I had a great time at last weekend's Potato Hill Fly-In where we all met some new folks and caught up with old friends. As usual, we had plenty of chicken, chocolate, and wine to accompany the great campfire conversations. We had decent westerlies aloft so the flying was a bit interesting and perhaps a bit uncomfortable. Regardless, several had long soaring flights on Saturday. Sunday started out a bit breezy and I haven't heard if anyone braved the stronger winds as Whitney and I left early and went wine tasting with Josh and Cherie.

With regards to this month's issue, we had some accidents in May that Ann profiles. It's not surprising that the bulk of them were out at the coast where we tend to take lightly the highly technical nature of this site.

Rich was prolific in his writing as he compiled the minutes from the last meeting, pulled together several reports and pictures from our club activities and events, and even had time to write up a trip report on Tumey Hills. Thanks Rich!

The Anderson Flats Fly-In was a huge success in terms of the flying and camaraderie and many thanks to Kim for sharing her thoughts.

Lastly, Craig offers up some insights on flying with friends. He and his alumni group have flown at just about every northern California site and have ventured into Oregon, Southern Cal, and now he is in Utah. I'm envious of his first year of flying.

Next month should be a great issue. On tap are a couple small stories and experiences from pilots upgrading from their first wing. If you have done so and would like to contribute, please send me a note in the next two weeks (by June 14) at editor@sfbapa.org.

2005 is shaping up to be a great flying year. In spite of and because of the late inclement weather, conditions have been good at the coast and inland on many days. This year it's been lifty and lovely at Mission, Diablo, even Ed Levin, and straight in, smooth-as-silk at the coast. It's about time for one of our really stellar years where all sites provide consistently good flying.

One thing about good conditions is that more people come out to fly. The Mussel Rock Area (a.k.a. the Dump) has been pretty crowded on weekends this spring. After a sparse winter, everyone is itching to fly and lots of visiting pilots are showing up too. Crowded sites mean we need to be extra cautious.

We had three incidents at the Dump that I'm aware of in May. The first, on May 1, involved a less-experienced pilot who moved to the Bay Area fairly recently. The flying conditions were on the light side but soarable for most with experience. The fact that experienced local pilots can bench up does not mean that everyone else will. Pilots are wise to stay within the range of their site familiarity, flying experience and skills.

At the time of the first incident on May 1, the beach was sizeable but the tide was coming in. The pilot, according to an eyewitness, was scratching close to the cliff at old road level north of the big gap (Avalon Canyon) at Westlake. The pilot was deep in the brakes and giving a lot of input, apparently trying to fly slowly and close to the cliff. At one point, the pilot stalled one side of the glider and this caused him to spin into the cliff. He ended up slightly below the old road, just north of where the road cut ends.

Two pilots flying south from the Stables saw the pilot on the cliff, standing up and moving around, gathering his gear. The pilots in the air checked out the terrain and yelled to the pilot on the cliff to climb up to the old road. Once there, it was a level walk back to the gap, and then an easy walk down to the beach and back to the Dump. At this time there was plenty of beach to walk on.

However, the pilot on the cliff decided to slide down the face of the cliff bringing him to a sheer 15 to 20 foot drop off. This was why the pilots in the air told him to climb up rather than go down.

The pilot threw his gear down to the beach. Then he followed with his body. When he first landed he stood up but then sat down and yelled that he was hurt and needed help. Three pilots landed to assist.

Dave Sondergeld called the National Park Service Dispatch number on his cell phone. This number is one worth programming in to your cell phone if you fly at the coast. The number is (415) 561-5505.

Two other numbers you should have are:

Daly City Fire Department - 650-991-8092

Daly City Police - 650-991-8119

*** Please note that dialing 911 from a cell phone at the Dump often results in a long routing delay so it is better to dial one of these direct numbers.

The beach is controlled by the GGNRA so a ranger was on site a short while later. Soon the Fire Department and paramedics were on the scene as well. Eventually a Coast Guard helicopter air lifted the pilot to Stanford Medical Center which is a trauma center.

A later report said that the pilot had a few broken ribs and was at home recovering.

Several items worth noting regarding this incident:

a) Scratching close, particularly if you don't have much experience flying the site, flying the coast and flying in general is risky. Pilots do it, instructors don't recommend it - it's a choice you make but if you're going to do it, you probably want to have lots of flying experience and work up to getting closer gradually once you have really good canopy control and are really familiar with the site after flying it for years.

b) Only go to Westlake when there is enough beach to land on - the pilot would have been in even more trouble if there wasn't much beach - we were down there for about 1.5 hours during which time the water was gradually getting higher.

c) Listen to pilots who are trying to assist - people in the air may have a much better view than you do on the cliff of what the terrain looks like and what the best escape route is.

d) Don't panic and don't rush - take your time making a decision.

e) Call NPS Dispatch if you need help down on the beach (415) 561-5505.

f) Carry a cell phone and have the emergency numbers programmed in.

g) Dress appropriately for flying - the pilot was wearing a T shirt and running shorts which did not help to prevent lacerations or exposure.

h) Remember that site access is precious. We don't want to have lots of incidents where we need to call Emergency services - it costs money to the city or park service, possibly to you if you have to pay for evacuation and it calls negative attention to our flying. People don't intentionally crash, but it's a good idea to try to fly safely.

The second incident at the Dump was on the same day and I don't know too much about what happened. What I did hear is that a local pilot tried to launch in the big gap very late in the day after sinking out to the not-very-big beach. The wind had gotten light and the pilot hoped to re-launch and fly back to the Dump. However, the pilot was unable to bench up and ended up on the beach. His wing went in the surf. He was, luckily, able to get detached from the wing and to get the wing out of the water. However, the wing too heavy (with sand and water) to retrieve and it was dark out. The pilot stashed the wing and came back with someone to help him the carry it out the next day.

A few observations on this incident -

a) If there is little or no beach, sinking out can be life-threatening. Years ago a pilot drowned in the cove between Cheetah Ridge and the Dump. Going in the water or having your wing go in is a very serious situation.

b) Carry a cell phone. Another pilot was out looking for the first pilot until 9:00 p.m. but could not locate the pilot in the dark. The pilot in question was not carrying a cell phone so he could not let people know that he was OK. In addition, if you need to call for emergency help, a cell phone can be critical.

The third incident occurred on May 7. An eye witness reported that a newer P2 pilot was flying in front of Westlake for about half an hour. The lift got light or the pilot flew out of the lift and was sinking out toward the beach. The pilot's former instructor talked to the pilot on radio and suggested that the pilot try to make it back to land on the lower road at the Dump. The pilot did not quite make it and hit the rocks on the lower road resulting in a broken ankle.

Some observations on this accident -

a) The pilot's instructor was not sure if there was enough beach to land on so that was why he suggested the pilot try to make it back to the Dump to land. All pilots should be careful about going to Westlake when the beach is limited. On a crowded day when many people are trying to bench up, it is dangerous not having adequate beach. Newer pilots are less aware of their glide and how much lift they need and where to find lift. Coming in to land early may be a good idea when the air gets crowded or the tide gets higher.

b) Be aware of a wind gradient. On some days it can feel quite calm at Tomcat and Lemmings launches but once you are in the air, there is a lot of lift and a nice wind. When you come in to land you may feel the usual wind resistance and then suddenly as you descend the last 5 to 10 feet, the air is much more still. This means that you sink faster and come in harder than you might expect. It's possible that the pilot felt a certain amount of wind and lift as they came in to land and then the last few feet, found they were sinking faster than expected and ended up hitting the rocks rather than making it to the road.

c) Be careful when the site is crowded. If conditions are light, having too many gliders in the air can mean that not everyone will stay up. It takes timing, strategic positioning and thinking ahead for multiple gliders to share minimal lift. Because this is complex and doesn't always work out, it's important to have safe landing zones available if you sink out.

The final incident that I know of in May occurred during a SAT. The pilot was in the midst of performing the maneuver and broke his arm. From the pilot's description of the event, everything was going along as normal and then when he pulled with the inside control to go into the SAT, he heard a snap and soon realized that his arm was broken. One possibly significant aspect of this was that the pilot was doing the SAT on his XL glider. He noted that there was a lot of pressure doing the maneuver indicating that he was going into the SAT too late. Another person said that the pilot may want to check that his bone density is normal - this reminded Wally of an old time hang glider pilot who broke bones on several soft landings. It turned out that his doctor had warned him to be careful because he had low bone density.

So there you have it. I hope everyone has a great flying year. Please keep in mind that there is no rush. Set your own goals, fly within your comfort and skill level. Each pilot is different and each pilot has individual skills, experience and operating parameters. Fly often and try to fly safely.

The old saying is that April showers bring May flowers. This year has been a little different than the recent past in that April showers have brought more May showers. Rain is both a curse and a blessing for pilots: a curse when the rain keeps you from flying but a blessing in the weather conditions on either side of the rain fronts - and that the hills are still green in late May.

The last month or so has been especially good for us with excellent flying conditions. Lapse rates have been good and the wind has been coming straight in at the right speeds. There have been many stories floating around about great trips and flights of late; here are just a few of them.

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Gregg Hackett plus three other PG pilots and two HG pilots showed up at Elk between two early May systems. After a short wait on launch cloud base moved up and they were able to get away and fly the plentiful clouds. The HG's made it out to Bachelor Valley where one of them lived nearby, a few of the PG pilots landed in the LZ after good flights, and Gregg crashed (not literally) a birthday party being held in a park 8.3 miles from Elk.

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We have had many excellent flying days out at Mussel Rock Park (the Dump) and the Stables - some of them even on the weekend! Good wind conditions combined with buoyant air have made for some fat air where you can get as high as you want and safely fly the entire areas.

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Another long-time HG site, Wild Ass, was initiated recently by PGs. Tom Moock, along with Peter, Susan, Josh, Jug, Eric tried out the site for first time with HG pilots Ben, Wayne, and Charlie. This site is much more challenging than the recently explored Goat because the landing options are so scarce. The LZ requires crossing something that the HG's have named the Valley of Death (VoD) because there is simply no place for them to put down there. Several of the PG pilots landed in the VoD without incident, one landed in the next valley and two made it out to the designated LZ, which is a water hole in the Panoche Valley about 20 miles out from launch.

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There are a few BAPA events in the coming weeks. The Spring fly-in at Potato is happening the weekend of May 21^st and 22^nd. The June meeting will be back at the Summit Pointe Clubhouse in Milpitas, rather than Roundtable Pizza - thanks Ann for making that happen. The Thermal Clinic featuring Tom Moock is happening the weekend of June 4. Sorry folks - it's full. And, finally, the June Social XC meet will be held the weekend of June 11^th and 12^th.

Lots of excellent flying weather and at least three new sites explored - I would say that 2005 is off to a great start!

Our instructors at Advanced Paragliding encouraged us to fly as often and safe as possible during our first year in order to cement in the basics. Then, after the first year consider backing off to live a balanced life. Well, about seven of us took these words very seriously. In fact, we have been getting together about every weekend at one place or another since starting our class. Where the weather appears to be best is where we intend to go for the most part.

I really look forward to each weekend of flying but when I fly without my alumni it's just not as fun. We've become a very tight knit group and feed off each others' adventures in paragliding. In fact, we try to go everywhere together. We mainly stick around the Bay Area, however every three day weekend we get away from home. In the last year, we have been to Ed Levin a ton, Pacifica a bunch and visited places like Elk Mountain, Woodrat, Hat Creek, Potato Hill, Torry Pines, Big Sur, Sand City, Morro Bay in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Talpalpa in Mexico, Enleau's maneuvers clinic, and soon Demo Days in Utah this May.

Fortunately, paraglider pilots are one BIG family and have welcomed us newcomers with open arms. This didn't surprise me too much because I belong to another large family (firefighters) through work and understand how a common interest bonds people.

When my dad came out to visit Ed Levin to see me fly, he was truly taken back on how nice everyone was. At the end of the day, he said, "Now I know why you hang around and talk about these people all the time". You have to understand, this is from a critical man who rarely compliments anything … this made a HUGE impression on him to say something.

I'd say our instructors have succeeded in teaching us to become just like them ... obsessed with flying and the people who go along with it. I have to say that I really love you all very much, not only for helping me to learn this wonderful dream/sensation of a sport but, more importantly, having all you great people to call as my friends. God forbid, but if I die now I'd say I have lived life to the fullest and the thanks goes to my instructors, our alumni, and all the other paraglider friends I have made along the way.

Sincerely,

Craig

The annual spring fly-in at Anderson Flats has become a BAPA tradition, thanks to the gracious hospitality of Gene Pfeiffer. Gene has spent a lot of time exploring the area in and around Yosemite, so it was no surprise to those who know him that he would work hard to find a flying site near his family's cabin.

It's been almost ten years since Gene and a small group of dedicated PG pioneers first flew this site. In the early days, the fly-in attracted a larger number of pilots. In recent years, the number of attendees has decreased, but there has always been a good combination of both new and experienced pilots in search of an opportunity to fly at a beautiful, albeit technically challenging, site. A big part of the attraction to those of us who attend the fly-in every year is the chance to hang out and party at Gene's lovely cabin in the woods.

This year we were blessed with two good flying days for the fly-in. It was pretty cloudy on both days and, thankfully, the clouds created a lot of lift, but not too much turbulence. The conditions at launch were light to moderate, with a slight crosswind. We started launching at around noon on both days and the flights were in the thirty-minute to two-hour range. All of the pilots, from P2s to P4s, were happy with their flights, although some complained that they had to land because of the cold. The best lift appeared to be over the launch area. The sky gods got to over 7,500' and reports were that it was more turbulent as you got higher up. Some had to use big ears and speed bar to stay out of the clouds. The conditions in the LZ were reasonable, except for the usual "all of a sudden, I just dropped in" comments -- typical for this LZ.

Saturday was the first day of fishing season and Mike caught three trout, which we enjoyed as an appetizer. There were a bunch of ATV enthusiasts there on Saturday, so it was a bit noisy, but Sunday was peaceful, if you could ignore the occasion shotgun sounds in the distance. There were lots of wildflowers and, of course, lots of smiles. Thanks to Gene and the rest of the pilots and friends for the excellent food and camaraderie. I'll look forward to going back for next year's fly-in!

Tumey Hills ... the name has a nice ring to it. The weather for the first weekend of March was looking promising and after a long, wet winter the thought of getting my feet off the ground in some far off green hills was all that was needed for motivation. So a group of us decided to put a trip together for the following day to explore the flying possibilities at Tumey Hills.

The ride down to the turn off of I-5 near Fresno was long but we were hyped about the trip and when we finally turned onto the dirt road from I-5, Wayne, Walter, Mark, Stephen, Ivan, and I knew the fun was about to start.

Did I mention that it had been a wet winter? That "dirt" road was really a mud road and, even though the sun was out, the flat parts of the road were saturated so we were floating and fishtailing most of the way to the Tumey Hills park entrance.

We bailed out of the trucks and everyone was jacked. The electric blue sky, the long green grass waving in the breeze coming through the valley we just traveled through, and the small convection clouds forming over the ridge behind us was just what the doctor ordered.

After taking in our surroundings and talking it over we decided the breeze was coming through strong enough that the ridge behind was would be a good start. If nothing else it would be a good opportunity to get in a first flight and give us a better vantage point to view the surrounding hills. Besides, the banks of the creek we would have to cross to get to the higher hills were looking like they needed a little more time in the sun before the creek would be passable.

We took the main around, parked Wayne's truck at the top of the hill, and began what would be our first hike of the day. Once we got out front there seemed to be one small place that looked best for launching. It was a steep ridge and a flat top so it was a little tricky because you had to get your wing up into the gradient, stabilize it, and then get away. Everyone launched safely for fun, if short, first flights.

By the time we all landed and wolfed down the Subway sandwiches we had picked up in Gilroy, it was time to have a go at the creek and the hills beyond. We weren't exactly sure which way to go but Wayne had a waypoint that Tim had given him from a previous trip so we had a beacon to head toward. Scouting potential launches all the way up, we navigated to a spot very near Tim's waypoint.

From the top the view was fantastic. Behind us (to the west), on the other side of a valley, we could see cummies running along the length of the much higher hills where the Goat and Wild Ass launches are. Beautiful, green, rolling hills were on either side and to the front with the Central Valley visible eastward in the distance.

What followed next was essentially a hike and huck fest. The glide from where we were to the LZ was significant and the conditions just weren't there for getting up. The pattern was: launch from wide-open, moderate slopes into the nice breeze, fly as far as you could, land in the vast expanse of green fields, hike to the next ridge then do it all over again. We finally made it down to where the trucks were and were able to motor back up to about the halfway point for a final flight as the sun was setting.

It was a great day. Fun was had by all but I don't think it is the best choice to establish a new site. Here is a little more detail about the area: Tumey Hills is BLM land. Because of the sensitivity of the site (there are some protected species of plants and animals native to that area) it is only open to the public from October to April. Obviously, that's when it tends to rain in California. We went up the first clear day after several days of rain and definitely left tracks in the roads. In retrospect, we probably should have used a bit more caution.

Because of the long glide and lower elevation, the conditions would have to be just right to get good flights out there. The better bet would be the nearby Goat Mountain or Wild Ass.

Would I fly there again? You bet! Exploring the countryside, flying with good friends, hiking from one place to the next, taking in the sheer beauty of the Northern California hills in spring - it was a great overall trip. But if you want to get regular epic flights this is not the place.

General Members Meeting

The May meeting was conducted by BAPA President Jeff Wishnie. Additional officers present were Vice President Rolf Bienert, Co-Activity Directors Chip Sheppard and Rich Leggett, and Co-Safety Director Ann Sasaki.

New Members/Visitors

New members Tom Bair, who is a recent Pacific Skyways graduate, and Nova Dasalla, who flies a Nova, joined us for the first time. Welcome guys!

Officers' Report

Ann Sasaki reported that there was an accident at the Dump that involved a post-accident visit by a rescue helicopter. The accident was also visited by a reporter who posted the incident on the AP wire. The National Park Service was called instead of 911, which was the right move. A list of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) numbers for our most common flying sites will be made available later in the year.

Rolf reported that there is about $4000 in the BAPA coffers and that there are now 126 BAPA members, 4 of them new in April. Rolf also took time to mention that a good time was had by all at the Anderson Flat fly-in.

Chip reported that the recent Jody Lucas Picnic/Fly-In was a success with great weather and great flying. Congratulations to the Hike and Huck contest winners. The overall winner was Mike Kellogg who scorched the trail to the top in 46:03. Martin Klaus had the best spot (by far!) of 5 feet from the center cone. Heather Hooper was the top female athlete carrying a pack almost as big as she is to the top in a very respectable time!

Chip also noted that the May Social Cross Country League event was coming up on the 14^th and 15^th and that the Spring Fly-In at Potato was coming up the following weekend.

Ann Sasaki said she will look into the possibility of flying at Elk Creek, near Potato Hill, as a new site. Jeff Greenbaum then mentioned that he thought that Hull Mt, which is currently a HG site, has potential as a PG site for P3+ pilots. It is above Lake Pillsbury and NW of Elk Mt. The possibility of a group site intro ala the Windy Hill intro done by Ed Stein several months ago was suggested. Any flying there should be coordinated with the Sonoma Wings club.

Old Business

A motion was made and approved to approve the April meeting minutes.

New Business

Julie Spiegler is encouraging those who do not have their picture on the BAPA Members pages to submit one to her so she can post it on the site.

Julie will complete her research on emergency evacuation insurance and have Ann write up the article for the Ridge Dancer in the near future.

Jeff reported that the San Ramon Kite and Wind festival is coming up on Memorial weekend. He will not be able to make it but thinks it would be great to have BAPA representation at the festival. Anyone interested should contact Jeff or any of the BAPA officers.

Entertainment

Jeff Wishnie gave a short talk about the Monarca PG competition at Valle de Bravo in Mexico this past January. This was Jeff and Peter Rexer's first competition and they both enjoyed it very much. Jeff talked about setting goals for the comp (starting with his first goal which was to fly safely and to launch skillfully). Jeff set more goals as they came within reach (using his GPS correctly, making goal at least one day, finishing within the two 2/3 of the field of 100 pilots, placing higher than his buddy, etc.) Jeff's talk was very informative and pointed out some really good reasons that a recreational pilot might want to fly in a competition. Thanks, Jeff!