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By Cal Glider
#319425
Well, first off, I have a joker smile on my face as I write this that I might need medical assistance in removing. I am just an old ridge runner, but today the stars and moon were just right and me and The Bumble Bee found…(que the dramatic music) “The Core…” <gasp>
Well, we found a bunch of them truth be told.
I know that too the sky gods out there what I did would just be a yawn, ho hum flight, not even worth remembering. But for someone who is not a thermal pilot (me). It was a great freaking day!
Thanks to Mike Collins for the launch assist. The wind was not constant. It would crank up 18 to low 20s and then cycle down to 14 or so.
It was another blue sky day, but thermals were drifting through. There was such a monster come through while I was on launch that if it would not have been for Mike on the nose wires my glider would have been a pile of broken tubes and trashed Dacron.
Launch was good, concentrated on getting a good launch run, but was lifted up after the fourth step. The wind was again from the North to North West so the high part of the ridge was immediately open to soaring.
I hung a left and flew to the west end of the ridge. I turned in lift and with a tailwind behind me I boogied East on down the ridge, getting low. I passed the low point (90ft) and stopped sinking (but I was not going up either.) I was 20ft below the ridge top and not liken the close in scratching that I was having to do but I made the right choice when I bought a 170 instead of a 195 falcon. I had good control and I wanted/NEEDED (did I mention I am an air addict) to get some airtime.
I fought my way back up to 75ft over and was just holding on when the first thermal set came rolling through. Way too low (IMO) to do 360s so did S turns through the first 2 thermals and got up to 300 over. That’s when I blundered into the first big one. The Left wing went way up and I leaned hard on the left side of the control bar and fought back and got inside, things were now going up and up fast.
The vairo was still beeping a fast pace song when I reached the point where I had to make a choice, reverse my turn to stay on the ridge, or take it on around, I though, well, I am still going up, so why not start going round and see what happens. It was one of those OMG moments. The vario started to go up in pitch and speed. I took a quick glance over and it was up at the top of the scale and it beeped all the way around the 360, so I just kept the Bee turning left.
I have always made nice flat turns in ridge lift, but I remembered the Stananimal (N6YYS) talking to me over the radio at Crestline when I ran in a nice thermal (not like these desert beasts I was flying in today) in my old Predator142 saying “tighten up your turn, No, harder! Dig that tip in and bank it up. That’s it, that’s it stand it up on the tip and crank it around!”
So I tightened my turn, and banked it up and Holy Crap the lift got stronger. And the ground started receding away from me fast! Honestly, I don’t know how high I was now. I was too busy listening to a singing vario, concentrating on my flying and doing my best to keep this party going.
I am getting a better feel for this thermaling thing each time I fly. I feel more confidence in myself, in my ability to fly and to handle the air I am flying into with every hour of flight time I gain. The bond between me and my wing is becoming stronger with every flight and I felt comfortable with drifting farther back behind the ridgeline than ever before. In short, I’m learning.
That being said, I am still not brave (or confident) enough to leave the area. However, with each thermal set and low save in between today I was drifting a little bit farther behind the ridge, getting a bit closer to Quartzsite.
I was now high and well past the area of un-landable finger canyons behind the ridge with a vairo that was still happily chirping away. There was just flat, black desert far below me. I could see the big gold mine downwind towards Quartzsite AZ and started thinking, hmmm. I am gona go, I know I am, but the flying season at The Gin is about to end for this year.
Folks…evolution IS REAL. And Darwinism is alive and well. I know because I am evolving; my feathers are changing color and pattern. My beak is developing a pronounced downward hook at the end…however, I am still a turkey (for now), but not for long, there’s a hawk inside me and he is about to get loose.
I abandoned the up elevator I was in and flew back upwind to the ridge and learned why WW Falcons don’t fly into the wind, but I made it.
Anyway, this up and down, low save rollercoaster went on and on. I lost track of how many times I was below the ridge and clawed my way back into the sky. But at last I strayed too close and the ground monster reached up, grabbed a hold of me and I dirted.
I had fought so hard to stay up that I was going to come up short of the L/Z. This is not really an issue at The Gin. You can land anywhere along the base of the ridge, there are just a few more pucker bushes to dodge that’s all. My landing was ok; I did not drop the nose, but still room for improvement, but no whack.
I want to do it again! It is getting difficult for me too keep up on my house husband duties. I am washing dishes and I see the trees moving and the next thing I know, I am grabbing my flight bags out of the closet. I pause in the kitchen where I see that the trash can is full too overflowing and needs dumping (I’ll dump it later). In short order The Bee is on the truck and I am gone again…life is good. :thumbsup:
By blindrodie
#319429
I abandoned the up elevator I was in and flew back upwind to the ridge and learned why WW Falcons don’t fly into the wind, but I made it.
I would consider that one of your biggest accomplishments of the flight. You got back, but it was not without trepidation.
Lump that chunk of knowledge into your bag of experience and run with it. The memory will come back to you one day on another wing!

Good job staying within your safe zone while still pushing the limits.

8)
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By liftlover
#319481
:mosh: :drool: :drool: :drool: :mosh:
feels so good, don't it ? do your cheeks still hurt from smiling ? keep it up !!!!
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By pjwings
#319539
Awesome :mosh:
By Fletcher
#319587
Sweet story
Always remember you can empty that trash can when it's raining, dark, or blowing too hard to fly.
No one ever went to their grave wishing they'd spent more time at work.
Fly High Be Free
Fletcher