Alby's Voyage: Alby flight No. 17 and pin No. 10

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. 17 and pin No. 10 - Ted Wagner 5/31/09

Sunday, May 31st
7:30 AM
The day starts early with a check of the weather and preparation of new turnpoint databases for the PDA (running WinPilot Pro) and LX 7007. (This step I managed to overlook before the previous day's attempt, though when I started that flight I knew I could select a new database on the PDA in flight.)

To get the same database in both instruments, I loaded the ASA and El Paso turnpoint files in SeeYou, deleted the non-landable points, and saved a geographic subset of the remainder to WinPilot (dat) and LX (da4) files in turn. I was thankful that Alby reminded me to do this today. Smart bird, he.

Alby admires the eastern sky from his steed prior to Saturday's unsuccessful flight. El Paso is 305 miles thataway.

In addition to weather checks on xcskies.com and drjack.info, Cliff "CH" Hilty, Alby and I spend a little more time planning the possibility of getting to Alamogordo or even Moriarty. We decide that if (1) Alby and I make it to Deming early enough, (2) Albuquerque Center clears us to fly through the R-5107 (White Sands Missile Range) restricted airspace, and (3) the weather that direction looks good enough, we will divert northeast to attempt one of those alternate destinations.

The flight plan, as far as landable turnpoints to El Paso goes, consists of Cascabel, Willcox, Lordsburg, Deming, Dona Anna, and finally Horizon Airport (formerly West Texas Airport, on the east side of El Paso).

9 AM

Did I say the weather forecast was good? Mike "WA" Stringfellow stopped by during the wipe down to brief us. "There's good news, and interesting news," he said. "The good news is that today looks better than yesterday. The interesting news is that the low pressure system stalled in a position to bring in more moisture on your course line than was previously expected. Look for CUs over most of New Mexico." That was great news!
By 10:30a we have the glider ballasted (45 gallons), programmed and ...

11 AM

All systems ready for launch! I am feeling both nervous and optimistic. (A few extra butterflies because this flight brings back some rich memories of an identical flight I did from El Tiro to El Paso on June 5th 2004, almost exactly 5 years earlier. It remains the only straight-out goal I've ever attempted, and I was about to try it again, but this time with better weather, a better glider, and no excuses!)

11:30 AM
Giddy-up! I slap Cliff's horse on the flank and send him on down I-10.

11:52 AM
Alby and I launch at El Tiro. Three minutes later I release in 3 knots at 2600 AGL. The sky to the east is mostly blue but well to the northeast some white puffies are visible.

After reaching 9000' (the field elevation is 2100') I flew west to find something over the higher ground nine miles from the field. Halfway there I stopped to turn in a few knots, and when this was suddenly disappearing after only 1000' gain, I spied some dust devils on course eight miles to the northeast. I pushed the nose down and connected with the first of them. That got me to 11,500' and from there I headed toward Mt Lemmon, 35 miles east. Some CUs were showing up just northeast of there.

12:48 PM
We arrive south of Mt Lemmon at 9k, just below the peak. The lift to this point has been marginal, but then the day is still young. At this point in the flight the goal is to find the higher lift around Mt Lemmon to get to Cascabel, 30 miles east. With the wind coming from the SSW, I search along the Pusch Ridge southwest of Mt Lemmon for some adiabatic lift, and find some, eventually working it to 12,500'. This is good enough for a glide to Cascabel, so off we go. Still solid blue, but I can see CUs forming way to the north and east. I hope my kindred spirit Alby is enjoying this as much as I.

1:15 PM
After a long, sink-riddled glide to Cascabel (a remote dusty strip by the San Pedro River way out in a place you absolutely have to be going to to get to), I finally hit a few knots at 8500'. (I was thankful not to be nearly as low there as I was five years earlier, when I caught a butt-thumper at pattern altitude above the strip.) Ten minutes later I resumed course at 13,000'.

The clouds to the north and east look like they were getting farther away. Cliff, who is well ahead of us on the east side of Tucson, reports CUs north of Willcox and lots of dust devils by the freeway.

On course to Willcox I stop in just about all the air I encounter that's going up. The day is still young and landout options far between, so I don't take any chances, especially with CUs visible (maybe 50 miles) to the east.

North of Willcox I'm finally up to 14,000' and now confident that the day will end at one of the three planned destinations.

2:25 PM
After an hour and ten minutes of glide-and-turn in blue but strong skies, I finally reach the CUs twelve miles north of the ghost town of Steins. The first one is a dud but the second one is decidedly not - 9.2 knots to 16,600'. This flight is now in the serious No Excuses stage. I hear Alby telling me how much fun he's having, and how beautiful this part of America is. I say yes, I agree, but it's even more beautiful from this altitude!

I curse myself, yet again, for forgetting to pack a camera in the cockpit.

3 PM
I call Albuquerque Center and ask about the R-5107 (White Sands Missile Range) restricted area. Will we go toward Alamogordo (and possibly Moriarty), or continue to Texas?

Some very thick cloud cover to the north and east has me slightly concerned about the weather that way. Alas, Albuquerque Center reports that the R-5107 is hot. (The tone in his voice suggests that it's a dumb question - "Eh? It's always hot!" is the message I get.)
So, El Paso here we come.

~3:30 PM
(Conversation overheard in cockpit)
What's that over there?
Alby, that's the Deming Aerostat. Ask Randy Acree about those. No, we're not going any closer.
Why did you stop turning in that thermal? Dude that was like 14 knots and you just waived it goodbye.
We have an altitude limit, my friend. We can't go above 18,000', and to play it safe we absolutely stay below 17,500'.
Cool! But this is still the highest I've ever been.
Yeah, I bet you tell that to all the taxi drivers. And yes, it's cool, I'm freezing my toes off!
Can I have a bite of your apple?
No. I'll explain later.
What are those big round things down there?
Cowboy hats, Alby. Welcome to Texas!

4 PM
We cross the border into my home state of Texas at 16,000'. At this point I have enough altitude to fly well over the El Paso Class C, but to play it safe I skirt the perimeter around the north and east side. (Horizon Airport, formerly West Texas Airport, is tucked into the east side of the Class C, just west of the city of Horizon.)

Exactly as the forecasts predicted, the sky to the east of El Paso looks lower and less organized than to the west. Cliff reports that the Garmin nav is showing a 5:30pm arrival time at Horizon Airport, so to kill time, I head southeast in an attempt to pick up a cloud street following the line of the Rio Grande starting around Fabens, about 25 miles away. This is the worst leg of the flight! Nothing but down, down, down until I turn around before losing my ability to land at Horizon. Just before getting back to Horizon I find some lift to work back to 12k.

6 PM (local - now an hour later than AZ)
With Cliff still a half hour out, I head to a street to the northeast, and this one works much better. Thirty miles later I turn around to head back and call it a day. Alby says he's hungry, what's the possibility of a real Texas steak for dinner? I tell him, "pretty darn good, pardner. You'll like it better than the fish those Californians have been giving you! Better than any apple, too."

7:07 PM2NO and Alby full stop at Horizon Airport

As promised, Alby gets a steak dinner at the famous Cattleman's Restaurant (which is a turnpoint in the El Paso database!). The wine is Bin 38 - a very fine 2002 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Grenache Noir. If you think that sounds good, you shoulda tried the 10 ounce aged filet!

9 PM
Alby says goodnight with a Thank You to Sergio for organizing his journey across this great country of ours. The El Paso club doesn't do much cross country (not surprising, being boxed in by the Class C west, Mexico south, R-510x north, and the next landable point to the east just short of San Antonio!), so hopefully someone from Alamogordo or even Moriarty will be able to trailer down and fly Alby to his next destination.

Alby, CH (pin #9) and 2NO (pin #10) at the Cattleman's Steakhouse

View Flight on OLC

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