Saturday 5/12/12

The overcast burned off nicely so Aaron and I could be towed to 6000' over the East Hills of the Diablos for a Mountain High Acro Ride.  After a spin, loop and hammerhead, Aaron demonstrated how his skill and experience with R/C aircraft translated to easy piloting of the glider!  I really enjoy having a passenger take the controls and fly the aircraft for an extended period of time while getting the true feel of piloting.  Aaron should pursue training and licensing as he has the "Right Stuff":

After we landed, his mother, Carla, put on the 'chute and off we went so she could share the experience.  We went flying in the same area but Carla chose not to perform any aerobatics and just enjoyed the view.

John and Elena got in together in the rear seat and we were towed west to 8000' over the  Monterey Bay coastline by our Pawnee:

 (file pic)

Today's flight was over the fog which was still lingering over the Monterey Bay.  We could see the shoreline of Marina, Seaside and Monterey to the south as we flew over Watsonville and released for a nice glide back to Hollister.

The fog was just over the coastline leaving the area of our return trip clear:

As you can see here, Elena and John, were enjoying every minute of their time in the air:

and after landing:

selecting the chocolates to go the the champagne:

Who is that pilot?

While we were flying our rides today, six private gliders flew 4 to 5 hour flights to points  ~100 miles south of Hollister and back!  Here is the flight trace of one:

The green is the ground and the brown line is his flight path up in the thermals and down between them!  Time is Zulu or old Greenwich Mean.  Altitude is in meters.