[Amigo] > [Mark's flight index] [Sunday's Article Set]

Mark Stucky  (aka Forger)

Sunday, 8/7/05
Pine to Red Mountain (Hwy 395)
~ 107 miles ~ GPS, but no track log
1st PG flight from Pine

I've dreamed about flying from Pine to Edwards for years and this day looked like it had the potential as long as I could get off early and beat the thunderstorms.  That's the way it worked out.

SD led the way although he got too far too quick and decked it east of Cal City.  Buddy flying with Bo and Dean we were able to hop scotch to the sunlit areas and kept going along 29-mule team road, until we reached Hwy 395 (103 miles).  We could have gone on directly downwind to Cuddeback Lake but had unwaiverable airspace restrictions beyond.  So we turned north and headed up 395.  I had been pushing it to make the 100 mile point before the day shut down (if was 6 pm) and was in front and lower than the others.  Dean said we should land together so I circled around for them to catch up and then headed north with them cutting the corner.

It was a great plan (for Dean and Bo).  I landed and they kept going.  Dean made it a few more miles and Bo took the Trona Cutoff and landed 118 miles from launch.  Eddie was right there for us the entire time.

All in all it was a great flight.  It took me a couple of hours to get to Frasier and an hour and half to punch through the weird mix of flow and get to the desert.  We all had several relatively low saves.  Timing was everything and we had luck, good decisions, help from chase, and buddy flying to help make it all work.

I've flown Pine once before (a hg in 1987).  It was a north launch blustery spring ridge soaring day.  So I consider this my first "real" Pine flight.  It was a great day and I hope to do it again next year.

I forgot my camera so no photos.