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First Cross Country!
September 19, 2004
by Mike Kelsey
Although I enjoyed visiting and swapping tall tales on Buffalo Mt. on Saturday, I really was hoping to fly. High Cirrus Clouds blotted out the sun, and the wind was out of the E S/E. There were a couple good efforts by Mel and Roy with extended sleds, but not enough to encourage me to leap. So most of us broke down on top.
Sunday I was not sure if I was even going to go out. It would take some prompting. Well a local Mena Resident gives me a call.... Tim is anxious to learn to fly, and is lining up lessons, and has the day off and would like to see some flying. I told him that “the best we may be able to do is show you the flying sites”. We were getting a late start, we we decided to join Roy who was heading for Panorama.
Arrived around Noon-O-Clock and noted the winds out of the South/East. Roy arrived and we sat around for a couple hours watching the wind, contemplating driving to Buffalo. Roy calls Buffalo, and they are watching crossed winds, and are contemplating driving to Panorama.
Were about ready to abandon when we notice the wind quieting down a bit, and we decide to set up and hope for some launch cycles. Roy attempts to inform the Buffalo contingent but cannot make contact. Sorry Guys....
We set up our gliders, and I am first to the launch my TRX. Still crossed wind at launch but I watch about three cycles come through, and feel confident about a good launch.
I have a good launch and turn left to head downwind along the ridge to hope for a little lift, but was not provided any. Flew to the point “Bear Cave” at which time I decided to head towards the LZ. I was now heading strait into the prevailing wind with 400 ft per minute sink. With about 600 ft. over the hump in front of the LZ I catch the "hump thermal" that has been good to me on two other flights. 200 ft per min to start, and all the way up to 2,000 over. Not a huge amount of drift so I drive into the prevailing wind and head back toward launch.
About 20 minutes after my launch, Roy launches his U2, and I hang around waiting for him to join me. While he is seeking his elevator, I am now getting to 3,000 over, and then 4,000 over top. Roy is working hard, but not finding that elevator. He eventually makes a nice aggressive move and penetrates into the wind, crosses the towers at about 500 ft, to seek thermals on S/E side of the Towers. He finally got what I would guess would be a couple grand over, but hard to tell from my perspective as I was now at 6,000 ASL. It was very easy to stay between 5,000 to 6,000 ASL, but it was like Roy could not break through the inversion. I am not poking at Roy, as I think I found the lucky thermal. I have drifted over the back towards Talihina. Out over the farmlands, and I am just able to cruise about at around 6,000
catching light thermals that I would circle in to wait on Roy as he was supposed to lead the XC attempt. Roy comes my way, but he is still a couple thousand below, so I assume we are just in different air. I decide to put him to task and pull on the VG and start speeding to Buffalo. Crossing over Talihina, I look back and Roy has found a thermal, and I am steadily sinking. I almost turn back, but I figure if I make it to Buffalo Mountain, I will surely get some lift there.
I get to Buffalo with about a thousand feet over the top of Buffalo. No lift, still sinking... I look back and Roy later tells me the thermal took him to around 5000 ASL and he started chasing me. He watched me as I continued to run the ridge with no lift to be found. I headed out towards the Potato Mountains, finding no lift, so I head for the Buffalo LZ hoping for a low save. It was not to be. My approach was into a 5 mph East with a good landing. Roy had already zoomed past on the Ridge Line. He also found no lift, but once past Buffalo Mountain he was able to find a couple more thermals and continued on another 10 miles.
The boys up at Mortons Cabin had seen us, and came down to congratulate. Dave presented me with a feather we found in the LZ, (Turkey Vulture I presume). Dave then went to locate Roy, and reported back his location for my driver.
This was my first Cross Country flight since starting back flying. This flight also provided me with my highest altitude gained of 4,645, and my first XC flight with 14.3 miles. Time aloft of 2 hours and 45.
It was a very clear day.. not a cloud in the sky and we could see for miles and miles. I should have put some chap-stick on the lips and the air was very dry up there. I had recently installed a hydration pack, and that helped a lot. The thermals were not rowdy, and 450 to 550 ft/min on the average.
Not sure why I got decked at Buffalo Mountain. Roy did not get any lift through there either. If we could have launched earlier, I think we could have gone very far.
Thanks to Tim Carls for serving as driver.
Mena Mike
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Another Panorama Perspective.
September, 19th, 2004
by Roy Mahoney
Mike & I watched the wind blow at Panorama from noon to around 2pm, blowing down the highway from the SSE. Pretty nice strong thermal cycles, but nearly due cross. We were thinking it must be great at Buffalo, but we were still expecting the forecast to hold (winds to be getting lighter and more easterly). We had almost given up and were going to take our chances on Buffalo when we saw the first potential launch cycle, so we decided to get the gliders off the trucks. I tried to call via cell to Buffalo Dave 3 or 4 times but just couldn't get through. Got Ken's voice mail and left a message that we were going to do Panorama after all - come join us - but no guaranty that it would be any good. We were going on the hopes that it would be getting better. Just before we walked the sidewalk to launch, Mike said he'd follow me if I went over the back, so we grabbed Mike's road atlas to show Tim Carls where to drive toward in case we got lucky. Tim's never been in the area, and Talihina wasn't even on Mike's map! So Tim drug out an old OK map and we said turn right if we go that way and turn left if we go this way, and call Mike's house if you lose us. What preparation! Mike was ready and moved down to launch with the wind still prevailing from the SE. Soon a thermal passed over the back that pulled in a series of small cycles and Mike jumped one. As you read in his report, he got flushed out down to 600' but I've seen Mike in that same position before do a great job of pulling it back out, and sure enough, he hit a good one, and crowd went wild! Mike shot above the horizon and I took the next puff in and started 30 minutes of working ragged stuff to a best of 1000 over Bear Den cave, while every now and then catching a glimpse of Mike far far overhead. It finally dawned on me that the lift might be better on the "right" side of the range, and with 500' over the top headed directly upwind directly above the spine. Passing launch I got a little sinky turbulence but soon I was approaching the tower and getting some beeps. Crossed over the tower with about 500 and all the buzzards launched. As I flew toward Dead Man's Gap it just got bigger and better, and finally a nice SMOOTH huge thermal to 5000' with buzzards all the way. I was back over launch now and pointed toward Talihina, wondering where Mike had gone. Kept gaining as I flew over the trees to a max altitude of 5360' over the LZ (4160' over launch). Got over the first fields down to 4500' and stopped to circle a weak thermal, and caught sight of Mike much much higher and to the west and north over the rough country. I kept wondering what was he talking about him following me? I began chasing Mike, but he wouldn't let me get near! The view with such clear air was spectacular. All the major bodies of water below were showing strong southerly flow, yet we were drifting slowly in apparent ESE air. I couldn't wait to get to Buffalo, surely the lift would be great with all the strong southerly flow I can see on the water. Had a pretty good thermal right over Talihina, while Mike was sinking out in front of Buffalo. I headed toward the Hospital where I got another one to 3500', while watching Mike set up for landing at Buffalo's LZ. I flew right down the ridge line over Buffalo, nuthin' but sink. 1000' over launch, still sinking. Hollered down and kept going. Very strange to find such a massive sink hole over Buffalo. As I flew beyond the west end and out into the valley, getting close to Buffalo's altitude, found a mild thermal and drifted while searching for a core. Soon a hawk passed underneath headed toward the highway, I followed and found the core, got back to 3000'. I was hoping to get high enough to cross the ranges downwind toward Hartshorne, but the thermals were petering out. I saw a small hawk fly in under me, then another and another, and quickly there were about 20 little hawks thermalling up through me. Must have been those Broadwing Hawks that are migrating this time of year. I'd see a few of them here and there after that. Also saw a strange black bird with a white head with a wing span about like a buzzard, but higher aspect ratio. Not sure what it was. I pretty much hit a dead end at the "Y" intersection of Hwys 1 & 2, would thermal to a mile west of the intersection then fly back east to an LZ I had picked out, catch another, thermal back to the west again. Very mild sink and very mild thermals. Thought maybe I might just hang out like this until Tim could drive down the highway and see where I was. Then with another thought, I began flying back up the road to maybe return to Buffalo's LZ. Made about 3 miles in nearly zero sink and then started working another mild thermal and lost all my progress in drift. I started looking at a field on down Hwy 2 on the banks of Sardis Lake, that was right on the highway so it would be visible from the road, made about a mile crosswind leg toward it and landed just SW of the town of Yanush, within walking distance of the corner store, and refreshments! Dave Morton pulled into the store just as I was borrowing the phone to call Mike. A little over 24 miles but I could stretch it to 25 using the "Pousti stretch". That should be legal for all but record flights, right? All in all a super fun flight that has really got me heated up for more XC!!! It's about time to get a radio I guess.... before next season for sure.
- Roy
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