Visibility: Clear and unrestricted.

Wind: Northeast 8-14 mph.

Altitudes: 4500+ msl.

Time Aloft: -1 hours.

Max Lift 6 kts, with steady 2-4 knots.

Temperature: 85 deg, in shade on the patio.

Comment: Gusty, strong wind broke up thermals.

HIGHLIGHTS
1. Matt Conliffe, an FA-18 pilot from Lemoore, was up first this morning. He was being checked out in the Blanik. Two flights did the trick, then he went solo, found some lift, stayed up for awhile, then ended the day for himself. Next, he's bound for flight duty aboard the USS John Stennis off the coast of California. Later, we expect him to return to soaring at Avenal, along with some of his flying buddies.

2. Next up was Hanna Marlette who did an excellent job of thermalling, especially finding them, and once in awhile, turning them over to me for a bit of altitude gain. We had fun and stayed up over 45 minutes. The cross wind was beyond her solo limits so she couldn't go up alone, but next time I expect to see her flying solo all day.

3. Joe Anastasio and Jonathan Pitt rolled out the Blanik and went aloft for a nice flight. Even though it seemed the wind was breaking the thermals, they reported finding good thermal lift over the north side of Avenal, at the boundary of the Kettleman Hills.

4. The wind got a bit uglier as the day wore on and kept most of the participants in the shelter of the patio. Other than a trip to Debbie's for giant hamburgers, most shared stories and pleasantries for the remainder of the afternoon. Thus it was an ideal time to record portraits, something you may not be used to seeing here on our website. But they add a nice touch and close-ups of our great members.

5. Mid-afternoon, Tom Marcione drove to Avenal from Mission Hills in the San Fernando Valley. Tom is one of our shareholders who contributed money early on to help save the gliderport. But because of his work with the studios and various entertainment groups, he has found it difficult getting to Avenal on a regular basis. He still wants to get his Private License and may be able to this time. So today, Tom and I took a ride in the Blanik and it didn't take him long to get back some of the skills he had the last time he flew with me. Welcome back, Tom !!

6. Even with the blustering wind, Paul Hanson wanted to fly, and boarded the Blanik just after Tom and I returned. He did find some lift north of town and was able to have a reasonable flight given the conditions aloft. Paul stays overnight and plans to fly on Sunday.

7. Well, it was a disappointing day for us who have to jockey gliders all over the place. As you know, Bill Gawthrop has been most generous in allowing us the use of his Mule to move people and equipment around the gliderport. We knew that someday he'd retrieve the Mule, and this past week that happened. He and Diane moved to a new home up north near Clear Lake, lots of acreage, and probably room for an airstrip. So, we heavy heart, we bid our temporary Mule goodbye. I wonder if anyone has a similar type machine they might be interested in loaning to the Club or donating it for our use. Wouldn't that be great?


Saturday, September 16th, 2006 WEATHER Visibility: Clear and unrestricted. Wind: Northeast 8-14 mph. Altitudes: 4500+ msl. Time Aloft: -1 hours. Max Lift 6 kts, with steady 2-4 knots. Temperature: 85 deg, in shade on the patio. Comment: Gusty, strong wind broke up thermals. HIGHLIGHTS 1. Matt Conliffe, an FA-18 pilot from Lemoore, was up first this morning. He was being checked out in the Blanik. Two flights did the trick, then he went solo, found some lift, stayed up for awhile, then ended the day for himself. Next, he's bound for flight duty aboard the USS John Stennis off the coast of California. Later, we expect him to return to soaring at Avenal, along with some of his flying buddies. 2. Next up was Hanna Marlette who did an excellent job of thermalling, especially finding them, and once in awhile, turning them over to me for a bit of altitude gain. We had fun and stayed up over 45 minutes. The cross wind was beyond her solo limits so she couldn't go up alone, but next time I expect to see her flying solo all day. 3. Joe Anastasio and Jonathan Pitt rolled out the Blanik and went aloft for a nice flight. Even though it seemed the wind was breaking the thermals, they reported finding good thermal lift over the north side of Avenal, at the boundary of the Kettleman Hills. 4. The wind got a bit uglier as the day wore on and kept most of the participants in the shelter of the patio. Other than a trip to Debbie's for giant hamburgers, most shared stories and pleasantries for the remainder of the afternoon. Thus it was an ideal time to record portraits, something you may not be used to seeing here on our website. But they add a nice touch and close-ups of our great members. 5. Mid-afternoon, Tom Marcione drove to Avenal from Mission Hills in the San Fernando Valley. Tom is one of our shareholders who contributed money early on to help save the gliderport. But because of his work with the studios and various entertainment groups, he has found it difficult getting to Avenal on a regular basis. He still wants to get his Private License and may be able to this time. So today, Tom and I took a ride in the Blanik and it didn't take him long to get back some of the skills he had the last time he flew with me. Welcome back, Tom !! 6. Even with the blustering wind, Paul Hanson wanted to fly, and boarded the Blanik just after Tom and I returned. He did find some lift north of town and was able to have a reasonable flight given the conditions aloft. Paul stays overnight and plans to fly on Sunday. 7. Well, it was a disappointing day for us who have to jockey gliders all over the place. As you know, Bill Gawthrop has been most generous in allowing us the use of his Mule to move people and equipment around the gliderport. We knew that someday he'd retrieve the Mule, and this past week that happened. He and Diane moved to a new home up north near Clear Lake, lots of acreage, and probably room for an airstrip. So, we heavy heart, we bid our temporary Mule goodbye. I wonder if anyone has a similar type machine they might be interested in loaning to the Club or donating it for our use. Wouldn't that be great?
A REMINDER: ALL THE PHOTOS YOU SEE ON THIS WEBSITE ARE AVAILABLE IN LARGER PIXEL SIZES FOR PRINTING TO 8x10 OR LARGER. SEND ME AN EMAIL (hjg@pacbell.net) WITH THE NAME OF THE PHOTO AND I’LL SEND YOU THE LARGER FILE FREE. RIGHT CLICK ON THE PHOTO OF YOUR CHOICE, THEN CLICK ON “PROPERTIES”, AND A DIALOG BOX WILL APPEAR WITH THE NAME OF THE FILE AT THE TOP.