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| Volume 3, Issue 8 |
September, 2004
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TURNPOINT PICTURES The first pictures of our small triangle around Alexandria are here! I took the pictures on September 19th, when Ron Clarke invited me to join him in a routine flight in the Grob. I was just going to take some random pictures, but when he asked me where those turnpoint were, I jumped at the chance to take their first pictures. Click on the pictures to see a bigger version. North Turnpoint This is the easiest to find, since it is at the intersection of the railroad track and State Road 9. It is also the most inviting since it is located in the center of Alexandria, and Alexandria is almost always a good source of thermals. Compare the satellite picture with the turnpoint picture. Flying around the triangle is good practice and fun, but don't forget to practice taking those photographs. It is not as easy as you think. This picture, for example, required that Ron banked the plane almost 70 degrees as we were exactly Northwest of the turnpoint, and at enough distance from it. If you are too close, or push the button too early or too late, the turnpoint may not appear in your picture. 
South Turnpoint This is also easy to find if you are coming to it from the north turnpoint. Just follow State Road 9 heading south and look for the "z" shaped road on the right (West) side of State Road 9. Take your picture when you are SW of the turnpoint and the airport would be on top of the picture. Get familiar with the surrounding landmarks, because if you are approaching the South turnpoint from the East turnpoint, you may meet SR 9 a little too far North or too far South. If it helps, think of the turnpoint as being where the "belly" of SR 9 ends. 
East Turnpoint This is the hardest point to find, but only until you have found it for the first time, after which you'll find it easily. Look at the satellite picture and get familiar with the indicated terrain features. The turnpoint lays almost 1 mile nort-east of the intersection of the railroad track and E900N.M I took turnpoint picture from the SW side and not from the NE side as I should have. Ron turned around the turnpoint a few times until I got an acceptable picture. I tell you: it is not so easy! 
So, there they are. If you have other pictures of the turnpoints, send them to me so I can add them to the "gallery of turnpoint pictures". Have fun! Mario Lazaga |
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