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It was Sunday. The Team challenge
was over and Stan and I could
finally chase the clouds downwind. The great weather was still
hanging in there and the day was forecast to be light NE with base
close to 6.5k. We chose to fly Henson's and fore go the drive to
Whitwell.
Launched about 1:00{late} turned right in light lift climbed a
couple hundred looking for a good thermal. Birds out from the cliff
showed the way and I core up to 5500'. My harness zipper had blown
out after launch, so this was to be a cool and airy flight.
I moved south of launch waiting for Stan to launch. He found lift
and I was sinking so at 4500' I decided to cross the valley toward
Whitwell. I sank all the way across and arrived at 700' agl at the
gap N of town. I found light lift, was working hard to gain alt. The
open harness wasn't helping much. I was whining. Finally I saw a
buzzard banking up in front out in the valley. I shifted out there
and the vario sang a nice 500 up. Still it was not a gimme. I
reached
rim top. lost it and started going south. I changed my mind and went
back north. The air was turbulent, but I found the good core and
stuck
with it to CB at 6300'.
Looking over the back the clouds looked great. Down the ridge they
were sparse. I could see Kathy Lee scratching in front of the
Whitwell launch. Steve was on launch. I had heard of the lack of lzs
over the back so I was looking hard at the possibilities out there. I
was seeing plenty from 6k so as I drifted past Whitwell I headed
back
to the next big cloud behind launch. Back at base and looking SW I
could see the valley which I-24 ran through and I had that on glide.
I turned straight down wind and the GPS read a nice 62 mph ground
speed. It had been reading 45mph. This is the way I want to go!
Stan where are you? I thought he would be past me Because of all
the time I had wasted low. I was already 30 miles from launch. I was
committed at this point {or maybe I should have been} I crossed I-24
and looked to the SW. It was a mass of Mts and valleys and all I
could see was trees. I could see LZs in the next valley as drifted
closer over, so I decided to go that way because it was down wind and
going up 24 was x wind. This was an to be an adventure for sure. I
had not looked at this area on a map and I was just winging it. As I
ran from one valley to an other There would always be LZs in the
next. No towns where showing on the gps. I didn't know where I was
so I started radioing Sharon my gps coordinates so she
would know my
location. There were roads back in here, but they all dead ended
back
in the hills. At one point I was low, 45ish, and not finding a good
climb I started working my way south out the valley. I needed a good
climb to get over the big trees behind me. This was the biggest bunch
of tree I had to cross. Finally I found a good core coming up a big
gully and started drifting back. I could see from here that one more
cloud and I would reach the flats.
I wasn't finding great climbs out here. I would see a bird and
they would be coming to join me in my weak thermal, at least I was
going up and drifting toward the flats. Finally I made a run for the
big cloud to the sw. Reaching it and finding the core meant I would
reach the flats at 7k and could pick the cloud street I want to
follow.
7k and I decide to go a little more west. The streets look good and
It will keep me on this side of the big river to the south. These
are
the flats. Huge flat fields of hundreds of acres, brown and hot. The
clouds where big stretched out cues with lift a plenty. Here I was
running from cloud to cloud ,sometimes getting down to 4500' and
running out of the wispys at 7k. I could now radio Sharon
road and
town information. I found a road going my way and flew down it. IFR
flying.
The day was getting old and the GPS turned a 100 miles from launch.
Stan was starting to catch up I hoped we could get back together and
finish the flight in the same LZ.
I could feel the thermals getting weaker. 300 fpm was a good climb
now. I was getting lower and lower, 3000' and smooth air. I'm looking
at what could be My last trigger. In front of me was a tributary of
the river running up into the hot fields. I figured It would break
off
the air if anything would . I was down to 2000' and running to a lz
at the rivers edge. Stan is getting low at 90+ miles behind me. He
chirps in an says he may have a low save. Seconds later I hit a
solid core and climb back to 6+. The river worked. I have a low save,
115miles on the gps.
There are still clouds and I set course to the next cloud. The sink
is working well. and I'm down below 3k looking for ground triggers.
I
see two of my favorite triggers next to each other. A tractor in a
big
brown field with a big junk yard beside it. I drift past hit the
bubblys and find the core. 2 to 300 up and back to 5500'. Now I can
look out and see Florence Alabama. I'm hoping the hot parking lots
will give me one last boost to get 150 miles., but its not to be. I
came
in over the area of building and parking lots and found nothing but
smooth air. I turned toward LZS north of town and watched the GPS
click past 139 miles and then 140 on final approach. I landed and a guy
from the EAA drove up and gave me a magazine. The Land owner drove
out and asked why I didn't land at the airport over the trees. Well,
I didn't see it. He say's would I like a beer? Well, maybe a water
to
start. HOW FAR DID YOU FLY THAT THING? You must be hungry. Would you
like a whopper? Sure! So he goes and gets whoppers while I break
down. We sit in his shop and enjoy food and beer while waiting for Sharon
and Stan to arrive. He landed at 95 miles.
When we measured my flight on his GPS map it read 135 miles. I
measured again and my gps said 135 miles , go figure never have I had
a
five mile mistake on my gps, but 135 it is. I didn't know it was a
new Henson's gap record at the time.
I figure if I don't fly 200 miles on good day I didn't make the
most of it. I'm still waiting for that day. This was a 200 mile day if
all had been done right. Would have helped if my harness had been
zipped up. If we had launched earlier, If I hadn't gone slow waiting
for Stan to catch up. He hung back in the valley for an hr before
going OVER the back. Hind sight is always 20/20.
Sharon ,Stan and I try to fly as a team .We always push each other,
plot out XC route. Try to fly together. Sharon is always
hot on our
tails and there before we break down. Thank you Sharon.
What a great day, a great flight from a great site. Thanks to
everyone for the help. Hope to be back next year. Steve, Kathy and
all you TTT XC hot shots get out there and give me something to
shoot
for.
Dave DY {Damn Yankee}
I
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