First Owens Report

[Randall]

I'm sure there will be others to follow, but here's mine. Got a call from Andy on Friday night that he was heading out to the Owens, and I decided on the spur of the moment to go for it. After a lovely evening in the Mojave Motel 6, I proceeded Sat AM to Lone Pine, where I met up with Andy, Bob P, Dean and Dean's cousin Wes, who also flies. Eddie was driving for us, and several other pg'ers were in town from points as far afield as San Diego and Malaysia.

Walt's on Saturday was packed with more HGs than I've ever seen in one place. Conditions were looking good on paper. We let them launch first to clear some room for us, then proceeded to punch off one after the other. Everyone seemed to be getting up and heading downrange. I launched last (as usual), and conditions were getting way stronger on launch. My second attempt saw me jerked off the ground to about six feet and then dumped on my side and right wrist as the wing surged into the ground. But I got off successfully on the next attempt and immediately started climbing to 11k over launch.

The day was classic late fall, early spring Owens: booming lift, high altitudes (to 16.5k for some), fairly strong winds and never a dull moment. But the scenery was epic as always, and it was amazing looking down at the little lakes, the snow patches, the granite spires and soaring rock faces as I made my way uprange. I stayed mainly on the front points, and averaged between 10 and 12k feet.

I finally flushed at Lone Pine, and had my only real nervous moments there, as I had to go full speed bar for 10 minutes to penetrate out against the strong SE wind and escape the foothills. But I did make it out, and then, when I had picked out a nice green field to land in, couldn't get down. The lift was everywhere, and a 15 mph wind was carrying me along, farther and farther up the valley. I probably could have worked it for another 5 or 10 miles, but my wrist was hurting and I was ready for terra firma. I landed at about the 50 mile mark, just north of Big Pine, doubling my previous personal best.

Dean took the day (I believe) among all the pilots (hg as well as pg) with a distance of 98 miles, and Andy had a great flight (and personal best) of 75
miles. But I'll let them tell their own tales.

Sunday on launch was much windier, with a West component showing up at altitude, and the hangs who launched were not doing too well or having much fun. So the pg's all pulled the plug, content to rest on Saturday's laurels.

[andy]

Memorial day weekend saw many pilots from all over Cal/Nev. There were a majority of HG with a good showing from SB, Hammer, Diablo, Bob A., DD, Aaron L.,and Dean Bob P., Randall, and me with Deans cousin Wes, and Roger M. and his buds fron San Diego, and local boy Steve Prarie were bag contingent, and a good showing of sailplane pilots that we had breakfast with both days.

I missed Fri. but heard it was good. Sat. started with the drive up from BF and there was not a lick of wind the whole way so I was getting stoked as I pulled into town. We were all getting excited looking at Dr jacks, and winds aloft showing an epic setup.
At launch there was the usual tension/anxiety which was lessened to some degree by watching all the HGs launch and climb out. Dean and Steve found a place in the line to get off about 11:30. I watched as Dean got flushed off the shoulder and Eddie tool off to retrieve him just as I launched. I climbed straight off launch to 11.8 and was off on course. Just as I crossed the first ridge I saw Mr. Perseverance working someting below the first connect point and by god if he didnt join me in the climb and we were off. We made the first fifty miles in record time. This was a geat section, Dean and I were flying fast and working together at times and at times I would look over and see him climbing out of a circe up near the ridge or once he was right behind me climbing together with a sailplane, that was cool. We were geting as high as 14.5 but most of the time I was leaving around 12.7 or so because it was more turby above 13. At onion I left a little low and had a hard time reconnecting so I was working the front points and just going with the wind when I hit the full toilet bowl just above the lava flow by Big Pine and so I left the terrain and went out to the valley with 7.5 or so thinking it might be over. Meanwhile Dean was crossing the valley towards big ears about 6 grand over my head. I kept getting little tinges of something on my left wingtip so I turned downwind paralleling the ridge and hit a nice thermal that got me back in the game. Dean had lost radio contact at this point, and Steve had caught up to me but higher on the ridge and he kept calling on the radio for dean until I pleaded for him to stop. Where was Dean I kept thinking while keeping on my line direct to Bishop marchinng down the valley getting climbs to 9 grand or so, when to my suprise I finally punched through the inversion just south of Bishop an got up to 11.5, I was looking down at Bishop and saw a PG scratching over the golf course at what looked like 2 or 3 hundred and the I saw a glint of white on the wing and I say to myself Dean? Then I call out my position and inntention of heading up the 6 north of Bishop, no reply from Dean so I'm thinking he is on the ground. But there was a huge convergence setting up over the glass mnts. due north of Bishop and cumis building at 16k over the whites, so I'm thinking if I can get close to the mountains I have 100 miles made. I head north on my same line and keep getting good climbs to 11.5 and so I go until I gett close to the road up to Paiute. I am feeling some draw that directionn so I head for the whites leaving the line that had been so good to me. It all seems great until I get over the pumphouse at the bottom of the grade then it is down elevator so I retreat back to Chalfont and end up dirting at 75 miles next to the road Eddie was there shortly and I throw in, and we start back to Bishop making radio calls for Dean and finally hear him reporting 16k over round valley and I'm thinking WTF. So off we go chasing Dean down. We watch him climb into a cloud around 16k over the Mammoth airport the head NW. Were following on a dirt road north of the airport trying to spot him and then we finaly see him about 500 over coming back toward the road from the base of the glass mnts. he gets to us and his parked in a stiff west wind coming down no going back up another 500 feet then down then up again then finally landing. Just short of the 100 mile mark.
While we debreifed on the ride home the conclusion that we came to was that we should have both turned toward the convergence, me to the NW and him to the NE and we would have been drawn into that huge convergence and we could have flown to almost dark when it ultimately started disappating.
The Bags had a good day, but one hg flew 135, we had 3 in the top five though. Go bags.
Today started with a few bad signs, wind on the deck early, then stronger wind on the drive up, then Diablo saying it looked like a marginal day. Then as we were mustering up to go, some clouds forming over the ridge were getting shattered from the west. The plug was pulled. But we did get to see a couple of sailplanes circling over launch together, and the hgs did not seem to be doing that great so the ride home wasn't that hard to take.

[DBLD]

Yes, Saturday was good! I launched late, just before Randall, after spending the morning taking a tour of beautiful downtown Trona and breakfast in Ridgecrest.

The flight was very pleasant with abundant lift in the Sierra's, getting to 15k at one point between Whitney and Onion. Moved out to the front points at Big Pine and yo-yo'd between 8 and 10k till I got to Keough Hot Springs and started to move back into the higher points. took a line from there to Round Valley and when I couldn't get higher than 11k turned back towards Bishop. Landed across from a recreation field North of Bishop. Found out the next day that Dean was at Round Valley at the same time that I turned around. If I had known that I would have made the effort to press on with him. Congrats to Deano for a great flight. It's not easy to get around that corner at Wheeler Ridge.

Sunday was another good day and I made an easy flight of it by staying a little lower out of the West. Came out at Onion Valley and dribbled North up the Owens to the Swimming hole North of the Rest stop on Taboose Creek Rd. The water was very pleasant and it will certainly go on my list of prefered lz's.

Monday I did my traditional flight South no matter what the wind in the Valley is doing (as for the Sierra's it's almost always got some sort of West component). I was lucky that it was light out of the North to begin with, but that soon changed and I was doing the same old sawtooth pattern of drifting back with the thermal to gain altitude and gliding into the wind and sink. Toward the end of my flight I was able to dolphin fly along the top of the ridge without losing any altitude getting a great view of Kennedy Meadows before heading out into the valley and turning back North to land at Coso Junction where my sweet Smiley was waiting in the shade for me. Only about 30 miles, but some of the most satisfying mileage of the weekend.

As far as mileage goes I'm not sure what I made on Satuday, but I think it was about 70; Sunday was 40; and ......well I got trounced by the bags so it doesn't really make any difference. I'm a pilot of convenience and just fly for the fun of it. AND, BOY WAS IT EVER A FUN WEEKEND! Thanks to Janet (Smiley) the best driver ever, Hammer and Kathy for inviting us to a VERY nice campground (Oak Creek), Bob Anderson for being such good company, and all the other pilots that were there, just for being there and flying

DD

[Dean S]

Another great weekend in the Owens! A lot happened this last weekend so there’s plenty to talk about. Hang in there; this is going to be a long one…

This was the best weather I’ve seen in the Sierras for this time of year since I started flying. Bob P., Wes and I arrived on Friday and got to Walts launch around 10:15, just in time to see Tony launch. Launch was packed with HG’s and there was barely enough room to unpack your gear let alone lay out a glider. By 11:30 enough of the HG’s that were stacked in front had launched and gave us enough room to launch. As usual there was a little turb heading down range and the best lift band seemed to be between 11-13k. Anything over that was a bit spanky with a little slower progress. Hopeful, I started the crossing to the Whites from Birch Mountain at 14k and aimed for Flynn’s. The glide was good until I started to cross the 395 where I found myself on the backside of something nasty and dropped out of the sky at about 1400 fpm, putting me on the deck at Keough Hot Springs five minutes later around 2:30…damn! Kicking cow pies on the ground was helping to ease my frustration a bit until I kicked a semi-fresh one…OOPS! Keough Hot Springs is right at the 57 mile mark and I’d be happy with that most anywhere else, however, it’s the Owens and I felt I left quite a bit of mileage on the table today.

Feeling a little short changed I knew I needed an attitude adjustment which means it’s ice cream time, so I quickly stuck out my thumb on highway 395. I couldn’t believe it; it took me an hour and a half to finally hook a ride. Now bear in mind, highway 395 is fairly busy and there must’ve been at least a couple hundred cars that passed me before someone finally took pity on me. I even tried the patented Tom Pipkin “begging pose”. This is where you clasp your hands together, look as pathetic as possible and beg for a ride. I tried it but my ego didn’t allow me to hold that pose very long. Tom swears it works. The next morning I was standing in front of the register at the Whitney Portal Café waiting for a table when I looked down and realized other forces might’ve been at work regarding my long hitch hike. For those of you that don’t know, Whitney Café also rents DVD’s. So what current video do you think was front and center within the glass case at the hostess stand for everyone to see...”THE HITCHER”. It’s the remake of the classic 86’Rutger Hauer horror flick that made every driver think twice before opening their door to a stranger. FYI: probably not a good time to be a hopeful hitch hiker. I’m thinking of changing the sign that I carry with me that says, “Paraglider Pilot Needs Ride” to “Not Psycho, No Weapons, I’m A Buddhist”, it might work…

On Saturday the conditions looked good, maybe even better than Friday. Tony put the bug in my ear early that the sailplane pilots had passed down some info to him about the winds aloft staying SE most of the day. So the talk on launch was to make a run up to Mammoth. I’d never run that route before but it sounded interesting. Once again launch was packed, even more than Friday. The great flying on Friday had everyone licking their chops and the HG’s started punching off at 10:30. Most of us PG’s waited for better cycles and we took to the air close to noon. I bombed off launch and had to turn the corner down low. Usually when you turn the corner that low you find yourself in the bomb out LZ very quickly. Fortunately the draw was working well enough to eventually get me back in he game just behind Andy and Steve. We eventually joined up near Whitney and we bounced down range between 11-13k. There was plenty of strong lift, 600-1600 fpm, and each point was firing on schedule. As usual the West wind component was lurking but not enough to affect our glides too much. Down low in the mountains, below 10k, was a whole different story as I watched Palmer getting worked on the couple occasions he found himself in that zone. I took a higher line (12-14k) that was working out well and I made good time to Tinemaha Peak. Andy had got stuck down low so I decided to top off at Tinemaha and cross to the Whites alone. I had just started my climb when a sailplane joined me not more than 100-150 feet below. I could see his face as clear as day and we took the ride to 14,500’ together. I was surprised to see how tight he was able to core the thermal. It didn’t seem that his turns were much wider than a regular HG. We topped off and the sailplane took a NE line aiming for the Whites, so I decided to follow and see what happened.

Well, what happened was the sailplane connected over Big Ears before I was even close to crossing the 395 and was out of sight before I knew it. I thought to myself, “What…no kiss”! I got low half way across the valley near Klondike Lake but lucked into some light lift at 5500’ that boosted me to 9k. The wind was obviously out of the SE so I changed gears and direction and went with the drift tracking towards the Southern end of Bishop. I made it to the Southern end of Bishop but by the time I arrived I was so low I swear I could see loose change on the sidewalk. About this time I heard Andy radio that he was 11k over Bishop and headed down highway 6. Steve was ahead of me tracking SE to Mill Pond in the Round Valley and we were both working the little bubbles of lift up 395. Steve landed off the 395 at the 72 mile mark and I kept working it all the way up into the pass that drops down into Lake Crowley. A convergence line had formed from the Northern tip of Wheeler Ridge heading NNE up the Glass Mountains and I was being drawn into it just over Tom’s Place. On the other side of the convergence there seemed to be a pretty strong NW wind which was dashing my hopes of getting much further. I had considered running the convergence NE but I couldn’t see any access roads to the area beyond from my vantage point. It looked like tiger country to me. I discussed the option with Eddy on the radio and he wasn’t familiar with the area. So I decided to roll the dice and tank up as high as possible and push NNW. It was the best direction to maximize mileage but I also expected a headwind.

I dropped back to the peak at the Northern tip of Wheeler Ridge, got boosted up to 16,500’ and headed NNW. At that height I found a surprising 6-7 mph tailwind which instantly put a smile on my face. A 100+ mile flight today was starting to look feasible. Lake Crowley was showing plenty of ripples on the lake indicating NW winds so I knew it was just a matter of time before I dropped through a gradient that would show me the headwind I experienced over Tom’s Place. I was just hoping it would happen after the odometer passed 100. A couple miles out I could see something forming over Mammoth airport and detoured a bit hoping to connect. Eventually I found it and worked it painfully slow to 15’500’. Again I headed NNW and took aim for Mono Lake. 94 miles – 14k…looking good, 96 miles – 13k, still looking good, 97 miles – 12k, it’s going to happen About a half mile out from the West end of the Glass Mountains I dropped below 11k and BAM - there it was…the headwind. At 98 miles my groundspeed was close to 10 mph so I buried the speed bar. At 98.5 miles, 1000’ over the Glass Mountains and on ¾ speed bar my groundspeed was showing 1-3 mph and now my glider is doing the rotor dance. Now the question is; which direction is that 1-3 mph indicating, forward or backward? GAME OVER, I had no choice but to turn tail and retreat to a road a couple miles back. Eddy and Andy scooped me up and we headed back to Whiskey Creek to fuel the bellies. Not the 100+ miler I was hoping for but it was one hell of an experience.

Sunday looked to be about the same as Saturday but with more wind out of the South. Launch was packed again and pilots punched off about the same time, however, the day just didn’t have the right feel to it. Diablo and Hammer broke down their gliders and called it a day. Soon after that cumis started forming over the sierras that showed rippin’ West winds aloft. That was enough for us bags, we packed up too. I heard some positive and negative flight reports from the pilots that flew on Sunday. Nothing, however, that made any of us PG’s regret our decision not to fly. The Owens Valley doesn’t give you second chances, it’s better to error on the conservative side when you’re not sure.

I took shots on all three days. Most of the shots are from Saturday and I’ve included several captions under the photo titles that describe what you’re looking at and my relative position. In order to see the captions you’ll have to view the photos individually instead of using the slideshow option.

Photos: http://www.pbase.com/fllspdahd/owens_memorial_07

[BobA]

Wow - killer pics ! The views to the South from the Mammoth airport area are particularly awesome. The Big Air flying season is off to a great start !

[JimmyZ]

As with the previous posts... good times in the Owens. My first time flying in the Owens and what a treat! Launched friday after a brief mishap with my water bladder draining completely inside my harness, but found the issue and launched, wet and happy.

Started with a pretty strong one over the house thermal and reached the top of the ridge. Floated along with it until I decided to head down range with a nice tailwind. Charged across to the next peak and WHAM, strongest "expected" lift I've ever encountered. What a rush to take an elevator ride up at 1300 fpm. Topped out at 13.5 and made my way towards Mt. Whitney enjoying the incredible sights. I was one of the last few pilots to launch due to the water issue, so I was taking my time trying to find my way down the range as others had already left, or pilots were satisfied with boating around launch.

Plenty of thermals to be had and a decent tail wind made going downrange fun. Enjoyed looking at Mt. Whitney, crossing wide valleys, whooping it up at the tiny specs of hikers (of which I'm sure they didn't hear me), and having an amazing flight.

I came out of the mountains near Aberdeen to see how the valley was cookin' as it was at the end of the prime time of heating by this time. Over Aberdeen the air was extremely boyant and I decided to head up the 395 and see what happens on my straight glide. Good glide was to be had and contemplated heading over to the Whites, but didn't see too many roads over there in case I had to land. AFter a nice glide, I decided to land just south of Big Pine in a grassy field across the street from a plethora of elk.

Personal bests:
Distance - 42.5 miles
Height - 13,987 ft
Thermal blast - 1312 fpm (a bit scary at first)