Diceman
Moderator
So I had a chance to go to Weldon last weekend for the first time, so I took the opportunity! I am glad I did.
The Weldon site is known for it is incredible DS (Dynamic Soaring) capability and is also impressive flying on the front side. It is a beautiful drive to get to (once you get off 5 and get close the the hills) and has great lift for whatever plane you would want to fly. A very close town to the hill is Kernville, it is a very scenic, calming town and a great place to stop in for food or to stay the night at the Inn there.
The flying location definitely needs a 4WD vehicle to get to the top (unless you have a high clearance 2wd and are an experienced off-roader) and it only a short drive off the main road. Once at the top winds that are 25mph + produce fantastic lift that are great for the D60 and it just gets better after that speed. Lower winds tend to have a much smoother backside for DS but do not give the hill the full potential of high higher speeds that it can offer. Thermals or "good air" also come through just like they would on the front side and they make a big difference in the speeds you can get as well as having the correct "setup" of your planes throws and trims. I will be the first to tell you that mine were way off and were setup for front side flying even though I did turn down the rates, they needed much less once you get going. LOL.
While at the hill, Bruce Tebo and Mehrdad Amir were stacking up the airframe records as well as PB's (personel best) on many different planes. Mehrdad and Bruce broke the airframe record on the triple carbo SRTL (record is now 311mph), Bruce hit 284 with his modified Destiny (airframe record), Bruce also hit his PB time with his K100HN at 316mph, Mehrdad set an airframe record for "The Toy" at 240mph (this plane was built by the manufacture for front side flying and even had IDS which is unheard of to use to DS with, that is why this speed is so impressive) plus also hit an airframe record for his Sabre (a one off plane) at 256mph. For my first go at Weldon, I hit 201mph with the D60 plus 233mph with my D80 (my new all time PB). Not to bad for being new to DS.
The only down side I expereinced was the lack of a porta potty near by, other than that it was a amazing DS/flying/furballing weekend which I hope you all get to go someday (if you have not already). It was definitely on my bucket list. Got one checked off anyways.
The Weldon site is known for it is incredible DS (Dynamic Soaring) capability and is also impressive flying on the front side. It is a beautiful drive to get to (once you get off 5 and get close the the hills) and has great lift for whatever plane you would want to fly. A very close town to the hill is Kernville, it is a very scenic, calming town and a great place to stop in for food or to stay the night at the Inn there.
The flying location definitely needs a 4WD vehicle to get to the top (unless you have a high clearance 2wd and are an experienced off-roader) and it only a short drive off the main road. Once at the top winds that are 25mph + produce fantastic lift that are great for the D60 and it just gets better after that speed. Lower winds tend to have a much smoother backside for DS but do not give the hill the full potential of high higher speeds that it can offer. Thermals or "good air" also come through just like they would on the front side and they make a big difference in the speeds you can get as well as having the correct "setup" of your planes throws and trims. I will be the first to tell you that mine were way off and were setup for front side flying even though I did turn down the rates, they needed much less once you get going. LOL.
While at the hill, Bruce Tebo and Mehrdad Amir were stacking up the airframe records as well as PB's (personel best) on many different planes. Mehrdad and Bruce broke the airframe record on the triple carbo SRTL (record is now 311mph), Bruce hit 284 with his modified Destiny (airframe record), Bruce also hit his PB time with his K100HN at 316mph, Mehrdad set an airframe record for "The Toy" at 240mph (this plane was built by the manufacture for front side flying and even had IDS which is unheard of to use to DS with, that is why this speed is so impressive) plus also hit an airframe record for his Sabre (a one off plane) at 256mph. For my first go at Weldon, I hit 201mph with the D60 plus 233mph with my D80 (my new all time PB). Not to bad for being new to DS.
The only down side I expereinced was the lack of a porta potty near by, other than that it was a amazing DS/flying/furballing weekend which I hope you all get to go someday (if you have not already). It was definitely on my bucket list. Got one checked off anyways.
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