Alby's Progress


View Larger Map

Map Legend

___ Successful Legs
___ Attempts
___ Proposed legs

Click, hold and move the mouse to move the map.
Point hand's finger, click on markers to read airport information.
Point hand's finger, click on path legs to read flight information.
Click on Sat (top right) to see aerial picture, enlarge to see airport.
Click on "View Larger Map" above to see full screen .




latest news

11/1/09 - WINTER ACTIVITY - This the season of limited flying activity for a glider pilot, of savoring past accomplisments and preparing for new ones. So in place of reporting about flights, we will report on what's going on in the organization of Alby's future path and adventures. More plans and more e-mails will be shown in this column.

Sergio to Robert Hey, October 31:
Hi Bob (Hey). So here is the answer from Bob (Herndon). The two of you can agree which week you want to try first.

Now a word about the reservations: The Rules are applied literally if there is no different agreement between you two (or more) guys: so one pilot has one week to do the flight, after which the other pilot may try. But the Rules are very flexible depending on you: If Bob (Herndon) finds that he cannot fly in the week he has reserved, the other Bob (Hey) can fly instead. If Bob (Herndon) finds that he cannot fly for three days in the week he has reserved, the other Bob (Hey) can fly for those three days instead. Etcetera. Provided you two (or more) agree, any arrangement is good.

It is always recommendable to tell the Albymaster, who will update the calendar, so everything is clear for everybody. Remember that this includes the people at home following the adventures of Alby. So when you answer an e-mail, push the "Reply All" button and the information will go to everybody interested including the Albymaster.

Thank you Bob (Herndon) for your hospitable move to Bob (Hey)! Sergio

E-mail from Robert Herndon, MS, October 31:
I can arrange a tow at Pisgah if Bob Hey wants to take the leg when Alby gets here. If he can't do it, I may give it a try. Bob Herndon

Sergio to Eric Hey, October 31 :
OK now the first thing you want to do is to read the Rules in the website at http://www.blogger.com/. We have established these rules just to try and accommodate everybody. The Rules have been purposely kept short and simple to adequate to this age of fast an essential information.

Yes, you may want to contact the people at the glider site of your choice to make arrangements for a tow, to tell them that you want to fly that particular leg etc., and in general as a courtesy call to introduce yourselves to your fellow glider pilots.

According to the Rules, one pilot or one team reserves one week and has that week to try and make the flight. If they do not make it, next week somebody else can try etc. In the Calendar (at the bottom of the website) is shown who is the pilot or team that has that particular week reserved.

You can reserve any week right now, but only one week in a particular gliding site. If you cannot make the flight in that week, wait when it is your turn. As a courtesy to that glider site, please give them the first choice. After they do it, or if they renounce to do it, go ahead and ask to reserve your desired week. You can do the reservation at any time, either now or next spring. In Pisgah, the contact is Robert Herndon.

Always cc: to albymaster@pacificsoaring.org so we know what is going on. Go for it! Sergio

E-mail from Eric Hey, AL, October 31:
Sergio, we would like to offer to fly two legs of the Alby Voyage flight. My father, Bob Hey, is game to handle the Harrell Field (Piscah, MS) to Starkville, MS leg. I will fly the Starkville, MS to Sylacauga, AL leg. Do we need to contact the two respective glider clubs to make arrangements for tows? Eric Hey

Sergio to Robert Hey, October 27:
Hi Robert. Ok we'll try our best to let you fly a leg. Now the leg from Sylacauga to Huntsville has been claimed by your friend Bill Elliott and he will be the first to try. However, you can try to fly other legs. For example, the leg from Mississippi State University (Starkville) to Sylacauga. That is not that hard to do. Or, the leg form Pisgah to Starkville. That is a little more "harder" but remember that it can be done in more than one flight, landing somewhere along the track and then taking off again, having one week to complete the task. Read the rules at http://albysvoyage.blogspot.com/.

Anybody can ask to fly with Alby. You can also fly the leg from Sylacauga to Huntsville if your friend Bill does not make it in one week. When the time comes, follow the adventures of Alby in the website, and be ready to ask to fly a leg. Got it? There is fun for everybody if a body is just ready for it! Sergio

E-mail from Bob Hey, AL, October 27:
Sergio, my name is Bob Hey. I have an interest in being a player in the "Alby Flight". My son Eric owns a LS4a and I have a LP-15 Nugget - based in Sylacauga, Alabama. We are active members with the Sylacauga Soaring Society.
Each of us is willing to help bring "Alby" on it's way to Kitty Hawk. If there is any leg in Alabama that we can help with please let us know. Perhaps we can handle a leg or two on this journey. Thanks in advance, Bob Hey.

10/17/09 - SOME MORE POOR WEATHER - Well at this time of the year, it is more reasonable to have poor weather. However, still some cold front may produce usable conditions.

10/08/09 - TEXAS WEATHER: THUNDERSTORMY! - E-mail from Dean Forney:

Sergio, I’m sure you and everyone else is wondering what’s going on with Alby! As you have seen, the weather has been terrible for soaring attempts for the past month or more. As I write this, the forecast in this part of the world is for possible tornados and severe thunderstorms with flash floods likely for the next 48 hours. We continue to watch for the possibility of another attempt to move Alby on to Louisiana, but it looks bleak for the near future. Presently Alby is safe and warm, sitting in my study here in Gainesville, TX. Will keep you posted of any developments.

I was crewing for Steve on Sept 7, and Elizabeth & Glenn Maynard, as well as Steve were crewing for me on Sept 27. Bless their hearts, they sat on the ground all day at TSA and cheered my futile attempt on! Thanks to all of them for the effort.

By the way, on the last flight, Spot worked perfectly as shown on the website for a few days.

10/03/09 - AWFUL WEATHER IN TEXAS - The worst weekend weather as of today. But as they say, if you don't like Texas weather, wait for tomorrow because it will change dramatically.

9/26/09 - TEXAS WEATHER STILL UNCOOPERATIVE - Not much to hope for this weekend too.

9/18/09 - AWFUL WEATHER FOR DECATUR PILOTS - Weather is absolutely poor east of Dallas this weekend - not much to do but wait.

9/12/09 - BAD WEATHER FOR DECATUR PILOTS - The weather for this weekend is very poor in Dallas. Improvement is needed before a flight can be attempted.

Email from Dean Forney today: We will be watching the weather closely and will give it another try at the first opportunity. Take care, Dean.

9/08/09 - MONDAY ATTEMPT BY DECATUR - E-mail from Dean Forney this morning:

Sergio, Monday was as good as it was forecasted to be and Steve took off from Midlothian with Alby on-board. Unfortunately, we did not properly activate Spot, so no signals were sent. I'm sure that Steve will be posting a detailed account here and in logbook. Steve ran into rain showers and had to land in a field. Field is not big enough to tow out of, so it's back to Midlothian. Terry at TSA has passed their next turn to us, so next try will be again by Steve. More Later, Dean.

From Sergio: It is great to see some action! Anybody is good at flying at great speed under a line of well developed clouds. But it takes commitment, organization and enterprising spirit to set oneself for a goal and work at reaching it. Good Job!

9/07/09 - MONDAY IS FIRST TRY FOR DECATUR - E-mail from Dean Forney yesterday:

Soaring forecast for Saturday was poor. Sunday is better. Monday looks very good, therefore Alby and Steve are scheduled for take off out of Midlothian Monday. Dean

Sergio's answer: Is Monday night , and I see no messages on the SPOT page. How did it go?

9/02/09 - SATURDAY IS FIRST TRY FOR DECATUR - E-mail from Dean Forney today:

Hi Sergio, I just finished talking with Steve Altman and he would like to reserve Sat 5th til Friday 11th, then if needed he would like to continue the reservation for Sat 12th til Fri 18th. We need to make arrangements with TSA for tow(s) and when and where to pick up Alby. We also need to know who to contact at Shreveport club for how to make delivery of Alby, especially if it is during the week. Thanks, Dean.

Sergio's response:

OK and I will place the Sat 5th till Friday 11th reservation in the calendar. For the following week, Sat 12th till Fri 18th, according to the rules it is the turn of Midlothian to try the flight. However, if they agree to let you fly instead, you can reserve for another week. Midlothian has time until Thursday Sept 10 at 6:00 PM (local time) to reserve for the following week, after which you can make your reservation.


E-mail from a fan: Just a quick note to let all of the Albypilots and crew know that your fan club is watching! I'm in northern cal not far from the start of Alby's voyage and am the sister of pilot Dean Forney who just completed the most recent leg to Decatur, TX. I am and will be one of the many fans following the trip and want to send kudos to all of the participants, especially for the Tales of the Flights. May the soaring gods shine upon you all! Diana Ingram



The flight of the Albatross across our Country caught the attention and the fantasy of a newsmaker, Adam Breen, who published a well written and inspired article in Hollister's "The Pinnacle" newspaper: http://www.pinnaclenews.com/news/contentview.asp?c=255106



Tales of the flights

Flight No. 10 and Pin No. 5 - Mario Crosina 4/2/09

The forecast for Thursday looked promising and when Jerry Badal, one of our newer, enthusiastic, XC pilots in the CCSC called and said he could crew, Alby gave us the wing to go. We would be about seven hours ahead of the cold front coming from the North.

On Thursday morning, the RUC and NAM forecasts were almost identical in the southern portion of the San Joaquin Valley with positive inputs, however, at Avenal there was a large difference--the RUC showing 4000' being the top of usable lift at 2 PM, whereas the NAM was forecasting 8000'.

Alby and I made our start at 1:20 PM. We had thermaled up to 7900' msl. This time it was our intention to stay over the mountains all the way around to Tehachapi because of the forecast. The winds where expected to be about 10 to 12 knots out of the NW, with no clouds to help mark the way (click on the images).

The entire flight (click on the image for higher resolution)

Southern Panorama (Looking toward the south)
Flying ahead for 26 miles and finding nothing but sink, Alby spotted dust devils about 10 miles ahead marking a shearline going toward Belridge. The convergence was 10 miles E of the the mountains. We elected to divert toward the nearest one.

We arrived over it around 1760' agl and climbed back up. This turned out to be the lowpoint of the flight.


From there we followed the dust devils and then watched and flew toward a couple of high, small, clouds that would remain visible for a few minutes then disappear and then reappear. By the time we got to Taft, we were back up over 5000' msl again. These were the only clouds we would have to help us on our flight.
We flew South, returning to The Temblor Range, and finally were rewarded with lift. As forecasted, there was consistent lift all the way to Tehachapi.

The mountains at the southern end of the valley were very green as in the images here below.



The NW winds picked up speed for a short time after we passed the Grapevine heading East, then returned to about 12 knots out of the NW. I told Alby that we were reaching the crucial portion of our flight. Taking in and observing the fields along the way is as normal as breathing for a glider pilot. And now I began to notice all the fields below and out to the west were all filled with vineyards. We had to get over and up to the friendlier fields in the Cummings Valley. Alby gave me that look.


We reached the mountains guarding the valley with altitude to spare and found a thermal waiting for us. A little help from above, thank you.

We ridge soared around the mountain waiting for Tehachapi to make its appearance. When it finally came into view, my initial reaction was "why didn't I stay and climb longer at our last thermal?," but Alby gave me that look again and waved us on. We were eight miles out.
We arrived at the field very quickly with the help of the wind exceeding 25 knots. We flew a pattern and landed near the soaring facility and tucked CM up on the grass on the lee side of the building to protect it from the wind. Everyone was gone. The operation had been closed early in the day due to the wind. It was 4:30 PM.

I had to make sure Alby was in safe hands before I left. Finally Paul Corbett, an instructor, whom I had not seen in a long time, rode up on his bike and helped me. Before leaving, he left me with a beer and his warm jacket to wait for my trusty crew. The wind never let up.

This was a very rewarding flight. It was our 2nd attempt early in our soaring season. I consider it an honor to be have flown with Alby. Again I wish to thank my crew, Jerry and Don for making it possible.

So long Alby. It was a pleasure to accompany you on at least a short part of your incredible journey.

Mario CM
DISCLAIMER

Pilots who participate in Alby’s voyage acknowledge that it is a voluntary effort, and that the timing, route selection, weather decisions, and all other aspects of the flight are the sole responsibility of the pilot in command of the aircraft in which Alby is transported. The Organizers of Alby’s voyage, retain all rights to the concept, images, logbook, Alby trophy, and eventual chronicle of the journey, but neither they nor volunteers involved in the project nor the Pacific Soaring Council (PASCO) nor the Soaring Society of America (SSA) are in any way responsible for the decisions of the pilots that carry Alby in their aircraft. When pilots propose to carry Alby on part of his journey, they warrant that they have sufficient experience and will exercise all due caution to ensure the safety of their flights. By allowing pilots to carry Alby, the Organizers of the Alby project are merely keeping track of and attempting to facilitate the continued progress of Alby’s voyage.

WAIVER AND ASSUMPTION OF LIABILITY

Please accept me as a participant in the Alby voyage. In consideration of acceptance of this entry, for myself, my heirs, executors, administrators, personal representatives, successors or assigns I hereby release and discharge the Organizers, The Pacific Soaring Council (PASCO) THE SOARING SOCIETY OF AMERICA, INC., and their agents, representatives, employees, successors or assigns from any and all claims for damages or injuries suffered by me or by any member of my crew during the aforementioned soaring venture.
I further agree to assume full responsibility for and to indemnify, defend and hold the aforementioned entities and persons harmless from any and all legal obligations for damages to personal property owned by, or injuries suffered by, any spectator or contestant or personnel of the aforementioned entities, or by any other person or entity, which may be caused directly or indirectly by my participation in the venture. I further certify that I have read, understand, and agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the aforementioned endeavor.
I fully understand and agree that I am waiving any claim for damages that I may suffer by virtue of any act of negligence arising in the future by any act or omission of any of the aforementioned entities or persons or their agents, representatives or employees, and that the consideration for this waiver is the permission by the sponsoring or presenting bodies of the aforementioned venture allowing me to participate in the said venture and that such permission is being granted me in the reliance upon this waiver as set forth in this entry form.


Logbook

Tracking the flights with SPOT

Tracking the flights with SPOT
Where in the world is Alby?

Follow Alby flying in real time on our Spot satellite tracking page.

Position updates are broadcast in real time every 10 minutes. If Alby is not flying at this time, the trace shows Alby's most recent flight. Traces are left posted for the duration of one week only. However, the flight can be seen on OLC.

ALBY'S VOYAGE is sponsored by StrePla USA, who donated the SPOT carried in the flight and the tracking service for it. No other compensation is received by ALBY'S VOYAGE from StrePla USA. SPOT enhances flying safety and this is the best reward for ALBY'S VOYAGE to promote its use. See details of the offer here below.

Anyone who orders a SPOT from StrePla USA and refers to the ALBY's VOYAGE, will receive a free nylon case ($39 value) and a coupon for free tracking ($49) for one year. The price is $149.95 plus S&H or $135 ea for orders of 10. This offer is exclusive to ALBY'S VOYAGE and StrePla USA. No need to be part of the Voyage in any way. Just mention ALBY'S VOYAGE when ordering. Click here for details of SPOT features.

To order your SPOT, contact:

StrePla USA
1501 East Stanford Avenue
Englewood, CO 80113
303-981-5717 cell
303-781-4515 home
303-762-8784 fax
discus2a@qwest.net