OP
- Thread Starter
- #441
Zephyrhills Power Outages
St Petersburg power outages...
Ugly.
St Petersburg power outages...
Ugly.
-
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Soaring
- Thread starter RayDunzl
- Start date
Very glad to hear that bud, I know it got really ruff out there.
The wind and rain were howling here louder than I ever heard it.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #443
Got to the airport yesterday.
One tree would have covered a training glider had somebody not flown it (and two others) out to some hanger space at Lakeland-Linder.
Grounds after storm
One tree would have covered a training glider had somebody not flown it (and two others) out to some hanger space at Lakeland-Linder.
Grounds after storm
OP
- Thread Starter
- #444
Wow, somebody has good connections.
Four of our Club Planes in a hangar at Lakeland-Linder International, about 15 miles south of Zephyrhills:
Don't know whose hangar it is, might be a part of the EAA Sun'n'Fun facilities.
The first white one would have been crushed by the fallen tree.
Just now noticed the datk jet on the right...
Four of our Club Planes in a hangar at Lakeland-Linder International, about 15 miles south of Zephyrhills:
Don't know whose hangar it is, might be a part of the EAA Sun'n'Fun facilities.
The first white one would have been crushed by the fallen tree.
Just now noticed the datk jet on the right...
Looks like a nice hanger. Hey uuhma... I have a question. If a glider from your club lands in remote location due to unforeseen circumstances does the club come retrieve the glider or do you have to pay for that service?
OP
- Thread Starter
- #446
If you can fly it out, then the club towplane can retrieve you for a nominal fee.
If not, it's gonna be get some help and jam it in a trailer and drag it home.
My trailer is not roadworthy but I'm finally getting around to working on it, so I don't venture too far in the air. My goal on a good day can be to venture out as far as I can while remaining within a conservative gliding distance back to the airport. My most distant point was 19.4 miles, not impressive to the folks who fly hundreds of miles.
The trailer is probably 40 years old (as is the glider), wooden floor rot, rolling dolly for the fuselage needs welding, tires don't hold air, lights?, frame rot?
I've painted and patched the outside (thin fiberglass over steel frame), to help me get excited (not) about doing the functional work over the winter while it's cooler outside.
I'm hoping it will look like this when I'm done:
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IC... I never thought of the tow plane coming to the rescue but I suppose if it can land and the property owner is OK with that then a tow job it is. Are there lots of fields and farmers land that you may land upon if a emergency occurs?
OP
- Thread Starter
- #448
The nearby area is developing rapidly.
There's swamp to the northeast.
Some private grass strips to the east.
Airports and development to the south.
Basically, I don't know! Look at the map of the area and you'll have about as much idea as I have.
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OP
- Thread Starter
- #449
Four and a half days after Milton passed by...
Power outages down to 180,000 from 530,000
outage,tecoenergy.com
Don't understand the long green areas, must be a glitch in their software.
Audio Buddy is still out, so that sucks for him and family.
Power outages down to 180,000 from 530,000
outage,tecoenergy.com
Don't understand the long green areas, must be a glitch in their software.
Audio Buddy is still out, so that sucks for him and family.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #450
Audio Buddy is back online, noon today, four and a half days outage.
Still 140,000 out for TECO
Some traffic lights are still out or acting strangely.
Today, headed east on green, traffic turning south from the east either had a solid green turn or it never changed from red, anyway, they were streaming across my path.
Still 140,000 out for TECO
Some traffic lights are still out or acting strangely.
Today, headed east on green, traffic turning south from the east either had a solid green turn or it never changed from red, anyway, they were streaming across my path.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #451
Weather has been eratic recently, too windy, too cloudy.
One of the poor days was allocated to the required Annual Inspection. No problems found.
Saturday, went up and came right back down for a fifteen minute flight. Others stayed up. I don't like to "try again", so just helped out on the ground.
Sunday, flew four hours,
Monday isn't usually a flying day, but we did, "Veteran's Day".
Flew with two others for a while. Never could overtake them.
Got a late start.
A young guy survived his first solo flight...
Strange photo artifact in front of the face of the guy on the right.
And then the tow plane had a problem.
Finally took off about 1:25 and landed about 5:10pm for 3 hours 45 minutes.
I like late day flights. Last one down, again.
One of the poor days was allocated to the required Annual Inspection. No problems found.
Saturday, went up and came right back down for a fifteen minute flight. Others stayed up. I don't like to "try again", so just helped out on the ground.
Sunday, flew four hours,
Monday isn't usually a flying day, but we did, "Veteran's Day".
Flew with two others for a while. Never could overtake them.
Got a late start.
A young guy survived his first solo flight...
Strange photo artifact in front of the face of the guy on the right.
And then the tow plane had a problem.
Finally took off about 1:25 and landed about 5:10pm for 3 hours 45 minutes.
I like late day flights. Last one down, again.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #452
Saturday and Sundaywere "Blue" days, no clouds anywhere, so no hints in the sky where the lift was located. So you look to the ground to imagine where the air is being heated.
My tow to 3,000 feet Saturday only gave 42 minutes, but I think it was the longest flight of the day, Wind was chopping up the thermals, just making things impossible.
Today there was no wind to speak of, so it was possible to get up once a thermal was found, and I got the longest flight at three hours after a two eo 2000 feet..
There was an "inversion", somehow a warmer air mass is over cooler air closer to the ground. Normally the air temperature drops with more altitude.
The effect of that on us glider pilots is to put an invisible cap on how high you get to go. You'll be in some nice rising air then it just stops working. Usually cloud base indicates the limit, and you get to see what you're working with, and where to head fot the next ride up.
There was some kind of fire about 10 miles away, watched the smoke all afternoon. The heated smoky air rises and cools, then hits the barrier of warmer air above, stopping its ascent, just like the thermals we fly in. The smoke (and thermal) spreads out at the top, not so much because of wind, but just spreading out against its ceiling.
Smoke at 1:45pm, me topped out around 3300 feet.
What a nasty mess of trying to claw my way up on the display. Around and around, and adjust, and go around some more, catching heat from the parking lots of the big box stores below.
Headed in for landing at the end of the day, 4:30pm.
Barograph for Sunday
57% of the time spent circling.
An easier day will give around 25% to 30% of the flight time circling.
My tow to 3,000 feet Saturday only gave 42 minutes, but I think it was the longest flight of the day, Wind was chopping up the thermals, just making things impossible.
Today there was no wind to speak of, so it was possible to get up once a thermal was found, and I got the longest flight at three hours after a two eo 2000 feet..
There was an "inversion", somehow a warmer air mass is over cooler air closer to the ground. Normally the air temperature drops with more altitude.
The effect of that on us glider pilots is to put an invisible cap on how high you get to go. You'll be in some nice rising air then it just stops working. Usually cloud base indicates the limit, and you get to see what you're working with, and where to head fot the next ride up.
There was some kind of fire about 10 miles away, watched the smoke all afternoon. The heated smoky air rises and cools, then hits the barrier of warmer air above, stopping its ascent, just like the thermals we fly in. The smoke (and thermal) spreads out at the top, not so much because of wind, but just spreading out against its ceiling.
Smoke at 1:45pm, me topped out around 3300 feet.
What a nasty mess of trying to claw my way up on the display. Around and around, and adjust, and go around some more, catching heat from the parking lots of the big box stores below.
Headed in for landing at the end of the day, 4:30pm.
Barograph for Sunday
57% of the time spent circling.
An easier day will give around 25% to 30% of the flight time circling.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #453
Had a 14 year old solo this weekend...
Dad is an Airline Captain, 18y/o brother competed in Poland this summer.
Dad is an Airline Captain, 18y/o brother competed in Poland this summer.
That is sooo cool!
OP
- Thread Starter
- #455
Soaring weather has been rather poor lately, shorter flights, not enough height to go anywhere, and unflyable days (like yesterday).
So I've been working on my old Trailer, a few hours a week since October when the summer heat abated..
New wheels, wooden flooring repair, lights still work, a lot of rust removal and painting outside inside and underneath.
Next need to figure out how the glider is to be restrained inside the trailer.
And finally, get a license tag for it and put a trailer hitch on the car.
Might take it to Cordele, Georgia, in May. Our club helps the club there put on a contest, and has some days of "learn to fly cross-country" beforehand. I'm not interested in the contesting part, being totally outclassed in both equiment and experience.
So I've been working on my old Trailer, a few hours a week since October when the summer heat abated..
New wheels, wooden flooring repair, lights still work, a lot of rust removal and painting outside inside and underneath.
Next need to figure out how the glider is to be restrained inside the trailer.
And finally, get a license tag for it and put a trailer hitch on the car.
Might take it to Cordele, Georgia, in May. Our club helps the club there put on a contest, and has some days of "learn to fly cross-country" beforehand. I'm not interested in the contesting part, being totally outclassed in both equiment and experience.
Enjoy the cross-country-education and join OLC: there is a factor for every airplane that is known, and it's independant from whereever you are on the globe.
OP
- Thread Starter
- #457
The weather is improving.
It's been all blue with a low "mixing height", or high overcast (some high cirrus is over the top left), or just all gray, or too windy, or whatever too much recently.
Spring and late spring gives some of the best days around here. My 8509 foot "record" was last May 29. Most distant flight was a little before that.
Wednesday afternoon, 80F on the ground, light to calm wind, cruising to the next cloud group at 4000 feet and 80mph.
My "closest to my parking spot" rollout ever, about 10 steps away, as the gliders in the row normally in front of me weren't parked yet...
That close, I can just pull it in manually, no need for a golf cart tow.
It's been all blue with a low "mixing height", or high overcast (some high cirrus is over the top left), or just all gray, or too windy, or whatever too much recently.
Spring and late spring gives some of the best days around here. My 8509 foot "record" was last May 29. Most distant flight was a little before that.
Wednesday afternoon, 80F on the ground, light to calm wind, cruising to the next cloud group at 4000 feet and 80mph.
My "closest to my parking spot" rollout ever, about 10 steps away, as the gliders in the row normally in front of me weren't parked yet...
That close, I can just pull it in manually, no need for a golf cart tow.