Flying Dogs, Eagles & 200 Hours!

Cody, Clover and I took advantage of a beautiful, crisp, 60 degree sunny fall day today to get some very therapeutic airtime over Short Divide. On the drive to the top Clover went crazy when a deer bounded across the road and up the hillside, no doubt looking for cover from the hunters all over the place. On launch the wind was blowing straight in at about 20 mph - a bit strong, but very manageable without the booming summer thermals. High lenticular clouds indicated stronger winds aloft, suggesting vigilance and caution near potential venturi affected gaps and canyons. Cody assisted me as I launched first, flying well away from the hill before helping Clover find her "safe place" in the middle of my back -

where she can enjoy the view without dangling in her harness. There was plenty of ridge lift with the stiff wind, and I soon found a mild thermal over launch which allowed me to drift back and quickly bench up over Clarkston Peak. I watched as Cody safely launched below,

and soon joined me over the upper mountains. I explored the air, took pictures, and flew some tight formations with Cody.

Cody & I flew over to Gunsight Peak allowing for a nice view up I-15 to Clover's birth place and beyond into Idaho. As the afternoon progressed the air mellowed and the lift band expanded.

Cody and I pulled on the VG's and went on glide out over the valley a couple of times. Near the end of our flight we found zero sink and even widespread light lift even a mile or two out over the valley!

About an hour into our flight we were joined in our airplayin' over the peaks by a group of 7 or 8 golden eagles!

Although they are on a migratory journey, they didn't just fly by and continue en route. They paused for about 15 minutes to apparently play with Cody and me in an aerial game of follow the leader.

They were not intimidated by the size of our wings, occasionally coming within 15 feet of us -

causing Clover to get a bit excited. She is one of the few dogs who actually gets to chase birds in flight! It was amazing to watch how the birds of prey made small adjustments in their tail and other feathers to control their flight. The eagles soon moved on, and after over 2 hours of airtime Cody & I decided to fly over the back and safely landed in the Clarkston "corner LZ."

During this flight I passed my 200 hours of airtime mark! I share this not to boast, but to let someone who may be new to personal flight know just how rewarding it can be - if you pay your dues, earn your wings, and make the conservative choices which support a safe, healthy flying lifetime. For many pilots who have hundreds or even thousands of hours, this is not that big of a deal. For me it is a milestone, because it has taken me over 25 years of sporadic flying to finally reach it. It took many years before I finally reached the point of spending more time in the air flying than on the ground, carrying the glider back up the training hill. Let's just say I'm a slow, cautious learner, but that's OK - because I am alive and well, and look forward to hundreds more hours of realizing my personal dream of flight!

Clover enjoyed the flight, but was glad to be back on solid ground as we broke down our gliders and then retrieved Cody's pick-up from launch

as the setting sun painted the mountains. What a great way to spend a beautiful, Fall, Saturday afternoon! Thanks for sharin' the air, Cody, in another memorable milestone flight over Short Divide!

Airtime: 2.5 hours!