As another winter lays to rest, spring rolls in along the Wasatch. And with it, comes some fantastic flying conditions! Cool nights with warm days and lots of solar heating, mean strong thermals and high altitudes. With the valley drying out and plenty of snow still on the mountain peaks, the lapse rate along the range is quite nice.
But Spring also brings with it many challenges. For example, many of the roads to our mountain flying sites are still gates and/or snowed in. And for many of us, we don't accumulate much airtime over the winter months... so we are far from current in our skills.
What this usually means is that this is the most dangerous time of the year... we are not the sharp pilots we remember being at the end of the summer.... and conditions are more volatile than ever. Add to that limited open flying sites, and what you have is a recipe for bad decisions and dirty underwear (or worse).
So as we get the warm days coming and we all come out of winter hibernation, let's remember to take it slow and safe out there.... step back the conditions we fly in, give ourselves a little more clearance from the ground or other pilots, and on that note be weary of everyone else's rusty skills as they fly around you!
See ya soon, hopefully in the sky...