The start of the soaring season form me started a bit rocky. I was fighting the feel and relying on electronic help, which proved to be in conflict for learning the basics, and I learned the hard way by missing thermals and doing a few relights. But after a few flights, I'm starting to get the feel again.
My past flights were nothing more than long noodle tracks in the sky.
Last weekend pushed me to my first long distant flight this year (just under 269 km) and to parts I have never been to before.
I was about three thermals away from landing out, but proved to be quite an adventure. Thanks to Mike Carris's mentoring, but I know I still have much to learn and do!
Here is a view toward the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, during which I flew over Pecos NM at 15000' before heading south.
Sounds pretty good to me for a start to the season. I've had to settle with a season check flight (3,000 tow with boxing the wake, spins, stalls, slow flight, steep turns with reversals, slips etc.) plus the standard yearly rope break simulation we give annually for instructors in the club's Twin II Acro and a whopping 13 minutes in my own glider last weekend where I gained 100 feet after release. And it looks like rain this weekend. As Platypus used to say in Sailplane And Gliding "Welcome to soaring. If you can't take a joke, you shouldn't have joined." :-)
ReplyDeleteIt´s really desperate for us in Europe to see heights beyond 4500m QNH in regular soaring weather :-) Last weekend I got in highest height this year - wonderfull 2050m QNH and most of year it´s fair height to attempt any longer task(last season I once got even to 2700m but it´s ussually exeption). Our airfield has 405m QNH, but still it´s huge difference. I´m jealous and I wish to get sometime in such country to be able to soar in such conditions! And also sadly our airspace is open only up to 3000m, so only oportunity to get higher is in wave in few allowed areas.
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