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The New Arkansas Hang Gliding Distance Record set by Mark Stump. 178 Miles!
Story by: Mark Stump
7/1/06
Time 7:10pm
Location N 37.44.467 W 093.32.478
Temp 90 deg , wind 270 , 5kts.
Hazy, not a cloud left in the sky.
Weeds ..waist high. shoulder of divided HWY.. semi's blasting by within 20 feet..
 Hey! Are you OK? ...Yes .. I just flew 5hrs and landed 178 miles from Mount Magazine Arkansas. Do you need anything?.. ( sure would like to ask for a beer.) We got some water. I'll take some water.. Thanks. (posti or fant would have landed at a big BBQ...although i got my big luck in the air!) Call Charrie & Rachel let them know I'm safe and my location. Call Pousti, number is no longer good. Dang sure wanted to laY this on him. Call James. Call Ollie.
Hey buds... Stump got lucky, hit the big one, blind hog finds an acorn, better lucky than good, ... The Story
11:30 am, Mag campground. I am under the hose at the trailer dump station. Poor Man's shower.. Mag interpreter Don drives by and gives me the look. Not sure if I'm busted for using this. Figure PleasantView campers can have a little water.
Noon, Mag Launch, Set up glider... Wow another EPIC forcast but the blips have been way too optismistic. 8000+ 600fpm+ light south. Well Friday was better.. found some 400up to 7500. Sewell got over 8000' and said it was strong. Maybe today. Rachel and Charrie are here and they did say they wanted me to go XC.. Maybe a flight to Charlies or home...
1pm.. Mag Launch, lots of pilots setting up. South wind going a little over 20mph. Clouds look a little ragged. Everyone is in watch it mode. I'm starting to think it might be rough and continue to watch it.
1:45pm, I have seen some lulls that I need for launching. The clouds are shaping up a little better. I run up and give the girls a kiss and say I gonna give it a go. Suitup... can hear Poust saying lets go!
2pm ... straight in south 10mph...CLEAR!!! 4 steps.. and were flying. glide west to the spine.. sorta sinky... crossing the spine ... Hey! there just south on down the spine two buzzards turning. I turn toward them and the sink increases, I then get that familiar feel that I'm getting pulled toward them...come on... BOOM, 800'up ...wait wait.. Roll ... It's solid.. all the way around. What a gift..hang on to this.. it seems like 5min and I'm close to base @ 6500. I'm outta here! Glide to Paris down to 5000'. Slide in under a cloud... boom.. 500up 6800 right over the airport. I punch in "GO TO Charlies". That will get me close to home and the girls will like that.. Clouds look better due north. I'll cut west after going under these clouds. I make it to the river and hit a cloud that's not working.. I'll go west.. Next two clouds are not working... DANG! Down to 4000'.. glide due west. sink,,3000' HWY 23 and I40.. well this will be an easy retrieve and there is a big field across from the Pig Trail Package store.. that would be cool.. keep gliding west and then in the blue... Boom 500'up..soild to 7000'... Charlies is now due west of me..Heck I'll blow that mission off. I'll go north to Cass. If I get high there I'll cross over the Boston's and fly up hwy 16 to the house.. glide...Man look @ those clouds over Cass.. that would be perfect if I could get back to base there...sink ,,sink.. 4000' ....under clouds...boom 500up.. solid smooth as silk.. 6500' stop turning.. got cloud base for the next 10 miles... glide and climb.. 10miles later I'm over the hills and into the fields @ 7500'.. wow.. I like this gliding @ 45mph going up at 200fpm. Now What?? The clouds look better to the north but that's Huntsville and then Beaver Lake and all the National Forest around Eureka Springs. Don't worry about that now. If you don't like the looks of it when you get there you can land. glide. glide.. Worked a cloud at Huntsville and start seeing Beaver Lake to the west and the woods due north. glide. Got to the edge of the big woods south of Eureka and there were clouds about 4 miles north. Decided to go for those until I had to turn around to make it out. At around 4500' I was under the edge but it wasn't working. glide..Hey there looks like a field next to 23 just south of Eureka. glide. At 4000' I came into some 200-300fpm and committed to getting back up here before the big crossing. I lost some time here but it got a little better 400up at 6000 to 7000. I could see the Christ of the Ozarks and the fields beyond that that started @ Missouri. I had cloudbase now and clouds just beyond. I looked for the football field that Greg Chastain landed in at Eureka but I couldn't make it out. glide. What's this? Another Lake! Table Rock. I'm @ 7000 who cares. Looks crowded down there. Do boats agree to turn in the same direction? For the first time I decide to see how far I am from Mag. I don't want to jinx this but decide to check. Press 'GO TO Mag' ... 106 miles... I get sorta choked up.. It's been a long journey to get here my first Arkansas 100 miler. I cross Table Rock high and get in these crazy looking rolling hills. I get down to 4000' just SW of Springfield and work under some flat dark clouds that I doubt will be working. When I get to the far side of these I hit some 200 up and notice a yellow balloon circling up. It reminds me of a Wal-Mart sack caught in a thermal @ Quest that Bobby Bailey in the tug chased down and grabbed out of the sky. Very cool to watch. It climbed through me. I'm thinking it's late, the clouds are few and far between, you better top this out. I climb to over 8000' and go on glide west of Springfield. I am surprised that I can talk to Roy who is soaring Mag. He says I might be able to get Pousti's 156. I don't even want to think about it. You don't mess with the king. The girls are just now in Missouri. I work a couple more clouds that take me from 4000 to 5000 and go on glide. I see HWY 13 I can follow it and watch as I glide at 55mph ground speed and 200fpm down. I can't take the suspense and page back to my Go To Page... 165miles.. it's a done deal.. long live the King. I cross over my field @ 173 and still have 3000'. I got greedy and pushed on to another one that was long an skinny and get there with 500' @ 178 miles. Drop a streamer and make the most of it. Once I was stopped I knelt down and kissed the ground.. weeds and all.. What a Long Fun Trip it has Been!
Thanks to all those that I have flown with that have shared your experiences you all helped me make this trip.
Fly safe,
Mark Stump
View Marks flight below, or if you have Google Earth, Click Here and fly along with Mark.
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