On low saves, why couldn't you from 200 feet...if you really have to
try it? Hopefully you make a good call on what's smart...what's
not...for both the concept as well as how you, aircraft and weather
fit into the equation on that day, at that time. Chatted with a pilot at
the 1973 Liberal Nationals, the evening after he'd thermaled away
from 50 feet in an ASW-12. Yup...50 feet. Not off the wall, really, as
over a West Kansas section, not field, he ran into the lift on low final
and continued in a shallow bank knowing if it all quit he'd just level
out and land...stubble field. Well, finally coming around in a wide
360 he was 100 feet, and the process continued until thousands of
feet and on his way! Was flying the meet in our Libelle, and on
discussing it with him, remembering it a relatively calm day and it
actually all made sense! Simpler times, few gadgets, more stick
think.

I was newly into the sport at the time of the 1973 Liberal Nationals (which
occurred roughly coincident with achieving my license), and did my best to
pick the brains of my officemate, who was that ASW-12 pilot, upon his return
from a portion of the country to which I'd not then been. That particular save
was one of his vignettes from the contest. Lacking then the experience and
knowledge to be able to put the tale into any sensible perspective, I enjoyed
it as best I could and more or less promptly (well, except for the "height
warnings" inherent to the telling of the tale) forgot about it until now! I,
too, seem to remember it was told without bravado, but more a sense of
amazement at the differences to be (occasionally) found between soaring in the
mountains of Maryland and the plains of western Kansas.

With the perspective of years and improved geographic knowledge/experience, I
can better appreciate the tale now. Thin margins are thin margins, and always
to be seriously respected by Joe Pilot, but I've never seen in them a need to
universally, rigidly, apply someone else's sense of "safe" to the pilot world
at large. My lowest save was from 650' agl (Texas, above a WW-II field) and
lowest pattern entry ~400 feet (Texas, huge, disked half-section), and the
former was much tougher due to the 20+ knot wind roiling things up, whereas
the nearly-sunset latter was pretty much a breeze-free, "close your eyes and
wait" sort of approach to a pre-ordained safe touchdown (so long as flying
speed was maintained). I also witnessed a save from ~400' agl from the
downwind-to-base turn (Texas, again), and except for the height agl, it was
pretty much as described by the ASW-12 pilot...not "obviously and
TV-dramatically" dodgy at all due to its being prudently performed...though
distinctly unusual to vicariously experience because of the - by then
well-understood - thin margin. My anxiety meter was glad I knew who that
(conservative, prudent) pilot was, having by then seen many dodgier patterns
at each of my hop-scotched home fields.

I've sometimes tried to imagine my reaction to "The Boy Who Flew With Condors"
had I seen it before becoming a participant in the sport!

Bob W.