Sunday September 22nd. Fall Postfrontal Day

WEATHER
Visibility: Clear
Wind: Light
Altitudes: 5k or so with clouds
Time Aloft:
Max Lift: 4 knots
Temperature:  81
Comment:  Student "makeup" day from missed Saturday.
Tow pilot: Andrew Oullet and Dan Gudgel

---

Holy Cow, look at the Cu!  Not real high, but nicely spaced and light winds.

Dan Gudgel to the Rescue

With all of our instructors otherwise occupied on Saturday, no students were able to fly thanks to insurance rules requiring a CFIG on the field.  Dan shifted his normal Sunday routine around to enable the students to get some airtime and training in.

Here is his report:

Classic post-frontal Fall Day at Avenal!  

Cool air aloft associated with the cold-frontal passage the evening before combined with a still warm 

lapse temperature conditions by the late morning hours.  

Thank to Andrew Oullett who towed for the second consecutive day provided services for the field.  Keith Curry and Joe Wesley arrived relatively early by 9:15AM and prepared both SGS 2-33s for flight. 

Thereafter, Keith took a few tows and by 11AM thermal trigger was occurring for 

sustained flight with a few cumulus popping. Scattered cloud bases started at 3500 feet 

AGL but rose through the early afternoon hours to 5,000 feet AGL.  In the meantime Joe 

Wesley took a couple of high instructional flights with CFI Dan Gudgel.  

Keith on final for 31.  What a sky!

With soaring conditions looking solid Steve Kane made an appearance and took soaring flights in the 

club SGS 1-26.  Following Keith and Joe’s morning flights, Tom Nichols got in a nice soaring instructional flight in excess of an hour with cloud-marked thermals typically at 3-4kt and some at 6kts. 

With his last quarter of university school looming, Andrew wanted to get current in a glider (after some consistent towing over 2 days).  Dan Gudgel stepped in and took him for a couple of pattern tows and then a higher tow during the early afternoon.  Subsequently, Andrew made a couple of climbs to 5,000 feet AGL for a nice sustained flight over an hour.  

Come to think of it, Andrew needs to be awarded a “B” Badge for his accomplishment today!  Flying sorties were completed by 3PM and per forecasts the sky turned “blue” but thermals were likely still going over 6,000 feet MSL during the late afternoon based on temperature and continued dust devil activity.