https://vimeo.com/115502394

From Colorado Fly Week - 2014.

I was accepted into a medical study sponsored by NASA and the University of Texas to perform tasks while training for sub-orbital space flight. Leaving tomorrow for the National Aerospace Training And Reseach Center (NASTAR) and will perform two days worth of flight related tasks while in the space capsule centrifuge. Each participant is assigned a flight instructor and physician. I'm told don't eat anything I don't want to throw-up. Thanks Brandon for the contact info and this chance of a lifetime.
http://www.nastarcenter.com/research/studies/human-factors-and-man-machine-interaction

Spring 2013

The flying season got off to a slooooow start. In 2011 and 2012 we were flying Villa Grove (San Luis Valley) by mid-March. 2013 has been pretty rough. We had a lot of cold weather and snow well into May. I only managed two flights total by the middle of May. Weird. Memorial Day weekend changed all that. I managed two back-to-back flying days during fantastic Villa Grove glass-off conditions (strong wind with lots of sun) that made for perfect late day flights. It was blowing in at 40mph plus while setting up on Friday evening May 24th but Villa ramps down fast near sunset. Got the smoothest air I've ever had on both Friday 5/24 and Saturday 5/25 after high wind days.

Awesome flying Memorial Day Weekend 2013

Flying Crested Butte

Skip Hewitt met up with Mike Chevalier and myself at the Crested Butte LZ on Saturday, September 29th. Loaded up, drove up, set up. I punched off first into what was pretty strong air especially for late day conditions - ridge lift with embedded thermals. Boomed up right away above the peak where the air was a little smoother. Mike took off about 20 minutes later. Unfortunately Skip couldn't get off with his Falcon in the strong condtions, particularly in that it was blowing across launch from the north. When cycles came straight in they were very strong. I had a nice flight landing near town at about sunset but felt bad that Skip couldn't punch off.
Flying Crested Butte is always special and the fall colors made it even more so.

Villa Grove Glass Off

Villa turned on at 2:30pm Saturday September 22nd and gave us soarable cycles until dark. Ten pilots flew starting with Skip and Nickie who launched first. Both got high and it was great seeing them get good flights. Yellow Dog launched and got up. Mike Chevalier launched next and plummeted to the LZ giving the rest of us pause. Soon after it turned on again and the rest of us launched catching the tail end of booming thermals that turned into a spectacular glass off. Not to surrender Mike came back up for a relight and was rewarded with a nice smooth flight. It was going up everywhere and climbs to 14,500ft were easy. After 1:40 I was cold enough and spiralled down to land. A great day after a long spell bad luck.

Summer Flying

The monsoons started a little early and continue now into August. Whale mountain is flyable every morning and there's been a few XC flights there so far. Villa however has been sporatic with good days and also days where the wind has been over the back or wet. Its an off year compared to last year but the fall is coming - typically our best months for flying in the Colorado mountains.

Steamboat Springs has been "on" and Roberto Frias has been showing everyone the XC potential that can be had. Thanks to him and others we had a nice time this past weekend.

Colorado Fly Week - 2012 (June 30th - July 7th) held in Villa Grove, Colorado was a huge success due to the months of planning and preparing by Tiffanie and Larry. It was flyable every day accomodating 134 pilots who flew during the event. Some pilots flew XC (Scott Huber flew to Taos, NM) while others stayed close to launch. Tiffanie's organization skills garnered up food vendors, cash bar and nightly entertainment. Hang glider and paraglider pilots from all over the country made it the largest in the country this year. http://ozreport.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28949