Mission accomplished

Mt Buffalo awaits

March 6, 2013

In the morning there was a lot of high overcast.  Winds were forecast 6 knots from the north.  This could be the day I might get my pictures of Mt Buffalo if the overcast disappears 

Valdimar, Ken, and I headed up to launch with Mary Beth at 11:00.  Sunshine a nice breeze was coming up the hill.  We waited and watched the students take their flights before getting ready to launch just after noon.

I launched and was stuck for 40 minutes between 1000 and 1200 meters due to a high thin overcast that had shaded things out.  Finally I had enough altitude to head for “Clear Spot” I got there and didn’t find very much but the air was fairly buoyant so I headed down the spur to “Black Fellow”.  I got there very low but found the sweetest smoothest thermal of the day there.  3 to 4.3 meters per second up all the way to  just below cloudbase at 1900 meters.  From there I headed for the “Little Buffalo” ridge.  At “Little Buffalo” I found another climb back up to 1900 meters and I was on my way to the mountain.



Sailplane in view crossing from "Black Fellow" to "Little Buffalo"

 Winds were from the north and I was going into a headwind as I approached the stone face.  My plan was to get close to the stone face and thermal up snapping pictures as I went.  It was slow going and I was in sink.  I found some light lift and I made a few turns but was drifting back away stone face as I climbed.  That made me a little nervous about any turbulence I might find as I climbed further so I took the safe decision and flew along the stone face and back towards “Little Buffalo” ridge.

Rock face and chalet as close as I wanted to get today

I set Porepunkah airfield as a destination in my GPS as I headed back.  I made the "Little Buffalo" ridge with plenty of altitude and decided that I would see how strong the valley headwind would be and if I could make it back to Mystic LZ.   I glided over the airport heading back towards ‘Black Fellow”.  Once again I came in low and scratched a few turns.  Instead of the smooth thermal I had found going there was a lot of rough air and after a bit I decided just to head back to the airfield and land.

I called Mary Beth on the radio as I turned around telling her I was on glide for the airport.  It’s the sweetest sound a paraglider pilot ever hears (excluding up beeps on the vario) when you hear your retrieve driver answer with “Copy, I’m on my way to pick you up”.

Gliding back to the airport I was at around 900 to 1000 meters when I started and I arrived over the airfield at the same altitude with a lot of rock and rolling in some rough air.  I think it was convergence from the valley systems.  I still was ready to land.

I did steep turns, spirals, and big ears in the rough air.  The Mentor (and hopefully my piloting skills) kept the glider over my head all the time during the day’s flight.  I finally got the glider on the ground and amazingly there was no wind on landing.

Mary Beth arrived very shortly after I had unclipped and she waited patiently while I packed up my gear before heading back to the cabin.

My flight path (click to enlarge)

Two hours and thirty minutes in the air. 1925 meters max altitude.  Max climb 4.3 m/s.

Weather conditions look better for tomorrow.