Gordon Boettger Downwind Wave Record Attempt - Mon 02/17/2014

wrote, On 2/18/2014 6:52 AM:
Awesome Flight over very rough terrain - Congratulations many times over
Look forward to hearing the first person narrative.

And looking at all that snow makes me think of how challenging a landout
could be, and then surviving it until the retrieve got to you,
especially if it was blowing hard on the ground.

--
Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA (change ".netto" to ".us" to
email me)

Originally Posted by Juliet11[_2_]

Is this the same weather That jolted a 767 going in Billings, Montana?

Warning: Some thread drift...but still related to the record flight!

Looking at the HRRR charts WaltWX provided on his blog for the record attempt, my vote would be yes. There was a bunch of serious vertical motion in northern WY...which is where the incident occurred at 34,000 feet. USAToday article link follows.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/n...lence/5575375/

Unfortunately not everyone was strapped into their seats on the 737 and some injury occurred. I wonder if Gordon and Hugh took any opportunity to scream as they rode their roller coaster!?

Brad.

On Tuesday, February 18, 2014 10:22:47 PM UTC-8, Brad Alston wrote:
'Juliet11[_2_ Wrote:

;851428']Is this the same weather That jolted a 767 going in Billings,

Montana?



Warning: Some thread drift...but still related to the record flight!



Looking at the HRRR charts WaltWX provided on his blog for the record

attempt, my vote would be yes. There was a bunch of serious vertical

motion in northern WY...which is where the incident occurred at 34,000

feet. USAToday article link follows.



http://tinyurl.com/opxsaqr



Unfortunately not everyone was strapped into their seats on the 737 and

some injury occurred. I wonder if Gordon and Hugh took any opportunity

to scream as they rode their roller coaster!?



Brad.









--

Brad Alston

This is odd, as usually the air is extremely smooth at high altitude in the laminar flow of the wave.

Ramy

On Tuesday, February 18, 2014 10:41:47 PM UTC-5, WaltWX wrote:
Just updated my blog adding photos from cockpit embedded in time line of blog. bit.ly/BoettgerFlight20140217 Walt Rogers WX

A BIG well done to Walt.
Flights like this can't happen without the skilled support of folks like Walt.
and thanks for sharing with us.
Good Finish WX!
UH

This is odd, as usually the air is extremely smooth at high altitude in the
laminar flow of the wave.

Correct as far as it goes, I guess...and this is exactly what I once thought
until I went from laminar to "WTF was THAT?!?" in an early-for-me wave flight
up around 28,000 feet. Even did a serious "S" turn to look back for the jet
I'd missed seeing violating my little bit of the wave window; nothing spotted.
Mentally settled myself down from my fright, continued climbing for another
thousand feet or so, then hit worse, more sustained turbulence - enough to
convince me I was in over my head. So I descended to land and began some
self-education.

Short form is any time you're near the edge of a wave (bottom=rotor;
edges/top=shearing) expect serious turbulence. Save for the rotor, the edges
typically aren't visibly marked.

"Top of wave? Don't they all just sorta peter out 'way up high'?" That's what
I likely imagined prior to that flight. Truth is guys like the late Dr.
Joachim Kuettner (discoverer of the wave and a long-time member of my club)
assert that so-called 'trapped waves' (his terminology) are likely more common
than the really big 'petering out' kind. My layman's understanding is trapped
waves are the kind vertically constrained by wind shearing action.

Subsequent to that first wave turbulence encounter, I had several more; each
time proved something of an adrenaline generator for me. Eventually I decided
height for the sake of height - no matter how sublime the views from 'way up
there' - wasn't the lure for me it once was, and - lacking Gordon B.'s drive,
and hence unable to effectively use waves for XC in my part of the
intermountain west (Oh! for the days of the former 24,000' 'Positive Control'
airspace of [for me] semi-recent yore) - waited to vicariously enjoy other's
exploits.

Congratulations to everyone involved in this (and all former) pioneering
soaring flights, and "Thanks for sharing!"

Bob W.

Not necessarily. I remember having to take a test on this during a structures review session. Lots of rough stuff at high altitudes wherever airmasses collide. Google Clear Air Turbulence.



On Wednesday, February 19, 2014 2:18:41 AM UTC-5, Ramy wrote:
On Tuesday, February 18, 2014 10:22:47 PM UTC-8, Brad Alston wrote:

'Juliet11[_2_ Wrote:



;851428']Is this the same weather That jolted a 767 going in Billings,



Montana?







Warning: Some thread drift...but still related to the record flight!







Looking at the HRRR charts WaltWX provided on his blog for the record



attempt, my vote would be yes. There was a bunch of serious vertical



motion in northern WY...which is where the incident occurred at 34,000



feet. USAToday article link follows.







http://tinyurl.com/opxsaqr







Unfortunately not everyone was strapped into their seats on the 737 and



some injury occurred. I wonder if Gordon and Hugh took any opportunity



to scream as they rode their roller coaster!?







Brad.



















--



Brad Alston



This is odd, as usually the air is extremely smooth at high altitude in the laminar flow of the wave.



Ramy

Nearly 48 hours later... Seems the flight isn't going on OLC?
Jim

On Wednesday, February 19, 2014 10:28:28 PM UTC-6, JS wrote:
Nearly 48 hours later... Seems the flight isn't going on OLC? Jim

Can't touch the logger without the observer being present if you are talking about record flights at this level. So, no. Likely no OLC points for Gordo and Hugh for this flight. Maybe OLC can make an exception and permit its loading and points more than 48 hours after landing?

Steve

Or perhaps they could just make the .IGC file available publically on Dropbox, GoogleDrive or any number of file sharing properties?

Or much better upload it to https://www.skylines-project.org/