Gimme FIVE !!! Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, lived a king who decided, who knows why, that to earn a silver or gold soaring badge his subjects had to stay airborne, unpowered, for 5 hours. Why not 4? Too easy. Why not 6? He only had 5 fingers on his hand (fortunately.) So, we are stuck with having to fly those 5 uninterrupted hours someday if we want those badges. And since one of the requirements to enter some soaring contests is to have AT LEAST a gold badge, it is 5 hours or be a spectator. Well, even with the new technologies and new airplanes, flying 5 hours is no easy thing. For starters, the weather may not cooperate: 5 hours of good soaring conditions are rare in Indiana. Even if the good weather is there, YOU may not be there since you are busy in the weekdays, or your weekend is booked. And even when the weather cooperates and you are at the field, 5 hours in the glider will test your endurance. Twice I had tried to fly those 5 hours before; it didn't work out. Weak conditions and lack of preparation. But on May 5th, all that changed. I knew the day was going to be good, and that other pilots were planing to fly. So I went to buy some energy bars, adult diapers and bottled water. I also had a list of things to do to keep the mind busy while letting the clock run. Thursday, May 5th, I came to the airport around 11:00 and found Ron Clarke, Nyal Williams and Mike Nichols rigging their ships. Bob Currie and Lynn Joyce were ready and eager to tow. The conditions were good, as predicted, and thermals started to pop very early. All pilots invited me to fly first, to maximize the soaring time available for me. A little nudge from Bob Currie and in no time I was sitting in the PW-5 and was ready to take off before anybody else. Having been at the airport less than an hour, and being the first to fly, gave me a strange feeling of having forgotten something. No, nothing in any of my checklists, but something nonetheless. The flight was, amongst 5-hour flights, an easy one. The conditions of the day were fantastic, with cumulus clouds everywhere, everyone of which had a nice, strong thermal under it. You could find a thermal with your eyes closed ( Don't try it! That's only an expression. ) Very little wind and excellent visibility, and temperatures on the cool side. Flying was easy. Flying 5 hours was something else. I'll try to summarize my thoughts about the silver duration flight in a list of recommendations for the next pilot, most of my recommendations dealing with staying comfortable, physically and mentally. I claim no special knowledge or vast experience, but as a relatively normal human being, I think everyone will be exposed to similar physical and mental pressures and it always helps to hear how others dealt with them. 1) Spend the first hour of your flight assessing the flying conditions of the day. Knowing the average thermal strength, where the thermals are under the clouds, the height of the thermal tops, and the direction and speed of the wind at different altitudes will help you plan your flight through the day. In my case, I found the thermals to be high, strong and consistent under the clouds. Wind was a non-factor. 2) If the conditions are good, make up your mind about flying the 5 hours and stop thinking about it. 3) If the conditions are good, don't circle too much. Find a good thermal, climb to the top of it and fly in a straight line for a few minutes. Don't use every thermal you find just because it is there. Continuous circling will get you tired. You need to conserve as much energy as possible to last 5 hours. In a cold day, get out from under the clouds and get warm under the sun, even if you find sink; just remember to climb back before too long. 4) Stay high. Knowing that you have plenty of altitude will help you stay relaxed and confident. 5) Make a conscious effort to relax. Breath deeply and look out the window and enjoy the view. Even a little nervousness will amount to a lot of wasted energy in such a long flight. 6) Eat moderately before you fly, and during the flight, eat your supplies slowly. Too much food in the belly will become uncomfortable while sitting 5 hours. Take a bite every 20 minutes or so. It worked for me. 7) Jettison excess water before the flight, and drink slowly while you fly. A sip every 20 minutes or so, to replenish fluids normally lost through small sweat. Your body will throw away any excess. Believe me, THAT is what I forgot before the flight. 8) Don't look at your watch every 5 minutes. You don't want to find out how slow time really runs. 9) Perform easy flying tasks to keep you busy. Fly fast, fly slow, fly the tiny triangle around our airport. Find out how far you can go with a 1000 ft altitude loss, etc. 10) Remind yourself that if you get it right, you don't have to do it again. This will bring back your enthusiasm when you start to get tired. Finally, I recommend to fly when there are other pilots at the airport. Their congratulations are a big part of the joy of having made it. 1. Sky about 11:45 am. 2. Doesn't get better than this. 3. Done! 5 hours 25 minutes in the PW-5 on 5/5/05. 4. Careful with the barograph, please. 5. Ain't we all having fun?. Thanks to Mike Nichols for the pictures.

Pages: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4

BACK ISSUES