It was a phenomenal weekend...for Minnesota. Out of the four days, three were flyable and two of those were memorable. The forecast was for 85-90 and humid all four days, not the best for flying, but you take what you get.
On Friday the winds were more SW so it was back to Hager. I didn't get there until 10:30 (Had to wait for a floor contractor to give me an estimate on replacing part of the hardwood floor in the house, due to a broken washing machine water hose, get braided ones.). I was the first to arrive and it was happen'en (Finnish for happening, remeber this is Minnesota). The breeze was 8-10 mph and crossing slightly from the west (South facing launch) a great direction for this ridge. Now the farmer had done us a favor the week before and cut the clover at takeoff. But....then he spread fresh manure on the cut field as fertilizer. My Saber just fit between the ribbon of cow long as I stood on one of the ribbons. Got to remeber to change my boots before getting into the car.
I launched turned right and headed for the point and into a 600 fpm boomer (Minnesota, nuf said). After a couple of figure eight's, I started circling taking it to 1600' above launch (This is a 290' high ridge on a good day.). Bumped around for a while and took some pictures before heading back out in front to grab another one.
About this time Dick Metz showed up and he couldn't get to launch fast enough. I worked west about half a mile to give him room. The entire length of the ridge was working with every bowl and ravine acting as a thermal/wind collection point. After an hour of boating around during a downcycle I went out and landed. Dick landed soon after.
After a rest and some Gatorade we were back on the tram with Adi Hornung a visiting HG pilot from Germany (Bavaria). Adi is going to be in the area for the next year and wanted to see if it was worth bringing his glider over.
At Launch conditions had strengthened, but were still flyable. Dick launched first and must have hit the tail end of a cycle because he got drilled. I launched shortly there after and was back at 300-500' over launch quickly, looking for the next thermal. The sky above us did not have a cloud in it, but I could see them building in the west.
Dick was quick to get back to launch and seemed to be conducting highwind maneuvers with his wing. Sometimes he was leading, sometimes not. I noticed a decrease in penetration also. Dick finally got in the air, but seemed to be in the launch venturi and was not getting up much beyond the trees. I was using the speed bar more and more so I headed for touch down and the end of a great morning of flying. Dick meanwhile ended up BE to a top landing may have giving that manure I mentioned a up close and personal inspection.
It looked like a HG day, but it wasn't. The forecast was partly cloudy and winds out of the west at 10-15. A towing day. We made plans to head for Cosmos, which is about 50 miles west of Minneapolis. Curt Knutson and I brought our HG and Dick brought his PG. At the last minute hearing the forecast speeds change to 5-15 I through mine in too. We met up at the SuperAmerica on the outskirts of Hutchinson to decide on a tow road. We drove through a couple before we found one with a LZ. The crops have started to get some size to them and it is best not to trample on a farmers livelihood. We decided on a 2 mile stretch of road with some shade at the launch-landing end because temps were forecast for 85-90.
The conditions were good for PG when we arrived and Dick was going to get the first tow. He had an uneventful and smooth tow to 1500'. After releasing he headed cross wind back toward the takeoff. He started to circle and seemed to be maintaining, but not really climbing out. The drift appearred to be from the SW, so he was moving away from us. It was hard to judge from looking at him what the conditions were. He wasn't talking on the radio which is sometimes a signal that the pilot is working and doesn't want the distraction of talking, it could also mean he hadn't heard us asking questions, whatever we shut up and let him fly.
Since he did not appear to be coming down, I wisely walked briskly to the rig and got myself and my wing ready for a yank. And as luck would have it, just as I finished harnessing up and laying out, a conga line of pea pickers (harvesting combines) decided that this was the fastests road to their next field. Since beggers can't be chosers, I bundled the wing and gave the appropriate wave to each and every driver as they passed me. They, of course, looked at me as if I was part of the cast of Independence Day.
I repositioned and hooked up to the tow line for a reverse launch, built a wall, gave Curt to "go-go-go-go-go", inflated, turned and lifted off. To say that the tow was smooth wouldn't due it justice, but I was able to take out my camera and get a few shoots while on line. I had figured that it would be a sledder so I better get some shots now. As I passed through 1400' agl my vario made happy sounds and thinking I was in one I released.....in to nothing....it was a gust. Turning and heading cross wind I got a beep amd a wing lift, so I turned...and turned...and turned. I was in zero sink and just maintaining. Drifting with it, I got up to 1550' agl and either it died or I lost it...I like to think that because of my superior thermalling skills (not) it disappated.
There didn't seem to be any heavy sink so I searched around losing about 500' before I again hit some zero sink. I had drifted quite abit north and east of the tow site and figured that I wouldn't make it back against the wind to the takeoff, so I might as well exploit (think positive) this lif......ah, zero sink and continue. As I like to think happens with zero sink, it began to develop into lift....very slowly. As it built to about 200 up and I was crankin and bankin. As I came around with my left thumb hooked in my harness at seat level (Ya, OK I'm a weak and lazy) and my ample left posterior cheek being center of my lifeforce...ah weight, the right side of the wing collapsed, about 40%. It needed one encouraging pump to re-inflate and I kept on circling. As with these outside wing collapses when circling it had little affect other then the decearse in climb rate. This one also went away at about 1500' agl. With nice cumi's to the south and north with me in a big blue hole, I was hoping it was not a psychosomantic inversion layer.
By this point I was traveling toward a lake northwest of the town of Cosmos, Minnesota. Not feeling real cofident of clearing the lake and the trees on the other side with 1500' in the bank, I turned straight east and followed US7 toward Cosmos.
So here I am flying along this highway, finding nada in the way of lift and entertaining myself by shadow strafing cars. Life is good, but all flights must end. I decided to pull the plug with 600' and a town in my path that I wouldn't make it over.
It seems to be so very rare that someone is around when I land, that I expect whoever is there to stop and watch, but this appearred to be old hat to the travelers on Hwy 7 this day, because I don't think they even slowed down. Nothing like a total lack of interest to bring your feet back to ground level and make your hat fit again.
Oh ya, I went 6.5 mile. Hey, this is Minnesota.
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