Monday, August 30, 2010

Funston Shear 8.29.10

Funston delivered a pretty strong, at times smooth, shear yesterday. I had two prior flights that day, and could feel the conditions bubbling. About an hour and a 1/2 before sunset, the wind line set up on the water north of launch.



The windsock did its usual dance, then finally made up its mind that it would indicate winds were from the WNW, at about 25...



There was some smooth air in this shear, but overall it required both hands be on the control bar at all times...I tried to take some pictures, but decided to just concentrate on flying instead.

Tom Low working his way up...

Finally, it was time to land...I had a great approach set-up in the gusty conditions, but ended up whacking after being blinded by the sunlight in the helmet visor...flying blind added a little more spice to the flight, but next time I'll remember to flip the shield up before my landing approach...

I hadn't flown in such a strong shear in quite some time and it was good to push the envelope a little yesterday. The "Flamer" T2C performed very well.



Flight time: 45 Minutes
Altitude: 900' MSL (North of Launch)