"Bill TIZ"

Aviator, Flight Test, Writer,

Commercial Pilot Glider, Airplane Single and Multi-Engine Land

Instrument Airplane, Instructor Glider

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Bill TIZ

Jean Nevada to Lone Pine California in an LS-4

23 May, the start of Memorial Day weekend and my first trip to Lone Pine, crewing/sharing the LS-4 with Jack. It was supposed to be a coin toss to see who would fly from Jean to Lone Pine, but Jack had other items on the Friday "get out of town checklist" so I got the nod. Preflight planning had been done earlier in the week. Always land at an airport, Sandy Valley, Hidden Hills, Pahrump, Death Valley Junction (Armagosa), Furnace Creek, Stovepipe Wells, Panamint Springs (lakebed) and Lone Pine. Once in the Owens Valley, a run up the Inyo Range to Independence and back to Lone Pine would be Gold Distance (305km).

Jay also planned to make the trip in his Libelle, he launched first. I had about 1/2 water in the LS-4 and delayed launch until Jay reported good lift. Jay had been struggling, but was doing better, so when he reported 8K at Goodsprings, I launched.

Jerry offered tow duties and I took a 2.5K tow to the ridge east of Jean, and to a promising thermal, from there I worked hard to stay off the ground. I was working in the bowl behind the prison, below ridge height, struggling to just stay on the ridge, and working every little bump for all it would give. Jay had returned towards Jean twice with questionable lift, found something and moved back towards Goodsprings. Thinking I was about done for, I encouraged Jay to move on and not wait for me. I hit the water dump, thinking I was going to land and trailer to Lone Pine.

As soon as the water dump began, it happened, I was low on the ridge in front of the windsock (Gold Altitude low point), when I felt a solid bump, the stick twitched telling me which way to turn. Cranking hard into the thermal and feeling more comfortable with no water ballast I found that 1 knot up quickly became 2 then 3 knots, then 200ft higher and it was 4 knots and above the wind sock.

Soon I was bumping 8,000ft time and time to head west. Jay had been working weak lift over Goodsprings and called that he was heading back.

I went west to join Jay as he was running back to Jean, we passed about half way between the casinos and Goodsprings, he was low, I was at about 7K when I caught another thermal back to 8K and pressed on to Goodsprings. Jay was working the same thermal at a lower altitude with no luck.

I was bumping the 8K again at Goodsprings when I noticed a cloud shadow coming up Table Top from the south, I knew that if I did not leave I never would get past Mt. Potosi. So it was time to go, I confirmed the speed to fly computer was set to dry and McCready to zero as I few towards Columbia Pass at 8K thinking the Jack would be picking me up at Sandy Valley. About this time Jay landed at Jean to trailer to Lone Pine.

I headed out onto the ridgelines west of little Potosi and found good lift there. The thermal drifted towards the small knoll north of Sandy Valley, from there I cut the string to Sandy Valley and headed for Hidden Hills. I called to the crew still at Jean to look for me at Hidden Hills, above 10K at this point and with a light south breeze the thermal was moving towards Hidden Hills.

Connecting with a strong thermal about 4nm south of Hidden Hills, it took me on my first climb towards 15K. I had lost direct radio contact with Jean Airport, but through the students from Henderson doing air work over Jean Dry Lake, I was able to relay to the crew to look for me at Death Valley Junction (Armagosa Airport).

From Hidden Hills I worked the ridge west of the lake near the Chicken Ranch, not much there and I moved back towards the next lake just west of Pahrump, keeping Calvada Meadows in reach. About this time JimD came through the pass on the Blue Diamond highway and I was able to tell him were I was.

Sink was stronger than expected and I did not make a strong move towards Armagosa, a mistake that could have cost the flight. I should have gotten on top of the Nopah Range that led to Death Valley Junction instead of just skirting it. I had the altitude for the airport, but did not use it.

Thinking I might need to keep Calavada Meadows in reach, I flew towards the lakebed west of Pahrump, there appeared to be a landing area cleared on the lakebed that could be useable with houses close by. But in the hills just NW of Pahrump I found another strong thermal that took me high again and I pressed over the top of Shadow Mountain for Death Valley Junction. I had seen a dust devil leave a gravel pit about halfway between Shadow Mt and the Amargosa Airport, the thermal was still there and I climbed back towards 15K. So far all my climbs had been in "blue thermals", but now I could see CUs starting to pop on the Panamint Range.

I used the hills NW of Aramagosa and headed for Pyramid Peak and Schwaub Peak, staying this time over the high ground. I left the ridge east of Furnace Creek well above 15K (Gold Altitude high point) and headed into Death Valley. It was a straight calm still glide with the McCready set to zero and following the speed to fly at 65-70knts all the way to the hills south of Stovepipe Wells. You'll see the long slow descent on the baro trace.

There were good CUs south of Stovepipe when I left Furnace Creek and I first headed straight for Stovepipe before slowly arcing towards the high terrain south of the airport. I crossed onto the west face of the 6700ft hilltop before I found good lift.

I thermaled there, always able to bail out back to Stovepipe Wells. Soon I was back to close to cloud base and drifted SW towards Panamint Springs (where the road crosses the lake) and then back NW towards Saline Valley following the high ground and clouds. I could not see the runway in the Saline Valley.

I was back close to 15K and cloud base between Saline Valley and Panamint Springs Dry Lake. I could see the last ridge separating me from the Owens Valley in the haze. The ridge is about 9K high and 15nm away, my planning showed I only needed 12K from here to clear the ridge and reach Lone Pine. There were CUs all the way, so I pressed, reaching the last ridge at 12K and turning north along the Inyo Range.

(High at Panamint to Landing)

After identifying the Lone Pine airport, my task had been to turn point photo at Independence 15nm north and then return to Lone Pine. The CUs had over developed off of Mt Whitney and the Owens Valley was in shadow. I watched a tow plane bring another glider aloft which confirmed the airport and the grass runway.

When the glider was off tow, I called to let him know I was in the valley, just in case my crew called looking for me.

Another CU had over developed along the Inyo Range abeam Manzanar and there was virga and strong sink. I made two attempts towards Independence, but could only get abeam Manzanar. I retreated back into the sun near Haystack to get high and tried again to Independence for the turn point photo. But I could not get back above 12K, a 30/1 glide computed that I needed 6000ft to get to Independence and back. I was only 8,000ft above Lone Pine, and with virga in the way, a run in and out would be marginal. Previous attempts into the area proved far worse than 30/1 results.

My crew was at least 2-3 hours behind, I had last talked with anyone long before I left Pahrump, and I did not come that far to sit on the ground at Manzanar. So I retreated to Lone Pine, slowly loosing altitude after attempting to stay high east of Haystack. I used the time to survey the area, study the airport, the grass runway, taxiways, and watch a couple of other gliders land while looking down from above.

After an uneventful landing on the grass, push clear, and walk up to where an LS-8-18 that landed in front of me had tied down. Introductions, and a request to help push off the soft runway. They were surprised on hearing I had launched from Las Vegas, and wanted to hear about crossing Death Valley.

I missed Gold Distance by a 10nm margin, I could have turned at Manzanar but I needed to turn at Independence. But, I did have Gold Altitude and a personal best for cross-country in a glider. JimD was the first to arrive about an hour later.

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