WOW!
Trip Start
Jan 03, 2007
1
16
18
Trip End
Jan 21, 2007
Crucita,
Ecuador
Friday, January 19, 2007
It turns out the lack of sunshine in the morning completely cut off the sea breeze! We got to the launch around 14:00 and waited till 17:00 because the wind was not strong enough to hold us after launching... We were starting to give up hope... Benoit, Michel and Henri finally decided to accept a sled run or two and leaped downwards for a 1 minute flight to the beach... Considering the high quality and long duration of the flights yesterday, I didn't really want to end my Ecuador trip with a sled run... I decided to pack my gear and wait for the van to pick me up.
Luis, however, remained optimistic: magic he said, just wait for it, it will come... Yeah right! Our experience here has been blown out conditions after 16:00, so we expected either more of the same weak wind or some crazy super strong sea breeze to slam in at any time
Benoit Flies towards the Condos
. Luis insisted and made Benoit wait before taking off on another sled... Michel was slowly getting ready as well... Hmmmm... Finally, I caved in and decided I might as well have ONE more flight, sled or no, in Ecuador; when else will I be flying ANY flight on the Pacific coast?! I got my gear off the truck and started getting ready. It was around 17:45 by then and we were 3 pilots waiting in line for Luis to give us the signal. Finally, Luis said it was as good as it would get and suggested a flight plan to Benoit in order to TRY and get SOME lift instead of a sled run... Michel and I watched Benoit carefully... A few passes over the launch and he had indeed gained some altitude! OK, at least our flight would last longer than 1 minute, that's acceptable. I allowed Benoit to get farther down the coast away from the launch and leaped off the cliff and quickly turned in minimum sink mode towards Benoit. There was lift! Michel soon followed suit... We were working hard, but there we were gaining altitude! What ensued was a gorgeous 1 hour sunset flight along the Pacific coast: normally impossible due to blown out conditions!!! Wow... Henri eventually caved in and joined us... As we flew, the wind did strengthen, but not too much as to be dangerous and blown out. In fact, in increased our altitude gain by strengthening the magic conditions (thermal restitution). First of all, I have never even heard of magic developing along the coast, but surely enough, it had to be it since I slowly ventured right over the ocean and the lift there was even stronger than above the ridge (1 to 2 meters per second)
Benoit, Michel and Henri Decide to Take the Sled
! Unbelievable... I flew all over the place, over the ocean, the ridge, the launch, behind the ridge... It was great. I even surpassed my colleagues in altitude for a while with my passes over the ocean... They were staying behind on the ridge where the regular lift usually is. Eventually, they came forward and benefitted from the ocean magic too. It was great fun, but a lot of work in order to benefit fully from the lift: flat turns, weight shifting and constant crabbing. I didn't really have any time or the will to snap pictures. After the glorious sunset, I flew a bit more, but decided to land because I still had my prescription sunglasses on and would soon be blind in the dark. Luis advised us to land on the beach, the tide was out more, so we had more room, no problem. Michel landed first. Benoit followed and lost his altitude over the ocean by executing some 360 degree turns repeatedly. I tried to loose altitude by just going out more to sea, but failed. I then decided to emulate Benoit, which worked out OK, but the descent rate was slow. After a while, I resorted to big ears and lost some altitude over the city while executing big turns with the big ears. At one point, I flew over a tennis court with a bunch of people in huddle in the middle and heard a very loud BANG! exactly as I passed over it... I felt the shock-wave throughout my entire body thanks to my wing's parabolic shape and the harness' position exactly in the center below it! I was sure it was an unhappy owner firing his gun at me because I was just over the regular flying zone into his property..
Benoit, Michel and Henri Wait for the Sled
. I immediately went back to the ocean in a tight turn, executed a few S turns over the beach, passed right next to the condos next to our hostel and waved hello to the people on the last floor's balcony and landed just next to Michel and Benoit with my big ears. A perfect landing followed by some kiting in the nice wind. Beautiful. We were all ecstatic and quite pleased with this final flight in Ecuador (almost missed by me had I maintained my decision not to fly). Needless to say, Benoit, Michel, Henri and I were all glowing and smiling that evening. Unfortunately for Martin, he decided not to fly this afternoon. Jean-Roch tried, but crashed into some bushes next to the launch soon after he launched due to a variety of mistakes (one causing a problem and another failing to rectify the problem caused). Ah well. This flight would never have been possible without Luis intimate knowledge of the site. If you are ever in Ecuador, check out his hostel and benefit from his wisdom at the Hostal Voladores (The Flyer's Hostel). I strongly recommed it: great owners, staff, location, quality and awesome seafood fresh from the day's catch 15 minutes away in the downtown fish market. You can contact the owner, Luis, via his email address: hvoladores@hotmail.comSo, it is back to Quito tomorrow (Friday), a long 7 hour drive back up the Andes and into the valleys on top. Time flies when you are flying!
