On Wed, 15 Nov 2017 23:51:07 -0800, Bruce Hoult wrote:

On Thursday, November 16, 2017 at 7:05:37 AM UTC+3,
wrote:
Dillingham Airfield on Oahu is the absolute best ridge soaring site.
The trade winds are very consistent. The view is impossible to top. A
500 foot tow and you are off. Leave the ridge and fly out over the
ocean to look down at the coral reefs.

I have done it five times. The winds failed to blow on only two days.
Within two days things were good again.

I don't think you've really experienced ridge soaring until you've done
a 50 km or 100 km or longer run at high speed without turning.

Doesn't look possible there.

Along the chain on the east coast of the island, maybe, but that's a
totally different wind direction than would make Dillingham local ridge
work.

The Dillingham ridge looks as if 7-8km should be easily usable. But, the
section of the Pennines centered on Cross Fell and easily accessable from
a winch launch at Eden Soaring is 12km. This section works in wind from
SSW through NW and in good conditions 60km will work. In addition, a
decent easterly sets up wave directly above the airfield and westerlies
can give wave off the Lake District on the other side of Eden Valley.

As Bruce says, you could get 40km on the east-facing ridge past Kailua,
but how often do you get an easterly there and does it wave?




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martin@ | Martin Gregorie
gregorie. | Essex, UK
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