First video from the air!

June 2, 2007

Tried taking videos from the air for the first time! A cold foggy day at the coast today, around 45F, with winds from 10-21 Mph per the windtalker. However, on the lower, "Lemmings", launch, it felt more like 8-10. But everyone was launching from there, and Mihir decided to take off. I dawdled for a bit, saw that he was having a good time, and decided that wasn't going to let him have all the fun.

Spent a couple of minutes to look for a twig with which I could turn my vario on since I had broken off the switch last weekend when I dropped it in the mud at Ed Levin. After a great half-an-hour thermal flight (600 is a great house thermal as far as I am concerned), I had a terrible downwind landing after gliding over the LZ forever and heading straight for the fence, causing a last minute downwind turn and dive into the muddy swamp-like area that I didn't know existed. Anyway, the vario went nuts. I removed the back and cleaned it out at home with vinegar and it seems ok, except that I can't access the darned switch now.

Take off was smooth with a clean liftoff. Found lots of lift off the lower ridge and found, like the others, the air to be smooth but very buoyant. Used my speed bar and big ears a lot today to stay below the fog and avoid getting above the westlake cliffs. Tried doing some wingovers for the first time, but I am sure I looked like a 95 year old great-grampa trying to slalom a Buick through some cones.

Wanted to get the earth in the background this time, not the sky

Decided instead to try taking some videos. I need to find a better way of carrying the camera; the chest strap is not convinient for it at all. If only there was a way to velcro it to the risers...Given the blustery conditions and constant threat of too much lift, the videos are necessarily frenzied. At one point I fiddled with it too much and found myself closer to the back of the bowl than I wanted to! Had to stand on speedbar to get back out it felt like. After an hour, the fog was dropping lower as shown by the glider "disappearing" briefly sometimes, it was feeling moist, and more windy. So had a nice, smooth landing for a change and racked up another hour for the log book, and some media to go with it. Too bad I couldn't catch some of the guys doing the spiral dives and helicopters.

Paragliding Mussel Rock 06/02/07 If the above doesn't work, try this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6569015297280902549&hl=en

Paragliding Mussel Rock 06/02/07 If the above doesn't work, try this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2214775268766218605&hl=en

Paragliding Mussel Rock 06/02/07 If the above doesn't work, try this: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8270409835526834382&hl=en

My left foot o'er the Pacific