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| May 2001 |
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RYAN REPORT Because John is trying to get ready for his trip to the nationals and there is much to be done, far more than can fairly be allowed to writing a report on his personal achievements, John reported verbally to the membership and the following is a summary of report for those of you who were unable to make the meeting. The key impressions were of tremendous power and wonderful cooperation. The power was in the wave and cooperation was the way everyone, even though unable to make the flight, pitched in and helped John. John mentioned people like Walt Lockhart and Harold Klieforth of Bishop, many in our own Association such as Ruth, Jim, Marcel, Clay, and others. The fact that the PR was available was mainly due to the tremendous amount of work that so many put in over a series of months. On the day of the flight, John got started early, 0530 hrs, but they didn't launch until late in the morning. At the edge or the rotor cloud the turbulence was of the magnitude of-5 to 6 G's and -4 G's with rates of climb in excess of 2000'/min. At 11,160 ASL there was a sudden bump followed by a smooth upsurge. John called the ground to tell them he had cast off and gave his altitude. By the time he could confirm the statement at the ground station's request his altimeter read 14,000 feet. Both variometers were on the pegs. Everything was stuck at its limit. At 23,000 he went into the lenticular clouds. The rate of climb was 2400 ft./min. and even with full spoilers and the ship in a dive indicating 110 mph it was 500'/min. At the peak altitude of 35,000 ASL, John reported that the clouds seemed to go at least 15 to 20 thousand feet higher. Because of the extreme difficulty in slowing the ship down and getting down, John started back as soon as he had it made. He wasn't sure that the climb could be terminated before he went above 44,000 and safety. One thing John pointed out about all flights which was forcefully brought home on this trip, when the 1-21 crashed on take-off, was he always, ALWAYS keeps his hand on the tow rope release until he has a couple of hundred feet of altitude. As it was in this instance, the tow plane crashed and the tow followed it right into the ground because the whole thing happened so fast. Reflex alone, John believes, would have pulled the knob if the pilot's hand had been on it. |
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UP, UP AND AWAY! STEVE BRADLEY - Silver altitude (pending acceptance) -11,000 feet. JOHN RYAN -Flew from Estrella to Esperanza, Texas on May 12 - 405 miles, in his Phoebus C. JOHN SPEALMAN -Silver Badge completed, BETTY HORVATH -Earned her Gold altitude, 13,875, and 5-hours duration in a 2-33, on May 18. SIGNE HORVATH -Completed Silver Badge with a Silver distance flight to Arizona City on May 18. Flying a 1-26, Signe also earned during the same flight, her Gold altitude, 14,675 feet. GRANT NORMAN -On May 18, earned his Gold altitude to set a new Junior State Record for gain and absolute altitude, 14,875 feet. Grant was flying a 2-33. LES HORVATH -The date, May 18 (it was some day!) The accomplishment, DIAMOND ALTITUDE in a 1-26D, 18,720 feet, a gain of 16,780 feet! This will set a new State Record for Open Class, for which he is applying. This, was not a wave flight nor a cloud flight, though it was only about 10 feet under the cloud. Les said it was just a case of being at the right place at the right time. Also during this same flight he flew to Tucson and back, 200 miles, in approximately 2 hours,50 minutes. Who said a 1-26 can't get up and move! DON BARNETT OF YUMA -Don drove to Estrella, hoping to earn his C Badge. He drove back to Yuma after having applied for his A, B, and C Badges, Silver Altitude and Gold Altitude. This was Sunday May 17, Flying a l-26D, Don attained an altitude of 17,275 feet.
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HAPPY MOTHERS DAY WHO??? Betty Horvath threw a Mother's Day Eve Bash out at Estrella last Saturday. It was mainly an affair for the crew, complete with barbecued beef sandwiches and some Estrella wine - It's an obscure label, I guess - vintage 1973...The party really picked up when the over-due phone call came. Seems Les had taken off for parts unknown early in the day and finally called to announce his arrival at the Pueblo, Colorado airport. Billie Baird won the "Guess-where-Les-is" pool, all $0.97 therein. Seems that when all the paperwork is in, Les will hold a new National distance record in Multiplace, with some 563 miles logged on that Janus flight. (Yeah, but he missed one heck of a party!) Sunday dawned grey and rainy. Another Mother's Day... they tend to be slow at Estrella, presumably because everybody stays home to play roulette with ma Bell at calling dear old Mom. By about 10am, though, Mother Nature was teasing John Lincoln and Bob Mitchell with what looked like a super lennie, so... add these two to the Diamond Altitude plaque. (When John finally did call his Mum that evening, she had already gone to sleep; somewhere along the line, he'd lost the card he'd planned to give to me... but, by Gawd, he had his Diamond altitude! One must have one's priorities straight!)
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