WHAT’S NEW!

 

2007

 

8/18/07

 

What a day!  It was hard to stay up earlier (although Lori was up over 2 hours) but got better when the wave developed.  Jon Jacklet got his Gold Altitude by getting over 13,500 MSL.  At least two others climbed higher than that.  Mike climbed to17950 MSL and had to hold while people on the ground negotiated a wave window.  Mike was told to contact Albany ATC and when he did was told to descend immediately to 16,500 MSL.  Mike was on oxygen, was in 2 knot lift, and prepared to go higher but Albany said no.  It has been 18 years since anyone got over 15,700 MSL in a glider at Saratoga.  Hopefully we can set up a wave window for use in the future.  Without the proper equipment and training these high altitudes can be dangerous.  Mike was properly equipped and had done a bunch of high altitude training in the airforce.  But of course he was somewhat younger then.

 

8/13/07

 

Congratulations to Cindy Benson for passing her Glider Rating checkride.  Congratulations also to El-Presidente Ken Helm on passing his Sport Pilot checkride in Joe’s Champ..  Good going you guys.

 

7/23/07

 

What a weekend!  Both days we got altitudes of over 8000 feet AGL.  The wind was out of the northeast on both days with no wave but good cloud streets.  Mike took off at noon on Sunday, released at 2000 feet, climbed to 5000 feet and flew straight to Lake George gaining 1000 feet along the way.  The cloud street was still working so he turned around and arrived back at Saratoga at 1245.  Jon was taking his BFR on Saturday and got down to the pattern after a short flight but then was able to circle just above pattern for 5 minutes or so.  Slowly he climbed out until the cloud base climbed over 2000 feet in just a few minutes and along with it the lift improved from marginal to over 800 fpm.  Jon completes his required one hour flight with a large grin!  It was amazing that Saratoga was so strong after receiving 2.5 inches of rain on Thursday and Friday, but that is the benefit of living on a sand dune.

 

5/7/07

 

It has been a typical spring so far.  In April it rained every other weekend (April Showers!).  This first weekend in May was a doozy!  Saturday and Sunday showed me the strongest lift I have seen at Saratoga in 27 years of soaring.  Several of us got to over 12000 feet msl on Saturday and lift up to 9 knots average on both days.  It was breezy on both days with some intermittent mountain wave kicking in.

 

3/23/07

 

If the weather is ok we will be setting up the club ships on Sunday (3/25/07).  We will start assembly at our hanger around 10:30.  Please check with Mike McCarron (587-1957 or  mmccarr2@nycap.rr.com) if there is any doubt about the weather. We will be removing the glider trailers from our hanger on Sunday so the owners can pick them up after that. We may not fly the gliders on Sunday if the snow banks remain too high.  Hopefully the snow will be gone by Saturday 3/31 and we will be ready to commence normal operations.

2006

 

 

 

11/18/06

 

Lots of flights today with lots of people staying up over an hour under sometimes overcast skies.  It is late in the season and everyone knows that it will be a long winter so many people took a flight not expecting much and were pleasantly surprised.  Cloud base was about 4000 msl and the winds were light and variable all day.

 

11/4/06

 

October had some good days with Doug Hatch doing the triangle in the 1-26 and Jim Morzillo climbing to almost 10,000 feet in thermal and wave.  Today was an interesting day at the airport with clouds and sun coming and going.  The lift was very weak to non existent  at times.  Near cloud base however the lift grew stronger with over 6 knot spikes at times.  Ken and Mike gave introductory flights to several people.  Doug and Yves flew the 1-26.  Tony flew his LS-4 and Bob and Jon flew their Grob 102.  Mike and Lori flew the Grob a couple of times.  Jim Morzillo did 13 tows without stopping except for gas.  Yves brought a large bottle of red wine for our post flying pleasure and we all toasted the fine, late autumn day.

 

9/30/06

 

The day started out sunny but became overcast by 2:00pm.  Fred Woll was up first in the 1-26 for well over an hour.  Lori flew MC for 1.7 hours.  The lift was weak under the overcast but if you were careful you could stay up a while.  Longish flights were made as well in the 2-33 and the Grob.  The trees are starting to change color and getting pretty.  The winds were light and the air was clear.  Not a bad autumn day.

 

9/10/06

 

 

This long patch of poor to mediocre flying weather has finally changed and we did a lot of tows today.  The thermals were weak but at least we had sunshine.  The soaring improved finally in the late afternoon.  Lori was up 2 hours in her ASW-27 getting to 4700 for a max altitude.  Ted had a long flight after launching late as well.  Yves was up almost an hour for his first flight in Col. Mustard (the 1-26).  Tony, Mike, and Jim M. flew their ships.  Rick flew with Jim M; Lori gave her friend Bruce a flight in the Grob.  Jon flew the Grob and Seth flew the 2-33.  Charlie towed all day and a good time was had by all.

 

 

7/7/06

PARTY ! PARTY ! PARTY!

 

Summer is here and it is time again for our Annual Summer BBQ immediately following flying on Saturday, July 15th at our club hanger.  We are inviting members of Adirondack Soaring Group and Mohawk Soaring Club to join us.  Bring your own food and meat to grill on our charcoal and gas grills.  Beverages, cups, plates,  and utensils will be provided.  In the event of inclement weather the BBQ will be held at 6:00PM inside our club hanger.   

 

6/25/06

 

Well it has been a wet spring.  But we have been operating at least one if not both weekend days since April.  There has been some really nice soaring on occasion including some really hot soaring lately.  Hot as in temperature.  We have picked up a couple of new members during this time so we look forward to our student load increasing.  Colonel Mustard (our 1-26) got a nice flight with Bob DeFabio at the controls yesterday.  Fred flew Peppermint Pattie (his 1-26) for a long one, Tony flew EX, Yves flew the 2-33, Ted flew 1MD, A bunch of us took a flight with most being an hour or more and Lori doing her usual some 3.3 hours in MC.  Jim Morzillo took one of the Warbird pilots up for a longish flight in the Grob and being a rated glider pilot he enjoyed it quite a bit. With any luck the weather should average out giving us more dry days in the coming months.

 

4/30/06

 

After the rainy weekend last week we got a glorious two days of soaring yesterday and today.  The sky was cloudless, the winds light, the thermals entertaining, and the sink prodigious.  We also flew last Wednesday and a reporter from the Glens Falls Post Star was there.  See the story and photos at the web addresses below:

 

http://www.poststar.com/story.asp?storyid=220254

 

http://www.poststar.com/galleries/breaking_news/photo_gallery.asp?folder_name=Soaring_in_Saratoga

 

 

4/16/06

 

Good flying last weekend and today as well.  We got blown out yesterday with gusts over 33 mph so no flying for us.  We did fly today.  The wind was less gusty and straighter on runway 32.  All four of us Jim Morzillo, Jon Jacklet, Lori  and Mike McCarron, all got over 7K.  The wave was weak and shifty and the thermals worked better.  Jim Pospisil towed and a good time was had by all.

 

4/2/06

 

A fine spring day.  Strong thermals and heavy sink in a blue sky (no cumulus to mark thermals).  Lots of tows were made with some gliders getting over 6000 feet agl.  Many flew their single seaters and Colonel Mustard (our 1-26) made its first flights.  Fred Woll towed most of the day and it was busy.  About half of the club showed up to fly and all had fun.

 

3/25/06

 

We assembled the gliders today and the towpilots and instructor got current.  It was a funny day with the clouds, sun, and sprinkles about.  There was lift though.  All went well and our towplane is as strong as ever.

 

3/19/06

 

We will be putting the club ships together next Saturday March 25th starting at 10:00.  If the weather turns nasty  we will assemble the ships on Sunday March 26th.  Contact Mike McCarron if the weather looks questionable.  The Operations schedule showing the assignments for Instructors, Tow Pilots, and Base Managers will be posted sometime before then.

 

10/30/05

 

What a fine day of soaring.  The thermal strength was forcast to be very weak but the sounding indicated at least a possibility of wave.  The 2-33 was just doing ups and downs for training and the day did not look like anything special.  Mike, being optimistic, got suited up nice and warm and towed in the ASW-27 to 3000.  The wind was right but the wave was not quite there and he came down sweating after almost ½ hour of struggling.  Jim Morzillo said what the heck and towed in the PW-5 to 5000 feet and immediately hit wave.  Mike kept looking at the PW-5 getting smaller and  the 2-33 starting to climb while flying straight ahead and decided on another tow.  Mike released at 3200 in strong wave and it was up and away.  Things got more active on the ground with Jon dragging out the Grob-103 and towing into the wave.  Ken showed up, and at 4:00 was also towed into the wave.  The 2-33 got into the wave more than once.  Jim Morzillo got to almost 11000 MSL and Mike reached 11400 MSL.  Mike, Jim, and Jon landed at sunset to join all the smiling pilots.  Cindy towed all day in sometimes difficult conditions and did her usual great job.

 

 

10/29/05

 

It has been a wet October with few flights for the last few weeks but today made up for some of that.  The lift turned out to be as good as 3-4 knots on the averager with some spikes much stronger.  Earlier it was marked by cumulus – the air dried out but the thermals remained.  Our Grob is back in service so Jim Pospisil and Tony took their BFR flights with Mike.  They both had one hour flights getting as almost as high as 5000 msl.  Seth soled today and got a sprinkling from the ground crew (and it was cold)!  Lori flew her ship almost 3 hours and reached 5100 msl.  Jim Morzillo and Cindy enjoyed a late day flight in the Grob.  Fred towed and a good time was had by all.

 

 

7/3/05

 

A great July 4th weekend.  Yesterday lift went to 6800 feet and we made many tows.  Angie, Darren, and John C. kept the Grob busy.  Ken, Mellissa, and Yves kept the 2-33 going and a whole bunch of our single seaters flew.  Today, lift went to 5500 and we were busy again.  Ted and Mike convinced Doug to fly with them to the Glens Falls sink hole.  We three went up there, made theGlens Falls airport, got low and split up.  Doug managed to scratch out first and beat the veterans back to Saratoga.  Doug said it was just like a visit to the dentist.  “Dry throat and sweaty palms.”  Great fun!  Angie flew the Grob for 2.5 hours and Donna went up after him.  Most of our single seaters were airborne.  Two good days at Saratoga.  It doesn’t get much better.

 

 

5/28/05

 

The forecast again was not too good but we got a bit more sun than expected and in the spring that is all it takes.  Jim Morzillo towed all day in sometimes brisk westerly winds and then Mike towed him and Cindy up in the Grob for the  last flight of the day.  Lori got to 7500 MSL and was up over 3 hours.  Yves got his B and C duration badge in two separate flights in the 2-33.  Jon, and Angie flew the Grob, Jim Pospisil his 1-26, Doug his LS3-A, and Ted self-launched.  Mother Nature was kind today.

 

5/21/05

 

This from Yves:


The weather turned out to be a lot better than forecast.  The morning's cloudless sky had quite a few big cu's by noon when Yves and Ken launched in
the 2-33. Even if not always consistent, lift was good, and other pilots launched (Jim N., Ted, Fred, Angie, Darren, Donna).  By around 3:00 PM, it
was quite overcast over the airport, with a few localized showers but only partly cloudy skies south-east of Saratoga.  We kept launching.  Close to
the airport lift was 1 to 2 knots to about 4,000' and then reached 4 to 6 knots to cloud base at 6,000'.   The view from cloud base was absolutely
fantastic, as a result of the dramatic contrast between clouds of all shades of white and gray, sections of blue skies (mostly to the south-east), rays
of sunshine illuminating distant clouds and the ground - dense green from all the rain of the past weeks.  The air was so clear that the horizon
seemed to have moved out to reveal landscape rarely seen from above the airport.  A GREAT day!  We had 15 tows - a lot more than anybody expected
considering the poor forecast.

 

 

5/7/07

 

The weather was much in doubt as we gathered to wash our the Grob, 2-33, and tow plane at 9:00.  It was overcast and cool so we moved the wash party to the wind shadow of a hanger.  We finished around 10:30 and the sky brightened a bit, so we towed the gliders out to the runway.  Doug took Heidi and Yves for a couple of flights each in the 2-33.  The sky started to clear somewhat in the north west, with the wind at about 10-15 knots. Jon launched in the Grob around 11:30, and even though the temperature indicated lift would be weak to non-existent, Jon stayed up.  Those of us on the ground were kicking dirt and looking  at the sky, but it just continued to improve.  Jim Norton set up his LS-3a and Mike set up his ASW-27.   The wind continued to pick up. Mike found the thermals to be quite strong after launch and managed to climb right up after release.  Jim launched and he and Mike were able to get to cloudbase at 7400 MSL.  Mike headed off to Johnstown and  managed to get to over 8000 MSL just beyond Galway lake.  The wind was out of the North at altitude, averaging 20-22 knots. After Jon came down Angie took the Grob and had a good time, getting above 7000 MSL.  These spring conditions continue to surprise us, so do not always believe the forecast.

 

5/5/05

 

Good spring conditions again this Thursday.  Winds were very light for a change and Mike made a bunch of tows.  Jim Morzillo took a fellow Richmor instructor for a ride in the Grob, then landed and flew his PW-5.  Jon flew the Grob (103) and Bob flew the Grob (102).  Ken and Joe West took a flight in the 2-33. Ted took a tow because his engine would not start and Lori flew her ASW-27.  Most everyone had a good time with 6700 MSL being the maximum altitude reached.

 

5/1/05

 

Mike:

 

April showers have prevented us from much flying these last two weekends.  Saturday April 30 it rained quite a bit so we did not even attempt to fly until today.  It started out overcast but by noon a few breaks appeared in the overcast.  Most of us were hanging about watching Fred and Jim wash and wax their Citabria.  Fred kept offering to tow me but I was hesitant since it was still quite cool and the breeze was picking up.  Finally with more sun peeking through and cloud streets starting to form I set up the ASW-27 and launched off of runway 32 into a 45 degree gusting left crosswind with Fred towing.  The launch was one of the worst I have encountered and Fred did not enjoy the tow either.  Spring conditions being what they are just a little sun goes a long way.  I released in strong lift at 1800’ agl and climbed out to cloudbase about 6000’MSL.  The wind at altitude was out of the west at about 20 knots and there was a lot of strong lift, strong sink, and turbulence.  Since Fred had so much fun on the first launch he let Jim Morzillo tow Ken up in his 1-26.  With the wind so strong I decided to chase the cloud streets to the WNW and finally made it to Johnstown airport after 45 minutes of pushing the headwind.  The 23 mile trip back to Saratoga took only took about 15 minutes.  I thermaled some with Ken and noticed that it was getting dark off toward the NW.  I headed toward the Sacandaga to see if it was really raining up there, but after 10 miles the sky started filling in and became mostly overcast.  I returned to Saratoga and landed safely with Ken right behind me.  During the 2 hour period we were flying the sky opened up and then closed again.  Very interesting  conditions.

 

Ken:

 

May Day!

 

Well, it was one of those days that inspires the artist in me.  I launched at about 2:30, on the heels of MC, who had had one of the sportier takeoffs I've seen in some time. Yeah, it was a wild day. Big thermals, carried on high winds, occasionally tore through the staging area on 32.  The cu's were streeting NW/SE.  Jim Morzillo towed me, yup, all the way to 3,000 agl. I got off and sort of bumped up to about 5,000. After waffling around for a bit, a boomin' 8-knotter more or less tossed me to cloudbase, whereupon I started heading up the street toward Sacandaga, barely moving forward. There was a pretty stiff breeze out of the W/NW up there. It was a quite a world, I've got to say. The clouds were cycling very quickly. The air was big. Big lift, big sink. I got to feelin' pretty damned small after a while, scootin' around up there, chatting with MC occasionally.  What grand stuff it was, alone, getting tossed around by an indifferent atmosphere, sometimes running in to huge thermals and climbing right on up, in a sky full of big dark clouds throwing slanting rays of late afternoon sun. 

 

 

4/10/05

 

A beautiful Saturday with lift to 4500 MSL and light northeast winds.  Lots of tows and many soaring flights.  Sunday was also a beautiful spring day with surface winds out of the south but above 5000 MSL swung around to northwest which produced a shifting wave.  Bob, Jon, and Doug got to over 8000 MSL .  Doug was the first to find the elusive wave and informed Mike who then climbed in strong rotor (a 15 knot spike on the vario during one turn) until it smoothed out above 5000 MSL.  Mike finally got to 9300 MSL after an hour of varying rates of climb.  Snow in the mountains and ice on the northern lakes made for a beautiful picture.

 

3/26/05

 

A sunny but cool day with temperatures in the low forties.  We got the Grob together and made flights in it and the 2-33.  Jim Norton and Mike got current in gliders.  There was in excess of 4 knot lift from 1:00 to about 4:00.  It is amazing  that with still quite a bit of snow cover the thermals were so good.  Fred and Jim P. assembled and flew their 1-26.  Yves got a flight with Jim N. and , Angie and Jon flew with Jim M..  Lori, Bob, Darren, Doug, Donna, John U., and Cindy  showed up to help out .A good time was had by all.

 

3/17/05

 

We are tentatively planning to start up operations on Saturday, March 26.  The 2-33 and the Grob will be needing assembly.  We are planning to meet at our hanger at 9:00 AM to pull out trailers etc.  The start up of operations is dependent on the weather of course so please contact Ken or Mike on Friday the 25th for the latest update.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2004

 

 

11/14/04

 

Not a bad weekend for so late in the season.  It was very cold on Saturday with  Doug and Mike flying their gliders and Jon, Bob, Ken, and Tony flying the Grob.   Ted self launched as usual.  Mike had the longest and highest flight for 1.6 hours and 4000 MSL.  On Sunday it was a bit better with Ken and Jim Pospisil flying the 1-26 (not together thank heavens!).  Ted flew his motor glider.  Lori, Doug, Jim M., and Tony flew their ships.  Yves flew the 2-33 and Jon flew the Grob.  Lori got 2.8 hours and Doug got to 8300 MSL in wave.  Ken worked the low altitude wave for quite a while in the 1-26.  When the sun shines we can have flying fun even in November!

 

 

11/6/04

 

A few of us braved the turbulent conditions today to get some air time.  Lori completed a 3 flight BFR series with Mike,  Jon and Ken went up in the 2-33, and Yves Nollet and Jim Norton got a longish flight in the Grob.  Mike said it was one of the roughest days he has ever flown at Saratoga.  We are still hoping for a few more weekend flights before shutting down operations until spring.

 

8/31/04

 

Ted and Mike returned from Dansville (no contest due to poor weather) and found that another student has soloed.  Congratulations Anya – good job!  Our Annual Summer party was held Sunday night with some 21 people attending.  It was as usual a great get together with much good food and interesting stories to swap.  Just as we were finishing up a thunder storm broke and we were able to dodge inside our hanger to observe Mother Nature in action.

 

7/24/04

 

A very rare thing happened today.  Yves Nollet and his son David soloed the 2-33, one right after the other.  They have both been working seriously for a year or so and it has paid off.  Jim Norton said they were ready and off they went.  I can not remember if we have ever soloed two people on the same day never mind father and son.  Heidi flew with Jim Norton and re-soloed.  Jim Morzillo and Cindy did the tiedown flight.  A fun day at Saratoga even if we couldn’t stay up for hours!

 

 

7/5/04

 

Ted and Mike flew in the Region 1 Contest that was held at Sugarbush airport in Warren Vermont during June 19 thru June 26.  (For contest results see :  http://www.ssa.org/contests/ListContest.asp?id=195).   June 26 and June 27 were windy at Saratoga and reduced the number of training and fun flights.  This last weekend was better with some longer flights being made until the overcast moved in.  Sunday was a good training day with light southerly winds.  The students got all the flights they needed with Ken instructing and Jim Pospisil and Mike towing.