I flew my two seat Schempp-Hirth Janus C on the weekday Wednesday operation this week. Mike Pitoniak's SGS 1-35 was gridded in front of me and Dick Usen was about to launch the grid when we saw Jim Tsillas pull up in his car. We figured he was looking for help rigging his PIK 20 but instead he suggested he be my co-pilot. (I usually don't like to take passengers on days where I want to fly six hours because they usually get air sick, even if I let them do over half the flying.) Jim assured me he could take it, I moved to the back seat, Jim strapped in the front, we launched at 11:30 and pushed North East past Fitchburg to the impressive line of cumulus clouds that had already formed up towards Pepperell. Not yet making it to the line of cumulus clouds we had a hard time finding lift and eventually retreated back past Fitchburg, towards Sterling but eventually found good lift south of Sterling and worked it to cloud base at 5500' MSL. By now there where cumulus clouds forming everywhere and we had another go at it. We made it to Pepperell, skirted Nashua's airspace, went North West to the high ground, with Manchester to our East and up to Hawthorne-Feather. We contemplated pushing further North to Claremont but neither one of us was familiar with the landing options out that way (lots of trees and lakes) and there was a big blue hole over much of the 25 miles we would have to cross to reach Claremont. On the way back we followed the high ground exclusively which was without a doubt producing the best lift all day. After crossing back into Massachusetts we decided we had to do at least a little more flying before we landed so we turned 180 degrees around, flew over Jaffrey (which was a big sink hole) and caught a thermal over Mt. Monadnock to 7000' MSL, the highest thermal of the day. A 30 mile final glide with a 7 knot tail wind under mostly blue sky from Mt. Monadnock to Sterling at between 70 to 80 knots used up 3500'. I guess we could have made the 25 miles from Hawthorne-Feather to Claremont from cloud base of 6000' MSL.
(There are about 30 witnesses; on Monday at 10 am I sent the following in an email to the Weekday Soaring list, in response to Rick Roelke's note from Sunday night in which he expressed that Tuesday might be the best day of the week:
Wednesday evening, Mike Pitoniak, Rick Roelke, Jim Emken and I spent an hour or so sipping beer at Chopsticks in Fitchburg and marveling at the soaring we had just experienced. "Pretty good" just doesn't reach; moderate winds aloft above 4000' pushed the humid air away to the southeast, and by 2 pm cloud bases passed 5500' and continued to rise quickly.
After struggling for what seemed forever to get above 4k MSL between Gardner and Fitchburg, the whole time wondering which was the better option (Gardner was closer, Fitchburg was down wind...neither was close enough for comfort...argggghhh!), and watching Bob Salvo do the same thing 300 feet higher (and when Bob can't climb out, I get worried indeed...) I finally found the handle on the local lift, and got above 6k. Given my long struggle, it took a little while to decide that with Orange almost directly up-wind from Sterling, and with the wind much stronger lower, these were the best conditions I was likely to see this summer for an out-and-return to Orange.
In fact, the conditions were so perfect for such a flight that my nearly 70 mile flight from Sterling-to-Gardner-to-Orange-to-Gardner-to-Sterling" took under 90 minutes. I could have done it much faster, I guess, but I adopted the "get high and stay high" approach to the flight, and never got below 5k AGL; given the wind, which was 295@25 at 2000, I was above a flat glide to Sterling the entire time.
This flight is certainly old hat to any accomplished glider pilot operating from Sterling, but for me, out and return to Orange had been a personal goal for 3 full years. (Now, I just have to bring a camera and barograph, take a lower tow, and fly over Shirley for a remote start, and a silver badge is mine.)
But the most amazing parts of the flight were still to come. Flying over Wachusett towards Sterling, I encountered Rick at 6k AGL or so, and invited him to fly with me through the blue toward Worcester, so we could compare performance. (N76PS and N24ES seem nearly identical over the 50-70 mph range, for anyone who is interested). About 10 miles out of Sterling and not finding much lift, Rick and I made our best guesses about the nearby clouds. I lucked into the friendliest thermal I've ever experienced, directly over water, between Sterling and the channel 56 tower on route 290. Entering the lift at about 5k MSL, I saw my 30-second averager pinned (8 knots) for the first time. I've seen 12-15 knots of lift for a few turns in strong conditions, but never a strong, smooth, wiiide thermal like this. After 1000' of climb in this perfect lift, I told Rick "climbing through 6000 in a nice thermal" and the location. When just over a minute later I reported "climbing through 7000, averager is pinned", he responded "OK, OK, I'm coming". It was delightful watching him arrive around 2000 feet below, and climb just as smoothly as I.
The thermal began weakening at about 7200, and topped out at 7820 MSL, well clear of cloudbase (although it was a bit hazy up there). I found a path through the local clouds, most of which had much lower bases, up to Ayer, and watched the 6 pm traffic on 495 for a while until I got cold. I sped back to Sterling at 120 mph when I realized that my first "contest finish" was called for. (I don't think 2500 AGL qualifies as a low pass, but it was fun anyway.) I was amazed to discover upon landing that it was close to 90 degrees on the ground; my remaining drinking water in the glider had cooled off at 7500', and was most refreshing! Upon talking to Mike, Rick, and Jim, we found we all had reasons to celebrate... but I'll let them tell their own stories.
Last and yet foremost, my thanks to Dick Usen, John Bergeson, and others who have provided tows for some wonderful weekday soaring this year.
Gary
I flew Sat. for 4+ hrs - didn't go far but had a great day.
On Saturday , July 31, 1999 Jim Kowalski was awarded the SSA "A" badge. He has worked very hard for this badge and at this time it is the only badge that I have awarded to anyone. He should also get another award from the Club for spending so much time in the front seat of a SGS 2-33 with me. Some people just love punishment. Great job Jim.
Congratulations to Jim Kowalski on surviving his first solo! If you don't count his going inverted just after takeoff, it was a pretty fair job, too. Of course, this slightly worried his instructor, Tom Matthews, who wore out the little remaining grass on the strip by tearing back and forth on the quad while trying to keep an eye on Jim. Desi was so glad to see Jim make it back onto the ground, that he almost considered giving the guy a break by not cutting up the cherished shirt that his wife gave him -- of course, once Desi has a pair of scissors in his hands, there's no stopping him, and this was no exception. :^)
Actually, Jim did an excellent job! Despite the hot, sticky, hazy, generally unpleasant weather on Saturday, it was a good day for a first solo.
A hot and strange day, I went a few miles West, North and South and the only decent lift I found was right near Sterling. Didn't go far, couldn't see much, didn't get high, but had fun and challenge.
It was hot as I rolled down runway 16 around 1:00 with a cross-wind out of the south. Thermals seemed close together near the airport and I released at 2000 feet in a 3 knot thermal. Cloudbase was around 4500 feet and I decided to fly a short task with the first turn at Gardner. I turned around near Mt. Wachusset after seeing nothing but dead sky for quite a way West of Sterling. Retreating to the shortest task I could think of, a 70 km triangle to Fitchburg then Spencer and back, I started again at Sterling near cloudbase going North. After turning Fitchburg and heading back into the wind I climbed to the high point of 4800 feet. Past Sterling again heading South I saw a 1-26 circling up through my altitude a mile or so to the East. Sliding over there brought the best thermal of the day under a large dark cloud. Leaving at 4500 feet I was sure to glide to Spencer from there. With 6 miles to go I was under 3000 feet and saw the same dead sky ahead. Into the wind I could just get to Spencer and land without another thermal. I headed for a cloud on the edge, deciding to try to get high enough to turn Spencer above 3000 feet with final glide in hand. Several times I tested the dead area, found nothing and retreated back to climb again in weak lift which drifted me back to the North. Finally I made one last push and got within 4 miles of Spencer but never actually saw the airport. Still nothing at 2500 feet and rather than land out at Spencer I turned 180 to glide downwind to Sterling which at that time was also out there in the murk somewhere.
Mark Koepper
PW-5 3K
What a surprise getting a nice soaring flight on Sunday! I wasn't feeling too bad about having to do some things around the house, because it looked so crappy out during the first part of the day. Sometime early in the afternoon, though, I looked out the window and saw a bunch of nice puffy clouds! And, fairly clear skies! Well, somehow, the stuff I was doing got finished right after that, and I was on the way to Sterling.
I guess a lot of other people thought the conditions were going to be crappy too, since not too many people were at the field when I arrived. The 1-26 was still tied down! Well, it didn't stay that way for long. Someone told me there had been good lift, but that it seemed to be calming down -- or, they thought maybe it was just that it seemed that way to them. So, I planned on a 4K tow. Shawn was in the tow plane, and called me when we got just above 2,000 ft saying something like "ah, I don't think you'll really need to go to 4K..." Considering that the vario was almost pegged all the way up, I tended to agree, and got off at 3K. Shawn left me right in the lift (thanks!), and I quickly shot up to around 6,300 ft without even trying too hard! I was under one of those huge clouds where you can just cruise around anywhere under it and stay in lift the whole time. WOW! I just love it when that happens!
Since nobody else wanted the plane, I was able to stay up for about an hour and 45 minutes, landing around 6:15pm. What a flight! I stayed near the field, and went up and down between around 3,000 and 6,500 ft, just cruising from cloud to cloud, till there weren't any more close enough to cruise to. Most enjoyable.
Another "What I Did This Weekend, Saga", yet again another of my stories about Soaring, without my ever having left the ground. Departed for Goldsboro N.C. at oh dark hundred on Thursday to purchase an ASW-24. The original plan called for Fridays assembly instructions, reviewing all the details of this particular ship, cockpit check, coverage of the flight manual, followed by dis-assembly and trailer details and a log book endorsement. Saturday was for flying, the paperwork and the hand over of the largest single check I had ever made out. Sunday was saved for just plain fun flying and seeing as much of North Carolina from the air as I could stand, with a crew to come get me if I had any problems.
Nice plan, but as you all know " What happens to the best laid plans of mice and men" etc. etc. Friday turned out to be an 101 degree, humid as hell day, with a hotter Saturday forecasted. Not a cloud in the sky, or the slightest puff of a breeze. We got all of the planned items completed in a hanger, no way was I venturing out into that sun. Upon seeing a, more of the same only hotter forecast, for both Saturday and Sunday I decided that there was no way anyone, on this Earth, was going to strap me into that cockpit and lower that canopy over my head.
Time to go to plan 1A, Hand over the money, do the paper work, and in spite of your "Fine Southern Hospitality" folks, the noise you hear at 04:00 is the rude Yankee heading home a few day's early. Travel home Saturday and catch the cold front as it passes Stearling on Sunday. Well plan 1A did not fare any better than plan 1. Tens of millions off people decided that the 31st of July was a great day to travel on Rt. I-95. Every toll booth, accident, and gas pump had a minimum of a 2 1/2 mile line, those lines along with the 101 degree day, brought out the unknown fact that the old Explorer's radiator had clogged arteries. Not a major problem just a major inconvenience, turning off the AC and turning the heat on full, kept the temperature gauge just below the boiling point. Wish I could say it did the same for the driver. I would keep the heat on for about five miles after every long delay, then as the gauge neared normal, off with the heat, on with the AC and windows up. Was doing OK till I hit the TappenZee bridge, fried brain was a little slow on the uptake for the line that extended across the whole bridge. As I was departing the toll gate the application of gas only produced a loud revving noise, a look in the review showed a new trailer all stained with what turned out to be transmission fluid. This diagnosis was confirmed an hour later by the New York State Trooper who wanted me to "get what ever the hell that is off my highway", a second opinion was rendered an hour and a half later by the tow truck driver. Said driver dumped me, my truck and nice, new to me, "24" off at the first motel off the first exit. A real No-Tell Motel, rooms by the hour type of place.
Faithful #1 son, ( 6 hours off a flight from London) agreed to come get me on Sunday. Good thing the boy was still on Brit time as he got up at 03:00 and was on his way before four. Upon his arrival we decided to change out his 2" ball in favor of my 1 7/8", Good son had thought about this and brought along his large socket set, only problem is we needed an 1 1/2" wrench and his set only went to 1 1/4". As it was still very early morning in a very sleepy Westchester County, we decided to figure out what to do about the missing 1/4" over a cup of coffee. What do we spy as we pull into the diner, an Edison line truck, buy the man breakfast, and from one old lineman to another, I had access to his tools. He was not all that happy about being dispatched to NYC on his day off, but after a half an hour of trying to undo the tightest dam nut we have ever seen, he decided that he should really get on down to the city and see about the two dozen major feeders that were down. He did send us to a garage that he thought might be open, it wasn't. Right across from the closed garage was a N.Y. State Highway Maintenance Garage, that had it's door's open. As the nearest truck stop with a mechanic on duty was almost 20 miles down the road towards the big city, he said he would do it for us. Let me tell you, this man had access to some of the biggest dam wrenches you have ever seen, no good however as now we could get it turning, we could not hold onto the ball, so all we could do was spin it. Heat, out came the torches, heat that sucker up a little and it should turn right off. Found out that a cherry red ball was even harder to hold, decided that to hell with the ball, fire that torch up again and cut it off. Ball came loose at the same point the rubber mat on the step-n-toe bumper reached the flash point. Not much we could do about the mat but we did put out the fire before it did to much damage to the bed liner. The rest of the trip was uneventful.
So here I sit, an Explorer in unknown condition, an ASW-24 in my driveway, a son that is sure that he is not going to let dear old dad anywhere near the charred remains of his truck. But with any luck the damage to my truck will be repaired by the weekend, and if I can find enough soda bottles to redeem it with, I will see youall by Saturday, I hope.
John Farrington
[End of the Weekly Soaring Report]