Over the years....being "ADDICTED TO THE WIND" like many of you, I too have been in that same "need for my daily SK Fix" and FEEL YOUR PAIN..WHEN THE WIND DOESN'T "CO-OP!"
Seeking out locations on those virtually windless days..when even a tattered old Vapor on my shortest 50ft. #12 lb. kevlar (borrowed from my Boeing Wind Tunnel Phantom Works Wind flight box) had a difficult time staying aloft often resorted to all kinds of strange behavioral problems.
Here are a few of my own successful wind seeking locations in my area.
I would often take my SUL's out to a field that was located next to the I-5 Northbound traffic lanes.
A constant flow of commuter traffic consistantly assure enough air flow that would give me enough to fly.
Another location I found near my home...was a very busy cross country railroad track location.
I used to have neighbor who worked as a RR train dispatcher who gave me the train schedules for those long long line of passing rail car traffic.
I would time my flying time to the RR's time schedule.
During and after those trains pass...they too will leave a long vortex of consistant and constant moving air mass that will often trigger a mass of moving air with enough momentum and time to fly
(at least for a few minutes or even longer)
depending on the air temp. and provailing wind condititon.
I found that often these locations will usually provide enough flyable wind...when dead days of both summer and winter are not available.
During my serving my "work life sentence behind the chain link 3 strand wire fences of the Boeing Company.during noon day breaks and after work....
especially in the summer days I could find enough air to fly with just the heated or cooling air that was flowing either in or out of those large oversized Delivery Center Airplane hanger doors that would always left open.
After gaining permission (baited with smooozin) for both the Flight Test Director management team as well as the Security Team manager was a definate aid assurance-insurance to allow my daily sport-kite flyin FIX...as long as I flew on short lines and set out those "saftey cones and wore my neon safety vest."
During one Boeing Phantom Works assignment...My studio was located in a building just North of Sea-Tac. I noticed that often just the votex generated by a constant stream of landing commercial aircraft...would also set up a flowing stream of air that I would take advantage for flying time. (HOWEVER! That air was often EXTREMELY TORN UP AND BUMPY....TALK ABOUT RADICAL NEW AEROBATICAL' TRICKS N TREATS!!!)
Years ago...(when my daughter lived downtown in a Seattle High rise) you could often see folks like myself, Mark Reed and other equally addicted kite freaks...flying our kites in the dark alley ways between those high buildings.
Simply the cool air night...combined with those hot tall building surfaces, always assured a consistant amount of moving air mass to allow flight.
(BEWARE AND FORE-WARNED!)
DOWNTOWN IN THE ALLEY WAYS OF SEATTLE OR ANY OTHE MAJOR CITY...ARE NOT THE SAFEST PLACE TO FLY AFTER DARK! SO NEVER FLY THERE ALONE....OR MAKE CERTAIN YOU HAVE A CELL PHONE SET ON RE-DIAL TO 911.!!!!
I remember being warned AND ASKED OR TOLD to roll up my lines and EXIT STAGE LEFT OR RIGHT more than just a few times by the Seattle Police dept....who seemed more concerned about my sanity than my safety.
Besides...THOSE ALLEY RATS ARE THE SIZE OF LARGE DUMPSTER RACOONS AND TRAVEL IN PACKS!
AMAZING WHAT LENGTHS AVID WIND SEEKERS WILL GO THROUGH TO FIND THEIR ADDICTED SEARCH FOR WIND.
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