A glider cross country

[Mike Ash]

A great soaring day yesterday, lots of lift and not too hot at altitude.

I took off without a specific plan in mind. The forecast said south was
the way to go, but the sky said north. I figured I'd take a better look
from the air and decide then. And that was when I decided that west was
really the way to go, so I set off with Petersburg, WV as my goal, 42nm
away from home over mountainous terrain.

It was smooth going most of the way, drifting between 4-6,000ft. There
were long lines of lift that allowed a great deal of forward progress
without altitude loss. And plenty of nice, strong thermals to use when I
got "low". Although I'd flown out of Petersburg before, I've never flown
*between* it and my home airport, so that was new to me. I had thought
it was pretty much nothing but mountains and forest, but it turned out
that the little valleys in between the mountains held a surprising
number of nice-looking fields, so I always felt comfortable with my
options if I ever couldn't climb.

Near the end of the outbound leg it got a bit painful. I arrived over
Petersburg at a little over 3,000ft, and soon got desperate. Literally
seconds before I was going to call in on a 45 for the airport, I hit a
bit of lift. After some fight, it developed into a 6+kt boomer that took
me above 5,000ft and got me on my way home. Easy on the way back,
started my final glide from nearly 30 miles out, and had plenty of
altitude to burn off once I got home. A bit over 3 hours in the air, and
about 170km flown.

Those interested can view the flight on OLC here:

http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId=190
4350172

[a***@gmail.com]

Post by Mike Ash
A great soaring day yesterday, lots of lift and not too hot at altitude.
I took off without a specific plan in mind. The forecast said south was
the way to go, but the sky said north. I figured I'd take a better look
from the air and decide then. And that was when I decided that west was
really the way to go, so I set off with Petersburg, WV as my goal, 42nm
away from home over mountainous terrain.
It was smooth going most of the way, drifting between 4-6,000ft. There
were long lines of lift that allowed a great deal of forward progress
without altitude loss. And plenty of nice, strong thermals to use when I
got "low". Although I'd flown out of Petersburg before, I've never flown
*between* it and my home airport, so that was new to me. I had thought
it was pretty much nothing but mountains and forest, but it turned out
that the little valleys in between the mountains held a surprising
number of nice-looking fields, so I always felt comfortable with my
options if I ever couldn't climb.
Near the end of the outbound leg it got a bit painful. I arrived over
Petersburg at a little over 3,000ft, and soon got desperate. Literally
seconds before I was going to call in on a 45 for the airport, I hit a
bit of lift. After some fight, it developed into a 6+kt boomer that took
me above 5,000ft and got me on my way home. Easy on the way back,
started my final glide from nearly 30 miles out, and had plenty of
altitude to burn off once I got home. A bit over 3 hours in the air, and
about 170km flown.
http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?flightId...
4350172
--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

Mike,

I know I can fully understand your anxiety. You have way more cajuns
then I will ever have soaring farther then I can ever conceive at my
young age of training.

I'm ready to get in the saddle myself, just that 105 to 110 heat index
just not exactly the most comfortable temps to be in! Club is
flying everyday, these southerners sure have tough skin!

I probably will pick up my lessons in about a month or sooner if this
heat wave breaks.

[Mike Ash]

In article

Post by a***@gmail.com
I know I can fully understand your anxiety. You have way more cajuns
then I will ever have soaring farther then I can ever conceive at my
young age of training.

You'll get there if you want to. Many people are happy to stay close to
home for every flight, and that's fine, but if you want to do more, it's
accessible. When I was training, XC flying seemed like this huge mystery
that only Other People could do, something beyond a mere mortal such as
myself. Now, well, it's challenging, but it's something I can do for fun
whenever a good day for it comes around.

And of course if you think that flight was good, look at the new one I
just posted....

Post by a***@gmail.com
I'm ready to get in the saddle myself, just that 105 to 110 heat index
just not exactly the most comfortable temps to be in! Club is
flying everyday, these southerners sure have tough skin!
I probably will pick up my lessons in about a month or sooner if this
heat wave breaks.

I can't blame you. It was 95 on the ground today, really terrible. Of
course, spending the hottest hours of the day at 6,000ft really helps,
but it was unpleasant whenever I got low, and the sun was hot enough
that I drank through my entire 100oz CamelBak well before I landed.
Summer flying can be tough....