Subject: Met a summer flying goal
Saturday was a milestone day for me... I've been working to
get a 10-mile XC this summer... and I made "lucky number 13!"
Pilot: Gary Leach P2
Tow & chase crew: Amy Tomko - driver, Paul Greenwood - tow tech & in-flight
coach
The day started slow for flying, so we left the house to head out for the
tow road about noon. On the way, we determined it would be a while longer
before things started really kicking in, so we stopped for an extended
lunch. All the while, Paul is talking through pointers with me. Now I've
done some thermaling and XC in the past, but had yet to make my first
10-miler. So I soaked in as much of Paul's comments as I could, and thought
this may well be the day... and what's more, I would be using Paul's wing,
not mine. As we've determined, I need one size larger wing 'cause I carry so
much &@$% with me... I do leave the kitchen sink in the tow vehicle,
however.
It was definitely a forward-launch day... no wind, yet a few light thermals
coming thru just to keep things interesting. So we decided to set up on the
south end (basically so we wouldn't have to spend the extra minute and a
half driving 'all the way' to the other end of the road)... and; well, we
WERE already on the south end... AND we were out of the car, after all! So
as Mother Nature would have it, I set up and the winds start to play with
me... from behind. After re-collecting the system after a couple of blows of
the wind, we decided to head to the north end after all. NO! There wasn't
enough wind, so I STILL did a forward. Paul had told me we were going to
launch over and over to the end of the day... I told him I was only
launching once. He didn't seem too happy about the efforts he was going to
put forth to have the pilot only give it one try. I guess he had yet to
figure out I meant it was only going to take me one launch to do what I
wanted to do today! OK - so after a 3.2 mile trek, I figured I was wrong
about launching only once... yes, it actually took a second launch. Oh boy -
- I can hear Paul now... :)
By this time, the thermals were starting to come thru pretty well... quite
big in size, but fairly gentle in strength. They were providing some good
launch winds, when they came through. So like many other days, I'm set up
off the west side of the road waiting for one of these thermals to come
through so I can do a reverse launch... at least a 60-degree angle launch.
But I wasn't worried; I've launched with those angles many times, and a few
times even at 90-degrees. However, it was interesting trying to wing up with
an XL wing when I'm so used to my medium. It kinda felt like an albatross at
first, but once I had it above me and stable, I turned for 'go' and Amy &
Paul did what they do so well. As I managed the wing to ensure safety in a
60-degree launch, the dynamic duo pulled me right up off the ground and kept
me on a steady, smooth tow to 2000' AGL. I started hitting a thermal at low
altitude, but decided to go through it. When I came to the backside of
another one, I pinned off and turned to go back and catch it again. I heard
Paul use some flavorful wording about the tow line breaking... especially
since it's new! However, he soon recovered as he noticed the drogue chute
deploying to allow for what they told me was an awesome retrieve... due to a
couple of 'quick fixes' to the spool system prior to launch.
It was great having the big, fat thermals to play with. It was truly the
first time I was able to feel which side of the wing was hitting the thermal
first. My GPS data indicates I made a nice steady gain in altitude to 3400’
AGL, then sunk back to 1300'. I really needed to find another thermal, or
I'd be making that third launch... NOOOoooooo! Then I had lift hit my right
wing, made a turn and caught it head on. Went right through it (hey, I'm
still learning!) and turned downwind to try to catch it again. This time the
left wing hit first, giving me a pretty good idea of its shape. Trying to
keep that visual in my mind, I started really trying to apply notes Paul
provided me on the trip out to the site. This day, I was able to feel the
wing's movements while listening to the vario telling me where I was inside
the thermal. It took a few times to get the hang of when to make my move,
how big a move to make, how long to hold a turn, and then make another move.
My vario only registered 100-200 feet per minute most of the time... but it
was pretty steady. That big, fat thermal was just great! Paul continued to
coach me through the ascent... all the way to CLOUD BASE... yes, I made it
all the way to cloud base... now that's definitely a first... something I
had not really planned on. But what an experience! Oh yes, it reinforced
just how fast cloud base can come up on you when you're busy. Once 'on the
other side' and downwind, I went on a 4-mile glide, then picked up a more
westerly heading. After a couple attempts to catch some more lift, I went on
a 2.5 mile glide, focusing on how far I could go down Hwy 29 beneath me...
and to see if I could cross the SH130 toll road (still under construction).
No problem... plenty of altitude, plenty of glide. Just beyond the toll
road, I began my final search for a suitable LZ... in this case, it was a
small patch of grass between a farm house, a penned bull (who was more than
well aware of my presence and let me know it), and a Baptist church... right
on the north side of Hwy 29 in Hutto. What a trip.
So as it turns out, 2 milestones were met for a relatively new thermal
pilot:
1 - 10 mile XC
2 - Making it to cloud base
Actual distance = 13 miles
Max altitude = 4800 AGL
Air time = 1 hr 0 min (launch 4:20pm)
Not bad for a couple of firsts, huh?
Big kudos to Paul & Amy for their work to help me throughout the day. We
celebrated with a nice dinner and re-lived some of the events we each
experienced. Now THAT'S really what it's all about!
Hey - - Amy's next!
I look forward to being on the tow and retrieval side for her... and off we
go...
Fly safe!
Gary Leach
Paraglider Pilot - P2
AFFA Treasurer 2006