Nice day, hot & high-pressure but clear and not too nasty.

Good turnout: Fred Leonard and Ross Hughes were the PG representatives, and Eric Smith, Alan Housel, Morey Brown, Jason Otto and I were the HGs. New member and HG pilot Justin Keesling came out to drive for us (thanks, Justin!).

It was blowing in lightly on both launches when we got there. Fred was first off at around 11, and immediately got a couple hundred over going what looked like straight up. He proceeded to sky out. Ross took off next but I didn't see how his flight went.

First of the HG launch was Eric flying an Ultrasport 166. He got up fast and was skying out over Carr Peak in just a few minutes. Morey went next, got a little sink but then worked up and headed eventually for Bob Thompson peak down by the border. Eric followed him down there, got a bit low but managed to find lift way back by Montezuma Pass and made it back. Jason went next and he got up pretty good, then Alan went in his new U2. I was last around 12:30 and spent a lot of time struggling right at launch altitude before heading out and hooking a nice one right over the LZ that eventually took me up to 10k or so.

Eric reported hitting 12000 or so, but the highest I saw was a bit over 11k. We all boated around for a while, and then I saw Alan messing around a half-mile or so out Hereford road. I went out to see if it was working and it was, so Alan, Eric and I gradually worked out toward the Copper Top school mostly at altitudes between 8000 and 10000 feet.

I heard on the radio that Fred and Morey landed in the Miller LZ, and I gather that Ross and Jason landed there as well. I didn't hear how their flights went, maybe someone else could fill in the details.

Alan and I got bailed out by a thermal just east of Moson road and about a half-mile north of the school, and Eric caught up a short time later. At 9000 or so with the bird sanctuary on glide. and a report of Justin headed out to pick us up, Alan struck out for the sanctuary and ended up landing there for 12 miles and 2 hours or so. Eric and I worked our way across the river, and made our way toward Jacque's ridge.

After fiddling around awhile at Jacque's, I ended up having to land by the Rock Shop on highway 80 for 18 miles. Actually, "land" is too far nice a word for what I actually did, which was more like "impact." The flight was worth the downtube and a few scrapes and bruises, though. Meanwhile Eric pressed on past the ridge, trying to cut the corner to Davis Road and landed in a field about 2 miles back from Davis Road, about 2 miles past Tombstone Airport for a distance of 23 miles.

It was a lot of fun flying XC in a small gaggle like that. Actually, that was my first XC flight of the season (!). Not bad at all for a high pressure day in the middle of September.

John