Riding the wave in an MD-11

On a recent leg from the west coast to Memphis (at night of course) playing Santa in a Fedex MD-11, we encountered a nice bounce in the wave crossing the Sangre De Cristo range at FL350. Wave was in the forecast so I got the camera ready as we approached the range. Pretty cool how much energy is out there pushing a 500K lb machine around. It's fun explaining this to the copilot during these encounters. Good way to get someone excited about soaring.
Note how the power comes back (see fuel flow decrease) and autopilots works to keep on speed and altitude and opposite in the sink.
Hope to find that going downwind someday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjXGD10Je-s

Cheers,
Gordon Boettger

On Friday, December 25, 2015 at 8:43:16 PM UTC-7, Gordon Boettger wrote:
On a recent leg from the west coast to Memphis (at night of course) playing Santa in a Fedex MD-11, we encountered a nice bounce in the wave crossing the Sangre De Cristo range at FL350. Wave was in the forecast so I got the camera ready as we approached the range. Pretty cool how much energy is out there pushing a 500K lb machine around. It's fun explaining this to the copilot during these encounters. Good way to get someone excited about soaring.
Note how the power comes back (see fuel flow decrease) and autopilots works to keep on speed and altitude and opposite in the sink.
Hope to find that going downwind someday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjXGD10Je-s

Cheers,
Gordon Boettger

Gordo,

I know a former USAF B-52 pilot that pulled his BUF to idle along the Colorado Front Range at FL250 and flew the wave for some distance. He was a formerly in charge of the USAFA glider program.

Also, an ATP I know, flew a private jet between Aspen and Mexico City reported the most spectacular wave he's ever seen over 1100 miles at FL410 from Colorado, New Mexico, and Chihauhua. He had to chase the throttle in this particular jet.

The wave over the western states is sometimes a wonder.

Thanks for sharing,

Frank Whiteley

107% N1. Impressive!

On 12/25/2015 8:43 PM, Gordon Boettger wrote:
On a recent leg from the west coast to Memphis (at night of course) playing Santa in a Fedex MD-11, we encountered a nice bounce in the wave crossing the Sangre De Cristo range at FL350. Wave was in the forecast so I got the camera ready as we approached the range. Pretty cool how much energy is out there pushing a 500K lb machine around. It's fun explaining this to the copilot during these encounters. Good way to get someone excited about soaring.
Note how the power comes back (see fuel flow decrease) and autopilots works to keep on speed and altitude and opposite in the sink.
Hope to find that going downwind someday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjXGD10Je-s

Cheers,
Gordon Boettger

--
Dan, 5J

On Friday, December 25, 2015 at 7:43:16 PM UTC-8, Gordon Boettger wrote:
On a recent leg from the west coast to Memphis (at night of course) playing Santa in a Fedex MD-11, we encountered a nice bounce in the wave crossing the Sangre De Cristo range at FL350. Wave was in the forecast so I got the camera ready as we approached the range. Pretty cool how much energy is out there pushing a 500K lb machine around. It's fun explaining this to the copilot during these encounters. Good way to get someone excited about soaring.
Note how the power comes back (see fuel flow decrease) and autopilots works to keep on speed and altitude and opposite in the sink.
Hope to find that going downwind someday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjXGD10Je-s

Cheers,
Gordon Boettger

And the reasons heavy jets don't carry FLARM is the flight crew do now want other carriers leaching off them in wave.

Lol Darryl, you crack me up

On Saturday, December 26, 2015 at 6:53:06 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Lol Darryl, you crack me up

+1 to that.

Fun video! Thanks.

Hahaha!

I was heading eastbound over PUB earlier that day and pointing out the wave to my non-glider FO. We had a great ride, but ATC was reporting Mod-Sev in the mountain wave just to the south of us.

It's amazing how getting my Comm-Glider rating has made watchings cloud formations so enjoyable on my coast-to-coast flights (while Otto flies the Airbus.) There are some great small waves over isolated mountains and ridges out west that aren't near any airports.

FLL-SFO tomorrow.