100 miles Down Under

The forecast was for a front to push in from the northeast today. We could see the high cloud to the east early in the morning, and when we got to launch at around 11:00 there were already cumulus dotting the frontal boundary. No one was too keen to launch as it was very cross from the south, and thermal cycles were weak and far between. Everyone was still on launch by the time we had set up our hang gliders, and none of us were too excited to risk sinking out on what might turn into a good day. Eventually we ran out of delaying tactics and Helmut decided to launch. After nearly landing in the bomb-out he hooked a Hail-Mary thermal that soon had him above launch. As I went to get in my glider, paragliders started piling off launch. I waited for a clear spot in the laundry basket, launched and turned onto the south spine where I was immediately rewarded with a nice climb. Helmut had already gone on course to the north. Today we were more organized and had decided on a rough outline of a task, and had radio contact for in-air changes. I climbed out and headed after Helmut, and Peter launched soon after me. We maintained that order on course and I didn’t see either of them again all day.

Helmut radioed from Bingara saying that he was going turn around and fly back. I was a little disappointed. An out and return flight is no small feat, so making it would be a great accomplishment, but I had noticed that the nice line of clouds we had been following were drying out behind us. The chances of making it all the way back were slim. I had secretly been holding out hope for getting a 100 mile flight in Australia before the New Year. I had my first 100 miler this year, and so far I had managed to get three. To add a fourth in Australia at the end of the year would be fantastic. The problem was that Bingara is about 55 miles from launch, so if we made it back it would be a 110 mile flight. More than ten miles short of getting back and I wouldn’t make 100. On top of that, the weather for the next two days looks questionable, so if it was going to happen this year it had to be today. I briefly considered continuing on to the north, but finally decided that I would stick to the task Helmut declared and make the best of it. 100 miles soon left my thoughts as I found myself groveling on the deck at Bingara. It was quite a shock after spending most of the flight north between 8 and 10 thousand feet. I made a desperate dive for a sunny hilltop with a radio tower on it, and was rewarded with a broken weak climb that soon turned into 800fpm. I took it to within a few hundred feet of cloudbase then went on a long fast glide, climbing under the cloudstreet the whole way. Now I had a clear view of what was ahead. The streets headed to the southeast, and indeed seemed to be drying to the south. I would have to work my way across one or two streets to get home, and I would be in deteriorating conditions late in the day. Sure enough, by the time I got to Baraba I was out of clouds and it was another 25 miles home. Fortunately I had just topped out at over 10000 feet, so I had some room to maneuver, but my experience so far today was that the sink was brutal. Things were not looking good. As expected, as soon as I left the clouds I started getting drilled. I made the best of it, then diverted to a thin wisp of cloud I saw to the west. I was rewarded with a weak but usable climb. Just as that was petering out I saw another wisp to the south. I managed to hobble along between weak climbs until I got within sight of Split Rock dam. I still had 15 miles to go. Now I was low and looking for ground triggers. The wind was from the southwest, and there was a low west facing ridge along the highway. I headed for that, and was rewarded with some buoyant air that extended my glide. Now I was 10 miles from home. I had the hundred, but now I wanted goal. My flight computer said I needed another 2000 feet to make it, but with the headwind I was facing, the 100 foot per minute climbs I was finding were losing me ground faster than I was climbing. Finally, 7 miles out I got a 400 foot per minute climb that my flight computer told me would get me to goal with 1400 feet. That’s not a lot of margin from 7 miles out, but it was all I had, so I went on final glide. As it turned out the last 7 miles were very buoyant, and I arrived with 1500 feet, even though I had poured on the speed for the “dive into goal”.

Just as I reached the field, Peter called on the radio to say he had landed 11 miles from goal. A short time later Helmut landed in the same field with Peter.

It was sure nice to get that 100 miles, but it was even nicer to make goal and land next to my van. The final statistic was 112.5 miles and 5 hours and 34 minutes in the air.

See the flight in the HOLC here

Download the Google Earth file of the flight here