Up Where We Belong

Today started with another nice sunrise accompanied by more not so nice winds. Somewhat strong winds on the ground and somewhat stronger winds aloft meant there would be no flying this morning. However, all hope was not lost. The forecast called for the winds to calm down later in the day, so until then we’d just have to play the waiting game.

I’ve gotten pretty good at the waiting game over the past week so, once again, I got cozy with my computer and tried to get some work done. Of course, it wasn’t all work and no play. I went for a walk around the field before heading down to the pond to try to catch a glimpse of Carl – the local alligator. Sadly, Carl was nowhere to be found. Large birds, yes. Alligator, no. Despite many claimed sightings, I’m beginning to doubt he exists. Quest Air’s answer to the Loch Ness Monster!

The waiting game continued into the early afternoon. At one point, 2:00 seemed like a possible fly time. But no. Then 3:00 came and went. Still no flying. By 3:30 though, things were definitely improving – and the appearance of bald eagles soaring over the field was enough to get Greg, Don, and I mobilized.

The plan for the afternoon was for Greg to launch first to seek out any thermal activity. Don and I would then follow his lead and try to learn a thing or two (maybe even three) about thermalling. Something at which Greg more than excels.

Greg launched at around 3:45. I followed about ten minutes later. And Don, ten minutes after that. The plan of following Greg didn’t exactly work out as smoothly as planned but we definitely had successful flights. Greg’s high performance glider was somewhat challenging to find as it blended in with the background so I opted to seek out thermals on my own. I was reasonably successful. I didn’t gain huge amounts of altitude but I did gain. And I wasn’t sinking out like I did last time. Eventually I did find Greg circling in a thermal slightly downwind from me and we flew together for a bit before he climbed high above me.

Gravity eventually won out and, after about 20 minutes in the air, I was going to have to land. As usual, I headed downwind before setting up for my final approach. Side note: Last night at dinner there was a bit of discussion with Greg about landing technique. It would seem I was paying attention. I felt good on my final approach before levelling off as I neared the ground. Moments later I flared my glider and, after two short steps, I was back on the ground. And on my feet. I’m not going to lie, I was extremely happy with my landing. Probably my best ever.

All the waiting from earlier in the day was worth it. Even though my flight was only 23 minutes, I felt no need to fly again today. I was so happy with my flight and landing that a celebratory beer was all that was needed. And given the success of the flight I thought this would also be the perfect time to finally redeem a two beer donation that my friend Mike had made quite some time ago. I’d say, “Thanks Mike!” but since I’m pretty sure I’ve never actually used his first name I’m going to stick with the usual, “Thanks Farwell!”.

The rest of the afternoon was pretty uneventful as I basked in the glory of an unexpectedly great flight. As an added bonus, this was the first time I’d flown with cameras mounted to the glider so I was able to relive the flight while enjoying my beer. Greg and I reviewed various sections of the video as we scoured the footage looking for glimpses of his glider – which we found.

As evening (and hunger) set in, things got pretty quiet so I decided to fire up the barbecue to cook up my final two burgers. Timing is everything. About five minutes after the burgers hit the grill, I was invited to join Tracy, Mark and Kim for dinner at the ever-popular Red Wing. Even though my barbecued burgers would’ve been good, clearly Red Wing would be better. A few minutes later, the burgers were wrapped up, back in the fridge, and we were on our way down the road to Red Wing. As usual, it didn’t disappoint and it turned into a really fun evening of many tales including (but not limited to) travel, flying, adventures, weekend plans, and even nicknames.

The day may have started slowly but it ended very well. Very well indeed.

Oh, and here’s a very basic video of my very enjoyable flight. Hopefully it streams okay – if not, let me know and I’ll work on a different solution.