Arranging a crew and matching the weather to work is a lottery
By Sven Olivier
22.08.2024
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Shooting an arrow is always more gratifying than throwing a boomerang, and over the years, when the occasion arose, I would shoot the arrow. In this context I have done flights to Beaufort West and then Gariep (completing my Gold and third Diamond badges), to Victoria West and then Gariep, and Gariep direct with Uli Gmelin; and Gariep to New Tempe.
I have over the last few years also done a few O&R wave flights to Nuweveld (between Fraserburg and Beaufort West, which gives me some understanding of the topography, the weather and the out-landing challenges. One of those flights ended in an out-landing east of Laingsburg and an epic retrieve.
It was also clear that in the right conditions the wave system extended far east and into the Drakensberg. I was thinking (and am still thinking) of a wave camp at Graaf Reinet or Oudtshoorn. Both should give access to some excellent wave flying.
Logistics is always an issue - arranging a crew and matching the weather to work is a lottery. Over the years only a few times they lined up - a couple of years ago, with the Nationals looming in October, it appeared possible - a vision of climbing in the lee of the Drakensberg to go back inland in late afternoon thermals. But the weather dissipated as the date approached.
So, there was more than excitement on my part when John Coutts started asking questions about the wave conditions for the weekend of 27 July. Are you in? YES. Wally Tamsin, are you available YES.
Filing the flight plan was more complicated, with FIR boundary times, ETE's and so forth. After four attempts over two days I finally got it right Friday evening.
Route planning with Skysight to see where and when the wave would be, was crucial. This is what I sent John Coutts on Friday as my planned routing:
So early Saturday morning we were gridded - with a huge excitement and anticipation. The wind was howling!!! Would the tuggie do it? Frans du Toit was a real hero and I was the last to launch, with John and Laurence having climbed away in Jan du Toits kloof it was clear where to go - not that Frans asked. It was a very rough tow, and I literally had my hands full. Upon release, I was drifting backwards!! Speed up - young man (not so young anymore)!!!
The climb was there and ATC gave me entry into the TMA and FL135.
In the rapidly changing conditions, the wave / rotor fell apart and I was forced downwind. A quick glance at Brandvlei dam and the message was clear - FAWC was closed for business. Well, the wave in the lee of Vic Peak looked good - that was plan B for the moment.
But above the golf course, in front of a typical rotor cloud - 5, 6, 7 m/s - just stay with it. It took me into the Hex Valley and ATC cleared me to FL175.
Ahead of me - a sea of white - with just a few openings. But in the wave conditions these would not close rapidly. Having been there before I had an inkling of where to go and keeping safe landing options in range, I set off for Nuweveld - the first turn point. As can be seen from the Skysight forecast one could easily land in real trouble on the first leg to Nuweveld. And the out-landing possibilities are few. So, it was with a measure of trepidation that I set off - but at Tweedside - the last reliable spot before crossing to the escarpment I was at 17 000ft and more comfortable, I thought, than the other two ahead of me.
I don't have a dual watch radio and stayed with ATC who did check in on me from time to time. Approaching Beaufort West I was asked if I am routing to Elliot direct. ATC told me it was unnecessary to avoid the Beaufort West airspace as I was well above - little knowing that I was simply following the best energy lines. Halfway between Beaufort West and Aberdeen I was two hours into the flight and 400km from home. But the cloud was thinning out and I now had unfamiliar terrain ahead of me. I informed ATC that I expected to arrive at Aberdeen at FL10 and they cleared me - but the air carried better than expected and I arrived in the lee of the mountains at Aberdeen at 13 000ft and into very nice wave - thank you very much.
In communication with BAT and S8 I understood that they were about 100km behind me.
Flying towards Nieu Bethesda I was in continual climb and reached 18 000ft again. Venturing too far south of track the expected wave did not materialize and I took too weak a climb. With hindsight I should have kept the line towards Middleburg as John would do two weeks later. Below was Burnside with an airstrip which I could not identify, but with some land able fields. I tracked more north and in the lee of a well-shaped but very low mountain, I connected wave again. I did only a few beats in 1 m/s - there must be better and being in glide range of Molteno, I set off again. By now I had to change to my second oxygen bottle.
The air carried but no real magic. John would later recount that after Graaf Reinet they could, for a stretch of 100km not get better than 0.8ms a second. Perhaps I should have taken that 1.0 m/s at Burnside higher. And I have a nagging suspicion, having looked at the netto climb rates, that I missed a wave bar approaching Molteno whilst taking a necessary leak. One of problems with wave flying is that you cannot put any water into the tail - and though I have replaced the tail battery with lead, the glider still runs out of trim with water in the wings. So, it is easy to miss the feedback from the glider whilst you are busy concentrating on doing your zipp. I am working on a solution for the tail weight.
On the above map of my track, #1 marks where I nearly fell down at the start, and # 2 marks the low point at Dordrect
Though there were undulations in the air further on, I did not find anything spectacular to climb in, and approaching Dordrecht, things started looking grim. There were landable fields available and, whilst approaching a ridge line to ridge soar to the Dordrecht airstrip, and in the lee of a pinnacle shaped mountain I found lift. Saved from 2000ft agl. It was too cold to sweat, but I was really happy to be looking down at the mountains, rather than looking up.
The wind had by now also starting dropping to around 70kph at 10 000ft and I could not find wave in the expected places, nor was the sink that great. At Indwe I tried unsuccessfully to find lift - again barely climbing.
With hindsight, I should have been more patient. But with less than 400km to go, I was eager to cover ground.
Now approaching the foothills of the real mountains, I was optimistic that I would find something. I only found strong sink, which means I was looking in the wrong places.
I fell below glide range for the airstrip at Elliot and at a sensible height, selected a farm with landable fields. A word of caution, in the foothills of the Malutis, there are few fields that are straight and level. Be careful of the slope of the ground - look where the dams are and picture how the water flows into them - and look at the dam itself to confirm the wind direction: it does not always match what you have been flying in at altitude.
The landing was without incident, and ATC shortly after contacted me as we had lost radio contact when I was so low at Dordrecht. It is very comforting to know that they were keeping a good lookout for me.
Jan Lyczywek posted the track capture of the outlanding
The Lord family most graciously welcomed this visitor who dropped in from the sky and I was invited to their Saturday evening braai with their colleagues. What a wonderful experience that was - thank you to Lara, Graham and Greg.
Event Video
A one-way ticket to the East
For more information about the Soaring Society of South Africa go to www. sssa.org.za
