We're up for it.

Tucker and Raquel

I'm in. Just me this time, my son has plans for Saturday.

I'm driving, hopefully only once if we could coordinate that...

Hi, Whitney. I'll leave my truck in the LZ so Eric can drive back up with the tandem ship and student after flight #1. With students there should be enough drivers to get both trucks back down.

Thanks JLo

Looks like it will probably be just me without Raquel this time.

Tucker

I think I'm in.


When and where are we meeting?

Have fun, but not to much, gotta make a desert tortoise habitat
rafael

We will miss you Chicken Hawk and Little Debbie

I'll try and make it in the afternoon. Working in the morning, unfortunately.

I'm at Houghton and I-10 around 7:15 to meet up with Eric and his tandem student(s). That puts us in the LZ at around 8:45 or 9 AM.

I'm driving down separately so have room if anyone wants to throw on.

John
520 444 8105

Eric Smith and his two HG tandem students, Marcie and Hope and their friend Amy met up with Whitney Todnem, John Lowery and Andy Miller and Eric Tucker to fly Miller today. There was a chance of rain in the forecast but we just found a few puffy little cumulous clouds when we arrived at launch. It was blowing in lightly on the southeast launch so Eric set up the first tandem, with Marcie.

They were off about 11 AM, followed shortly after by Andy Miller (PG) also off the southeast launch. It wasn't quite strong enough yet for soaring, but Eric and Marcie did manage to make a quick pass back into the canyon before heading out the LZ.

Eric packed up quickly and they were all back up to launch a little after noon. It was starting to overdevelop over the Huachucas so we hurredly set up the second tandem with Hope, and Eric Tucker and I also set up our gliders. Andy headed over to the paraglider launches because it looked light northeast as they were driving up.

It took a while to get a decent cycle, but Eric and Hope took off with a little bit of a left wing dip, but quickly recovered and were soon slightly above launch. They got a nice extended sledder, working a little left as they got down toward the LZ. I had to wait 20 minutes in the growing overcast before I got a little light in cycle, but got off and started to sink. I found a little thermal as I approached the ridge behind he LZ and was able to get back up over the PG launches. By then Eric Tucker was in the air and he and I worked back and forth over the launches, not getting above 8500 or so.

After doing that for a while I headed out toward the LZ to see if the valley was working. I didn't find much until I was over the pond across the street from the LZ. I got into some 200 up, which grew in size and strength until I was doing 800 up at launch altitude. As I passed 9500 I was up to consistent 1500 up, and decided that yes, this was cloud suck and no, I didn't want to be there any more. So I pulled VG full on and headed back toward the launches. I didn't escape the lift until I was at 10850. I got back to Carr finding Eric Tucker in the back of Miller Canyon at about 10000, headed out.

As we got over PG launches we heard Andy radio that he had a blown launch but was ok. Looking down I saw his wing down in the trees at the far end of the east ramp. He was moving around though, working on gathering up the wing, and Whitney was just arriving at the PG launches. She had no radio and couldn't see Andy, but eventually they got it sorted out and they were safely in the truck headed for the LZ.

Eric Tucker and I flew back out into the valley. By now the overdevelopment was general and everything was going up. He headed south, I headed east, neither of us found anything except strong, consistent lift.

But there was nowhere to go in the widespread rain showers and I was getting concerned about getting caught in a downpour or gust front, so I started working my way down. It was a chore but I finally got below 6000 where the lift slacked off a bit. I had a poor no-wind landing in the LZ, to discover that Eric had told his students what "whack" meant and how loudly it should be yelled. Thanks, Eric...

Eric Tucker showed up above the LZ about 20 minutes later, and as he was setting up a moderate (20-25 mph) gust front blew through from the southeast. It was dieing away as he descended through the gradient to a nice landing.

So the two tandem students got nice flights, Eric Tucker and I managed maybe an hour and a half each, Andy got one extended sledder and a wing to clean the leaves and twigs out of. We went to Nick's for a post-flight beer and talk.

It was remarkable flying for the first week in October, more like an early monsoon day than a fall day. Thanks to Whitney for the superb ground support, and to Marcie, Hope and Amy for coming out to check out the sport.

There's been a couple of times in the past when I had a hard time getting down but today was much worse in that respect. The weather was getting worse and worse, so like John, I decided to go ahead and land before getting rained on or getting sucked into a big rain cloud or something, except that I couldn't get down. I finally found some areas back in Miller canyon where I could inch my way down with a spiral.
Another fun day of flying folks.

Tucker

Nice day guys thanks for coming out!
I was able to get both Hope an Marcy some soaring. We worked thermals and did stalls etc. Both flights will be up on Utube soon- thanks John!
Thanks to all who helped -
Thanks Whitney for, all your help with the harnesses an gear, retrieving Andy. Driving my truck down, helping Marcy do her part driving Tuckers truck down as well.
Thanks Tucker for the ride up pretty good timing!

Long day but successfull!


Eric