The Ultralight Trike Odyssey, Top to Bottom
Day Three– Top to Bottom.
It started with a perfect morning for flying, blue sky, the trikes were already fueled, and there was no wind. From Lone Pine, California, Mount Whitney towers above. At over 14,000 feet, this is the highest mountain in the continental United States. Our plan was to fly from Mount Whitney, to the lowest valley in the continental United States, Death Valley. After landing at the bottom, we would climb back out to the Nevada desert and land in Beatty Nevada Airport.
The students did their weather, and demanded to fly since it was so nice out. This added weight means a slower climb rate, and as a result, would cause us to fuel up sooner rather than later because of the extra fuel burned and extra time to climb.
A long climb back towards Mount Whitney was slow and uneventful. With all the altitude gained, we buried the bar and headed east over the Inyo Mountain pass to the desolate Panamint Valley sand dunes. The air was still calm allowing us to buzz around the untouched and random patterns in the sand dunes.
We went out the valley and landed to gas up on the dry lake bed where the road crosses the Panamint Valley. It was another 5000 foot climb to get over the Amargosa Range allowing us to descend 7000 feet down to the Death Valley airport. By the time we got to Death Valley, it was 100 degrees on the ground. It was bumpy. Even though no one was anxious to land in the oven below, we could not live with ourselves unless we landed at the bottom. This was going to be our only chance. We had all dressed for climbing to 14,000 feet and were sweating immediately after landing in the sweltering heat. This was the bottom. We taxied to the end of the runway, quickly checked our fuel level, waved at our chase crew who were waiting at the airport, and blasted off immediately to get out of the intense heat.
Out of Death Valley, we now had a 9000 foot climb to get over Daylight Pass and east into the Nevada desert. The thermals were finally big enough to be use full, to assist our climb. Once we got over the pass, it was a relief to be back up in the cool air. Cumulus clouds were forming. I did notice significant moisture and clouds to the north, but it was in the far distance, not a factor for our landings. We played in the cool air knowing the desert would be hot and dusty. The thermals were strong enough now to climb up to the clouds at 600 feet per minute with the engine shut off or idling. The students got some great Thermaling experience in the strong updrafts. We made our way to the Beatty airport in the thermals.
After going into town to eat and find lodging, we all went back out to the airport. The clouds looked sort of stratus but were quite dark. It was calm and looked perfect for the students to do some touch and goes. As anticipation grew and we were untying the trikes, in the distance we saw dust blowing in the darker part of the cloud.
It looked like it was coming this way. As it got closer it looked worse. Everyone started working franticly to add more ties to the wing. From the calm air to 50 MPH winds and hail in about 20 minutes. We all fought to hold the gliders down. If we had stayed in town and not gone out to the airport for student touch and goes, we would have lost some trikes in this gust front.
After we experienced the gust front, we determined the stratus looking cloud above us was actually some part of a large cumulus. Clouds are sometimes hard to read. The strong lapse rate and additional moisture experienced earlier confirm our theory of a large cumulus cloud causing the down draft and gust front.
We were lucky the food in town was bad, the waitresses ugly, and the students wanted to go back out and do touch and goes. That night we wanted to get out of the desert. We changed our original plan where we were going to fly directly north deeper into the desolate Nevada desert to Tonopah. We planned our longest flight yet going North East to Mammoth Mountain California, known for the great food, jet set airport and world famous Hot Springs.
Go to Day Four – An Emergency landing, a run in with the cops, and high altitude fatigue.
Pictures
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Taking off at the Lone Pine airport on the first flight of the day. |
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Looking down on the Panamint Sand Dunes. |
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The sand dunes were away from all roads and un touched swirls in the middle of Panamint Valley. |
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Looking south in the Panamint Valley looking towards the meeting place with the chase crew to gas up. |
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Landing on the Dry Lake bed next to the road to fuel up. |
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Coming in to land at Stovepipe Wells Airport in Death Valley. |
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Looking out towards the start of the cumulus over the top of the Amargosa Range on the way to Beatty, Nevada. |
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A closer look at the Cumulus clouds providing strong lift to soar the trikes to Beatty. |
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The clouds just before the gust front went through looking to the south as the gust front hit us from the north. |
