Free Flying in Bright

The last 2 days we have been free flying late afternoons here in Bright off Mystic.  2 days ago it was looking pretty strong through the mid day so we waited till about 5 pm to launch.   The air was a little rough but the lift was good.  Wind was OTB about 10-15kph and lift was around 300fpm to 6,500 feet.  I cruised around the valley and just had fun with it.   Things started to look less consistent in the LZ so I hustled down to make sure I landed before it got weird.  Winds down low had been up the valley although they were the opposite direction a few hundred feet above that.  Not much later those layers mixed up and the wind in the LZ switched back and forth a few times.  It’s much more enlightening watching that happen while you are on the ground then when you are circling overhead trying to guess which way you should land.

 

Yesterday we took our time and headed up late as well.  Launch was really crowded and it was blowing in light to nil.  It looked like the winds up high were much lighter then they have been.  Much of the morning was overcast so everything looked softer in general.  The no wind conditions on launch suckered in more blown launch victims then I would have expected.   I got to launch in a nice easy puff.  There was a nice fat strong thermal straight out front that beamed me to the moon again.  It was the nicest thermal I have climbed in since coming down this year.  I was getting a bit demoralized that maybe Oz didn’t have thermals friendly thermals anymore.   It gets old feeling like the air is trying to kick you in the balls every time you find something worth circling in.

 

Today we are going to free fly again and then head over to Mt Beauty for the Bogong Cup.

 

Kev