Altitude in Arizona

[DanTuck]

Hey guys, been a while. I've been having a lot of fun flying at consistent (but HOT) Crestline. Been flying some demo T2C's lately. I want!!! So a few of us got bored with the same ol' and decided to take a road trip to Mingus Mt, AZ for the AZHPA's labor day fly-in. They were talking altitudes of 13K+!!! It's hot as hell in AZ too but launch is at 7,800' MSL so camping was really, really nice. Saturday morning it was already looking very promising, with cumies popping at 9:30 AM. Stan Roberts was there with his ATOS VR-Q and he was first of the Cali crew to launch at about 11:00. Within five minutes he was calling altitudes above 10K. That was our cue to suit up and get some of that! Launch is a nice poured concrete ramp, 4,300' vertical above the LZ which is a healthy glide into the town of Cottonwood. About 1 minute after I launch I run into a light thermal and start turning. Within 5 or 6 circles, it turns on and I starting screaming up at 1,500 fpm. Thing was, it was smooth like the east coast, not a rodeo like I'm used to now. 10 minutes later I'm at cloudbase at 16,700'. None of us were very interested in getting hypoxic so we spiraled down to warmer, thicker air below 12K and cruised around the valley sightseeing and tagging points that we picked out from the air. Over the course of the 2+ hr flight we did that several times - climb up to base or near it and then dive down below 12k. The last climb I took was the best and I topped out at 17,024' MSL, over 13,000' above the valley floor. Unbelievable! And unbelievably cold too!! It was 90+ degrees in the LZ and 25 at cloudbase. So worth it though!! My landing was a nice 1-stepper in a grassy field on the other side of Cottonwood, but my gopro had already run out. Long story still long, if you have the chance to go to Mingus, DO IT!!!! Hope y'all are doing well!

Mingus Mt, AZ launch. Photo by Shelby Clark

[Ward Odenwald]

Dan, as usual, another remarkable video! Thanks for sharing that amazing flight with the locally tethered, long-suffering region 9 crew. Flying conditions back here have been, to say the least, pretty dismal. We are all hoping for more cold fronts this fall. Not that we region 9 locals have to worry about hypoxia anytime soon but what should we be looking for if we did luck-out? I know that this subject has been discussed in the books but would appreciate your experiences. I start getting rather giddy if I can climb above 4K so the giddiness factor is not reliable for me and my math skills are minimal (at best) at sea level so I would be challenged if doing simple math tasks were the determining phenotype for hypoxia. Aside form looking at your altimeter and cloud base during the high climbs; did you experience anything (physically or mentally) that suggested that you were running out of oxygen? Ward

[DanTuck]

Hey Ward, I sure hope Fall brings better conditions for all of you as well. In regards to the hypoxia thing, my feeling is that the best real world indicator is your altimeter and clock. On this flight I didn't feel like I was experiencing any effects whatsoever. But I was conscious of the amount of time I was spending above 12K. I'm sure you know this but for those who don't, even when coring up into the thin air and then diving back down right away, it all adds up. Staying up there for 5 minutes, 5 times is the same as staying up there for 25 minutes once. Towards the end of the flight, our radio chatter became more silly, and I definitely had that "general feeling of well-being" but it is (and was then) hard to tell if that was just the excitement and euphoria of crushing altitude records and the astounding views, or if it was truly an early hypoxic symptom. Looking back at the flight I'll admit I was above 12K for probably a total of 30-40 minutes between climbs, dives, and glides. That's a bit too long but as I said, I did not seem to feel any effects in the air and I was constantly evaluating myself. I will say this though, I do think I felt some effects later after the flight. I was incredibly happy and satisfied but also a little bit out of it. At dinner getting out what I was trying to say was a little difficult. So my guess is that what I was feeling while flying was likely a little bit of hypoxia. That's why I would say trust your altimeter and don't go above 12K for more than 30 minutes total without supplemental O2. Take care.

[mcelrah]

Hey Dan,
I've got an oxygen bottle I'll sell ya cheap ($50) - alas no regulator. Guy told me to just crack the valve. Don't think I'll be using it in the Philippines. I'm selling my U-2 to Sparky, so could include it in the package going out to Colorado (Marc Fink will take it down to Team Challenge, then another guy will take it out to CO.
Don't worry, I'm not leaving the sport, just cleaning out the basement - buying Fink's Falcon III with a buncha go-fasters (crossbar sleeves, wingtips, faired control frame) for short-packing and shipping to Manila, where I expect mostly coastal soaring. Might get a smaller U-2 when I get back...
Thanks for posting - we eat this s*** up!
- Hugh

[sailin]

Sweet video Dan........keep em coming!!!!! Really nice flight. Makes me want to do a road trip or a permanent relocation even more so than I already do!!!!
Glad to hear you are doing great out there,

Jon

[markc]

Finally, a much-needed DanTuck fix! Ahhhhhh!

Woulda been lurking/stalking in the CA forums if it had been much longer Thanks Dan!