Volcanic Peak, 376' agl, Face 025º, 0.2mi Long

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017:
Blustery north winds this morning tempted Bill Cummings and I to head for Volcanic Peak at 12:30 pm. By the time we had Bill's Sport 2 set up, however, the winds were barely coming in, from the northeast. We shifted operations from the higher, HG launch that we'd found two weeks ago over to the PG launch, right by the tower. By 3:45, though, the winds had finally begun to come in at 10-12 mph, and Bill made the first launch ever from this site. His takeoff was excellent, he turned right, and he managed to soar the peak for a minute or two, maintaining his altitude for a couple of passes. Then, sinking out, he headed out to the road where we'd planted the flag, and had a perfect touchdown just 50 feet away from it, right by the road. He had 4 minutes in the air, by my watch, and a brand-new flying site to add to the abundance of them in RGSA country. Congratulations, Bill! When the winds blow north, give this place a thought...
-Robin

[Bill Cummings]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2017:
Blustery north winds this morning tempted Bill Cummings and I to head for Volcanic Peak at 12:30 pm. By the time we had Bill's Sport 2 set up, however, the winds were barely coming in, from the northeast. We shifted operations from the higher, HG launch that we'd found two weeks ago over to the PG launch, right by the tower. By 3:45, though, the winds had finally begun to come in at 10-12 mph, and Bill made the first launch ever from this site. His takeoff was excellent, he turned right, and he managed to soar the peak for a minute or two, maintaining his altitude for a couple of passes. Then, sinking out, he headed out to the road where we'd planted the flag, and had a perfect touchdown just 50 feet away from it, right by the road. He had 4 minutes in the air, by my watch, and a brand-new flying site to add to the abundance of them in RGSA country. Congratulations, Bill! When the winds blow north, give this place a thought...
-Robin

Use Ctrl key and minus or plus ( -, +) to make the picture smaller or bigger.

Had to use the PG launch. The wind went NE from NNE..JPG (91.56 KiB) Viewed 8097 times

Set up for 1st flight from Volcanic Peak 1.6.2017.JPG (111.82 KiB) Viewed 8097 times

1st Launch in 10 to 12 mph. 01.06.2017.JPG (74.76 KiB) Viewed 8097 times

Bill found his way to the LZ.JPG (71.11 KiB) Viewed 8097 times

I think 12 to 15 mph and then I'll be able to soar Volcanic Peak.

[Bill Cummings]

First known flight from Volcanic Peak. (It was a sled ride so anyone should easily break the duration record of 3 minutes and 44 seconds. -- GO FOR IT!)
At the end of the video I demonstrate how my Thermal Snooper works by blowing on it. It make that sound when it detects warmer air.
https://youtu.be/Qt4TmlLctBw

First known flight 1.6.2017.JPG (96.79 KiB) Viewed 8092 times

[RobinHastings]

Another nice video, Bill! It gives me a good feel for the site, now (especially, shall we say, close up). Good takeoff, good landing, and a new site pioneered - not a bad day, all around.
-Robin

[Bob Kuczewski]

RGSA - Still pioneering new sites in 2017!!!!

[RobinHastings]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017:
What a great day! A new site, thoroughly pioneered today. North winds in the forecast for today impelled Bill Cummings, Mike Ellsworth and me to head out to Volcanic Peak from Las Cruces at 11:00 am. We arrived at noon, and Mike was ready to fly in the 195 Falcon at 1:25 pm. The winds were coming in strongly at the Tower Launch, about 15 to 20 mph, from north/northeast. (This is the launch that PG's can also use.) It was cold, but we were dressed for it. At the same time, the winds at the Las Cruces Airport were 10 or less; if the winds at the airport show 8 or above, I'm guessing it'll be soarable at Volcanic Peak. Mike had a good launch, floating off beautifully, and went right up. He was 50 feet above launch as he turned right, and started soaring the ridge. He probably reached 100 feet over launch, before the bottom dropped out and he had to head out to the LZ. It was hard to penetrate, and he plummeted as he pulled in and tried to make progress; ultimately he landed quite well in low creosote, just a little short of the open grass. His flight was about 5 minutes long. Next off was Bill, in his 145 Sport 2. He had made the first known flight from this site on January 6. He made his second Volcanic Peak launch in shifty winds of 15 to 20, and immediately started soaring. After 5 minutes of watching him sky out, getting about 500 feet over the mountain by my estimate, I got in his truck and headed on down. I was in the LZ within 10 minutes. Bill had to dump altitude to make it down, while I stood there taking pictures, and he finally brought it in for a fine standup landing and a 20 minute flight, just 100 feet from the flag. I helped Mike and Bill with their gliders, then we went back up to launch, and I flew the Falcon myself at 4:05 pm. I had a nice launch and immediately went up. I then soared the 375-ft eminence for pretty much as long as I felt like it (my flight was 17 minutes) while I watched Mike and Bill drive their trucks back down to the large, grassy LZ. I got about 300 feet above the mountain, looking down on the peak at its eastern end and the tower at its western end. The ridge is 0.3 miles long, and that is plenty of terrain to make the ridge lift work. When I headed out, though, I had no better luck than Mike did at penetrating, in a single-surface glider, and plummeted as well. But my landing in the creosote bushes was excellent! I unhooked and ran the glider through a 10 to 15 mph north wind to open grass, where we could put it in the bag and then head for Bill's house at 5:00 pm. There Terry Cummings treated us all to the kind of meal you'd pay big bucks for at any high-class restaurant, and the day concluded with visiting by the fireplace, and big smiles all around. Let's see what tomorrow's adventures bring!
-Robin

[RobinHastings]

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28, 2017:
Alas, this day did not work out like yesterday. Winds were light but OK, out of the north, as I, Bill Cummings, Mike Ellsworth and Taro Nihonyanagi drove from Las Cruces up to Volcanic Peak. We made it at 12:30 pm. And when we got to Tower Launch we found - nothing. No wind. A vast quiet, except when random breezes puffed through from the southwest, coming over the back at launch. Throughout the afternoon we occasionally got brief, weak thermals coming in, but the winds did not conform to what was forecast. PG pilot Ken Hunkus showed up, too, and was equally disappointed. We all hiked the hilltop, though, and found another couple of launches we could use - but, flying takes some wind. The five of us finally departed the site about 3:30 or 4:00, picked up the flag in the LZ, and headed back to LC. We met another RGSA PG pilot on the way, but had to tell him, no, don't bother. He followed us back. We did assemble at Bill's abode once again, where Terry was as gracious as ever with unexpected visitors, and at 6:30 had our annual club meeting at the nearby Golden Corral restaurant. Not a bad day, really - the weather was (unlike yesterday) delightful, sunny and warm, with not a cloud to be seen. The company was good and we got a lot done, both at the site and at the meeting. It could have been worse! We'll hope for better luck next time the winds blow north.
-Robin

[Bill Cummings]

FRIDAY, JANUARY 27, 2017:
What a great day! A new site, thoroughly pioneered today. North winds in the forecast for today impelled Bill Cummings, Mike Ellsworth and me to head out to Volcanic Peak from Las Cruces at 11:00 am. We arrived at noon, and Mike was ready to fly in the 195 Falcon at 1:25 pm. The winds were coming in strongly at the Tower Launch, about 15 to 20 mph, from north/northeast. (This is the launch that PG's can also use.) It was cold, but we were dressed for it. At the same time, the winds at the Las Cruces Airport were 10 or less; if the winds at the airport show 8 or above, I'm guessing it'll be soarable at Volcanic Peak. Mike had a good launch, floating off beautifully, and went right up. He was 50 feet above launch as he turned right, and started soaring the ridge. He probably reached 100 feet over launch, before the bottom dropped out and he had to head out to the LZ. It was hard to penetrate, and he plummeted as he pulled in and tried to make progress; ultimately he landed quite well in low creosote, just a little short of the open grass. His flight was about 5 minutes long. Next off was Bill, in his 145 Sport 2. He had made the first known flight from this site on January 6. He made his second Volcanic Peak launch in shifty winds of 15 to 20, and immediately started soaring. After 5 minutes of watching him sky out, getting about 500 feet over the mountain by my estimate, I got in his truck and headed on down. I was in the LZ within 10 minutes. Bill had to dump altitude to make it down, while I stood there taking pictures, and he finally brought it in for a fine standup landing and a 20 minute flight, just 100 feet from the flag. I helped Mike and Bill with their gliders, then we went back up to launch, and I flew the Falcon myself at 4:05 pm. I had a nice launch and immediately went up. I then soared the 375-ft eminence for pretty much as long as I felt like it (my flight was 17 minutes) while I watched Mike and Bill drive their trucks back down to the large, grassy LZ. I got about 300 feet above the mountain, looking down on the peak at its eastern end and the tower at its western end. The ridge is 0.3 miles long, and that is plenty of terrain to make the ridge lift work. When I headed out, though, I had no better luck than Mike did at penetrating, in a single-surface glider, and plummeted as well. But my landing in the creosote bushes was excellent! I unhooked and ran the glider through a 10 to 15 mph north wind to open grass, where we could put it in the bag and then head for Bill's house at 5:00 pm. There Terry Cummings treated us all to the kind of meal you'd pay big bucks for at any high-class restaurant, and the day concluded with visiting by the fireplace, and big smiles all around. Let's see what tomorrow's adventures bring!
-Robin

https://youtu.be/Z1coF1CUVJA

https://youtu.be/SyrT2DDYcTw

[RobinHastings]

Thursday, March 2, 2017:
Bill Cummings and I had some fine flying at Volcanic Peak today. We got to it about 8:15 this morning, and I launched first at 9:30 am in strong northeast winds. With Bill's coaching I had an excellent flight, using ridge lift and an occasional thermal to get about 500 feet over this 375-ft minor mountain. When Bill approached the LZ in the truck (it's only a 10-minute drive from launch) I went out to the flag, and put down the Formula 144 perfectly. I tied it to a bush, tail into the northeast winds, and immediately rode back up to the launch with Bill. He took off in his Sport 2 155 at 10:30 am. Bill didn't get quite as high as I did (about 300 feet over launch) but he had the flight of the day, at 47 minutes, with a perfect touchdown at the end. We were back home in Las Cruces, after stopping for sandwiches, by 2:00 pm. Not a bad day, eh? I'll let Bill expand upon this brief report, and add some videos. Winter in New Mexico - not bad for flying!
-Robin

[Bill Cummings]

Thursday, March 2, 2017:
Bill Cummings and I had some fine flying at Volcanic Peak today. We got to it about 8:15 this morning, and I launched first at 9:30 am in strong northeast winds. With Bill's coaching I had an excellent flight, using ridge lift and an occasional thermal to get about 500 feet over this 375-ft minor mountain. When Bill approached the LZ in the truck (it's only a 10-minute drive from launch) I went out to the flag, and put down the Formula 144 perfectly. I tied it to a bush, tail into the northeast winds, and immediately rode back up to the launch with Bill. He took off in his Sport 2 155 at 10:30 am. Bill didn't get quite as high as I did (about 300 feet over launch) but he had the flight of the day, at 47 minutes, with a perfect touchdown at the end. We were back home in Las Cruces, after stopping for sandwiches, by 2:00 pm. Not a bad day, eh? I'll let Bill expand upon this brief report, and add some videos. Winter in New Mexico - not bad for flying!
-Robin

I'm trying to keep precise airtime records for the Volcanic Peak site. Back at home I looked at my three instruments: Flytec, Garmin GPS, and GoPro3 (white) and I'm seeing
Flytec = 00:47:15, GPS = 00:47:17, and GoPro3= 00:45:56. Just to be safe I'll claim the lower of the three (00:45:56) as the current site airtime duration record.
Thanks in part for Robin landing early so that I could get my flight off of the ground.
Robin it looks as though my generous estimate of time needed to leave home and launch needs 26 more minutes. To launch at 09:00 we should next try leaving home at 06:35 am.
https://youtu.be/uodRenLEvvk