Pat and Pete headed to the Pulpit on a
sketchy forecast of clear skies, light lift, and light left-crossed
winds. However, as they drove eastward on the Turnpike cumies began to form
and become ever better-shaped as they neared the site. By the time they arrived at launch the sky was full of well-streeted and reasonably shape
clouds. The wind was light but certainly launchable, albeit with a north
cross; not the forecast left cross.
Tom McGowan was already set up when we
arrived, and he launched first, ahead of Pete and Pat. Tom had
to wait quite a while for a straight cycle, but immediately climbed slowly,
right in front of launch. He soon beamed out to base at 5,600 msl
(4,900 above the valley behind) averaging 350 fpm in the day's best thermal before
departing over the back under a well-defined street. Pete launched soon
behind Tom, but didn't get up at launch and had to struggle a bit to do
so. Pat then launched right behind Pete in his new tent-like Falcon 225 and
climbed out almost immediately, accompanied by two eagles.
Pete finally
climbed to join Pat and they left together under already less well-defined
cumies, wandering a fair bit chasing lift. Pat did a good job
of staying with Pete for over ten miles before they became separated and Pat finally
landed on a friendly Mennonite farm southeast
of Chambersburg for 18 miles and 1:26 in the air.
Tom continued on ahead of
them in a rather more direct line, flying straight towards his goal of
the High Rock lz, which he made (27 miles, 1:42) after only once
getting down to 1800 agl. After Pat and Pete separated south
of Chambersburg Pete began a weird, arcing southern detour chasing the
ever more short-lived clouds. Only when he got
near Waynesboro did he finally find a climb that started weakly but
eventually got him to base.
That cloud was part of a street heading
towards his chosen destination, the Fairfield glider port on the east
side of South Mountain. Leaving at cloud base for a ten mile
final glide, Pete just made it to the airport, having had to fly
around the Liberty Mountain ski area’s hill to get there (34
miles; 2:24). After landing, hang glider and sailplane pilot Danny
Brotto ran out to greet him. He then fed Pete beers in his warm trailer as he waited for Bacil Dickert to come and get him after first picking up
Pat and Tom. Thanks, greatly Bacil, we owe you.
It was a ludicrously fun day, made all the more
so by the utterly unexpected nature of the conditions.
