SCPA & SBSA Discussion Board

With Southside's encouragement Fast Eddie I headed to Crestline to meet Bruce Barmakian, with his Swift, and his crew . Off at 12:20 took the house thermal to 10,500 drifting north west over the back. There were "ratty" clouds, with south east in them, starting to form on The San Bernardinos and San Gabriels. Headed northwest towards the southwest corner of Rosamond Dry Lake bed and Edwards airforce base. With predicts of 18-20K cloudbase on the Sierras the plan was to turn the corner and turn north to the Owens Valley. I was a little early as the flats had not turned on yet. I was unsure about transtioning to the San Gabriels with its limited landing areas and being in the "lee" so low. I was now down to 6-7K over the flats with slow climb rates. My goal was to break the site record of 166 miles and just maintaining was not helping me, Over the aqueduct I was on glide to Black Mountain I hit a boomer which took me off the deck in smooth 1200-1800' ft per minute up. I topped out at 15,300 my maximum for the day and felt that cloud base was probably another 2000' feet higher. Bruce later reported 16700'. I had oxygen but the cold was an issue. At 15.300' I had second thoughts about flying up into The Owens and its high cloudiness and lack of much development. Along the San Gabriels it was streeted to Frazier Mountain and beyond. Knowing that this would be the day the marine influence reestablished itself and the projected forecasts on the Sierras we opted to turn north which was a mistake. Flying north up Highway 14 I flew over the foothills in Rosamond and over The Silver Queen Mine with no lift. There were reports of light southwest wind in Mojave. North of Mojave I was down to the 6-7K range with the thermals drifting from various directions including northeast which left me with the possibilty of having to fly the rest of the flight in a quartering headwind. South of Jawbone Canyon I went to 12.500' and my radio went dead. Gliding to Boomer Ridge on the South end of the Sierras I was low again and thought I might have to land next to Highway 14 north of Dove Canyon Springs Rd. Shorl of Boomer Ridge I went to 9K which let me fly over the top of Boomer Ridge where I went to 13,500K. Jumped on the Sierras with no lift and headed to Olancha Peak I flushed off in the desert short of Nine Mile Canyon went on glide over the Cinder Cone 4500" agl drifted down the road and landed next to Bruce