I have seen a few at Playa Tranquillo south of San Quintin but none on the Cortez side. I know little about them but just north of Bufeo there is a
high flat area marked "View Lots for Sale" that looks to me to be perfect place to fly from with lots of beach and roads to land on. Anybody know why
not??
I have lost my burning desire for a powered parachute since my neighbor crashed his into his truck and trailer on landing in a wind gust and tore off
his left leg and some fingers.
Unpredictable winds
jrbaja - 8-6-2005 at 09:56 AM
on that side probably have a lot to do with it. Over here, the bluffs and constant "off shore" conditions make it pretty good for that kind of stuff.
Off-Shore ??
MrBillM - 8-6-2005 at 10:11 AM
Are you saying that the "constant" or prevalent wind is OFF the shore TOWARDS the Ocean ? If so, that is a unique phenomena and contrary to the usual
Coastal effect.Bob and Susan - 8-6-2005 at 02:24 PM
Challenger II Special
TWO PLACE CLIPPED WING
26 ft wingspan
Up to 95 mph cruise speed
30 mph cross-wind capability
Quick roll rate
Good cross-country cruiser
Experimental homebuilt category
300 ft take-off roll (average dual)
Qualifies for Sport Pilot License
$15,300 to $17,900 with engine *********************
"with engine"? Who would want to buy one without an engine?
Offshore Winds
jrbaja - 8-7-2005 at 10:17 AM
in surfer lingo means blowing from the land out to sea.
Offshore Winds
MrBillM - 8-7-2005 at 12:31 PM
In anybody's lingo, including meteorologists, means blowing OFF the shore towards the sea.
You're statement that an offshore condition is the "constant" standard in Rosarito is what I was questioning since it is the opposite of what the
normal condition, absent frontal phenomena, usually is in a coastal area. Since I've been in Rosarito many times, I know that the condition is not
"CONSTANT" since I observed lots of onshore winds while there.
That aside, the norm, except for your Rosarito, is onshore because the landmass heats up quicker during the day resulting in the hotter air rising and
the cooler air off of the ocean coming in. Not in Rosarito (or Emerald City), I guess.bajaandy - 8-7-2005 at 12:53 PM
To be fair, their certainly are many, MANY mornings when the wind blows offshore, a treat to any surfer to be sure. But MrBill is correct in stating
that the normal condition is usually ONshore, not OFFshore. For those wishing to take to the sky via some man-made wing, an ONshore wind would be the
wind of choice, if one is attempting to launch from a coastal bluff (like Torrey Pines, for instance). Otherwise, it's pretty darn hard to get that
wing to generate enough lift if the wind is coming from behind. But then I don't fly, I surf, so I probably really don't know what I'm talking about.
Me too
jrbaja - 8-7-2005 at 01:12 PM
And rather than constant, I probably should have said something different like consistent or something like that. Anyways, there seem to be days when
the winds here blowconsistently well enough for these guys to go flying.
What I do know is that I see a lot more hangliders over here than over there for whatever reason. I assume it has to do with the winds, from
whatever direction.
Or maybe air density, moisture content, thermal drafts, or other factors that I am not familiar with.
But, if any of you want to fly down here, I have a friend who builds ultra lights and takes people on flights . Pretty fun too once you get used to
it.
Kudos to Bajaandy
MrBillM - 8-7-2005 at 02:37 PM
Absolutely correct. If you're going to Hang-Glide off of a cliff facing the ocean, you want an "On Shore" breeze.
We've all experienced Off Shore breezes on the coast and if you're a surfer you look forward to them. The waves hold their form longer. In San
Diego, you can look forward to a period of Off Shore (Santa Ana) wind conditions every February bringing Summer time weather.
[Edited on 8-7-2005 by MrBillM]Bob and Susan - 8-7-2005 at 02:41 PM
i'm kind'a like Yankee...Iwant a MOTOR!!yankeeirishman - 8-7-2005 at 02:46 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Bob and Susan
i'm kind'a like Yankee...Iwant a MOTOR!!
Hey...your project is coming up in the world! Good idea....live in the garage! Think I just found an idea to steal!Bob and Susan - 8-7-2005 at 02:47 PM
Yea, we never thought we'd retire to live in a garage!!!
What a new experience
Ultra Lights
MrBillM - 8-7-2005 at 02:56 PM
We had a resident in Percebu that had an Ultra Light and would take people up for a price. It all ended one day when he took off after hoisting a few
at the Cantina and proceeded to crash in the Lagoon, badly injuring his passenger and injuring himself to a lesser extent. The story we heard later
was that he had forgotten to turn the gas back on. The Mexican authorities were unhappy since he was not permitted to fly it for hire in Mexico. I
haven't seen him in the air since.
Drinking and flying
jrbaja - 8-7-2005 at 05:56 PM
I never cease to be amazed! Funny thing is, I hear it's a pretty common thing down here out of the smaller airports.
Ultralight planes
Anonymous - 8-7-2005 at 09:37 PM
I recently lost a good friend who was killed near his home in Wyoming when his ultralight plane crashed. He was a real Baja lover and familar face on
the flying and sailing scene down here for many decades. His sailing catamarans some Baja people might recognize: in the 70's the MESHAK, and for the
last few years, BRIGHT WING. John Walton. Survived by his wife, Christi, son Lucas, and many Baja amigos. Go with God, Juan.
anonymous - did they ever come up with
capt. mike - 8-8-2005 at 04:27 AM
why on Walton's accident?
I have lost one friend too in an ultra lite mishap. He flew the wings off by putting on a non rated engine, applied too much HP. kind of stupid
actually....close to a Darwin award event.
The reason you can buy a lot of kits sans motor is so you can pick a diff engine if you wanted to. see above!
Drinking and flying do not mix, well - that is for the PIC (pilots in command)
but for the pax...sure, have a few and enjoy the flights!
MrBillM
BajaRob - 8-8-2005 at 06:34 AM
Is the pilot that you are refering to "Crazy Larry"? If so, I have an update on him. Rob
UltraLight
MrBillM - 8-8-2005 at 10:44 AM
I only met the guy casually once at the Cantina between flights, but "Larry" does sound familiar. He was the only one who flew around Percebu on a
regular basis. I turned down the offer of a ride. I've always had a distrust of Ultralights, especially with someone else at the controls. The
problem as I see it is that they are only "safe" within a narrow band of weather conditions and people continually push that envelope in a fairly
fragile machine. I've done enough flying in my younger days that there was no fascination with the idea, although I would like to get some decent
aerial photos of Percebu. The ones that I or others have taken aren't that good.
As an aside, it might be interesting to note that the original inventor of the Ultralight died demonstrating his new version of a so-called Super
Ultralight. I don't remember his name, but his factory was at FlaBob Airport in Riverside (Rubidoux). According to the newspaper report, he went up
in marginal winds and broke up. The article quoted the onlookers, including his wife, as saying you could hear him screaming all the way down.
Here I am
Hook - 8-8-2005 at 11:22 AM
in a two-seater in Costa Rica, back in June. Great fun!
Powered by a BMW motorcycle engine and piloted by a krazy kraut near Samara Beach.
We had to wait a couple days for conditions to be safe but it was worth it.
It was Larry. He was permanently grounded by the local Mexican Officals. His ultra-lite was stored in a trailer @ Campo La Roca. About two years ago I
saw him @ Bahia Santa Maria in the morning. Word was that he had been on a 4 day runner. Later that day he lined up his Samuri on the cliff @ La Roca
and did a 30 foot vertical dive to the beach. We saw it happen and it wasn't pretty. He is now a quad but off the respirator and feeding tube. Some
that knew him said that he probably thought that he was in his plane. It was the only time that I saw him and would never have flown with him. If you
see Ed and Lehea , Dean and Barbara or Dick & Lorena please say hello for Connie & I. Rob
[Edited on 8-8-2005 by BajaRob]
