The dought is over - a flying day!

Finally, after scheduling every Tuesday in December and 3 of the Saturdays, my last planned lesson, on the 26th, held. It's been over a month since my last tandem and weeks since my last beach bunny hill session. My last tandem was over an hour long, so I've been going into serious withdrawals.

The winds at Crestline were strong, about 12-20 mph, but a little off angle, more Southeasterly than the optimal Southwesterly. Still, we got in about 20 minutes of ridge soaring until the conditions shifted and we went down the face and back to the LZ, for a flight that was roughly a half hour. The air was bouncier and a bit rougher (for lack of a better adjective) than it was the last time, so I found myself wrestling a little more than I wanted. But, I was happy for the experience, especially on a tandem, with Rob there to 'splain the wind and its wacky wonts.

Once we got off of the highest ridge, Crestline, and over the one above the LZ, things smoothed out. There was a slight wind on the LZ and I did a better job on the approach (before Rob landed us), so, for the first time on a tandem, I didn't fall to my knees.

Next up: a radio assisted solo off Marshall. Rob has trained peeps by the thousands, so, if he think it's time, I'm pretty comfortable with the idea of a solo. As he points out, it's physically easier than a tandem flight due to the better flight characteristics of the solo Falcon vs. the tandem one. Everything is easier, 'cept that he's not there to answer questions (there is the radio) or take over if I pooch something. The big challenge now is scheduling lessons and hoping they hold.