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Needles to say, mid day thermals in the summer should be flown by experienced pilots only (P-4). Early morning flights can be safely made by P-2 pilots and occasionally early evening, but beware of strong valley winds late in the day.
North facing launches are great for the morning. Lakeside and Upper Lakeside allow a view of the Lone Pine LZ. By Mid day, the North catabatic flush is over and the prevailing winds tend to come from the WSW. Ants in the Pants, Between the Rocks and The Green Monster launch all work. Take your pick based on wind direction.
The Soccer field in Chelan Falls along the Columbia can be used only during scheduled fly ins and competitions. Lone Pine, on the North side is the LZ for early morning flights and offers a quick turn around (20 minutes). And for X/C pilots, nearly all of Eastern Washington is available once you cross the Columbia heading east.
It is hot here, so bring lots of water and if you go X-C, fly with it. As previously mentioned, mid day thermals are strong, 1200 Ft per Min is not uncommon. Beware of dust devils on launch. They may appear to be cute little baby thermals, but, they can pick you and your glider up on launch and spit you out before you can turn your vario on. There have been several accidents as a result of dust devils on launch. If you are flying in the afternoon, keep an eye on the Columbia River for an indication of the valley winds picking up. These winds tend to get stronger as the day goes on and work their way up from Wenatchee. If you are in the air and see white caps on the river, you should have landed earlier.
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