Blogs
Search Blogs
Gallery
Links
Blog Archive
|
Comments (12)
Add Comment
|
Re: Google Earth - Blackstrap Ridge |
By rustyh on
2/12/2008 11:33 PM |
Sorry folks...
I tried, but this site won't accept the GE file type....bummer |
|
|
Re: Google Earth - Blackstrap Ridge |
By rustyh on
2/13/2008 3:23 PM |
Crap, I have Blackstrap for some reason, it is Blackjack.
Senior's moment I guess......
|
|
|
Re: Google Earth - Blackjack Ridge |
By rustyh on
2/26/2008 4:39 PM |
Finally just took a screen shot and then posted that. The red pin in the middle is the preferred launch. Donny has been up there and done some work last year. Weekends you just sign in and get a gate pass and in you go. Now we'll start looking for LZ's.
My friend Galt, who flies his plane there often, says there is lift in a SE and a NW as he figures the wind moves around De Cosmos and the lakes, says it's a pretty rare day that the wind blows inland...we'll see.... |
|
|
Re: Google Earth - Blackjack Ridge |
By rustyh on
2/26/2008 4:42 PM |
| Galt also says SW face of De Cosmos is his secret mega lift zone |
|
|
Re: Google Earth - Blackjack Ridge |
By rustyh on
2/26/2008 4:51 PM |
| Oh, and Donny drives his Jeep Cherokee up, says the road is pretty good, figures my pickup will have no problem. You drive right to proposed launch, I like that! |
|
|
Re: Google Earth - Blackjack Ridge |
By rustyh on
2/29/2008 10:30 AM |
Flew Blackjack yesterday afternoon in a small plane. The wind was coming up First Lake from the SE. BJ ridge seemed quiet, no rotor, and thermal lift far over to the North end and over the proposed launch. We made several figure 8's as the little plane needed the ridge lift to gain altitude, as we were so heavy (my fat ass). Eagles and ravens in thermals going well up above launch #1.
We then headed over to De Cosmos and hit several thermals on the crossing. We arrived at the SE corner of De Cosmos where there is a spine that runs up the SE side of that mountain, nice smooth lift, abandoned very large concrete sorting yards an easy glide. Nice lift in several places along the S face that run along the valley towards Green Mountain. We then headed over to Mt. Hooker and found almost no lift, which was a surprise. The wind down on the lake must have been a valley wind.
Finally we headed around Mt Benson, found no lift there either. |
|
|
Re: Google Earth - Blackjack Ridge |
By rustyh on
3/8/2008 7:30 PM |
| Today with Donny and his son, we explored the area for the best LZ and found a beaut, requires almost no work to make safe (some raking and trimming back of a few alder saplings. We tried to get to launch but ran into a pretty healthy snow depth in the mountain lee (NW part of road up). Need a good inversion and a lot of Pineapple Express, then the really interesting stuff can begin. Gate is open on weekends only and it closes at 5 pm. Roads are prime, much like Prevost, if not better, from gate to LZ, 20 minutes. The breeze was a bit squirrelly coming over the back at the NW end and blowing up the ridge on the SE end with the overhead clouds traveling from west to east. Standing down on the LZ the air temp was cool with nice warm moments so thermals were trying to form. Very nice place, seems to have good energy. |
|
|
Re: Google Earth - Blackjack Ridge |
By rustyh on
3/8/2008 11:25 PM |
| Now about the snow. We got up fairly high but it just got deeper and even with chains on they didn't dig down to road bed. The snow has a large crystalline structure (BB size) to it and is hard, hard, frozen ice at it's base (I couldn't kick my way down to road surface and was just below my knee in depth at the furthest point up in my walk). So I guess this will mean it will take awhile before it's passable. It's still another 3 km up to launch. |
|
|
Re: Google Earth - Blackjack Ridge |
By TJ on
3/12/2008 3:22 PM |
Maybe this helps:
http://atlas.nrcan.gc.ca/site/english/maps/topo/map?
mapsize=1150+1350&scale=20000.000000&mapxy=-2047464.5790717548
+491101.37496275525&mode=zoomin&lat=49.13&long=-124.120&
searchstring=blackjack&location1=59&unique_key=
0c8f7d8e849c20c3d7de4fc23de11cf4&feature_na=Blackjack+
Ridge&entity=MTN&layers=fapfeature%20north_arrow%20
other_features%20million_grid%20t50k_grid%20grid_50k_3%20
roads%20hydrography%20boundary%20builtup%20vegetation%
20populated_places%20railway%20power_network%20
manmade_features%20designated_areas%20water_features%
20water_saturated_soils%20relief%20contours%20toponymy%
20contour%20nodata_ntdb_50k&urlappend=%26map_textzoom
03_feature%3Dnew%26map_textzoom03_feature_points%3D-
2049221.47702%20492861.284782%26map_textzoom03_class_text
%3DBlackjack+Ridge%26map_textzoom46_feature%3Dnew%
26map_textzoom46_feature_points%3D-2049221.47702
%20492861.284782%26map_textzoom46_class_text%3D
Blackjack+Ridge%26map_arrowzoom03_feature%3Dnew%
26map_arrowzoom03_feature_points%3D-2049221.47702%
20492861.284782
(I had to break this all up so we wouldn't have it all across the screen causing one to have to side scroll. If you want to copy and paste this link, make sure it has no spaces where I broke up each line - Rusty) |
|
|
Re: Google Earth - Blackjack Ridge |
By Bruce McG on
3/12/2008 10:31 AM |
The road in the foto above would make an OK LZ for an expereinced pilot, much better than Garth Avenue which I've landed on three times.
A couple of years ago we spent the better part of an afternoon all over DeCosmo but really couldn't find any appealing launch sites. I've seen the sorting yard, it would make a good LZ but it would be real bouncy coming in there on a thermic day - parhaps even a bit dangerous. XC potential to the west is really not bad, there's a huge area to land at the road intersection on the North West side of Green Mountain. To the North theirs a bunch of fields North of Bensen. But you really don't have to go far to the NorthWest before you are in tiger country.
IIRCC, the max ceiling before you are in the controlled airapsace is 6,000 ft., rising to 9,500 somewhere on the other side of DeCosmo. I have the map around somewhere. I'll check it out. |
|
|
Re: Google Earth - Blackjack Ridge |
By rustyh on
3/12/2008 5:44 PM |
I'm starting to find out more about Google Earth and posting pictures.
#1 - the reason some of the blue dots show up at a greater magnification, is popularity. Those that show up as you zoom further in are less popular.
#2 - any photos posted to Picaso or Panoramio get reviewed as to content, composition, clarity, etc. If they pass that test they are then posted as a blue dot when the next posting session convenes, about once a month. (and since mine are sport specific, guess they won't make it...not a bad thing s they are rather bland, just recording things for my own interest) Aerials are not acceptable it seems. |
|
|
Re: Google Earth - Blackjack Ridge |
By rustyh on
3/12/2008 5:55 PM |
With a little clearing work (raking, cutting some rotten stumps flush to the ground, broom, blackberry, and alder snipping) the LZ looks pretty fair for HG's, good and long and flat. Nice big clearings with treed zones, with some tolerable space between the LZ and the power lines. Much, much better than Garth Avenue (bin there, done that).
6,000ft will be enough for me! |
|
You must be logged in and have permission to create or edit a blog.
 |
An error has occurred.
Unhandled error loading module. |
|