I and Willi Dydo met our driver Chuck at Lone Pine Airport at 8:30 that morning. Forecast for the day looked promising for a good early season flight in the Owens Valley and beyond. Good lift and SW winds of moderate strength predicted to remain constant for the whole day. Willi and I flew the day before along with Doug Englecook who we hitched a ride to launch with. That day was not as favorable for XC flying so we both did out and returns and landed at the airport. I had driven 425 miles to get there the day before and hadn't slept much that night so a little check ride of 2 hrs. was fine with me. Willi crossed over to Mazourka Pk. and came down the Inyos before landing in Lone Pine.
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| Walts Point on Horseshoe Meadows Rd. 9135' on the eastern face of the Sierra Nevada Range. Driver Chuck in chair and Spike, a southern cal pilot. Willi is hiding behind his wing. |
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| This is looking over the back near Kings Canyon National Park. About 22 miles north from launch after I got high. |
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| Same spot looking south toward Mt. Whitney and Walts Point launch at the far end of the visible range.Willi was flying near the base of the range the whole time but staying almost even with me for awhile anyway. |
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| This is after I had crossed to the White Mts from Tinnemaha Pk where I climbed to 16600' before making the jump across the Valley. We launch the eastern Sierra mid-morning to take advantage of the rising thermals created by the morning sun, after a couple of hours we cross to the western faces of the White Mts. on the other side of the valley. I made it easily above 11000 and started climbing from there. I'm around 75 miles out in this picture. The air was a bit turbulent at times as we were flying between 2 massive high pressure ridges dominating the weather pattern. But the thermals were strong . |
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| I found lots of turbulence at the end of the White Mt. Range and as I wasn't high enough to go over the back of them toward Montgomery Pass on the usual route because the winds were rotoring over their flanks strongly. I flew due north across the valley to some building clouds marking great lift coming off the valley floor. I skied out to over 17k and got this and the next pictures. That is Mono Lake and the Sierras in the distance. |
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| Same spot looking down the Owens Valley from its north end. White Mts. on the left Sierras on the right. Cloud streets building on course and I am a happy camper. Willi at this point was around 15 miles behind me and he found turbulence at the turn in the range also. he flew out and landed near the last crop circle in the lower right of pic for around 97 miles. |
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| Montgomery pass from same spot looking into Nevada with decent clouds marking lift. |
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| I got a little greedy at around 140 miles out thinking I needed 115 more miles to break the existing site record with I figured 3.5 hrs. of good soaring left in the day at 4pm. Skipped a climb I should of in hind sight taken and couldn't find the lift under the clouds on the southern flanks of Mt. Ardivey. Had to come back out and land here at 4:30 for a flight of 153 miles in 6hrs. 13 mns. of sky time. No worries the season has just begun and the quest goes on. The journey is the joy driving this old boy, The records will fall when they may. |
