300K Triangle on Wave Out of Sugarbush

It was Sunday evening in Warren, VT, October 13, 1996. TV weather called for a frontal passage Monday AM followed by windy conditions. Go home plans are cancelled.

We launch next day at 1:07 PM releasing at 1300 AGL on the East Ridge. Tow pilot Larry Knaul continues climbing not hearing our advisement of release. Several hundred feet higher, realizing his freedom, he calls saying he was prepared to go thousands of feet more. Who needs it with a ridge that strong? Without stopping to circle, we are soon at cloud base. Now what?

There are choices. Others aloft report wave to 18,000 and are talking to Boston Center on 135.7 for window opening. The cloud pattern to the north indicates thermal and ridge lift at least to Morrisville. Low level flying would be more exciting and good practice, but how many strong wave days do we get?

No need to search for entry. Just fly west a little south of Scragg (Point A: Sectional map) climbing steadily to Route 100 where lift strength is best. 9,000 MSL gives us a view of cloud pattern which is forming a well defined window stretching unbroken to Morrisville. We keep climbing all the way north over the beautiful Route 100 valley bathed in sunlight slanting down through the clear trough in the otherwise heavy cloud cover. We lose only little getting by interstate 89.

Strong 4.5 kt lift at Stowe in the shadow of Mt. Mansfield (Point B) takes us to 14,000 where having forgotten to place the oxygen mask within reach, we drop the nose and look north for the next lift source. We see extensive cloud cover beyond Morrisville, but a break at Belvedere is apparent. Go for it!

The vario pegs down at minus 10 for a while but the dark hole is reachable and we remain above the clutching cloud tops. 4 kts at Belvedere (Point C) gives us 13,000 ft from 9,000. On to the next window at Jay Peak.

We pick up 3,000 ft 5.5 miles SE of Jay over Troy, VT (Point D) starting from 10,000. Except for the Jay and Belvedere windows, cloud cover is solid all around, and the Canadian border is close. We turn south on a heading of 240 degrees changing to 220. It had been very slow going north, but now with a tail wind component we are eating up the underlying terrain. Pausing in the lift at Stowe, which has remained in its earlier position, we climb again to 14,000 and contemplate the next move as we go.

On the trip north, we had noticed a lengthy wave window in the Champlain valley south of I-89. Usually such a window is generated by the Adirondacks or if closer to the West Ridge, by the minor ridge running past Bristol and Middlebury. On previous flights, this Champlain Valley wave had gotton us over the lake to NY State. A good time to try again.

Starting from the north end of Waterbury reservoir (Point E), a heading of due west pointed the nose at the north end of the window. With Camel’s Hump hidden beneath the heavy cloud cover, we speed on in continuous heavy sink. At the half way point with 2/3,000 ft gone and the vario still at 8-10 kts down it is again decision time: continue or retreat?

We press on and finally after what seems like an eternity, the sink eases to a reasonable minus 2 and soon we are skimming over clouds at the edge of the window at 8,500 ft into weak lift increasing to about 3 kts. Climbing to 13,000, the next wave pattern to the west is clearly over the east edge of the lake. Sure enough it works at 4 kts. We are right over Basin Harbor Airport (Point F) and the whole of Lake Champlain shimmers beneath.

From 14,000 ft we go for the Adirondack primary just about over the NY Throughway and extending down to the south towards Schroon Lake, a typical pattern when the wind is NW. We encounter only mild sink over the lake but get pounded again by serious down before reaching the primary at 8,500 over the Throughway near Elizabethtown (Point G). 30 miles from Sugarbush now and the Nav says no problem if task abandonment becomes advisable. Down the Throughway we go climbing most of the time.

The shadows are lengthening now, it is 5 PM with sunset coming at 6:07. The view of mountains, lake and farmland below blanketed with alternating sun and shadow is magnificent; and there is just no problem remaining aloft. Continuation south is tempting but we are now 40 miles from home at Schroon Lake (Point H). Encroaching weariness, limited sanitary storage and the late hour all prompt a decision to reverse course.

We can hear Harry Nutter, Fred Huenl, Tom Foote and others flying at the Bush that day signaling caution for very gusty conditions as they prepare to land. Before they are on the ground out of contact, we radio our position and intention to return.

GPS indicates a direct course heading of 85 degrees, however, we deviate somewhat to the north to catch the downwind side of a long window over the lake. No problem reaching home on a final glide from 13,500 ft at Schroon. Ground speed is 90 to 100 kts at times. We hit 6.5 kts up over the Lake west of Middlebury and wonder how high we might get if we had time and oxygen. The clouds are now more scattered revealing the late sun drenched brown and green patched farmland of the relatively flat valley. Ample altitude, good visibility, a gorgeous view: this is really comfortable, carefree flying - pure joy! What kind of privileged creatures, we soaring few?

We come into the West Ridge at Mt. Abraham summit (Point I) testing the ridge lift up to Sugarbush North. It is wild and we can’t stay down on the trees with so much turbulence. Harry and the others weren’t being overly cautious. We have a very rough ride across the Route 100 valley. Monitoring airport frequency we hear John Daniel caution all airborne re. field turbulence.

Others were using runway 04 but we check the windsock on the way cross-wind anyway. Wind almost directly across the runway but 04 slightly favored. This should be interesting! Pull the shoulder straps tight, pull the rudder pedals back for better braking (heel brakes on LS-4), gear down and locked, check spoilers, hold 80-90 kts almost to threshold, drop the left wind to stay centered on runway, hand on tight to stick and spoiler handle making instant responses to heavy gust forces pushing us sharply up and down with complete abandon. Paste her on and slow down this roller coaster!

We ease into the tie down area 4.6 hours after take off having covered 217 SM entirely on multiple wave patterns with an exciting landing to top it off.

Are we happy? You better believe it!