Epic ceiling over Hundred Acre Wood

Опубликовано: 07 Июнь 2023
на канале: Stanisław Gwara

176

https://www.xcontest.org/world/en/fli...

05.06.2023, Piła

Dear diary...

This season I took to flying more flatlands, with average results so far. But this day paid off - 92 km, could've been 100+ easily if I didn't burn first two tows. Cloudbase at 2800m, thermals 4+, with such conditions even huge forests west of Piła are just a fluffy soft green carpet far down below. It was interesting to find three distinct layers of air on the way to cloudbase. First one up to 1200, where lift was strong and narrow, best to just bank the glider hard right into the core and ride up. Then suddenly above 1200 the lift was losing strength and started to drift, the core wasn't so defined anymore and it was like this up to 1700. Above 1700 thermals were again more defined and it was easy to connect to cloud and ride to 2500+ on a cloudsuck. Also, it's quite funny feeling when I'm getting to 2800 and I start to wonder how high is the ceiling in Poland... was it 2900? I'm pretty sure it was, but this isn't exactly the best moment to start googling to confirm it :D

On this flight it was amazing to encounter F16 flying low below me, in air corridor near Trzcianka. The corridor is up to 500, I was at around 1500, so he was good 1km lower. Suddenly I heard a loud rumble of jet engine. I was expecting it to be in the corridor below me so it took just a second or two to get a visual on it and... it has already passed me, and now was going away. The speed those things fly is truly amazing. And it was amazing to see a single swallow dancing around my wing in the thermal. And there was an amazing turbulent and strong thermal somewhere over Wołowe Lasy that I just wanted to survive, but made it to the top somehow. And drifting in 0.5 lift towards the sun at the end of the flight when day was switching off. And... so much more that is hard to put into words.