On Thu, 01 Sep 2005 16:04:05 GMT, Maule Driver
wrote in
: :

Larry Dighera wrote:
T o d d P a t t i s t
there's nothing like the
feeling you get when flying a sailplane XC

You can say that again. The feeling parallels what one might feel
swimming under water through a tunnel; you hope your breath holds out
until you reach the far opening.

Ha! That's good!

Actually you get past that after awhile. 3000'+ is like breathing air
(eastern US)


I've got a little sailplane XC story for ya.

In the early '70s, shortly after passing my glider checkride, I spent
a few days soaring at El Mirage airport in Adalanto/Landcaster, CA.
One day I took the club (SCSA) 1-26 up, and although I was
inexperienced, I wanted to try a bit of XC. To the east I spotted
some rising smoke over the town of Victorville, and thought: Ah!
Rising air. So although I was only about 6,000' AGL, I headed across
the desert toward the smoke, figuring that I could work the weak lift
en route, and would likely arrive over the smoke with adequate
altitude to circle in it, and gain sufficient altitude to make it at
least half of the way back to El Mirage Airport.

On the way out, the lift began to diminish further, and half way to
Victorville the lift became virtually unusable. Rather than turning
back, I chose to continue on to Victorville confident that that smoke
would get me back. Upon arriving over Victorville, I spotted the
source of the "smoke". It was rising DUST from a cement plant! I was
nearly 1,000' AGL now, and settling.

I turned back toward home with my heart in my throat scratching for
lift, and working every little bubble I could find. I was managing to
almost sustain my altitude, but it was work, and I was starting to get
low enough to pick a place to land.

The black runways of George AFB were ahead; I thought although I
didn't have a radio, it was still the best/safest place to set down in
what had become a bit of an emergency situation. As I arrived over
the runway threshold at about 500' AGL, there were signs of lift.
Hallelujah! The black runway surface was apparently generating a
little thermal lift.

Within the AFB airspace without benefit of ATC clearance, I continued
to circle over the approach end of the runway inching ever higher. I
knew this was not a good situation, but it seemed better than landing
at the time. As I continued to circle over the runway, a flight of
two F-111's passed under me on final approach! Yeoow!

I never saw any light-gun signals, and I don't know if the tower or
fighters had seen me, but I was very uncomfortable to say the least.
Finally, at about 1,500' AGL I headed back on course to El Mirage, and
thankfully the lift got stronger the closer I got to home.

I never forgot the lessons I learned on that flight.