ON THE VIRTUES OF AN OLDER SHIP, ARIEL

by Jim Culp USA

Maj. Art Haller and I assembled "Ariel" at sod area on runway 22 end at Keystone Air Park; went together easily. Capt. Bob Oehl, taking a few minutes between his flight training activities, taxied the new tow tug out, laid out the rope, and in moments we were airborne. Took a nice 3 minute 1500ft tow behind "Little Lulu," our showplane quality pink Citabria which got up and climbed well. At 1500ft crossed into nice thermal, and I pulled yellow release knob between my legs on left below control stick.

It was so smooth, I knew Capn Bob didn't know we had released. He was accustomed to towing the heavier SGU 2-22E for our CAP Cadet Glider flights with its significant drag and more weight. Wonder how long it took him to figure it out?

I considered flying up beside him off his right, but resisted the thought and went to explore the abilities of "Ariel" my Libelle. It's named in honor of my wonderful seven year old daughter.

After about three turns I found she does not truly groove and hold, and must be delicately, lightly ruddered; and doesn't seem to like or need very steep banking turns like some of the other ships I had before this one(Std. Astir, LS3A, DG400M-17). Her ability to climb well from light banks must have to do with her 1.8 fps min sink shown in her flight handbook.

By the end of the day I had explored and liked a new way of soaring. Soaring the Libelle is not like the DG, in which you can just barely tip the nose and run like a fast freight on sproingy greased rails at 85-90 Knots with a big load of water and still run flat forever. That ship had mass and wide span and really retained energy. The Libelle does not. This Libelle, she truly allows one to feel the air. I think I like this, though I love the other too.

I felt like a butterfly. Made me think of Gary Osoba's inspiring talks of butterfly flight tactics he uses in the Carbon Dragon or Woodstock light ships. He has done significant flights using these tactics, including winning a National Soaring Championship. I intend to learn to soar in this way as well. In a way, we felt somewhat like a slippery glass K8.

I think our wings may have been even more sensitive in feel, as if nerves went out all the way to our wingtips. Tried soaring without reference to the vario, and when I did look at it in run I was looking for keeping the least sinking speeds on the vario. That was an important aspect of Gary's lectures at the SSA Conventions where I've heard him speak on his tactics for cross country flight in lightly wing loaded gliders.

But the Libelle can run too, but it is no Ventus nor Discus. Very sensitive and responsive. I like it. Like a fine very young Arabian horse with which to ride across the sky with careful and gentle reigning and guiding. Galloping, running and looking down at the ground far below as it courses by and I look ahead to the run ahead. A cu or whisp on course at our altitude or just above, but at distance of 5 miles they just appear to be at our altitude, Ariel's and mine....

Bright day, 89F +, cumulus forming just as desired with the bases at around 3500ft agl at that early time of this day, about 1:30. No fronts.

Wow, is north Florida nice? You bet. To make it nicer, Major Art Haller and I bought six magnificent plastic pink flamingos which we had stuck out a couple weeks ago for a CAP Cadet Glider Flight overnight camping at the field, to adorn the taxiway to the hangar at Capt. Bob Oehl's ExpressAir hangar area. Bet he and Navy Joe (Joe Davis), our Aircraft Inspector, just loved 'em. We're still laughing and grinnin'. Not so sure they are, but they ought to be happy. Sort of an environmental consciousness statement I think. Well, anyway, if I see them at 4000 ft I pass the eyetest I say to myself. I did. Very pink and bright brilliant against the tan and green below next to the tarmac taxiway and concrete apron. A personal touch. Hope no one messes with them; good for loads of chuckles yet.

The land of the area is green, with many lakes and swamps and gators and snakes, rural; but its been dry, this year and last. See a wildfire smokeplume, burning in the southeast near Stark FL about 13 miles away. Consider gliding to it. The first of the summer's continuing wildfires, but they can be good for soaring saves. Thinking of going another direction.

Hit 300-400fpm climb on the Cambridge vario under first cu. Our wings bow a little. We were off tow at 1330 or was it 1430hrs?...time changed the previous night. No matter. Soar. Feel this ship out. Small. Dainty. Sprightly, but nice 15 meter span and good high aspect ratio.

Take off shoes in first few circles climbing and stash them behind my head. Neat trick. Easier off left foot, extra pulls and tugs to get shoe out from under Ariel's narrow space between panel and top of my tan knee when coming off right foot. Great now, room for feet on teeny rudder pedal area. Glad I like the scent of seasoned leather. The day only got better.

No charts. No GPS. No radio. Have water and snacks and money. I wanna see NFSS up at Jacksonville. National Forest ahead I think and I see masses of dark green black forest ahead between where I wanted to go. Decision time. I would see and be able to appreciate, apprehensively, the massive green no-landing area. Now in this GPS NavComputer world, which has passed me by since my last competition entry, I had only my experience in many many fine long cross country flights to beckon up in memory of skills to go on. Would that be good enough? Sure don't want to land out on first time away from the field, even on this first flight of Ariel.

Well, I had driven north from Gainesville Florida on US 301 and then easterly on I-10 and other similar route, and knew a few major landmarks to Jacksonville area; but I didn't know any emergency landing fields in between. And when driving you can't see much. Just a little bit off each side of the road. Besides up here with Ariel I can see the road sometimes, but I am not following it; it's just a passing reference of direction and location.

I knew there was a paved military field at Camp Blanding. Capn Bob had told me in his last words to me before takeoff, that the gunnery and bombing ranges were not hot today. Hope he was right; properly informed. And I didn't have a crew, nor a trailer towing vehicle.

Should we go?

Well, just tip-toe and see how it goes. Get high and stay high. That's it.

As we approached the orange dirt, dead deforested no-mans land, of Camp Blanding gunnery impact ranges, I watched for dust to rise as it might from howitzer fire, mortar, or bomb bursts. It was still. I kept looking. And soaring. As we glided north I saw a new longer runway north of Blanding in the grading process. It was reddish orange dirt against the surrounding green, quite long with a turnaround graded at each end.

It was probably landable and sure better than pines or swamp or lake which are the primary surfaces of the area. I could never be sure from altitude what we might run into on approach if we did have to land there...could be substantial ruts and almost always surveyer's stakes, even maybe driven metal rods. Yep, it was to be landing site if others were out of reach. Things can change quickly after all.

At this point we were reading 3000ft on our Kollsman and I saw three vultures heading our way just ahead, on course, and just about fifty feet above our altitude. They had their wings span-shortened for the interthermal cruise mode.

They were the Turkey Vultures, with white spot on top of wings. I saw this soon. We closed upon them after a few minutes and our L over D was better. But they were doing about 45-50mph. As we got up close behind them and now just ten feet under them, I remembered not to scare them or get blasted with their built-in glider repellant! I had seen buzzards do that when surprised near Chilhowee Gliderport in Tennessee. Just then, they turned back and we hit lift on our Cambridge and turned with them. It got better; we climbed to cloud base together with them. These vultures liked high soaring, unlike most others I have observed in other areas. Usually it's the hawks who go high. Saw the vultures one more time but we had to move on. Gorgeous creatures in what they do so well. With Ariel, with her light wing loading, I felt some kinship. We could do what the vultures do so well.

4500ft and we are northgoing now. Soon saw a little sod airfield with a few light planes way down there ever so small and a yellow cub taking off, skimming the ground. Cool now. Guess he didn't see me. It would have taken him too long to climb up to us if he did, to meet our schedule of route for the day.

We roll out and glide ahead down to 4000ft after a five mile run. Very little significant sink, and a general upwelling of the air we felt. Soon back up to 4500 and headed north. Cumulus bases now much higher than at first thermal. No cirrus. Good. Visibility about 14-16 miles over this part of the trip.

Then I saw beautiful big Cecil Naval Air Station with its 8500ft or more of runway...yeah, where a lot of our young Navy aviators have gone from in last couple weeks...cool young jet jocks and superdooper jets. The runways are massive so can be seen forever. Great landmark for chartless pilotage in this GPS age.

Love it. No chart, but we're sure where we are and a safe place to go if needed. Much big no road forest below.

A cu whispy forming south of runways, a proper distance away from it. On to it. Good. Wow, we attached into it 3700ft with a light creaking of wings and pulling me strong into the chute and seatpan, and we worked it from 600-800fpm at its best and we took every bit to the day's high point of 6430ft agl. She really pulled up with her wings. We were probably a couple hundred ft higher above ground there, as I had set Ariel's altimeter to the high ground of Keystone Airpark, zeroed at 200ft. elevation.

This area at Cecil and on at Jacksonville is at almost sea level. Kept scanning and listening for jet fighter and turbine engined traffic. Saw some fighters on the field, neatly angle parked, gray colored on concrete, but nothing down there was moving and no ground vehicles moving about. Not even any regular car traffic on base roads. The light and visibility there was perfect before our high climb but upon leaving at cloudbase thru whisps all ahead I saw much lower cloudbased columns and they were very closely spaced together, almost next to each other. Sun from the west more now but not appreciably low.

Rolled out high from the whisp under cu and took a dead reckoning heading by whisky compass toward Herlong I thought into the graying murk ahead. Kept looking for an airport; should be easy to see. But since we were higher than cloudbase much on the ground was blocked from view and the ground was dark in shadows and the air under cloud was different than we had experienced all day so far. Finally between cloud columns in the very distant I see a cleared area that just has to be it. High now, but dang, cloudbases ahead are much much lower, 1000 then 1500ft lower and as we go into that way, sky becomes very obscured with sort of a smog dull grey brown. Now cloud bases are below us much and cumulus towers are up all around us.

We glide on. Navigating searchingly between cu towers which are very close together now and the ground is hard to see and whispy cool cool gray is forming up, as we glide on. Become concerned that the sunlight will be shut off and that the day is changing in this area. Would hate to get shut down by shower or cloud deck over the areas ahead.

Ahead is only general, because we cruise tentatively turning thru to retain visibility. But, as we glide navigating between the gray mountain-like towers of cu, we find 100fpm and 200fpm up all through the dark gray area. Ground hard to see much, except just below because of cu columns, like gray blue white mountains coming up, their color and contrast dependant upon whether the sun is getting to them. But below is very hard to see distinctly.

But I haven't seen Herlong airfield or any sign of a glider or towplane of North Florida Soaring Society; and now down thru the clouds of dark and gray I see a big big shadow darkened body of water. Lower clouds ahead, hanging over the darkish blue water.

Put my cotton tan overshirt collar up now and close down Ariel's two front vents because it's quite cool now. Would have been chilly without the shirt. Wore it to prevent arm sunburn but needed it now for warmth in the high dark shadow trip.

It was interesting to have taken the high cloudbase climb several miles south of Cecil NAS and headed for an airport I saw in the distance. The bases got lower and the visibility obscured in smog and dark whispy and shadow as we headed that way. In fact, we soon were flying 1000 then 1500ft above the cloud bases going between dark cloud towers and dark whisp. Even between the many towers we sustained at 100-200fpm up; it was very gray. Then I saw a large body of water... St. Johns river it must be, yes. As we came into the sun off Ariel's nose at 2 oclock low on our right there were the many big tan-orange hangars at what must be...Jacksonville NAS.... Hey, that's not Herlong! It passed nicely under Ariel's right wing.

Here we broke out into the sun, quite high and all was cloudless ahead above downtown Jacksonville not far to our north. We headed for the big high landmark buildings and the waterfront development which look very small down ahead below. There over downtown Jacksonville, we turned back southwesterly to look for Herlong. We still would get there I knew.

I could see Cecil in the far distance as a reflective cleared area near the southwesterly horizon. Ariel and I took our heading, looking far down on expressways going this way and that way, so I knew we'd have to be over Herlong soon. Saw now that the gray cloudy area and lower bases were especially lower over the St. Johns river basin area.

As we got closer to Cecil, there under us appeared seemingly out of nowhere the not very visually distinct runways and turf of Herlong airport, home of North Florida Soaring Society, 5000 ft below us. I kept scanning the sky between and under the cu-towers and thru the gray whisps to catch sight of a sailplane. Kept looking for a towplane taking off. None. Saw one bizjet move out and turn fast from Herlong. Then did an airfield survey just over the field. All eight of the NFSS gliders and tugs were tied down. Only one private owner trailer was spotted in the assembly area and no car beside it. No cars at NFSS.

Dang! They must have taken the day off for Easter. Well that's as it should be, with family. The guys will surely get wive's, sweetheart's, and heaven's points for that. But they were sure missing a magnificent day in the sky. As far as Ariel and I went, it was just us and the birds. That was good enough for us.

I wanted to catch up with someone soaring at the field there so they could wonder "Who was that mystery ship?" But realised that we would have to do it again to do the mystery appearance and then leave with no radio contact.

We turned once and glided with good speed southwest to go where we had gotten to 6430ft before. No cu there now. Sun getting a little more down in the west.

Cumuli in the distance were within glide range by consuming altitude fuel down to 3200ft I estimated. So go for same good spot as before. When there, a lingering bump, vario swing and steady 400fpm and circle, and a whisp now formed above us about 1500ft. We climbed well to 6000ft and the cu developed to well-formed with columnar top by cloudbase. From here a final glide home possible maybe.

Upon rolling out on southerly course noted we were having to maintain a pretty good southwesterly crab angle to cover southerly course, so I knew we now had a headwind component and decided we would take several climbs before home.

We went on to over Camp Blanding Army Airfield, and climbed again from 4700 to 5200ft. From there, I spotted lakes which I identified with Keystone airport area and we ran fast feeling our wings and really rolling along, arriving over the Keystone home field at 4000ft. We did it. We had toured northeast Florida and we did not land out. Now we knew the way.

Saw a red Pitts Special exercising in the aerobatic box low over Keystone. So just on the outerside to the north we dove, pulled up and big-wagged our wings with our nose high into the air and then over into the loop to the west and back up to roll off the top, dive and full roll. Several times. Nice. He had seen us.

I had seen him turn his head to us as he began his pull up. He putter-glided down quickly after his routine and now we were at 1500 ft. Burn a little more altitude fuel, check all around, cross over field checking spoilers, gear down. See how much Ariel sinks with spoilers on long downwind. Have heard Libelle spoilers are not too effective, but find that Ariel, a H201B model of 1973, sinks well . No problem. Turn base 500ft, airspeed 53, setting sun-on-wings, turn final, airspeed, 250ft for crossing over the pinetops to landing in the grass in the cleared grassy area near runway end of rw22. Sun getting low and orange pink now, airspeed indicator in shadow against setting sun, but right on the flare number, as I touch Ariel's stick fractionally back at kissdown. Perfect touchdown; spoilers full out. Ok, where's your wheel brake Ariel? There on the stick, a bike-like gripbrake. Squeeze hard because I have heard Libelle brakes are not very effective, oops.

Let off, Ariel's tail eases back to proper level and slow to a stop abreast of her waiting aged Eberle trailer. Nice. Reach forward and flip up the little canopy lever that cracks front of canopy open for air in flight or waiting for takeoff, then twist handle for it to release.

Carefully lift up Ariel's removable canopy and ever so gently put it over the side. I tell myself to remember not to step into it on stepping out. Sometimes I've done regrettable things, so I instruct myself in the obvious to be sure not to forget. Yeah, dumb things.

I see a car driving my way about five minutes after I step out and have disconnected Ariel's controls and readied for disassembly. It's Capt. Brooks Jones, our Gainesville CAP Squadron Commander. "Hi," he says, "Need help?" He asks, "How long have you been up?"

I say, "We've been up for 5 hours and 20 minutes and have really had a great flight." I fill him in on the route. I think I had to say it twice before he appreciated it, maybe because people don't really think of gliders as leaving the local area. The sun was getting low and we went together to pull Little Lulu out of the hangar for end of the day photos and then we came back for disassembly and a couple of glider memory photos at runway end by the trailer, with magnificent low pink sun and blue pink sunset just behind us.

I thanked The Lord for the beautiful Easter and our flight together, enjoying the magnificence of his world, sky, birds, nature and soaring flight and the blessings of the day.

A good first flight with Ariel. A long time coming.

Keep it up!

Jim Culp USA

Jim Culp lives in Hattiesburg Mississippi and Gainesville Florida. He has served as SSA State Governor of Georgia and Mississippi and now serves as Governor-at-Large for SSA Region V. He volunteers as a CAP Cadet Flight Training Pilot for the Gainesville Florida Cadet Glider Flight Training Program and for the Mississippi CAP Glider Program. He may be contacted at email: culpusa@hotmail.com or tel. 352 367-8608. 2056 NW 55 Blvd, A8, Gnsvl, FL 32653. He holds the glider contest letters "USA."