RIDGE SOARING ADVENTURE

On Oct 18th, three CISS pilots set out for central PA with high hopes to go ridge soaring. ZA,(Clarke), 8C (Melin), and myself, 8UP, headed east on I-70, eager to see the Allegheny Mountains. We all chose the southern route which is a great way to check out about 100 miles of the ridge. The drive northwest from I-70 was a good way to get a feel for the lay of the land; very intimidating for a flat-lander!

Upon arrival at Ridge Soaring Gliderport, we were greeted by Doris Grove and checked into the bunkhouse. There we met some departing pilots who had been there for the whole week that had only flown two days in mediocre thermal lift and no ridge. "That only increases the odds for us", reported the always optimistic ZA. After finding a nice German restaurant in the nearby town of Bellefonte, we returned to our cozy bunks for a good night's rest.

Saturday morning we awoke to a steady drizzle which was not at all what we had been dreaming about on our 500+ mile trek. Making the most of the situation, Jeff and I studied Tom Knauff's book on soaring the ridge and checking out the huge relief map on the wall of the bunkhouse living room. That was even more intimidating! Tom's book is full of warnings about the risks involved with ridge flying. Couple that with a rainy day spent staring at Bald Eagle Mountain and you have at least one flat land glider pilot feeling more that a little bit apprehensive about this whole ridge flying thing!
That day of non-flying concluded with a tasty barbeque ribs n chicken meal served up by Tom and Doris, followed by a program by Walter Weir, 70 year old four time winner of the Seniors contest and Canada's equivalent of the SSA's "badge lady". He basically declared that it had been discovered that the earth is not as round as previously thought and measurements of distance based on traditional spherical trigonometry may not be entirely accurate. This is where my eyes started to glaze over as they did years ago in class at Purdue. Any questions concerning this matter should be referred to Ron or Jeff!

Sunday morning brought optimism to everyone when cumulus started to develop. "Let's Rig!" Finally it looked as if we would at least get some decent thermal soaring in with the outside chance of the ridge working later. Soon we were all rigged and lined up to launch. The early pilots reported some pretty good lift, so off we go. I climbed in and nervously got ready to roll. Upon takeoff I determined that a rope break would not be a pleasant experience, with a lot of trees on the end of the field. Then the tow pilot steered straight for the mountain. Wondering if the guy was loaded , passed out, or just crazy I decided to stay attached and hope for the best, which turned out to be the best choice. Soon we were overhead the mountain at 2000 ft. agl. where I released, finding good lift and staying local, taking in the beautiful fall colors and getting to know the area. ZA was already far ahead to the NE, so 8C and I set off in that direction. We were just about six miles from Lock Haven at 5500 ft. when we heard on the radio that the ridge was working. That is why we came, so I waited for Ron to show us how it was done.

We quickly descended to where the ridge was working and followed ZA south to Karl Striedeck's Eagle Field where weturned back to the north. That's all it took to get me hooked! One pass and I was ready to boogie. On the next pass I blew right past a Grob 102 which made me want more and more. On one pass, I maintained a 95 kt. speed, neither gaining or losing altitude. Each "lap" I made, I extended my trip a little bit longer as I got more comfortable with this new (to me!) form of soaring. Eventually I was going from the Milesburg Gap to the north to Port Matilda, roughly 15 miles to the south. As soon as I hit the gap, it was obvious that the lift was not there and turning back was the best option for this "ridge rookie". After a while I realized that I was all alone on the ridge. I was having so much fun I didn't want to quit! But, quit I did, mainly because the glare going into the sun made it hard to see and my feet were becoming frozen blocks of ice. The flight lasted 4.5 hrs.

It was a perfect day to be a "ridge rookie". The wind blowing into the ridge was a relatively mild 10 kts., making it a very smooth and not so scary experience. I declared myself ready for a "really good" ridge day and willing to cross a gap, even if a small one. I went to my bunk grinning and I'm quite sure I woke up grinning the next day.

Monday looked to be another good thermal day after the fog cleared. We all took off (about a dozen gliders) and scattered. After leaving a weak thermal in search of a better one, I found myself over the gliderport trying to dig myself out and avoiding another $29 tow. I finally got away from 500 ft. after I spied seven hawks doing much better than I was. 8C and ZA were already having fun to the south, so I took off to the south as well, hoping to learn more about the ridge in that direction. Ron and I got as far as Altoona before turning back north to the sight of dissolving cumulus. Jeff had wisely decided to stay a little closer to the field. After getting a little low and eyeing fields on the other side of the mountain, I finally dug out again and found lift in the blue over the mountain. The late afternoon sun shining on the mountain got us back to the gliderport.

That night, Scot Ortman and Nyal Williams (YJ), arrived ready to try the ridge. We all watched the weather channel hoping for the best the next day. The next day, Tues., did not turn out to be the best of days. It looked promising, but was challenging. Only ZA had a reasonably long flight, getting to Mid State airport (about 12 miles west on the plateau). Scot and Jeff hung in there pretty well,but most flights were brief. I had two tries, but couldn't get away. One flight was 14 minutes. I didn't know a Discus would come down that fast without using spoilers.

Wed., our last day, again looked promising. So much that I rigged first. Others launched and came right back down. A few got away, including ZA, but I watched it over develop and chose to stay on the ground for most of the day. Finally I saw some blue and took off and found lift in unlikely places (5 kts. in overcast). We got as far as Mid State and returned. Nyal had an interesting flight that concerned some sort of phantom ridge lift, ask him about that one. I thermalled in the "dark" for an extra half hour, realizing this may be my last flight for the season; definitely in PA.

SUMMARY:

This was one of the best soaring experiences I have had. Tom and Doris were gracious hosts, providing a cozy place to stay, taking us to some nice restaurants in the area, and providing any help when needed. One warning though; Tom will lie to you. On Wed., he announced early that the ridge was working, even though I wondered how, since the wind appeared to be blowing with the ridge instead of into it. It caused about 12 gliders to be rigged quickly and CHA CHING! 12 gliders to be towed aloft. He came back after a 15 minute flight in the DuoDiscus and declared that the wind musta quit.

The area is beautiful, especially in the fall, and it is a nice place to be whether soaring or not. Team YJ's experience reminds me of my quest to catch a Steelhead Trout in MI. I have been 5 times trying, but all one or two day trips, and I still haven't caught one. If you can arrange it, try to go for as many days as you can, which increases your odds of "catching some big ones", in this case is a series of good ridge days.

We all had a great time flying, meeting pilots from as far as Canada to TX, and exploring the area. We all want to return, if only to find out if "The End Zone" is A. some sort of Joe Paterno shrine of a sports bar, or B. a "gentlemen's club" or C. a gay bar. We were all too cheap to pay the $20 cover to find out!

Kurt Ristow