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I Learned About Flying From That: A Wave From Above

To see more of Barry Ross' aviation art, go to
barryrossart.com.
Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • A newly licensed sailplane pilot embarks on a celebratory wave flight, his first experience with this type of lift.
  • He climbs high into the wave, becoming isolated as rapidly deteriorating weather traps him above an obscuring cloud layer with no instrument flying capability.
  • Facing a critical emergency, he performs a risky, improvisational spiral dive through the clouds, successfully breaking out just 1,800 feet above ground near the airport.
  • The experience, while dangerous, served as a crucial lesson about the unpredictable and rapidly changing nature of mountain wave weather, teaching him valuable safety insights.
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I had to land within 200 feet of the white mark to pass the last phase of the checkride. Easy, I thought, as I turned the Schweizer 2-33 sailplane onto final. I’ll show this guy how good I am. I’ve got to hold 45 knots, 300 feet — that’s a little fast; let’s apply more dive brakes. Beautiful, I’ve got it. Shushhhh, down, and within 100 feet. Not bad! He’s going to pass me.

John Machone, Warren-Sugarbush Airport’s sailplane examiner, sat behind me. “Congratulations, Adam, you are a sailplane pilot.”

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