Spring Go South

Every spring, Kansas soaring pilots watch the weather for a window: strong south wind aloft, good cumulus development, the right setup for a long downwind dash. The tradition goes back at least to 1971, when Bernie Mohr flew 400 miles in an ASW-12 to set a Kansas state record. I’ve been chasing that kind of day ever since I started soaring in 1998.

March 12, 2014 wasn’t a perfect day, but it was a go day. I launched from Wellington, KS. My crew was KC and John Wells, who would chase me south in the car, tracking my progress and positioning for a retrieve.

The Declared Task

My declared task was Wellington to Cochrane Ranch (a turnpoint near Daisy, OK) to Three Sticks Monument (the Kiamichi Ridge high point in southeast Oklahoma) to Texarkana, TX—roughly 360 miles if everything worked. The challenge was always the last leg: the Kiamichi Ridge marks the transition from the flat Oklahoma plains to the dense Ouachita forests. Once past the ridge, landing options become scarce and the terrain is unforgiving.

I launched at 12:14 PM. The first stretch south through Kansas and into Oklahoma went smoothly. Cumulus clouds were building under a good southwest breeze and I found solid climbs through Ponca City and south.

Past I-40

The tricky section came south of I-40 near Henryetta, OK. The sky went blue and the thermals became harder to find. I was flying in what amounted to a drift zone, searching for whatever lift I could get. A fire burning to the east kicked up a thermal and I took it, climbing back to a useful altitude before continuing south.

The Kiamichi Ridge appeared ahead as I approached Daisy, OK. I found the ridge lift on Buffalo Mountain’s long spine. Running the ridge is the crux of this flight—you can cover a lot of ground efficiently if the wind angle is right, but it requires staying in the mechanical lift band close to the terrain. I ran toward Three Sticks on the ridge’s eastern end, made the turnpoint, and found a climb.

The Final Leg

From Three Sticks I pointed at De Queen, Arkansas. It’s a small town with an airport in the Arkansas Ouachitas, a reasonable landing spot in otherwise heavily forested terrain. The last climb got me to 6400 feet. With that altitude and the tailwind, I had De Queen in glide.

I landed at De Queen with 318 miles in 5.5 hours of flight time. KC and John were about two hours behind in Talihina, tracking me online through the last legs of the flight. After the glider was secured, we drove home with another Spring Go South flight in the logbook.