Long XC Solo Suggestions

[chrisk]

1 hour ago, Bryan1016 said:

How'd it go Skate?   Did you have to read any water towers?

I remember my XCs were in the days before GPS. On one, over some very vague terrain, with a gyro that had horrible precession, I couldn't find my check point. I did manage to find a field, observe the pattern, join in and land.  --the name was right on the side of the FBO.

[carusoam]

Some airports used to put their name on the runway.  Some water towers used to be painted with the town's name.

now the towers are overgrown with cell antennae. The water company name and logo now goes on the side of the water tower.

Best regards,

-a-

[Samurai Husky]

On 7/16/2016 at 5:32 PM, Hank said:

Go new places, and make sure to get the required XC hours. You don't want to come up  0.2 short . . .

 came up .2 short.... But its all good got to go on another one.

 

Have fun!!!! I did!

[FlyDave]

13 hours ago, Skates97 said:

Ok, I'll bite. Always enjoy hearing a good story. 

CNO - CMA - BFL - CNO would work. I think I'll run that one and CNO - CMA - SBA - CNO past my CFI and get his opinion.

You asked for it.

I used to fly XC in my sailplane with a group called "The Crystal Squadron" from CrystalAire (13 NM east of Palmdale) during the summer soaring season The goal was to fly a diamond distance flight (500 km straight line distance takeoff to landing) every Saturday. We usually went north across Mojave, Inyokern, and up the Sierra’s, across the Owen’s Valley and further north from the White Mountains into Nevada, Utah, etc.. My wife crewed for me meaning she would drive the 4-Runner towing the glider trailer to retrieve me whenever/wherever I landed. I love this woman!

On one particular Saturday I launched and after about an hour of scratching around for enough altitude I finally headed north. I called her on the radio but no answer, so I figured she was indisposed. About ½ way to Mojave she calls me on the radio to tell me she’s on her way…nothing to worry about but she needed a little assistance to get on the road. She was a great crew – really understood that I needed to concentrate on flying and not worry about things on the ground.

I get to Mojave and finally find some more lift (the day is getting better – Yippee!!) and call her with my next alternate (next place to pick me up if she doesn’t hear from me in the air again) and she responds “please land California City”. I say “the day is strengthening honey….I’m headed north” to which she says “LAND AT CALIFORNIA CITY”. I say “What’s wrong” and she says “LAND AT CALIFORNIA CITY! I’ll explain on the ground”. So I land at California City. She rolls in about 10 minutes later with no door on the back of the trailer….WTF?

Someone hadn’t locked the door on the trailer after I launched and it “fell off” when she was pulling out of the airport. Another pilot’s crew helped her put the door back on and tape the handle in the closed position since the handle/lock got damaged when it “fell off”.

As she was crossing a bridge over a dry wash in Mojave the wind was really blowing and the trailer was all over the road. She looked in the rear view mirror and “saw what looked like the trailer door fly away”. Zip...gone. She pulled over and confirmed the trailer door had vanished - poof.

We put the ship in the trailer sans a door and head back into Mojave to the incident bridge. She says “I think it’s down there”. I say “you mean downwind of the bridge” and I get one of those looks.

Now, I’ve sailed since I was a kid. I know what 15 knots of wind is. I know what 25 knots of wind is. I have a pretty good feel for what 35 knots of wind is. This was blowing 40G50. It was howling.

I go looking for the door down in the dry wash and finally find it – just beat to shit. Now I have to carry it upwind in the dry wash. I get to the bridge and there’s only one way to get it to the car – up the opposite side of the bridge from where the car is. I get it up on the bridge and start across. This friggin’ door is 4’ wide and almost 6’ tall…shit I’m only 5’5”. Next thing I know we’re both headed for the edge. I wrestle it to the ground and catch my breath. The friggin’ wind is blowing so hard I can barely hold on to the door each time I pick it up. I try to hold onto the edge and keep it downwind but its sheet aluminum and there’s no good way to hold onto it. After 10 minutes of looking like the Flying Nun with an overgrown habit I finally get across the friggin' bridge, bend the friggin’ door so I can get it in the back of the friggin’ 4-Runner and home we went. It took almost a month to fabricate a new door.

[Skates97]

Great story, glad it didn't take you flying with just the door.

I love that the door "fell off." There have been a lot of things over the years that I got the "I don't know how, it just happened" explanation. Usually best to just leave those ones alone...

[Bryan1016]

Good luck!  Don't forget to enjoy the ride.

[Bryan1016]

Jerry,

No offense to you DC folks.  Locals at the FBO (Maryland, 2W5) were very helpful.  I'm spoiled flying out of an uncontrolled airport with spotty radar coverage.

Bryan