The usual suspects returned to Ravens Haven yesterday. I got there at 9A, finding moderate to strong conditions and plenty of lighter cycles to launch in. Untangled some streamers that I installed last Sunday. Skies were cirrus filled; no cumies present. Will showed up around 9:30A, Allan showed up around 10A. As I set up they dropped off Will's truck at the LZ. By the time they got back I was ready to put the spurs to her.
I launched just before 11A into a light cycle. Had a decent launch but could have used more free airspeed. Turned right and found lift in front of the radio towers. My Ascent GPS was dead, so I couldn't get a read on the winds aloft. Add to that the fact that I couldn't zip up my harness because the unzip pull string was wrapped around my right leg and I couldn't untangle it. My backup Garmin Foretrex 401 GPS was functional, so I could get altimeter readings and vertical velocity. So I concentrated on just flying the glider. Found enough lift to get to 3400' MSL and head east w/ a comfortable cushion of altitude.
The goal today was to try to make it to Charlie Allen's house at the base of Buffalo Mountain. The 1st waypoint was an LZ where the Juniata River butts up against the mountain. Unfortunately by the time I got there I had lost down to ridge level. Didn't make any effort to scratch around so I headed out towards the LZ. Reached it w/ plenty of altitude. Decided to go for a nicer LZ upwind. Easy approach but a late flare resulted in a belly landing. Carried over to an abandoned schoolhouse to break down. A group of Amish kids appeared and came over to look over the glider. As I started to break down the glider, I discovered a bent left wingtip batten. How did that happen? Must've been a rock in the field, cuz the batten was bent down about 20 degrees and outboard at about the same angle around 7" from the tip.
A pickup truck pulled up, and the Amish kids said that this was the landowner. So I went into my normal spiel about running out of air, and he laughed heartily. Turned out Dan the landowner was a good dude, and he ended up giving me a ride back to launch. Back at launch Allan was waiting, and Will had had a nice 45 minute flight, getting 1K' over, and was packing up in the main LZ. Will showed up back at launch, and he and I assisted Allan, who executed a perfect launch. Allan easily got up, so Will left for home, and I left to retrieve my glider, which was stashed next to the abandoned schoolhouse. Ended up straightening the bent wingtip batten, which took a while. Had promised Allan I would retrieve him, so I searched the skies as I drove back to the main LZ. Found him above the ridge heading west towards launch, so I chilled in the LZ while Allan headed out way high to the LZ.
Allan ended up having a nice landing in the LZ. His peak altitude was 4400+' MSL. Prior to his landing, I noticed Kelvin Helmholtz cirrus clouds, indicating strong winds aloft at cirrus cloud level. I sure wouldn't want to be in an airplane flying thru that section of the sky. Bacil
Ravens Haven short XC
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
Re: Ravens Haven short XC
- Kelvin Helmholtz Clouds
Re: Ravens Haven short XC
- Last class in this abandoned schoolhouse was in 1961, 64 years ago.
Re: Ravens Haven short XC
- Will in the main LZ.