[pjwings]

May 26, 2012
Henson’s Gap

The TTT Mayhem was on. It's a fly in held every year over Memorial Day. I went out with a great forecast and high hopes of having some fun... maybe even going XC. It would have been a great day for it, but I sunk out the first time. There were lots of excellent pilots out to fly and most of them launched, started climbing, and headed south hoping to tag points along the valley. I launched, hit dookie, made it to the knoll by the LZ where I found some scattered little bubbles. Ollie came in above me and proceeded to climb out while I landed. Landing was good.

I quickly broke down and headed up top again. Relaunched at about 4:15. Turned right and got some bubbles in the little bowl there. It was small and sketchy and when Houston launched and came right at me I had to shift over which put me into the sink and I was out. Nothing all the way down so I’m setting up my approach over the LZ when I feel a bubble. I work zero for a while and slowly... achingly claw my way up and out. GPS shows I was at about 300’ at the lowest. That thermal took me up to over 5000’. I shared the thermal with Dustin B., Barry K., and Chris Smith. It was pretty awesome flying with a gaggle... and I was shown better lift on more than one occasion. Eventually I left that one and went to link up with Scott S. closer to the ridge. His lift wasn’t producing much so after a few turns wingtip to wingtip with Scott I bailed on that and headed North.

Rounding the curve heading into the gap I got into a nice one. I rode it higher and higher with no perceptible drift. Somewhere around 6000’ I saw the beginning of a little cloud... I was riding this newborn thermal right up to its debut at cloud base! It was freaking cool! I stayed with that puppy even though it got very light up high until I started getting into the wispy’s. Before whiting out I left it heading out across the valley for some nice looking clouds over Dunlap. Before leaving I topped out at about 7100’. Before going far I saw a glider climbing into cloudbase to the south along the ridge and I decided to try for that instead. I went over there but found nothing. I worked little bubbles all up and down the ridge but nothing was really going up. I got into a nice little thing right over launch that held me steady at about 800’ over for 10 minutes or so. Long enough to watch 2 launches.

Eventually I headed out to the LZ. I caught a thermal in almost the same spot as my first one... albeit much higher above the ground this time. I stayed with that one for another 15 minutes gaining a few hundred feet in it. Finally it petered out and I decided to have some fun with wing-overs. I threw down a few getting past vertical for the first time ever. Quite cool! I flew over to the overlook on 111, threw a wing over again, then headed back to the LZ. Set up a nice approach with the wind coming out of the East... unusual for Henson’s but nice. Unfortunately I delayed on the flare too long and ended up letting the glider get ahead of me. I ran 3 steps and skidded the rest on my knees. It wasn’t terrible, but not pretty. Thankful for manicured grass LZs am I.

On this same day many pilots had great flights. Kathy and Steve flew to Dales and back. Stinnett went to Whitwell, then Lookout, then tried to make it back to Henson’s but landed well down the valley. Eric D. Made it to Lookout and landed there. I don’t even know where Ollie ended up, but he went somewhere. Dustin flew down to Marion and back. Many others sledded. That low save was awesome. Flying up to meet a cloud at it’s birth was awesome. Flying higher than the clouds was awesome. Man, that was an awesome flight!

P.S.
The second photo is too large to include inline, but it's worth a look... taken from the highest point of my flight looking North up the Sequatchee valley.

[gluesniffer]

Great write up PJ! I'll take a low save to skying out over a easy climb from launch anyday. Those are the most rewarding flights, where you have to work for it.

[Mavi Gogun]

Bitchen! Thanks for sharing the day.

[tom emery]

Sitting here at the LZ at Crestline waiting for the ride to the top reading that great post. Doesn't get much better.

[jj colorado]

Yeah, but did you have any fun?

[hckilgore1]

pjwings, next time we fly together ill be in my sport 2..perhaps i wont sink out as fast...it was a great day though!

[pjwings]

Thanks everyone. 'Fun' doesn't even begin to describe it. There's no doubt that this will be a flight I'll recollect for a good long time.

Now, back to work

[Bobfly]

Glad you got a great flight in, PJ. Expect to see you on the cover of the magazine.

[Fletcher]

PJ
Flights like that one are why we tollerate all those less rewarding times.
Hopefully you will have many more such flights in your lifetime.
I've had more than I can remember offhand so it's fun to review my logbooks after several years.
Hint - log your flights because you don't have to read them if they're logged but you can't read them if they're not.
Fly High Be Free
Fletcher

[lostgriz]

Very Cool! Thanks for sharing.

[HangDog]

PJ those are awesome photos bro! very nice indeed. Glad you had a great time.