Eric Rupp tells about his record-setting flight: Hollister to Calexico • June 21, 2008

First, let me say that I'm overwhelmed at the attention I've received from my soaring family after this flight. Having the respect of one's peers and attention from the many who make soaring happen at Hollister is near the best thing anybody could ask for. Thank you and many thanks again.

Making a run to the border

444 Statute Miles
7-1/2 hours

A good place to start this story is where most flights begin, with the BlipMaps: With boundary layers to nineteen thousand feet (!) at San Benito Mountain, it looked like an exceptional event on the first full day of summer! And, as luck would have it, my brother Loren arrived in town the night before, ready for adventure. That confirmed my decision to make a straight-out flight with him in chase.

With a 2/3rds load of water, I was on tow in my trusty DG-300 at 11:20 a.m. Saturday, June 21st. The flight started slowly, 8000 feet at Elevator 1, but scraping past Elevator 2 and doing no better than 7500 feet at Elevator 4. After a long two and a half hours, I reached the first clouds at 7000 feet near the California Valley and was relieved to find a solid climb, first to 10,000 feet, then to fourteen! This was the beginning of a nice cloud street that allowed me to switch gears and cruise at 80+ knots IAS toward New Cuyama. (When you're fast and that high, the ground goes by at around 115 knots!)

New Cuyama came up quickly and, from there, I could see the clouds bending around toward Santa Barbara and Los Angeles, then east toward the Mojave Desert. I mostly cruised on the western upwind and sunny side of the clouds until just west of I-5. There I found a 30 mile cloud gap, downshifted to McCready 0, and glided at best L/D to arrive above Palmdale at 9000 feet at the northern end of another fine looking cloud street.

Soon back at 13,000, I overflew Crystal glider port and found another large blue patch over Big Bear and the San Bernardino Mountains. In the distance I could see a good looking cloud mass on the southern slopes of San Gregorio peak ñ some 40 miles away! There was also a ragged line of convergence clouds off to the east and a little closer, but somewhat east of the best course south. Debating which way to go, I heard a voice say "Respect the convergence!" by staying with the ragged convergence clouds. Impatience won out, though, and I elected to start toward the larger cloud mass, then turn back if need be.

Many days this would have been a flight ending decision (ask me how I know), but this day it worked! With Big Bear below me as a landing option, I had a 40:1 plus glide and cleared the last ridge before the clouds at around 1500' AGL. The clouds were again working (some days it breaks your way!) and I climbed to 14k.

The cloud mass turned out to be the beginning of the third and highest cloud street of the day, this one running southeast into the Sonoran Desert which stretched out underneath me, awesome in its desolation. Now 5 p.m. and with lift weakening, the voice was saying "Get high, stay high." Plus, I was getting tired and not sure if I'd have the heart to struggle for too long if I got low. Fortunately, I didn't have to and was able to climb flying straight and reached 17,300 feet. From that lofty perch I had the luxury of distraction to evaluate my options, opening the maps and flying poorly for a while. Arizona was well in glide but, much to my chagrin, I suddenly realized that my waypoints (even using the Warner Springs database) stopped in California! Ditto for the LA sectional! Doh! I had Blythe on the CA/AZ state line in glide by 5000', but no data beyond!

Eric looks out over his wingtip at the Sonoran Desert on his way to Calexico.

On the other hand, as I continued on the cloud street, Calexico/Mexicali on the US/Mexican border (38 nm east of Jacumba) was starting to look doable, especially with a number of intermediate airports on course. But, complicating matters, if I delayed my decision I risked getting blocked by a large area of restricted airspace over the Chocolate Mountains. I called for a clearance, but found no one home.

In addition, I was winding down physically. I did my best to relax (deep breathing my oxygen and Ooommmmm-ing). Really wanting to get on the ground, I turned south, and realized I really was on final glide for Calexico! Se Habla Espanol?!!! I was also starting to feel a little queasy and fought that as well as pushing back growing excitement that the goal was almost in hand! "Fly the plane" said the voice.

Gliding fast, I dog legged slightly west to get around the restricted area and left the wild Sonoran Desert to overfly the Salton Sea and the tamer cultivated fields surrounding it. After almost an hour on final glide, I finally arrived over Calexico International (elevation 3 feet) at 4000, pulled a celebratory loop, and, after 7-1/2 hours, landed at 6:50 p.m., an hour before sunset!

See Eric's flight trace on the On Line Contest site (OLC).

Calexico International is a hot, dry, lonely airport on the edge of town with the border fence a 100 yards off the runway. With no one around, I pushed my glider off the runway and, owing to my SPOT messenger and its real-time tracking, I got congratulatory calls from Steve Brockman and Joy Pierce! Thanks guys! I tied down, called a cab, and got a hotel room. Exhausted. Loren arrived with the trailer a few hours later after driving 11-1/2 hours! Exhausted! High fives! (Thank you, thank you, thank you Loren! My desert rat brother!)

~

Years ago I remember Sergio talking about his 1000k FAI triangle out of Truckee. While Sergio makes it look easy, this flight took him years and flight after flight before he got it right. Great flights don't just happen, they're an "enterprise": the product of a lot of flying, expanding the flight range, and mostly, I think, expanding what we think is possible.

It's easy to credit all of Hollister's pilots in this "enterprise". We've all worked and played together to develop Hollister's XC, to challenge each other, to make 300k's a milk run, and to make 500k's very doable on a decent day. With good conditions beyond New Cuyama ñ and a willingness for a long retrieve ñ I'm still sure we've not found our limits.

~

I'm feeling pleased, lucky, and thankful for the chance to make this flight and to share it.

Thanks to all, see you at the airport!

—Eric ("ER")

See Eric's flight on the On Line Contest site (OLC).

Read the article about Eric's flight in the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

Eric, right, sitting on the wing of his DG 300, with Ramy Yanetz.

 

 

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