I had a fun flight on Sunday. didnt make it very far but had a good landing in a hay field. It was pretty windy and I was hoping that the thermals would still be organized enough to make a go at it. I probably took off a little early. found a decent thermal off tow and took it to 3000 AGL, then set out downwind. harvest hasnt gotten into full swing around here yet so i had to tread lightly. got to the northwest edge of town and was over a couple hay fields and a cow pasture. couldnt really see much out in front of me as far as landable fields so i started searching for a thermal. couldnt find anything. just kept drifting lower and lower. at one point i caught a little bit of a thermal but could only get about 500 feet out of it, and back down i came. finally gave up and slipped it into this field. approach end was obstructed with pretty tall trees. i would estimate they were around 100 feet tall, and made me a bit nervous. i was mostly worried about possible downwdrafts on the downwind side of them. it was a mental challenge to keep my speed up. very very tempting to inch back a bit on the stick in an attempt to 'stretch' the glide. once clear, the airbrakes came out and i put in a full forward slip. my glider has a very very powerful slip and down i came. touched down and had plenty of room to get stopped before any hay bales. it was a short flight, only about 40 minutes, but a lot of fun. its been a while since i landed out. here's my favorite picture:
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
