The check Ride

After these explanations we got in a twins astir. By the time we where up the situation had change a little and there was a discreet beginning of ridge lift. At the beginning gliders were mostly sustaining flight with thermals but slowly there were trying the ridge. We got some good thermal, and climb to 3000 easily. In flight the landmark where pointed out to me. I was shown all the local airports witch I had seen and studied on aerial maps. Theory is important but seeing is believing. There I realize that Bellefonte Airport & University Park Airport were not so far apart and fairly close to Ridge Soaring glide port. It appeared easy to reach them providing one is high enough in thermal flying. I also got and introduction on the basic does and dont.

Since things were evolving the right way quickly, we also did some unexpected ridge soaring at a safe distance of the tree top, this was getting very exiting! We where relatively slow but within arm reach of the field. Flying in a strait line at high speed along that perpetual lift zone must be incredible, I can not compare it to anything else! One of the rules of thumb I learned is; If you are forced to fly at 200 feet above tree top at or less 50kts, it means that will land shortly, weather you want it or not!

To finalize the flight I was introduce to the circuit and landing procedure. Strange enough we landed on the opposite direction has we had took off. This is mostly due to the fact that there is a frequent crosswind and landing the opposite way reduce the pushing of the gliders, but this all depend on the head wind component.

The runway in use is a hard surface. For those not use to it is a bit awkward on the first time. I had bin recently introduce to taking off on hard surface but never got to land on it, this was also a first for me. You really feel the grip of the tire. Wen the field is dry they do land on it but landing on the grass at that time of year you would sink your hole wheel in it.

Since it turned out that we did all the basics of ridge flying and that the instructor was satisfied with my theoretical knowledge of the ridge and skills, I was check out to do ridge flying. This was unexpected but appreciated.

First flight

I finally was able to start rigging my glider but I was very slow in getting all the small details ready, and I had no parachute !! But I was fortunate Tom got me one. I was so slow in preparing my first flight in my glider this year that everybody had time to get up before me.

By the time I finally took off it was 3 pm. I said to myself, even if it is only a small flight I will use it to get a first hand feel of thing to come. The towing was a bit turbulent I went to 2000 agl (2815asl) and boom a super thermal plus 8kts! In less then 10mnt after takeoff I was at 6000 feet. I thought this was good enough to go a little bit North to have a view from a high altitude of the deceiving Milesburg gap. I had left my thermal for just a few minutes an there was another one, most likely triggered by the ridge, but this time it was +10kts. I went up to 8000 drifted a bit downwind in the Nittany Valley, looked at the Nitany mountains saw the fields available in the valley, the where plentiful at that time of year because no crops are growing.

With that much altitude in store I went further up North to Howard Dam. There I got a thermal, 9-10kts up to 9000. I decided to go a little further and get in my sight what I had studied for countless hours on the maps. Thanks to the studying of Tom s book, and of all the maps and reading I did, I really was quick to be able to put name on almost all towns, landmarks, Airports.I went all the way up to Mill Hall And had in sight Lock Haven Airport. By that time I got down to 7000 and decide to go back closer to the field to be on the safe side and give me time to assimilate all those new informations. But Around the Mislburg gap I got another thermal up to 9000 feet and drifted 3/4 of the way to the Nittany mountains . From that height I could see almost all of the Nittany Valley. I would have seen it all, had it not bin of a little haze. I could see the Ridge bending South at Altoona and the curving West on the northern extremity.

I slowly made it back over the bald Eagle Ridge passed the club field and followed the ridged while staying between 7000-8000. I took note of all those communication towers down below, and made it to the field of Karl Striedeck (Eagle Field). His personal airport sits on the very top of the ridge. Then I flew over Port Matilda. I was in an excellent situation to look at all those little gap and ridge characteristics that Tom had explained in his book. I had read that book so many time that it made it easy to recognize all the gaps he talked about without searching for them. It is incredible what a good preparation can do in helping you on your first flight in a new environment. Then I took note of this other deceiving gap that I was closing on near Tyron. This gap that has a sort of 90 degrees bend to the West, and has bin a problem for some unadvised pilots. Then came Tyron, got another thermal up to 8000-9000 feet, and went further South to look at the detail of the ridge curving along Altoona.

At some point I was able to see the other side of the Altoona gap and the faintly visible Dunning mountains. Somewhere close to Altoona I reached 7000 feet, this was my breaking point for the moment. I then decided that I had gone way further than what I ever would have hope for on my first flight! Before turning I had the Ward farm in sight in the distance, many pilot have landed on it. Then again I would never have found it had it not bin for the lengthy studying of the aerial photo. This was a real bonus to see all these landing field, Airport, gaps, mountains. All in my first solo flight on the ridge. I was overwhelm by all this eye catching scenery. I could see the Allegany plateau the Bald Eagle ridge the Nitany Valley and Nitany Mountain, Tussey mountain, Duning mountain, Alttoona gap, the Howard dam.This flight was so much more then what I had expected! My efforts had paid off and had enable me to locate and recognize all the important airports, cities, Gaps and Landmarks between Lock Have and Altoona gap, all this within 1 1/2h.

I only forgot to locate the Tipton Airport. Well another time, anyhow I am not sure that it is still in used according to the aerial picture of it that I looked at. Up to now all this flying had bin done between 7000-9000 feet. It was getting late 4:30pm, I was a little worried that the thermals would be less abundant, they were blue thermals so there was no visual helps to find them. Until now I just happened to fell in them without searching. They must have bin in a good number!

On my way back I got down to 5500 feet about 25k south and got another thermal +10kts up to 8600. I continued north passed over Eagle Field again, and saw 2 glider on the landing strip. I passed the Ridge Soaring glide port and went to Howard village , just a little south of the Dam. By that time I had spent 3h in flying and was getting a bit tired. Learning so many new thing at the same time was slowly draining my energy. From the Dam I headed back to the Glider port.

At that point I had never flew the ridge, I only had thermals. Many of these thermal appeared to be triggered from the ridge. But I got some in the Nytany valley too. I had at all time bin very high. Most of the flight was above 7000 feet, with the exemption of a low point around Matilda near 5500. I had seen many glider running the Ridge and therefore I wanted to see first hand what it was like.

Being a novice at this I played safe I got fairly close to the field before getting any lower. Near the field I was at 5000, I decided to make and engine start up of my glider engine in order to se if it was in proper working order after the winter storage. Just to be on the safe side I advised the ground control that I was to proceed to a start up. I started my turbo engine and kept it running for a few minutes. Everything went fin for the engine testing. So I could now proceed with the flying.

I had ran at all time at 65kt between thermals in that 100km stretch between Mill Hall and Altoona. Starting from 5500 feet I picked up speed up to 100kts in what was relatively calm air. Has I got close to the ridge it was getting more turbulent. I tightened my strap and went down a little more. At 2500asl I decide that I was being pounded enough and did not really want to fly on the edge, the pounding was not that bad as I was relatively high over the ridge and the wind low. This gave me an idea of how brutal it can become with faster wind speed. I had no precise indication of the wind, but The crabing angle I had to do to stay on track was an indication of the perpendicular wind flow.

This was getting very exiting. I than decide to stretch my flight a little as my energy seemed to come out of nowhere. I went back and forth on a 20k ridge section, 10k each side of the Gliderport to take advantage of the ridge lift. There were up and down, but I always kept an alt of 2500-3000 asl at 80-90kts. This was keeping me about 1000-1500 feet above the Ridge. I followed (from my height) some of the more experience guys down below, to see where the were positioning themselves in relation to the ridge. At some point it was getting close to 7pm and most of the gliders had come down. I tried to get to a lower altitude by increasing speed but this was a little to punishing as the turbulence where making me experience some negative Gs from time to time, therefore from 3000 feet asl I pulled full spoilers out and slowly descended to pattern altitude 700-800 feet agl (1600asl). Despite full spoiler I still experienced brief climbing moment ! I followed the rules and made the circuit a little faster than normal, as suggested when turbulent. The pattern was a bit difficult as I was being shoveled all over the place. Nevertheless I made it on the narrow hard surface runway.

The flight had lasted 4h and had enable me to learn a gigantic amount of information. I was really happy of the way this slow stating day ended. I was help by Tom who was kind enough to supervise my derigging of the glider and prevented me from screwing up. What can I say, my head was still on the ridge! This had bin a wonderful flight. I would recommend to everybody to experience this at some point. I am very happy to have come here and done this. I should have come last year! Hey....it's never to late.

What a day!!