Got to launch just after 9A. Already soarable, w/ smooth straight in winds. Set up and waited for Alex to arrive. He got there about 10:15A. By this time the sky had opened up and conditions on launch had strengthened. I waited for some lulls to arrive, which they did soon after. Got on launch, felt some lift on my left wing where Alex was, and thought that I would yaw the nose left on the 1st step. Cleared Alex, and was immediately picked up on my 1st step. Pulled in and the glider sank back down and got rolled slightly left. I pulled in and corrected the slight roll. Now deeper in the slot than I have ever been. Pulled in more and hit a positive gradient, increasing the airspeed greatly. Traded airspeed for altitude and cleared the slot, turning left, and got up easy.
Headed down to the Edinburg Gap, hitting lift all the way. The sky was full of great looking clouds, and streets. Climbed up to 5K' MSL just shy of Waonaze Peak. Headed north to Signal Knob in hopes of climbing high enough (4K'+ MSL) to go OTB and land at Front Royal Airport. The original plan was to escort Bari to KFRR, but I was getting cold, Bari was not in the air, and I made the decision to land at the airport ASAP. I trolled the area just SW of the Strasburg Reservoir for lift. Found ratty, disorganized lift up to 3200' MSL, then found a core and stuck to it. Got to 4K' MSL just above the spine, and saw nice clouds downwind. Drifted OTB, staying at around 4400' MSL the whole way to the edge of the mountain just south of Buzzard Rock. Flew under a swirling vertical wispy cloud into the blue and pointed the nose just north of due east (flying xwind) towards the airport.
Hit major turbulence all the way to the airport, arriving w/ plenty of altitude. Turned base, then final, and was met w/ strong headwinds. Pulled in and stared at the terrain leading up to the numbers on the runway. It was scary turbulent, and at times I considered landing in a field to my left that had a power line running thru the upper 1/3rd of it. I ended up making the grass strip between the runway and the taxiway. From 30' above the ground all the way down to the deck it was smooth as a baby's bottom. Rolled in on the wheels gently in the fairway grass, parked the glider, and unhooked. Then the fun started. Carried over towards the south side of the building, where I always break down the glider when I land there. Got within 20 feet of the side of the building, and then the real "fun" started.
A gust started to lift my left wing. I tried to muscle the left DT down but slipped on the grass and fell flat on my back. The glider got lifted and pushed into the Welcome to Virginia sign next to a split rail fence. The top edge of the sign sliced the cable from the nose to the kingpost. It stayed intact for a few seconds but failed, slingshotting the kingpost aft, bending the bolt, bracket, and dimpling the keel. Need a new keel. Expensive! Here I survive a substandard launch, make the airport in the worst turbulence I"ve ever flown in, have a smooth landing, and end up damaging the glider carrying it over to the breakdown area. I pride myself on my ground handling skills, but Mother Nature bitch slapped me upside the head!
Allan came and retrieved me. Thanks again Allan! Bari had the scariest flight of his life, contacting wave up to 7700' MSL, and having a heck of a time escaping the confines of the wave. Alex, flying his Falcon, made his 1st? run up to Signal Knob, and made it back to the main LZ, having to make major decisions from 2 river U-bends up from the old main LZ to the bridge LZ. Congrats Alex on your flight. Allan wisely didn't even set up his glider.
October is a time where wave over Woodstock (WOW) is common. 2 years ago this month a sailplane pilot gained 5000 meters (16,404') in wave conditions, from swooping down to 1431-' MSL at the foot of the Woodstock ridge, to 17,835' MSL in wave, earning his Diamond Altitude Badge. Wave is serious, and the turbulence below the wave crest that is similiar to a hydraulic in a whitewater river is no place to be. I advise all pilots to be educated on wave conditions, and what to do to avoid the turbulent zones that come w/ wave. Bacil
Woodstock Sunday Oct. 22nd
Moderator: CHGPA BOD
Woodstock Sunday Oct. 22nd
Last edited by XCanytime on Tue Oct 24, 2023 6:32 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Re: Woodstock Sunday Oct. 22nd
Here is the link to the SSC (Skyline Soaring Club) monthly newsletter from 11/2021 containing the article about the 5000 meter altitude gain of a sailplane flight in wave over the Woodstock ridge. The flight occurred on 10/17/2021. Bacil
https://www.skylinesoaring.org/NEWSLETT ... 11news.pdf
https://www.skylinesoaring.org/NEWSLETT ... 11news.pdf