THE EGG IS HERE:

The Egg is at Avenal, CA

GLIDERPORT: Avenal, CA

FLIGHT DATE: May 11, 2013

CONFIRMED: May 16, 2013

PILOT: Julie Butler

 

 

Comments on the flight :

I launched Avenal at 1:30, released at 1200AGL, and quickly climbed to 3500 MSL. I spent the next hour and and a half between 3000 and 3800 trying to get out of the Avenal area. I finally got a good climb to 5000 over Tar Peak and was able to push into Black Mtn. Once on Black, I was under the clouds and took a thermal to 10,000. It was a fairly easy run under the clouds until they ended 30 miles from Hollister and I was at 7K.

Although my flight computer assured me I had final glide into Hollister, I felt compelled to get one more climb since I had not flown in before and wasn't sure I had the airport in sight. I veered East a little and climbed to 10K under a cloud, then headed in on final glide. I realized how ridiculous that last climb was when I arrived at the airport 5,000' overhead. That extra 20 minutes did cost me later.

Here is the OLC trace:
http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=2967024

After landing and making my intentions known, I was quickly hooked back up and back on tow for my return to Avenal. A 5:00 launch is a little late, and I unfortunately could not find my way into any lift to get me enough altitude for my return. After a few bad choices, I landed in a field off of Hwy 25 about 30 miles South of Hollister. My retrieve crew was there just before sunset and we made it back to Avenal just before midnight.

Thanks to Eric for getting the egg in striking distance for me and to all the Hollister pilots for relaying my position to my crew at Avenal. SPOT failed me on this one.

Come and get it Lee....

 

 

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Previous Captures:

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Flight Date: 8-13-2012

Captured by: Hollister, CA

Pilot: Eric Rupp

Eric Rupp landed at Jean, NV, flying From Hollister, CA. View Eric's SPOT Trace. Here is Eric's Report:

I got a super fast start with two good climbs on the normal convergence line -- and then a climb to 13k+ feet at San Benito Mountain. That was enough to glide to Black Mountain (finding zip) and on to Camatta where I again connected with the convergence, this time with cloud streets. I zoomed past New Cuyama and headed east, south of Mt. Pinos-- that's where the, ugh... fun started.

There was a large area of OD in my path to the east. I skirted that on the upwind side which worked well, but then the next good clouds were inside the Edwards restricted area. Negotiations with Joshua Approach were fruitless, but I did find a northern sector that was "cold", east of Inyoker. With lots of clouds, with rain showers and some OD, I was able to pick my way through -- and was delighted to break into the clear with beautiful, well spaced clouds and a street leading the last 70 miles toward Las Vegas!

What had been near overwhelming -- OD, approach control, restricted areas, and wrestling sectionals in the cockpit -- turned benign and one of those reasons we love soaring. I'm pleased to be bringing The Egg back to its rightful home in Hollister. Tim Gunderson of the Jean club has offered to give me a tow -- hope I can make it home tomorrow! Thanks also to Quest at Hollister who went way out of his way to give me a tow today. The Capture is half yours and The Egg will look great in your display case.

Yours truly, Eric Rupp (ER)

Update: Eric tried to make a return flight and landed safely just North of the Grapevine near I5 (sketchy details at the time this was typed). Pilot and Glider are safe. Great return flight too, just a little short.

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FLIGHT DATE: JULY 22, 2012

PILOT: Ramy Yanetz (TG)

The Egg is WAS at Jean, NV.

After being at Air Sailing, NV for approx. 10 months, then at Truckee, CA for 6 days, the PASCO EGG has been captured by Jean, NV.

Flight from Jean, NV to Truckee, CA

Date: Sunday, July 22, 2012

Pilot: Ramy Yanetz (TG)

I flew from Jean to Truckee on Sunday, so the egg is now officially belongs to Jean until someone flies there from another region 11 gliderpilot. This is not as difficult as it may sound. Jean is only a little more than final glide from the Inyos. You can walk from the glider port to the hotel which charges 30-$60 per night or spend the night in Vegas and fly back the following day. I did it in relatively marginal conditions with low bases and OD, so should be doable in most decent days.

More details and flight trace on OLC:
http://www.onlinecontest.org/olc-2.0/gliding/flightinfo.html?dsId=2581085
This may be the longest egg capture (in straight line distance) to date.
Ramy

 

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Truckee to Air Sailing, Morteza?, Date: 7/16/12 (possibly)

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PASCO EGG Captured from ASI 9-10-11

Date of Flight: 09/10/2011

Pilot: Ramy (TG)

I flew today from Williams to Lassen and more, and landed in airsailing to capture the egg. Currently enjoying their annual banquet and great hospitality.
Will try to fly back tomorrow. Ramy (TG)

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PASCO EGG Captured by Air Sailing from Truckee

Date of Flight: 09/04/2011

"Blackhawk (Lee Edling) recaptured the egg! And he got #31 OLC flight doing it even tho that was only part of his flying because he had to land at Truckee to get the egg."

 

Also posted on the SoaringNV blog: Text copied below:

Ha! Take that you Truckee glider pilots! Now you can look at an empty cabinet and wonder how the PASCO Egg is doing in the care of another gliderport!

This morning Chukar was nice enough to tow and free me up for an egg run. Hey, if nobody else would do it...

I called Samantha at Soar Truckee to make certain the egg was still there, and it was. The Ventus and I made it into the air and stuck around Warm Springs Valley for a while until it cooked some thermals--6J was already underway. An egg capture requires a flight of at least 100km, so I went to Tule Lake and then to 7990 before heading for Truckee. I got up to around 14,000 feet at 7990 (Stateline Peak) and had no problem heading down on the west side of the Petersons. There was virga in the area, mainly to the west, but there were plenty of cloud bottoms free of virga. Truckee, as always, is a beautiful place to fly around. The AWOS gave winds favoring runway 19 so all was normal on the landing and I pulled off on the diagonal to the left (zoom in with the Google Map set to satellite on the OLC and you can see it).

The crew there was great. Noy and Maddie towed me to the ramp. I went in and Sam gave me the egg and had me sign the Truckee SOP for 2011. I filled out a tow request form (they are handed to the tow pilot). Jan was getting ready to take off with a student in a 2-33 and I got to say hi to him.

Then it was back in the Ventus and I was staged on the side of the runway at about a 30 degree angle. When you are ready the tow plane takes the centerline and you don't get to the centerline until after the tow has started. It takes a little rudder work to turn your ship down the runway while you are gaining speed on the ground.

The Pickle (their green tow plane) took me to a golf course southeast of the airport and I released at about a couple of thousand feet agl. I worked up to the east and got over the hot rocks (the normal release point I remember using at Truckee). Then there were some thin clouds leading to a larger cloud at Mt. Rose, so I followed that route and got high on Mt. Rose before heading north.

As I got north of Verdi Peak the clouds were still working but there was a blue space as I launched towards Frenchman Lake where there were dark bottomed clouds. Just like in a bad dream, as I got there, they all died and I headed for 7990 and Tule without much luck until getting to Tule.

David Prather in 6J had been at Tule above 15 not too much before me but it was falling apart and I headed for first lift and NexRad. There was a line of clouds going south out of Nixon and I connected to that street and made it almost to Yerington before deciding I didn't want to land out with the pilots who couldn't get back into Truckee. A few areas of lift on the way home allowed me to cruise at 80 plus knots on final glide.

The sun was low enough when I landed on 35 that I was in shadow. Kite, 6J, and Falcon came out to help me park Ventus 3 and Bear licked me before I got out of the cockpit.

Here is an OLC page that shows my two flights for the day--the shorter is the flight to Truckee:

On 123.3 at the end of the day, it was the same old story. Many of the Truckee pilots were trying to figure out if they could make it home. Some did and some had to land at Minden, Carson City, and Dayton and wait for tows. DoDo was low near Sierraville in 1CH before that but dug his way out, so it was fun listening to his progress.

Then, there was a voice on the radio: "Air Sailing has the Egg!"

I confessed that we had it. How does the word get out?

Then the voice said, "I'll come get it tomorrow."

We'll see! - Lee Edling

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PASCO EGG Captured from Air Sailing 08-27-2011

Date of Flight: 8/27/2011
Pilot #1: Morgan Hall
Pilot #2: Julie Butler

PASCO EGG CAPTURED from Air Sailing

Flight Time: 6.1
Glider Type: Duo Discus ID: 5H
Capturing Gliderport: Truckee
Losing Gliderport: Air Sailing

REPORT:

After a morning of rain and wave like conditions the sky filled in with nice cu and a brisk 18mph+ SW breeze. Julie and I launched and pinned off into a 9knot thermal straight to 12k and were off to the races trying to catch Buzz and Darren to the North.

We chased hard past Ravendale and decided to run the Warner Range to Oregon, thinking we had enough time to battle the headwind home. We were wrong. Turning at the north end of Goose Lake we got slow in dwindling clouds for the first 40 miles. Then things improved to the south end of the Warner Range. We had to jump east towards Gerlach to another line of clouds as it was blue between Ravendale and Truckee.

We squeaked around the corner and into Thule peak north of Air Sailing and ridge soared it up to 8400 or so then pressed south to the Dogskins but couldn't find a good climb in the late afternoon. Others were reporting wave west of Stead, but we couldn't get to it. Decided after a few attempts that Air Sailing was the best choice.

Lee and Larry greeted us and helped us tie down the glider. They hooked us up with food and bedding and were thrilled to see someone come in to take the egg. I'm sure Lee will have it back in a day or two.

For now it is in the case at Truckee, awaiting the next capture.

~ Morgan Hall, 8/29/2011