I remember reading a series of PASCO Westwind articles
which discussed wave flights. Sergio, Gordon, and
a few other authors. Over the course of the following
year or two, I talked to many pilots about these kinds
of record-breaking attempts.
And several of these pilots made dozens of such flights.

Landing under parachute in high winds, the tradeoff
of an always-on turn and bank vs. battery consumption,
the possibility of getting caught above/between/in
lenticulars, the joke about the glider really just
being a big oxygen bottle with wings, problems of flutter,
ballast freezing, penetration, drinking 'Ensure' for
24 hours before the flight to avoid pooping, exhaustive
planning, 6AM launches, etc....

...all made me think these pilots have more in common
with astronauts than garden-variety pilots like me...

I applaud the efforts of these pilots, who I consider
among the most sophisticated and daring pilots on the
planet.

I am also glad this particular pilot is (relatively)
unharmed and can tell this amazing tale. I will drink
an 'Ensure' today and raise my carton to you! In all
seriousness, cheers and many congratulations to the
pilot on making it through this extraordinary experience!


You are my heroes

Mark J. Boyd

At 17:06 05 November 2005, wrote:
Marc Ramsey wrote:
Here's a snippet from a message that came from Stew
Crane (SSA Gov, NV),
concerning the accident:

===
In the Mt Rose wave he found himself climbing very
rapidly
again, over 1,000fpm and between lenticulars. What
he did
not notice due to canopy icing at the back edges of
his
canopy was that he was being blown back into cloud
due to
the change in wind direction. He did turn on his artificial
horizon when he realized his predicament but, due
to
instrument spin up time, it was not enough. He went
full IFR
in an instant without a working horizon at altitude
and
probably at or above true airspeed redline. Vertigo
ensued
and in an instant he felt the wings snap off, no strong
stick
forces, just a snap.
===

Marc



http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?e...04X01789&key=1


Mark J. Boyd