It was a very busy Saturday for the whole fam. It started at 5 am with an extra-early newspaper delivery so I could make it to the high school before 6 am to help Keri & Landon set up for the marching band fund-raiser humungo-yardsale extravaganza. Keri was in charge of it this year, so she has put in a lot of time recruiting & scheduling volunteers, advertising, organizing, planning, coordinating, and today just "making it all happen". It all went quite well, with many family's earning a sizable amount to go toward sons' or daughters' marching band fees.
After helping set up, I drove down to the university to take the Ham (amateur radio) technician's license exam at 8 am. I have wanted to get my license for a number of years, and after reading a lengthy thread on hanggliding.org about the FCC consequences of illegal radio operation, and after some encouragement from Cody, I decided now was a good time. The problem was I only had a day and a half to study, and I was feeling crammed-full of electrical formulas, definitions, principles, FCC laws, rules, regulations, terminology, Ohm's law, etc, etc.. My brain was overloaded (or overflowing) with too much new information, and I felt uneasy and ill-prepared.
You need to get 26 out of 35 questions right to pass. I got 25 right (Dohhh!!!) So I decided to pay the $14 again, and re-took the exam, the second time passing with 27 correct! I was sure glad that was over - and happy that I (barely) passed. Failing an exam twice in a row would have wreaked havoc with my fragile ego :-) I should have studied more, but they only offer the test every 2 or 3 months, and I wanted to be "good" for the summer flying season. Within a few days I will have my own assigned station call number, and be an official "Ham."
Then I stopped by home, loaded up the glider, and went back to the yard sale to help put tables away and load up what "treasures" (junk) remained un-sold. Then I hurried out to Short Divide, as Cody, who was already on launch, called to tell me that conditions were good!
*While driving through the countryside, I noticed that many farmers were taking advantage of the (finally) warmer, drier weather for their first hay cutting. There is just something soothing about the look and smell of fresh cut alfalfa laid out in acres of uniform windrows. As I went through the gate just before launch, I noticed another sure sign of summer - cowpie season had begun! The gracious landowner had brought his livestock up for the summer grazing season (with a view, no less!) I have no problem sidestepping a cowpie here and there for the opportunity to use this magical launch! We stay on good terms with the landowner by respecting his gates, leaving no trace, watching out for his livestock, and an occasional holiday gift basket. Often times he will be driving through and will stop to watch us "jump off the mountain." *(Hay picture from rothphotos.blogspot.com)
The day was warm (85 degrees) and sunny, with clear blue skies to the south, and a cloud street setting up to the north, northeast. The tension and excitement on launch was palpable, as the prospect of going cross country was like Christmas morning! Amid my airtime-Jones'in excitement, I consciously reminded myself to stick to my methodical pre-flight routine to ensure a safe launch and flight. Cody programmed in his declared goal for the day as Alpine, WY, just over 100 miles. I just laughed and said, "Sounds good - I'll be right behind (and below) you!" I launched first into a 15-18 mph wind, immediately finding adequate lift to climb steadily and bench up over Gunsight Peak. After Cody's wife, Dorothy arrived to hang-drive the chase vehicle, Cody launched just before 4 pm. The lift topped out at 9,000', a bit low for going "over the back", so we pointed north along the main mountain range, as Cody advised Dorothy of our intended route.
Cody's strategy worked, mine didn't. By the time I was almost under the forming cumulus, I was too low, and ended up landing in a field just east of the freeway below, about 20 miles out. Not bad for the first XC of the season, but I soon was kicking myself as Cody slowly, methodically climbed from about 6,000' up to 16,000' at cloudbase! It was a 10,000' gain - way 2 go, Cody!
By now he was a speck in the sky, and I was loading my glider onto the truck, as Dorothy had shown up before I even had a chance to un-hook! I assumed the humble (or humbling) position of assistant hang-driver/navigator/radio-guy. After topping out, Cody pointed northeast and began his downwind path - with a groundspeed of 55 mph! Dorothy & I gave chase, circum-navigating the much less direct highways thousands of feet below him. The line of clouds temporarily overdeveloped, obscuring the sun and creating a void in the lift, forcing Cody to land just short of Grace, ID...
with a 40-mile grin on his face!We located Cody right next to the highway, and soon had his glider loaded up also. On the ride back home, Cody thanked me for my "sacrificial landing" - giving me credit for triggering the release of his cloudbase thermal. I just told him, "Oh sure - NO Problem - I'm always happy to give :-)
Airtime: 1 hour 16 minutes! - Thanks for "sharin' the air", Cody - and Thanks for the excellent driving, Dorothy! (Sorry about the low-quality pic's - all I had was my cell phone camera :-\
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