The Prodigal Sun[ship] Returns

Congratulate George Saunders when you see him; he earned his silver altitude and distance legs today in the PW-5 by flying to Hagerstown. I'll try to get him to write an account of his flight, but in the meantime here's my story.

I went with him, declaring Hagerstown as a turnpoint for an out and return. About halfway out, we got a radio call from Jeff Melin who reported that back at Alexandria the lift had completely died!

When I made the turnpoint and looked back at the way home, it was pretty bleak. There were a few scruffy cumulus clouds north of me, but they didn't look like much, and they weren't. Each time I ran into lift, it gave out lower than the time before. I decided to divert toward the Wilson family's private runway, where we had an away weekend last year, and see if anything developed along the way (and I was not very hopeful, because now there were no signs of lift ahead of me whatsoever). I made a radio call that I was heading for The Last Resort.

About two miles out from the Wilsons' airstrip, I ran into lift and made a few turns. It was broken up and hard to work, so I continued on over the runway, where I found more, better organized lift. I started to work it, and was barely breaking even at first, but I gained a few hundred feet. Then I spotted a red-shouldered hawk circling over the Wilsons' barn. I got a close look at it from above, then from the side, then from below as it outclimbed me. I got the impression that it was not too happy about the big white bird hanging out on its turf. I gained about a thousand feet of altitude with its help, though, and turned to the north. A few seconds later, far overhead and just ahead of me, a flight of migrating birds wheeled into a circle as they hit another thermal. I was really saved now. I gained another 800 feet in the lift they marked for me.

At that point, I was right on the edge of final glide to Alexandria. Five miles later I ran into another thermal and gained another 800 feet. I think I held my breath for the last 13 miles home.

I landed at Alexandria and didn't see anyone around. When I walked around the corner of the T hangars, there were Dick Hutch and Todd Rutledge, just about to hitch the trailer to my car! They had heard I was heading for The Last Resort and thought I'd be needing a trailer retrieve.

I was lucky to make it back. Pete Detore retrieved George from Hagerstown.

I posted my trace to the OLC. You can see my route and the save, and download the IGC file from there, if you are interested.