Linda Salamone's Blog

Sunday, September 30, 2007

I haven't updated this in a while- been busy! I have had a few decent flights, however, yesterday's has inspired me to write it up.
But I have to start with Friday, September 28th...
I had Lasik!!!! A belated birthday present from Mark, I was a perfect candidate for the simplest surgery and when I went for my follow up on Saturday morning- just 24 hours post-op- I had 20/20 vision. Besides the halos I see at night (I can expect those to go away), everything went decidedly perfect. It is by far the best gift I ever got- perfect eyesight! Yeah well I said perfect a lot but that's what I mean!!!!! When Mark has his eyes done, he'll need at least 5 days off of his entire life so we'll try to get that done this winter. We'll probably need to borrow a seeing eye dog for then!
so...
Saturday, September 29- Hammondsport
So I am not supposed to get any water or blasts of wind in my eyes, or let them dry out at all. I guess that flap thingie can come un-flapped if things get super dry. Wearing my LasikMD shades, and lubed up with all kinds of drops, I was undecided about trying to fly. It didnt look primo so I drove a while for the folks doing the ridge buffing early. The second trip down to the LZ had me getting anxious- things were improving and I really wanted the bragging rights of flying a hang glider the day after Lasik surgery- I mean- how often does THAT happen? Since the air was mild and the flights were short, I estimated the risk to be manageable. So I set up my glider. Everyone was milling about and hang waiting when I was done.
After Jack launched the tandem, I got in the slot, pushing Ed out. I saw 5 or 6 hawks WAAAAAY up high under a cloud to the left of launch, but pretty still out front. Another hawk climbing up from the valley floor in front now- but deader on launch. I launched as hard as I could, pulled in for speed, and dove low towards the trees below, then let out and headed for the hawk. He went squawking away and I started turning, slow climb at first but it was wide, and soon it turned into 4-500fpm and at 2K over I though about my eyes. They were watering ( a good thing) and I could see great. At 4K over I was very cold- I had left my gloves behind. I pulled my sleeves over my hands and then I noticed a scary thing- I couldnt see so well anymore. I blinked and blinked. Really foggy. I panicked a little. I looked around and felt no pain in my eyes, but still a uniform fog was everywhere I looked. Oh shit I better get down! I flew straight toward the valley, blinking and tearing up, and suddenly, all was clear. I turned back and saw the cloud that I had been under. Wow. Guess I was a little close??? I went back to it, and flew the street all the way back to the west bowl. I saw PGs and HGs on the ridge, a few were landing. I told Mark I would land on top and he was stuck in line on launch. The whole sky dried up as I made a sweeping pass all around, burned off the rest of the altitude and landed (didnt even drop the nose!) on top. Katrin arrived with my car soon after and I just have to say that word one more time- PERFECT!
Airtime- 45 minutes
Alt over launch- 4200'

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

finally getting this one up:

Sunday September 2, 2007
Ron was at my house at the crack of dawn after bagging flying the day before. Saturday was just too iffy for me to leave the work on the house behind for a day. I got as much painting done as I could Saturday, so Sunday would have to be my day for flying. We left pretty early and took our time getting our gear into launch. The road looks wider and better since Dick has done some work on it, but the carry in is still just as long. The forecast was for a SSW wind but I saw it change to WSW at 1pm on the FSL maps. Karl and Katrin were with Gary Ward down in the LZ and they headed up after finding us already on launch. Katrin and I were studying the sock at 12:55. Very South-Southwest. Ugh. But she reminded me that I said at 1pm it would come around. I was all set up, as was Ron, but we wanted dummies- I mean ‘wind technicians’ and Karl got in the slot. At 1:12pm it just starts to come STFI and Karl launches. He does okay for a bit and I get into the slot. I waited all through Gary’s prodding, all through some pretty ok cycles, and soon enough, watched Karl land downwind to the south in the LZ. Gary is getting frustrated with my “root boots” but I am still being patient. Finally I see what I was waiting for: a hawk climbing out in the valley to the south. I had not much to launch with and did one of my really fast, low launches, but it was very buoyant on the way away from the hill and I headed to where I had seen the hawk. It wasn’t enough to stay up in however, and I was desperately turning tight below launch altitude to make it turn into something. I made a pass towards launch and noticed above me some more hawks headed south and I turned and followed underneath them. They had nothing! I gave up and flew back in front (and well below) of launch and went to wave bye-bye to go land…. Then I hit something good! I cranked around and after just a few turns found myself above launch and climbing at a solid 800fpm all the way to 5000’msl. Yeeehaw!!! I watched Ron in the slot forever, and then flew around to wait for him. It was a little rough but not too bad- high pressure and all- and cloudless. Ron finally launched and some PGs launched and I tried to get Ron’s attention, but he didn’t see me. After an hour I figured if he really wanted to go XC, we’d have to go soon. I had told him earlier to just head north (very landable) and I would stay with him. I had to lose a bunch of altitude just to get him to see me, then we started to fly together a little. He left the mountain when he wasn’t very high, but oh well, time to go. Over the Lock Stock and Barrel it was lifty but not booming and we were mostly just maintaining. Lots of good landing fields below us anyhow and Ron didn’t seem too stressed out. In fact, he was doing a little better than me, but I was staying more in the valley, not in the hills. At one point I left him in search of something better right over the town of Bristol and when I looked back- I was losing and he was either gaining or staying neutral so I had a little field picked out. I knew I’d never hear the end of it if he got up and went further but oh well, time to land! But when I got near the store, I saw another hawk and he got me back up to 5300’ msl while Ron landed way atop the hill to the east of town, I watched him land as my drift took me right over him. I started to look around at my options, and not wanting to be a big pain in the butt about retrieval, I thought I’d go land with him. But I changed my mind when I saw the Canandaigua airport and headed there instead. I had another opportunity to climb out but I’d been flying for 2 hours and Emily was back at Bristol Mountain so I ended it over a big field by Mercy Flight. Some really nice old woman came out and offered assistance and a lot of people stopped to chat. Bob was just packing up his glider after a flight at FLAP and he agreed to get me back to my car and kid. Ron would just have to rot for awhile (payback’s a bitch!) but we went and got him anyways.
Katrin was in the air when we all got back to Bristol, Gary, Karl and Scott in the LZ. A few very interested people chatting about lessons, too. We headed over to Lock Stock and did the whole socializing thing up right. Extra crispy garlic wings to go for Mark and Adam, and a short drive home… Sweet day of flying in a month of rare flights.
Airtime: 1:56
Altitude: 5300’ msl (forgot to zero on launch)


 
aLE7l6GO