Fwd: WOW - I SHOULD HAVE MADE IT BACK !

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ZASoars

WOW - I SHOULD HAVE MADE IT BACK !

Yesterday ( Saturday) was better than most probably thought . At least
I can say that with certainty now.
The day was blue but thermals reached up to 5500msl later in the day
and I made it easily down to Caesar Creek . After a bit of a delay
getting back in the air I thought - GREAT . There were some good
looking clouds over the first 10 miles of the return course . However
I could not find good lift under them , so battled my way towards Alex
in the blue until near sunset when I landed at Carroll airstrip 12
miles short ( very good ). Thanks to Larry Miller who towed me back
within seconds of the remaining daylight disappearing.

THE INTERESTING PART IS : I checked the OLC results from yesterday
to see where the Caesar Creek crowd were flying , and you should do
the same . Check Don Burns flight log - AMAZING . I haven't spoken to
him yet but I can see that about the time I saw those good looking
clouds ( 20:20 ) Don climbed to 8700msl . Maybe a thermal up the front
of one of them or maybe some kind of wave action associated with them
. I live and learn every time I fly and now know I should have easily
made it back to Alex if I had only figured out how to use those clouds
!!

ZA.

P.S.:

I spoke to Don Burns this evening ( Don you may recall is the CC
member who has retrieved "The Trophy " from us at Alex many times )
Don told me that his climb to 8700msl ( above cloud ) yesterday was
only a modest accomplishment . He says several others he was flying
with climbed to 12000 msl or better ! The moral of the story ( for me
anyway ) is - always explore around , out front of , besides just
under unusual strong looking clouds . And don't think just 'cos the
winds at your level are docile ( around 5-8 knots max ) that they are
not stronger higher up - and generating wave maybe ! ( Actually I had
thought in the morning that upper winds might be a negative factor -
it turns out they were a very positive factor ) .

Keep looking for the good October days ahead .

ZA.