Pete Lehmann
APRIL 15 TAX-DAY CELEBRATION AT HIGH POINT
The Cumberland forecast was quite promising, albeit blue, and with some concern about the light and north-crossed wind component. But in the end, the day proved to be remarkably good. Pat Halfhill and Eric Shiever bailed on their worldly responsibilities to join Pete Lehmann in digging JR out of the Bat Cave. During the drive, and while (unsuccessfully) trying to get his radio gear in order, Eric explained that this trip was causing him to violate a long Shiever family tradition. Apparently every April 15 Eric and his Dad Harry sit down and do their taxes together before then drinking Scotch in celebration. However, the lure of flying compelled Eric to the unusual step of preparing his taxes the night before. He was ready to go.
Arriving at launch they found light, crossed conditions. After setting up Pete took a saw below launch to cut brush and distract himself from compulsively launching too early. Shortly before three Pat Halfhill finally began the day’s festivities, winding up below launch for a bit due to the light wind conditions. But he finally began to climb, and Pete launched to join him. The two of them soon found a ripping thermal off the ridge to over seven thousand feet. Unfortunately, JR had launched and just missed their departure thermal, and landed in the LZ after a short soaring flight. While unfortunate for Jim, it worked out well for the others who were going to need a driver.
On the first climb it was apparent that the winds were very northerly, and Pat and Pete headed off on a line towards Ft.Ashby and Romney. Unfortunately, they glided a long damn way in bad sink and no lift to find themselves pinned against the trees and hills behind Ft. Ashby. Pete dribbled up onto the spine and beamed out, but Pat had lost six thousand feet and was in dire straits before beginning a long slow save that required thirty five minutes to get him to 9,037ft where a freezing Pete joined up with him after having waited for half an hour in twenty degree temperatures with sweat-soaked gloves from the pre-launch brush clearing expedition. Worse yet, after waiting for Pat he suffered the indignity of having to look up at Pat’s big orange Sport2.
Now that they were in excellent position to continue, Pete began to lead Pat on the route towards Woodstock that he’d flown last year. There are a couple of tricky bits, and it was a great advantage knowing what lay ahead as they picked their way through the trees and mountains on their S2s. Lift was good and easy to find until they were across all but the very last mountain on the western side of the Shenandoah Valley. They were both fairly low at the ridge but Pete found a small thermal with which to drift into the valley. Unfortunately, Pat didn’t find one on the ridge, and worked lee-side garbage that didn’t work. It soon petered and he landed for an excellent 46.6 straight line miles (2:52). Actually, he didn’t “land”, rather, he offered up two down tubes to the Aluminium Gods after going in downwind.
Pete had continued dribbling into the middle of the valley and finally got up solidly before gliding onto Massanutten Ridge at the Woodstock launch. By now it was six o’clock, and he had little hopes of getting much further, particularly as the wind was severely crossed on the ridge precluding the possibility of finding any ridge lift. But the thermals were still there, so he headed south in the hopes of at least crossing the formidable Edinburgh Gap before landing. That proved easy, so he kept going, and climbed to seven thousand feet at 6:50pm before finally landing at 7:10, still twelve miles short of the end of the ridge. The flight was 72.6 straight-line miles (82.4 miles HOLC) and took 4:06.
In the meantime, JR had picked up Pat, and they were blazing south on I-81 trying to catch Pete when Pat saw a glider setting up to land just off the interstate. After first thinking it was Pete they realized it couldn’t be as he’d just reported still being above the Massanutten ridge. But who was it? A pilot flying from Woodstock? They had no idea, and didn’t recognize the glider. They continued on, going to dig out Pete who had landed shortly thereafter some eight miles further down the road.
But they soon received a phone call. That other glider was Eric who had launched last and with a non-functional radio.
The first part of Eric’s flight had followed the same route as had the other two pilots, but from Romney he diverged dramatically to the south. Whereas Pete had been focusing on the ridges for lift, Eric found that the valleys too worked well, and he jogged to the southwest for almost fifteen miles, flying down the middle of a valley before again heading southeastward. In so doing he was paralleling the others’ track ten or so miles to the south, but crossing some seriously tree-covered mountains. Fortunately, as late as 6:30 he was still getting to over 9,000msl after which he enjoyed a long peaceful final glide to his landing at 7:03pm just north of New Market, VA. The flight measured 64.6 straight line miles and took between 3:15-3:30.
Then, after dinner in Winchester accompanied by alcohol and Ibuprofen, they began the epic drive home to Pittsburgh and Butler. Eric got home around 3:30am in time to get up early to go to work. It was a helluva long day, but a very fine one for all but Jim. But those who flew far are immensely grateful for his driving to pick us up as quickly as he did. Thanks, Jim. Your karmic account is full.