Heckman 06/13/07 Whitwell

Tennessee Tree Toppers

Cloud base at Lookout on Tuesday is 7000 above launch so I decided to
go XC the next day. Some at Lookout are going to Pigeon but the
forecast is NE and I don't like Pigeon if its NE. Ollie works up a
forecast for me and it looks like Henson's is the place to be. No one
at Lookout wants to go with me except for Eric Donaldson but Wayne
Walker commits to drive for us. Ollie has got me excited with his
forecast and I wake up at 4:30 am very alert so I go to work. When
the owner sees my glider on top of my truck he knows I want to leave
early and mentions that our client really wants the plans I was
working on Tuesday today. I lucked out because I got to work at 5 am
and was finished with it.

Eric and Wayne meet me at work at noon and we are half way to
Henson's when Ollie calls and states we better go to Whitwell. So we
turn around and head to Whitwell and arrive at launch around 1 pm. We
don't have radios so I tell Wayne that we should end up between
Huntsville and Nashville. Ollie predicts cloud base to be around 9000
MSL so I dress for 50º. The clouds have just started to form and the
sky looks great with east cycles coming in so I take off at 1:30. I
want to wait for Eric but I see he doesn't even have his battens in
yet.

I'm too excited to wait so I don't study the conditions that much but
just glance out and see lots of clouds along the ridge and turn right
downwind. Losing 400 feet I glide out to the valley and hit a 300 fpm
and get to 2000 over launch. The plan is to go over the back and I
can see the fields but its ENE drift and the fields are at 280º so I
head SW along the ridge. The next thermal gets me to 4000 over and I
give up on going over the back for now and head to Jasper. Either I
forgot how to thermal or the thermals are broken up because it's a
struggle to stay up and I get to Jasper at 1500 above the ridge.

Since the clouds along the ridge don't look that great, I head out to
the valley over some large brown fields beneath a cloud but can't
find any lift so I try the interstate and get down close to ridge
level. I gain 1500 in a very light thermal that I just can't track
but it gets me high enough to make the fields near South Pittsburg so
I head off for the next cloud. The sky looks fantastic but my track
so far is not that great. I can't get high and it's a struggle to
stay in the air. It's been 2 hours and I'm 17 miles out.

Near Bridgeport I decide to go with the wind, its east now, and I
leave the face of the foothills and head to a path through the
foothills. I'm not sure this is a good plan but since the face of the
foothills isn't working that great I'm up for something different.
Its another 20 miles SW to Scottsboro along the valley then you can
turn east with the wind and I've been that way so I guess I'll try
something different. This area has 1000 foot hills with valleys in
between. Most of the valleys are wide but some are just slots. Not a
route to go with ground wind but its looks less than 5 on the ground
today.

Not getting high but about 1000 feet over the hills so I glide from
valley to valley trying to work the east faces and just getting high
enough to make the next valley. I'm now 3 hours in the air and 29
miles out and I don't like this area anymore. The valleys are getting
smaller and the hills are covering more area. I can see the NW end of
the foothills but that is cross wind and I can't get high enough to
make it and there are no fields along the way.

So I give up on my route and head into the wind along the valley. I
don't have any clouds but I have some big fields. Funny but 10
seconds after I give up I finally hit the 1st good thermal of the day
and get to cloud base for the 1st time at 32 miles out at 8700 MSL.
Nice to be in the cool air since I dressed for it. For the 1st time,
I now believe Ollie's forecast!

Now I can go back on path and head out through the hills but get down
to 2000 over the hills. I can see the end of this area on my path but
it's about 7 miles to the next field. I get too 3000 feet over the
hills and start to glide but soon turn away with fear. Hitting some
light lift I gain 500 feet and just go for it. I just can't wait to
get through this area, and with no big sink I know I can make it.
Yes!!!!!!!!! some light lift and I gain 300 feet and now have the
fields made for sure! Gliding out over the end of the foothills it's
so very nice to have open farmlands everywhere!!!!!!!!! This area was
around 30 miles across on my west direction.

Passing over the last hill with 900 feet to spare I head for some
mist and get to 3800 MSL and turn cross wind for a hugh cloud street.
This is a mistake because the street is breaking up and the ground is
all in shadow. So I head back for the sun and make it to some mist
starting to form and arrive at 2000 feet AGL. I look up and the mist
if gone but I get a very light thermal and know that this is my
chance to stay up. It's been 4 hours and 50 miles and I've only hit
one great thermal and been to cloud base once.

I'm determine to work this thermal and my 20 second averager stays
around 50 fpm. The higher I get the smaller the core gets and the
harder it is to track. Now this thing has turned into a super small
core but is getting stronger and broken up. This is fun though
because I just bank high and turn slow and just throw the glider into
the core. It's super small! Finally after about a 500 foot gain it
turns on and its 800 fpm to cloud base at 9500 MSL. All that work has
paid off because now there are cloud streets on my path as far as I
can see. I'm now 50 miles out and 4.5 hours in the air.

Now it's easy, I stay high and finally get to glide some. I'm running
due west along the TN-AL border and pass Huntsville which is to the
south. Sky is turning blue so I work all the lift I can find staying
about 2000 feet below cloud base. I head for the last cloud but no
lift beneath it so I glide in the smooth air and land pass I-65 just
2 miles into TN. The ground wind was north at 4 mph which I didn't
expect and I landed crosswind. I need to flare but I have to wait
late to get across a ditch. Thought I was in trouble as my base tube
hits the ground but the glider just stops with me on my feet. So glad
my glider stalls at 15 mph!!!!!

I give my coordinates to Ollie and Wayne arrives with Eric 45 minutes
after I land. Not bad considering no radios! Wayne just looked at the
cloud drift direction and the time elapsed and figured it out.
Amazing!

What a flight! 87 miles and 6 hours. This flight was a workout! But I
feel great today and I'm ready for more. Looks like Saturday is the
next great day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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