Outlanding stories

OK, Ive not done one.
Been checked out, approved and even go to the "all ready to break my outlanding virginity" stage during many flights -only to be saved by a low thermal or afternooon crop fire. So, outlanding is an interesting idea that I am sure to come to grips with soon enough, weather (not) permitting.
Who has the best stories of outlanding around? Long walks, cold nights, new friends/lovers -nothing horrific please- crop damage, ego damage, bugs, all that stuff.
I cant wait!
Wayne Carter

I managed to landout after a 5 minute flight in my 1:48 glide ratio LAK
12 - two fields away from the airfield.

Clinton
LAK 12

Two landouts on the same day. Contest task, landed out (at a
gliderport) while on course, got a tow and rejoined the gaggle on the
return leg, then landed out again (along with just about everybody
else!) when a cloud deck moved in and shut off all lift.

Second landout was in a wheat field, requiring many of the classical
landout "events": hike out to find a farmer, challenge of meeting up
with new crew (pre-cell days), midnight derig and carry-out of glider
from middle of field, etc...

Bags of fun!

"bagmaker" wrote in message
...

OK, Ive not done one.
Been checked out, approved and even go to the "all ready to break my
outlanding virginity" stage during many flights -only to be saved by a
low thermal or afternooon crop fire. So, outlanding is an interesting
idea that I am sure to come to grips with soon enough, weather (not)
permitting.
Who has the best stories of outlanding around? Long walks, cold nights,
new friends/lovers -nothing horrific please- crop damage, ego damage,
bugs, all that stuff.
I cant wait!
Wayne Carter


--
bagmaker

My first outlanding was on my second cross country check. A large sheet was
placed in the middle of the airfield and you had to land within 10 meters of
it. Up I went on a winch launch and I was so busy in the cockpit that I
forgot to look out and check the wind. Next thing I knew I was too far away
to get back to the club and landed out two fields away. I got my book
signed 'OK for C/C' and was grounded by the CFI for a week!

Then there was the time I went on a (failed) Silver distance over North
Yorkshire. Got up to 6,500ft in cloud, but didn't find another thermal. I
landed 5 miles short in a field next to a house where there was a very
alcoholic 21st birthday party in progress to which I was immediately invited
(they thought I was a glidergram). By the time my crew arrived I was
feeling no pain and took no part in the de-rig or drive home!

Alistair Wright
UK Silver 4759

bagmaker wrote:
OK, Ive not done one.
Been checked out, approved and even go to the "all ready to break my
outlanding virginity" stage during many flights -only to be saved by a
low thermal or afternooon crop fire. So, outlanding is an interesting
idea that I am sure to come to grips with soon enough, weather (not)
permitting.
Who has the best stories of outlanding around? Long walks, cold nights,
new friends/lovers -nothing horrific please- crop damage, ego damage,
bugs, all that stuff.
I cant wait!
Wayne Carter


--
bagmaker


Here's a link to my first landout story. It takes place at Wellington
Gliding Club in NZ with a Blanik L-13. Rain, kids on motorbikes in the
way, intentional ground loop... It's a wonder I didn't give up gliding
afterward!

http://www.soarmn.com/soaring_files/...%20Michael.pdf

Matt Michael

bagmaker wrote:
OK, Ive not done one.
Been checked out, approved and even go to the "all ready to break my
outlanding virginity" stage during many flights -only to be saved by a
low thermal or afternooon crop fire. So, outlanding is an interesting
idea that I am sure to come to grips with soon enough, weather (not)
permitting.
Who has the best stories of outlanding around? Long walks, cold nights,
new friends/lovers -nothing horrific please- crop damage, ego damage,
bugs, all that stuff.
I cant wait!
Wayne Carter


--
bagmaker

I had my first off-field landing in a Ka6 during the club's soaring
camp in Bourges, France. I wasn't signed off for XC and made the
typical beginner's mistake of not watching the 'lift-to-drift' ratio.
So here I was low looking at the airfield upwind at an impossible angle
but over huge fields. I called the ground crew and told them to get the
trailer ready and landed uneventfully near a small farm house. Walking
up to the house I was greeted by an old woman, who apparently lived
there alone. She seemed very excited to have someone come to her house
and kept on talking and talking - except my French was (still is)
limited to a very basic level. I was able to give her the number of the
'aerodrome Bourges' and she got busy on the phone. All seemed to be
going well up to the point when in very short order several police cars
arrived, including one unmarked car with gentlemen in suits and dark
shades. They all wanted to see my I.D. or license, which of course I
didn't have with me - after all, I didn't intend to land out. Here they
had a German registered glider with a guy who could only communicate in
German or English (two strikes against me) and no I.D. in the heartland
of France. Knowing that cops are a similar breed no matter where you
are in the world, I pulled out the Ka6's log-book. It had on the front
pages rows and rows of small official looking stamps and signatures -
one for each annual. The officials all inspected that book, copied just
about every line and entry and seemed to be satisfied with what they
saw. A heated debate amongst them and the woman followed which stopped
several times abruptly while all of them where looking at me only to
resume again. I saw myself spending the night in some cell! The
discussion ended, the police left, the woman slammed the door shut and
I tippi-toed back to my glider waiting for my crew. Only later did I
learn that nobody had called the field and directions were given to my
crew by a tow-pilot overhead. Lesson learnt: Always carry your license
and I.D., watch that lift to drift ratio and dial the phone yourself!


On another outlanding in the German countryside, I attracted the usual
crowd of kids and adults. After a lengthy Q/A session about how gliders
work and what happens, when the wind stops, all but one good old farm
boy had left. He leaned over and said: 'ok, they are all gone now. You
can't fool me - where are you hiding the engine?'

Uli Neumann

I have two good ones, not the only two outlandings I have made. Early
on in my flying days I was out chasing the big boys south of Boise, Id.
when conditions turned ugly. All three of us landed out. The other
two, more experienced guys, picked cut and mowed hay fields out south
of a small town. I picked a field right in the middle of town that was
being worked by a farmer with his tractor. I felt I had picked the
best field. close to phones, roads and immediate help. My buddies
were out in the boonies. Well, they, the more experienced ones picked
a field accross the street from where a wake was taking place - beer,
food etc. While my field, right next to a Mormon Church, owned and
worked by one of the big shots in the church. No beer or food but very
helpful. By the time I had arranged for retrieves for all of us, my
buddies were pretty happy. I had made a new friend and been given a
gift- a copy of the Book of Mormon.

The next one was at a contest in Ephrata, Washington. Last day, very
bad weather with lots of rain, everybody lander out. I picked what
looked like a freshly plowed field. The field did not look like it
had standing water in it as most the surrounding ones did. Everything
went great until touch down,then there was a wall of green/brown water
that came up from the gear. My nice white ship took on a pale green
color from the bath. The ship guickly stopped and sank into the mucky
dirt. Turns out I picked a field that had been fertilized that morning
with fresh cow manure. The rain had turned it into a slurry. Can't
say that has been my only sh*8y landing todate.

Tom
Idaho
bagmaker wrote:
OK, Ive not done one.
Been checked out, approved and even go to the "all ready to break my
outlanding virginity" stage during many flights -only to be saved by a
low thermal or afternooon crop fire. So, outlanding is an interesting
idea that I am sure to come to grips with soon enough, weather (not)
permitting.
Who has the best stories of outlanding around? Long walks, cold nights,
new friends/lovers -nothing horrific please- crop damage, ego damage,
bugs, all that stuff.
I cant wait!
Wayne Carter


--
bagmaker

2 for you--
Trying for a Silver distance I landed out uneventfully. Walked to the
nearby farmhouse and asked for directions I could give to my crew. The
owner wanted to give me a lift back to the field where my ship was. I
declined. He said he really just wanted to see my ship, so I agreed--hell,
it's his ranch. He then offered me a diet Coke. I hate diet drinks and
politely declined. On the ride back to my ship, he again offered a diet
Coke. I pointed out that I had water and sports drink--thank you, no.
After I showed him the ship and let him sit in it, etc., he again offered a
diet Coke. Not wanting to be rude, I finally agreed. He whipped out a
'koozie' with the ranch logo on it and popped a diet Coke in it and handed
it to me. I thanked him for the great souvenir.
Trying for a Diamond goal, I had to land on an abandoned ranch strip. Two
ranch hands ambled up, one of them looked right out of central
casting--extra tall cowboy boots, big hat, big bushy moustache, and a voice
like the large animal verterinarian and cowboy poet they sometimes have on
NPR.
"We saw you circling over the auction pen" cowboy says.
"That's right. I was trying to climb back up and continue my flight. I saw
a buzzard over there and wanted to join him in the thermal" said I.
"We saw him to. Noticed he was able to climb...."

"bagmaker" wrote in message
...

OK, Ive not done one.
Been checked out, approved and even go to the "all ready to break my
outlanding virginity" stage during many flights -only to be saved by a
low thermal or afternooon crop fire. So, outlanding is an interesting
idea that I am sure to come to grips with soon enough, weather (not)
permitting.
Who has the best stories of outlanding around? Long walks, cold nights,
new friends/lovers -nothing horrific please- crop damage, ego damage,
bugs, all that stuff.
I cant wait!
Wayne Carter


--
bagmaker

wrote:
Two landouts on the same day. Contest task, landed out (at a
gliderport) while on course, got a tow and rejoined the gaggle on the
return leg, then landed out again (along with just about everybody
else!) when a cloud deck moved in and shut off all lift.

So, this gets me to wondering, "What's the worst (best?) landout count
for a single day." I'll admit to a two-bagger twice in my career.
Seems hard to believe that there could be more than two...

Enquiring minds want to know.

Erik Mann
LS8-18 (P3)

Erik, I don't know about the worst count but I know landing out before
getting thru the start gate felt like several landouts at the same time
- Ouch! (Fairfield Regionals, my first contest)

I learned no matter how stupid you want to be, try not to embarass your
crew too!

Bill Watson (Foureyes)

Papa3 wrote:
wrote:

Two landouts on the same day. Contest task, landed out (at a
gliderport) while on course, got a tow and rejoined the gaggle on the
return leg, then landed out again (along with just about everybody
else!) when a cloud deck moved in and shut off all lift.


So, this gets me to wondering, "What's the worst (best?) landout count
for a single day." I'll admit to a two-bagger twice in my career.
Seems hard to believe that there could be more than two...

Enquiring minds want to know.

Erik Mann
LS8-18 (P3)