2010 - A Year in the Life of Soaring

Today is my last chance to visit the sky in 2010 and luckily it looks soarable. After my morning run I get a phone message from Gerry ... "want to go fly Diablo?" I call back ... "Nah, I checked the BLIPs, there's thermal, convergence, wave and clouds over the Mendos, already got my 27 scheduled. But wait, let me see if I can get a plane with a back seat." Three hours later and we're towing into the the lee of Snow Mountain. Slack lines become more frequent and worse, damn it's getting rough. The tow pilot calls on the radio "how much further do you plan on towing?" Translation: "GET OFF TOW." When I do, yep we're in a mix of thermal, convergence and big mountain lee side rotor, wow look at that vario plummet.
After a nauseating ten minutes of bouncing up and down and never finding that magical wave we decide to leave the angry mountains behind.
I spot a nice looking Q over Walker Ridge. Gerry doesn't think we can make it. "But Gerry, we're in a sailplane." So we head over and spin it up, getting above our release altitude next to Indian Valley Reservoir.
Gerry enjoying the sights and some friendly foothill air.
After spinning a few holes in sky above the hills we head back to a beautiful and clear valley, soaked from recent rain of biblical proportion.
And put it on the ground one last time for 2010.

I met my goal to chronicle every flying day/trip for 2010. Real Pilots Don't Need Engines will continue however, I'm unsure if I can sustain the constant blogging pace and may resort to showcasing highlights of soaring life.

The 2010 Box Scores (I only keep a glider log book)

114 blog entries of only 117 flying days, 69 hang gliding and 48 sailplane.

Only 127.6 flight hours during 57 flights, Pilot in Command of a sailplane.

Average flight time 2.4 hours not including 3 pattern tows, 1 aborted takeoff and 1 instrument failure return.

Two Days Beyond The Solstice

Having passed the Winter Solstice just two days ago, every day gets better, well longer and with a higher sun angle anyway. Todays forecast looks pretty good, well pretty good for being two days beyond the solstice anyway. With faint cumulous in the sky above Diablo, Robert waits for a cycle at Juniper Launch.

I'm off second and once airborne notice the thermals are weak and short lived. Despite Q above my head it's fickle and I'm reminded of last weeks short sailplane ride. It is deep dark winter after all, but you wouldn't know it looking out the window or up at the sky.
When Robert gets decked at Blakes, I realize I'm doomed. I burble down the mountain towards The Thousand Footer.
Robert says today was elusive. I say it was deep in the middle of winter. Either way, being two days beyond the solstice, it was pretty darn fun.

CAVU in December

Having just begun the dark dreary months of soaring, December has brought fog, mist and drizzle with biblical rains on the horizon. But today is an exception and despite a less than marginal chance of XC it wasn't going to pass me bye. With my twenty-seven in the shop getting even prettier I climbed aboard the twenty-four "DR" for a trip into the blue.

My best chance at staying up looked to be South Goat so I released high and flew the sun soaked ridge waiting for a beep ... waiting ... waiting.
A beautiful place to slowly descend while hunting around. Looking over to see a little snow at Snow.
Wispies made some brief appearances over the foothills so I hit a couple and made some brief turns in lift.
With only enough lift to slow my decent, I headed out to the Valley. A low December sun angle, Clear Skies and Visibilities Unlimited made for a breathtaking view.
A young couple was up enjoying a trip in the ride ship on a perfect ride ship day. I added a fly over to their adventure.
After too short of an hour in wonderful, clear December air, I decided to take a couple of circuits too keep off the winter rust and dream for a distant Spring.

The Clayton Hole

The winter months often bring radiation fog to Norther California which can shut down flying for days on end to all aircraft not instrument equipped. Although the fog is a common occurrence, forecasting where and when it will burn off is often a guess. However, for some unique meteorological reason, a hole in the layer often forms over the town of Clayton to allow hang glider pilots a spot to drop through. The hole is fickle, but today it formed, so I punched off The Towers atop Diablo and went for it.

A beautiful sea of white banking up against Long Ridge.
The layer can change in flight, so it is best to beeline straight for the hole.
Approaching the Clayton Hole with my Glory shining bright.
It is interesting to see the fog layer interact with complex terrain on the flight above.
Almost to the hole.
Picking the right spot.
And dropping down through.
Now in the clear, I set up for a low approach into Mitchell Canyon LZ making for a short carry.
The fog layer burned off shortly after my landing, but I'm glad I didn't wait, because it was so damn cool spinning down through the Clayton Hole.

A Fun Way To Sled

The atmosphere looked especially stable at Mount Diablo today.

A sledder wasn't going to take away my fun, so I punched off Juniper Launch.
There are a couple of ways to sled down a mountain. A leisurely flight trying to stretch out the time, or the fun way.
I'm not one for extreme, so I played just enough to put a smile on my face. Here is a short video from a short flight, enjoy.

Burning Up a Sled Ride from Matt Epperson on Vimeo.

Wintertime at Mount Diablo

If you don't time the winter soaring windows just right and pick any given day out of a hat you never know exactly what you're going to get at Mount Diablo. However, if normal exists, I suppose today fits the high pressure bill. Launch reveals wind 90 degrees cross and blowing down at times for an exercise in patience. But after waiting only half an hour at launch it goes eerily calm. No winder launches are exciting at the Tower, but with cold, dry high pressure air on my side and a S2 I should be able to make it into the lee side sink just fine. I pull it off and don't find rotor, just a flush full of sink. I have to veer right to miss a land out atop Bald Ridge.

Bummer, it looks like it will be a fast sledder as the sink tone won't quit as I flyby below Eagle Peak.
Yes, down low the sink tone stops. North surface winds are triggering a weak mix of ridge and thermic lift off Twin Peaks and Mitchell Rock.

Scratching around like only a hang glider can sure is fun.

It's not remarkable lift, but it sure makes up for the sink as I get to play in burbles and extend that sled time.
Wind right down the chute at Mitchell LZ makes for an effortless landing on the S2.
A nice reward making the wintertime high pressure day work at Mount Diablo.

Snowy Mountains and Thermic Hills

A forecast of postfrontal conditions provokes me to take a tow from WSC today. On the way out, towards the mountains I notice a bit of a roll cloud forming over South Snow and think, just maybe ... there's enough North Wind for wave. After a turn of the tug I release to work the windward side of aforementioned cloud.

With unlimited visibility on this late November day, a blanket of white covers the landscape as far as my eyes can see.
Well I don't find the wave, but do manage to catch some nice rotor and decide to head downwind, flying over a partially frozen Letts Lake.
A cloud street marks the South Goat ridge line. I play in the weak lift and get treated to a wonderful view.

Nice Q are forming over the area and I decide to push towards Clearlake.

But with low bases I turn around and head towards Walker Ridge. I make a radio call to indicate the area is working well and soon have several friends.
"4S" working under a soft cloud.
"4S" later in the afternoon on Walker Ridge.
Fresh snow, perfect visibility, nice thermals, fun gaggles, distinct cumulous and 3 1/2 hours of airtime marks an awesome day, but for late November it's incredible.

The Moment

The moment; the streamer straightens.

The moment; wings balanced, nose down and absolute confidence you will fly.

In a moment, the world changes.
You are free.
To fly.
To Soar.
A nice day of plentiful, but short lived thermals in bitterly cold air at Mount Diablo. Until the next moment.

The Wave Window

In the Continental United States, normally all flight operations above 18,000 feet must be under Air Traffic Control, with clearance prior to entry and following Instrument Flight Rules. This sterile environment occupied by pressurized commercial jets rarely sees an engineless visitor. However, if the right conditions exist an Air Traffic Center will open a window into their realm and let soaring pilots play high above the earth. Today the forecast looks possible, so I take a ride in"Juliet Hotel" releasing downwind of Goat Mountain and try to catch that epic wave.
Climbing in wave I get a good view of Snow Mountain and Saint John in the foreground with Lake Pillsbury and a sea of white beyond.
The wind reaches 63 knots and at times I'm flying backwards. I try to find the best elevator up and get clearance into The Wave Window. Regulations no longer allow the altitude to be measured in feet because "Flight Level" sounds cooler. Climbing through Flight Level 200.
Nasal Cannulas are sexy.
Clouds are forming on Goat Ridge, my wave generator far below, with the sun reflecting off Clear Lake for a wonderful view as I'm parked stationary into the wind.
I find the true meaning of rarefied air. After an hour in The Wave Window I descend back down and attempt to regain feeling in my feet. Northbound over some nice clouds.
Lake Pillsbury peaking through a hole to my West.
With a Southerly component to the wind I play it safe and turn around early. I continue Southbound over the Rumsey Gap and catch some weak wave off the Ridge beyond. It's late November, yet a small fire breaks out in the hills West of the Capay Valley, so I have to check it out.
A nice view of clouds shrouding Mount Saint Helena to my West.
After an adventure into The Wave Window I get a personal best altitude of 20,700' (I mean Flight Level 207) and bring it home to Williams tired, cold and happy after four hours airborne.