By September cross-country flying in New England is usually just a memory. However, after staring at a reasonable forecast and refusing to give in to reality, a few airheads blew off work and headed to West Rutland, Vermont.
We savored the early afternoon as we rigged our gliders, selected radio frequencies, and made loose plans for retrieval just in case we actually went anywhere.
Art and JJ offered to drive since they would likely land near the vehicles in one of the designated LZs out front.
On the other hand, John and PK were hoping for some sightseeing if that was possible. (We all know I'm going to go cross-country flying!)
I launched into a weak thermal that drifted over the back and fizzled around 3000 feet (900m). I flew back into the valley to join JJ already climbing in a smoothie. John, PK, and I hooked up as we drifted over the back and waved goodbye to JJ.
Although the climbs were weak and sometimes broken, they continued to above 5000 feet (1500m). Since the climbs were weak and the winds light at 5 mph (8 km/h) I had plenty of time to check out the scenery below. I inhaled as much "summer air" as my lungs could bear.
John and PK had trouble connecting with a devious climb I found on the east side of the valley northeast of Pittsford but that allowed me to take some pictures of them climbing below.
I also took some video, but the wind noise ruined the audio and I'm not good enough to capture stable video while dealing with rowdy air near base. However, I included a few clips if you want to check your nausea tolerance.
John and PK peeled off to the open fields to the west while I continued along the treed ridge line to the east. I kept topping out lower and lower and was soon considering a run across Lake Dunmore to an LZ. Instead I joined some crows playing along a rock face simmering in the afternoon sun. It was exciting wrestling with the bullets ripping up the face and extracted enough height to glide to the Middlebury State Airport.
I arrived with enough height to do a traditional aircraft approach (left-hand downwind, base, final) through some mild turbulence to a near-perfect no-step landing in front several people resting in the shade of the main building. After my previous less-than-elegant landing at Mount Washington it was good to hear people comment on how cool they thought my landing was. I just have to ensure I land that way all the time!
After chatting with people for awhile, I turned on my phone and noticed several messages. It seems the person that drove my truck down the 4x4 trail stranded the truck on its belly when she pulled off to the side to let someone coming up the hill go by. Attempts to free the truck were not working until JJ showed up and demonstrated how to use the adjustable shocks to "lift" the truck off its belly.
I broke down, drank a soda, and listened to music while John and PK were trying to hide from swarms of blood-sucking mosquitos where they landed. Bummer. Next time try to land at the airfield! ;-)
Time: 2 hours, Distance: 25.5 miles
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