Wilson & Back Take 4

dcutter · Post by **dcutter** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 6:44 am

Date: 7/23/06 Max Altitude 10,400ft. Duration 1 HR. 52min Distance: 40+miles
Launched with no radio again. Kendall is down low below the volcano Rob has skied out and is gone. I'm starting to get low. Ok there it is at the 2nd bowl. I get to 4600ft. I head to Trash. Not much there I can see Seabass at about 5K behind Kagel so I head back and get to about 4800ft. I head east and at this point am not really expecting to get much higher but as I head east I hit some fairly strong lift just west of Little T and while turning I can see Seabass about 2000ft higher and to the NE. Hey now we're talking....... !!!! I am about 5K so he must be at 7K. Hmmmmm OK If I can get to 7K at Lukens, I'm going to go to Wilson. I see Kendall themalling at Middle T and head over we both get up to over 8500ft and I decide I don't need anymore altitude, I want to find Rob who I assume is ahead somewhere. I head toward Lukens and Kendall does a few more turns and follows The clouds don't look threatening yet but I'm keeping an eye on it. I head east and I see Seabass lower down and in front of Little Lukens. I keep going and just before the towers at about 7300ft....... Bam West side of the towers is working and I start turning.
I look at the clouds out back. Still OK (gust front wise). To the east, there's a friendly looking cummulus growing right over Wilson. Excellent. I look directly up and see two gliders arriving at cloudbase about 2000ft over my head. 8K , 9K hey! I'm over 10K. This is shooting fish in a barrel. I head east and the gang's all here. We start sniffing around between Brown and Echo Pk. It's not that great. I keep going and start to wonder if I should have stayed with it. I'm down to about 500ft over that really tall tower(about 6800ft). near Mt. Wilson. I look lower than my instruments say. I tag Wilson and head back along the row of antennas and catch something between Disappointment Pk and Echo Pk. It turns on and back up we go.
I'm still checking the clouds out back for rain or any other threatening behavior. I don't see any but... Wait a minute what's that cloud behind Kagel doing. It's currently in the friendly range but it's starting to tower that is get more vertical than horizontal. It could go from that to angry anvil. Hmmmm.... I want to go back to Kagel and land in the LZ. I don't really want to continue to the east. As I'm looking to the east, I see Kendall head east. I presume to tag Wilson. On the other hand, he could be heading for any and all points east. San Dimas, San Bernardino. I look further east and it's actually pretty clear. I can even see Cucamonga Pk and San Bernardino .in the distance. I look back at the cloud. I have no radio and no driver and I really just want to go back to the LZ. I'm going to head back to Kagel. If it turns anvil like, I'll turn around and land in the Arroyo Seco. I leave the thermal at about 8500ft Winds are light so no issue there. Yet I'm watching that cloud like a hawk. It looks like it's a little less sharp on top. That's a good sign. At Lukens I climb back to 8000 something and decide to do the out front line, in fact I'm going all the way to the freeway just for fun. It's kind of weird to be flying over a city. I'm in the middle of Sunland. Flying over a high school. I fly along the freeway for a 1/4 mile or so then straight over the dump as I near the cemetery, I'm starting to lose altitude more. I'm starting to get more turbulence also. Is it blowing down? Something's up as I get closer to Trash, no one is flying but I'm seeing a headwind it's NW. I'm starting to wonder if I'm going make the LZ. Normally, this would be plenty of altitude. I get there at about 800ft over, but there's so much sink that I'm falling out of the sky. It's blowing down lightly, in fact it's almost zero. 4 turns and I'm turning to base along the SIBL fence line, I turn to final. The glider is still flying down the fence line toward the storage bins. My right hand seems to be caught on a wire. I can't understand this and I give the glider 3 more tugs. On the last one, I heave ho and the glider comes around too far. Now I'm heading back to the wash. I correct again and now I'm going so slowly, I pull in and from 40Â° bank angle. I'm about to slip right into the ground in a high speed turn when I decide to flare and I parachute???? the rest of the way, somewhat correcting that bank angle and bounce off my wing tip and base tube then harness. Wow!

abinder · Post by **abinder** » Mon Jul 31, 2006 7:20 pm

hey!!!!!!

Don't leave me in suspense like that!!!!!!!!!!

allen

Vrezh · Post by **Vrezh** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 3:55 pm

...and???...

Lynn McLaughlin · Post by **Lynn McLaughlin** » Tue Aug 01, 2006 4:10 pm

Press reply and finish the story! We're diein', over here

dcutter · Post by **dcutter** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 7:52 am

I hear there's a word limit on this forum...? Sorry boys and girls. Here's the rest.

I heave ho and the glider comes around too far. Now I'm heading back to the wash. I correct again and now I'm going so slowly, I pull in and from a 40Â° bank angle. I'm about to slip right into the ground in a high speed turn when I decide to flare and I parachute???? the rest of the way, somewhat correcting that bank angle and bounce off my wing tip and base tube then harness. Damage one rib flip tip. Wow!

SHGA Communications · Post by **SHGA Communications** » Wed Aug 02, 2006 8:48 am

Long Posts How-to

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