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hailman
Trad climber
Ventura, CA
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 10, 2018 - 01:15pm PT
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I was just wondering how someone might get involved in flying one of these gliders around the mountains?
On July 2 I was bumming around the summit of Mt Keith when a pilot flew right past me! Can only imagine the experience of soaring over all the high peaks. Wonder if they're flying for recreation? science? world peace?
Few pics:
The next day I was working around some thunderheads on the ridge to CalTech Peak when another pilot flew by! Bold moves skirting the storm!
anyway...the folks posting here seem to be fairly knowledgeable regarding a wide variety of topics...so maybe someone will be able to chime in with any background info :)
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Jul 10, 2018 - 01:46pm PT
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Save yer food stamps and go to Minden, NV for a ride in a two place*. A little spendy but beats Disneyland. Alternative is to join a soaring club to learn the ropes while you save up for a nice used Nimbus. Nice ones can be had for $100K. Not a real nice one, mind you, but pretty nice.
*In winter, duh. FYI, the wave doesn’t form in the summer very often.
ps
It will take you years to get up to speed to fly the wave unless you win the lottery. That said, if you study hard, and I do mean study, you can get quite proficient within 3-6 months. BTW, you can’t rent sailplanes capable of wave soaring - you gotta buy yer way into that exclusive club. You can rent decent sailplanes that you can cross country in. Dunno about where you are but yer best bet would be the Southern California Soaring Academy. They fly out of Crystalaire Airport near Pearblossum (Palmdale).
http://www.soaringacademy.org/
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snakefoot
climber
Nor Cal
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Jul 10, 2018 - 02:23pm PT
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damn gliders, the nerve of them.
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
Nothing creative to say
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Jul 10, 2018 - 03:57pm PT
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ask Boku
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hailman
Trad climber
Ventura, CA
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Topic Author's Reply - Jul 11, 2018 - 10:14am PT
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Thanks all for responses. Got some good leads on my Google searching now.
I got a kick out of the Sierra Wave Project ... they actually took pictures of the instrument panels to record flight data ... awesome haha. Far cry from today's electronic data acquisition software/hardware.
Sounds like some advanced knowledge of atmospheric markers is required to fly safely but I do love learning about that stuff. Going on the long term goals I suppose. Would be sweet to take a ride at Minden or with the SoCal Soarers.
This guy has written a good overview of gliding history:
http://www.nateferguson.com/glider.html
New appreciation for the Sierra Wave too!!!!
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EdBannister
Mountain climber
13,000 feet
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Jul 11, 2018 - 10:56am PT
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I've been buzzed at top of Tahquitz, White Mountain, and on the trail to Telescope Peak, all apparently are way points to tick off .. wwhhoooossssshhhhhh
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MikeL
Social climber
Southern Arizona
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Jul 11, 2018 - 11:27am PT
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Hi, Hailman,
Soar Truckee
13184 Sailplane Way, Truckee, CA 96161
At the same location, there is a beautiful little campground called Martis Creek Campground that's open 1/2 - 3/4 of the year. You can't reserve a campsite. First come first served. People who downhill at Northstar during the summers will try to catch a campsite there. There is also Martis Creek Lake right there in walking or bike riding distance (within view), and that can be a great place to cool down during the summer.
At Soar Truckee, people keep their sail planes, and you can go up in a two seater for $150. Make sure you pee before you go up. It was worth the expense for us.
There are some very elegant (and expensive) sailplanes there. We talked to a number of the pilots, and some of them do 200-400 mile loops from the airstrip.
Cheers,
.
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tooth
Trad climber
B.C.
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Jul 11, 2018 - 03:15pm PT
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My dad has a Stemme S10. Will be flying up here tomorrow for the weekend. Can do Vancouver to Cagary over the CDN rockies really quick, and on just a few dollars of regular gas.
Getting towed up can be a pain, so can using a sailplane to actually travel anywhere. Sitting side by side is really convenient too - he flies down to competitions all down the west coast of the USA too. I’ll probably take it up on the weekend since we are getting some beautiful cumulus highways forming up here this week.
140knots. 30,000’ ceiling. 50:1 ratio. On board oxygen. Storage for a tent and backpck.
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Sula
Trad climber
Pennsylvania
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Jul 11, 2018 - 04:46pm PT
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hailman asked:
Wonder if they're flying for recreation? science? world peace? Pretty much the first of these. Mountains of CA, NV and indeed all over the western US produce excellent conditions this time of year.
The goal of most pilots is to make the longest flight that weather conditions will allow - altitude and time aloft are viewed only as means to the primary goal.
To get an idea of what's possible for an elite pilot flying state-of-the-art aircraft, check out what a former climber turned glider expert has been up to: Recent flights by Keith Essex
(Highlights: 10 flights over 1000km within the past month.)
The link goes to a German website known as the Online Contest (OLC) - pilots from all around the world can post their flights, and see what others are up to.
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Sula
Trad climber
Pennsylvania
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Jul 11, 2018 - 05:26pm PT
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zBrown posted:
mo cheepah Yeah, maybe, sorta.
Hang gliders are cheaper to buy, but have a much shorter life (and, obviously, lower performance) than sailplanes. So the cost per hour may not be lower.
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Jon Beck
Trad climber
Oceanside
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Jul 11, 2018 - 05:30pm PT
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That is really cool tooth. My father moved to Canada from England after the war. He flew gliders and tow planes in Montreal until he started a family. They towed with a war surplus Tiger Moth. He got out of it but he had friends that took it to the next level. My father built a Stearman in the 1970s and started building a Woodstock glider from scratch but had to stop when my mother got sick. I have my single engine ticket but alsways wanted to learn soaring (sounds better than gliding :)
[Click to View YouTube Video]
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zBrown
Ice climber
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Jul 11, 2018 - 07:11pm PT
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Whaal if "yer gonna die" proves out, you may be better off in the long/short run?
Hang gliders are cheaper to buy, but have a much shorter life (and, obviously, lower performance) than sailplanes. So the cost per hour may not be lower.
Is one more fun than the other?
See vid above
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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Jul 12, 2018 - 08:19am PT
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Try Bishop great place to fly. I use to fly hang gliders and sailplanes out of there for several years. The Owens Valley is one of the longest deepest valleys in the world. Great place to see what soaring is all a]bout.
[photoid=533843
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Loyd
Big Wall climber
Roseburg, OR
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Jul 12, 2018 - 08:25am PT
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Let's try again to post photo
[photoid=533843
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zBrown
Ice climber
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Jul 12, 2018 - 08:47am PT
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It needs a left and right bracket
[]
Let's try again to post photo
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MikeL
Social climber
Southern Arizona
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Jul 16, 2018 - 07:47am PT
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Beautiful aircraft, Hooblie. I’m green with envy.
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