Saturday was a good flying day.
For hours and thirty minutes in the air.
Went pretty distant (for me). At one point got low and was looking for a field to "land out". 1250 feet altitude and five miles to the airport. Had just glided 10 miles toward home, no lift encountered, sinking air all the way. The wind from the west, and clouds shaded the ground to the west, so no thermals.
There were plenty of choices to put it down in a field, so, wasn't panicing. Had maneuvered back to where the west was sunlit, so "hoping" for some lift, then
boom, hit one and got right back up to 5500 feet.
The flight computer said I could still have made the airport at about 700 feet. I disagreed, having had one "barely made it back" in the past (while ignorantly flying past landable fields).
I haven't had a "land-out" yet.
Here's the cockpit view, 10 seconds before hitting the saving thermal. Airport, five miles distant, marked. Up high at this same distance the airport is "right there"
The lower you get the farther it looks. Then you get that queasy thing in your gut...
Nice clouds!
Oh well.
Somebody in Winter Haven wasn't so fortunate Saturday. From the flight trace, looks like he took off from Winterhaven Regional, got up to 2000 feet, then something happened.
This glider can launch itself, has an engine, with a retractable propeller mast that folds up vertically behind the cockpit. The propeller is in the extended position under the wreck. When it is extended but not operating it is a high drag condition, severely limiting the gliding range.
Same model, different glider, propeller extended:
He's wasn't dead, per news, but didn't walk away.
The airport is at the "GIF" dot. Flight data is ofen not available at low altitude (my glider transmits no data).
The speed reported is surely wrong. But the flight trace and altitude are probably about right.
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/N20SW (may not work later)
He didn't leave himself many choices where to put it down.
I might have picked a water landing. It would seem to have been the better option that late in his flight.
Winter Haven High School is the crash location. Airport top left.
Sunday was a "Blue Day", no clouds around. Finally there was one within range, and a few wisps of thermals trying to make clouds after that. Mostly just groping around catching lift where you stumble into it.
Four hours and 20 minutes in the air. Gotta get my money's worth.
50% of the time was circling. Saturday only 34% of the time.
Didn't go very far, as without clouds there are no clues.
Got high at the end, though, 6900 feet, and made a nice long glide to landing.
On the glide down at 6700 feet, some wisps of a cloud beginning to form (or not) above, providing at least a few seconds of steady altitude. This is at 4:41pm, a few clouds I'd been viewing all day finally blowing in from the west, to the left, the Blue of the rest of the day.
Thirty five minutes later, approaching the aiport, 5500 feet lower at 1200 feet.
Another sporty crosswind landing.
Sea Breeze from the west again in the late afternoon. Probably gusting into the 20+mph range.
Measurements can be a big part of this hobby, for sure.