Started at 8:12; after sending out a rescue party we ended up with 22 people in the Zoom meeting.
Treasury: $1424 no outstanding debts or upcoming expenditures, lots more members yet to join.
Mail: one letter. Missed what it was, hope it wasn’t important.
Covid: nobody we know seems to have it; people starting to get vaccinated.
USHPA meeting news: lots of discussion about what is an “official” USHPA event. Some RRG discussion, including ski resort sites that wanted higher levels of insurance. Safety and Training committess split into HG/PG and renamed Safety and Certification. The organization is solvent, with no major lawsuits.
501.3c getting closer to being official, submitted paperwork still grinding through bureaucracy.
New Sites: won’t offer insurance unless asked. Paul has spotted a likely place near Olive, large swath of trees cut out, ready to go.
Snow at Launch: road getting closer to passable for all vehicles, though trucks can make it now. Ramp is working fine, though. Kenny can plow it out. Ramp has gotten a lot of activity, 9 flights on sunday alone. Several H2s gone off.
Work Party: do it in September, seems to be best time for cleanup
Tree Landing: iffy day, started to get better, then squalls came through, after that people flew.
Then the tree landing: pilot got behind road south of Bear Cliffs, then couldn’t get out front again. Oscillating on a freedom due to being pulled in and gusty. Suspended between two trees, could not tie off.
Advice: stay out front if uncertain – worth trading altitude to get into lower winds. Windtalker is down so can’t get winds above the ramp at launch level.
How to tell not to fly:
- watch to see how many experienced pilots are not flying.
- Arm yourself with as much information as you can using upper level winds, radar, etc.
- Bottom line: if in strong winds, don’t give up trying to get back front.
Other reports: Ricardo reported that in the air it typically wasn’t so bad, but he stayed out front. When squall came, he just tried to maintain position to let it pass. Kim G launched and went right up, but something didn’t feel right so decided to head out to land, where he began to helicopter down. Didn’t like it so came around again and pulled in the bar, lots of rock and roll but smoothed out for the final and was fine. Ramano went out far enough that he felt like he had to scratch to stay up, and ended up in the pumpkin patch.
Tim Curran has made contact with a local tree surgeon who said he’d be happy to help out if needed. He responded immediately on saturday, but emergency services arrived first. Will pass around the contact information (Danny Santiago). Jimmy and Kenny know several other good contacts. Tim had all stuff to get him down, Kenny claims they could have gotten him down in 20 minutes.
Safety forum: perhaps on website have a focussed section on safety, also reprint some old material from the past.
Kim the Blonde gets the nomination for most rambunctious airhog of the year.
Meeting devolved into historical flying stories.
https://ccny.zoom.us/rec/share/Y8ShhRy0iHjVOQNXMd4ULGefUE5I9AakG9yC8_QejAlSb79ITfwZg-iYKDBtYTFN.2HEGmxi1rlY0ir4c Passcode: 0mKA%4w*
Next month’s meeting March 24.
