Gray Hill flying and directions.

[RobinHastings]

A couple of photos from Gray Hill, Aug. 24, 2019. Robin's red Sport 2 in the landing zone, Bill in the orange Falcon from launch.

Soaring this hill isn't easy! Bill is doing fine, though.

Bill_in_Falcon_GrayHill_08-24-19.JPG (46.72 KiB) Viewed 6357 times

New Gray Hill XC record! (About 1 mile, maybe...)

RobinSport2GrayHill_08-24-19.JPG (70.18 KiB) Viewed 6357 times

[RobinHastings]

And here is a picture of Byron Stevens with his Freedom 170, from the weekend before.

Byron Stevens at Gray Hill, with Northwings Freedom 170.

ByronAtGrayHill.JPG (83.49 KiB) Viewed 6350 times

[SamKellner]

Go Bill ! Go Robin ! Go Byron !

[Bill Cummings]

Sunday, August 25: Bill Cummings and I met up on the top of Gray Hill on Friday evening. The stars and the Milky Way were just spectacular, and the temperature was cool but pleasant. The next morning we had winds coming in alternately strong and then light, due west, southwest, and northwest. Byron Stevens joined us with Felicia about 11:00 am. Bill was the first to fly, about 11:15 am, and had a lovely soaring flight for about 7 minutes. He made use of his own design for a nose release, allowing him to put his nose-wire crew onto a wing wire instead. After I picked him up I was the next to fly, when the winds came (finally!) up the slope from the west about 3:30 pm. I had an extended sled ride, in fairly turbulent conditions, with a nice landing. Byron was next off, for his first mountain flight (he's had a number of high aerotows, though). In all the turbulence he had an unfortunate landing when he clipped a juniper tree and spun in, taking out a downtube. We'll have to get his glider repaired before the next time he gets into the air. Bill and I stayed overnight, while Byron and Felicia headed back home to the Alamogordo area. All in all, it was a pretty fun campout (with some flying!)
-Robin

https://youtu.be/BwKi2c5Pf20

[RobinHastings]

Well! That came out just fine, Bill. Nice flight!
-Robin

[JoeF]

Remember that there is to be NO off road motor vehicle traveling on BLM land.

Do not block the road to thru traffic.

Road traffic has the right of way.

Please take only pictures and leave nothing behind but tracks on the road.

[SamKellner]

Way to go Bill C.

WOW !

Now we need to create a new rating, FL nose release.

[Bill Cummings]

RGSA/HAWKS,
A new pilot (To me) but an expired H4 that had let his USHPA membership laps had a 57 minute phone conversation with me this afternoon. He had been living in California quite a while back but now lives in Socorro, New Mexico.
So it is looking like Gray Hill might be catching some more shade from his Wills Wing Sport 2. He, Eric E., had already found the west facing training hill SSE of the VLA all on his own. He had been out of hang gliding for many years but is ready to take to the sky once again.
If Mike E., Dave C., and I finally get another camping/flying trip planned I will give him a call.
October nights at that altitude get cold for camping so the planning committee progress may have to be measured by driving some stakes for any movement comparison.
I let him know that all of our accessible HG sites were unregulated and didn't require insurance or waivers.
It's my understanding that USHPA knocked him back from a H4 to a H2 for letting is membership laps.