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First Visit to Minden questions
Hi,
I'm a flat land glider pilot with 70 glider hours of which 35 are in a standard Cirrus. I'm doing a week trip to Minden this winter as a familiarization and glider checkout adventure. SoaringNV. There is almost endless info available on the web, and I'll get help from an instructor, but here are a few random questions. Unless there is wave, I'm thinking of just getting high tows maybe 6k AGL. This will put me near the Pine Nut range, or a little above the big ridge to the west. If there is no lift I won't be able to wander much. 1. At this altitude, with flight durations of a half hour, should I be contacting NorCal? Or is that something that one does when the flight is higher, longer duration, or closer to Reno? 2. How much wind does it take against these ridges to hold altitude using ridge lift? 3. Off topic, but I might drive from Minden to visit Williams Soaring Center. I was raised in Vermont driving to ski areas, but the Sierra's seem pretty intense. Any recommended route? Any way to check driving conditions and to know if my rental "economy" car will suffice? 4. Any other advice welcome. .... Aaron |
#2
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First Visit to Minden questions
3. Off topic, but I might drive from Minden to visit Williams Soaring Center. *I was raised in Vermont driving to ski areas, but the Sierra's seem pretty intense. *Any recommended route? *Any way to check driving conditions and to know if my rental "economy" car will suffice? 4. Any other advice welcome. ... Aaron Always check road conditions over the Sierras, 80 is a nice, wide super highway over the Sierras. If there is snow closures take 70 which is lower, brings you out at Oroville, just East of Williams. |
#3
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First Visit to Minden questions
Hi Aaron,
SoaringNV will answer all your questions about flying in the area. Unless you are flying above 18,000 feet in a wave window, you will not need to interact with NorCal. I live in Sacramento and have been driving over the Sierra to fly in the winter for twenty years. My advice, rent a four wheel drive vehicle. Conditions change rapidly in the mountains. The Sierra are not the little mole hills that you have on the east coast. Highways 50 and 80 are the major trans-sierra routes. With four wheel drive I have never been blocked from crossing the mountains, even in the middle of mild snow storms. Enjoy. Guy |
#4
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First Visit to Minden questions
Aaron,
You probably know this, but on the off chance you don't understand why the previous two posters were stressing driving in snow in the Sierras to someone raised in ski country back East, google the Donner Party. -John On Dec 30, 9:30 am, akiley wrote: Hi, I'm a flat land glider pilot with 70 glider hours of which 35 are in a standard Cirrus. I'm doing a week trip to Minden this winter as a familiarization and glider checkout adventure. SoaringNV. [.. snip ..] 3. Off topic, but I might drive from Minden to visit Williams Soaring Center. I was raised in Vermont driving to ski areas, but the Sierra's seem pretty intense. Any recommended route? Any way to check driving conditions and to know if my rental "economy" car will suffice? 4. Any other advice welcome. ... Aaron |
#5
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First Visit to Minden questions
On Dec 30, 6:30*am, akiley wrote:
Hi, I'm a flat land glider pilot with 70 glider hours of which 35 are in a standard Cirrus. *I'm doing a week trip to Minden this winter as a familiarization and glider checkout adventure. *SoaringNV. There is almost endless info available on the web, and I'll get help from an instructor, but here are a few random questions. Unless there is wave, I'm thinking of just getting high tows maybe 6k AGL. *This will put me near the Pine Nut range, or a little above the big ridge to the west. *If there is no lift I won't be able to wander much. 1. At this altitude, with flight durations of a half hour, should I be contacting NorCal? *Or is that something that one does when the flight is higher, longer duration, or closer to Reno? 2. How much wind does it take against these ridges to hold altitude using ridge lift? 3. Off topic, but I might drive from Minden to visit Williams Soaring Center. *I was raised in Vermont driving to ski areas, but the Sierra's seem pretty intense. *Any recommended route? *Any way to check driving conditions and to know if my rental "economy" car will suffice? 4. Any other advice welcome. ... Aaron Aaron Soaring NV will explain the jet routes into Reno. No contact is required local to Minden, but if you get above 12,000' you should monitor their freq. Reno tower is friendly and very familiar with our ops. Ridge soaring takes 10 knots of wind. Occasionally an east wind sets up allowing an easy run up and down the Carson Range with a view of Lake Tahoe. A strong west wind will allow soaring above the Heavenly Ski area. The Pinenut mountains are more difficult to ridge soar and require thermals to jump the gaps. You can hold on Mt Siegel (Pinenuts) all day with a light west wind. Rent a little 4x4 and avoid the chain gang. Rick Walters |
#6
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First Visit to Minden questions
At 15:59 30 December 2011, guy wrote:
Hi Aaron, SoaringNV will answer all your questions about flying in the area. Unless you are flying above 18,000 feet in a wave window, you will not need to interact with NorCal. I live in Sacramento and have been driving over the Sierra to fly in the winter for twenty years. My advice, rent a four wheel drive vehicle. Conditions change rapidly in the mountains. The Sierra are not the little mole hills that you have on the east coast. Highways 50 and 80 are the major trans-sierra routes. With four wheel drive I have never been blocked from crossing the mountains, even in the middle of mild snow storms. Enjoy. Guy arron, if your used to flat lands,and go to minden there is an alitude difference ,so be prepared to have oxygen on be fore take off,they surply encomomisers,so oxygen lasts ok,if in the famous minden wave you will climb quicker than uk wave at least,and over 10k before you know!,i certainly beneifited from early oxygen,enjoy minden,best gliding holiday ever, john [uk] |
#7
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First Visit to Minden questions
On Dec 30, 11:56*am, Rick Walters wrote:
On Dec 30, 6:30*am, akiley wrote: Hi, I'm a flat land glider pilot with 70 glider hours of which 35 are in a standard Cirrus. *I'm doing a week trip to Minden this winter as a familiarization and glider checkout adventure. *SoaringNV. There is almost endless info available on the web, and I'll get help from an instructor, but here are a few random questions. Unless there is wave, I'm thinking of just getting high tows maybe 6k AGL. *This will put me near the Pine Nut range, or a little above the big ridge to the west. *If there is no lift I won't be able to wander much. 1. At this altitude, with flight durations of a half hour, should I be contacting NorCal? *Or is that something that one does when the flight is higher, longer duration, or closer to Reno? 2. How much wind does it take against these ridges to hold altitude using ridge lift? 3. Off topic, but I might drive from Minden to visit Williams Soaring Center. *I was raised in Vermont driving to ski areas, but the Sierra's seem pretty intense. *Any recommended route? *Any way to check driving conditions and to know if my rental "economy" car will suffice? 4. Any other advice welcome. ... Aaron Aaron Soaring NV will explain the jet routes into Reno. No contact is required local to Minden, but if you get above 12,000' you should monitor their freq. Reno tower is friendly and very familiar with our ops. Ridge soaring takes 10 knots of wind. Occasionally an east wind sets up allowing an easy run up and down the Carson Range with a view of Lake Tahoe. A strong west wind will allow soaring above the Heavenly Ski area. The Pinenut mountains are more difficult to ridge soar and require thermals to jump the gaps. You can hold on Mt Siegel (Pinenuts) all day with a light west wind. Rent a little 4x4 and avoid the chain gang. Rick Walters Thanks for the advice Rick, The Pine Nut ridge also seems like it might not yield much altitude to get back to Minden, especially if you're working a headwind and not much above the ridge. Is there any hope of a weak thermal or two in January? ... akiley |
#8
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First Visit to Minden questions
On Dec 30, 11:49*am, jcarlyle wrote:
Aaron, You probably know this, but on the off chance you don't understand why the previous two posters were stressing driving in snow in the Sierras to someone raised in ski country back East, google the Donner Party. -John On Dec 30, 9:30 am, akiley wrote: Hi, I'm a flat land glider pilot with 70 glider hours of which 35 are in a standard Cirrus. *I'm doing a week trip to Minden this winter as a familiarization and glider checkout adventure. *SoaringNV. [.. snip ..] 3. Off topic, but I might drive from Minden to visit Williams Soaring Center. *I was raised in Vermont driving to ski areas, but the Sierra's seem pretty intense. *Any recommended route? *Any way to check driving conditions and to know if my rental "economy" car will suffice? 4. Any other advice welcome. ... Aaron Yes, thanks for the tip. I drove with family from the bay area to Truckee several years back. I still have a bag of chains in the cellar we had to purchase. Probably a good thing to take with me. ... Aaron |
#9
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First Visit to Minden questions
On Dec 30, 1:49 pm, akiley wrote:
Yes, thanks for the tip. I drove with family from the bay area to Truckee several years back. I still have a bag of chains in the cellar we had to purchase. Probably a good thing to take with me. ... Aaron You're welcome, Aaron. I was going to let Minden locals give you advice, but maybe I can be of some help since I'm another flatland pilot (PHL area) who went to Minden last March for 10 days (read - I don't know nothin' much about mountain flying). The advice above to get on oxygen before takeoff is very wise - walking around at 4,700 feet when you're used to 200 feet is "interesting", flying solo at 8 to 9,000 feet in very strong turbulence (especially on tow) is even more so. Don't do it with a built in handicap! As far as thermals in winter at Minden, I don't know the right answer to that. Certainly I was thermalling in something at 8,000 feet that felt like small, turbulent thermals, but since they didn't move with the wind I guess they were rotor related. One technique I used to climb in them was to make a small circle with a steep downwind bank and a shallow upwind bank. Another was to make a small figure 8 perpendicular to the wind and centered on the lift, again with steep downwind banks and shallow upwind banks. This all occurred in the vicinity of Minden on a wave day. My main focus was learning how to get into the wave, and using it for doing a Diamond climb. After that, I was taught the rudiments of using the wave for doing XC, which I put into practice on a memorable solo flight up and down the Carson Range and out to the Pine Nuts. My visit was a lot of fun, and yours will be too, as long as you listen very carefully to the instructors and heed all of their warnings. It's way different than flat land flying. One thing you probably know about, but won't fully appreciate until you've been there, is the cold. After a climb to 27,000 feet I couldn't feel my feet. Pretty much the same thing happened after my 3 hour XC flight, although I never went above 15,000 feet. I had on silk socks, 2 pairs of wool socks, and moon boots made of thick closed cell foam. Bring lots and lots of warm stuff, but you will definitely be very cold! -John |
#10
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First Visit to Minden questions
One thing you probably know about, but won't fully appreciate until you've been there, is the cold. After a climb to 27,000 feet I couldn't feel my feet. Pretty much the same thing happened after my 3 hour XC flight, although I never went above 15,000 feet. I had on silk socks, 2 pairs of wool socks, and moon boots made of thick closed cell foam. Bring lots and lots of warm stuff, but you will definitely be very cold! -John Thanks again. All helpful. I'm in fairly good shape and don't smoke, but 59 years old living at 800 feet I will probably want O2 in my hotel room. It would be great if I luck out and get a wave day, or even enough ridge lift to stay up long enough to freeze. I sometimes use those disposable packets that you put in your boots. They keep some of your toes warm for a while. I also hear that fresh socks right before you launch helps a lot. SSA magazine just came out with a great article on wave flying Minden. Aaron |
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