

Steve and Maureen

Terry

Steve and Maureen

Terry

Terry

Maureen and Steve Landing

Maureen, Flash and Steve

Bob, Steve, Terry and John Pop

SKYDOG REPORT

SOGA Wednesday October 5, 2011

Another fun day of flying at SOGA. Patrick O'Donnell, Rick Hines and myself flew another blue sky day. Steve towed me up  three times and the best I could do was three half hour flights. Rick got a good one with one hour and four minutes and Patrick did 45 minutes and a shorter one also. It was a real nice day with temp around 75 degrees F. and all the sun we could handle. Maureen had a good day taking photos.

Patrick Airborne

Patrick

Rick Landing

Rick Hines Talon

Steve and Maureen

Steve and Maureen

Skydog Wingin

Gilles Ready to Land

Steve Bringing Her In

Patrick Wingin

Skydog Close

Patrick Lift Off

SKYDOG REPORT

SOGA Saturday September 24, 2011

Another great day of flying at SOGA. Bob Bonner and Steve Younger were at the field when I arrived at one pm. We were setting up and Milco Angulo arrived and then Rick Hines and Terry Davidson came along a little later. Around 2 pm we were ready to fly and Steve towed Bob B. up first and then it was my turn. Steve had a hard time finding a thermal for me and after dropping me off high I searched and finally found some good lift which got me up to 3,600 feet and I stuck with it for a while and went searching again and found a few others and landed at 41 minutes and was ready to relaunch and did so behind Rick Hines who was doing very well near Arthur so I joined him and we thermalled together for a half hour or so. Rick then went ahead into the wind and I could see that he was loosing dramatically so I stayed near Arthur and watched a sailplane trying to find lift with little success. I finally went ahead into the 15 mph wind and found another good one closer to the airstrip and took it up to base and into it to 4,035 feet. After this one I could see Rick loosing the lift and heading for the landing field. I was still searching at 2,000 feet ato but found nothing and I was heading for the field at 5:30 and landed about ten minutes after Rick with a flight of one hour and five minutes. We both must have had about the same flight time in this flight as I took off immediately after Rick was towed up. After we landed Terry Davidson took a flight and caught a good one to 3,500 feet and decided to scoot back to the field for a 35 minute flight. Milco and Bob Bonner both had two 30 minute flights.

A day to struggle and get lucky if you can.

Launch Line and Milco Angulo Landing on the Right

Terry Gets His Ultrasport onto a Cart

Rick Hines Below a Cloud

SKYDOG REPORT

SOGA Tuesday September 20, 2011

Another great day of flying at SOGA. Patrick and I started out at 8;15 and arrived at 11 am and Steve Younger had just arrived so we set up our gliders and Rick Hines came along. Patrick took off first and only stuck for 16 minutes and Steve towed me up next and I was lucky enough to stay aloft for 1 hour and 9 minutes getting up to cloudbase at 2,900 feet. I could see Rick being towed up and above me and finally after a half hour Rick after a good low fight landed. I tried to jump to another cloud street and got into too much sink and also landed. Ken Kinzie and Mark Dowsett were in the air so I took another tow and Steve took me close to where they were thermalling and I was able to get up with Ken and Mark. After an hour Mark landed so that he could join his wife for supper and ken landed a few minutes later. Patrick took a second tow and was kicked off at 800 feet and was able to stay up high for 31 minutes. I think Patrick took a third tow but was unable to stick. After an hour and twenty minutes I was running out of thermals and I got down to 1,400 feet ato but then I noticed a farmer cultivating an filed so I flew over him and luckily there was 100 to 200 feet per minute thermal and I took it to 3,300 feet and then I cruised toward a cumulous and as I arrived below it the cloud disappeared but the lift was still there This happened about six times and each time I would get up to about three grand. Finally I could not find more lift so after 2 hours and 3 minutes and at 6 pm, I swooped full speed at 600 feet above the field and did a wingover and landed. What a fun day for me.

While we were breaking down Adam appeared from a hanger on the property with his Quicksilver and he took a flight and did some touch and goes and finally drove the Quicky into the hanger.

Patrick, Ken, Rick, Terry and Steve

Patrick Pushes

Adam Takes Off Through the Bean Field

THE STEVE BELLERBY REPORT

SOGA Sunday September 11, 2011

Now, what can we say about Steve Younger as a pilot?

:)

Praise him to the heavens, I say. Wow he's got it running nice.

What a great first tow behind our new beast. My first on the lumpy bumpy east west in a long time and we were up above the trees, half way down the runway. A lot of get up and go!

Steve was patient with the ratty unworkable stuff and took us right under the nearest cloud; a b-line to the express elevator. I've never spent so much time above base in one flight.

Little pockets at the sides of clouds offered ample lift; you could go in and out and average a slow lumpy climb without disappearing in the illegal zone. At one point, I was one thousand feet above base!

More impressive was that perhaps a quarter of the flight (just shy of 4h) was at or well above base. Magic.

Thanks John, Ken and Steve for all your help in making late in the year flying possible.

We're back on the horse and I'm just so grateful. Rather than dissolving with the despair of a downed DF and a really hurt pilot, SOGA passed the hat and ponied up!

Proud o' you guys.

See you late in October if there's any real-late season action.

Steve B.

SKYDOG REPORT

SOGA Saturday September 10, 2011

Another great day of flying at SOGA. On Thursday Steve Younger with some help from me got the tug  together and then on Friday Steve went over it and finished some wiring and took it up for some test flying. Saturday Steve wrote to the list that he was ready to tow us again so five of us took part in a great day of blue sky thermals. Rick Hines took off first and then I got a lift and Steve took me close to two sailplanes that were thermalling and I flew toward them and joined them in the good lift and I was able to get well above them. I noticed that Rick took a second tow and then Terry Davidson took off followed by Giles Rousell and finally Mark Bourbonnais. This was one of Mark's first aerotow adventures. and Wow !! what a great pilot. Mark worked the thermals extremely well and got above us all and had almost two hours in the air landing last. Mark is a flying buddy of mine from twenty years ago and recently re-entered the sport. My flight continued for three hours and three minutes and most of the time I was working above the sailplanes as they were great markers. I could usually stay 500 to 1,000 feet above them but once I had one about fifty feet below me cutting the circle and diving right below me. That gave me a thrill. For the last half hour of my flight Giles and Mark were flying with me as we drifted to the west of the landing field and Giles said that he got over Arthur, Ontario and came back with no problem. There was lift most everywhere and at six pm the air was very buoyant.

A very enjoyable day.

Andrew Stakhov

Andrew Stakhov

Steve Younger Towing Andrew Stakhov