I got to fly yesterday but the stream had switched back into the LZ and as a raging rapid. Windsports was out and offered supervision for me, a hang 3 on a falcon. We discussed approach options and set a radio frequency. It was an overcast day when I launched but found a thermal at the 3rd bowl that could support my altitude indefinitely, but I was pumped to come out and land the dangerous raging river LZ. As I past over the Gavina bridge I watch 3 gliders in close sequence make their landings. I had Spiderman Fred Waugh a few hundred feet behind me but 200 feet lower than me. I had just passed through a thermal at the corner house that he could hold up in so I took the lead to land first. It was strange landing a familiar LZ but with a completely different set of rules. The old approach might set me in the river at the base of the ramp. If that would occur and my right wing tip would get below the water things would turn bad fast, first the water would run up the wing and snap the leading edge, then the keel would snap followed by the control frame and my head would have been below the water level. I was told after that the glider, sail and pilot would ball up and roll down stream, probably being fished out of the R/C swamp an hour later with a meat hook. So I took this landing very seriously. I never once looked at the stream but focused on a new set of numbers, these dark green bushes, that would take me very close to the 200 foot markers. This way if my final was short I could avoid a water landing. Also during my base I could make a final sooner over the ramp should that turn out, through a misjudgment or sink to be the best option. My approach turned out well and I turned to final back a little ways but with extra altitude using a coordinated turn with the option of a slipping turn as a back up. Riding in perfectly on final I suddenly noticed a mild thermal, but with overshooting not an option as the raging river snaked just behind the overshoot ramp, I pulled in to maintain my predetermined trajectory. I came in on the hang 4 landing area but a bit faster than anticipated so I let the bottoms of my boots gracefully skim the grass like a child running and sliding on a newly waxed floor. A light flare and a few steps later I was in the breakdown area.
I highly recommend to try this while we still have the stream and you are capable and with instructor approval. Its a good test of your skill and concentration but there's no room for any moderate error.
The stream broke through the weak point set of rocks but its isolated to that point and easily repaired, so enjoy the river while it lasts.
Doug
Supervised stream avoidance landing
Re: Supervised stream avoidance landing
I enjoyed it yesterday to Emily's disappointmentdhmartens wrote:....... The stream broke through the weak point set of rocks but its isolated to that point and easily repaired, so enjoy the river while it lasts.........
that I cleared it.
