Excerpts from Rick Masters' Flight Log - Aoli, Comet Clones & Pod People

Selected Entries from the Flight Log of Rick Masters


Mazourka Peak #29 South Launch 9040' Inyo Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Racing Express		Other pilots	Alone, self-retrieve
Date	Oct 1, 1987	Launch time	14:20	Landing	18:10
Duration	3 hr 50 min	Distance	55 mi O&R	Mazourka Cyn Rd
Wind T.O.	SW 15 mph	Wind Landing	0	Temp	20 deg f @18k
Clouds	Occasional puff over Papoose Flats would disappear. Solid line of shallow cumulus on Sierra
Quality	Delightful. Mostly glass. Two sail inversions.
I flew alone. Excellent launch cycles. Climbed to 16,740' over Mazourka Peak. Headed south. 17,000 over the Betty Jumbo. 17,000' over New York Butte. Reached Cerro Gordo with 16,000. Climbed to 17,000'. (see photo above) Shot an entire roll of K64. Averaged 14,000' on return to Mazourka when the Sierra shadow killed the thermal lift. Glass-off at 18:00. Excellent no-wind landing near the Honda. Didn't drop the nose.


Mazourka Peak #28 South Launch 9040' Inyo Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Racing Express		Other pilots	Alone, self-retrieve
Date	Sep 30, 1987	Launch time	14:40	Landing	16:40
Duration	2 hr	Distance	20 mi O&R	Mazourka Cyn Rd
Wind T.O.	SW 10 mph	Wind Landing	SW 0-3	Temp	25 deg @ 17k 80 deg @ 3.5k
Clouds	Inyos clear. Sierras with continuous thin flat-bottomed cumulus @ 17k.
Quality	Very lifty and choppy to 10,000. Smooth above 12,000'.
I flew alone. The cycles were very weak at launch. I waited almost an hour, hooked in. After launch I found immediate lift over Santa Rosa Cyn. I flew south to the Black Eagle in lift. Reached the Inyos with 17,000' just south of the Betty Jumbo. An A7 Corsair came within 300 feet of me over New York Butte. Back to the Betty Jumbo with 17,000'. There was a general lift band of 1000+ fpm over a wide area. Left the Inyos and flew west to Independence, arriving with 13,500'. Lift everywhere! Flew back over the base of Mazourka trying to lose altitude. Made a good landing near the motorcycle.


Mazourka Peak #25 West Launch 9000' Inyo Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Racing Express		Other pilots	Bill Maxwell, Zoardog, Murphry
Date	July 14, 1987	Launch time	13:00	Landing	17:00
Duration	4 hr	Distance	72 mi XC
Wind T.O.	SW 15 mph	Wind Landing	NE 5	Temp	80 deg @ 9k 25 deg @ 18k
Clouds	A cloud formed over Mazourka Peak as we set up. Beautiful cloud street on the White Mts. An even better street on the Sierras!
Quality	Fabulous! We got SO high!
We drove up to Horseshoe Launch in the Sierras but it was blowing light backside. I decided to fly the Inyos. I stole the entire contingent of pilots from a crestfallen Rod the Clod and we raced to Mazourka Peak. I took the resident thermal to 18,000', crossed Westgard Pass high and reached Black Mt with 16,000'. Ran north fast. Flew over the U.S. Nationals at Gunter. They were just starting to launch. Only 5 gliders were in the air. (Reminded me of when George Worthington flew over the 1981 XC Classic from Cerro Gordo.) Joe Bostik thermaled up through me! The White Mountains were shadowed under the cloud street. I reached 19,000' passing Janie's Ranch but got drilled at Boundary Peak. I found a NE wind directly over Montgomery Pass. Turned back and landed at Janie's.


Horsehoe Meadows Road #99 Walt's Point 9100' Sierra Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Racing Express		Other pilots	Light crowd due to the U.S. Nationals.
Date	July 12 1987	Launch time	9:45	Landing	16:30
Duration	6 hr 45 min	Distance	118 mi XC
Wind T.O.	S 10 mph	Wind Landing	N 5-0	Temp	102 deg @ LP 37 deg @ 17k
Clouds	A big, high cloud street that began building along length of White Mountains in the late morning became overdeveloped when I reached Boundary Peak.
Quality	Very good lift. Not much sink on Sierras or White Mountains.
I was fourth to launch. The resident thermal snake to the south of take off was working. I passed the first three pilots leaving Wanoga Peak. Several caught up with me at Mt. Tinnemaha, which I left to cross the valley with 14,500'. I found a good thermal north of Crater Mountain and worked it to 12,400'. I reached Black Mountain with 8,500'. I tried several thermals at Black until the best one, very smooth, took me to 15,500'. I ran north and hit violent turbulence. I began flying fast and pulled forward, then the turbulence knocked me into a dive that was 20% past vertical. Soon after that, I found 1000 fpm just south of Gunter. Pilots in the second day of the U.S. Nationals were just beginning to launch below me on a dogleg task to Tonopah, NV. I reached cloudbase at 17,000' before Boundary Peak. I left the White Mountains and headed toward the clear air above a tall dust devil at Basalt. Gaining altitude there, I flew around the edge of a cumulonimbus to the west, but then ran into a north wind at Candelaria Junction and landed by the road.

Mazourka Peak #24 South Launch 9040' Inyo Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Racing Express		Other pilots	Mark Hanley, Leger
Date	July 11 1987	Launch time	12:30	Landing	17:38
Duration	5 hr 8 min	Distance	107 mi O&R	1 mi S of Silver Canyon Road
Wind T.O.	S 10-15 mph	Wind Landing	S 10-15	Temp	never below 32
Clouds	A low, westerly-driven street had formed on the Sierra. A cloud street was building to the north along the White Mountains.
Quality	Excellent! My harness went slack one time.
I was first to launch. I waited for Hanley and Leger, then left Mazourka Peak with them. I was hoping they'd cross Westgard Pass with me but they both branched out on their own and went down in the hummocks. I met Geoff Loyns working a thermal on Black Mountain. He must have crossed from Horseshoe. I flew over Gunter with 13,500'. It was the first day of the U.S. Nationals. I encountered a north wind at Montgomery Peak and turned around, meeting lots of fast gliders from the competition racing on a Benton/Big Pine task. I landed at Laws, doubting I could penetrate the headwind south of Black Mountain.

Horsehoe Meadows Road #93 Walt's Point 9100' Sierra Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Racing Express		Other pilots	Typical crowd.
Date	June 30 1987	Launch time	9:55	Landing	13:35
Duration	3 hr 30 min	Distance	73 mi XC
Wind Take Off	E 10 mph	Wind Landing	S 15	Temp	29 deg @ 16.5k 91 deg @ landing
Clouds	A cloud street began to form over the Inyo Range at 9:30. Lots of underdeveloped clouds with estimated cloudbase at 17,000' by noon.
Quality	Too good! I thought the glider would break over Coyote Peak!
I immediately set a blistering pace off Horseshoe. I reached Mt. Kearsarge east of Independence at 11:00, then Nine-mile Ranch by 11:30. Then I got stuck at Mt. Mary Austin again. Mt. Tinnemaha was very rough with the lift showing a strong lean to the north. I left for Birch Mountain with 13,000'. Because of the strong SE wind, I chose to drift north over Coyote Peak rather than cross the valley. Where Chipmunk Canyon met the crest of Coyote Flats, I was less than 1000' AGL. I looked down and saw a 3-foot pine swaying like a straw immediately below me and my heart got stuck in my throat. I threw the glider into tight, fast, defensive high-banked spiral and was shortly slammed by a violent 3000 fpm thermal that was one of the most frightening I have ever experienced. I didn't dare fall out of it. The G-forces were incredible! I thought the glider might break. Really made me appreciate those massive flying wires. Finally rolled out of the thermal and headed out Chipmunk Canyon to land at the Bishop dump but I found a nice thermal and worked it to 13,500'. I drifted to the Sierra escarpment below Sherwin Grade but the wind was too strong for me to gain without slowing down below my comfort level. I was a little gun-shy after that thermal at Chipmunk anyway, so I landed half a mile from the highway at the base of the grade.

Horsehoe Meadows Road #90 Walt's Point 9100' Sierra Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Racing Express		Other pilots	Christophe Valliant, Larry Tudor & Ted, Kevin Kleinfelter, Geoff Loyns, Eric Raymond
Date	June 24 1987	Launch time	9:38	Landing	18:38
Duration	9 hr	Distance	155 mi XC		Luning Pass, NV
Wind T.O.	E 10 mph	Wind Land	NW 5	Temp	32 deg @ 16k
Clouds	In the late morning, we could see a wide band of cirrus off the end of the White Mountains over Mina.
Quality	Mellow.
I flew with a barograph, milking thermals for max altitude. Passed high above Geoff Loyns and Eric Raymond who were stuck at Whitney Portal. Struggled against a north wind at Mt. Williamson and was rewarded with 16,000' at Mt. Tinnemaha after working a thermal with a bald eagle above Mt. Mary Austin. Crossed the valley and reached Black Mountain at 13:00. The run was easy along the Whites, getting highest at Boundary Peak. I made a nice gain at Marietta Junction to 15.000'. Flew high and slow. Saw others fly lower and faster below me. Crossed above Mina, NV with great altitude and ran the Gabbs Valley Range toward Luning Pass. Hit a light north wind at 14,000' that slowly brought me down I had to land 2 miles north of the dry wash north of the pass with 155 miles GCD. Kevin Kleinfelter flew a mile farther. Larry Tudor and Ted (from New Mexico) flew 190 miles.


Horsehoe Meadows Road #87 Walt's Point 9100' Sierra Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Express Moyen		Other pilots	Carl & Steve-NZ, Mike Kunitani
Date	June 2, 1987	Launch time	10:15	Landing	16:45
Duration	4 hr 30 min	Distance	102 mi XC		Janie's Ranch, NV
Wind T.O.	E 10 mph	Wind Land	N light	Temp	26 deg @ 16k 85 deg @ landing
Clouds	The morning was clear. In the early afternoon, a broken cloud street with a base at 17,500' formed above the White Mountain Range south of Pellisair Flats.
Quality	Very turbulent on the west side of the valley. Mike went inverted working Black. White knuckle flying all along the Whites.
I had a very pleasant run up the Sierra, deep back in lift rising from a light north wind. Carl stuck to me like glue. It was his first flight in the Owens. Deep back is pretty spectacular; he'll remember it. We left Tinnemaha with 16,000', crossed the valley and found a great thermal in front of Black Mountain that took us to 12,000'. Then we hit a vicious east wind near the peak of Black that drove us down to 5700' at Warm Springs. We drifted sideways on a thermal from Warm Springs Ranch to Silver Canyon, where we started gaining altitude. We hit bad sink again out in front of Paiute. We clawed our way back to 16,000' at White Mountain Peak, fighting strong sink and turbulence to Boundary Peak where we hit a north wind. What a battle! I saw Carl land at Janie's. I followed with a great no-step landing.

Mazourka Peak #15 North Launch 9040' Inyo Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Racing Express		Other pilots	alone
Date	Sept 28, 1986	Launch time	14:20	Landing	17:20
Duration	3 hr	Distance	5 mi	Black Eagle LZ
Wind T.O.	N 15 mph	Wind Landing	N 15	Temp	ice crystals
Clouds	Cloud streets on Whites and Inyo ranges.
Quality	Great!
First test of Alan Fisher's Thermal Snooper prototype. Self-launch, alone, motorcycle retrieve. I had to wait 30 minutes for a cycle straight into launch. A great thermal snake off the west ridge took me to cloudbase at 13,500 - 14,000'. Ice crystals formed on the control bar. I flew around studying the response of the Thermal Snooper. It's totally different than the variometer. I flew to Black Eagle, then high out over the LZ. I found the resident thermal at Rabbit Hill on the south flank of Mazourka and that took me back up to cloudbase. I tried for Mazourka Peak again and rode what seemed to be a shear line for 6 miles at 0-sink! Excellent landing.

Horsehoe Meadows Road #78 Walt's Point 9100' Sierra Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Racing Express		Other pilots	Howard Gerrish, Japan Team
Date	Aug 2, 1986	Launch time	10:00	Landing	14:50
Duration	3 hr 50 min	Distance	53 mi XC		Old Partridge Ranch
Wind T.O.	10 E in cycles	Wind Land	S 5	Temp
Clouds	Clear
Quality	Weak
I was the first to launch. A little early, it turned out. Lift was weak above the spine. I had to return from Wanoga Peak to the thermal generator south of takeoff to gain more altitude. I had hooked up Reiner's weight-shift rudders to test them, but weight-shift control of the rudders is not ideal. Although the little rudders offer noticeable good response, they interfere with my high-side adverse yaw technique. The controls should be on the control bar. The air became turbulent over Taboose. I couldn't get high on Tinnemaha and sank to 8500 over the foothills. I nearly had to land on the alluvial fan but I found a few weak thermals to drift west on. Drifted north past Big Pine and finally set down next to Hwy 395 one mile south of the old Partridge ranch. Perfect landing.

Horsehoe Meadows Road #72 Walt's Point 9100' Sierra Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Moyen		Other pilots	Mike Gresham, a dozen others
Date	July 1, 1986	Launch time	10:50	Landing	14:30
Duration	3 hr 40 min	Distance	55 mi XC		foot of Black Mt
Wind T.O.	E in cycles	Wind Land	S 15	Temp
Clouds	Cumulus starting to develop above launch.
Quality	Turbulent.
I was looking forward to flying north with Mike Gresham on his first flight with the Racing Express. I launched on the Moyen and climbed above takeoff. Looked down to see Mike launch but immediately curve back into the hill and crash. He tripped on his boot. He said he didn't get hurt so I headed north. Turbulent day. I flew fast. Mt. Tinnemaha was violent. I left with 12,500' and crossed the valley towards Black Mt. I reached Black low and lost it at the Pupfish Ponds.


Horsehoe Meadows Road #71 Walt's Point 9100' Sierra Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Racing Express		Other pilots	Steve Moyes, Charlie Baughman
Date	June 23, 1986	Launch time	9:50	Landing	19:30
Duration	9 hr 40 min	Distance	178 mi XC		15 mi N of Gabbs NV
Wind T.O.	10 E	Wind Land	0	Temp	fairly warm at altitude
Clouds	High cirrus moving in from the south. I flew north on the edge of the shadow. Light south wind all day and through the night.
Quality	Super-good thermals. I pushed out more than usual in small thermals, staying as high as possible.
I was third off launch after Steve Moyes. I stayed high and slow for a change. I crossed the valley from Mt. Tinnemaha with 16,000'. A thermal NW of Big Pine took me to 16,000' again but I lost everything and thermalled up the south spine of Blacck Mountain low. I caught one on the side of Coldwater Canyon and worked up Paiute to about 21,000' from 6200'. I left Boundary at 14:00 with 20.000'. Reached the cinder cone at Candelaria with 19,000'. Down to 9000' at Tonopah Junction, then up to 19.000' to cross over Mina, NV. Lots of good pilots got drilled at the base of Luning Pass. I drifted over them, very high. It was slow-going to Gabbs. I crossed Gabbs with 500', waved at 4 or 5 gliders below, and drifted on 0 sink for 13 miles north. Almost took a light thermal into the indian reservation but left it, favoring landing in a sand wash because I knew it might be rough. It was. I nosed in after a full flare, flipped over on top of the sail. No damage, thanks to the sand. I unhooked and turned around, a guy in a pickup was offering me a cold beer and asking me if I wanted a ride into town. Five hours above 17,000'. What a day! Addendum September 9, 2010 Rick Masters: When I got to Gabbs, Charlie Baughman was there, stranded like me, so we decided to get some dinner at the local diner. The waitress steps up to our booth, says, "Whadd'lya have?" and Charlie says, "Do you have fish?" I'll never forget the way she looked at him. It was like, "What'rya, crazy?" Or maybe, "What'sa 'fish'?" Charlie Baughman: That was a red meat only town. I got picked up by a car with 3 people in it. One guy pulled out a gun and checked to see if it was loaded. I probably should have been scared. Yes, we really got high, and NO OXYGEN TOO. We are lucky we didn't pass out. Brain damage? I think I did 170 that day. I slept out that night. How did you get back? Rick Masters: I don't remember. Those brain cells are dead.


Mazourka Peak -- S. Launch #14 9100' Inyo Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Express		Other pilots	John Zeigler
Date	May 17, 1986	Launch time	2:15	Landing	3.45 3300'
Duration	1 hr 30 min	Distance	7.5 mi		Aberdeen
Wind T.O.	S in cycles	Wind Land	5 - 10 S	Temp	70 T.O., 30 altitude
Clouds	Bands of high cirrus. Cumulus over Horseshoe at 3 pm.
Quality	Broken thermals. Hard to work.
Couldn't get over 12,500'. No problem getting out of Santa Rita Canyon. I flew west over the spine of the Inyos. An F18 came within 300' of me! I left the foothills of Mazourka, crossed Owens River and Hy 395 and landed at Aberdeen. Dropped the nose. Had beef enchiladas and a cold pitcher of Miller draft at Aberdeen Restaurant.

Black Eagle #14 7008' Inyo Range East of Independence Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Express		Other pilots	John Zeigler
Date	May 15, 1986	Launch time	1:30	Landing	5:00 3300'
Duration	3 hr 30 min	Distance	36 m O&R		Black Eagle LZ
Wind T.O.	W in cycles	Wind Land	15 N	Temp	70 T.O., 30 altitude
Clouds	Broken cloud streets above the Inyos.
Quality	Good rough thermals. I went over the falls twice!
I launched into a super cycle with John 5 seconds behind me. Rose directly above Black Eagle to the crest of the Inyos and flew south to New York Butte. We reached cloudbase at 15,000'. John flew to Lone Pine but I turned around and flew upwind to the North Rabbit Hills launch on the south flank of Mazourka, then back to the LZ. I got down to 9000 trying to penetrate northward.

Horsehoe Meadows Road #45 Walt's Point 9100' Sierra Range Owens Valley, Ca
Pacific Wings Express Moyen		Other pilots	Naomi Fujita
Date	July 13, 1985	Launch time	10:14	Landing	17:00 5200'
Duration	6 hr 45 min	Distance	120 mi XC		Marietta Junction, NV
Wind T.O.	10 E	Wind Land	5 N	Temp
Clouds	Clouds popping off the end of the Whites at 15:00.
Quality	Spotty on the southern Whites, good everywhere else.
I raced Naomi Fujita north along the Sierra. The Moyen appears superior to the Glidezilla. I reached 15,000' over Birch Mt. Got to Black Mt. with 8500' but I couldn't get over the top. North of Black, I couldn't penetrate into the range. Scraped along at 6-7000' to Jeffrey's Canyon! Finally reached 16.000' over the Pelliseir Flats, then 19,000' over Boundary with clouds forming everywhere. I reached the cinder cone at Candelaria with 18,000' but the entire mountain was shadowed by a dark cloud. No lift anywhere.
The XCPA held theGeorge Worthington Memorial Open from Gunter Launch and Mazourka Peak. The Don Partridge Memorial Classic was held from Cerro Gordo and Horseshoe Meadows. Rick Masters was Meet Director.

On Oct 12 1984, Don Partridge was killed on a Mitchell Wing in Plano, TX.

After the Owens Valley Hang Gliding Center dissolved, I formed the XC Pilots Association and staged the 1984 XC contest from Mazourka Peak. On July 4, 1984, Jim Zeiset and Zoardog flew to Mazourka from Horseshoe and made top landings just before the contest opened, announcing their approach with cherry bombs falling from the sky. Later, Don Partridge flew over the contest in his powered Mitchell Wing. It was one of my life's proudest moments, to be able to show Don that the contest he had inspired would continue.

On Dec 1 1982, I was awarded the 1982 Gray Prize for Aoli, Comet Clones & Pod People.

On Sept 10 1982, George Worthington was killed near Bishop Airport on The Wanderer.

On July 31 1982, my buddy Bob Dunn was killed at Plowshare after he failed to hook in.

Grounded: Rick Masters films the end of the 1982 XC Classic with a dislocated shoulder. Eric Raymond pulls his feet up as Roy Haggard's UP Arrow gains speed on Gunter Launch. Shortly before the contest, Rick filmed Roy Haggard's bid for the Third Kremer Prize in Paul MacCready's Bionic Bat in Shafter, California. Paul MacCready and Bill Dodson prepare the Bionic Bat for the prize attempt.
Gunter #6 8200' White Mountain Range Owens Valley, Ca
Spectra Aolus 170 proto #2		Other pilots	Steve Gray, Betty Moyer
Date	July 6, 1982	Launch time	13:50	Landing	16:20
Duration	2 hr 30 min	Distance	.128 mi		Gunter North Pitts
Wind T.O.	S 20-25 mph	Wind Land	S 20-25	Temp	70 deg
Clouds	Clear
Quality	Utterly violent.
I filmed the launches for the XC Classic, then set up the Aolus. Conditions were strong but everyone had made it across Coldwater Canyon on a brisk southerly wind so I thought I'd follow them. I waited a while for the gusts to ease up, then I made a fast launch into sudden sink, then lift. I worked horizontal air out in front, trying to find altitude to cross the canyon. I gave up and headed out for the canal but I couldn't penetrate. I was nearly blown over the lip of Coldwater Canyon where I would have been killed. I managed to penetrate from the lip to the North Pitts, sometimes only 10 or 15 feet off the ground. It looked like I'd make a good belly landing but I pushed out just a little to avoid ramming a 4-foot Choya cactus and got flipped around downwind, I instinctively locked my arm out straight, even though I knew better. I broke my humerus and dislocated my right shoulder. Driver Steve Gray and Betty Moyer took me to the emergency room in my Scout. Another hang glider pilot fell out of a tree...
Rick Masters with the 1936 Beech Staggerwing used to film the 1982 contest.


Gunter #5 8200' White Mountain Range Owens Valley, Ca
Spectra Aolus 170 proto #2		Other pilots	Monty
Date	June 20, 1982	Launch time	14:30	Landing	14:55
Duration	25 min	Distance	2 mi		Don's Ranch
Wind T.O.	W 15 mph	Wind Land	S 25 mph	Temp	70+ deg @ 8200'
Clouds	Overdeveloped on all ranges.
Quality	Choppy thermals.
I nearly blew my launch by not waiting for a better cycle. Usually I'll wait for 10 seconds of steady wind in a launch cycle but I got excited and started early. Wishful thinking... My right wing dropped on my first step and I wasn't sure I'd make it off. I threw my weight to the left, scraped brush but got off. I was immediately boosted by a nice big thermal but I flew out. There seemed to be a strange right turn in the glider. I worked choppy lift at the north edge of Coldwater canyon then crossed to Katie's Tit. Sunk out. Good landing, though.
*Aolus designer Carlos Miralles at Gunter in 1982.*


Mt. McGee Summit #1 10200' Sierra Nevada Range Owens Valley, Ca
Spectra Aolus 170 proto #2		Other pilots	Mark Hanley, Mike Brewer
Date	Sep 12, 1981	Launch time	14:50	Landing	16:20
Duration	1 hr 30 min	Distance	6 mi		Hilton Creek meadow
Wind T.O.	S 15 mph	Wind Land	NE 10 mph	Temp	55 deg
Clouds	Storms and lightning everywhere
Quality	Smooth with pockets of vacuum sink.
I rigged my oxygen system but I didn't need it. I was the last man off the hill after lightning strike nearby. Mike Brewer, soaring above, saw boulders fly - one, he said, was the size of a Volkswagen! Mark and I saw a 100-foot plume of dust rise about 1000 feet west of us. We kind of launched in a panic after the thunder roll. We figured the sky was safer. I had an easy launch. Gained 3000 feet immediately. Began mountain-hopping. Reached Mt. Morrison at cloudbase. Made a downwind landing at the Hilton Creek meadow. My most spectacular flight ever! Don Partridge calls McGee "The greatest undiscovered site in the Sierras." Scary road up.

*Mark Hanley soars his new Aolus at Mammoth Airport Ridge on Sept 3, 1981.*
Mammoth Airport Ridge #3 200' Sierra Nevada Range Owens Valley, Ca
Spectra Aolus 170 proto #2		Other pilots	Mark Hanley, Mike Brewer
Date	Sep 3, 1981	Launch time	16:50	Landing	17:46
Duration	57 min	Distance	.5 mi		Airport Ridge LZ
Wind T.O.	NW 20 mph	Wind Land	NW 20 mph	Temp	77 deg
Clouds	Clear
Quality	Smooth
Tremendous flight. Good takeoff. Got up on the ridge on the first turn. Peaked out on ridge lift, then started circling over takeoff. Climbed about a mile. Looked down on Convict Lake.
*Mike Habersham and Mark Hanley at sunset on Mammoth Airport Ridge.*
*Mark Hanley on his Stratus V over Gunter during the 1981 XC Open.*


Gunter #3 8200' White Mountain Range Owens Valley, Ca
Spectra Aolus 170 proto #2		Other pilots	Mark Hanley, Don Partridge
Date	Aug 30, 1981	Launch time	13:50	Landing	16:20
Duration	2 hr 30 min	Distance	32 mi		Nevada line
Wind T.O.	Sw 10 mph	Wind Land	N 10 mph	Temp	80 deg / 75 deg
Clouds	Clear
Quality	No wind at altitude.
I flew to the Nevada line. It was my best distance flight. I was the last man off Gunter after Mark Hanley sank out and landed at Don's Ranch. I followed, sank down to the side of Katie's Tit, working close for lift. I caught a gentle thermal and I could hear Mark yelling, just a few hundred feet below, when I started climbing. Don Partridge was under me but he left for the "Scareport." I rode the first thermal above the main spine of the Whites, turned north and did the Aolus Boogie. A second thermal took me over White Mountain Peak at 14,000'+. I ran the Pellisier Flats north but sank out in front of Boundary Peak in a light north wind. I just made it crabbing to the state line on Hwy 6. Perfect landing.


Paiute - 5 Gallon Ridge #2 9100' White Mountain Range Owens Valley, Ca
Spectra Aolus 170 proto #2		Other pilots
Date	July 17, 1981	Launch time	13:50	Landing	16:20
Duration	1 hr 45 min	Distance	2 mi		Don's Ranch
Wind T.O.	W 15 mph	Wind Land	S 15 mph	Temp	80 deg / 75 deg
Clouds	Cloud street to the south over the Inyos but no clouds on the Whites.
Quality	Good thermals
I was the last man on the hill. I was hooked in when a dust devil passed through. I unhooked for it. When I launched, it was into an excellent cycle which I rode to about 13000'. I lost a new down glove trying to unclip it from my downtube. I flew to a ridge south of Gunter and caught a thermal over the Pitts to bring me up to Gunter Launch. I crossed Coldwater Canyon to Ray Dean's, then crossed Coldwater from Katie's Tit and back just to see if I could do it. Dropped the bowsprit hard on landing and flew into the sail.

*Bob Dunn flying his Aolus backwards on spectacular flight at Lake Isabella.*
Beacon Hill #1 300' Pacific Ocean south of San Luis Obispo, Ca
Spectra Zodiac SS		Other pilots	Bob Dunn; driver Ponsu
Date	May 10, 1981	Launch time	12:00	Landing	15:02; 3000' vertical
Duration	3 hr 2 min	Distance	2 mi		Beacon boat launch
Wind T.O.	W 15	Wind Land	W 10	Temp	75 deg
Clouds	Clear
Quality	Extremely turbulent
Self-launch above road. Easy altitude gain. Good lift all along hill. Wind lines, small caps and small craft advisory on lake. I made it to the finger on a wind change. Gained 5000' above takeoff. Made my first linked 360s in a thermal. First flat spin. Got dumped and slammed in first negative inversion. Took a pepsi along and drank it. A little messy. What a great site!


Plowshare #8 3200' Coast Range East of Santa Maria, Ca
Spectra Zodiac SS		Other pilots	Bill Dodson, Carlos Miralles, Dave Ductor
Date	Mar 9, 1981	Launch time	13:30	Landing	16.55
Duration	3 hr 25 min	Distance	4 mi		West end
Wind T.O.	N 10-15	Wind Land	E 5	Temp	65 deg
Clouds	Cumulus over New Cayuma, moving toward the west.
Quality	Thermally and lifty.
One of my best flights. Wire assist. Good takeoff. Gained 1500' over the ridge. Averaged 600-800' over ridge. Lost count of 360s. I travelled to the east bowl. Got dumped there. The cycles would ease and I'd get down on the ridge. Flew west to the big bowl. Worked it for 20 minutes. Birds everywhere. Flared 3' too high on landing.
*Aolus designer Carlos Miralles and Bob Dunn on Plowshare.*

Coyote #1 10,000' Sierra Range just north of Big Pine Owens Valley, Ca
Spectra Zodiac SS		Other pilots	Garland Rhodes, Mike (San Diego), Andy Bell
Date	October 5, 1980	Launch time		Landing
Duration	30 min	Distance	7 mi	1 mi S of Silver Canyon Road
Wind T.O.	W 0-15 mph	Wind Landing	S 10-15	Temp	never below 32
Clouds
Quality
This was probably the most dangerous launch I've ever made and I was quite lucky to get away with it. The launch was through a saddle which dropped off. To the left (north) was a rock face and to the right was open. The wind was cycling from the south, but sometimes coming over a low ridge to the north. Garland launched into a strong cycle. Halfway down the slope, his left wingtip dropped. He missed the rocks by inches. He cleared the drop-off in a left turn. Then, in the process of shifting all his weight to the right to get his wing up, he was hit by strong lift which threw him into a vertical roll to the right. We all thought he'd go into the rocks but he managed to get it turned out into the valley and got away okay. I hesitated about launching into such rowdy air but rationalized that Garland had blown his launch and all his problems stemmed from that. San Diego Mike thought there might be a rotor. I had Mike Newton toss sand into the air and it blew straight in. On a gentle cycle, I launched. Andy said I ran really hard but my left wing dropped. It was like there was a giant hand pressing down on the kite. I struggled to get the wing up without yawwing - but to no effect. I was running full out now, leaning way forward, almost falling into my harness and trying not to trip. No lift meant I dare not push out or I would stall as soon as I passed the drop-off. My left wing was tearing through the foot-high brush. Andy could hear it whizzing by. I stiffened my left arm to try to keep the kite flying in case I hit a rock with my tip. I was certain I would crash and spin into the rock face to the left of the drop-off. I would curl into a ball... Then I was off! The lift hit me and I pulled forward to keep control and to speed up. To get away was my concern. Whew! Too tight!


Ray Dean's Hill #3 6000' White Mountain Range Owens Valley, CA
Spectra Zodiac SS		Other pilots	none; driver Tim Clark
Date	Sept 18, 1980	Launch time	19:30	Landing	21:50; 7000' vertical
Duration	2 hr 20 min	Distance	10 mi O&R		Don's Ranch
Wind T.O.	WSW 30 mph	Wind Land	WSW 10	Temp	60 deg
Clouds	Long Sierra Wave cloud running the length of Owens Valley
Quality	Very turbulent at takeoff, lifty and nifty at altitude.
My scariest launch ever. I spent five minutes psyching myself up for it. Tim was more scared than I was. I told me not to do it but he gave me a wire assist anyway. When I yelled "Clear!" I tried to run but I shot up like a rocket. I was afraid I might go over backwards! It was all I could do to keep the Zodiac pointed into the wind. I went prone and the wind knocked me into a left turn, then right (possibly an over-correction). Finally, I got over the first ridge, gaining 1000 ft above takeoff. I climbed steadily to 8000', then ran south 2.5 miles on ridge or wave lift, then returned, all the time with a big Golden eagle on my wingtip. I climbed to 10000' and flew north to Paiute launch. Even over the alluvial fan, the lift was so strong I had to do 30 minutes of spiral dives at sunset just to keep from climbing through 11000'. I began dozens of linked 180s, spiral dives, sloppy wingovers, etc. Sometimes during this stuff, like sideslips, I'd be gaining 200 ft/min! I finally pulled the bar as far in as possible in a slipping spiral, pulling 2 G's, inboard tips flapping like mad. Too much positive pitch, I think. Max speed was 35-38 indicated. No neutral bar, regardless of speed. Downwind steep turns worked best. Finally drifted west and found a weaker part of the lift band. Landed at Don's Ranch in the Scout's headlights in the dark, thanks to Tim's great driving. I flared 5 ft too high and nosed in.

Montana Del Oro #5 75' Pacific Ocean south of San Luis Obispo, Ca
Spectra Zodiac SS		Other pilots	Bill Dodson
Date	Apr 21, 1980	Launch time	12:30	Landing	13:15; 475' vertical
Duration	1 hr 15 min	Distance	.128 mi		Cuesta cactus patch LZ
Wind T.O.	WNW 20-30	Wind Land	WNW 15	Temp	60 deg
Clouds	High winds inland. Overcast with big cumulus on the ocean.
Quality	Smooth
Self-launch at the point where the trail descends and the cliffs begin. Excellent takeoff. Cautious left turn. I found lift all they way along the cliffs to Hazard Canyon. Many circuits. Bill Dodson crossed the canyon to soar the south cliffs. I finally got too low during a lull, made a 180 over the ocean and a squeaky ski landing.


Cuesta Ridge #17 2125' Coast Range San Luis Obispo, Ca
Spectra Zodiac SS		Other pilots	Carlos Miralles, Chris Stewart, Perry Judd, Kevin Stewart, Larry Lawrance, Ponsu, Al, Steve
Date	Mar 1, 1980	Launch time	12:30	Landing	13:15; 1500' vertical
Duration	45 min	Distance	2 mi		Cuesta cactus patch
Wind T.O.	SW 15-20	Wind Land	SW 10-12	Temp	60+ deg @ 2125'
Clouds	Layer of prefrontal cumulus sometimes hitting the ridge.
Quality	Wonderfully smooth!
Wire-assist takeoff into excellent lift. I soared the ridge for 40 minutes, often climbing 300-400 feet above takeoff. Lots of traffic. Eight other gliders in the air. The highest gliders tapped into the clouds. Easy cruising. The Zodiac handles splendidly with the new tight wing tips. The fog started rolling in, closing in on the LZ. I raced it to the LZ. I was afraid I was too low but I made it just right, landing 50 feet short of the spot. Fun!

Horseshoe Meadows Road #1 6200' Sierra Nevada Range Owens Valley, Ca
Spectra Zodiac 2nd proto		Other pilots	none; Nancy Masters, Dick Johnson
Date	Sept 9, 1979	Launch time	14:30	Landing	14:35
Duration	5 min	Distance	2.5 mi		Hwy 395
Wind T.O.	S 7 to 10 mph	Wind Land	S light	Temp	60+ deg @ 6200'
Clouds	Clear in the valley with thin cumulus beginning to flow over the Sierra Nevada.
Quality	Mean thermals!
My first really high altitude launch. Freshly packed parachute. I walked down the side to where the slope steepened. Dick gave me a wire assist. The wind was coming right out of the canyon. I balanced the Zodiac for a moment then ran. The wing lifted me suddenly. I wanted more speed and pulled in. I hit strong sink over the center of the canyon that tried to turn me into the mountains, throwing me up into 45-degree banks.. That was scary! I fought to make a 90-degree turn toward the valley, finding much strong turbulence. I flew fast, heading out, happy to get out of there. The bottom of that canyon is nasty! I couldn't believe how high I was when I got to the highway. I made many 180 turns. Perfect approach and landing.


Guadelupe Dunes 300' Pacific Ocean Dunes Near Santa Maria, Ca
Spectra Zodiac 2nd proto		Other pilots	Bill Dodson
Date	Sept 3, 1979	Launch time	14:00	Landing	14:06
Duration	over 3.5 min	Distance	1.75 mi		340' vertical
Wind T.O.	W 15-20 mph	Wind Land	W 15	Temp	65 degrees F
Clouds	Clear
Quality	Smooth. Fantastic. Beautiful
My first real sustained soaring flight. I gained 40 feet above launch! Turned south, headed out over the ridge and dunes searching for lift. Sometimes I was just a few feet over the dunes and still flying without moving forward. It was unbelievable. Flew with my parachute. Landed 2300' beyond my previous mark, just 300 feet from Devil's Slide..

At Guadelupe Dunes, Carlos Miralles stands by Rick Masters' custom "Owens Valley-Ant" and sailcar, fitted with one half of Rick Montenaro's prototype Hawaiian aerobatic hang glider sail.
Guadelupe Dunes #1-100 200 - 300' Pacific Ocean Dunes Near Santa Maria, Ca
Seagull III		Other pilots	Bill Dodson, Carlos Miralles
Date	Mar-Jun 1979	Launch time	all day	Landing	all day
Duration	30 sec - 1 min	Distance	1000 ft
Wind T.O.	W 4 - 10 mph	Wind Land	S 0 - 10	Temp	60 - 70 degrees F
Clouds	Occasional fog
Quality	Smooth as glass with occasional light turbulence
Learning to fly on an old Seagul III on sand dunes. I bought it last fall in Mammoth for $300 and actually got off the ground with it at the base of Whitney Portal but decided I'd better learn to fly it on the coast. Taught by Cal Poly SLO Aeronautical Engineering students Bill Dodson and Carlos Miralles, designer of Spectra Aircraft. Both say don't fly the Seagull in the Owens Valley!