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RIDGE SOARING THE BALD EAGLE RIDGE
COPYRIGHT @ 1981 by Thomas Knauff This book, or parts there0f, must not be reproduced in any manner without written permission.
TIP ED by SUSAN 'SPEEDY FINGERS' FISHER
198'.3 Edition
PREFACE
PART I
(Williamsport to Cumberland)
1.
MY 1000 KM FLIGHT BY GEORGE VAKKUR
1
2.
DESCRIP TION OF THE BALD EAGLE RIDGE
8
3
THE WIND AND THE RIDGE
17
4.
METEOROLOGY
21
5·
RIDGE SOARING
29
6.
RIDGE SOARING METHODS
30
7·
RULES OF RIDGE FLYING
43
8.
MOODS OF RIDGE
48
9.
DOES THE RIDGE LIFT EVER QUIT?
49
10.
RIDGE THERMALS
54
II.
WAVE SOARING
57
12.
PREPARATION
61
13·
YOU
63
14·
ACCIDENTS
64
15·
FAr BADGES
67 PART II
16.
LONG FLIGHTS
79
17·
SPEED TRIANGLES
88
18.
GREAT CIRCLE DISTANCES
91
19·
STATUTE MILE REFERENCE POINTS
93
20.
1000 KM ARC FROM RIDGE SOARING GLIDERPORT
96
21.
800 SM ARC FROM RIDGE SOARING GLIDERPORT
97
22.
900 SM ARC FROM RIDGE SOARING GLIDERPORT
98
23·
1000 SM ARC FROM RIDGE SOARING GLIDERPORT
99
24·
SELECTED DISTANCES FROM RIDGE SOARING GLIDERPORT
100
25·
THE LEGEND OF SENECA ROCKS
101
26.
SAMPLE DECLARATION
PREFACE RIDGE SOARING THE BALD EAGLE RIDGE My first booklet, "Ridge Soaring the Alleghenys' Bald Eagle Ridge", was written in 1974 to answer the many questions I received about our ridge.
At
that time, a handful of glider pilots had flown this ridge with spectacular results.
The first book was written from the standpoint of all out, record
type, flying. In 1975 Ridge Soaring Gliderport was organized at Julian, Pa., and more glider pilots came to fly the ridge.
It became apparent that the concept of
high speed low level flying, which is often necessary for record attempts by the experts, had been accepted as "The Way" to soar this ridge.
A more
traditional style of ridge flying had to be explained to these early pilots. Many pilots stayed away, deeming ridge flying as being too dangerous.
It was
apparent that a new book was needed. This book therefore explains the different ridge soaring techniques that everyone might use and should show how safe and easy it is.
So regardless if
you just want a place to fly that you can be assured of just staying aloft or trying for your silver or diamond legs, or is you are a serious contender for a worlds record: "The Way" is shown in this new book. Without a doubt, the most helpful part of this book are the detailed maps that have been drawn by George Vakkur.
My deepest gratitude goes out to
this man for his untold hours of research and drawings.
Every mention to
distances or coordinates are the work of George, as well as most of the photographs. The reader will find it helpful to refer to Detroit and Cincinnati sectional maps as he reads this book.
A special ridge map is also available
for $3.00 from Ridge Soaring Gliderport, RD, Julian, PA. $1.00 for postage.
16844.
Please add
The following account is reprinted here with permission of the writer to depict what a normal 1000 km flight might be like for the average pilot. George also adds some useful suggestions at the end of his article.
MY 1000 KM FLIGHT
By George Vakkur
I had been waiting for a cold front for a week, Philipsburg Flight Service at 04:00 EST on Good Friday
and when I called (April 1,
1911),
the winds were promised to be ideal all the way down to Knoxville from 300 0 and 35 knots, at 6000 feet.
I got my crew out of bed, hurried
to the field at Ridge Soaring Gliderport, started to put my Astir CS together,
called Tom and Doris,
to Bluefield, Va.. off
and declared a 1000 km out-and-return
With the usual delays it was 01:00 EST before I took
I could have been airborne an hour and half earlier.
was cool,
but the sunshine bright and visibility unlimited,
contrast to some previous flights in cold wet cautiously at 10 to 80 knots.
snowshowers~
The morning in sharp I ran rather
The thermals were already 5 knots or better,
and at Altoona I had no problems in reachillg 4000 feet for a safe crossing.
The run to Bedford was fast,
and again I had to stop for
only 10 minutes before being able to cross. I slowed down,
and transitioned into thermals.
while climbing,
I was able to run at 110 knots, However,
a few times,
I drifted downwind,'
from Haystack Mountain towards Knobly Mountain,
I left the thermal on course,
feet.
Before reaching Cumberland
and as
I contacted wave at about 5000 feet. while climbing,
between 6000 and 1000
after hitting quite unexpected and very severe turbulence
I slowed down a shade.
The wave clouds looked as usual in
1
2
those parts ridge;
like ragged cumuli,
lined up just above and in front of the
they are of course generated by geological features further upwind.
Bill Holbrook
s~s
20,000 feet,
usually occurs near upwind of Petersburg,
slow to climb.
that the highest point of this wave,
sometimes over but I did not
You can fly just above the upwind edge of those clouds,
'flying the clouds' as you would fly the ridge. cannot see the ridge, quite unfamiliar.
From this position you
but only the more upwind features, This can be unsettling,
which can be
unless you realise that
the wave alw~s stays on course (so they sayl).
I became complacent, and
was taken by suprise when I saw Mountain Grove slip under the wing at 10:00 EST
my 'great circle speed' had so far been 65 knots.
same time I fumbled and lost the wave.
At the
I should probably have continued
straight on to Lick Mountain at Covington,
but I turned downwind towards
Warm Springs Mountain instead.
nothing looked familiar.
Suddenly,
I must have miscounted the ridges;
I thought that I could not possibly
have reached Warm Springs Mountain yet, and the next...
I was lost,
were 10 knots to 8000 feet,
went to the next downwind ridge,
and dO"Wlmind.
By that time the thermals
mainly dry but with occasional small curnulio
I decided to thermal and ridgesoar SW,
parallel to the 'lost ridge',
until I would pick up highway US64 to Covington. US64 was not yet constructed that far,
I did not know that
but from the top of one thermal
I glimpsed what could only be Ingallis Airport, carrier on top of the Warm Springs Mountain.
sitting like an aircraft I .tao 17 miles downwind,
but I regained the ridge without much difficulty at 11:)2 EST lost an hour and half! Knob at Covington,
I had
I needed two attempts to get to windward of Dig
but then it was an easy upwind transition to the lower
2
3
Lick Mountain,
and then along the ridge to my turnpoint,
Fincastle Country Club. at about 90 knots,
Most of this part of the ridge was flown slowly,
which put me 1000 to 2000 feet above the ridge crest Ordinary glider
the pounding lower down was just too uncomfortable. harness is not really adequate for fast ridgerunning shoulderrests,
-I intend to build
against which I can jam myself by extending my legs;
a foam-rubber hat would also be helpfUl.
Along the whole course there
perhaps five miles long,
was only one short stretch,
have excellent landingfields constantly in view. Bluefield,
which was
where I did not
This was 12 miles before
where the ridge makes a short turn into wind
(Jesses Knob).
All that I had to do there was to slow down to zero ring speed, gaining another one or two thousand feet.
thereby
It is true that in a
1-26
I would have been more apprehensive! To my suprise there were no problems on the way back. cautiously,
I flew quite
at first thinking only of reducing the retrieve-distance
but this tirnp I payed close attention to pilotage! I took a strong thermal off Lick Mountain, reach Warm Springs Mountain downwind, Mountain Grove,
At Covington
and flew so that I could a.lways
while edging crosswind towards
and taking any thermals over 10 knots on the way.
Soon it seemed probable that I could reach Mountain Grove direct, I did.
Well before Seneca Rock I transitioned into thermals,
stayed high until well past Cumberland.
o
to +3
at CUmberland it fell to _10 0 C,
0
anu
C,
externally,
So far the outside
but as I climbed to 7000 feet
I dropped my 220 Ibs of water
because I was not using any antifreeze. water had frozen,
and
At Cumbprland I used the same
'edffing across the wind' tactic as at Covington. temperature had been from -3
and
Later I found that some of this
to the bottom of the fflider,
all the
4
way back to the rudder. to Tussey
~iountain,
At Bedford I had to decide whether to turn downwind
thus avoiding both gaps,
that I would achieve 1000 km dogleg distance,
and making reasonably certain or whether to press on on
the ridge for a 1000 km out-and-return distance, Australian records. climbing, so on, gap)
which would break four
For about fifteen minutes I played -with 5 knot thermals,
being carried downwind,
flying upwind to the ridge again,
until I gained enough height to fly directly upwind for a few miles.
I did that several times,
thermal in the extreme upwind position,
(not into the
until I hit a strong
climbed for all that I was worth,
and from this good tactical position was able to cross safely.
While
crossing I would resolutely ignore all but very strong thermals tlfO turns in inadequate lift while drifting dowmnnd, will look desparate...
I repeated this technique at Altoona gap,
I flew as carefully as I could,
with the sun already behind the ridges.
and half hours.
After crossing
so as not to blow it in the last leg,
in the end I had to speed up in order to be down before dark. 18:30 EST,
one or
and sUddenly things
There were still plentiful 5 knot thermals.
at 18:00 EST.
and
I had flown very conservatively,
but
I landed at
It had taken eleven and safetyways there had
been not one single anxious moment.
Easy? October,
Perhaps.
1974.
However,
I had prepared for this flight since
I had written to Tom Knauff,
to fly off Karl Striedieck's field
and he had arranged for me
for which I will be forever grateful.
It was immediately obvious to me that this type of flying was a quite new departure in soaring.
Also,
althoueh it could be extraordinarily enjoyable,
it would require some new skills and habits.
Since then I have been quite
4
5
obsessed with the ridge,
spending all my available time on it
on the ground,
taking aerial photos,
I added it up,
and it came to 100 soaring hours and 2500 miles on the ridge,
before this flight.
drawing maps,
travelling
The last flight just grew out of this,
itself just a warmup of bigger things to corne! some of my thoughts,
and of course soaring
and I hope is
I would .like to pass on
from the vantage-point of a lOlrlime pilot,
who
m~
be closer to some of the problems than the experts.
A word about safety.
Some harrowing,
and I think misleading
descriptions of ridge flights have appeared in Soaring magazine. that this type of flying is different.
You must not come here with the
intention of breaking the World Record with your first flight. book,
Allow yourself some time. and soar locally with him.
difficult stretches,
(or the fifth)
Read and memorize Tom's Take the invaluable .300 and 500
km indoctrination flights in a pOl'Terplane
landmarks,
Tom will point out the
landingfields,
and all the thines that
you need to know to stop you from breaking your glider. of this type of flying,
It is true
listen to other pilots,
Get the 'feel'
prepare your maps,
then do some local 300 and 500 km flights yourself.
Such shakedown
flights are flown only in good visibility, in strong safe lift, with good landing fields always in sight.
An
all-out record flight may of
course be made in much different conditions ridges,
close to the trees in heavy turbulence,
visibility,
crossing the gaps blind
such conditions,
cloudbase barely off the at times with neglible
but you will not be flying in
at least not from Tom's field!
5
6 Safety also depends on the ship that you fly.
It has to haTe a
rpasonable lift over drag - this means that for the same conditions you will bp flying higher
(or faster,
which energy-wise is the same thing),
that you can penetrate to a field miles away,
and that should the ~hings
collapse, you will have just a little bit longer to collect your wits. A 1-26 is all right for 300 km flights, and on very good days for 500 km flights - but for long flights, leave it for experts! In caSe you do make some errors, the ship has to be easy to fly and to The rough air speed should be high to lessen your anxieties.
land.
It is nice to be able to land with ballast, freeze.
I bought my Astir CS,
to be able to save the anti
sight unseen,
fulfilled all those requirements,
because it obviously
and I have not been dissapointed.
(It also has a very roomy cockpit,
and it seems to be oompetitive,
those points were irrelevant to me;
because of its huge wingarea,
wings are a trifle heavy,
but the
but I consider this a minimal irritation,
especially as it is the large wing which makes it such a safe ship, and which allows it to outclimb anything in sight.)
Once I have mastered
the ridge I might transition into an all-out open ship,
but in the meanwhile
I feel that I can fly more adventurously with the Astir.
A word about maps.
If you are serious about the ridge,
a set of 1:250,000 topographical maps. Cumberland, :Md.,
Pittsburg, Pa., Bluefield, W.Va.,
Get also,
free,
Indexes to
71-
1
Charlottsville, Va.,
Winston-Salem, N.C.,
from Map Distribution,
USGS,
(Williamsport, Pa.,
first get Harrisburg, Pa.,
Roanoke, Va.,
Johnson City, Tenn.
1200 South Eads
St.,
Arlington,
Index to National TopOGraphical Maps,
2.00 each, Va. 22202.
1:250,000,
and
Topographical Maps of Pa., Md., W.Va., Va., Tenn.)
6
1
Using the indexes,
1t' maps
order
areas of special interest.
Mark,
(1.25 each) of turnpoints, glue together,
and of any
and cut up one Detroit
and two Cincinnati sectionals.
A car trip along the length of the ridge is quite useful. is only 180 road-miles away.
Seneca Rock
It is 610 miles to the South end of the ridge,
taking about 16 hours driving in secondary roads.
In most small airports
along the way you can rent a plane with a pilot,
and see the ridge locally.
\
The
Bald~Eagle
Ridge is a 450 mile long series of mountains beginning at
Williamsport,Pennsylvania and gently'S' curving its way to near Knoxville,
Tennesee.
It is the western most ridge in the Allegheny mountains and lies
just east of the Allegheny plateau.
The Alleghenies were formed eons ago by the collision of two continental plates pressing against each other, wrinkling the earths surface.
These
mountains are among the oldest on earth and have eroded down to a mear shadow of their former greatness. were 48,000 feet high!
Geologists tell us that at one time these mountains
The present time finds these same mountains to be about
2,000 feet above sea level on their northern and southern limits and a maximum height of 4,500 feet in the central regions.
8
,I" \
. L
