Sunday, Sep 7

[Thomas Hirsch]

Hi all - 

I'm a visiting pilot coming from Norway (IPP5) and would bring my gear in the hope for a flight, or a hike & fly on Sunday, or maybe even Saturday evening. I will also be around for the rest of the week, just busier. 

If you are planning anything good in the Portland area, I'd be happy to join you. I can drive, and could get a rental if we need an extra car. 

Of course, I'd also be happy for any suggestions otherwise, once it is known which way the wind blows.

Thomas

[Thomas Hirsch]

Xcskies forecasts for Sun so far look like very light winds shifting from east via south to west over the day, decent thermal activity.

If I interpret that correctly, it looks like Bingen and other takeoffs in the Gorge could be flyable. How strong are thermals at this time of year? Will soaring sites work in light wind, or should you rather hike a bit higher up? 

[imj...@comcast.net]

“How strong are thermals at this time of year? Will soaring sites work in light wind, or should you rather hike a bit higher up? “

Hard to say.  It’s really day dependent.  I think Bingen is still closed due to fire danger (someone please chime in if this is incorrect).  It probably will not open until we get some rainfall.  But if not, my personal preference for Bingen is a light east day with a good lapse rate.  (Sunday’s lapse is looking iffy.)  Although more challenging than a moderate west wind day, it’s also more rewarding providing higher climbs and generally more mobility.

I have no definite flying plans for this weekend.

Jim B.

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[Thomas Hirsch]

I ended up doing Dog Mountain today, mostly because it was easily accessible and my friend drives a 2WD without too much of clearance.

It really liked the morning hike up along the west side in the shadows. While there were good starting conditions around noon to 1pm (~3m/s from WNW according to a precision plastic streamer manufactured on location), the wind was mostly mechanic. Turns out the thermals that could have worked were blown away by the valley winds.

It took me a bit by surprise that soaring also did not work. I actually encountered pockets of sink I still struggle a bit to explain. So I ended up doing a sledge ride along the west face of DM and the hilltop behind trying to get further into the wind, then turning into the valley with good clearance, where I landed on the parking on almost full bar - no chance to reach the lake, but absolutely laminar wind flow in this corner.

I noticed the presence of valley winds and very calm conditions further up, but since the takeoff description mentioned white caps during stronger winds, I did not think too much of it. By the time I am writing this, the wind has picked up considerably, and there are still no white caps on the water. I will drive down to the lakeside landing later to check if it is just the compression effect along the cliffside.

[Thomas Hirsch]

I did not get to check conditions at the landing site after all, as we drove off the other way. What I did notice were whitecaps all along the river *but* near Dog Mountain, even three to four hours later when the wind really picked up. I won't speculate about the reasons, but it definitely means that just because there are no whitecaps doesn't mean you'll be able to penetrate.