Latest Work Completed Mantua, New Jersey
Original Site:
September 2004
E-mail: usav8or@yahoo.com
Silent Flight.
Front row seats... to an IMAX Film
Mike began searching for lift as soon as we let go of the tow line. The winds were light... not much lift from
the wind blowing up the side of one of those mountains. As he looked for thermals he explained how he'd look for hawks or eagles circling. He'd line up right behind them and cut the
air as they would... rising up in the thremals that they found instead of looking for some unseen up-rising currents.
While we waited for Denise and Joe to be towed to altitude Mike eeked out everything he could from the rising air. Climbing at 200 feet per minute... but it was a steady climb.
Everywhere I looked the world was filled with green mountains and blue skies. Almost too much to take in
at one time. It was amazing. I was getting a rush from the beautiful view... the rolling green of the foothills leading up to the gray-green craggy cliffs of the higher mountains. I could see forever.
As Mike searched for lift, I began to search for Denise and Joe in the yellow sailplane.
It was a good 15 or 20 minutes before Mike spied their yellow dot rising off the runway to the west of where we were circling. We were up to about 3500' at the time and we knew that they would drop the towline at 2500. As the
dot grew larger we banked toward them lowering the nose of the sailplane to point at them as if we were going to
do a straffing run. With the sun behind us as cover, we appeared out of nowhere as we flashed by them. A large
climbing turn brought us high and just over them. As I peered down I could see Denise waving. I thought of the movie Top-Gun where Maverick and Goose fly inverted over the MIG-27 taking a snapshot of the surprised Russian.
It's really neat having another aircraft dance in harmony with you. The four of us criss-crossed the azure blue and cotton ball skies... seeming like forever. Denise and I had our cameras filled with pictures of each other as
we either passed overhead, underneath or beside each other... it felt as if we were on location for a National Geographic shoot for an article on sailplanes. It's a totally different experience up there with another plane... which nothing compares to.
I can only imagine what the two of us looked like from the ground... two graceful sailplanes playing with each
other.
Frolic... I'd say that, that might best describe how the two sailplanes appeared in the skies that day over the rolling hills of central Pennsylvainia. Two long-winged birds playing with each other.
The flight, although long, was over before we knew it. As we head back toward the airport Mike asked if I'd like
to take the controls. As I held the stick in my hand it was heavy. Nothing like what I thought it would feel like after seeing how graceful both Mike and Joe flew them. If you think about it... there's a lot of wing hanging out
there pretty far. Makes sense to be "heavy" on the controls.
I followed Joe to the airport, a 45 into downwind, "heavy" turn to base and then turned the controls over to Mike.
Coming in a little high, Mike deployed the spoiliers to increase the rate of decent. We made an aircraft carrier
type of landing... hit the ground and it stuck.
I helped Mike push back the sailplane, that Denise and Joe were in, to the tie-downs at the far end of the runway, which, by the way, was down a pretty steep incline. We said our goodbyes and thanked them for the great
time we had flying formation with each other.
I helped Mike push back the sailplane, that Denise and Joe were in, to the tie-downs at the far end of the runway, which, by the way, was down a pretty steep incline. We said our goodbyes and thanked them for the great
time we had flying formation with each other.
Later in the day as Denise and I were climbing the cliffs of Hawk Mountain, searching the skies for Red-tailed Hawks, Golden Eagles and Osprey, we shared our stories of that days flight and how lucky we were to be able to
fly in formation with each other as we sat in front row seats in the greatest IMAX film made...