Autumn begins, but soaring looks good this week

[Peter Kelly]

Although Autumn officially begins on Friday this week, the soaring conditions do not appear to be waning.
Upper level air shows a trof approaching on the latter part of this week.
Surface temps all week are in the mid -90's.
I'm hoping to take advantage of the good conditions on Friday.
Warm lower air is still sweeping in from the south, while cooler air is approaching from the north at the upper levels.
Air mass is a bit on the dry side, and wind is benign up through Friday.

All of the above sounds like a winning combo for a good flight.

[Jim Wallis]

I think we are expecting a satellite reentry on Friday, so keep your head out of the cockpit...

[Kempton]

I may not be up this weekend, but the forecast looks for good soaring with cu. Saturday has good heating, 40% moisture and a slight low overhead. Sunday looks pre-frontal and may have some wave. Watch as we get closer.....

[Kempton]

More on the weekend. From Tues eve's GFS, Saturday looks like a good cu day, with all three ingredients: heat, humidity and a modest low in the upper atmosphere ("aloft")

HEAT


HUMIDITY (note OD forecast at the Oregon border)


MODEST UPPER LEVEL LOW


We'll see.....

[Peter Kelly]

I figure it will probably be good tomorrow as well, but I think the "peak of the week" is probably today Wednesday)

Granted the weekend is still ok.

I have a flight lined up for today.
I called ahead, and Noelle said to come on up.

Distance to Richvale is the same as to Tree Farm ( 26.1 NM).

Rex says he'll give me a tow in that direction.
I have a couple of TP's set up.
Merrimac peaks.

Just north of Orville, stay up wind of the water as I head towards bucks lake.

Glide back to WSC is ok from the area southeast of Downievelle- from 14,000

getting to be 12:10

off I go.

[RamyYanetz]

Wow, from his Spot it looks like PK flew to Truckee and back today. Great flight!

Ramy

[Peter Kelly]

Wow, from his Spot it looks like PK flew to Truckee and back today. Great flight!

Ramy

Actually not as great as it may appear.

I feel like Lewis and Clark, always looking for a new passage. I keep trying different things.
I figure there is a way for us to fly from WSC into the Sierra Range and back. I'll keep trying.

It was a good one yesterday in the Truckee area. I had both G J and 4 S on PCAS, and actually had a visual on G J while southbound under that excellent cloud street over the White House area. My flight was akin to a launch out Of Quincy - having powered/ towed all the way up from Williams. I had final glide made from Sierraville back to Williams ( - actually 1,000 over) for the 100 mile glide home. I guess I got that part figured out OK.

A few photos from yesterday..

1 - Rex provided the tow to Richvale - the distance from WSC to there is exactly the same as the tow to the Tree Farm Gate.

2 - No evidence of lift on the Sierras. Cu were popping south of Truckee, but none to the north of it.

3 - After motoring all the way, I found my first thermal NE of Quincy.

4 - This cu is over Portola Towers - SE of Quincy

5 - One never gets tired of seeing this view

6 - On the 100 mile glide from Sierraville to Williams the wind did not change the entire time. 1,000 ft above glide, all the way home.








more photos on next post....

[Peter Kelly]

the other three photos....




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[Jim Wallis]

Thanks for the great report, Peter. I had been wondering about that route. Do you suppose that the river could kill lift in its vicinity? Long way to go for a thermal!

[Peter Kelly]

Thanks for the great report, Peter. I had been wondering about that route. Do you suppose that the river could kill lift in its vicinity? Long way to go for a thermal!

If you are talking about the river coming down the hill from the Quincy area towards Orville, I say the answer is an emphatic no. The river looks like a little stream compared to all of the massive rocks on either side of the canyon. The lack of lift lies with the lapse rate of the air mass.

On the other hand, if you are talking about the river up near Quincy, I say no again, but it is a different problem there as well. Up there, east of the Sierra crest, the high peaks are the chimneys for the rising air, and you just need to get on top of the peaks to get the thermals.

More Comments added during an edit ( for spelling) several hours later...
Guess we should address the effect of cool drainage winds coming down from the high ground - which does make for cool air along the descending river - cutting off the bottoms off the thermals in the canyon, and as the air descends it compresses and warms, adding to the inversion, etc. But solar intensity negates some of those factors.