Saturday, April 30, th Cobra flight, 54th solo Caldron, Valley of Fire, Prieta Mesa 5 landings

Transcription

1 Saturday, April 30, th Cobra flight, 54th solo Caldron, Valley of Fire, Prieta Mesa 5 landings Launch: 6:25am Landing: 10:05am (5 min stop) Today s airtime 3:35 XC distance 186 miles Total logged time: 125:55 Total solo time: 110:20 Launch: calm, runway 21 Landing: thermally, runway 21 Jim Munson from Oregon trailered his 582 Cobra trike with single surface NorthWing down to Albuquerque. Met Jim at the AUA meeting last Thursday, and we planned a trip up the Rio Puerco to Cabezon and back for this morning. I woke up at 4am and met Jim at 6am, we were in the air at 6:25. Jim immediately landed and taxied over to the tie down area. I was worried he had a problem with his trike, but he only had to adjust his radio cables, and then we were off across the Rio Puerco Valley, heading towards the Caldron of Hell. Jim pulled up on my right wing in the dead calm smooth morning air.

2 Viewpoint for lower right picture We approached the Caldron from the south and followed the bridge mesa. There was a little bit of turbulence generated by the morning winds rolling over Galinas Mesa. Jim s single surface wing was giving him a workout. Looking south, back across the Caldron from the other side. (click on mouse to see viewpoint in upper left picture). Over the mesa above the Caldron, it was still a little bumpy. We headed NE to the PPC site to get away from the lee side of Mt Taylor, 20 miles to the NW of our position.

3 Over the PPC landing field, it was much smoother. We continued up the Rio Puerco Valley. At the southern edge of Prieta Mesa it got a little bumpy again. We flew up to Nuestra Senora (click on mouse to find) and then Jim decided to turn back for the PPC site. His arms were wearing out. I would pick him up in the way back. Cabezon and the northern volcano field.

4 Cabezon Chato Santa Clara I swung around to the left, flying over gnarled stump of Santa Clara and Chato (click for labels) Cuate I flew between Chato and Cuate, over this extremely flat and open mesa top. Looks like a great trike LZ for a camping trip. It sits like an island in the desert with sheer cliffs on all sides.

5 Looking south from the back side of Cabezon towards Nuestra Senora, Cochino and Santa Clara (click on mouse for pointers). Cochino Nuestra Senora Santa Clara I flew around the north end of Prieta Mesa and flew over the flats east of the mesa.

6 A shallow canyon filled with sprouting greenery from the wet spring this year. Near San Felipe Mesa, I saw this bowl like depression on the side of a slope. It looked a little weird so I dropped down lower and circled. It was a bowl stacked about 100 ft high and who knows how thick with tumbleweeds. I laughed out loud thinking of how it must look from ground level. I brought up the PPC waypoint on my GPS and counted down my ETA for Jim over the radio. As I circled over the field, I saw prop on Jims trike spinning. I told him to go ahead and take off so we could get back to Belen before the thermals kicked in.

7 Jim s Cobra over the cinder cones with Ladron Peak in background. We headed south and flew up over the escarpment and headed towards the cinder cone volcanoes.

8 Jim turned back here. Prieta Mesa North End I made one touch and go then landed a final time and rolled the trike up to the hanger right at 10am. The thermals were just starting up when we landed. I captured some really good digital video on this trip. Someday I ll put a link to a video file here. South End tumbleweeds Caldron of This was a very enjoyable flight. And relaxing for me because I had wingman for most of this long flight into the middle of nowhere. After hangering out trikes, we headed to the café for breakfast. The 3 hour long arm wrestling match Jim had with his single surface wing wore him out a bit. He said he had enough flying in New Mexico for this trip, but he would be back again with a new double surface wing. Maybe for the balloon fiesta this fall. Hell