So how long did you soar for? I hadn't heard that question in a
long time. It is basically meaningless wherever I go to fly, but it came back
and became important to some folks at the Lake McClure Fly-In over the weekend.


Was it because there was a lot of newer pilots there? Was it because there were
a number of pilots who didn't get that much airtime? Was it because this is a
soaring site and not much of a cross country site? Was it because it was a foot
launch hill site?


Remember, I'm back in California, the birthplace of hang gliding in the United
States, the place in the seventies where taking off brown hillsides in a plastic
and bamboo construction was the equivalent of dropping LSD. California is filled
with brown hillsides and it is a legacy and present circumstance that continues
to set the agenda for hang gliding here (excluding the Owens Valley, Mt. Diablo,
and a few other sites). For example, towing in the central valley (where the
inversion takes over most of the year) has only happened sporadically (see my
earlier stories on this).


The problem with foot launched sites is that they are in the foot hills or
mountains and this often constrains the cross country possibilities. Pilots who
fly these sites often don't even realize that thermals can be found in the
flats. They seem to think that mountains create thermals.


It's great to have a site like the one that the Mother Load Sky Riders support
at Lake McClure, as it gives newer pilots a chance to learn to thermal and old
timers an opportunity to brush up on their social skills. I suggest that pilots
work on their landing skills at some other location so that they bring strong
ones to Lake McClure's up and down LZ. I really suggest that pilots take a
scooter towing course to launch and land a few hundred times and really develop
the skills.


I also suggest that pilots fly appropriate gliders. Maybe that old Sensor that
you've pulled out of the garage and that has a control frame that is almost as
tall as you are isn't the best choice. Launching at Lake McClure in the
afternoon when the wind at launch is coming in straight at 10 to 15 mph is
extremely forgiving. And a number of pilots benefited from this feature. I
suggest not going to other sites.


I'm on a California investigative trip. I'm sure I will have a lot to learn.
This is where hang gliding has the greatest concentration of pilots in the US
and where it is hoped that hang gliding can experience great growth. I look
forward to hearing from California instructors about how it is going for them in
the future.