Alby's Voyage: Alby flight No. 14 and pin No. 7

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

Alby flight No. 14 and pin No. 7 - Martin Eiler 5/10/09

Marty and Cindy together with the two trophies of the week.

Alby enroute to Nevada, with the Berle Trophy visiting from Tehachapi

The Plan

I looked at X-C Skies the night before and decided that it looked like I had about a 60% chance of reaching Las Vegas.

Considering the thermal altitudes forecast, it would have been my preference to take the Sierras north to Lone Pine, then cross to the Inyos and Cerro Gordo Peak and work the high ground north of Panamint Valley enroute to Telescope Peak. However medium west winds were forecast for 12k and above. This meant a strong potential for leeside downwash and the possibility of wave north of Olancha. So I decided my odds were a little better if I could go through the Trona Gap, then hopefully work the west faces of the Panamint/Telescope range for triggered thermals and/or ridge lift. I held a bit of hope that downwind of Telescope Peak I might find wave. I even looked at and waypoint-marked the better high ground points east of Death Valley toward Jean, in case I would just need to thermal that leg. I was fairly confident that the toughest leg would be the stretch from Garlock across the Searles Valley beyond Trona to Telescope Peak.

The Start

I rigged in the morning and had a casual breakfast figuring it would be workable at the Sisters by about noon. At 11:30 I took a binocular look at the windmill ridge south of Cache Peak and was pleasantly surprised to see an easterly flow. I immediately told the tow pilot that I was going to finish loading and take off intending to take a three thousand foot tow to the First Sister.

I declared Middle Knob to Jean and launched to the west at 11:50, telling Derek to go straight out to the Sisters. I arrived at the first Sister at 5500-ft. MSL and requested that Derek make a hard right and I was off tow. One sweep over the first peak and I found a reasonable core that averaged 3 kts to 8,600 MSL. I went through my declared start at Middle Knob and headed for Chuckwalla Peak. I got to Chuckwalla at 7,000 MSL and found 2.6 kts to 9,000-ft. before pressing on toward Garlock.

Enroute to Garlock I noticed what looked like a soft lenticular in the Owens Valley. Now at Garlock at 6,300 MSL I milked 1.4 kts to 7,300-ft. while reminding myself that this was a completion task not a speed task. My next stop was on the peaks north of Goler Wash where several weak cores got me up to 9,800 MSL.

The Crawl

Now came the interesting part over the flats through the Trona Gap. I must say that you would not typically find me 24nm south of Trona Airport at 7,000 msl still heading north. I figured my best hope was in skirting the alluvial fans running east from the eastern edge of China Lake’s R-2505.

When I was 5nm SW of Trona at 5,500 MSL it was not looking promising, so as a last resort I called to see if I could get cleared to work the peaks just inside the eastern edge of R-2505. Maybe it was the desperation in my voice, or my transponder or that it was a Sunday, for whatever reason ATC allowed me to work just inside the Eastern edge. To my dismay my pass along a 4,700 ft. peak was fruitless. Now I pushed on toward the next bump knowing that if it didn’t work I would be landing at Trona (locally known as the armpit of California).

As I crossed a small valley I felt something and the vario chirped. Getting really serious, I worked 1.4 kts to 6,300 ft., then shifted slightly closer to the peak for 2.2 kts to 8,900 ft.. From here it looked like I had a good shot at making the 15nm to the 6,000-ft. peaks 16nm south of Telescope. Half way there I stumbled onto 1.8 kts and thankfully tanked up an extra 1000 ft. to 8,100 MSL which gave me a bit of breathing room.

I arrived about a thousand feet agl on the Panamint range, and I faded to the best south facing bowl to take advantage of what had up until now been a light southerly flow. The bowl did work giving me 3 kts to 10,700 MSL, but the drift was now showing a southwest flow. I could now see a soft Lennie over Las Vegas, but nothing downwind of Telescope in Death Valley. As I pushed on, about 9nm south of Telescope I got 2.7 kts to 11,000. Decision time. Historically I have found the best climbs right over Telescope Peak, but I’m already level with the peak and it’s another 9nm to get there.

The Climb

Considering that Telescope was the wrong direction for course line, and that I was then about 2,000 ft. over glide for Shoshone Airport, I decided to go downwind toward Shoshone. I faded slightly toward being downwind of Telescope, just in case there was unmarked wave. After all, I could now see a nice lennie in the Owens and over Las Vegas, so there was some wave hope. I decided that at the first hint of lift I would assume it might be wave and immediately 180 into the wind to visually mark the spot and work it with finesse.

At 7.7nm downwind of the Panamints’ crest, the vario chirped and I one-eightied. It was about the right place and it was soft, but after about 7 minutes I had gained 1000 ft to 10,400 MSL. Thirty-two minutes later I was at 15,700 and admittedly there was relief in my voice as I reported that I was two-thousand feet above a two-knot glide for Jean.

This was the first radio call acknowledged by the home-team in a few hours.

After passing directly over Shoshone at 11,000 msl, I slid to 31nm out of Jean at 8200 msl. Although the computer said I was now slightly above glide, I could see the five-thousand foot ridge lying 6nm west of Jean that I would need to clear. I felt it prudent that I fade a bit south toward one of the 7,000 msl peaks I had marked the night before as a potential lift source. That peak was kind and gave me two knots climb rate to 9,500 msl which now put me reasonably confident about clearing the ridge with 1500 over glide for Jean, even though I could not see the airport or Casino!

The Triumph

As luck would have it about 24nm out of Jean at 8,000 msl I stumbled into 2.3 knots to 10,400 msl for a twenty-five hundred foot AGL arrival at Jean. This allowed me to phone-call Cindy, my crew, and report the completion of the Alby delivery to Jean, while also loitering to allow the Las Vegas club Pawnee to launch a 2-33.

Someone radioed up and asked if this was an Alby flight to which I replied, “Yes indeed! The Alby is here.” After tying the glider down, I accepted congratulations from numerous club members while we took several pictures of Alby and 11W at Jean. I handed Alby over to Jay McDaniel for the next leg of his trip. Jim Staniforth and Misti Harth shuttled me to a nice pub in Vegas and bought me a fine dinner.

It took us three attempts to deliver Alby to Jean. The first attempt was May 5th by me in wave that fell apart in the Owens Valley near Hiawee reservoir, ending with a landing back at California City. The next attempt was May 8th by Christian Mackin, with AS-W 27 ‘33’, who made a valiant attempt with a landing at Furnace Creek. He was rewarded by one of the best dinners he has ever had in California and a retrieve by Cindy Brickner. It was quite rewarding getting Alby to Jean, but I’m glad he is now their responsibility.

By Martin Eiler

(The Alby crew had dinner at Jean, then got to ride along and hear the flight story recounted enroute to home. Arrival home was close to 3:15 a.m. Thankfully, Monday wasn’t another Caracole business day, and together we got to rest. -- CB) Harth shuttled me to a nice pub in Vegas and bought me a fine dinner.

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.

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