Andy Kozak writes another report:
After two days of overcast and rain it looked like there would be a more classic wave day, perhaps with the potential for Diamond climbs (over 5,000 meters). During our morning safety meeting and weather briefing, winds aloft were forecast to be a little more from the north than would be ideal. The moisture in the air resulted in clouds covering the tops of the Moriah-Carter range. We waited for the clouds to clear above the range so we could at least ridge soar. Some of us topped off our oxygen tanks.
There is a significant amount of organizing and coordinating that occurs before anyone can fly. Tow planes must to be flown to Gorham. Fuel tanks are staged and compressed oxygen tanks brought to fill our onboard systems. It is not much different from typical club activities, where there is much work done behind the scenes.
This morning, our flights had to stay below 9,000 MSL until F35 operations concluded. A call had to be placed to confirm that the airspace up to 18,000 feet was clear and then another call to allow us to fly to 25,000 feet.
Rick Roelke and Glen Kelley, two of the more experienced pilots, and wave camp organizers, took off first to get a better look at what the cloud cover behind Mt Washington might look like. Glen would also be towing later. Rick reported the area behind Mountt Washington was clear. I was second in line at that point, but the pilot ahead of me needed to take some more time, so suddenly it was my turn. Jerry Smith had driven up that morning to be one of the towpilots. I agreed to his suggestion that he would tow me straight into the primary wave behind Mt Washington.
To save time when staging gliders, the pilots strap themselves into their gliders, while still off the side of the runway, allowing the towplanes to land short with their ropes attached. The gliders are then pushed backwards, down onto the runway and turned into position. I made my final control and radio checks while being rolled into position. My tail dolly and wing wheel were removed by the ground crew. I positioned myself as low as possible in the cockpit and pulled straps as tight as I could. I would tighten them again once on tow.
At Gorham, there are not many options in case of a low rope break. I always focus on anticipating the towplane's initial climb and keeping constant tension on the tow rope. I set the flap to position 4 for taking off and towing. With a total weight of 750 pounds, and assuming a worst case 30/1 lift-to-drag ratio, there should be 25 pounds of force on the tow rope. The slightest impact load from a slack rope will double that load. It would be interesting to know the real statistics of rope breaks.
The tow took me past Pine Mountain, which overlooks the airfield and toward the western slopes of Mount Madison. Then over the notch between Madison and Adams. The air was rough, and I distinctly remember my glider making noises that I had never heard before. We flew out over the Great Gulf Wilderness and along the upwind side of a roll cloud, finally turning straight into the wind. The energy in the air near the rotor was impressive. My eyes were locked on the tail of the towplane, while trying to keep an eye on my surroundings with only peripheral vision. The 200-foot rope gives you just under two seconds to anticipate the air you will fly into. I tried not to overcontrol, potentially leaving me in a poor position for the next upset. I was fairly certain we were in strong lift, but it was still very turbulent. It is always nice to wait for smooth air prior to release. Then the towplane danced in a way that convinced me to pull the release. I thanked Jerry and continued up at a spectacular rate.
The clouds below me were falling away, my variometer needle was pegged, suddenly everything seemed almost perfectly quiet and still. It was surreal. I had to check my air speed indicator to make sure I was flying. Jerry radioed that he was still climbing. My vario finally came off the peg and showed a climb of just under 10 knots. I think I can reset the range so next time it will show up to 20 knots of climb.
Tim Chow told me he likes to tow here because of the challenging conditions. Jerry was headed back down to do it all over again. I am obviously still getting used to flying in these conditions. I cannot express how impressed and grateful I am that the towplane pilots are willing to tow here. The wave appeared to be forming off the Jefferson-Adams-Madison ridgeline, which was in cloud. The wave window was open below me and toward the northeast. Mountt Washington's summit was obscured, though parts of the auto road and the Horn were occasionally visible. The Horn is a major spur that is marked by a switchback in the auto road. Many years ago, when the road was much narrower, cars would sound their horns when approaching this sharp turn.
Downwind of me there was a large area of clear air so I had options for descending.
As the climb rate slowed, I shifted upwind to remain in the strongest lift. The wind speed did not seem to increase appreciably with altitude, but it did not decrease. Rick Roelke in LT had motored over after trying to climb over Mount Hayes near Gorham. We made sure to communicate our altitude and position while keeping an eye out for each other.
Rick had a passenger with him, Terry Sweeney, a former hang glider pilot. Terry was the first person to hang glide off Mount Washington in the 70’s. He was also the first to land in a tree on Mount Washington, on that same flight. Terry flew in the days of building your own hang glider. Bamboo poles, plastic and duct tape. Now we have carbon fiber, Kevlar and electrical tape. Rick and Terry flew back toward the Carter Moriah range looking for a better climb in the secondary wave, but had no luck and returned to the primary.
Prior to passing through 18,000 feet I heard we were cleared to 25,000 feet. Approaching 19,000 feet, I could see a lenticular cloud above and the promise of sunshine ahead.
Although I wore every fleece layer I’d packed, the temperature kept dropping. Rick and I could also see an approaching cloud layer. It became a race, but as my canopy started to frost up on the inside, the cloud on the outside grew thicker. I topped out somewhere around 19,700 feet. The lift at that altitude was widespread so I think we were starting to connect to the lenticular cloud which looked like it would have allowed spectacular altitude gains. However, the reduced visibility due to the approaching cloud, the frosting canopy as well as the possibility of icing on the wings prompted me to announce my descent. Rick replied that he was already descending as well.
The wave window would open and close for the rest of the day. Some pilots never had an opportunity to climb above the clouds while at least one managed to reach 22,000 feet. I was fortunate to take off and climb through the window when I did. I flew east toward the Sunday River ski resort in Bethel, Maine. I tried to see if I could locate wave lift based on the shape of the clouds below. At times I could, but I did not stop to climb, since the cold and the limited wave windows were a concern. Turning back, I kept in range several options for descending through the cloud layers. I eventually returned to the area above the Presidential Range and then chose the window over the Wildcat ski area and the Glen House. This is at the intersection of Route 16 and the Mount Washington auto road and would allow an easy glide back to Gorham airfield.
The rest of the flight was as uneventful as landing under wave conditions with high winds could be. My approach was much improved over my previous flight, but turbulence seemed to follow me almost all the way to the ground. The next glider to land had the same experience. The winds had been forecast to increase over the day, which was worrisome - but shortly after we landed the winds seemed to moderate and follow up landings seemed almost sedate. It made me feel that perhaps I was not relaxed enough and was overcontrolling. I will work on that next season.
To top off the day, nine of us travelled to dinner at Cho Sun, an excellent Korean restaurant in nearby Bethel.
This year’s wave camp ran from October 10-18, and I believe there were only two non-flying days. Orographic wave was present on six of the days with many flights from 12,000 to over 22,000 feet. Strong winds ranging from Northwest to North produced wave and on one day, strong winds from the East also resulted in wave. The easterly winds produced wave on the west side of the Moriah-Carter range as well as on the west side of Mount Washington. On that day the wind grew weaker with altitude, eventually causing the Mount Washington primary wave to “break” resulting in severe turbulence and limiting any climb. Wave was also present on lighter wind days. One day had only thermal lift. \
The Mt Washington area is a special place to fly. The scenery is spectacular and the proximity of the Gorham airfield to several ranges provides many options for excellent soaring. A special thanks to all those who continue to make this possible!
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