Saturday 4/23/11 rides

I found my camera batteries exhausted when I tried to take a pic of my passengers, Srinivas and Bhuvana, on my early morning Silver Hawk ride over the lush green hills to the east of the airport.  Their camera worked and they said they'd email me the pics but I haven't received them yet.  So if you're reading this, then please send the pics so I can make you famous!

A group of four for two rides had to cancel for a "pet emergency"!  I'm a cat owner so I know what that can mean.  I hope they reschedule soon as the ground is so beautiful at this time.

Stephanie said her mother told her what fun she had on her ride so she brought Andrew down from San Jose area for a Hollister Hop:

 After landing I had her get in the front seat for a photo op!

My 4 hour ride with Matt in the DG-1000

I had no commercial rides scheduled for the day and Matt said, "I've got an empty rear seat, do you want to go?".  I've had some great flights with him and of course I said yes!

Here is the GPS trace of our 4 hour 200 mile flight:

12:45 off tow 6K looking at cloud street marking the path south:

30 min of porpoise flying gets us over the Panoche airstrip:

600 fpm climb to 8K and we're heading southeast again:

at cloudbase, cruising @70-80 Knots 2pm:

45 min later at 2:45 we're at 6.8K and decide to turn back:

Matt likes the pics of the interesting cloud formations at 3pm:

  
checking the GPS:

Looking out from under the clouds toward the San Joaquin Valley:

At 3:25 we're back over Panoche on our return to Hollister:

Such crazy clouds, San Luis Reservoir to the north:

We picked up bugs on the leading edges:

Low over the Quien Sabe Valley looking at Fremont Peak in the distance:

The air, as Matt likes to say, was "Buoyant" and we lazed around the airport landing half an hour later.  I'd like to be able to give others rides like this.  All that is required is more skill and the use of this great glider!

Friday 4/15 rides

Tax day?  NO, a beautiful day for a glider ride, just ask these people!

The milky sea air is visible to the right going up the Salinas Valley on the other side of Fremont Peak and the Gabilans.  Rob looks back at Hollister while we fly towards the Hollister Hills where he rides dirt bikes:

Cameron is taking pictures of his business property adjacent to the airport:

Naina and Ashu chose the ride to Monterey Bay:

Monterey peninsula while over Prunedale:

The "heads-up-display" yaw string looks strange above the tow-plane but once off tow it is used to keep the glider flying strait as there are no lines to follow in the sky!  Moss Landing and Elkhorn Slough are ahead and below:

The north end of the bay with Watsonville in the Pajaro River Valley and Santa Cruz in the distance:

Naina could start flying lessons now because even at 12 she can reach all the controls!  At 14 she could solo and at 16 get her Private Pilot Glider license.  Then she could take her dad for a ride!

Thur 4/14 rides

Dennis came out for his ride today to be towed by Charlie in the Pawnee who after release came by to fly with us:

 Odd that Dennis should have the FDNY cap on with the warning on the rear.  When we were on tow we were 200 ft behind the top-plane!

Charlie making like a tow-pilot on the ground!

The rain makes it all so green:

Julie hadn't been in a small plane since her days in MN as a student pilot in a C-152 and she was excited:

That beautiful smile says all:

Yeah, I think I'd like to do more of this!

4/9 Rides & X/C flights

Sat morning at 10:30 and pilots are putting together their gliders for the expected good day of cross-country soaring.

1CH, C5, & BG pictured here:

ER, VN, 5KM, 9JH, 6DS and 87R were also in the air.

I gave 5 rides while the private and BASA club glider pilots flew nice flights of 3 to 5 hour duration.  I heard on the radio that someone had seen two condors and a flight of six eagles.  BG(Buzz) & 5KM(Matt & Lisa) flew 7 hours and over 600K to the CA valley and back:

While the cross-country pilots were flying, these people had their exposure to motor-less flight:

Tai & Ming

Clara & John

Brian & John

Alex & Andrew

Mimi & Guy

One of my rides was a Mile High to 6000' over the East Ridge of the Diablos.  We saw two eagles while on tow and were above the clouds while watching the towplane return to Hollister:

Great visibility day for Monterey Bay ride

Gerry and Donna were staying in their motorhome at the city facility located on the airport when they decided to use the gift certificate that their children gave to them.  Quest towed in the Pawnee and we followed behind in Schweizer 2-32, N9864E to 8000 feet over Moss Landing.

After releasing from the towplane we slowed to about 55mph.  This is the view looking NW with Santa Cruz at the top of the Monterey Bay:

Donna said one of her children was in a house below in the Pajaro Dunes
development on the shore with the Pajaro River flowing to the bay:

Donna and Gerry fit quite comfortably behind me and were properly equipped with white hats, shirts and good sunglasses:

Looking back towards the Hollister airport from whence we came 20 miles we can see the snow-covered crest of the Sierras across the San Joaquin valley on the other side of the Diablo range.

Looking up the Salinas valley with Mt Toro, the Carmel valley and the Santa Lucia coastal range with snow on top of Junipera Sera east of Big Sur:

After landing Donna jumped over into the front cockpit and Gerry gave the thumbs-up for our taxi back to the tie-down: