I was prepared to launch a full on begging assault to get a ride with him some day, but that proved unnecessary. On Tuesday I asked Matt if I could take a tandem ride with him sometime, and Friday afternoon we were out at Williams Gliderport ready to go.
Our Ride For The Day. Slippery...
Ready To Go!
We towed towards St John Mountain and pinned off in a small convergence line east of the peak. We flew here for an hour or so, flying around the clouds. It was odd to be above cloudbase. You can almost never get there in a hang glider.
On Tow
Instrument Panel Of the Duo Discus
After about an hour we decided to make a move to another, better looking convergence line to the south. It was far away and we thought the attempt might deck us. But we made the move and happened to stumble into a wave forming on the backside of the mountain range. Flying in the smoothest air I’ve ever felt, we climbed. Passing 13,000’ we reminisced about our conversation earlier in the day at Matt’s house. “Are you taking your oxygen system?” “No, there’s not going to be any waves today…”.
Climbing High Above The Clouds In The Wave
The next hour is a bit hazy, but I remember staying diligently under our 14,000’ limit…
Just Under 14,000' With Clearlake To Our West
Boating around in the wave, Matt did some lazy 8s and a couple negative G pushovers. Too much fun!
link
After leaving the wave we flew out over Cash Creek, cored a couple thermals, and hit another convergence line. This second convergence had to be one of the best flying events in the history of flying. Cool cloud formations, lots of dynamic flying, and despite the banking and diving and spinning, I didn’t even throw up. Bonus!
13,500', looking East To The Second Convergence We'll Hit Later
Cash Creek
Cockpit Of The Duo Discus
Way Above Cloudbase, With Mt Diablo In The Distance
Matt, Focused On The Controls As We Approach The Second Convergence
The gliderport radioed in to say there were shutting down and leaving. We stayed in the air for a while longer and then Matt brought it in for a perfect landing after 4.5 hours in the air.
Goose, I'm going to hit the airbrakes and he'll fly right by
This day was a real treat. Matt was a great pilot and guide and the 4.5 hours went by far too fast. Can’t wait to do it again.
Total Airtime: 4:30
Max Altitude: 14,000'
Type of Air: Convergence, Wave, Thermal, Convergence
3 comments:
Fun day with a surprise wave which makes lazy 8's and push overs more fun when your hypoxic!
I'm glad you had a fun time. What was the part flying around? Probably just an extra part right. Congrats on being one of the few who hasn't puked.
Teri
hee hee hee, me hypoxic, nah, hee, hee, hee, oh this just fell out of something? hee hee hee...
By the way that all looked awesome.
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