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Hangola April 2, 2001

Terry day. But he totally misunderstands the concept of a ridge run to H -burg. He crossed the gap at 4k over. There isn't any gap at 4k over. No rotor surfing over the wrinkled ground before the highway; no zen like wait for the propitious moment for the dive to Short. Ditto for the jump back to Kearns. He had 5k over -- 7000 ft. What kind of jump back is that? You can't even tell there is a mountain under you at 7k. Finally, to navigate that area just before the end where the ridge is broken he climbs to 9000 ft! 7000 over! Guy thinks he's in Tibet or something. Pretty pitiful. Anyway he landed south of Elkton for lots of miles. I hope that once he gets some more experience he will be able to do a proper ridge run.

I sank out before the gap. Shut up.

Everybody else did great. Doug Wakefield, Bob Radcliffe and Gary Campbell

Steve Kinsley, Doug Wakefield, and I met at the LZ today at 12:30, piled onto Doug's car and headed to launch. Bob Radcliff and Gary Cambell arrived as we were setting up. Bob had said that it had been early Autumn since his last good flight and Gary hasn't flown at all since he broke his hand in 5 places while unloading his glider from his car. Doug was ready for a XC, Steve was ready for whatever, and I was just hoping for a good landing. My last flight was 2 weeks ago when I did the "down tube boogie."

Doug launched first and got up right away. I got into the slot next and was surprised to hear that Doug was only a couple hundred over. I executed one of my worst launches in recent memory. Immediately, I felt uncomfortable flying. I needed to settle in and fly the glider. Unlike Doug, I didn't go right up, instead, I was finding no lift. I was beginning to think that I was doomed to receive a sled ride. With a little scratching, I got above the ridge. Doug was still only a couple hundred to the good. He was headed to the North finger. While I saw a "haze dome" forming to the South. As I passed in front of launch with only a couple hundred, Steve was sliding into the slot. I thought that he might wait after seeing Doug's and my performances. He didn't.

Now with the three of us in the air, I thought that it was XC time! Oh... sorry, I forgot to mention that the "haze dome" took me to 5 Grand msl. Although, Steve and Doug still appeared to be struggling at the North finger. When I pulled out of the thermal and headed back to the front, I lost a thousand and found that they were doing fine. Initially, I thought that we were going to go the North point and then go south but Steve was heading south right away so I pointed south and tried to get into his wake!

I had the benefit of having more altitude than Steve.. it's nice to feel safe! Doug stayed around launch while Steve and I went south. Steve plowed along, while I stopped here and there to turn in thermals in order to maintain my altitude. Steve's confidence was unflappable. He must have had the bar to his knees! I could judge his speed by his crab angle. He had opened up some distance on me, and was at least a quarter mile in front. But I knew that when he slowed down (crabbed more) that I could do a couple turns when I reached that area! Ironically, we ended up at the South bowl at the same altitude. We were boating around the bowl sniffing for lift. I blundered into something trashy and started to go to work! At the same time. Steve also found something near by. It seemed to be another core of the same thermal. I was having a hellava time trying to center in this thing. I was watching Steve, he did just a couple of turns and pressed on! We were very close to the gap, and I was in a rocket ship thermal So I decided to stay put and watch Steve.( I've seen his gap crossing technique and it's pretty ballsy. I'd prefer to cross with more altitude!) While Steve ran to the next bowl (the ugliest one), I was hanging on to the control bar for dear life! I had the bar to my waist and was climbing at 1000-1400fpm.! The longer I watched Steve struggling low, the more determined I was to hang on to this one and ride it all the way to the top! I got to about 6500ft. and could see gliders below the ridge back at launch. Steve was now in survival mode, valiantly working all the little knobs trying to hang on until something happens! I figured that he was a goner and it was now time for me to press on alone. Steve performed an impressive landing as I flew over, headed for the gap. A wuffo was walking out to Steve almost immediatly.Because we didn't have radio contact, I did some high banked turns hoping that Steve would see me and know that I had crossed the gap. Steve didn't see me but the wuffo did! He told Steve that I was thiiss big.. with his fingers pinched together! Cool!

I began to cross the gap to Short Mtn. and hit the sink which seems to be typical, I was starting to have doubts. Short is a scary place to be if your low. I've only been down Short three other times and been low all three times. It's a "butt puckering" experience! Landing zones are a LONG way off! Fright turns to relief when you know that you can make a tiny downhill LZ, even if there is a power line across the middle of it! My thoughts were about Steve and why he sank out. Steve being on the ground was a BIG blow to my confidence. The ridge must not have been working even though there was wind on the ponds. I surpressed the urge to chicken out and pressed on. I had lost 3000ft. in the first mile down Short. With the Bar to my waist and a tight VG, I screamed down the ridge, aiming for the rock slides that I felt sure would be working! Bingo, half way down the Mtn. I was in a thermal and headed back to 5 grand! I pealed-out before I topped out and went on glide, skipping a few rock slides and going for one a little further. Again I was climbing to 5 grand and back on glide. I reached the last good slide before the point, I needed to get a good one there to continue south. If not, I'd be landing in MT. Jackson for the forth time. All the thermal generators seemed to be working and his one was no different. I was climbing to 6500ft with very little drift. This turned out to be crucial because I had 6500ft. leaving Short. Wow!

I've discovered that there's one thing worse than being on Short and that's being on Kern Mtn.! Kern is lower than Short, shallower than Short, and it's ever further out to the LZs! The ridge has GOT to be working to go back there! I made my decision quickly! There was no way, no way, NO WAY, that I was going back there! Instead, I flew straight off the peak! I got as small and pointy as I could and went on glide for some chicken barns and silos! There were a number of brown fields upwind. I was hoping that something might be coming off those fields and I could intercept it! I must have gone about four miles and was down to 2500-3000ft,msl.! I was scoping out LZs and working very light lift. the wind direction had switched! With the Bar pushed ALL the way out, I was drifting towards some rock slides on the southern end of Kern. The landing zones are closer there but it is still intimidating. I figured that since I was in lift (even if it was light) and headed for the rock slides, I should be all right! As it turned out, the slides and the thermal combined to give me 3-400up..Whew! I was relieved when I got back to 4500ft. I needed one more glide to get to the gap. There was a rock face that I was trying to work. I wasn't doing very well but I did gain 1500ft. and was back to 4500 when I figured that I'd better take what I had and jump the gap at Rt.211. I encountered very strong sink and a bit of a venturi! I was beginning to look a those real little fields again! Yuck! With the wind now crossing from the North, I was below the ridge when I reached the other side! Pretty scary, but I would have never gone back to the Ridge if there wasn't lots of rocks! Facing directly into the wind at that! A cloud shadow had passed earlier and they had been cooking for sometime. I was confident that they'd be working! They were!!

I got some very strong lift from those rocks and got back to 6500ft. The drift was a little stronger so I reluctantly left before topping out! Big Mountain looks like an easy cruise, with LZs close by. Ironically, I never even thought about them (I was too high to worry!). I just pushed on while making some sort of strategy for the next ridge! I crossed this little gap and got to another cooker. While turning, I was looking a Grubbs Knob. It appeared that past the Knob, the mountain turns toward the South. I figured that with a north cross, the lift might be none existent. I was in a pretty good thermal and planned to top out. This one got stronger and stronger. I was screaming up! I got to about 6800ft. and thought that I could break my personal best! Just then it started to sputter....wouldn't cha know it? I eeked past 7000ft. looking for at least 7200ft.(my best). I was pushing out as much as I dared. I either rediscovered the core or it turned back on, but either way, I was back to screaming! I blew by 7200ft. and headed for 8! Again, just short of 8000ft. it started to sputter! I was so close that I felt like snapping the bar out and kissing 8000ft. before whip stalling! But, just like before, I was back to screaming again, with 800-1000fpm. I was just under 9000ft. when I lost it.. bummer!!

Well, with that kind of altitude and only a couple miles from Massanutten Peak, I figured that it was "over the back time"!! I flew all the way across Page Valley and still had 6000ft.!! I was looking at the Blue Ridge and Skyline Drive and was completely out of ideas! There was no place to go to get up to the ridge! All these little mtns. in front creating rotors. I had the altitude to reach the Blue Ridge but there was no way that I was gonna risk landing in a steep down hill LZ and get rotored on the way in too! Forget that! Instead, I picked the best looking thermal generator I could find and went there. I had 4500-5000ft. and no lift! I hung out in survival mode trying to stay alive...I didn't.

I had picked a landing zone and was monitoring two wind indicators that where conflicting with each other. The LZ allowed me to land both directions (which where 90 degrees cross)! A local person was driving down the road as I turned on base and headed right for them. I banked steeply on final to make sure that they saw me. I figure that if I slammed in again, they might come out and look for survivors! I got a little rotor, a little gradient, and got down on final and the glider kept going and going and going! It gave me time to wonder if I picked the right wind direction... I didn't!! It was a perfect landing though.. Thank God!! The glider yawed 45 degrees just before I snapped a full flare! No step!! WoW!! What a flight!

Steve arrived just as I was zipping up my bag! You just can't beat that!!

Little late, but still worth the post.

Had the kids last weekend, which to me means no flying.

Waited for my daughter's friend to come, so we could go to the kite festival but he never came... by that time it rained..... arrrgh...

The next day it looked nice, so kids let me take the glider just in case....drove by Ridgely, looked good, so let me do 2 sled rides and then we'll something fun together ....

So took my first extended sled climbed to 3200...

Okay kids one more and then we'll go....

So took my next tow up ... found a nice thermal which took me over 4000 ft, half hour plus but I was getting cold, so I radioed the girls I was heading back (one way to keep them entertained while I was flying).

So back at the staging area at about 1500 ft found another nice core... hmmm, going back or see what it does... had to try it ... topped out at 5525 over... my first mile high flight... and my first one hour flight... timed it exactly because I was getting so cold by that time I didn't want to spend anymore time than necessary to break that one hour barrier...actually left a perfect good thermal....

Sat in the car with girls debriefing with the heater on for half an hour before I was warm enough to break down the glider.

Treated the girls to a nice dinner and dessert afterwards for their patience and to celebrate my new personal records.

Now that I'm getting this thermaling thing down it's time I join you guys at the mountains. In my last 4 flights I accumulated close to 3 hours airtime!

Rolf

Sorry I missed the meeting, now that I finally have some flying stories... darn... indeed the newsletter came after the fact.

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This page last updated April 3, 2001