"Once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return."
Leonardo da Vinci

Thursday, December 30, 2010

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.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

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.

Thursday, December 16, 2010

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.

Saturday, December 11, 2010

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.