CRYSTAL SQUADRON STORIES
The Crystal Squadron scored one diamond last Saturday, and another on Sunday.
First, Richard Smolinski
Second XC flight this season towards Gabbs. Forecast was good toward Gabbs and thanks to Chris I departed shortly after Sean in PV.
I was towed toward Labor Camp and quickly got to departure altitude of 12.5K and started my journey toward Mojave. That was a smooth ride. Just nothing all the way. Arrived at 6.5K and not expecting much as per forecast, I start looking for lift above freeway and I found some lift that took me to 9k, and I started pushing toward Mojave city hoping that with no wind aloft city buildings will at least let me reach mountains on the north.
As expected on Mojave south part I found some lift that took me to 10K and I continued ride toward mountain ridges. No wind and high heat make almost all small ravines with vegetation create small area of lift that allow me to reach Inyo. I decided to stay on the valley side since wind and hot valley air meet on east side of the slopes creating small 1-2kt lift all the way to Cinder Cone where I found lift that took me to 12k. Lots of strong sink toward Olancha indicated strong lift somewhere else, so I decided to refresh my ridge flying skills and fly close to the east side of the slopes. Going a few hundred ft. above slopes, I did not climb, but did not go down either. This carried me up to Lone Pine where I crossed the valley.
Again, I got low and started scraping the hills on the east side going very low below the ridge crest all the way toward Independence and Bishop. By Independence I finally got some converging winds from west and east that pushed me to 15k. It was a weird day, after last lift almost nothing significant until I passed Sheep Mountain where I found very strong wind that generated lift that took me to 17.5k. At this point I recalled my early decision to land in Bishop and decided to pass White Mt and go directly to Mina.
Again nothing for long time and again very strong lift took me to 16k and I continued toward Mina AP. South east of Mina another very stable wave type wind took me to 16k and I departed toward Gabbs. Nothing on the way with lots of spare altitude I drifted north ward checking what’s there....
Well it was getting late and I landed on cross wind runway in Gabbs. Just a warning for all guys with 18M+ wings trying to land in Gabds: Very smart people placed metal pipes with reflecting tape indicating runway edges so you may have problems when you land.... Very challenging day. Miss the after flight dinner with Sean and Peter.....
Sean Eckstein:
Weather predictions looked good and conditions looked great in the Owens Valley. One condition to be concerned about was the extreme heat, so getting low would be a concern.
I rigged my glider with a cooling scarf that I soaked in ice water so that I wouldn’t overheat. I also carried a bottle of ice water to re-soak the scarf during flight if needed.
The climb out at Crystal was easy and I left the mountains above 12k. The glide across the Antelope Valley was the smoothest glide I’ve ever had, and I ended up struggling low around the Silver Queen spending too much time until I was able to catch a good thermal, climbing to 10k.
Listening to the Tehachapi pilots giving reports on the conditions, altitudes, and progress heading north was helpful but not encouraging. I was able to progress north trying to make up for lost time. Around Sacatar Meadows I spotted a couple of pilots in a thermal north of my location and decided to continue north, thinking I would be able to join them.
Unfortunately I got there too low and fell of the ridge, sinking into the valley, and was unable to climb back — landing at the Olancha strip.
Struggling down low in the heat and then climbing back to altitude allows you to cool off, but struggling down low then landing in the heat will take it’s toll on anyone. Peter (6PK) helped me break down my glider and I had to take a short break to cool off in my air conditioned truck. I had also brought two liters of ice water that I brought, one of which I poured all over myself to cool off.
Mike Koerner on Sunday, 456 miles to Elko, NV
I flew to Elko on Sunday, which looked like a better day than Saturday, if not at Crystal, certainly downrange.
I elected to launch later than usual, not because I couldn’t stay up earlier, but because, based on SkySight, I wanted to arrive at Mojave after noon, thus avoiding the drama of wandering around the airport at low altitude while trying to figure out what to say on the radio without committing to landing until all other options had been exhausted.
The weather for the first half of the trip was what Henry referred to as “homogenized”, with the lapse rate parallel to the dry adiabat. Instead of cores of strong lift surrounded by fields of weak sink, there were wide areas of intermittent lift rising like bubbles to varying altitudes at various rates. Top out one thermal and you’re as likely as not to run into another next door that goes up higher or faster. And of course, there were wide areas of sink that make glide calculations suspect.
I think this is the result of an intrenched high pressure system, heating the same air day after day. I don’t like it, and I don’t think I handled it particularly well.
But all that changed around Mina. Subsequently there were lines, sheets really, of very strong lift marked by cu; but the lift extended into the areas between the clouds, which didn’t necessarily follow surface contours or align with the wind. I flew 63 miles along one of these sheets (no turns) at an average airspeed of 109 knots with an L/D of 156.
Unfortunately, these cu were only in the Southeast quadrant of the sky. The area to the west and north (the way I wanted to go) was dark under a heavy cirrus layer. The trick was to get as high as I could (staying under 18,000’) at the point where the cu extended closest to Elko, just north of Eureka, then glide the last 75 miles.