October 24th 25th - Womens' Halloween Fly-in, Chelan

It's that time of the year again, the end of season part at Chelan! Please join us at the annual Women's Fly-In at Chelan, October 24th and 25th. It's a Bi-Wing affair, with flying Saturday & Sunday, and a costume party Saturday night at the pilot's lounge of the Chelan airport. There will be bomb drop and spot landing contests at the soccer field in Saturday. Given all the fires at Chelan this year, lets show our support to this premier flying site and the Chelan community by having a great turn out this year, rain snow or shine! If you were at the fantastic flyin, you more than likely have your costume already!

Saturday's evening party will include prizes for:

• Best male/female costumes
• Best couple's costume theme, and of course,
• Best Buns on the Butte;
• as well as for the flying competitions.

Dinner is a pot-luck, with the annual Chili Cook-off providing the main course.   It's a good opportunity to show off your favorite chili recipe.   We'll also have a desert competition, with prizes for the best chili and the best desert. Please bring something to share. The NWPC will provide beer, wine, music and decor. 

We ask for a $30 donation per pilot, and $15 for accompanying non-pilot spouses or significant others. Register at the Chelan Falls soccer field/LZ or at the Party Saturday night. Proceeds will go to support our Chelan Butte site. 

The Women's Fly-In has always been a really fun weekend, and your presence will help make it so again this year. Time to put together your costume and tweak your chili recipe.  

Where: Chelan Airport Pilot's Lounge

When: Set up at 6 pm, Chili contest and potluck at 7 pm.

Music , drinking and dancing to follow

 

We as always will have the traditional chili cookoff, which is always delicious. Looking for a volunteer to help organize that, please contact Iain , ifrew@hotmail.com, or any of the board.

 

COSTUMES encouraged! It is a Halloween party after all. 'Listserv troll' costume, anyone? After we eat there will be music and dancing and costume contest voting.

VOLUNTEERS needed:

Iain and LeAnn will be bringing the party decorations and music setup, but they could use some help. We need folks to join us at the pilot's lounge at 6 pm to setup for the party and then folks to do some light cleanup after the party and then a good cleaning on Sunday morning. We are fortunate that the airport lets us use the pilot's lounge and we like to leave it cleaner than we find it to keep that goodwill.

Chelan is beautiful this time of year with Autumn color and salmon in the river as you fly over on the way to the LZ.  Even if the flying conditions aren't perfect, it is usually sunny and warm and there's always wine tasting in Chelan/Manson's many wineries.  Come join your fellow pilots in the last Fly-In of the year. 

 

Hope to see you all there!

 

Some pics from previous years from Jan Olsen.

 

 

 

Iain

 

2014 Blanchard Bash

It’s that time again! Come fly your brains out and camp out with your bros June 6-8. Blanchard has been going off daily the last two weeks with high cloudbases and lots of long flights distance and duration.  You know the drill. Camping at our house at the base of the road to launch on Friday and Saturday night. Bon Fire and potluck on Saturday with BBQ Chicken and sockeye salmon. Breakfast on Sunday. Lots of family fun in store here. Too much to mention! Hotels near by for those less inclined to camp. These dates were chosen to coincide with DNR's big volunteer work party on Saturday morning. Work party Karma always yields great flying and is very important this year. Our past participation has payed off big as DNR has agreed to fall trees in the immediate launch areas as the first step in a much larger vegetative plan design just for us. We are well on our way to making Blanchard a permanent flying site and a large turnout will go a long way to show our support for this world class flying site. Lunch will be served to DNR volunteers on Saturday.  The Bash is a fund raiser for the North Cascades Soaring Club. A suggested $25.00 per pilot donation will go towards meals and support NCSC site improvements, insurance, and land owner appreciation. If you have come in the past you know how much fun it is and if you haven't joined us yet you are in for a big surprise! We are 200yds up the gravel road to launch on the right. See you at the Bash! 

Jeff and Stacey Beck

300 Peaks

http://www.300peaks.com/

If you haven’t gone a tour with Matty Senior and Brad Sanders yet you are missing out.  I’m sure this new venture will be fantastic and just as horizon expanding as their other adventures in Nepal and Bali.

Chris Amonson

Paragliding makes an appearance in new sci-fi book from one of our own!

To the members of NWPG: 

It has been a few years since I flew with Northwest Paragliding Club and I have since moved down the trail of life. But my time soaring sites throughout the Northwest with you marked me well.

Recently, the direction my career path is headed, changed. I've metamorphosed from just- another-engineer making a living working for a large software company to a creative, writing stories for a living. I've finished my first book, a science fiction novelette, and I wanted to share it with you. "The Big Red Buckle” (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HC5JWH8) is a tale about a single stage race in which competitors soar and run between two Martian shield volcanos.
This book is the first in a series of stories I am calling "Sports in Space", but of all these planned stories, its focus is on a sport that we all love. I hope you enjoy reading "The Big Red Buckle" as much as I appreciated recalling memories of soaring around Tiger while writing it.

Sincerely,

Matthew Alan Thyer 

click on image to enlarge

click on image to enlarge

http://www.amazon.com/The-Buckle-Matthew-Alan-Thyer-ebook/dp/B00HC5JWH8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1387741572&sr=8-1&keywords=big+red+buckle

CanAm 2013!

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!  COMING SOON!  CALLING ALL PILOTS!
CANADIANS, AMERICANS and THE REST OF THE GLOBE!

THE 37TH ANNUAL 2013 CANAM-BLACK MOUNTAIN FLY-IN
A PREMIER PACIFIC NW FLYING EVENT

Hang Gliders, Paragliders, Family & Friends
Come on Out and Hang with Us (or Para)
Campground reserved for pilots, but spectators are welcome.

When:                  August 16-18, Fri-Sun Noon

Where:                Silver Lake Park-Group Camp
                              9006 Silver Lake Road, Maple Falls, WA (360) 599-2776
                             http://www.co.whatcom.wa.us/parks/silver-lake/index.jsp

Fee:                      Registration/Camping-$40.00

Food:                  Potluck Dinner Saturday Night
                              Bring your best side or dessert!
                              Main Dish Provided by Guy's "BarbeChoo"
                              Pancake Breakfast provided Sunday Morning

Pilot Meeting:    Saturday-10:00 am

Must Bring:        USHPA MEMBERSHIP

Must Sign:          Silver Lake Park Waiver (this is new)

All pilots will be asked to show USHPA MEMBERSHIP at Registration.  IMPORTANT CHANGE- Silver Lake Park is requiring a signed waiver from all Pilots.  Please do not go up the Mountain without checking in and signing waivers first!  Thanks for helping us maintain a great relationship with one of the most beautiful Landing Zone owners around!  Who else mows us a landing strip?

Monies collected will pay for campground with balance going to support Whatcom County foot-launched Site Development, Site Preservation and Advocacy Efforts.

Silver Lake Campground is great for kids and non-pilots! Hiking, fishing, lake, paddleboats, horse camp, bike trails, nearby wineries, etc.

Volunteers Welcomed- If interested in helping make this a fabulous weekend, contact Stacy or Jeff Beck, 360-739-5649, enes14@wildblue.net<mailto:enes14@wildblue.net>.
Blue Skies and happy flying!

NWPC Field Trip Calendar

NWPC Field Trip Calendar

The field trips for the next few months will be focused on our regional fly-ins. 

CanAm Aug. 16^th-18^th

Pine Mountain Fly-In Aug 31^st-Sept. 2^nd

Baldy Fly-in Sept. 7^th-8^th

Bike and Fly Sept. 28^th-29^th

Women’s Fly-In Oct. 26^th-27^th

CanAm Fly-In information can be found here.  Dinner Saturday is a pot luck so bring your favorite dish.

http://home.comcast.net/~wxtofly/canam.html

http://blog.nwparagliding.com/search/label/Black%20Mountain

Pine Mountain Fly-In information can be found here.

http://www.desertairriders.org/fly-in.php

Baldy Fly-In

http://www.nwparagliding.com/baldy.php

Bike and Fly

The Chelan Bike and Fly is a two part friendly competition that involves a timed bike course as well as paraglider and hang glider spot landing and accuracy challenges. 

http://www.nwparagliding.com/chelan.php

Women’s Fly-In

Our annual Halloween event.  This is a great event with a costume contest, pie contest and chili contest.  Fly in costume for extra points.

http://blog.nwparagliding.com/search/label/Fly-In

2013 Chelan Cross-country Classic

Some compelling reasons for paraglider pilots to sign up for the 2013 Chelan Cross-country Classic

CJ Sturtevant

If you're new to Chelan, or new to XC flying, or not sure you're up for flying "competition," consider these points:

·         The CXCC is a really low-key comp, with most days being more like a day of flying with your sky buddies than an organized comp: no launch windows, no task committee, no (pre-determined by a task committee) goal, no start times, no land-by times.

·         You'll learn how the big dogs pick an optimum task for each day's conditions.. There's a list of waypoints if you want to try a triangle or an out-and-return, or you can just head downwind and see how far you can get. A daily weather briefing provides guidance in choosing a reasonable task. Landing options are plentiful out on the flats. Experienced pilots will offer suggestions for choosing tasks that are doable for a pilot's experience level and the day's weather.

·         If you are new to XC flying, you will have lots of experienced pilots willing to share their accumulated knowledge about how to get high and go far at Chelan, and how to use your GPS and flight instruments to improve your success at cross-country flying.

If  you've done some cross-country but want to push your XC skills up a notch, you probably can't find a better venue at a better price for advancing your knowledge and skills: a mere $90 for the six-day event (6/30-7/5) if you sign up by 6/15, $100 after that.

Whatever your skill level, you'll be part of a Northwest flying tradition that's been happening for over 30 years. Evening sessions will include panel discussions on tips and techniques for successful Chelan XC flying, as well as informative and entertaining stories from pilots who flew in the early days of the CXCC, or just last year. Some of the original Classic organizers and competitors will be on hand to tell about the olden days when everybody was an XC newbie, setting personal bests and site records on a regular basis.

And there's always that bottom line: Your entry helps pay the various use-fees required by the agencies that own the land we launch from and land on.

More information is available on the CBCC website, www.cloudbase.org, or contact Lenny Baron, the 2013 meet organizer, at lennybaron@comcast.net.

Chelan Cross Country Classic – Message from the Meet Director

Lenny Baron

It’s now June and the flying season is upon us and the Chelan dust devils have started spinning! I’m really looking forward to both running and flying in this year’s 32^nd annual Chelan Cross Country Classic, June 30^th to July 5^th. The Classic is not a sanctioned, hard-core meet, nor a frilly spot-landing contest with door prizes…It’s somewhere in between. The meet purpose is to provide vigorous competition for the top pilots, yet a great learning experience for novice X/C pilots, and a great vacation town on the nicest lake in the world for your loved-ones. The meet format is pilot-called task – you decide what to do and how to get the most out of each day. Chelan X/C conditions in July are legendary and with good reason. This is both a hang gliding and a paragliding meet, both wings are welcomed and both wings will have sub classes based on performance differences. Plenty of trophies are up for grabs.

The rule updates, along with new waypoints, and special events plans are almost complete. Here’s what’s coming: 1) One called-task day. This will help all pilots along as we all become thermal markers. If a pilot finishes early and wants to keep flying this will be their chance to do a multiple task. 2) New, closer-in waypoints to allow smaller out-and-returns and triangle flights (20-30 milers). 3) New mountain waypoints, added primarily for paragliders. Good for high-pressure weather days 4) An evening panel discussion with Chelan legendary luminaries, X/C tips and “Back in the day” stories 5) All ages dancing at one of the downtown clubs 6) Let’s hike the Butte, early morning exercise 7) And…back by overwhelming demand…the always popular BBQ.

Pilot registration now available on the CBCC website:

http://www.cloudbase.org/calendar/

Early registration ends June 15^th.

E-mail at:

lennybaron@comcast.net.

Come fly the Classic and join in on this fun. Get high and go far!

Lenny Baron, 2013 Chelan Cross Country Classic Meet Director