A great 4th of July Fly-In in Ojai. A huge thanks for Emily and Andy for making the plans, getting the permits and hosting the party at their amazing ranch.

 

Andrea drove our big Dodge up with a load full of gliders/pilots.

Watching and waiting for the best launch time.

I flew my Eagle 180.

Launching last.

Looking for lift.

Later after s fairly short unpowered flight from Chief's Launch to the Foundation LZ, I setup the Mosquito (powered harness) to fly the same glider (Eagle 18) from the ranch. It was getting close to the evening so I only put in about 1/2 of one of the two tanks of gas. Looking at the video I probably should have had the nose lower during my take-off. But something seemed weaker about the engine during this flight. I usually climb at about 200 fpm, but duing this flight I averaged less then 100 fpm in the very smooth air. I'm sure this made take-off more difficult too.