Slow Motion

[wblamb]

Sunday was another beautiful day at More Mesa. Parma Chris and Jerry got there before noon and had some nice flights. I made a run down to the east turn point past the cabanas, noticed that the wind was backing down so I landed on the beach for a nice walk back to launch. Later we were all getting quite high so I tried a run to Wilcox, but I ran out of wind short of the blue house (about three quarters of the distance from MM to W). Another nice walk with still enough beach to avoid getting wet.

When I got back to launch Dilly was packing up and Paul was flying, everyone else had left. It was about 4:15 and wind was about 270 at 14 knots. I figured a run to Wilcox would now be easy. Before committing, I benched up at trees by the stairs and again by the trees just after the gap. I am light on my glider so I tested the wind at each bump up for penetration into the west. The best lift was out over the water and I stayed very high all the way east. At the large ridge behind the blue house I came in very high, well above the palm trees. Turning to test my penetration again I was getting 3 to 4 mph at trim. It was high tide and there were only spots of beach in a few places.

Continuing to Wilcox I found Dave in entertainment mode doing stunts on his hang glider. He interrupted his routine and gave me lots of room. I came in just below top of the cliff and was up well over the trees in an instant. Surprised by getting yanked up above the trees I crabbed into the wind to check penetration again but it seemed fine so I went down to launch. Passing the launch/landing area I saw a parked hang glider. Good to know there’s a pilot in the LZ.

My normal top landing is to fly east of launch, burn off alt and land. As I began my turn, by the trees just to the east of launch, I felt the wind increase. When I came around facing west I was going backwards and climbing. I immediately thought of Andy getting yanked up to 1500 ft. by a convergence in this same spot! There was no beach until Hendry’s, so top landing seemed like the best option.

Quarter and half speed bar had no effect, so I got both feet in the second rung and locked it on full bar. At first I was still going up and back, but within a few seconds the glider settled into excruciatingly slow progress west. My landing window was about 300 feet to the west, but it took at least 15 minutes. When I was in position I was way high so I pulled ears and got to launch level. I made one pass at top landing, but it didn’t feel safe. I had to stay on 100% bar and the wind was so west that the entire top landing area was in the wind shadow of the trees. Varying degrees of rotor were everywhere. When I got over the deck I was gusted way too high to land. Flying into the west it seemed as if everything was happening in slow motion, but trying to top land instantly changed that perception. Soon I found myself in slow motion again, flying out over the ocean. Apparently I had decided to land on the beach.

Back over the ocean I settle in for the long time, short distance ride to the nearest dry landing area which was just east of the main beach. By the time I got in position to begin the leg to the beach I was several hundred over the trees and 1000 feet out over the ocean. I had my hook knife. I thought to myself, if the wind gets stronger I might be able to keep my glider dry by landing in the surf by the cliff wall and then just kiting to the sand!

I kept looking at the cliff edge to see if I was actually moving forward, most of the time it was hard to tell. When I could see that I was actually making progress I began to enjoy the flight again. I love using speed bar, but I have never had full bar on for more than a couple of minutes. I took the opportunity to play with seat steering and modulating bar pressure. I quickly learned that any variation in direction cost me forward progress.

I came off bar a few times when the wind gusted; each time I paid a penalty of 50 or 100 ft. When I got about half way to the beach, seemed like it took forever, I noticed many people on the beach were watching my progress. Seems I stole Dave’s audience!

So, about a light year later I reached the Brown Pelican, still high and well offshore. Putting on big-big ears I dropped and drifted back to the east end of the beach, then I came off ears and bar and with a few small wing-overs put down on the sand. Everyone clapped. A few spectators said they thought I was going to land in the water! A visiting pilot told me it took 33 minutes from the time I left the upper launch to get to the beach. Seemed like longer.